Book review: The Jumping-Off Place

I love LibraryThing. I especially love the Early Reviewer program because I get free books. The books I've gotten have ranged from this-is-a-waste-of-time to absolutely wonderful. My most recent book is toward the latter end of the spectrum.

I began to read The Jumping-Off Place by book light in a camp bunk with barely a glance at the cover. There was a lovely old-fashioned quality to the writing and the characters that surprised me until I looked more closely the next day and realized that the book was written in 1929.

This is a wonderful story, set in one of the last bits of the frontier after the turn of the twentieth century. Four orphans, having just lost their beloved uncle, travel to South Dakota to "prove up" his claim. They face hardships--drought, blizzard, wind, and an adversarial neighbor--with maturity, hard work, generosity, and an unquenchable spirit. In the process they fell in love with the prairie and the community and it with them.

This is an excellent book for all ages. It would make a very nice family read aloud, particularly because there is some lovely prose. The original illustrations have been retained and enhance the historical feel of the book. The South Dakota State Historical Society has added an afterword with historical background and author information and a word list, adding to the educational value of the book.

This 1930 Newbery Honor Book was a joy, and I am very glad that the SDSHS Press has decided to return it to print.

Is it over?

Alan Keyes has filed a lawsuit. Philip Berg's Writ of Certiorari, filed in the U.S. Supreme Court is awaiting a response from Obama and the DNC, which is due by Dec. 1. If you can't read the entire thing, at least read Berg's Writ through the Table of Contents.

Aside from the specific questions about Obama's citizenship, there are the larger questions: Who insures that candidates are eligible to run for president? Who has the right to challenge their qualifications and where? How much does our constitution matter?

Interesting stuff.

HT: Die Schreiben von Schreiber

Order

My theme for the past month, and for the foreseeable future is "bringing order out of chaos." And chaos isn't too strong a word.

I have managed to function for the past couple of years by only doing what is urgent at any time, and letting everything else slide. I was trying to do too many things without the time, space, or tools to do them properly. I would scramble to clean the downstairs for company, and a chaotic mess would be shifted upstairs, but I was always in too much of a hurry to put those things in their proper places later.

I've written about ironing my dish towels. It's a small thing, but it is bringing order, and I like it. Today is a closet-cleaning day. I'm getting rid of outdated records, straightening the linen closet, and getting rid of things that no longer serve a purpose. As I decide to keep something I am making sure that it has a place of its own.

My scrapbooking weekend helped to bring more order, but it also pointed out how much I've lost track of things. I discovered when I started working on my books that I thought I had pictures from 2007, but they were from 2006. I couldn't figure out where the late 2007/early 2008 photos were. I finally figured out that they had been saved to my old computer and never uploaded to Snapfish. I have always printed my photos in order, but I'm really messed up now!

This isn't a big problem, but it's a symptom of the disorganization that I've been living with. When my life is chaotic things slip through the cracks. I'm fortunate that most of them have been small!

Scraps of time

It seems like I'm always trying to grab on to the extra little pieces of time to do the things I want to do, but twice a year I set aside a whole weekend just to have fun. So I'm leaving tomorrow morning with two friends to go scrapbook for almost three days.

I love the order that scrapbooking brings to my photos and my memories. I love the creative outlet. I've looked at digital scrapbooking options, but I love the feeling of the components and playing with the paper, moving things around to fit them on the page and tell the story. I love to write about the people and the places and the memories they bring.

So I'll drink coffee, eat snacky food, talk, laugh, cry, and have a really good time. And I'll come home feeling like I've taken a few more steps out of chaos.

Shopping!

After all of the serious political posts, I decided it was time for a frivolous post.

I went shopping yesterday. I was on a mission. I have really trimmed down my wardrobe and I only shop now with a plan. If it doesn't fit the plan I don't buy it. Yesterday I was looking for a jacket to wear with my habitual black base of black top and black pants, skirt, or jeans. I have a couple, but they are dressier that what I was hoping to find and they are also several years old. I also was looking for a new print skirt to mix in with my black or white tops.

I decided not to mess around, and headed straight to Chico's. This is the jacket I found. The color is great on me and it is going to work wonderfully with the rest of my clothes. I also found a beautiful soft flared skirt in black and grey that will fit in really well with the rest of my wardrobe. (There's no picture of it on the website.)

I also found a brown jacket that fits the plan and was on clearance for 24.99. Since my birthday was a couple of days ago and I had good coupons, I decided to go for it.

I love successful shopping!

My kind of award

Really, what better blog award could an unschooler get? Thanks, Meg. I always learn something from your blog, too.

This award didn't come with specific instructions for passing it along, and there are so many of you that I learn things from, so I will just name a few. I know some of you aren't the award passing out type, and that's okay. And I'll leave some really good ones for those of you who are to name.

Cyberstones, and not just because he's my pastor. Thinking-out-loud. Rebellious Pastor's Wife. Concordian Sisters of Perpetual Parturition. Bi-Coloured Python Rock Snake. Father Hollywood.

Wow. Leaks already.

Surprised?

A change for the better

It's almost hard for me to use the word change right now, but we have to remember that some changes are good.

Juan Williams, who is also author of the book Enough, has a piece in the Wall Street Journal today that I would consider a hopeful look at how Obama's election may change racial politics in the United States.

Part of his article is a reminder of how far we've really come in less than fifty years, and part of it is focused on where things can go from here. As in his book, Williams takes a matter of fact look at matters of race in America that recognizes the evil that is part of the past, but holds individuals and families responsible for their own futures.

Gotta love...

Sarah Palin is doing an interview with a national network, making pigs in a blanket, in a suit and heels, with a crockpot on the counter next to her. She's funny, at ease, and smart.

Yeah, I like her.

Glenn Beck. He had his interview debut on the O'Reilly Factor tonight. His analysis of why the Republicans did so poorly in the election: "They stink on ice."

Oh yeah.

Added note: The Wall Street Journal has a good piece today by William McGurn calling on McCain to stand up for his former running mate.

Ready to rule?

Wow. I took a pass on mentioning Obama's Nancy Reagan gaffe. But this one? Wow. The co-chair of Obama's transition campaign said this on Meet the Press:

"it's important that president elect Obama is prepared to really take power and begin to rule day one.

Memo to the president-elect: You are not going to be king, Pope, or Grand Poobah.

And be sure you check out www.change.gov. This is the website of the "Office of the President-elect." The title is descriptive of the content, which seems to be altering with each passing minute.

One way for Obama to realize his peaceful transition to power seems likely to be the muzzling of his critics.

Wow. Here we go.

Another teen!

Some birthdays are harder for a mother to believe than others. This is one of the hard ones. My baby is 13! Happy Birthday, Andrew!