Tehachapi's Online Community News & Entertainment Guide
Tehachapi's Online Community News & Entertainment Guide
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My first book review of 2022 was titled “Indulgence versus Resolution.” This second review of 2022 focuses on satisfaction. Satisfaction is defined as fulfillment of one’s wishes, expectations or needs. Satisfaction means fully satisfying one’s inner appetite by producing contentment. What could be better in a world of chaos but to fill self with contentment? Let me tell you what I found in my reading indulgences… I embraced old friends with joy. Re-reading the first Cat Who book by Lillian J...
The new year usually brings resolutions, resolutions that sound like a good idea on January 1, but ideas one may not be so enthusiastic about by February and as the weeks of the new year move forward. So, I am taking a new approach this year. I am focusing on indulgence instead! “Indulgence?” one might ask. After the holidays with copious consumption of savory and sweet foods, beverages and holiday mirth? Yes, I have decided to indulge myself! But not with holiday goodies. Rather, I am indulging...
Just a glance at the words “What Child is This?” and immediately the melody of “Greensleeves” starts playing in my head along with the Christmas words about the baby Jesus. The lyrics were written in 1865 by William Chatterton Dix and set to the tune of “Greensleeves,” which was a traditional English folk song at the time, in 1871. The song itself has British origins, but is much more popular in America, perhaps due to its familiar tune. “Greensleeves,” a broadside ballad, was first known as...
People have swayed back and forth for years between using real and artificial trees for Christmas. I remember a time when artificial trees became all the rage. One of the favorites seemed to be the white one. It came with a rotating light that shined on it from below with alternating colors of red, green, yellow and blue. It was mesmerizing. An artificial tree can be cost effective, lasting through many years of Christmas enjoyment. Today people seem to lean toward the ones that are green and...
Oh, how leaves fall. How they blow tumbling down streets like mischief. Hues of yellow, orange to brown. Soft to crisp the leaves and air. Fall Leaves Shall we gather our thoughts and take measure of where we have landed since our resolutions in early January? Both congratulations and regret are probably in the mix. It is a time to adjust our expectations before winter wraps around us, and the holidays descend in perpetual motion. First comes Thanksgiving. How apropos. It is a privilege to have...
Do you know where the idea of “The Wizard of Oz” came from, where Laura Ingalls Wilder and Louisa May Alcott ended up living the rest of their lives, or how a lion and a dragon became stars of their own adventures? Some of our most beloved books have multiple and interesting behind the scenes stories and mysteries that are not shared in the original stories themselves. In “The Wizard of Oz” Toto pulled back the curtain to reveal the wizard was not only a mere man, but that he really had no magi...
We are all time travelers. We travel daily through time in our lives, one minute after another, one day at a time that grows to weeks and months into years. We also have opportunities to go back in time. It does not take a time machine or any complicated equipment. Just a memory, a photo or a book travels us back. With a book series like “The Thorn Birds’’ by Colleen McCullough, published in 1977, we can view the years 1915 to 1969 with the Cleary family through their forced immigration from...
“His thoughts seemed more distant, less audible within his own mind. It was as though a mental fog had settled upon his consciousness…” and thus, “Lost on a Page” by David E. Sharp draws the reader in. There is a reading lounge within The Library, an ultimate place which houses every book ever written, and the characters gather there. It is not a regular library at all of course. And this is not a regular story. I am sure there are times when you have placed yourself inside of a story you are r...
Could it be a true statement, that the stars are not for man? Man has reached into the stars, reached the moon personally and propelled himself in unmanned vehicles to Mars and Jupiter and beyond. We grew up watching Star Trek, and it certainly promoted man exploring space in every possible way that can be imagined. What is infinity? Is space an infinity or does it have an end? Should we pursue to the very limits of our abilities and then push even further? Reading “Childhood’s End” by Sir A...
When a book starts with “Theresienstadt Ghetto, June 1944,” you know immediately some serious story is coming. When it jumps to Weequahic, New Jersey 2019, you suspect someone survived. But nothing prepared me for “The Red Thread” by Rebekah Pace. The main character is Peter Ibbetz, born 1928 in Leipzig, Czechoslovakia to a Jewish family. History tells us those were dangerous times in Europe for anyone, but especially Jews. While the weight of the story does pull you through the heinous actions...
Many people realized during the long year of COVID isolation in 2020, that pets are a great source of love and contentment in our lives. After a few months home, singles and families flocked in search of fur companions. And those who already had a pet, held them all the more dear. For whether one has a dog, cat, bunny or hamster (birds, turtles and snakes count, too, but are not nearly as cuddly), lending a long suffering ear while listening to your woes and a snuggle soft body to warm a cold be...
Do you ever feel like choosing a guilty pleasure book? I don’t mean something hot or risqué but rather, an unpraised book, a book that reviewers rake over the coals, a book readers give only one star and post a long drawn out line of complaints in the comment section. Many books are not valued by literary giants like The New York Times or touted by celebrities. Do you ever want to read them and see for yourself what they might have to offer? Sometimes you may just want to read something to re...
They say good things come in small packages. I have witnessed that myself in life, from sparkling gems of treasure to simple perfect words like “I Love You” written on a sticky note and wrapped exquisitely inside the tiniest box. Creative and effective. I came by “Bonds of Love and Blood” by Marylee MacDonald quite by an accident of fortune. A compilation of 12 short stories, MacDonald uses each word precisely, and her choices of venue and character with artistic refinement. She brings you aro...
It has been many years since Frodo managed to get the ring to Mordor, that the Elves left earth in the hands of men, Aragorn became King and history marched determinedly forward. That brave old world gave way to brave new worlds. Vikings, Marco Polo, Columbus, de Gama, Cortez and others set sail across the seas of earth. Sirs Drake and Walter Raleigh carried out expeditions to the Americas. Peary and Byrd explored frozen arctic lands, both north and south. Armstrong walked the moon and Star...
As a child (and even as an adult), I have loved Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride at Disneyland. Found in Fantasyland along with Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and “up up and awayyyyy!” Peter Pan, situated directly across from the big carousel with King Arthur’s sword wedged into a big stone tempting passerbys, one can jump into one of Mr. Toad’s favorite cars. Riding through adventures with Mole, Rat and Badger, you are chased by cops and end at what looks like a disastrous collision with a train. But have...
The Road Not Taken By Robert Frost, 1916 Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth; Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same, And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the...
Do you have a special collection of treasured items, set on display or wrapped carefully and put away safely in some dark corner of your home? It has become popular to collect items both beautiful and quirky, from teacups to character Funko figures. We enjoy heralding antiques to merely old items, unique and hard to find pieces, sometimes saving them from oblivion like lunch boxes from the ‘50s that would otherwise rust away if not rescued and given safe haven. I especially like the ones that p...
Travel has been curtailed for over a year now, and even though things are loosening up a bit from restrictions, we still do not have full freedom to travel wherever our hearts desire. But we are close. In the meantime, why not travel vicariously in the world of books. You can start small, reading about somewhere near your hometown, like a book trip to Santa Barbara or even to Las Vegas and back with some desert stops. But I have a few suggestions a bit farther away from home… “The Study” is a mu...
Music is often used to set a mood, to express emotion or serves as a backdrop to other activities. When words are added for extra layers of enjoyment, they pull you in, they get your attention, they stroke your emotions and tell a story. When words and music are illustrated, they add a third artistic layer of enjoyment. Are you a grandparent who loved The Beatles, remembering fondly concerts, awaiting new albums and watching their first television appearance, showcased on “The Ed Sullivan S...
Some people stick to one genre, reading consistently to their heart’s content. It may be one mystery after another, light or heavy. Some prefer sci-fi or fantasy, to be inspired, scared or entertained. People read to learn, to get away, to retreat or relax. Then, there are readers who jump from one genre to another, perhaps never satisfied or always satisfied, at the variety. I personally reside as the latter, loving variety. Any genre, books for adults and books for children from the s...
Imagine sitting in a 1901 dentist chair, waiting for a tooth to be pulled, and the dentist starts telling a tale about the wide open plains, stampedes of wild horses and dusty cowboys, dusty hats and dusty towns. If the dentist was Zane Grey, you might be in for a real adventure! Pearl Zane Gray was born in 1872 when the west still had untamed edges. He became a dentist at his father’s request, after trying out with some baseball teams in the early 1900s. But writing was always his passion a...
Have you ever started a book club? Do you attend a club? Are you looking for one? There are all sorts of book clubs these days, found in homes and libraries, bookstores and online. They are set up for all ages, spanning a wide spectrum of books, both old and new. Some book clubs have specific themes, like reading all mysteries or historical romance, sci-fi or fantasy. Some read a variety of all genres. If you are looking for a specific type of book club out there, it is probably waiting for...
The emerald green hillsides of “All Creatures Great and Small” in PBS’s current series of James Herriot’s books are dazzling. But no more dazzling or grand than in the novel itself. Herriot writes so expressively that the green is embedded in your mind’s eye. You also smell the pungent scents from within the old wooden barns, feel the road under your seat as the car bumps along winding dirt roads, and even taste the succulent roasted beef and potatoes, though likely more tasty in your head than...
Sometimes people are sad when Valentine’s Day comes around. Having no special sweetheart of their own, they don’t expect flowers or candy or a special gesture given from the heart. Don’t get me wrong. It is lovely to celebrate romantic love and have a special day set aside for cards and flowers and a delicious dinner out. It just seems that this year people from all over could use their own special gesture, to be told they are loved and appreciated, and not left out of the festivities. I mysel...
When the weather turns cold, soup calls my name! Vegetable soup, chicken noodle, tomato and split pea. Soup is like a warm cozy friend, wrapping itself around and warming the insides like a blanket, soothing with both its comfort to the body and the memories it brings of cold days from the past. My mother used to surprise me with a thermos full of soup instead of milk on the rainy days of February. Her gesture warmed my soul and I felt so special and greatly loved. The simple yet long lasting...
