Books

I was reading the Harris Farmer's Almanac 2021 and came across a piece of nostalgia which triggered so many memories of mine from when I was a child. On page 106 there is "Ode to Baking" by Marianne Banes.  It was a nice explanation of why baking gives us a sense of well-being when times are tough.

There was another one on page 112 entitled "The Sparkling Curse of Christmas" by Vicki Cox. The story is about tinsel. It tells about a German company creating a lead-alloy foil, bonded with tin in 1904 and how she remembered how her brother and she handled the stuff in the 60's.

Well I remember it a bit differently and much earlier. It really is a wonder that people my age weren't affected if the stories about lead are true!

Yes, we played with lead tinsel in many different ways. We also played with mercury from thermometers. Our basement furnace and pipes were covered with asbestos and so were the pipes in the grammar school in the low level where we had to practice air raid drills. There was lead paint used everywhere. Our family all drank out of the same glass of water that was next to the faucet at the kitchen sink. Why are we still here??

The message I'm trying to send is that there are thought-provoking articles in the Almanac and I would encourage its reads. It was loaned to me by my daughter when I ran out of library books. I went to the library and this morning saw a wonderful tree. I didn't take this photo and there are no photo credits to give but I HAVE to show you my beautiful library's tree!