I think it’s great that a single mother on the dole became a billionaire through that most unlikely of means, the writing of children’s books.
It’s also great that the Harry Potter series is not patronizing or sweet and that magic, not moralizing, is its theme.
I’m happy that the Harry Potter books “encourage children to read” and delighted that they irritate the Religious Wrong.
Further, I commend the town of Sandwich for celebrating the release of the last book with a day’s worth of events, starting at 10 am and ending, of course, at midnight.
Given all of this, I’m ashamed to admit that I haven’t read more than one or maybe two of the Potter books all the way through.
The basic plotline – Harry’s nefarious enemies threaten his life, but nevertheless, Harry saves the day and learns a little more about his past as a result – bored me after a while.
I also became bored after about book three with the introduction of yet more predictably weird characters, especially the non-human ones, and the predictable deux-ex-machina solutions to Harry’s problems: a potion that lets him breathe under water, a device that lets one go backwards in time, etc. Not to disrespect J.K. Rowling, but Disney, not to mention the brothers Grimm, came up with a similar formula a long time ago.
In the future, though, it’ll be interesting to see if the children who grew up with these books consider them merely entertaining or among those rare written works which can actually be life-altering.
It’s beyond my imagination to envision how this could be, but in the world of Harry Potter, anything is possible.
Binsey Poplars
Gerard Manley Hopkins – Binsey Poplars (felled 1879)
My aspens dear, whose airy cages quelled,
Quelled or quenched in leaves the leaping sun,
All felled, felled, are all felled;
Of a fresh and following folded rank
Not spared, not one
That dandled a sandalled
Shadow that swam or sank
On meadow and river and wind-wandering weed-winding bank.
O if we but knew what we do
When we delve or hew
Good Day for Bob
I think this was a first: Bob made money for non-family work yesterday, and I am very proud of him.
One of my friends just moved to a new rental, a pretty attached garden-style apartment with a private back yard and a landscaped front yard.
She wanted to clean up the front a little, so Bob and I helped her prune, weed and put down 3 bags of really nice Hemlock mulch.
We also loaded the truck with her packing boxes, which had been sitting in plastic bags in her back yard; these went to the recycling center this morning.
My friend insisted on paying Bob, which was one of those unnecessary but very appreciated kindnesses that come your way so rarely that it puts you in a state of shock when it happens.
I told Bob he has a knack for landscaping.
He replied that may be so, but it’s “not (his) thing”, especially on a hot, muggy day in July.
Summertime
As the weather got warmer and muggier, the pace at work has slowed down significantly in the past couple of weeks.
My sympathetic boss gave me leave to work offsite for partial days this week and next so that I could chauffer Bob to computer camp in Harwich, about a 40 minute drive from Mashpee.
Bob’s parents agreed to this, mostly because there aren’t a lot of activities close by to keep him busy this summer.
He’s been enjoying the camp a lot, and even though I’ve burned through a few vacation hours and about a tank of gas, the change of scenery has been enjoyable.
Gardener’s Diary
The tomato plants are doing great, and I’ll have to re-pot them soon.
We’ve had so much rain recently that the nasturtium leaves are yellowing, not a good sign, but several plants are flowering. There’s even an occasional Morning Glory.
Fourth of July, Rain, Gardener’s Diary
It started raining late yesterday afternoon, not enough to cancel the fireworks, but enough to make watching them a bit miserable.
We’ve had a fair amount of rain so far, and more to come. This is great for gardens and lawns.
The annual bash at Bonnie’s folks’ house was bigger and better than ever, and after contributing everything from salads to desserts to flowers these many years, I finally found the optimal contribution to the feast: bring meat.
No Excuses
I’m sick and tired of reading stories about good-looking people who abuse kids.
This one is about a white man with a handsome face and an ethnically acceptable last name, one Bryan M. James, 34. James is accused of biting a tiny 3 year old girl so badly that “she lost part of her upper lip, police said. Her ear was so disfigured that surgery couldn
Fourth of July
It feels like Saturday.
Great day, perfect weather, especially for this morning’s parades.
Last weekend’s power washing was one of the hardest outdoor jobs I’ve ever done and by about 4 on Sunday afternoon, I was finished.
It worked, though, so it took CM, James and I less than an hour to scrape and sand the deck. CM helped me pick out a good-looking Cabot stain. It was quite busy at the one hardware store that was open.
Next step will be to wash and re-paint the railings, probably this weekend, since rain is predicted through Friday.
Now that the worst is over, I’m looking forward to getting this job done.
Best of Craiglist
From Pizza Delivery Girl in Vancouver:
http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/van/346308204.html
Rain
It finally rained last night, not a lot, but a help.
Yesterday, CM bought two trees at 50% off at the discount nursery, and with the purchase, we got our pick of vegetable 6-packs for free. She chose lettuce and I came home with a dozen tiny tomato plants which I planted for now in two large previously unused flower boxes filled with Miracle-Gro potting soil.