My Turn, I Guess!

OK, this is my first successful MEME. (I was tagged for one awhile back and had no idea what it was or how to do it; I apologized to the tagger!) But I'm going to try this one. I was tagged by fellow Hog-and-Blogger Bethie of Chocolate Sheep, so I'm going to give it my best shot. Here are the rules:

The rules seem to go like this: The player answers some questions. (I'll say "answer ANY or ALL, your choice".) The player then chooses people he or she wants to know more about and tags those people by listing their names at the end of the post and going to their blogs and leaving a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Also, you let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

(These were gleaned from MEMEs.) I don't know if we're supposed to make up new questions or use others, so sort I'm sort of making it up as I go along. Ready? Here it goes:

What's the last book you read that you thought was really super, inspiring, you'd recommend it to most anyone?

There are a lot, but the one I recommended just yesterday is The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich. It's a kid book, about a Metis child in the Fur Trade who lives on Madeleine Island in northern Wisconsin. I haven't successfully made it through any of Erdrich's grown-up books (but I have some and haven't given up on them yet) but this book is brilliant; I mention it to almost every tour group at the Museum. And now I'm mentioning it to you!

NOTE: There's a second book, The Game of Silence , which is a seamless continuation of the story of the Birchbark House; they could easily be bound as a single volume but that might intimidate the age group for which it's intended. But I'm sayin' - get them BOTH (the local libraries surely have them) because, being as they are intended for younger readers, you can whip through the both in pretty short order. They're evocative, interesting, tender, and there's a glossary in the back of Ojibway words. Soon as you're done here, get out and to to the library. Or, you know, if you're like me and are hopelessly weak ..er... have no resistance -- that is, enjoy supporting your local bookstores , go buy 'em. They're even not expensive, and I dont' get any kickback or anything, but let's just say if I did I'd order a whole POUND of Quiviut.

Tattoos: yes or no? Do you have any? Tell us! Do you think they're gross? TELL US!

Nope, I don't have any. But to be perfectly honest - I LIKE THEM! Of course, that's not just across the board; I like *nice* ones. Each of my children has tattoos. Lovely Daughter has a beautiful Eye of Ra on her upper arm; Son #1 has -- I think -- some sort of skull...it's well-done, not gross, and doesn't show unless he's not wearing a shirt. It's on his upper arm too. Son #2 has beautiful tattoos, including a colorful tiger face and a celtic depiction of the Two Ravens of Odin; he has a new one which I don't remember perfectly but it's in memory of his grandmother of blessed memory, and I'm almost tempted to duplicate it, smaller, somewhere on me. For me? Well -- I've threatened to get the Grateful Dead bears dancing around my ankle. The kids tell me ankle tats HURT. But I may get some sort eventually. Heck - another advantage to being my age: probably where it is has ALREADY sagged!
NOTE: Son #2 asked/told us he was going to get a tattoo when he was pretty young yet...16, I think. Mr Dearling said "Great idea, Son #2. In fact, I'll pay for it!" (Time allowed for open-mouthed gawping from both son and mother.) "Only thing is," continues Mr Dearling, "I get to decide either what it is, or where it goes ." Even at his densest, Son #2 didn't fall for it, and waited until he was a little older before beginning his skin art. GOTTA love Mr Dearling.

Where have you lived?

Not so many as a lot of people have. I was born in Minot, North Dakota (!!) and moved to Minneapolis when I was about two years old. In 1961 I moved to St. Paul to live in the dorm at Macalester. That was GREAT -- far enough that Dad wasn't eyeballing me all the time, but close enough that he could bring me some money over if I needed it. I had an off-campus apartment for my last year there (my second year-- I didn't graduate) and then Mr Lovely Daughter's dad and I moved back to a friendly apartment in Minneapolis. There was a very weird time in there involving a divorce we didn't want and his going off to 'Nam. From there I moved to California, where I spent six months (and learned that I am a Midwesterner .) I met Mr. Dad of Son #2 there; we moved back to Madison, ultimately divorced (oh, yeah, we wanted that one!) and I've happily been here since. Since joinin' up with Mr Dearling, I'd have to say I love it here a lot, and I think I'm fortunate in our cozy little nest. (Madison is actually very much like Minneapolis)

Do you listen to the radio? What are your favorite programs, & on what station?

Pretty much only two stations: Wisconsin Public Radio is on all day Sunday. "To the Best of Our Knowledge", "All Things Considered", "Prairie Home Companion", "Whaddya Know", "This American Life", "Simply Folk", "Old-Time Radio Drama"...and others. The car radio is almost always on WPR too. The other station, which we have and you don't, Neener Neener Neener (unless you live in this area or have a streaming computer which you can clean up that mind right now, you know what it is) is WORT, "Back-Porch Radio". It's our independent listener-owned radio station with a wide variety of cool local programming. The Monday morning show is folk music from all over the world and on Friday Bill Malone has a program. Even in this day and age of so many electronic opportunities, I listen to my radio a LOT. Oh, and I watch the teevee. But that's for another time.

Is there a movie that makes you cry no matter how many thousands of times you see it?

You've got me here. First, a disclaimer: I cry over the Coca-Cola commercials at Christmastime. Got the picture? OK, having said that, historical movies in general can get to me; I shed demure tears into my tissue in "Dances with Wolves", "Last of the Mohicans" and "Black Robe". But the big-time winners are "Somewhere in Time", where I cried openly at the end and sniffled and snurked for about a half-hour afterward, and...."Stealing Heaven". That's the Ultimate. It's a wonderfully-made retelling of the French "romaunce" of Heloise and Abelard, and the fact that it's based on a true story kicks it up a notch. First time I saw that, I hadn't read the story and had NO idea what was coming. NOTE: I was also deep in the throes of one of my last bouts of PMS, and "raging hormones" doesn't even TOUCH what happened to me. In a word (fortunately for all concerned, Mr Dearling was not at home - suffice it to say, my cat-at-the-time fled in terror. As the movie drew to a close.....I quite LITERALLY threw myself on the floor sobbing, a real ugly-cry hiccup-causing sobbing, resulting in my lying on the floor in a pile of sodden tissues with swollen red eyes, a runny red nose and sticky hair. My GAWD that's a good movie.

What snacks do you enjoy?

You're asking a Jewish Mother what she likes for a nosh? OY VEY! I go on binges. (If you hear rumors, remember, you heard it here FIRST!) At the moment I'm on a walnut-chunks-and-dried-cranberries kick. Maybe with almonds. I bought some "trail mix" at Target (yay, Target!) which had those nuts and cranberries -- with little white chocolate chips. I liked the white chocolate chips...because I could find them easily and pick 'em out. So I says to myself, says I, "How dumb is THAT? Make your own!" and I have. Can't say as I notice any improvement in ... you know, regularity or all that fiber-y stuff smiling people on the teevee talk about, but it's tasty. I like savory stuff too -- stuffed mushrooms, smoked oysters. I'm almost afraid to mention *this* for fear of being thought unAmerican, but - I'm not huge on chocolate. I like it sometimes, and say (with appropriate modesty) that I make the finest hot fudge sauce on this whole planet. But I'm no kind of chocoholic. NOTE: my hot fudge sauce on coffee ice cream has been known to make grown men weep. Well - it was my son, and I didn't have any more, but still.


OK - there it is. I'm going to tag Marjorie , and Alyson , and kmkat . NOTE: OPTIONAL! If you think this would be fun, go for it; I will not be offended if you'd rather not. This is sort of by way of an experiment, OK? Another NOTE: this was difficult for me, don't know as I'll be inclined to try it again soon. Just sayin'. Fun, but not like knitting.