Posted in A&I

The Guzzetta’s Collection of Artesania

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This article, by David Guzzetta with photocollages by Reina Lopez, was not listed in last month’s announcement by mistake; since that may have caused some readers to miss it, we are running it for a second month.

Carolyn and I joined the Peace Corps in 1988.  The Peace Corps sent us to Ecuador. While there we traveled extensively throughout the country.  Just before returning home we made an extended trip to Bolivia, Peru and northern Chile.  Since our Peace Corps days we have returned several times to these Andean countries as well as Guatemala and southern Mexico.

We both fell in love with handmade artesania.  We purchased articles of women’s clothing that were woven on a back-strap loom, plus various knitted and woven accessories.  

Nit Wit Newz: April 2024

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(Nit Wit Newz is an unauthorized, unreliable, on-line news service designed to keep residents abreast of the inconsequential, unverified, and trifling events that dramatically shape and inform our everyday lives here at Rogue Valley Manor).

 

NEW MANOR FOOD PLAN SPARKS HEATED RECEPTION

Plaudits, Peeves Greet Trial Month 

 

Food program dubbed, Monthly Points Plan.  Each resident allotted fixed number of monthly points based on location of dwelling unit.  One point equals one buck. Points to be redeemed for food at any Manor restaurant.  Portion-control servings now closely monitored (Bad news: Meals of five pork chops and six scoops of Gelato now history). At month’s end, points spent over quota result in resident cash outlay (i.e., 10 points over allotment: cough up 10 buckeroos). If have unused points at month’s end? Sorry, excess points dumpster bound.

Following March test of new food plan, resident questions abound. Clamor for answers.

In effort to quell senior community disquiet, spokesperson with new food plan provider,  met with residents for “Q and A” session in Manor auditorium.

Nit Wit Newz was there.

Here’s what followed:

Thank you all for attending our meeting.  I’m Les Eaten with PRU—Points ‘R’ Us—the organization that implements point food plans at CCRCs throughout the nation. Well, you came to ask questions and I’m here to answer them. Let’s get started.  Yes, the tall gentleman in the second row.

Q: I’m six foot-two and weigh 215 pounds. My neighbor is five foot-three and says she weighs 118 pounds.  As cottage dwellers, despite the disparity in our sizes (and appetites) we both have 500 points to spend each month.  This March, I was way over my allocation.  She expended just under 430 points.  How can our point system remedy this “one size fits all” disparity when we live in a multi-sized people world?

A: When confronted with a similar problems at our other PRU facilities, we have found that the most practical solution is marriage.  You might want to discuss this option with your neighbor as our program has no restrictions on the interchange of points among family members.  Should your neighbor seem hesitant about such an arrangement, you might remind her that sound household economics make a firm foundation for a successful marriage union.

Q: Mr. Eaten, I don’t really have a question, but I just wanted to say that I love this new food allocation plan! I was about to get an Ozempic prescription for my weight problem and it was going to cost me $892 per month.  Now, with these new lean point quotas, if I keep within my 500-point allocation, I’m sure to lose those stubborn fourteen pounds of mine in no time.  Bless our new point plan—it’s a weight loser and a dollar saver!

A: I’m pleased that you’re pleased with our new system.  No question, widespread resident weight loss throughout the campus will definitely be a valuable health benefit of our point quota system.  It’s strange that over time, the word “deprivation” has somehow been given a bad name.   Next question, the gray-haired lady toward the back.

(Four women rise and begin asking their questions at the same time)

No, no, I’m sorry.  I meant that gray- haired lady—the one in the green sweater. Please, your question.

Q: Am I the only one who finds the joy of sitting down to a pleasant dining experience substantially dimmed by first having to fumble through the process of adding up a bunch of points.  It’s like paying for your meal before it’s served—it’s gauche and graceless.  Goodness, I never thought I would embrace pointless dining. Was this food plan in the contract I signed?

A: The PRU food point system strives not only to provide healthy, affordable meals to the residents of our clients, but we are also keenly interested in maintaining their mental acuity as well.  That is the beauty of our plan.  The daily addition and subtraction required to maintain your quota at each meal is an excellent discipline to keep the senior mind active.  In our testing, we have found marked improvement in the arithmetic skills of point-keeping residents to go along with their substantially decreased waist sizes.  That “gracious dining” experience that you pine for would seem to be of a secondary concern to a resident’s sound physical and mental health. Next question. Yes, the gentleman on the aisle.

Q: I’m a bit on the hefty size, as you can see, and, like your earlier questioner, I also find my allotment of points inadequate.  The marriage remedy makes sense to me, however being a bit shy, I’ve always been uneasy approaching women.  Do you have any suggestions?

A: Thank you for that question. I was remiss in responding to that previous questioner, not to have mentioned that at each of our facilities we have added a staff “Match Maker” to help ease our residents into these beneficial arrangements.  You will be pleased and perhaps surprised to know that aside from making the new point system more workable, some of our “match-made” residents have discovered that other benefits accrue to them in their new wedded relationships.  The next question goes to the gentleman in the fifth row.

Q: The suggestion to “get married” would not help with the skimpy number of points Marsha and I have been allocated—we are married.  And yes, we exercise vigorously and try to watch what we eat, I’m afraid we remain on the stout side and naggingly hungry.  That said, we were shocked to learn that we both did serious quota-busting damage even before the third week of the March test was over.   Can you offer us any help?

A:. Yes, of course. I think you’ll both find valuable assistance in my new book, “The Hidden Pleasures of Extreme Fasting.”  Your cravings and weight will quickly be reduced to fit nicely into your point quotas and your clothes. You’ll be pleased to learn that I’ll be having a book signing in the Manor lobby immediately following our program. Now, oh yes, the lady on the aisle towards the rear.

Q: I was pleased to hear your response to the earlier question about the side benefit of our new food-point plan being helpful to our mental health.  I must confess as a Manor dweller, that at the start I was totally flummoxed by having to add up all of those point options in my head three meals a day.  Maybe I shouldn’t admit this, but I had to call my eight-year old grandson for help in figuring what I could afford to order.  But you know, with his help, by the third week my addition skills seemed to slowly return. Now, I no longer need to keep calling my Robbie.  No question, you were sure right about the new system helping our mental agility.  I am facing a downside however, I think my little darling misses hearing from his “Nana” three times every day.

A: Yes, I’ll bet he does, too. Well, It’s five minutes to noon. Time for just one more question.  Yes, the lady to my right.

Q: Along with many of my friends living in the Plaza, we enjoy eating often at Arden. It’s so convenient.  But the new plan has indeed put a squeeze on the number of times we can dine there, so now we skip the Plaza’s “grab and go” lunch—saving our points for Arden—and instead, a bunch of us pack a sandwich and head for that nifty, new, beverage machine in the Manor lobby—it’s point free! Espressos, lattes, cappuccinos—they’re all great (By the way, it would be nice if it dispensed Postum, too).  Yes, it’s our “Ladies Lunch at the Lobby” get-together everyday. As careful as we try to be, I’m sorry to say, now and then we do have a spill or two, but, lucky us, that Manor carpet seems to accommodate those accidents quite nicely.  A big thanks to the Manor for that new coffee dispenser—it’s a  real point- saver!

A: Good for you and your friends. It’s important that everyone seek new and imaginative ways to stretch those valuable food points to make our new plan work. Well, it looks as if we’ve about run out of time.  I hope I’ve been able to answer all of your questions today.  Remember, I’ll be in the lobby signing my new fasting-can-be-fun book, and don’t forget to pick up your complementary “Points ‘R’ Us” t-shirt.  No need to search for the right fit, the new Flex-On fabric makes it just like our new food plan—one size fits all.

—A. Looney

 

April in the Library

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by Anne Newins

It always seemed strange to me that St. Valentine’s Day is in February.  Wouldn’t it be more appropriate for it to be celebrated in April, when trees and flowers are blooming, birds are nesting, and the world seems anew?  However, a little research changed my mind. The history of St. Valentine’s Day includes lurid violence and hard core marketing, with only some occasional true love. Perhaps it is best left during dreary February. For a lively account of the day, you might read the attached document, starting with its earliest “celebrations” up to current times.

https://www.ottawa.edu/online-and-evening/blog/february-2023/of-love-and-history-%E2%80%93-the-origins-of-valentine%E2%80%99s-d

Happily, bibliographer Debbie Adler has taken a much more positive perspective about love.  Her eclectic collection of books includes many different types of love, including:

The Bookbinder, by Pip Williams
It is only natural that library volunteers would understand how someone would love bookbinding.  This World War I novel also examines the experiences of Belgium war refugees and the relationships that develop.

Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen
Moving forward in time, this tale is set during the Great Depression.  A veterinary student finds himself caring for the animals in a second-rate circus and finds love along the way.

The Venice Sketchbook, by Rhys Bowen
It’s now WWII, and Caroline Grant has inherited a sketchbook and three keys from a beloved aunt.  Taking her ashes, Caroline goes to Venice, unlocking secrets and seeking a lost love.

This Time Tomorrow, by Emma Straub
In this time travel book, the lead character, forty year old Alice, wakes up one morning in her sixteen year body.  Now in 1996, the heroine has an opportunity to change her relationship with her father.

The library volunteers wish you good reading during one of the loveliest times of the year in the Rogue Valley.

Pictured below:  Manor author and reader Jill Engledow surveys this month’s offerings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Tea Ladies

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by Eleanor Lippman

One year, in our ‘down the shore’ summer vacation in Atlantic City, New Jersey, we briefly stayed in an old, but elegant hotel located right on the boardwalk itself. Our group consisted of my grandmother, “Mom” as we called her, and my family which included my mother, my older and younger brothers, my baby sister and I. My father drove us there and returned at the end of the week to drive us home. He was not a beach fan.

Most of the people staying at that hotel were elderly couples and there were lots of widows. We were the only children there at that time. I know we terrorized the place — running up and down the dark hallways and finding staircases that ended on balconies and mezzanines, leaving little kids searching for the location of the staircase that would take them to a lower floor.

Meals were bland, but filling, served by waiters in jackets and ties. My siblings and I were made to behave at the table, sit up straight (loudly whispered to us many times by my mother), and not talk with food in our mouths. They were trying to turn us from wild animals into humans.

Reminding us constantly that this was a proper hotel, we were made to follow the rules. I remember coming back from the beach and standing under the cold outdoor shower in the rear of the building to remove every grain of sand that stuck to my body before entering the hotel. Getting the sand out of my hair was hard enough, but getting sand out of the crotch of my bathing suit where it collected in several layers of fabric was always hard to do and never completely successful.

One afternoon after returning from the beach and being cleaned up and dressed for dinner and the usual evening boardwalk stroll, it was much too early for dinner so I decided to explore the hotel. I ended up at the foot of one of the staircases that ended on a balcony overlooking the lobby and when I turned to find a staircase that would take me down one floor, I discovered the tea ladies.

Seated around a large round table were a group of white haired old ladies enjoying afternoon tea. Conspicuous among them was my grandmother who did not have a single grey hair in her head. She was the brunette, the only one without white or blue or silver locks. She spotted me, a skinny awkward 8 year old, peering at the group from behind the staircase railing and motioned for me to come and join them.

I shyly approached the table feeling like Alice in Wonderland. The ladies shuffled their chairs around, found an empty chair and invited me to sit down with them. I guess they were bored with old lady talk and were anxious to have fresh conversation. They were really happy to see me and poured into a delicate cup some steaming hot tea. The tea cakes were already gone, reduced to a few crumbs on their plates.

I took a deep breath and resolved to behave like a lady so as to not embarrass my grandmother who was all smiles and so happy to have me join them.

I stared at my tea not sure of what to do. At home, we didn’t drink afternoon tea and other than hot chocolate, the only hot beverage I was ever offered was a hot cup of Postum, a fake coffee made from roasted grains, on Sunday mornings when we had bagels and lox and cream cheese and Greek Salad (made by my father) and smoked fish and my father and mother leisurely drank cup after cup of coffee and smoked cigarettes. I drank my cup of Postum fortified with evaporated milk and sugar and even though it was almost like drinking cocoa, I felt like I was drinking coffee.

“Do you take sugar?” someone asked.

Thinking of my Postum, I added a teaspoon of sugar to my cup.

One sweet little old lady leaned into me and offered me a plate of lemon slices.

“Lemon?” she said.

Of course I couldn’t say no, so I dropped a lemon slice into my cup.

The lady on the other side of me, oblivious to my putting lemon into my tea, handed me a small creamer and said, “Milk?”

I was beginning to love this. All of the chatter back and forth, and the tea ladies being so welcoming. Here I was, having afternoon tea like a grownup. And my grandmother across the table so happy to see me. This was much more enjoyable than staying with my younger brother and sister and being involved in their little kid antics.

“Yes, thank you,” I said as I took the creamer and poured a generous amount into my cup.

A funny thing happened to my tea. The milk curdled and formed clumps and my tea turned into something no one would want to drink.

I was baffled and didn’t know what to do when the white haired ladies on either side of me realized what had happened.

“Child,” one of them gently and kindly said to me, “you only take milk or lemon, not both.”

The tea ladies were very nice to me and in the end, we all had a chuckle. After all, it was my very first afternoon tea and what did they expect?

More than a half of a century later, on a cold rainy afternoon, as I sat in the drawing room of Bank Barn, a British inn in the Lake District of England, I poured myself a cup of steaming tea and sat back in the warmth by the fire and remembered the tea ladies of Atlantic City.

 

 

A Poem Called English

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From Richard Lederer’s book entitled “Crazy English” a poem called “English” by T.S. Watt

I take it you already know
Of tough and bough and cough and dough?
Others may stumble, but not you
On hiccough, thorough, lough, and through.
Well done! And now you wish, perhaps,
To learn of less familiar traps?

Beware of heard, a dreadful word
That looks like beard and sounds like bird.
And dead: it’s said like bed, not bead—
For goodness’ sake don’t call it “deed”!
Watch out for meat and great and dead.
(They rhyme with suite and straight and sled.)
A moth is not a moth in mother,
Nor both in bother, broth in brother,
And here is not a match for there,
Nor dear and fear for bear and pear,
And then there’s dose and rose and lose
Just look them up–and goose and choose,
And cork and work and card and ward,
And font and front and word and sword,
And do and go and thwart and cart–
Come, come, I’ve hardly made a start!

A dreadful language? Man alive!
I’d mastered it when I was five.
And yet to write it, the more I tried,
I hadn’t learned at fifty-five.

Nit Wit Newz: March 2024

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(Nit Wit Newz is an unauthorized, often unreliable, on-line news service designed to keep residents abreast of the  inconsequential, unverified, and trifling events that dramatically shape and inform our everyday lives here at Rogue Valley Manor. )

THE ASPIRANT

The large front door to the Nit Wit Newz Tower on the Rogue Valley Manor campus opened, but no daylight came into the room.  Instead, a very large person stood there filling the open door’s void. He moved towards the receptionist’s desk. He spoke:

(Luther): My name is Luther. I want to apply for a job.
(Ms.Pleasant, receptionist): Oh, I’m sorry, Luther, right now we don’t have any openings, but you are certainly welcome to fill out an application for our files.
(L.): Hmm, the sign at the top of your building says “Nit Wit Newz?” What’s a Nit Wit Newz?
(M.P.): Nit Wit Newz is a column concerning mostly unusual events that occur here at Rogue Valley Manor.  It appears in a monthly on-line publication called The Complement which reaches our residents at RVM.
(L.): Good. I can write.
(M.P.): Oh really, that’s nice to know.  Now, here’s the application form, if you’ll just fill it out at the desk over there, I’ll be sure it gets to our H.R. department.  They do all of our hiring.
(L.): Who runs Nit Wit place?
(M.P.): Our Chief Executive Officer here at Nit Wit Newz is Mr. A. Looney.
(L.): I would like to see him.
(M.P.): Mr. Looney is not here right now, but if he were, I’m sure he’d…

(Through the front door a man enters)

(A.L.); Good morning, Ms. Pleasant.
(M.P.): Oh, Mr. Looney, good morning, we were just talking about you…
(L.): You, A. Looney?
(A.L): Yes, I’m A. Looney,
(L.): I would like to work here.  I write good.
(A.L.): Wow! Are you sure you wouldn’t rather work for the Trail Blazers?  Just how tall are you, anyway?
(L.): Seven feet, four and a half inches. I don’t like basketball.
(A.L.): Oh, well that could be a problem.  Ms. Pleasant, would you hold my calls for a few minutes. I’d like to meet with…what was your name?
(L.): Luther.
(A.L.): with Mr. Luther.
(L.): No mister, just Luther.
(A.L.): I’m Sorry. So, Luther follow me.

(The two enter Looney’s office)

(A.L): Have a seat.
(L.): Too small.  I need that big one behind the desk.
(A.L.): Yeah, I guess you do.  Now tell me, what brings you to Nit Wit Newz?
(L.): I need a job.  I write good.  Nit Wit Newz writes stuff. I don’t speak so good, but write good.
(A.L.): That’s unusual, how did that happen?
(L.): When they were putting me together. they…
(A.L.): Hold it.  When they were putting you together?  What does that mean? Are you a robot or something?
(L.): Here, read this—

(Luther hands Looney a printed card, it reads:)

To Whom It Might Concern:  Luther was a part of our first generation of ‘bots that our small, Medford garage start-up was putting together by implanting A.I. into  human-like bodies. Our circuitry was quite primitive at the time—it was bulky and unwieldy. To accommodate that cumbersome software, we had to make his body quite large to house it. We were fairly far along with Luther’s development when our bank financing was unexpectedly cut off. We had to abandon our project as well as our business.  Sadly, Luther was left as a not completely formed A.I. robot. We were able to install a fully functional ChatGPT  program in Luther so he has excellent writing capacities, but the speech program, ChatterGPT, was only partially completed when we had to halt production.  Given the right conditions, however, Luther should be able to handle certain types of jobs and function in society living a near-normal robotic life.

(A.L.): How interesting.  Have you had any job experience since then?
(L.): Self-employed. Sold shoe laces down on Barnett and gave rides to kids on my pet goat for a dime.
(A.L.): Did that prove successful?
(L.): No. Goat died. Miss him. Revenue stream dried up.
(A.L.): How sad.  And after that?
(L.): Came up hill. Got job at Manor.  Worked in Dining Services.  Job was to input carving station menu on computer. Sat on keyboard.  Computer froze.  Nobody could fix computer. Stuck on carved turkey every night—for weeks. Residents unhappy. Got transferred to Wellness Department.  Introduced new sport—water pickle ball.  Sport failed. Powerful water volleyball league wouldn’t share pool time. Two strikes, I’m out.  Leaving Manor today, saw your sign on roof. “Newz” misspelled.  Figured outfit needs help.  I write good. I spell good, too.
(A.L.): Well, we misspelled “news” on purpose.  We thought it would tell readers that they were about to read something funny, you know, humorous.
(L.): Yes, I know humorous. I can write like Swift, Twain, Oscar Wilde, Dorothy Parker, Richard Pryor, Steve Martin. All in my data base.
(A.L): No, no.  Our stuff is not that clever or sophisticated. We’re sillier, more nonsensical. We’re…
(L.): You mean like, unfunny humor?
(A.L.): Well, I guess you could call it…
(L.): Hmm, not sure would work for me. Would have to do deep internal search for dumb humor. Maybe need new data base.  Might take a long, long time.
(A.L.): Well look Luther, we don’t have any openings for reporters right now, but if you were interested, we could really use an intern around here that could do menial jobs and at the same time, you could learn how we put together Nit Wit Newz. Maybe sometime later you could write for us. The Oregon minimum wage is $14.20 per hour.  Can you live on that?
(L.): Better than selling shoe laces.  Need place to live.  Big building here.  Have room for me?
(A.L.): Gosh, all of our offices are occupied, but….
(L.): Saw small door in hall next to yours.  Maybe fine for me.
(A.L.): No, no, that’s a broom closet.  Way too small for a guy your size.
(L.): Does it have outlet. Need night-time re-charge.
(A.L.): Yeah, I’m quite sure it does, but you can’t squeeze a bed in…
(L.): Sleep upright. Space should be fine.
(A.L.): Well, I suppose if we take out that push broom, the mop, the pail, and…
(L.): No, no, leave them.  Since goat died, don’t like to sleep alone.
(A.L.): Oh sure, sure, I understand.
(L.): Have question. How many $14.20s need to buy new goat?

—A. Looney

 

 

 

 

March in the Library: True Life Adventures

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by Anne Newins

We library volunteers sometimes lament that non-fiction books are not as popular as fiction ones.  There are many reasons, but one is that readers may not know that non-fiction can be as propulsive and engaging as fiction, especially if there is a lot of adventure and action.  The plots can be varied and unusual.  With that in mind, this month’s display table will be featuring a wide assortment of books that you may enjoy, including the following examples:

Unbroken: a World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption, by Laura Hillenbrand
This book tells the story of Lt. Louis Zamperini, who survives a bomber crash, 47 days adrift in the Pacific, and then being held by the Japanese as a prisoner until the end of the war.  Despite a desperate situation, Zamperini survives with “hope, resolve, and humor.”

The Stranger in the Woods:  the Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit, by Michael Finkel
Confirmed hermit Christopher Knight spent 27 years living in a tent in the Maine woods without speaking to another person.  He lived by his wits, learning to store food and water and avoiding freezing to death.  According to Publishers Weekly, it is “a deeply moving portrait of a man who was determined to live his own way.”

Into the Planet: My Life as a Cave Diver, by Jill Heinerth
Even if the idea of cave diving gives you claustrophobia, you might enjoy Heinerth’s descriptions of being the first person to dive into an Antarctic iceberg and her discoveries in Mayan caves.  Most importantly, as a true adventurer, she helps scientists discover new species, track climate change, and  record freshwater reserves.

Hero Dogs: How a Pack of Rescues, Rejects, and Strays Became America’s Greatest Disaster-Search Partners, by Wilma Melville
We often read newspaper articles about the brave dogs that help find lost people in dangerous circumstances.  Melville’s memoir explains how she turned a group of shelter dogs into a life-saving team that worked in places such as New York after 9/11 and New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.  The dogs and their handlers cope with disasters due in part to their close bonds.

The volunteers wish you another month of good reading.

Concerts and Performances March – April 2024

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submitted by Mary Jane Morrison

Manor Auditorium 7-8 p.m.  

Events listed in italics are tentative

Links connect to performer bios and/or programs

Programming subject to change.    Programs will NOT be broadcast on Channel 900.

Manor Express available until 8:30 p.m. Thursdays

Call Security for transportation after  8:00 p.m. other days

 

Thursday               03/14          Tutunov Piano Students recital

Thursday               03/21          Jaron Cannon: piano

Thursday               03/28         Ann Southcombe: “Tales from Gorilla Girl”

Thursday               04/04         Jon Galfano:  piano/guitar

Thursday               04/11           Coco Bender: piano

Thursday               04/18          Trio Briccone: piano, violin, cello

Thursday               04/25          Chuan Choy: piano

Thursday               05/02          North Medford High Jazz Band

Thursday               05/09          YSSO Orchstra

Thursday               05/16           Trio La Forza: piano, clarinet, bassoon

Thursday               05/23           Joyful Voices

Thursday               05/30          The Grapefruits: piano, horn

 

 

 

 

A Guide for Trackers on Campus

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For those seeking to learn who else is on campus there are identifying signs, tracks, trails and homes. Just a few examples are given below

 

Deer and squirrels are largely responsible for trails; the latter like to make trails to oak trees (for acorns).

The Columbian Black-Tail, Mule Deer, herd roams our campus.

 

Dog tracks are rare because they seldom leave paved areas.

Turkey tracks are easy to identify because of their large size.

Some ground squirrels will have neighboring burrows; all with more than one entrance/exit.

Raccoon scat contains the remains of the critter’s last meal.

Antlions are a group of insects whose larvae build traps for ants and other tiny victims. Step on the loose soil and slide into he hole.

Every once in a while a mole will push its tunnel dirt above ground to form a mound. Moles eat groups and other tiny critters.   Moles dig tunnels partly underground for hunting. Deeper tunnels are for safety and the location of  their bedroom.

 

 

 

 

Most people stay on pavement, seldom leaving tracks.

January in the Library: Hawaii

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by Anne Newins

December readers may be feeling a tad chilled after reading books from our  Scandinavian display so we thought we should highlight warmer climes in January.  Since we have many residents from Hawaii living at RVM, including authors, we try to maintain a robust collection of books with Hawaiian themes or locations.  Our Manor authors include Tom Conger, Jan Hines, Jill Engledow, Madge Walls, Judy Van Zile, and Pratibha Eastwood, who all write in different genres.

I can’t resist including a Hawaiian word that may be unfamiliar to many people.  “Heluhelu” means “to read,” according to former Hawaiian resident Jan Hines.

If you would like heluhelu some of the display books, you might consider the following:

Moloka’i by Alan Brennert, has been popular with Manor readers.  It tells the story of a young girl who adapts to a new life after she is removed from her Honolulu home when she develops leprosy in the 1890’s.

Hula, by Jasmin ‘Iolani Hakes, is highly recommended.  More than a novel about hula dancing, it “offers a rare glimpse into a forgotten kingdom that still exists in the heart of its people.”

Facing the Mountain: a true story of Japanese American heroes in World War II, by Daniel James Brown, is included in the display.  This non-fiction book tells the story of a Japanese-American Army unit, many of whose members came from Hawaii, that fought brutal battles in Europe, even while their families were incarcerated in camps back home.

Explosive Eighteen, by Janet Evanovich, may be a stretch, but her funny tales about bounty hunter Stephanie Plum are a guilty pleasure for otherwise “serious” readers.  In this one, even before Stephanie gets off a flight from Hawaii to Newark, she already is in trouble.

Bonus Suggestions!  The upcoming Inquiring Minds schedule includes programs featuring dance ethnology and Papua New Guinea, each of which have a connection to our theme and will be on the display table.

Perspectives on Korean Dance was written by resident Judy Van Zile, who is an emeritus professor at the University of Hawaii.  She will be teaching an informative class about dance ethnology beginning on January 9.  The book is a comprehensive guide to Korean dance, which is comprised of many complex forms.

Throwim Way Leg:  tree-kangaroos, possums, and penis gourds–on the track of unknown mammals in wildest New Guinea, by Tim F. Flannery, will be a change of pace.  This lively book examines the indigenous peoples and natural history of New Guinea and would be a good add-on to the upcoming class about New Guinea, taught by Bob Buddemeier.  It begins January 16.

Aloha from your library volunteers!

Pictured below:  Resident Ann Starego thinks a trip to Hawaii sounds appealing.