Let’s try to get back to normal now

My head cold shows remarkable reticence to completely leave the building.

Just a quick update to show you that while I have been spending tons of time blowing my nose, I’ve also done some other things:  Dobby has now been spayed, Phoenix is finally back on thyroid meds (that’s a good thing), and Spiderman had eye surgery!  He needed to have his big blue/cataract-covered eye completely removed, but his other eye looks really clear.  And he seems quite happy.  It was so nice to see him (we went to pick him up after surgery) that I got a bit teary-eyes when I was hugging him.  I miss the big cuddlebug, but I know he’s got a great home.  And he finally doesn’t have a headache!

During my illness, I read, “To Kill a Mockingbird”.  I’ve got a stack of Americana that I want to become acquainted with, so that was a good start.  Next, I’ll work on “Catcher in the Rye”.  I’ve read every Canadian and British “novel of significance”, but I had no educational exposure to American literature.

I know this is a baby-step, but I’ll try to get back to posting at least three or four times a week now.  Even if I need to have a Kleenex in my hand!  When I’m not around, the spammy comments start to creep in, and I won’t have that.  And besides, I’ve missed you!!!

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 01/25 at 04:35 AM

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  1. Welcome back! We’ve missed you. Hope you are feeling better.

    Posted by Susan  on  01/25  at  06:20 AM

  2. Welcome back! We’ve had a head cold in our house too. It has impacted our ability to blog. We hope you feel back to normal (or as close to normal as you can get) soon.

    Posted by Roxie, Sammy & Andy  on  01/25  at  06:51 AM

  3. Good to see you ‘round these parts again!
    It’s also hard to get back into the swing of things after the holidays.
    Glad the kitties are doing well.  Isn’t it nice to see them that way?  Hope you’re back up to 100% soon too.

    Posted by Ryssee  on  01/25  at  04:40 PM

  4. Glad to have you back in blogland.

    Posted by Calamity Jen  on  01/25  at  07:12 PM

  5. What are your favorite Canadian “novels of significance”?  I’ve probably read more Canadian authors than I realize, but unfortunately “Canadian literature” doesn’t trigger the list it should.  Margaret Atwood, Michael Ondaatje, L. M. Montgomery grin . . . what am I missing?

    Do you have Flannery O’Connor’s “Wise Blood” on your Americana list?  How about “All The King’s Men” by Robert Penn Warren”?  “Ballad of the Sad Cafe” by Carson McCullers?  Something other than “In Cold Blood” by Truman Capote?  “East of Eden” by John Steinbeck?  (That one was much more fun than “The Grapes of Wrath.")

    Posted by Nancy  on  01/26  at  07:33 AM

  6. Good to see you back! Hope you feel better soon! I’m fighting off a cold myself, so I can sympathize.

    Posted by Helena  on  01/28  at  07:53 AM

  7. Glad you’re on the mend! I finally had to e-mail Flippy to ask if y’all were still alive, it had been so long!  I missed you both!

    Posted by Helly  on  01/28  at  06:41 PM

  8. Nancy, the “Canadian novels of significance” which comes to mind (from high school and college reading) are “A Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood, “The Stone Angel” by Margaret Laurence, “The Tin Flute” by Gabrielle Roy, “The Wars” and “Not Wanted on the Voyage” by Timothy Findley, “Roughing it in the Bush” by Susannah Moodie (substitute “The Backwoods of Canada” by Catharine Parr Traill if you prefer), “Fifth Business” by Robertson Davies (available in the collection, “The Deptford Trilogy"), “My Remarkable Uncle” by Stephen Leacock, “The Dog Who Wouldn’t Be” by Farley Mowat (although I prefer his autobiographical novel, “And No Birds Sang"), and “The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz” by Mordecai Richler.  Also, pick some book by Alice Munro - I couldn’t think of any specific title.

    Looking at them now, I can see that a majority of the books are about one of two main themes.  The first: the hardship of living in Canada, either as a settler or an immigrant.  The second: the toll WWI took on the country.  The war books attract me most, if only because Canada’s huge losses in WWI changed the entire face of the country.  Ten percent of Canada’s entire population actively fought in the war, and of those, 10% were killed, and 25% were wounded.  I think a WWI is perhaps the most defining moment of the modern Canadian identity.  Oh, there’s one more book about the war theme that I forgot to mention: “Turvey” by Earle Birney.

    So, there’s an overview of what I was reading when I was in school smile

    Now, about American classics, I’ve been reading Flannery O’Connor since I graduated from high school - I love the twisted irony of stories like, “A Good Man is Hard to Find”.  I’ve never read anything by Carson McCullers though, even though her name is so familiar to me.  I’ll make a list and try to read the books you suggested (I’m currently slogging through Thackery’s “Vanity Fair").  One nice thing about “classics” is that they’re often available under Amazon’s 4-for-3 promotion, and they’re often priced cheaply, too.  Thanks for the suggestions!

    Posted by Leigh-Ann  on  02/02  at  05:55 AM
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