Catching up with Newt : Books, Ugly ducklings and a walk around the world.

Damn those literary magazines. I just picked up 2 more books due to the reviews I read in the newest edition of Pages Magazine. I zipped right through one this weekend called "Firmin: Adventures of a metropolitan Lowlife". It’s about a rat living in a book store. It was fun light reading that I completely enjoyed. I’m not even sure if I took anything away from the story other than it was a fun read. As I blog this I don’t have a copy handy to list the great lines in the book but I know my little arrows are sticking out all over the place so there were quite a few,. Oh well, maybe I’ll blog them tomorrow. The next book up to read is called "To Dance with the White Dog". Also in Pages as a good read.
I also recently finished a story called “Finding Laura Buggs”. It’s a sweet story about a girl who searches for her birth parents in the 40’s. The story takes place here in the twin cities. It’s funny to read about places that are still around today. And to read about things that aren’t. The cities used to have an impressive street car system. The oil / car industry did the world a great disservice when they forced them out of business. It’s criminal actually when you consider the billions being spent to re-make what was already once there. But the oil companies and car companies got rich and still do and have insane lobby power in the government.

Anyway, back to the story. There were a few great lines in the book:

“Make friends with an angel”, he said
“Pardon me,” I shouted.
“Make friends with an angel if you ever get the chance.”
“How do you find one?”
“It’s hard, they come in many disguises.”

• I wanted to remember that I ran while I could run and danced while the music played and sang my song while I had my voice.

• We’d pick a tree that needed us, one that undoubtedly wouldn’t make it into anyone’s home and therefore miss its reason for growing up.

That last thought is marvelous. An extension of the Charlie Brown tree. I have always been a sucker for the unwanted. From pets to Christmas trees I have always preferred the ones that went overlooked.

Keep that in mind the next time you shop for something. Don’t let a tree, or a plant, or a puppy miss its reason for growing up. I have bought plenty of sad little plants in the course of the past few years. And they have been some of the strongest plants in our yard. I bought a mostly dead clematis 4 or 5 years ago and it grows bigger and stronger every year. This year it has expanded past our mailbox post and will climb and cover our stair railing this year. It’s gorgeous.

A weekend ago ago we had our Festival of Nations here in the Cities. My husband took me several years ago since I was new to the state and had never been to one. We went back this year and had a blast. There is music and dancing from around the world. And there are about 25 countries represented at food booths. We sampled all sorts of tasty treats. And we brought home a big bag of various desserts. One of the treats from Switzerland was a chocolate dipped cookie. I can’t remember the name but it was very similar to the pitzales that my Great Grandma used to make. It’s a cookie that is made in an iron. Similar to a waffle cone but the pattern is more like lace and the flavor is different. Italians make the pitzales and leave them as flat cookies. We always broke off pieces and dipped them in coffee. The swiss version rolls the cookie while it is still warm so you get a little tube shaped cookie. Then they dunked one end in swiss chocolate. Very nummy.

The festival also has a great bazaar. There is a fun mix of cheap touristy kinds of gifts and legitimate artisan items representative of the culture. I got a really unique heart shaped ring with Baltic amber. And the hubster got a walking stick that had a wizard’s face carved into the wood. We also found a very cool wood watch from Columbia. It’s so cool I’m afraid to wear it.