Nonfiction

So, then, dear Poppets, I see that it is our special time again to discuss a few books and Life, in general, and what you might like, in particular. This finds me at my old, dear desk in Memorial Library with the special sights, sounds, and "book odors"  that I so miss when in Texas. Until you've been in a library that is, shall we say, not "properly run", you may not appreciate one that is--such as ours--and, believe an "old" library user--they're either one or the other--no middle ground.

What I do not--ever--miss, when not in Liberal--is the 30 to 40 m.p.h. wind. Gracious but this takes some getting acclimated to, again, once one is no longer in it anymore.  I am always so pleased to come back to where I spent 57 years and not much has changed--except I miss Bob's Diner and Dinah and if anyone knows where she is  (I assume Wichita where one of her daughters lives), could you please call the library, ask for Jill or Pauline, and tell them and they'll get it to me.  Sometimes, one can "go back" to an actual place and see former friends and sometimes, your early years were spent in another place and environment, different people, different experiences and a prime example of that, for me as for many people, are the years before marriage and what one remembers so vividly--people, pets, schools, events, likes and dislikes, etc.

Close friends are well aware that I had strong British undertones in my bringing up and that I absolutely adored my mother's mother whom I called "Foof" and I was always called "My Lamb" or "Foofner" in return, and I laughed and learned under her wise and funny tutelage, and, in thinking about her and some of her "sayings" that I grew up with i.e."Who do you think you are?" and "To whom do you think you're speaking in that tone?" and "Remember who you are" and, again, "Do your very best and angels can do no more." Both my mother, Foof's daughter, and I used to tell each other that, in response to the first Brit saying, we'd like to have had the courage to reply with our name (standing straight and tall and, at the moment, slightly belligerent!) but Mother and I both knew what would come next--"Then, act like her and stop this behavior!"

Okay, so having said all that, you can imagine my delight at seeing the book, "Elizabeth, the Queen; The Life of a Modern Monarch", by Sally Bedell Smith, author of several autobiographies of well-known names, and it tells all sorts of things about her--I listened on my little radio, in high school, in Virginia, as she was crowned Queen and, along with everyone else, read about her--apparently, she's an excellent mimic of other people's traits, loves her two months on the grounds of Balmoral, walking her Corgis and going out with hunting parties and, if not shooting the birds, is directing the hunting dogs where to go to pick up the game birds that very important people have shot and certainly cannot be expected to go and "fetch" for themselves. I mean to say, it just isn't done.

So, if the beaters (men with the party, employed by the Queen--she has 80 servants all the time at Balmoral Castle for her two months stay there--) anyway, if they're busy loading the guests' guns or whatever and unavailable when the bird or deer goes down, the Queen takes over and sees that the game is brought  to them.  I love it. There's Her Majesty, in rough gear, boots, scarf on her head, lined leather gloves, game warden's whistle over her neck, making the proper motions to the dogs, calling their names, and then using hand gestures to convey what they were to do. And whaddya bet the dogs knew what she meant?

Cold, rainy, trampling over old logs, leaves, the crashing of gun barrels, your sandwich and flask of whiskey in the leather bag over your shoulder (what? you thought they went to MickeyD's for a hamburger? we're talking deep forest for 130 miles all around here--and, for Heaven's sake, don't even think of complaining--that's one big, main thing you learn when being brought up in Brit tradition--no one cares to hear it so, fix it yourself, or "go somewhere and get ahold of yourself and come out when you can be pleasant!" Seriously.)

Anyway, life, for her, is not always wearing a diamond tiara, she became Queen at a very young age and had to balance those duties in both Motherhood and State areas, her sister wasn't allowed to marry the divorced Royal Air Force pilot she adored--Prince Phillip saw to that and he should object? On what grounds? Other than he was a divorced man whom Princess Margaret loved--it couldn't have been on moral grounds, alone, since Phillip had an affair for 23 years and everyone knew it--and the lady involved (a Royal, of course!) Sorry to take up this much space on one topic but let me finish on one note; "An undercurrent to the speculation about Charles as the next king is that he is destined to be a transitional figure with a short reign before the succession of his more popular son, Prince William, and Kate.

It is William that monarchists count on to keep the dynasty strong in the new millennium; the Palace is full aware that the monarchy's future depends not only on reaching young people by emphasizing its own next generation." William and Kate are very popular, they dress in khakis and sneakers to visit children's hospitals, he went to New Zealand to give comfort and a personal solace to victims of natural disasters, much as his beloved mother, Diana, had done and the paper there wrote--"He came, he saw, he charmed their bloody socks off!" William and his brother, Harry, are easing into "royalty", still being called "Prince" but not "Sir" and they won't hear of "Your Royal Highness." We'll see what the future holds but do get this book and you will enjoy all of its 560 pages--it's compulsively readable.

Did anyone see some of the prestigious Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show on TV recently? For those of us who love and/or have dogs, it's the--spelled t-h-e--dog show to watch, here in the U.S. as it the Eukenuba show on Thanksgiving. Anyway, there's a delightful book, "Show Dog: The Charmed Life and Trying Times of a Near-Perfect Purebred", by Josh Dean, wrote about spending a year "alongside Jack, is champion Australian shepherd--and his canine and human friends--and presents a revealing look at our love affair with the world's most doted-upon and tinkered with animal species."  We certainly get to know this lovable dog and the people around him --his owner, handler, and his breeder--and we're given an up-close look at the dog show world, its traditions, its rules, along with the many people who inhabit it, taking part in judging, training, naming, promoting, hair-styling, RV-driving, hotel finding, and everything related to owning and showing a champion dog. There are over two thousand dog shows available every weekend, here in the U.S.

Breeding a champion dog--or horse--or cat sounds simple in that "you want to reinforce the good traits of specific animals while eliminating flaws and responsible owners of a certain breed work in concert to eliminate problematic traits--in Aussies, for example, the eye condition PRA."  On several personal notes, Jack jumped up on the judge as he walked by to put a 3rd place win behind Jack's name. Jack's chief rival for all of the judge's eyes was the beautiful moving Beyonce. She floated around the ring and went so fast you almost couldn't see her legs moving, and when Kimberly, who owned Jack, felt the time was right for him to become a father--that was a fine idea that drove Kimberly and Jack around the bend.  Westminster dog show is the pinnacle--lots of media coverage--two days of TV--obviously beautiful dogs--famous people milling around the prestige of the event.  This book is truly, honestly a great picture of a great dog, Jack, his mistress and handler, his mistakes, his heart, his triumphs, so go check it out and let me know what you think.

Is there anyone out there, in the continental U.S.that is, who has not heard of the Kardashians?  Anybody? I thought not, so here's a new book by Kris Jenner, "Kris Jenner and All Things Kardashian." You gotta give the girls credit, though, they're all very attractive--and ambitious--and not necessarily role models. She was married, at one time, to the Olympic champion, Bruce Jenner, then Robert Kardashin "and how it was Bruce who finally helped end the Kardashian's messy divorce so they could all move forward as a family."

It was Kris' brainstorm to make the family into an empire--an "international brand", actually--and has made it into a TV franchise that many millions of women watch and envy.  In this book, Kris also gives details/stories of her "intimate connection" with O.J.Simpson and Nicole Brown, the trial of O.J. and its aftermath. She and Robert had to deal with the important fact that they had each believed something different--Robert sat with O.J, at the trial, and honestly believed him innocent while Kris did not and kept remembering Nicole's words to her--"he's going to kill me and he's going to get away with it"--and so it came to pass. O.J. later failed a lie detector test --too late for his trial.  A really, interesting, pretty intelligent story and I very much enjoyed hearing Kris' voice in it all. I came out with a different point of view of the family--not completely, just somewhat--and certainly was admiring of what and how Kris handled all her decisions.

So, my dears, "the time has come, the walrus said, to speak of other things--"and there's always the weather, which, on the day I'm writing this, is cold and windy (so, you expected anything else the end of Feb.?)and, again, to say how great it has been to be back at my first "home", see dear friends, relax at Spencer Browne's over tea and a Hawaiian muffin (heated, of course), laugh at my son and daughter-in-law's dog and cat, and just "kick back".  I wish all of my readers a good Spring ahead, keep walking, smile at strangers, and try to not get too upset--"it won't matter on the back of a galloping horse" (another one of Foof's wonderful sayings!) Think of me in Kerrville, Tx. and if you're "in the neighborhood", call and stop by! Take care, Poppets, and good luck!