sametimenextmonth: June 2015

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Enlightened by Elephants

Sometimes the soul just hijacks you and takes you on an unexpected journey toward an enlightenment you didn't know you were seeking. And, then the adventure turns out to be in your own backyard. Such was our journey to the Endangered Ark Foundation in Hugo, Oklahoma.

Inspired by dreams and a book, we found ourselves on a weekend adventure to an elephant sanctuary that few knew about. Hugo is the last stop on the Indian Nations Turnpike at the Texas border and home to a variety of circuses that have wintered here since 1937.

Our morning caravan started out with a Starbucks (thanks, Carla G), big puffy clouds, and a light rain. We took the scenic route through towns like Mill Creek and Wapanucka arriving in Hugo in time for lunch at Angie's Circus City Diner. We had fantastic fried green tomatoes, catfish, onion rings, burgers, pie and two very funny waitresses. A girl named Levi and one named Sha'Mika. Levi was having a tough day so Sha'Mika helped out and had us rolling on the floor with how she came to have her name.

Turns out her mother thought she was going to be black and created the name for her but when she was born white, she couldn't think of another name. Sha'Mika had been deeply ashamed of her history telling her mother, "You are NOT my momma!" But seems to own it now. Levi recovered from her trauma and both girls took good care of us.

Just around the corner from the diner is the elephant sanctuary. Our guide, Arlinda, met us with a hug and commended Diana for her perseverance in setting up the tour. Here we were able to get up close and personal with the elephants. We spent about an hour riding around the sanctuary hearing stories about them and being educated on their lives and care. The people who run the Ark are really in love with the elephants. Living on a sanctuary in Hugo, Oklahoma is not as dramatic as living on a wildlife reserve in Zululand, Africa but we got a taste for what it's like to live with these great animals.

After the tour, we followed Arlinda to the Mount Olivet Cemetary to see Show Men's Rest. There is an area reserved for the part-time circus residents and the founders of the Ark are buried here as well as the famous young bull rider, Lane Frost. Then, we were back on the road for our evening accommodations in Kingston. Laura couldn't find anything closer to Hugo because of the rains and high waters. But, the house she did find was stellar. It easily accommodated all 11 of us. It had a couple of beautiful patios, fire pit and giant man-cave with pool and foosball. We stayed up til 2 dancing, singing and playing games. After a leisurely brunch the next morning we headed back to Norman,

We were so inspired by the elephants we've decided to host a fundraiser to help them raise money for a better watering system for the elephants. There will be more information about that soon.

The weekend was immensely satisfying. I told Arlinda that she had truly made a "dream" come true for me. We bonded with the elephants, the staff, and with each other. I have a feeling we'll be going back soon - and hopefully with a nice little check to help them out!

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

June Book Club 2015

BREAKING BOOK CLUB NEWS … … …

In a shocking development, June 5, Laura Madden does not bring a dish to book club! However, we forgive her. She’s had a lot going on the last month. And, we’ve agreed not everyone needs to bring something every time. So, this month, she gets a pass! On that note, our deepest sympathies go out to Laura & Terry on the sudden loss of their brother. There are no words that lessen the loss, but we all continue to send our love and prayers.

In other news … Lou announced that she and Gene have sold the Holmberg House B & B. They felt the time was right to downsize and spend more time with their family who do not live in Oklahoma. They plan to be in Norman for a few months before they become full-time vagabonds!

Missing … from our meeting were Lou, Darby, Janie, Terry, and Denise. Be on the lookout! And, report their whereabouts!

And Now, Here’s something you’ll really like! Barb was our host for June and she made a savory African chicken dish served with rice to complement our book on African elephants. Carla Anderson brought roasted Brussel Sprouts, Pam brought a salad, Carla Gibbs brought a garden/fruit salad and wine, Arnora brought a beautiful pot of Petunia’s and some fresh cherries and Diana brought dessert; a banana/mango/Nutella crepe. Barb also provided Vodka Pear Martini’s.

Our June Book: The Elephant Whisperer by Lawrence Anthony. My Disclaimer: In May, I had a dream about an elephant and two days later I heard about the book “The Elephant Whisperer.” I was intrigued and put it on my Kindle. However, I had not intended to put it forward as a recommendation as it wasn’t a novel. But, during the course of conversation everyone seemed interested and now, here we are. To my utmost delight, everyone loved the book! And now we are slated to visit the Endangered Ark Foundation in Hugo Oklahoma this weekend.

Book Review: Lawrence Anthony and his wife, Francoise, own Thula Thula, a wildlife game reserve in Zululand, South Africa. The story begins the day that Lawrence receives a call from a woman looking to place a herd of elephants. They have been elsewhere in Africa. They’ve been mistreated and were considered a “rogue” herd. If someone else didn’t take them, the herd was going to be put down. Lawrence agreed even though he had never worked with elephants before and the natives of Zululand had not seen elephants in their homeland for over 100 years. The story was captivating from start to finish. It is not a novel but reads like one. It is an emotional and mystical story that reads at times like action/adventure, mystery, and romance. Lawrence is a definitely a man’s man; strong and seemingly indestructible. He is also a master communicator and not just with animals. But his most endearing quality is his heart and his unwavering love for the people, animals and environment that surrounds him. He has shown us a world that few get to experience and opened our hearts as well.

Unfortunately, it was with great sadness that we learned upon searching out more information about Lawrence and the elephants that he had passed away suddenly in 2012. The elephants that he had taken in marched for 12 hours across the reserve on the day he died and stood in mourning for two days. And on the anniversary of his death, they do the same each year. Francoise continues to run the reserve and the resort and perhaps there is a visit in our future. The book rated a 4.6. Lis liked it but didn’t think it was as well-written as she would have liked. The book has inspired us to journey on June 13-14 to the Endangered Ark Foundation in Hugo, Oklahoma. Much to our surprise, EAF is the home to 25 Asian elephants. Hugo is also home to several circuses that winter there and we plan to visit the Circus Cemetery.

NEXT BOOKs – Lone Wolf by Jody Picoult at Diana’s and H is for Hawk in August at Denise’s.

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2015 Hosts and Books

Jan 9 - Pam Boeck - All the Light We Cannot See
Feb 6 - Lou Christian - Alif the Unseen
March 6 - Terry Cummings - Kind of Kin
April 3 - Janie Tisdale - The Girl on the Train
May 1 - Arnora Parish - The Stolen Child
Jun 5 - Barb Barrow - The Elephant Whisperer
July 10 - Diana Beal - Lone Wolf
Aug 7 - Denise McGough - The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry
Sept 11 - Sherrie Phillips - H is for Hawk
Oct 2 - Arnora Parish - The Boy Who Drew Monsters
Nov 6 - Sherrie Phillips
Dec - Laura Madden - A Child's Christmas in Wales & Christmas Day in the Morning

The Honey Tree - Mary Oliver

And so at last I climbed

the honey tree, ate

chunks of pure light, ate

the bodies of bees that could not

get out of my way, ate

the dark hair of the leaves,

the rippling bark,

the heartwood. Such

frenzy! But joy does that,

I'm told, in the beginning.

Later, maybe,

I'll come here only

sometimes and with a

middling hunger. But now

I climb like a snake

I clamber like a bear to

the nuzzling place, to the light

salvaged by the thighs

of bees and racked up

in the body of the tree.

Oh, anyone can see

how I love myself at last!

how I love the world! climbing

by day or night

in the wind, in the leaves, kneeling

at the secret rip, the cords

of my body stretching

and singing in the

heaven of appetite.

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Lis and Diana's Review of Isaac's Storm

Lis said: This book centers around the devastating hurricane that hit Galveston, Texas, in 1901 and is blamed for the death of over 4500 people. Although the story wasn't a page-turner for most, it was full of interesting historical and scientific data while building up to describing accounts of the devastation and aftermath that the storm created. In my opinion, it is debatable whether the book should be considered a true fiction or a non-fiction. Hand in hand with the storm description, the book tells about the creation of the National Weather Service and the struggle that the organization went through to earn the people's trust. When looking back over the disaster, the author identifies areas of misuse and false pride - in the bureaucratic sector as well as the people's personal lives - that, if it had been overcome, might have averted some of the lost lives. Building up to the storm, the author touches on many historical facts surrounding the era, such as the state of Arkansas passing legislation a few decades earlier to legalize the proper pronunciation of its name to be "Arkansaw." Into this background, the author creates the characters that he was able to find in his research that made up the early Weather Service and some of the residence of Galveston, their spouses and children, making us shiver with dread over successful and unsuccessful rescue efforts. After bringing to life the unimaginable aftermath, with whole neighborhoods destroyed and bodies at every step, the book concludes with Galveston's recovery and a large chapter of Acknowledgements for the extensive support and research that the author relied on. I for one enjoyed the book immensely and, after the first third, found it difficult to put down till the end. Elisabeth Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they haven't thought about it, don't have it on their schedule, didn't know it was coming or are too rigid to depart from their routine. I got to thinking one day about all those women on the Titanic who passed up dessert at dinner that fateful night in an effort to cut back. From then on, I've tried to be a little more flexible.

Diana said: The old saying, "hind sight is 20/20" comes to mind while reading the hurricane account of Galveston, Texas in 1901. Author Eric Larson's story reminded me of his first book we read, Devil in the White City, as he combined historical facts and real people while piecing together a plausible tale of personalities and lives. I have huge respect for writing historical fiction, as the writer not only has to devise an interesting story but also works as an investigator and researcher in the process. The first third of the story was slow and at times I found myself skimming the pages waiting for action. I think this may have been purposeful by Larson. As a reader I was going about my daily business and uninvolved like the townspeople of Galveston noting the changing winds and heading off to work. I took occasional notice of Isaac's trip to the American west by stage and his appearance as a "dandy", the use of telegraph as the primary form of communication from on location to another and it was surprising to find out the American and Cuban weather men held so little regard for each other. Americans found the Cuban forecasters primitive, romantic and unreliable. But once the hurricane was upon Galveston, I was spellbound for the remainder of the book. With the exception of once when I had to put the story down due to the brutal descriptions of decaying bodies which I found overwhelming. For me the story telling mimicked the event itself. Galveston and the rest of the U.S. were going along with business as usual, and then wham! A hurricane the magnitude no one expected or had experienced before bursts forth with action and drama and left no one untouched including me.

Lis' review of A Thousand Splendid Suns

The story playing in Afghanistan made it another compelling read and a walk through a different culture, very foreign to most of us. I had the fortune to have also read the book The Kite Runner by the same author and found that the two stories make great companion books, almost a must-read duo. Our month's selection takes us into the Arabic culture through the life of two women, one of them a servant girl's bastard child - and yes, I used the old fashioned term for illegitimate child on purpose to stay with the tone of the novel. The other woman is depicted as a well-educated, emancipated young woman from a progressive, westernized family. Through the turmoils surrounding Afghanistan's recent 30-year history, their lives intertwine with the same abusive husband and their attempt to deal with the changes brought on by the Russian occupation, the takeover of the Mujahedin and, eventually, the Taliban. The companion book, The Kite Runner, deals with the same political and social upheavals in Afghanistan but is told through the life of a man and his very devoted male servant. A Thousand Splendid Suns evoked a lot of emotion for most of us, feeling comfortable as well educated American women that have rights and can expect a certain social standing that greatly exceeds the animal-like treatment of our female Afghan counterparts under Taliban rule. Needless to say, we had a lively discussion about Afghanistan's troubles, the interactions of both women's parents' influences, their different upbringing, and how it made them relate to each other. We found similarities to the book Shanturam in this author's use of the cinema, especially Bollywood movies. One thing we did not discuss though that I found enticing, was the advantages of being able to skip hair and make-up treatments through the use of a Burka! Blue was, after all, the favored color of my youth, although I always preferred much darker shades. What do you think, ladies, Burkas in our future?

sametimenextmonth

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Enlightened by Elephants

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

June Book Club 2015

Welcome

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