Throwback Thursday

 Remember Throwback Thursday, that was all over Facebook and Instagram a decade ago? Well, always one to be up with the trends, I thought I'd do it here. Looking back at my blog during the A-Z Challenge inspired me to do more of it. So the plan is to post something on Thursday from the same week in years past. Here goes the inaugural post. I didn't go back very far to find one that was published a year ago on May 11, 2025. That happened to be Mother's Day, and I posted about the origins of it.

Note: While searching for the first post, I found I did Throwback Thursday in 2016. I don't remember doing that. I guess this is a case where everything old is new again. 😀

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Sunday, May 11, 2025

Mother's Day

 Happy Mother's Day

 to everyone who has had a mother!

Growing up in West Virginia, I learned early that Mother's Day was started there by Anna Jarvis to honor her mother, Ann Jarvis.

Before I go any further, let me clarify the names because, if you're like me, you might get them confused. The mother, Ann Maria (Reeves) Jarvis, named her daughter Anna Maria Jarvis. So, Ann is the mother and Anna is the daughter, and I will refer to them as Ann R. (mother) and Anna (daughter).

We visited the house where Ann R. lived a few years ago.

Anna was born and grew up in Taylor County, West Virginia, where her mother was a social activist and deeply involved in her church. Ann R. advocated for mothers and formed Mother's Day Work Clubs to help women learn about sanitation and health care for their children. Ann R. also taught Sunday school, and during a prayer in one of her classes, she prayed that someone would create a day to commemorate mothers. That was in 1876 when Anna was 12 years old. 

Ann R. died in 1905, and at her gravesite, her daughter vowed to honor her mother by making Mother's Day happen. Anna started an extensive campaign during which she wrote letters to everyone she could think of across the country and met with anyone who would give her an audience. 

Anna Jarvis, circa 1909. (Library of Congress)

The first Mother's Day service was held in 1908 at Ann R.'s home church, St. Andrew's Methodist Episcopal Church, in Grafton, WV. Anna did not attend but sent 500 carnations, her mother's favorite flower, to all who attended. Later, Anna attended a service in Philadelphia, where she was living.

Anna continued to campaign tirelessly to make Mother's Day a national holiday, and Congress passed a law making it so in 1914. It is held on the second Sunday in May, the Sunday closest to Ann R.'s death.

But the story does not stop there. Businesses started cashing in on Mother's Day, and Anna spent the rest of her life fighting against this commercialization that she detested.

Even though the commercialization continues, I'd like to think that Anna would be happy that the day she fought so hard for is still being observed over 100 years later.

Happy Mother's Day!

Sources:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2024/05/11/anna-jarvis-mothers-day-founder/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Jarvis

Book Reviews

 Here are a few things I've been reading recently.

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey, Adult Fiction, 2012

The Snow Child is the best book I've read in a while. Instantly, the prose and story drew me in and held me until the end.  I wasn't alone in my enjoyment, as the book was a New York Times bestseller and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in fiction. There have been an opera and a play based on the book.

The book was inspired by the fairy tale of the Snow Maiden, in which an elderly, childless couple creates a snow girl who comes to life. In The Snow Child, we find Jack and Mable homesteading in Alaska in the 1920s. They left Pennsylvania after the stillbirth of their child to start over far away from everyone.

One evening, they build a snow girl, and soon thereafter, a mysterious girl shows up. She appears and disappears unpredictably, and others don't believe she is real. I was compelled to keep reading to understand the mystery and mystique surrounding the girl, and her effects on Jack and Mabel. So, I won't give away any more about what ensues, so you can discover it for yourself.

The Alaska frontier is a harsh place and acts as a character in the story. The book does a good job of exploring the subtleties of relationships, including the difficulties. Even when there were problems between Jack and Mabel, you know that they still have a deep love for each other. I liked that.

While reading the book, I could feel the cold and see the landscape that was being described. The author grew up and still lives in Alaska, and that is evident. I recommend this book, but be forewarned, there are many scenes of hunting and gutting animals. But these were very much the reality of the time. However, those are easy enough to skip over if you want.

From Cradle to Grave by Rhys Bowen, Adult mystery, 2025

I finally did it! I read all of the Royal Spyness* books when I finished #19, From Cradle to Grave. And I can say that until the next one comes out in November 2026. I don't think I've ever read all the books in a series this long before. I usually read a couple and then move on. I liked following the story arc of the main characters across books, so I may do it again. 

In this book, we find Georgie at home in Eynsleigh with her infant son, husband, and servants. Then her dreaded sister-in-law, Fig, hires a nanny for the baby. Both Fig and the Nanny show up, and no one is happy. In the meantime, Georgie hears about 4 recent deaths among young, rich men and thinks there is a connection, and she sets out to prove the hunch she is feeling. 

I thought this book was okay, but not as good as some of the other ones. But when you have 19 books in a series, there is bound to be some variability. I had a hard time believing that Georgie could see a connection among the victims, but once I accepted it, I was okay as she went about gathering clues.  And as always, in the end, all is well.

* The Royal Spyness books follow Georgie, 35th in line to the British Throne, in the 1930s, as she stumbles onto murder after murder. There are castles, rich people, royalty, and many class restrictions that surround the stories. Despite being royalty, Georgie has no money, which causes a set of problems all its own. The stories are in historically accurate settings, and humorous relief is provided by her inept maid, Queenie.

The Teacher of Nomad Land by Daniel Nayeri, Children's historical fiction (elementary and middle grades), 2025

I found this book very interesting. It takes place during World War II in Iran when it was occupied by British and Soviet forces. They were trying to prevent Germany from accessing Iranian oil. I hadn't heard of Iran's role in World War II, so this was all new information for me. Even though Iran declared itself neutral, the occupation brought about many of the same effects as the countries that were actively involved. 

The story features the children, Babak and his little sister, Sana. Their mother died years ago, and their father died recently from the effects of a bomb. Babak makes a promise that they will stay together even as they are sent to live with different people.

 Babak's father was a teacher among the Nomads and carried a blackboard on his back as he traveled for his teachings. His son saves it and also carries it on his back as he and his sister travel about. After leaving their "homes", they try to hook up with the Nomads who are doing a seasonal move, and Babak is hoping to be the teacher his father was. Things don't go as planned, and the siblings meet many people and dangers as they try to survive. All along the way, the blackboard helps them communicate with others and eventually helps bring about a happy ending. 

I thought the story was a bit forced (though it is a kids' book), but the history, language, and customs that are major parts of the book are well done. The Teacher of Nomad Land has won several accolades, including the 2025 National Book Award and Amazon's #1 Children's Book of 2025.

The Lions' Run by Sara Pennypacker, Children's historical fiction (elementary and middle grades), 2026

I seem to have an accidental theme to my recent books. This is another story about a young boy and a girl during WWII.  The Lion's Run takes place in 1944 in a small French village that is occupied by the Nazis. Lucas, an orphan, is timid and small and is teased by others. One day, he rescues a litter of kittens from being drowned and takes them to an abandoned barn. Here, he meets Alice, who is hiding her racing horse from the Nazis and hopes to relocate him to America with a complicated plan. Gradually, Lucas gains confidence and becomes part of the resistance as he delivers messages along with his produce deliveries. He and Alice become friends and bond over time.

The story is complex and skillfully builds to an exciting resolution. It gives real insights into the cruel Nazi occupation and the quiet resistance. Also, featured was a new-to-me thing that happened with the Nazis at that time. They had baby factories. A Nazi soldier would get a local blond, blue-eyed girl pregnant. She would then be sent to a home where she would get excellent care, but no freedoms. At six weeks of age, the babies would be taken from the girls to be raised by a German family.

The Lions' Run was a compelling read, and I highly recommend it.

Until next time...

Better Late than Never

 Better late than never is a phrase I often use when I have been procrastinating, but I've been thinking about it recently and wondering if that's always true.

Hopefully, I didn't plant the broccoli too late.

This week, I finally planted broccoli. I was late on this task, as evidenced by the fact that it took me several stores before I could find any plants. I found myself saying, "Well, better late than never." Is that true? Will we get any broccoli before it gets too hot and the cabbage butterfly worms devour the plants? This is very much a wait-and-see exercise to see what the weather will be like over the next couple of months. Here's hoping for the best.

Then we were doing some much-needed cleanup in our garages, including a winter's worth of dust and debris. I should have been wearing a mask for this task, but I didn't think about it until I started coughing. By this point, I could have put on a mask, but I was done with the sweeping. Would a mask have helped at this point? Maybe, but I think in this case, maybe it wasn't better late than never. It was more of "shutting the door after the cow was already out of the barn."

Sarah, on one of the mornings I spent with her.

In another instance, I had finally arranged to meet with Sarah and her mother after not seeing them for a few years. Sarah is a special needs young adult whom I used to buddy with at church. COVID changed all of that. I think this is the perfect example of better late than never. However, I decided I should also invite another friend of Sarah and her mother. I've been meaning to call this friend and meet up for a couple of years, but I've been putting it off. Turns out she lives in Michigan now. Procrastination this time does not lead to a better late than never situation. Never say never, but I will probably not see this friend again. 

What did I conclude from this reflection on the idea of better late than never? I'm not sure, except that procrastination is usually not your friend. 😦

Mother's Day

   Happy Mother's Day! 

I come from a long line of mothers.

My mother, Betty, and I. I was about three, and she was pregnant with my sister, her fourth child. I didn't have a care in the world, but she looks very tired. I think she was. 

My mother with my grandmother, Donnie. My grandmother was very proud
since my mother was the first in her family to graduate from high school. 

My paternal grandmother, Yula, with 17 grandkids. There were 6 more to come.
(I'm next to the boy with the bowtie.)

My great-grandmother, Anna Estella, on my paternal grandmother's side.
In other words, this is the mother of the person above.

This is my paternal great-grandmother, Lavenia Jane
In other words, this is my paternal grandfather's mother.

This is my great, great-grandmother, Anna Elizabeth,
mother of Anna Estella.

There. Do you have all of that straight? Don't worry. I'm not sure if I got it all correct myself. What I do know is that each generation along the way has made me who I am, and for that, I am thankful.

So, as you remember those who came before you, Happy Mother's Day!

Until next time...

Catch Up with This and That

The irises are in bloom now.

 Well, I did it! I made it to the end of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge without hating the whole thing. I have done the A-Z challenge seven times over the last eleven years and have found it a struggle to post six days a week, as required. Actually, nothing is required. It's not like I won't eat or something if I miss a day, but I am stubborn and like to finish what I start. 

The next obvious question is: why do I keep doing the challenge if it stresses me out so much?  Because with the desperation of coming up with six posts a week comes some of my more creative postings. Much of the time, I don't feel like I have anything to talk about, and the A-Z forces me to think outside the box of my routine life. 

This year, I revisited posts from the past. That made the task much easier, and it also made things interesting for me as I read through past posts. Thanks to all of you who read along with me.

Now, it's back to the everyday, and I'm drawing blanks again. Also, it seems that I didn't take many pictures in April to jog my memory, but here are a few.

Last weekend, we went to West Virginia for a memorial service for my cousin. We also visited three different cemeteries where my parents and grandparents are buried. In one of the cemeteries, we were trying to locate the unmarked grave of my found-grandfather. (It's a long DNA story.)
Also, at this cemetery was this Lewis family marker. They were early settlers of the Northwest Territory, and it was interesting to see something tangible that I had only read about in history books. 

Ward continues to work on puzzles. This one, called Literary Dogs and was quite interesting with its whimsy pieces. (Enlarge the picture if you want to see the details.) As it turns out, the puzzle was based on a 40-foot mural in a library that was only about an hour from us.

So we had to go visit it. It was hard to get a picture because it was so long, but it was a really fun mural.

And speaking of Ward, he had a birthday yesterday.
 Note: He is not quite 100 years old yet. 😀

This bluebird has been flying into our living room window many times a day. He then goes to the gutter to keep watch. Apparently, he is trying to defend his territory from his reflection. Some sources this could go on for weeks. 

We recently visited the Brighton Dam Azalea Garden. We try to go each spring when the 22,000 azaleas are in bloom. However, we kept up our trend of being about a week late for peak blooms, but it was still pretty. It is a popular place for photo shoots, and we saw several. If you look closely, you can see one here.

And true to form, Ward was just as interested in the structure of the dam as he was in the flowers.

That's all I've got for now.

Until next time...