I'm not a big reader of scary books, but I do like crime books. I'm not a big reader of historical romance books, but I love biographies of famous stars. I've been known to enjoy a good spy novel and even a war novel or two. Lately my favorites have been books about growing up and enjoying life as a woman whose kids have left the nest. Coming of age books for us women who have learned a lesson or two about life.
My favorite author this summer is Kris Radish. I've read three of her books. My first and favorite was Annie Freeman's Fabulous Traveling Funeral. It's a story about a woman who dies and then sends her 4 best friends on a journey around the country to scatter her ashes. First of all the book appealed to me because I have always said when I die I want my friends to take my ashes and scatter them in their favorite place. And this is what Annie did, only she sent her friends to places she had been. On the journey they learned about Annie's life, while growing within themselves. I highly recommend this read! She did an awesome job telling of the bonds women have, with themselves, their girlfriends, and their many journeys they travel.
The second book I read of Kris' was Dancing Naked at the Edge of Dawn. I enjoyed this about a woman who after a long marriage finds her husband in bed with another woman, watches, and then leaves him and begins her life over after being the loving, dutiful wife and mother and she does it successfully, finding happiness and mending fences as she goes. It was a great book on Life, love and friendship while learning to be true to yourself and not society. Another Awesome read!
Her third book touched my heart, set in rural Wisconsin, one of my favorite places, a women's study group decides one night to go out for a walk that lasts several days! They walk the roads of rural Wisconsin, refusing to talk to most anyone but themselves. Their story grabs national attention as they walk. They live off the kindness of other women they meet on their journey. Women who feed and house them while protecting them from the outside world. Along the way they talk about their lives, learning from each other and the women who help them. I loved this book, and assure you, the next time DH & I are in Wisconsin, he'll be watching for me to take off on my walk.
There you have it, I think Kris is an awesome author and I think I am going to check out another of her books, Birth Order Effect. I think there's alot to be said about birth order. I can't wait to read her take on it. If I have your curiosity up, check out her website, www.krisradish.com Enjoy your summer reading and tell me about it!
:J



I wouldn't have had it any other way. You came into my life when I already had two sons. You knew from the start it was a package deal and that I was a hands on, involved parent. You jumped right in from the start, taking on the Dad duties. The boys will tell you who their Dad is. I thank you so much for that, and I thank your dad for that too. You learned from him, you are both a couple of great guys. You didn't have to.
All of my hard work in the garden is finally paying off. Let's hope we don't have a summer visitor that blows it all away!
The picture below is of him and Ned again. The are a little older and my dad is still the taller one. They also had an older sister and brother, but I don't have a picture of them together as children. My Dad loved the outdoors and sports. He was a tall and lanky young man who was quite a ball player and runner. He loved to hunt and fish and always had a garden.

Sorry I don't know how to do pictures right. This is a photo of my Dad and Mom with my boys. Many of my Dad's grandsons carried his name, Owen, as their middle name. He had 10 grandsons, 8 granddaughters and two great grandchildren.






