This and That

Thank you. You guys are always good for a little melancholy, I know, and I'm grateful.

Between writing that sentence and this, I sneezed a million times. But why?

Okay, onto the this and that portion of the blog, which is primarily about how we've occupied ourselves on recent car trips.

This audiobook, which we all loved, even though it had been misplaced in the children's section of the library. I have to warn you that there's a bit of profanity (sometimes hilariously) and also that, gulp, the mom dies of a brain tumor in the middle of the story. But mostly it's a memoir about an English family pooling their resources to buy and rehabilitate an old zoo. It's very funny and captivating and English, and we all loved it. The kids did not seem too overly crushed by the mother dying, and that may be because it's told in a moving but unsentimental way.

That audiobook. We are big James Herriot fans, so after listening to one English story about animals, it seemed time to listen to the classic, and it doesn't disappoint. Again, though, in warning: he is elbow deep in cow rectums and sheep vaginas for most of it, so if that's going to trouble anyone or make them vomit out the car window, then skip this. But it is really, truly funny, and still so fresh and delightful even after all these years--the mix of great work ethic with hard-drinking hedonism really speaks to me.

We are late to the audiobook party, but catching up quickly. It is such a joy to be together enjoying the same story in this way.

Finally, although this picture does not quite capture it, we made rock rainbows at the shore, and it was just the most dorkily fun project. The rocks did not look like anything in particular on the beach, but after we'd gathered all the brightest ones we could find and put them together, it really did make a kind of color spectrum. Right?

Wishing you brightness in unexpected places. xo

p.s. Okay, I know I've mentioned this book already, and I know the wait-list at your library is four thousand million patrons long, but just add your name patiently to it. Think how delighted you'll be in February, when you suddenly get to read THE BEST BOOK IN THE WORLD. Just saying.