Paintbox Summer

Realizing that it is surely of another age, and has lots of bit and pieces of stuff that aren't probably politically correct, 50 years on (it was my mother's book, passed down to me)...can I still enthuse about "Paintbox Summer," by Betty Cavanna? It made me want to live in Provincetown and paint. It made me happy. Just looking at the old cover still makes me happy. But, when I read the synopsis on alibris, I just know that "gay peasant decorations" clearly reflects the praise of another age.

I thought of this after listing "A Girl Can Dream" in the last post. Another oldie brought to you by Ms. Cavanna. It's another book from my mom's once-upon-a-time library that makes me--yes, again, just plain happy--simply by sitting on my slightly-crowded (!) bookshelf.

Above, from earlier this summer, at the Met: 

a grasshopper which was once, perhaps, 

a gay peasant decoration. 

Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor and Choices

Although I mentioned this a few days ago in the other blog, I actually got to watch the full TED talk this morning.

This is a remarkable woman, who has been through a somewhat unimaginable challenge, and emerged as an advocate for making--every day--personal choices that are worth making. (This short paragraph will be clearer, methinks, once you watch her presentation.)

An added plus: for a moment, in the presentation, you get to see a real live brain (but not in, any longer, a real live person). I think this is mammothly cool, but, if you get queasy about such stuff, just close your eyes and listen. It will be worth your time.

Remember, as you watch, that she is a brilliant physician that has been through a near-death experience that few of us (I hope) will ever have, and that she was able to categorize and catalog (to an extent) the brain's information as she went through the stroke. She has emerged, 8 years later, a changed person. She actually has, as they say, seen the light.

Also, here, a wonderful article about Dr. Taylor in the New York Times. So...what does all of this have to do with kids and books? It has to do with the choices we all make, the choices we teach our children to make, and the way we live our lives. That counts, right?