Hiding Under the Covers Leads to Lots of Reading

So here is a perfect example of Paradise needing to be something inside vs. where we live. This house is 3 doors down from us and is a perfect example of what the storm yesterday did all around my little town of Paradise. Do you notice they are still smiling? I did... I wonder if I would be smiling knowing all my belongings were inside, destroyed. But, Grandma and Grandson are still alive and well and there has to be something wonderful about that all in itself.



So the winds were a whopping 65mph yesterday and we live among pine trees whose trunks would fill my living room. You in Florida may be used to these little wind storms, but here in Northern California it was quite the anomoly. I'm not a big fan of storms, and while I was happy there was no lightning involved, watching the swaying trees teetering over my house was enough to make me want to hide under the covers all day. Power went out early on and remained out until today. Many are still without power so I suppose I shouldn't complain. While my kids were busy complaining of boredom I was able to get plenty of reading done albeit I had one eye on my book and one eye on the branches falling near the window I was getting light from.



So, I'm onto Book Two of my list now........Travels With Charley by John Steinback. You know I actually was assigned Grapes of Wrath in high school...........I read the Cliff Notes and watched the movie. What a ghastly boring book. Of course I wonder now if it was really as bad as I've made it in my mind. After all I was a child then with no experiences, so what did I care about people's problems and poverty and leaving their home......I often wonder why we assign books like this to children who can't possibly understand the impact of the choices and experiences had in these stories. Now, I do believe that we don't give children enough credit for what they are able to comprehend and empathize with......but there are better books than Grapes of Wrath to help wean them on.



So back to Travels with Charley........
I'm really enjoying this book so far! How can you not like a guy who takes off at age 60 to just see the country he lives in instead of just reading about it........Although I don't agree with all of Steinback's politics, I do admire his ability to make people think. He is not someone who takes things at face value........he's a thinker. I like that in a person! Too many just accept things the way they are, or the way they've always been done......more people need to ask why, question their surroundings and themselves....maybe we would all make better choices if we did this. I know I would.