LIBERATING LANGUAGE?

Eventually I will organize my wallpaper to include a section for book reviews. Today, I'll just use the usual space.

You might think a book about a group of women getting together to knit would be a boring little granny's novel. Since I'm a granny who likes to knit and crochet I took a chance on reading The Friday Night Knitting Club, by Kate Jacobs. I enjoyed the weaving of relationships between shop owner Georgia and the eclectic group of women who frequent her knitting shop, the men in their lives, and between Georgia and her daughter. One of the most interesting (and annoying) characters in the story is Darwin, a graduate student in anthropology who chooses the "knitting club" for the topic of her doctoral dissertation. She challenges the value of modern women spending their time knitting. In choosing this novel I confess that I was also trying to steer away from novels that have sex, violence and language. My last big disappointment in this regard was picking up David Baldacci's Absolute Power, getting hooked within the first twenty pages, and having to put it down because of the effusive use of...THAT word. I had previously enjoyed two of his books, The Christmas Train and Wish You Well and thought I had found a great new author.

To my surprise, Jacobs story was also laced with profanity. Yes, a little ol' granny novel with even the...yes THAT word. Does the use of profanity empower women? I don't think so! There are so many other words to be used. If anyone would like to explain how debasing oneself to the language used by perverse adolescent males can be empowering, go for it.

LOST IN VIRTUAL REALITY

Heather and Whitney posted comments on my Blog. I feel hugged! I feel loved! My next blogging goal will be to create links to the websites I refer you to so that you can just click on the URL (is that what it's called?) and in a "Beam me up, Scotty!" moment, you will be transported to that sight. I confess, technology is still a mysterious voodoo experience for me. I'm technology dependent (vs. autonomous)and still quite technology phobic. At least I know how to use a mouse. Last week I learned that a friend of mine is too nervous to even learn to use a mouse.

Last year the Reader's Digest published an article about this amazing new invention. It's a devise that allows a person to send a hug through the telephone to another person, WHICH CAN ACTUALLY BE FELT. As I was contemplating the technology that made this possible, it occurred to me that it all comes from the God who created our earth and worlds without number. These technological discoveries are just that, discoveries. God has already mastered these technologies. Man is just discovering them. If our Creator can allow us to send a hug through the telephone, why should it be so hard to believe that He communicates with his prophets on earth today, or that he will communicate with us personally through his Holy Spirit. After all, we are His spirit children.

Question: Do you think that keeping up with technology will help prevent senility?
Interfacing with technology has almost become a survival skill, as necessary as hunting was in primitive times. So, if old folks are having to stretch their minds to keep up with monthly, weekly, or daily changes will that retard the onset of senility?

YUMMY LOOKING STUFF!

There's a new cookbook that will be on the market soon, presently untitled, featuring crockpot recipes. The chef is just a mommy person who experimented. Two delicious-looking recipes are posted on the ABC Good Morning America website: Buffalo Wing Lasagna and Breakfast Casserole. The breakfast casserole can be cooked overnight, ready when you wake up.

Sometimes you can tell if a recipe tastes good simply by viewing the picture, don't you think?

Hello!

May I begin my blogging adventure by thanking my daughter and daughters-in-laws for motivating me to start blogging. We do lose a bit of our privacy, but I can see how much more we gain from sharing in this format. Also, perhaps now that I have a blog , I will be able to post comments on each of their blogs. So, I'm off to share my opinions with whomever. This is what's on my mind today...

When I was a young mother, I was always tired. When I wined to my physician about this malady he replied, "Oh that's just Young Mother's Syndrome." But I'm ALWAYS tired, I groaned! He just chuckled and said, "Well, that usually goes away by the time the youngest is in high school." (I think I started to feel better when our youngest, The Fourth, started kindergarten.) Looking back, and being much kinder to myself now then I was then, I realize that part of my malaise was due to feeling isolated from other moms. It's important to connect and support each other. Women used to get together more. They socialized while they were working on projects together and helping each other. Although we use many time-saving devices, do we spend that saved time to nurture our friendships, or do we just get busier? We just need to let our hair down and admit we need each other, at every stage of our lives, but especially during that most draining time when so much of our energy is spent on our young children. Blogging serves this purpose.

Dr. Laura has some excellent links on her website for "home moms". She also posted a video at utube/drlaura in support of stay-at-home moms called "Say No to Day Orphanages." Yes, she is a tough little lady, but I'm glad there is a stong voice in the media in support of moms taking care of their children.

Thank-you Heatherlyn, Madeleine, Renee and Whitney for all the TLC you give your children, (my grandchildren!)