Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian

This is the very compelling story of a rural German family near the end of World War II. They evacuate their home before the Russians invade and face many hardships along the way. It was very thought provoking, raising such questions as how much did the average German citizen know about what the Nazis were doing and what could they have done about it. This would be an excellent book to read in a book club where these questions and many others could be discussed. I rate this book 4 out of 5; the only reason I didn't rate it a 5 was I didn't always care for the writing style, and sometimes the dialogue seemed stilted to me. But I really liked the book anyway.

What You Can Do

I had never heard this particular quote before, but I know I had to use it as soon as I saw it today.

Two for One (Quotes)

After finishing the first quote, I had enough room for a second. They don't really relate to each other, except that I like them both.

Of course, since I'm writing out quotes from other people, I guess it could be argued that I'm not really thinking for myself. The second one reminds me of "Today is the first day of the rest of your life" but a little more elegantly put in my opinion.

During our Darkest Moments

My latest quote.

Inferior

I saw this quote on Fannie Narte's blog today and had to use it for my quote of the day - thanks Fannie!

New Wordle

Awards

You know how one thing leads to another, especially on the internet? While visiting a friend's blog yesterday, I happened upon a link to this post. I could really relate to her comments, so I've decided to join in her little revolution.



I would encourage you to go to the post where Vikki explains herself, but the basic premise is that blog awards have become chain letters.

The Outlandish Companion by Diana Gabaldon

This is a great book, but really not the sort of book you read from start to finish. It has summaries of the first four books in the Outlander series, lists of all the characters and who they are, information about how the author goes about writing her books, her theory on time travel, and lots of other fun information. Because her new book is going to be released soon, and it's been awhile since I read the first six, I wanted to refresh my memory on the story up to now. So I've read the summaries and various other parts of the book, but not all of it. I'll probably come back to it and read more in the future, but I'm through with it for now. I recommend it for anyone who loves the Outlander books. I rate the book 5 out of 5.

Autumn

The blob in the lower left hand corner was supposed to be a leaf, which didn't quite turn out like it was supposed to. But it is just a journal post, after all.

Autumn Mums

My quilt guild is having a home tour next month, and I've been going through my quilts to decide what to enter. I realized I never posted this quilt to my blog. I finished it last December. I really had fun making it - it is all fused, no piecing at all. A new way to make a quilt for me. It is from a pattern by Frieda Anderson, and I used her hand dyed fabrics as well.

Constitution

Another tribute to Senator Edward M. Kennedy:



I want to mention again that I learned this style of lettering from Martha Lever in her fabulous class, Calligra-fun. Martha is a very talented artist and a great teacher. As I continue to practice, I'm beginning to see a bit of my own style emerge; it's exciting!

Martha is in the process of filming her next class: Italic Calligraphy - The Right Foundation. If it's anything like Calligra-fun, it will be a great class. I'm going to take it; why don't you join me? It should be ready sometime in November.

Memory