Current Favorite Memes #10

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Email From Elder Johnson #7

 

Group Email: 8-31-20

I Think I Became a Model?

What's going onnnnnn my favorite people in the world? How's it goin? How's the quarantine life treating ya? I hope it's not too bad. Just remember this too shall pass...hopefully😬

This past week has been pretty fetchin thrilling...not the sarcastic thrilling... but in a more genuine kind of thrilling if you catch my drift. 

First off. let's talk about the boyz also know as my district. They are the homies and with this transfer ending it's gonna be heartbreaking to see them go. One of the boyz I'm convinced is my long lost brother cause we literally became homies overnight. Elder Peterson was originally called to Jamaica but got reassigned here and we are both 110% convinced that our paths were meant to cross. Anyway I love the absolute heck out of all of them and I'm so thankful to have been blessed with these boys.

We're teaching this new guy Lance. He's an absolute party. He's from the Lakota tribe in South Dakota and is the most down to earth guy. He loves God and loves missionaries so the comps and I are so excited to teach, learn, and grow from him!

How I became a model...so the mission President's son was getting sealed and Pres hired a photographer to capture the event. But before that Pres was like, "Let's take some pictures of the missionaries as stock photos" for whatever purpose he needs photos of missionaries. So we got asked as well as a couple of other companionships from around the area to come have our photos taken. So maybe there's a chance I end up on Gospel Library just sayin...

Anyway I absolutely love it out here. I'm learning a lot and growing so much. Here's a cool scripture for ya;)

2 Timothy 4:17 "The Lord stood with me and strengthened me." 

Gotta love the scriptures man. 

I love you all and miss ya tons.

-Elder Johnson 

COVID-19 Quarantine: Days 171-175

Day 171: 8-31-20 (Monday)

Today was a day of good news!! First, the St. Paul Minnesota Temple has moved to Stage 2. That means Kam can go through the temple now. I REALLY hope that parents will be able to attend with their missionaries. Second, we got our appraisal back and we were able to submit it to our attorney. Kirk and I were happy with the results. Third, I also sold another large hutch at the store!! Wow! Three in less than a month. They are good money makers for me. They are my most expensive furniture pieces.
Fourth, and the very best part, talking to Kam! He is doing well! He survived his first transfers. He stayed in Oakdale, MN. He was okay with that. One of his companions got transferred and his trio got a newbie fresh on the mish! Kam was feeling good about being a more *seasoned* missionary. LOL. He also got to "model" for some stock photos of missionaries. He was pretty hilarious telling us all about that! And to think that he is our kid who hates having his picture taken. LOL.

Day 172: 9-1-20 (Tuesday)

It's hard to believe that it is the first day of September. The summer has flown by so quickly even with having a few extra months! How are we still in quarantine with no sign of it ending? What happened to "two weeks to flatten the curve"? Frustrating.

Today Tyler and I rented yet another storage unit but this one will be large enough to hold the boat and the contents of our two other storage units. Good grief. I am turning into my mother. But to be honest most of what I am having to store are things of hers! I have always had a storage unit for my business but I had to get another storage unit for all of the furniture and items that I inherited from her while I figure out what to do with them. It was getting super expensive. Hopefully this will be a good solution and now that I have a regular booth at Midtown Market I don't have as much to store.

Day 173: 9-2-20 (Wednesday)
 

The first Johnson went back to school today. It was Beverly! She had her first day of obedience training. She is pretty good although she definitely has a mind of her own at times. Tyler and Bryn went with her. Of course she was a little angel at obedience school and didn't exhibit any of the behaviors she was there for!

Kirk and I set up another appointment with our attorney. Another step forward. It will be good to have that over with and moving onto the next step. This process is SO SLOW. Tyler and I have both been working away during the day. It's a busy time for him and for me. It feels good after so many weird hazy unmotivated months after my mom died and then quarantine.

Day 174: 9-3-20 (Thursday)

This morning I had an early Pre-Baptism visit with one of the Primary kids. It was fun to visit with him on the porch and also because I got to see my friend Summer. She is my book twin. Do you have one of those? She is a person who has very similar taste in books. I can always count on her book recommendations. Always! She is also in my book club and I love her insights! Anyway, it was good to see her. They have gotten a new puppy since quarantine. Harry Potter is his name and he is an escape artist. Whilst chatting away with Summer; Harry Potter decided to make his escape. He took off and didn't look back. As I couldn't be the horrible hated Primary President who contributed to the loss of this family's new pet I joined in on the hunt for Harry. Can you imagine? Those boys would have never forgiven me. After about 20 minutes that felt like 3 hours; Harry Potter was located and brought back home!

After that craziness I had an appointment with our attorney. I was dreading it. Tyler came with me and Kirk was on speaker phone. My prayer going is was that I would walk out feeling positive and I did. I actually felt like a burden had been lifted. So that was good.

Tyler and I were going to grab some lunch on our way home from Panera. Reilly works near our attorney's office so I called her to see if we could bring her some lunch. We ended up having a great lunch visit with Reilly and got to meet a bunch of the people that she works with. It was a lot of fun and I am so glad that we could make it happen. How often does an adult child get to have have lunch with her parents. LOL. It was nice to hear how much she is valued there and that she is such a hard worker. Parent Payday right there!

Later we had vendor night at the store in Coeur d' Alene. It is always fun! I brought in some new things and did a quick refresh of the booth. We grabbed Sweeto Burrito for dinner. It really is nice to take a trip to CDA once a week!

Day 175: 9-4-20 (Friday)

Bryn had an appointment at the elementary school this morning to pick up her textbooks and online learning supplies for 6th grade. We also found out who she got as her teacher this year. She was a bit disappointed. She got Mrs. C. Kameron had her for 6th grade and she was fine and he liked her okay. But Ailey had Bryn all freaked out because Ailey wanted her to have Mrs. S who Ailey had in 6th grade and she had convinced her that Mrs. C. wasn't great. (The teacher Reilly had for 6th grade doesn't teach at our school anymore.) I sent out an SOS to Kam who came through like a champ. We also went school supply shopping for the girls and got what they needed.

We talked to Tyler's mom today about their travel plans. They are coming to visit next week. They are going to stay at the lake with us since it will be our week out there. The last time Judie and Joel came to the lake my grandma lived there and it was before she went blind so it's been awhile.

I also got to have a nice visit with my friend Janyse. I haven't seen her since COVID began! She had been dejunking and had a dresser that was her husband's from childhood that she wanted to give me. It is super cute! Tyler and I went over and had a great porch visit with she and Dennis. It was a lot of fun to catch up.  I miss her! I miss friends! I miss my Pre-COVID life!

Tonight was date night! I feel like we get two a week now and I am here for it! Nothing too exciting but we grabbed dinner from our favorite Asian place and headed to the park. We also did a great night walk. I love those!

Late tonight we got the greatest email!! It was from Kam's Mission President saying that parents ARE invited to come to Minneapolis to attend the temple with their missionaries!! Yay!! Now shriek that at the highest decibel possible and that is what I sounded like! We are so excited!!

Summer Book Reviews 2020

1.) The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

This was our book club pick for May 2020. This book has been hyped for years and somehow I just never got around to reading it. I am glad that I finally did.

From Goodreads:

In the quiet village of Carriveau, Vianne Mauriac says goodbye to her husband, Antoine, as he heads for the Front. She doesn’t believe that the Nazis will invade France…but invade they do, in droves of marching soldiers, in caravans of trucks and tanks, in planes that fill the skies and drop bombs upon the innocent. When a German captain requisitions Vianne’s home, she and her daughter must live with the enemy or lose everything. Without food or money or hope, as danger escalates all around them, she is forced to make one impossible choice after another to keep her family alive. Vianne’s sister, Isabelle, is a rebellious eighteen-year-old girl, searching for purpose with all the reckless passion of youth. While thousands of Parisians march into the unknown terrors of war, she meets Gäetan, a partisan who believes the French can fight the Nazis from within France, and she falls in love as only the young can…completely. But when he betrays her, Isabelle joins the Resistance and never looks back, risking her life time and again to save others.

I love historical fiction. It is my favorite genre. I also generally enjoy WWII novels. I know that sometimes people feel that there is an overabundance of WWII novels but each time that I read one I learn more about different areas and different people and how they were affected by the war and I am always glad that I did.

This is probably the fifth book that I have read about occupied France. I am always interested in how the French persevered through some absolutely brutal circumstances. This is the story of two sisters; both of whom are complicated heroines. I was amazed by their courage, strength, and resilience as each fights back in her own way. Both Vianne and Isabelle respond and react differently to their circumstances but you understand and sympathize with both sisters. I am fascinated by women in wartime. What do the women do when the men go off to war. What happens when the war comes to your doorstep? How do you respond?

“Men tell stories,” I say. It is the truest, simplest answer to his question. “Women get on with it. For us it was a shadow war. There were no parades for us when it was over, no medals or mentions in history books. We did what we had to during the war, and when it was over, we picked up the pieces and started our lives over.”

The story is told via past and present storylines that eventually intertwine. The reader doesn't know who the narrator is until the end of the book. I enjoyed the mystery. The novel is engrossing and emotional. Once again the horrors and atrocities of WWII, with its attendant heartbreak and pain, are brought to light as we witness events through the eyes of a family that we come to care about and root for.

My Rating: Good.

2.) A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

This is my second Backman book. It was our book club pick for June 2020. Sometimes when a book gets a bunch of hype I lose interest in reading it; this was one of those books. (The Nightingale was another one.) I heard so much about it that I doubted it could live up to the hype. This is why it is good to be in a book club. I don't know when I would've gotten around to reading it. I am glad that I finally did.

From Goodreads:

A grumpy yet loveable man finds his solitary world turned on its head when a boisterous young family moves in next door. Meet Ove. He's a curmudgeon, the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People call him the bitter neighbor from hell, but must Ove be bitter just because he doesn't walk around with a smile plastered to his face all the time? Behind the cranky exterior there is a story and a sadness. So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove's mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. All of which will change one cranky old man and a local residents' association to their very foundations.

I loved it! I guess "everyone" was right! Ove is a character that I won't soon forget. He was so real. Backman is the king of character development! That makes the book for me. I love a character driven novel. They are my favorite kind of books. I feel like if you don't care about the characters it doesn't really matter what happens to them. I enjoyed grumpy and grouchy Ove and his quirky neighbors immensely.

The writing was exquisite. The prose is spare. There aren't lengthy emotional passages or flowery descriptions and yet the emotions are all there. I laughed and choked back tears all the way through the novel. Backman explores the poignant themes of love and loss in an interesting and unique way. Were some of the circumstances in the novel a bit contrived? Sure. Did it irritate or pull me out of the story? No. In fact if anything it made me look around myself and my circumstances to see if there was someone...an Ove... who could use a friend and needed some connection. The novel made me ask myself what more I can do to reach out to those around me. I appreciate the reminder.

My Rating: Charming! A great book about unlikely friendships and the power of love and human connection.

3.) Tell Me a Story: My Life with Pat Conroy 
by Cassandra King Conroy

Pat Conroy is my favorite author and I will read absolutely anything about him. I have had this book on my shelf for almost a year. I held off reading it because I just didn't want my journey with Pat Conroy to end. He passed away in 2016 and there are only so many stories left untold. I finally pulled it off my shelf and began to read.

From Goodreads:

Bestselling author Cassandra King Conroy considers her life and the man she shared it with, paying tribute to her husband, Pat Conroy, the legendary figure of modern Southern literature.

I enjoyed it immensely. Granted this is a memoir written by his wife Cassandra but Pat is there and he's larger than life. I loved *hearing* his voice through his wife's stories. This is definitely a love letter to their marriage. Theirs was a later in life marriage. They married when they were in their mid-fifties. It was interesting to read about how they met and their subsequent relationship and marriage. There are a lot of stories that are just about Cassandra King Conroy and her life... it is her memoir after all...but Conroy snob that I am I hurried through those sections to get to the parts about Pat. He is the star of the show for me and probably most readers. I particularly loved the little insights into his writing and about the people that he based some of his characters on...even his lesser known side characters. I loved her perspective on the infamous Conroy family and would've liked even more about them. They are fascinating.

I enjoyed this touching book and the fact that it brought Pat Conroy back to life for a few days. I appreciated the glimpse into his private life and world. I thank Cassandra King Conroy for sharing her husband and their life with their readers.

My Rating: Good... as if anything pertaining to Pat Conroy could be otherwise.


4.) The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

So many people love Ann Patchett! She has an incredible following. I was intrigued by the premise of this book and looked forward to discovering her writing for myself.

From Goodreads:

At the end of the Second World War, Cyril Conroy combines luck and a single canny investment to begin an enormous real estate empire, propelling his family from poverty to enormous wealth. His first order of business is to buy the Dutch House, a lavish estate in the suburbs outside of Philadelphia. Meant as a surprise for his wife, the house sets in motion the undoing of everyone he loves. The story is told by Cyril’s son Danny, as he and his older sister, the brilliantly acerbic and self-assured Maeve, are exiled from the house where they grew up by their stepmother. The two wealthy siblings are thrown back into the poverty their parents had escaped from and find that all they have to count on is one another. It is this unshakable bond between them that both saves their lives and thwarts their futures.

Wow! Wow! Wow! I LOVED The Dutch House! I loved it from the first chapter through to the end. What a fun reading experience! I can't wait to get my hands on more books by Ann Patchett. Her writing is superb! I loved the details about the house and her intricate character development. I guess I really am more of a character driven novel person. I loved Danny and Maeve and their sibling relationship. I haven't read many books that focus on the bond between a brother and sister. I thought that was interesting.

This felt like a big family saga from the 80s that I used to love to read. But the writing in this fantastic novel is more compact and well-crafted while still giving us all of the rich and vivid details of the house and its inhabitants. The setting and characters were so vibrant. I could see it all and I thoroughly enjoyed being immersed in that world. I also loved the nonlinear storytelling. The complexities of the family dynamic came together in layered vignettes. I thought the way the story line moved and progressed was compelling. Slowly the pieces of this family's history came together and clarified. This was a book that I didn't want to put down and that I didn't want to end. It was at times both heartbreaking and humorous. I loved the banter between Maeve and Danny and also between Danny and his daughter May. So good.

I absolutely loved the beautiful and thoughtful prose. It's not always easy to be both thoughtful and page-turning but I think Patchett did an excellent job.

"But we overlay the present onto the past. We look back through the lens of what we know now, so we're not seeing it as the people we were, we're seeing it as the people we are, and that means the past has been radically altered."

My Rating: Atmospheric and captivating. I loved it!

5.) Most Talkative by Andy Cohen

This was the perfect lakeside summer read! It is light and funny. Gossipy but not mean. This came highly rated on one of my favorite book podcasts: Currently Reading. They were right. It was a lot of fun!

From Goodreads:

The man behind the "Real Housewives" writes about his lifelong love affair with pop culture that brought him from the suburbs of St. Louis to his own television show. From a young age, Andy Cohen knew one thing: He loved television. Not in the way that most kids do, but in an irrepressible, all-consuming, I-want-to-climb-inside-the-tube kind of way. And climb inside he did. Now presiding over Bravo's reality TV empire, he started out as an overly talkative pop culture obsessive, devoted to "Charlie's Angels" and "All My Children "and to his mother, who received daily letters from Andy at summer camp, usually reminding her to tape the soaps. In retrospect, it's hard to believe that everyone didn't know that Andy was gay; still, he remained in the closet until college. Finally out, he embarked on making a career out of his passion for television. The journey begins with Andy interviewing his all-time idol Susan Lucci for his college newspaper and ends with him in a job where he has a hand in creating today's celebrity icons. In the witty, no-holds-barred style of his show "Watch What Happens Live," Andy tells tales of absurd mishaps during his ten years at CBS News, hilarious encounters with the heroes and heroines of his youth, and the real stories behind "The Real Housewives." Dishy, funny, and full of heart, "Most Talkative" provides a one-of-a-kind glimpse into the world of television, from a fan who grew up watching the screen and is now inside it, both making shows and hosting his own. 

This book is pop culture at its finest. I loved it. It is right up there with Mindy Kaling's Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me as my top two celebrity memoirs. Andy Cohen is definitely entertaining! I laughed out loud so many times. His conversations with his mother were hysterical!! I also loved his letters from camp, his family's way of calling collect, his love of Soaps, and so many other things. His parents sound awesome! I enjoyed hearing about his childhood growing up in St. Louis. Cohen has lived an interesting life and he has great stories to tell like being on a road trip with Dan Rather. That was hilarious!!

I loved the behind-the-scenes look at CBS This Morning, Top Chef, and the Housewives franchise. I enjoyed learning more about his life and especially his serious journalistic background at CBS. His stories are engaging and heartfelt...especially about growing up and coming out as a gay man in college in the 1980s.

I thoroughly enjoyed this quirky and hilarious book. It was a great palate cleanser between other more serious books. I read the book version but I hear that the audio version...read by the author...is great!

My Rating: Highly Enjoyable!


6.) The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes

I read this as a buddy read with my friend Rebecca who lives in Wisconsin. We also recently read The Dutch House and she didn't love it....WHAT?! Not possible. Anyway this has been something fun for us to do! It was also a Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick.

From Goodreads:

Alice Wright marries handsome American Bennett Van Cleve hoping to escape her stifling life in England. But small-town Kentucky quickly proves equally claustrophobic, especially living alongside her overbearing father-in-law. So when a call goes out for a team of women to deliver books as part of Eleanor Roosevelt’s new traveling library, Alice signs on enthusiastically. The leader, and soon Alice’s greatest ally, is Margery, a smart-talking, self-sufficient woman who’s never asked a man’s permission for anything. They will be joined by three other singular women who become known as the Packhorse Librarians of Kentucky. What happens to them–and to the men they love–becomes an unforgettable drama of loyalty, justice, humanity and passion. These heroic women refuse to be cowed by men or by convention. And though they face all kinds of dangers in a landscape that is at times breathtakingly beautiful, at others brutal, they’re committed to their job: bringing books to people who have never had any, arming them with facts that will change their lives.

This novel definitely has an interesting premise and setting. I love historical fiction and this book set during the Depression and based on the real-life Packhorse Librarians of Kentucky sounded very intriguing! The Packhorse Librarians delivered library books by horseback to remote areas of the Appalachian Mountains.

I loved the strong and unconventional female characters. I particularly enjoyed the character of Margery O'Hare. The book tells the story of several women who struggle to fit into their societal roles of the time. I appreciated the friendships of the women of the packhorse library. They were loving and supportive of one another rather than being competitive which was refreshing. The book also explores racism, classism, sexism, alcohol abuse, and domestic violence in a Kentucky mining community. The overarching theme of the book is that through literacy and reading; the acquisition of knowledge can be life-changing and liberating. The librarians bringing these much needed books to remote mountain areas opened up a whole world to the inhabitants. Thus the need for libraries now and then.

It is a compelling story but it stayed a little too much on the surface for me. It was a bit too predictable. I would have liked a deeper and darker novel. I also had to suspend my disbelief a bit about the nonchalance these women had about premarital sex. The story takes place in Kentucky during the 1930s. I didn't buy it. Still the themes of friendship and community...not to mention books and libraries... kept me turning the pages.

My Rating: Good. It is an interesting glimpse into a lesser-known bit of American history.

7.) The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare

This is how I like my romance novels. Regency style. He is a recluse. A scarred and jaded duke who needs a wife to provide an heir.  She is a seamstress with a heart of gold. It's a marriage of convenience. What can I say? It was enjoyable. Ignore the terrible cover.

From Goodreads:

Since his return from war, the Duke of Ashbury’s to-do list has been short and anything but sweet: brooding, glowering, menacing London ne’er-do-wells by night. Now there’s a new item on the list. He needs an heir—which means he needs a wife. When Emma Gladstone, a vicar’s daughter turned seamstress, appears in his library wearing a wedding gown, he decides on the spot that she’ll do.

This is a light quick read. It has most of the usual romance tropes but it was still enjoyable for what it is...sexy fluff! The thing that I liked the most about it: It had great banter. Emma, the heroine, isn't a helpless damsel. She is a strong and feisty young woman who stands up for herself. I loved that. Did I have to suspend disbelief that both of them would say the things that they say? Yes, their conversation definitely had a more modern vibe rather than the early 1800s but I didn't really care. LOL. It was steamy and fun and I LOVED Ash's vigilante side kick Trevor!

My Rating: Perfect lakeside reading.

8.) Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

Another classic. This one seemed intriguing and controversial. It made lists of notorious and censored books. It is considered one of the most influential works of literature and literary realism. It was also attacked for being obscene in the 1850s. Interesting.

From Goodreads: 

Emma Bovary is beautiful and bored, trapped in her marriage to a mediocre doctor and stifled by the banality of provincial life. An ardent devourer of sentimental novels, she longs for passion and seeks escape in fantasies of high romance, in voracious spending and, eventually, in adultery. But even her affairs bring her disappointment, and when real life continues to fail to live up to her romantic expectations, the consequences are devastating. Flaubert's erotically charged and psychologically acute portrayal of Emma Bovary caused a moral outcry on its publication in 1857. It was deemed so lifelike that many women claimed they were the model for his heroine; but Flaubert insisted: 'Madame Bovary, c'est moi.'

Unfortunately, interesting it was not. I hated it. I enjoy character driven novels and since I disliked all of the characters it wasn't great. Yes, I know that is the point of the novel. It is Flaubert's disdainful commentary on the  French bourgeoisie. Still, give me one likable character. Our protagonist and anti-heroine, Emma, is a shallow, self-absorbed, and unfulfilled woman. The societal mores and conventions of the time contribute to her continual unhappiness and discontent. I get it. But it is the choices that she makes that cause her to be so unsympathetic and ultimately lead to her downfall. Reading it is like watching a train wreck and not caring if anyone survives.

Yes, Flaubert is a skilled writer. Yes, he was ahead of his time. His prose is detailed and precise. His themes continue to be relevant in 2020. Discontent with life. Unrealistic expectations. Always wanting what you can't have. Living beyond your means. Adultery. Depression. Suicide. It was not the book for me and I couldn't wait to be done with Emma Bovary.

My Rating: This is a polarizing book. You love it or you hate it. I hated it.

9.) Half-Baked Harvest Cookbook by Tieghan Gerard

Half-Baked Harvest is my favorite Instagram cooking account. I have made many of Tieghan's recipes and I have loved them all. This is a great cookbook! I highly recommend it.

From Goodreads:

Tieghan Gerard grew up in the Colorado mountains as one of seven children. When her dad took too long to get dinner on the table every night, she started doing the cooking--at age 14. Ever-determined to reign in the chaos of her big family, Tieghan found her place in the kitchen. She had a knack for creating unique dishes, which led her to launch her blog, Half Baked Harvest. Since then, millions of people have fallen in love with her fresh take on comfort food, stunning photography, and charming life in the mountains.

My Rating: Excellent!!

10.) Greenwood by Michael Christie

This was an interesting book. Probably not one that I would have picked up on my own but it was recommended on my favorite book podcast: Currently Reading and Meredith gave it 5 stars. That alone made me want to read it and also the subject matter was especially intriguing.

From Goodreads:

It's 2034 and Jake Greenwood is a storyteller and a liar, an overqualified tour guide babysitting ultra-rich vacationers in one of the world's last remaining forests. It's 2008 and Liam Greenwood is a carpenter, fallen from a ladder and sprawled on his broken back, calling out from the concrete floor of an empty mansion. It's 1974 and Willow Greenwood is out of jail, free after being locked up for one of her endless series of environmental protests: attempts at atonement for the sins of her father's once vast and violent timber empire. It's 1934 and Everett Greenwood is alone, as usual, in his maple syrup camp squat when he hears the cries of an abandoned infant and gets tangled up in the web of a crime that will cling to his family for decades.

This is a lengthy multi-generational family saga, which is always my favorite kind of book, but this novel has a unique spin on the genre. We follow the Greenwood family through multiple timelines: 2034, 2008, 1974, 1934, and 1908. We start in 2034, work back in time to 1908, and then move forward in time again up to 2034 over the course of the novel.

As a person whose grandparents, great-grandparents, and great-great grandparents all worked in the timber industry in the Pacific Northwest and whose grandparents had a sign on their front fence saying, "This family supported by Timber dollars" I was hooked.

The majority of the novel takes place on a remote island off of the coast of British Columbia. It is 2034. There has been a devastating occurrence called "The Great Withering" that has killed most of the trees in the world. The main character Jake works at one of the last remaining old growth forests which is now a travel destination for the ultra rich. It starts off post-apocalyptic which was interesting especially as it is set in the not-so-distant future. (I read it in 2020 where anything seems possible.)

The story is incredibly layered. Each timeline and character builds upon the others so that by the time you return to 2034 at the end of the novel you have the complete picture. The story follows different family members through time and reveals their relationship to trees: ecotourism guide, reclaimed woodworker, environmental activist, logging baron, and a maple tree tapper. The Greenwoods are a unique and complex family. Christie's character development is rather sporadic. Some of the characters are deep and fully-formed. Others are shallow only known on the surface. It's no surprise that the characters I cared the most about were the ones I got to know on a deeper level. For example, I loved Everett but struggled to connect with Willow.

Christie's writing is artful and evocative of time and place. The setting was so lush and vivid. I could see and smell the forests of British Columbia and their beloved Douglas Firs. I loved the symbolism of the trees in this novel and how the author wove them throughout the story and the lives of the Greenwoods. The trees also tell the story of this family and how their roots extend, intertwine, deepen, and change through out time.

“Every tree is held up by its own history, the very bones of its ancestors...Jake has gained a new awareness of how her own life is being held up by unseen layers, girded by lives that come before her own. And by a series of crimes and miracles, accidents and choices, sacrifices and mistakes, all of which have landed her in this particular body and delivered her to this day.”

"Wood is time captured. A map. A cellular memory. A record."

This is a compelling and thoughtful novel that tells the story of a complicated family. It is a passionate tribute to trees and forests. At times the pacing was off kilter...slow in some places and then rushed at the end. Sometimes the author's environmental views pushed the story line to the back burner a bit. I also felt like Jake in 2034 was a completely different story from the rest of the book. It is an interesting story though and I wanted more of it. I felt a bit shortchanged. It could have been it's own novel or the second in a series. I absolutely loved the timeline from the turn of the century through the post-depression era. I wish we could have stayed there the entire time. That was where the majority of the action took place. I also wanted more of Liam's story in 2008. My least favorite timeline was the one from 1974 and Willow. I wanted more substance and more resolution.

I appreciated my time with the Greenwood family and wandering the forests of Canada. This is a novel that I will think about for years to come.

This quote seemed particularly timely:

“Take heart, she seems to say. The world has been on the brink of ending before. The dust has always been waiting to swallow us. People have always struggled and suffered. Your poverty is not shameful. It is not a failure of your character. Life, by its very nature, is precarious. And your struggles are never for nothing.”

My Rating: Good. A compelling and thought-provoking novel.


11.) Beach Read by Emily Henry

I thought this would be your typical chick-lit romance novel with all of the usual cliche tropes. This was not what I expected... and I loved it.

From Goodreads:

Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast. They're polar opposites. In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they're living in neighboring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer's block. Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. She'll take him on field trips worthy of any rom-com montage, and he'll take her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). 

First, I loved the premise. Two authors with writers block challenge each other to write in their different genres. I really enjoyed the inside look at the book publishing world and the writing process. Second, both characters are flawed and a bit of a mess. They aren't the glossy model types of your typical romance novel. Third, there was some unexpected depth. I was actually very surprised that the subjects of: death, grief, cancer, family dysfunction, betrayal, childhood trauma, and cults got so much page time! That is definitely not the norm in your typical romance. And...despite those unexpected topics it was funny and awkward and endearing and romantic! It felt more like good engaging fiction that includes a love story rather than a swoony, cheesy, bodice ripper. I also LOVED the commentary on fiction versus women's fiction. YES!

“If you swapped out all my Jessicas for Johns, do you know what you'd get? Fiction. Just fiction. Ready and willing to be read by anyone, but somehow by being a woman who writes about women, I've eliminated half the Earth's population from my potential readers, and you know what? I don't feel ashamed of that. I feel pissed.”

The title is ironic and the cover is misleading. I love that. This isn't your typical beach read. Yes, there are still some of those elements. There is still the enemies to lovers trope. Although it isn't as angsty as most and isn't love at first sight either. They are actually college nemeses turned writers of different genres and it is a second chance love story which felt refreshing. I thought this novel was a nice surprise. It tells the story not just of love but of relationships. It was a quick read with all the feels. 

Best line in the book: "Before that."  All the heart eyes!

My Rating: I loved it. A surprisingly thoughtful slow burn.

Email From Elder Johnson #6

Group Text: 8-24-20

Addition to the Resume: Jungle Tamer

What is goooooood my friends? I know it seems rhetorical but I'm genuinely curious so feel free to shoot me an email...please i love you...and i miss you...

Anywayyy this week has been a good one! I'm getting the hang of this missionary thing and I'm low key having the time of my life. I seriously love this gospel, this church, and the fetchin people in it. 

So lil fun fact about me is that from age zero to about 6 days ago I had never had Chipotle. Lil did i know the love i would have for a thick Chipotle burrito. They're expensive lil suckers but oooooo baby gimme dems all day everyday. 

This week my comps and i met Amy. She had us come over and do some backyard service for her. She called her backyard, "The Jungle", and called us "The Jungle Tamers." Basically it was just massively overgrown thorny bushes. So after a couple hours and a few drops of blood; the jungle was tamed. Partly because we have to go back cause the people here in Minnesota have huge backyards. (i will provide actions shots below).

To close i would like to mention how thankful i am to have each and every one of you in my life. You all have contributed so much in shaping the person i am today so i love ya'll. 

Take it easy. Don't catch the rona and i'll see ya on the next adventure.

-Elder Johnson

COVID-19 Quarantine: Day 166-170

Day 166: 8-26-20 (Wednesday)

Today is National Dog Day and Miss Beverly Beatrice Beauchamp deserves some recognition! LOL. I am so glad that I was convinced that it was time to get a dog again. Bev brings so much unconditional love and joy into our lives. A pet really does enrich a home!

Today I had a good chatty phone call with my friend Kata. I LOVE those! Texting is nice but a good phone call is a great way to catch up with a good friend who I rarely see these days even though she only lives about 10 minutes away. It felt very 1990s! LOL.

Ailey finally had some kind of mutual activity. It was a combined YM/YW. They went on a hike. Parents did all the drop offs/pick ups. (The trailhead is only about 5 mins from our house.) They had to wear masks and stagger their start times but she had fun. Our girls need to be able to socialize again. So does their mother!!

Some of my sisters were out at the lake and doing drawings for my mother's belongings. We have divided up most of the valuable and sentimental items. Now it is just the remnants. The leftover detritus of a life. It would be helpful if we could all agree on what is trash/goodwill but that would just be too easy right? So four hours later after various FaceTime phone calls some of it got done.

Day 167: 8-27-20 (Thursday)

The drawings continued for part of today. Ugh... pare down when you get older. Don't hang on to so much *stuff*. We managed to keep interactions civil both days...not hard on my part... but seems more difficult on the part of others. Too bad it won't last.

We got an email from Kameron's Mission President saying:

Dear Parents, 

As you may know, there was an unfortunate outbreak of public violence in Central Minneapolis last evening (Thursday, August 26). You may have seen recent reports and images in various media sources that could raise your concern for the well-being and safety of those in Minneapolis. With this in mind, I want you to know that ALL of our missionaries are safe and sound. In fact, almost all of our missionaries were not even aware of the unrest. In taking a position of abundant caution, they are instructed to adhere to every local safety protocol and I am monitoring the situation closely.  I understand the concerns you may feel for your beloved children and wanted to alleviate any unnecessary concern you may have.  Please feel free to contact me or the office staff with any questions or concerns.  Please know of my gratitude and admiration for our devoted missionaries.  You have every reason to be proud of their consecrated efforts. 

I, of course, follow the news in Minneapolis so I knew the latest happenings and I knew that Kam wasn't in that area so I wasn't too worried but...STILL...

Tonight was vendor night at the store. I brought in a bunch of new things. I am really enjoying my Thursday nights puttering around in my booth and making little vignettes. It is calming, creative, and enjoyable. It is nice to interact with fellow vendors and friends too. I will take all the socializing I can get! Tyler and I grabbed Greek take out for dinner and ate it lakeside. A pleasant end to the day!

Day 168: 8-28-20 (Friday)

Today was a busy day. Lots of errands. Being creative and busier is definitely helping with my mood these days. I finished up a large piece of furniture to take to the store. I did a porch visit with one of my primary kids who is getting baptized tomorrow and dropped off a birthday treat for another primary kid.

The girls and I did some shopping. We need to get their rooms ready for online school. Bryn needed a dedicated "study area". We found a cute little desk and chair for her room. We found a cute blush throw blanket for Ailey's room that will look cute with her new bedding. We still need to get their back-to-school supplies. It is so weird not to do a big back-to-school clothes shopping extravaganza.

Tonight was date night.  Nothing too thrilling. We went thrifting. Tyler's favorite...Not. He stayed in the car most of the time. This is the first time that I have been in a thrift store since March. We got Hawaiian take out for dinner and then it was onto Hobby Lobby and Lowe's. Yep, not Tyler's favorite date night on record. He didn't mind the Lowe's part since it was to get things that he needed. So while not a romantic night it was a productive one. I have a Fall Open House at the store coming up and I needed some fall foliage. We also FaceTimed with Reilly for quite a bit of it too which was nice.

Day 169: 8-29-20 (Saturday)

Today was a pretty typical Saturday of projects and errands. The bright spot was that Reilly was babysitting Emerson so she brought him over for a bit. He is the cutest little guy. We were able to get in lots of baby snuggles and cuddles. Reilly regularly babysits Emmy and he is also a regular visitor at our house so he is part of our little quarantine tribe and we love it!

Tyler felt like cooking tonight. Yes, please continue with this vibe! I am enjoying many dinners made by him. He wanted to try to try a new recipe. He made Paula Deen's Pork Chops. They were delicious!

Tonight we had a baptism to "sort of" attend aka we watched it on Zoom in the parking lot of the stake center. Bryn came with us. The guidelines for baptisms in our stake are: you can have up to 16 people attend and they must wear masks. There is no singing. Everyone else can watch over Zoom in the parking lot and can then congratulate the person who has gotten baptized when they come out of the church while social distancing.

While we were there *watching* the baptism carload after carload of missionary trios pulled into the parking lot. It must have been a district meeting or something. We saw this big group of elders outside the stake center talking, laughing, and joking around. We were riveted. It was like getting a small peek into what Kam's life is like now. While a musical number was being played on the piano at the baptism; I looked over at the elders and saw them all starting to lower themselves to the ground. I asked Tyler what they were doing and he said they were praying. I watched these young men who are sacrificing two years of their lives to share the love of Jesus Christ with the world kneel down and humbly pray on the lawn of the stake center. It brought tears to my eyes. It was pretty powerful to witness. Shortly after that the sister missionaries started arriving and they grabbed chairs and headed out to the parking lot to have their meeting while social distancing. They all looked so happy and joyous.

Day 170: 8-30-20 (Sunday)

This morning I had ward council. It is still held over Zoom. I much prefer it this way! We used to meet in person at 7 am! Yeah, I'll take a Zoom meeting! Today was also Home Church. I am actually quite surprised at how nice this has been and at how much the spirit is felt during our home meeting. I also like that we can do it at whatever time we like.

The weather was nice so we decided to put the bikes in the suburban and go for a bike ride. We drove about an hour away and got on the Trail of the Coeur d' Alenes again but from a different direction. This time we were closer to Kellogg, Idaho.

We did a 16 mile ride. We saw heron, pheasants (many other birds too), and a giant beaver dam. It was a hot ride but pretty! This part of the trail goes along the Coeur d' Alene River and through a bunch of wetlands and some smaller chain lakes.

The Coeur d' Alene River

A beaver dam out in the lily pads.

Blue Heron. I love these birds so much!

An abandoned house along the trail.

I love finding these and thinking about who used to live here and the stories this house could tell. When I was in elementary school and we lived in Springville, Utah there was an abandoned house that we loved! Our neighbors and good friends, the Ropers, and I would bike to this abandoned house all the time in the summer. We called it "Baby Blue Eyes" house. I don't remember if we made that name up and the sad tale that went along with it or if it was a local legend but I do know that we were obsessed with it. In my memory the house caught on fire a long long time ago and everyone was killed along with a baby who had startling blue eyes and was beloved by everyone who knew her. Hence the place was haunted by "Baby Blue Eyes". We did all of the things that we weren't supposed to do. (Our parents would have killed us if they knew!) We went in all the time and looked at all of the old half burned vintage things inside. We used to try to freak each other out and would dare each other to go upstairs to the alleged site of the baby nursery. The stairs were falling apart and I am surprised that we made it upstairs once let alone many times. We would swear that we could hear a baby crying. It was our favorite place to play Truth or Dare. On one trip to Baby Blue Eyes house Leesa and I dared Brad to go upstairs and stay for 5 minutes. We timed him. He had us running screaming from the house when he came down the stairs with a burned baby bottle in his hands!! Needless to say... abandoned houses are interesting to me. LOL.

Cave Lake

We had SUCH a good time and I had about 4 hours of being up in the mountains and out of cell service. A nice respite especially since as we drove down the canyon and Fourth of July Pass toward Coeur d' Alene I got about 15 unpleasant texts from siblings. It was nice while it lasted! I will take my pockets of peace and serenity when I can and this was definitely one!