@kathleen I wanted you to know I’m nearing the end of Confederacy of Dunces. While overall I mostly enjoyed it it’s been a good long while since I’ve read a book and literally hated every single character in it - that made this a much harder read than most of the others I’ve read since challenging myself to do 52 books in 52 weeks every year! 🤣
literally hated every single character in it - that made this a much harder read than most of the others I’ve read since challenging myself to do 52 books in 52 weeks every year!
I understand your feelings. Ignatius and his mother Irene are so deeply neurotic that they are awfully hard to like, but that's what made them so funny to me. OMG, as Ignatitius would say!
"MY VALVE!"
The main characters in Confederacy are familiar to me but I haven't lived with Ignatius, Irene and the rest of the book's clown car. It's claustrophobic if they're in your life. But the characters are so pitifully muddled I can't help but find them compelling and hilarious in equal parts. It's probably due to my southern upbringing that I totally get "MY VALVE!"
@dannyboy No problem! I'm retired and in 3 book clubs, so I do a lot of reading of fiction, historical fiction and non-fiction books. If you ever want a recommendation on a book or two, I'd be glad to pass along and you can decide for yourself if you want to read it. The nice folks in my book clubs are discerning readers, so we read a wide variety of substantive books.
Want a little hope? Read Fix the News. Today's email included the news we need to realize that good change is happening. (it's free to your inbox)
https://fixthenews.com/create-the-right-conditions/?ref=fix-the-news-newsletter
Just some of what they reported this week:
1. My favorite is in the photo below: a restored empty lot filled with trash is now a lush natural land.
1. Huge funding boost for wetland conservation in America
Over $157 million in funding, made available via the North American Wetlands Conservation Act, was approved last week for the conservation and restoration of 91,425 acres of wetlands and associated upland habitats in 17 states for waterfowl, shorebirds, and other birds (including 11 endangered species). FWS
The restoration of the Mar Menor lagoon is working
Spanning 135 km2, Europe’s largest coastal saltwater lagoon has been under pressure from agriculture for decades. The fightback from conservationists has now ramped up—the lagoon recently acquired a 1,500-metre-wide green buffer zone, as well as legal rights, and regulators have begun cracking down on the region’s estimated 12,000 hectares of illegally irrigated land. Geographical
Ashaninka Tribe offers new hope for the Brazilian Amazon
This is a really incredible story. A powerful model of Indigenous conservation in the Amazon is the work by the Ashaninka Tribe, who have protected and restored their territory. They are now looking to expand their model to help 12 Indigenous territories in the western Amazon covering an area of 14,500 km2, about the size of the US state of Delaware. Associated PressSouthern bluefin tuna delisted as a threatened species
The southern bluefin tuna was first listed as threatened under Australia's national environment law in 2010 due to global and recreational fishing driving down population numbers. Effective management over the last decade has resulted in a strong recovery of the population, and last week the species was delisted by Australia's environment ministry. DCCEEW
Two big environmental wins in Ecuador
Los Cedros Protected Forest, a 480-km2 reserve of cloud forest in the Ecuadorian Andes, recently notched a major victory against the oil and gas industry via the rights-of-nature movement. The Ecuadorian government has also initiated the closure of a significant block of oil wells in the Yasuní Biosphere Reserve, after citizens voted to prioritise conservation over oil production last year.
Hope for North America’s most endangered bird
The Florida grasshopper sparrow was near extinction only a few years ago, but conservationists are now celebrating the success of a captive-breeding recovery programme that has doubled the bird’s wild population, from a mere 80 birds five years ago to some 200 today. The next step is getting enough captive-raised birds into the wild to allow the population to become self-sustaining. Inside Climate News
we need to realize that good change is happening.
Yep, just what the doctor ordered! Thanks!
Just kicking back and listening to some feel good tunes.... come on let's dance!!!
https://youtu.be/131OjWrdYwc?si=abBf5csO4OMw5ota
Everyone, this is a must watch and listen to song!!!!!! It is an anthem fo this moment. I was wondering when we would finally have a legend sing an anthem for this exact time.
Leave it to 76 year old Stevie Nicks!
Simply amazing!
And did you see who was there in a cameo appearance???
(She was totally doing some Edge of Seventeen moves too).
I think it's really cool how you set goals for yourself and follow through.
I just finished The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman. For the first time ever maybe, I read a book slowly over a few months time, savoring every minute.
She wrote Practical Magic, which became a movie. Some of her others also were filmed.
Jeanne would love her books. They are filled with magic and plants.
For the second time in my life .... and all in the same momentous year.... I was able to see the Northern Lights .... from my front yard here in NW Ga!!! It was on my bucket list to one day see the Northern Lights in person... not just photos and videos of!!!
They are being seen all the way to the Gulf!!!
They will be visible again tonight! I feel ... deep in my gut.... this is an affirmation from the Heavens....that a "wave 🌊💙🌊 " will indeed spread across our land ... in every state on the continental US.
@journeywithme2 Wow!!!! Thank you for posting. Such an affirmation of our universe's beauty. I took a photo in Eastern MA that showed green light rising from the horizon, even though it was late at night. Or maybe it was just my imagination. But it was a lovely sight.
I feel ... deep in my gut.... this is an affirmation from the Heavens....that a "wave 🌊💙🌊 " will indeed spread across our land ... in every state on the continental US
YES. My whole body vibrates with this. The night of darkness is passing. The vibrant colors of Light bring in the new Day and Joy in the Morning fills our hearts.