Pam Webb

a writer's journey as a reader

Archive for the category “reflections”

30 Jul 2021
2 Comments

Summer Sun Heats Up the Blues


Photo by asim alnamat on Pexels.com

Summer is when I am usually found living in my hammocks (one for shade and one for sun). However, this year’s extreme heat dome temperatures have created new routines.

I can endure the outside heat up to 90 degrees (with a nearby fan) and then it’s hiding inside the air-conditioned house until evening when the sun goes down and the heat dissipates.

I could take advantage of being inside and completing projects such as decluttering, painting, deep cleaning, getting serious about writing, but here’s the truth: hot weather, extra hot weather, drains my energy and my coping activities range from reading, napping, puzzling to watching movies next to the air conditioner.

I never thought I would spend part of my summer staying inside watching movies. I’m embarrassed.

Reading is always a go to but reading from 1pm to 7pm, the “heat zone” of the day, drifts towards monotony. Did I really say reading can be boring?

Napping is good for a quick 10 minute doze to a serious pass out for two hours. Too much napping means being awake at night.

Puzzling is a passable activity, depending on the puzzle. Staring at 1000 pieces that should become the picture on the box doesn’t always make for a relaxing time.

It’s nearing August. In a typical summer this is our area’s miserable month with triple digit days shifting into one or two weeks, but that has already happened this summer.

As August peeps around the corner I know summer is ready to close down. I usually regret the end of summer, since being outside is my place of choice, yet I’m actually looking forward to fall with its cool mornings, temperate days, and crisp evenings.

We don’t mention the season after fall.

This summer has been extreme in many ways and I never thought I would be distressed at having too much sun.

What are your thoughts about this extreme summer? How have you been coping with the heat?

Posted in reflections and tagged , , ,
23 Jul 2021

Bard Bits: Somewhat Leary About that King


Bardinator that I am, I must admit I do not adore all of Shakespeare’s plays. I’m not keen on those featuring unsavory meat pies, tedious histories past of glory, or barely sensical plots with twin trouble (although some of his twin twist plays are delightful).

I tend to stick to the basic, well-known canon of favorites except for the Scottish play and the grumpy king–I am definitely leery of Lear. Shakespeare never intended his plays to be read and studied–they were entertainment. They were also political statements.

However, Shakespeare’s intent and critical analysis shall be saved for a future post. Today’s post is celebrating the creativity of clever adaptation.

The basic plot of King Lear is to take one egotistical, autocratic king who decides to play games with his three daughters and their love for him. He loses the game. In a big way.

Maybe that’s oversimplifying it, but it works, especially in Patrick Stewart’s version.

This image may contain Patrick Stewart Clothing Apparel Human Person Furniture and Chair
Not this one…
King of Texas - Wikipedia
This one

Yes, that is Patrick Stewart in western garb. He does a passable Texas drawl and he plays the stubborn patriarch with aplomb. He is as approachable as a cactus and as charming as a scorpion. All the parts of Shakespeare’s play are transferred well. The fool is played by a black slave named Rip, who doles out the appropriate sass and wisdom to his boss, John Lear. The daughters are now Susannah, Rebecca, and Claudia. Gloucester is played as a neighboring horse rancher–kudos to Roy Scheider.

It’s all there: the dividing of the Lear’s ranch, the tempest and loss and reinstatement of sanity, the good, bad, and ugly of progeny, and the ever so sad ending when realization comes far too late what love and loyalty really mean.

If you are looking for alternative Shakespeare, yet delivered with the performance of a Shakespearean trained actor, then King of Texas is the version to seek out and view. I’m no longer leery of Lear, and I look forward in watching how Anthony Hopkins approached the part in the newest version that came out recently.

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22 Jul 2021
2 Comments

National Hammock Day!


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National Hammock Day!
Posted in reflections, Seasons, summer, Uncategorized and tagged ,
20 Jul 2021
1 Comment

National Moon Day


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National Moon Day
Posted in celebrations, Nature, reflections, summer, Uncategorized and tagged ,
13 Jul 2021
8 Comments

Cow Appreciation Day!


For those who follow my postings, you know I appreciate cows. Today is their day. Yup, July 13 is National Cow Appreciation Day.

She enjoyed her flowers thoroughly

To celebrate the cow here are a few facts:

DID YOU KNOW?

  • There are around 200,000 glasses of milk in a cow? That’s a lifetime estimate.
  • A mature cow weighs about 1,400 lbs, and stands about 5 feet tall.
  • A calf can walk within one hour of being born.
  • A Holstein cow’s spots are unique. No two cows have the same pattern.
  • Cows don’t sweat. They need to live in cool weather.
  • By hand you can milk about six cows in an hour or you can milk sixty cows with one person and fourteen machines.
  • Cows get really thirsty during the day. They drink close to thirty gallons worth of water, which is about a bathtub’s worth.
  • Cows can eat a lot as well. On a typical day a single cow can eat nine pounds of hay and thirty-five pounds of mixed grasses and grains. They also consume over twenty pounds of mixed grains, salt, vitamins, and minerals throughout the day. No wonder they need so much water!
  • Cows are boney. There are two hundred and seven bones in one cow. Humans have about the same amount of bones. Hmmm…
Cowabungee they are amazing animals!

Bonus! Here are some cow jokes:

  • What’s green and black and white all over?

A field with cows.

  •  What did Old MacDonald say when the cow stepped on his foot?

    “Ee-ii-ee-ii-ouch.”

  • What did Old MacDonald say when the cows began to stampede?

    “Aaugh, I’m having a herd attack!”

  • What did he say after the stampede?

    “Cows should be seen and not herd.”

*  How did the farmer divide up his herd of cows? 

             He decided between the calves and the calve-nots.

*  What did the farmer say to the old cow?

“It’s time you retired. You’re pasture your prime.”

So today when you reach for that glass of milk or spoon up your yogurt or nibble a cheese slice or revel into your ice cream confectionery, salute the cow. The world would not be the same without this udderly marvelous animal.

Posted in Animals, celebrations, humor, reflections, summer and tagged ,
10 Jul 2021

National Kitten Day!


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National Kitten Day!
They are so amewsing!
Posted in Animals, celebrations, humor, reflections and tagged , | Leave a comment
09 Jul 2021
1 Comment

Storytime Highlights


Debut Appearance
A memorable debut storytime

April 7, 2020 my debut picture book, Someday We Will, arrived and then accessible venues shutdown. It’s definitely challenging trying to promote a book when libraries, schools, and bookstores are closed.

Even though creative promotional endeavors emerged, there is nothing quite like sharing the book with a live audience.

The local library reopened public events with its first storytime held in their new garden area June 19, 2021. Leading off the first storytime in over a year was an honor and an absolute delight.

Kimber, the youth services librarian and several library staff members, worked hard to create the event. Library storytime in a library garden is an ideal venue for a picture book that celebrates the joy of doing outdoor activities together.

After reading the book we blew bubbles, created sidewalk chalk art, jumped rope, and made Someday Jars. All accomplished in an hour!

I look forward to the next public event.

Posted in authors, children, Libraries, Reading, reflections and tagged , ,
06 Jul 2021

Reader Round Up: Good Night Mr. Tom


One book pops up as the June spotlight read: Good Night, Mr. Tom by Michelle Magorian.

Though it was published in 1986, it has an old-fashioned story cadence to it, being almost a Dickens novel in scope.

A captivating read

The story has so many deep issues that it is surprising it is considered a children’s novel. Child abuse and abandonment are two central issues. There is also the painful experiences of children evacuated from London to billet safely out in the country with strangers during WWII. Magorian weaves these and other issues in with her engaging story of matching a young malnourished boy, William, with a flinty widower, Tom.

Tom’s unhurried persistence to helping William settle in hastens the boy to heal both physically and emotionally, and as a result Tom also begins healing of the grief over losing his wife and child forty years earlier.

The joy of childhood, making friends, trying out new experiences, and the deep bond of friendship comes singing through the expressive prose. A thoughtful perspective of how the London evacuees fared as well as those who took them in during the war.
For those who enjoyed Carrie’s War, Goodnight, Mister Tom is recommended.

Posted in authors, Books, children, historicals, Reading, reflections, reviews and tagged , , | Leave a comment
03 Jul 2021

Word Nerd: Special Edition


Girandole: a spinning, rotating firework

Happy Fourth of July!

May you go Fourth and sparkle!
Posted in celebrations, holidays, language, reflections, summer and tagged , , | Leave a comment
01 Jul 2021
4 Comments

Oh for the love of July


When the Julius Caesar unit rolls around in sophomore English I ask what students know about the famous (or infamous) Roman. Their lack of knowledge is deplorable. Most think answering “salad creator” is going to win them points. It doesn’t. They are surprised, and some students think I’m joking when I trot out the fact the month of July is named or rather renamed for Julius Caesar.

This
Not this

Originally July was known as Quintilis, which was Caesar’s birth month. Quintilis means “fifth month” in Latin and in the Roman calendar that is where this month found.

Caesar was a man of action. Gaul is one example. When he wasn’t conquering countries and people he set about improving Roman life. The calendar is an example. It did need attention. The early Roman calendar had a glitch. Once every two years a month lasting 27 or 28 days would be added after February 23 to help even out accrued time. Caesar straightened this out and today’s calendar is pretty much the one he formalized 2000 years ago.

Whether July was renamed as a tribute to his leadership or as a nod to inventing the calendar requires further Googling.

Happy July. Stay cool. Watch out for stray sparkler flickers. Hydrate and wear sunscreen.

July is a sparkly month
Posted in celebrations, education, holidays, reflections, summer and tagged , ,

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