Compare it to Sunday below.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Will Winter Ever Release Her Grasp?
This week our temperatures are to be above normal - into the 60ºs by week's end. My perennial and pond gardens are still firmly in winter's grasp as of today. I am going to track the disappearance of the snow each day so that hopefully by Friday the gardens will be revealed and ready for spring. Well, I can hope, can't I?
Saturday, February 5, 2011
A Novel of Family, Medicine and Ethiopia
"Cutting for Stone" by Abraham Verghese was recommended to me by a friend in Cincinnati (though she's still reading it). It is a very long book and as I began it I wasn't sure I was going to like it. Well, it's one of those books that grows on you. There are a considerable number of characters and the author makes sure you understand them before getting on with the main story. There's Sister Mary Joseph Praise - an Indian nun serving in Ethiopia, though that's not where she originally sets out for. And Thomas Stone - an English doctor who also ends up at a hospital in Addis Abba. Dr. Kalpana Hemlatha (called Hema) is a gynecologist from Madras, India and Dr. Abhi Ghosh (called Ghosh) is an internist also from Madras, both of whom end up at the Missing Hospital where Stone and Sister Mary find themselves. The author tells their background stories as the birth of twin boys takes place - the children of Sister Mary Joseph Praise and Thomas Stone. You never find out what Sister Mary thinks of this because she dies as her sons are removed by C - section. As for their father, he is stunned and disappears from their lives immediately. Hema and Ghosh marry and raise the twins as their own. The rest of the book is the saga of their lives as told by one of the twins, Marion.
By reading this book I learned about Ethiopia and the political turmoil there in the 60s and 70s. I learned about medicine, diseases, and the human anatomy - both twins go on to be doctors following in Hema's and Ghosh's footsteps. The author is a doctor and writes accurately I'm sure as he describes procedures and ailments.
Finally this novel is of family. The one created once the twins are taken by Hema as her own. By Ghosh as he marries Hema and becomes their father. It extends to their servants like Rosina, their nanny and her daughter Genet who is raised like a sister to the twins. There's Matron, the head of the Missing Hospital who is like a grandmother and Gebrew the gatekeeper and priest and Almaz, the cook, who are like an uncle and aunt. Though no one is related by blood they are a family nevertheless.
Do you wonder what happened to Thomas Stone? He does reappear, but I can't tell you more than that.
By reading this book I learned about Ethiopia and the political turmoil there in the 60s and 70s. I learned about medicine, diseases, and the human anatomy - both twins go on to be doctors following in Hema's and Ghosh's footsteps. The author is a doctor and writes accurately I'm sure as he describes procedures and ailments.
Finally this novel is of family. The one created once the twins are taken by Hema as her own. By Ghosh as he marries Hema and becomes their father. It extends to their servants like Rosina, their nanny and her daughter Genet who is raised like a sister to the twins. There's Matron, the head of the Missing Hospital who is like a grandmother and Gebrew the gatekeeper and priest and Almaz, the cook, who are like an uncle and aunt. Though no one is related by blood they are a family nevertheless.
Do you wonder what happened to Thomas Stone? He does reappear, but I can't tell you more than that.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
My Loft
Since I've been retired I've been enjoying the loft above our mechanical room especially in the winter time when it's toasty warm. I like sitting there in the afternoon to read and nap.
The idea came to me that I could put a work desk up there and move my sewing machine there or use the space for other crafts - away from the computer! Originally the plan was to build a desk but when we searched for the studs we decided it would be simpler to buy something. Ikea had the perfect set up.
Here's a tour. First, I climb to the loft on alternating tread stairs - more like a sloped ladder but very easy once you get used to it. The stairs start in the laundry room, the garage door is to the right there with my magnet collection.
Once at the top there's a door immediately to the right that goes into the attic. It's to the left in the picture below but not pictured.
At the top of the stairs is a comfy chair, small lamp table, and a footstool (which needs a better fitting pillow).
To the right is this cabinet moved here to make room for the desk. Mostly it stores blow up mattresses which we use in this loft for over flow sleeping beds.
To the right again is this alcove that the desk fits into perfectly. The drawers are on casters and can be rolled out if I need to.
This is the view when I sit in the chair to read. I look out over the front door and beyond into the woods.
I know I will enjoy this space for many years to come.
The idea came to me that I could put a work desk up there and move my sewing machine there or use the space for other crafts - away from the computer! Originally the plan was to build a desk but when we searched for the studs we decided it would be simpler to buy something. Ikea had the perfect set up.
Here's a tour. First, I climb to the loft on alternating tread stairs - more like a sloped ladder but very easy once you get used to it. The stairs start in the laundry room, the garage door is to the right there with my magnet collection.
Once at the top there's a door immediately to the right that goes into the attic. It's to the left in the picture below but not pictured.
At the top of the stairs is a comfy chair, small lamp table, and a footstool (which needs a better fitting pillow).
To the right is this cabinet moved here to make room for the desk. Mostly it stores blow up mattresses which we use in this loft for over flow sleeping beds.
To the right again is this alcove that the desk fits into perfectly. The drawers are on casters and can be rolled out if I need to.
This is the view when I sit in the chair to read. I look out over the front door and beyond into the woods.I know I will enjoy this space for many years to come.
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