I polished off another Newbery book yesterday -- I only have three left! Woo hoo! This one was called "A Year Down Yonder," about a girl who goes to live with her no-nonsense grandmother in southern Illinois in 1937. My favorite sentence was this one, describing an apparently homely neighbor: "Her eyes and her teeth aimed all over the room." I think that's brilliant.
Afterwards, Olga and I took a walk to the cemetery. Above, at Fortune Green, she posed in front of the wintry dogwood shrubs with their colorful stems. We have a couple of those same bushes but ours don't seem as eye-catching. Maybe they're better in larger groups.
We had a bit of drama about two-thirds of the way into her walk when I realized her dog tag was missing. I wouldn't care, except that it has our names, address and phone numbers on it. I don't know why this bothers me as it's information that would have been in a phone book years ago, and is probably on the Internet now, but I hated to think of it just lying out there for someone to find. So we retraced our steps -- which ornery Olga hated because it wasn't our routine -- and darned if we didn't find the tag, lying in the mud at the cemetery gate.
The pile of discarded Christmas trees at Fortune Green is growing. This is nothing compared to what it will look like in a few days. Just in the time that we were walking nearby, people dragged at least four more to the heap.
Was this a mob hit?
Back home again, I finished the second volume of David Sedaris' diaries, which brought us right up to December 2020 and thus contained his reflections on Trump and Covid. I enjoyed the book and his writing is always entertaining, but it also seemed to drive home how obnoxious he can be. Some of the things he says to people seem downright mean-spirited. I guess a person doesn't become a millionaire writer by being polite, though, right? Break those social boundaries!
If you are thinking of getting another tag for Olga, have a look at Flexitags.co.uk. Lexi has got several in different colours.They fit flat on the collar and don't jingle all the time! No affiliation...as they say!!
ReplyDeleteOK, good to know! We actually have two tags for her so replacing it wasn't the issue -- just having our identities lying around out there. :)
DeleteAmazing you found the dog tag, but the things Olga must put up with. I hope she appreciated your efforts to find HER jewelry. The mob hit is hilarious. Do you suppose you’ll find the head somewhere else one day?
ReplyDeleteI think the head's in the bag! I'm not sure, though, because I didn't look.
DeleteDog by dogwood! Glad you found her tag.
ReplyDeleteHere old Christmas trees are used in beaches to rebuild dunes and sea defences, by piling them up with a fence around them to keep them there, and the sand naturally builds up again
Oh, that's a good idea! These are mulched and the mulch made available for use in parks and gardens.
DeleteIdeal for acid soil loving plants
DeleteWhile we have beautiful dogwood trees, I don't know dogwood shrubs. Rather impressive colouring.
ReplyDeleteOlga needs to take more care of her jewellery.
These dogwoods are different from (but related to) the famous flowering dogwoods of the southern USA. They're most interesting in winter when the colorful stems are visible.
DeleteGlad you found the girl her necklace and by the way the koi pond soup is delish...
ReplyDeleteHa! I'm glad! :)
DeleteWhat was that creature partly concealed by the black bin bag? It looks like it might have been a giant hedgehog. Did you take off the black bag to see? It's surprising that you didn't bring it home with you. We all need rescuing from time to time.
ReplyDeleteI didn't take off the bag, but I agree -- I think it's a monster-sized hedgehog. Probably gave some kid nightmares!
DeleteI find it quite a simple, even enjoyable job to dismantle our Christmas tree branch by branch and put it in the garden recycling bin. A bit of work with secateurs and a saw and it's done. It will then be collected when collections restart in February and in the meantime it freshens up the smelly bin.
ReplyDeleteI guess some people don't have garden waste collection -- particularly if they live in a flat. But that's a great way to handle it!
DeleteSo glad you found the dog tag! You are lucky that you noticed it when you did. Ironically, I was cleaning out a closet yesterday of Murphy's things, (I finally have had the fortitude to do it) and I came across his dog tag. I couldn't throw it away. I saved it with some of his other things.
ReplyDeleteWe still have our dog tags from Ernie and Ruby, who have been dead ten years now. So I completely understand!
DeleteI always feel sad when I see the Christmas trees piled up like that.
ReplyDeleteBriony
x
It does seem a shame, doesn't it?
Delete"Her eyes and her teeth aimed all over the room."
ReplyDeleteThat is perfection.
Isn't it?! I love that!
DeleteThose trees will make a nice mulch for acid loving plants.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely. The council makes the mulch available, I believe, and I've also seen it on the Heath where it's spread on muddy paths.
DeleteI'm glad you found the tag. That would have bothered me too. I love the quote from the book. I can picture that unfortunate woman. What is that blob in the last photo? It's very strange looking.
ReplyDeleteI think it's a gigantic stuffed hedgehog, but I'm not 100 percent sure!
DeleteWell If that is the criteria for becoming a millionaire writer, you, Steve, are destined to remain as poor as a church mouse. Finding that dog tag was a bit miraculous!
ReplyDeleteSadly, I think your prediction is correct. :)
DeleteI haven't read that second set of diaries from Sedaris but I do hear you on how obnoxious he can be. A few years ago he did an interview on a podcast I listen to (Armchair Expert) and it was almost painful how obvious it was that he didn't want to do it. He did another on the same podcast recently, since it's become very, very popular with a huge listenership and he was just perky as a little bird in springtime this time around. It sort of made me think differently about him. Which is silly, I suppose. He is an odd duck. I think we just need to admit that. But a genius in his own right.
ReplyDeleteYay, you on being so close to finishing your project! Persistence pays off whether reading all the Newberry's or finding Olga's tag.
I get that he pushes the boundaries, and that's why he's so funny. But some of the things he says and does make me wince. I've seen him live and I've read all his books, but weirdly, I'm not sure I'd like him in person.
DeleteMy husband and I just started watching Ted Lasso; we're late to the show, I know. But the main character is so kind and compassionate, it's just lovely to watch and I find myself feeling lighter. I nice contrast to the mean spirited stuff that overwhelms me daily.
ReplyDeleteI agree. "Ted Lasso" is great because it's such a positive, warm-hearted show. It's exactly what the world needs right now.
DeleteI'm glad you found Olga's tag - I would have felt weird about it too (not to mention the bother of replacing it).
ReplyDeleteMob hit - hahahaha! I would have had to take the bag off so the critter could "breathe." Ha!
We wouldn't have even had to replace it -- we have a spare! LOL
DeleteYou are so good at spotting unusual things - of course, you found the dog tag! Thank goodness!
ReplyDeleteI am so tired of mean-spiritedness! (Is that a word?) Anyway, I really want people to be kinder to each other. It is getting so hateful sometimes. I keep hearing "All you need is love" in my mind and I wish for peace in 2022!
I agree. It doesn't take much to be kind and polite. I think social media, and particularly Twitter, have fostered a culture of snarky rudeness.
DeleteI always feel bad for the Christmas trees when I see them discarded in piles on the streets. It seems like such a weird way to end a holiday.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you found Olga's dog tag. It would have been a bummer thinking about it out there on the streets somewhere with all of your information.
I don't know why it should bother me, honestly, but it did!
DeleteFolks could stand the trees up on their stands in their yards and decorate the trees with bird food, peanut butter covered pine cones, etc. Enjoy your day, hugs, Edna B.
ReplyDeleteHmmmm...that's true! I've never heard of anyone doing that. I guess the danger would be having it blow down, but it could be tied upright...?
DeleteI probably wouldn't have worried about the dog tag because even if someone found it, the chances of someone who found it and use it for nefarious purposes has to be almost astronomical. But since you found it, even that small chance is no longer possible.
ReplyDeleteI agree about David Sedaris. I too enjoy his humor but sometimes feel it is borderline too far and hope that I am never the aim of his remarks.
Yeah, I'm sure it would have been harmless. I just hate losing things. And I agree about Sedaris -- he's funny in general but I'd hate to be personally on his radar!
DeleteI know what you mean about the info on the dog tag lying around, but that's so true about the phone book of yesteryear. I am the same way with my bank account number, thinking I'm guarding against identity theft and often forgetting completely that we once wrote check to any and everyone, and those checks had our bank account numbers, addresses, and phone numbers broadcast to the world. Is there even such a thing as privacy in this era? I doubt it.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny to think such information used to be so freely available. I guess the difference is now someone could put it online and make it available to millions of people, some with evil intent. Whereas the only people who would see your check are you and whoever you paid -- and the bank, I guess.
DeleteAs always, I enjoyed your blog today and I have been trying to catch up on all since I have been away. I haven't blogged, not that I didn't want to I just didn't have a comfortable place to sit and blog and with my left leg bothering me I couldn't stand long enough to even complete a paragraph.
ReplyDeleteI love the parakeets and I am so glad that you found Olga's dog tag. I would have been a little weirded out by someone just coming around and finding it by chance with your personal information. But you found it and i am very happy that you did.
Take care and be safe.
Glad to see you back online, Beth!
DeleteI love the solidity of Olga.
ReplyDeletealso - thanks for the link to the recipe. His was much silkier than mine. Mine was more like apple sauce in texture and had more spices.
DeleteOlga is VERY solid! Glad you found the recipe link. Dave watches that guy's videos all the time.
DeleteWhen I think about the phone books of yore, it's amazing that we just allowed that to happen. Names, addresses right there for all to see. Where we lived you had to pay for the privilege of being unlisted.
ReplyDeleteYeah, same with us -- it used to cost money to be unlisted! In fact in some ways it was a mark of status.
DeleteBut I think anyone could opt not to have their address or full name shown -- my mom's listing used to just be her first initial and last name with no address.
We used to be naive about personal information. Ss did the gummint. Social security used regularly to send out information with your SS number on the outside of the envelope! Then they started telling people to guard their numbers. You first, fellers!
ReplyDeleteWell, scammers used to be few and far between. Seems like that's no longer the case.
DeleteDefinitely a mob hit. Glad you found her tags!
ReplyDeleteTell me more about dogwood shrubs. Are they anything like dogwood trees? (one of my faves!) Glad you found the dog tag. I can remember when obits would list all the pertinent information about the deceased, including their home address. Made it easy for potential burglars to know when and where to strike.
ReplyDeleteYes, they are relatives of dogwood trees. These are shrubby plants with tiny, inconspicuous flowers, grown mostly for their colorful stems in winter. They're all members of the genus Cornus.
Deletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornus
The best of comedy can be cruel, if not to others than to ourselves. Self-deprecation taken to extremes.
ReplyDeleteThat's true -- and Sedaris is very self-deprecating, too.
DeleteMinnie's tag has her name, our address and phone number too. Never heard of dogwood shrubs. I think breaking the social boundaries has gone to the extreme in this country and not in a good way. Trump made it not only OK to be your worst self but preferable. We are a meaner uglier society for it.
ReplyDeleteI think it began even before Trump. One of my friends once said that Rush Limbaugh was so popular because he gave people permission to be assholes, and I think that's spot-on.
DeleteI must check the New berry list and see how many I've accidentally read .
ReplyDeleteYeah, I bet you've read a bunch of them!
DeleteI’ve seen David Sedaris twice and was pleasantly surprised at how much he engaged with the people getting books signed. He and his sister Amy are definitely unique! His family stories are my favorite.
ReplyDeleteXoxo
Barbara
Many of the stories in his diaries are about interactions with people at book signings. I guess he enjoys it when people tell him jokes, and if they're good ones he writes them down. They are a unique family, for sure.
DeleteThe city collects our trees and mulches them. The mulch is offered to locals every spring. They are also dumped in the reservoir above the dam to provide protection for the small fish in the spring.
ReplyDeleteYeah, these get mulched, too. I've seen the mulch used in parks to firm up muddy paths.
DeleteOlga looks like she's posing very reluctantly for her photo.
ReplyDeleteI tied her to the fence, which she did not appreciate. LOL
DeleteThat poor stuffed animal was snuffed!
ReplyDelete