Saturday, April 4, 2009

Another List

I have so many thoughts swirling through my head - ideas to blog about. Uh oh, that usually means another list is about to be created. Here goes:

Cancer: a virtual maelstrom of emotions erupts in my gut when I hear this word. I realize it's even harder for me to see it in print. Ergo - I'll talk about that later.

World War II: I've been listening to Jeff Shaara's The Rising Tide, a story about the North African Campaign and Italian Campaign. Although I majored in history in college, I did not take a lot of course work in WWII focusing mostly on early American history. In recent years I've developed a real passion for learning about it mostly due to my awareness that those with personal memories of the war are dying. Very recently I stumbled across the fact that my Great Uncle Ivan was among the first wave of marines to hit the beach at Guadalcanal. This inspired me to break out the old textbooks, do some research and learn more about the military tactics and individual battles.

The Flu: My 13 year old son is doing an extra credit book report for his social studies class. As I perused the material I had on hand I came across a young reader's story about the Influenza Pandemic of 1919. Another fascinating topic for the historian in me . . . I did my seminar paper in college on the topic. I have really enjoyed the conversations this book has sparked for my family. Making connections for them - their Great Great Grandmother died of the flu in 1920 when she was 19 years old. Her son, my grandfather, was only 18 months old.

Gardening: I started plants (peppers, tomatoes, herbs) from seed for the first time. This year will be my first ever attempt at "putting up" my own store of vegetables. I find myself fascinated by the tiny sprouts beginning to appear and can't wait to see what happens next.

Poetry: I'm itching to make time to read it again - my favorite: Emily Dickinson.

Life is good.

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