I Feel Fine
I picked two “ocean” themed books for our June and July book clubs; Migrations by Charlotte Mcconaghy and Lord of the Flies by William Golding. I have been known to pick some dark books, never intentionally, I always search for “good bookclub books” and the dark ones rise to the top. Why, well because there is more to discuss than the latest romance book, “Set in a charming beach town there are two pit-bull owners, Sally the judge’s daughter and Sam, the new lawyer in town, whose dogs look exactly the same. Shenanigans ensue at the local courthouse and Sally finds herself falling in love, a real enemies-to-lovers romance.” Well, in the current climate we are living in, I have to change my search techniques, I just cannot handle the dark right now. Migrations was a dystopian type novel that talked about the destruction of the animal kingdom, Lord of the Flies, the breakdown of society. Ughhh, two fictional books that seem a little too real right now. I actually started another book between the 2 book club books, The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell, as a palate cleanser. You know a simple book about a Jesuit priest traveling to a faraway planet to investigate extraterrestrial beings. It sounds bizarre, but was so good, so good that I am reading the follow up book, Children of God. The title of the second book explains why I enjoyed the first so much. Aliens, yes, but a Jesuit priest that wants to find proof of God. Seems pretty refreshing, and honestly, I think I would be cool with being abducted by aliens, anything to step away from the mess our world has become.
I don’t know anyone that is heading to E.T.’s hometown, but I do have a friend that has spent the last few weeks traveling pretty close to the end of civilization. Since June 18th myself and a whole collection people in our community have virtually enjoyed his travels to the night of the midnight sun. I have enjoyed his soothing voice, he could honestly narrate books for a living, his knowledge of history and at the half way point of his trip, I envied the isolation. 400 miles of gravel. “No houses or barns or any other sign of human habitation for over 40 miles.” Ahhh, doesn’t that sound lovely. Thank you for the escape, David. Thank you Mary for writing a unique book with hope alongside destruction, I am still holding out for a happy ending, anything to see outside of the walls I feel around me right now.
On one of my trips with my guy, we visited Turner’s Mill in King Township, MO. I think about it often, it can be found 9 miles down a gravel road, of course that is shy of that 400 mark, but for us and John’s pretty white truck, 9 miles is a long way. There isn’t much left of the mill, some broken rocks leading down from the spring and one 25-foot wheel. I visited this place after my treatment was over in 2018, it was quiet and sprinkling rain and it just was one of those moments I will never forget. A moment away from the ugly I had been through, a time of proof of more.
This morning I sang the following lyrics, with a sad little, “and I feel fine,” at the end. Sad, because I sang them with no conviction. On to happier books, maybe a Sally meets Sam story is just what I need. On to travels to remote places, time for quiet and healing.
It’s the end of the world as we know it
It’s the end of the world as we know it
It’s the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine – R.E.M.
Upcoming Events: 7/13 Summer Reading Program at 10am, 7/14 Homeschool Activity at 1:30pm, 7/16 Farmers’ Market 9am to noon, 7/19 Adult Craft at 6:30pm. A few of our new STEM kits are ready for check out. We also have SRP adult book bags available for checkout.