Category: Nonfiction

Tidy Tidbits: Food for Mind & Body

JWF 1 Comment

RECENT READING

Gripping Nonfiction

American Fire:  Love, Arson, and Life in a Vanishing Land by Monica Hesse

The Eastern Shore of Virginia is a forgotten land of lost hopes and limited opportunity.  The small towns in Accomack County are off the beaten path and poverty and struggle are the norm for many.  What brings people together and is the center for socializing is the firehouse.  Dedicated volunteers leap to answer the call and in the long months from late 2013 into 2014, the calls to fires were numerous and almost always to abandoned buildings.  Over about five months, more than 86 fires were started in and around Accomack and required volunteer firefighters from all the departments in the region.  

After an initial article about the fires, Washington Post feature writer Monica Hesse went to Accomack to research and write about why and how the fires occurred and who was responsible.  It’s a fact that arsonists are often volunteer firefighters, but this perpetrator, Charlie Smith, went undiscovered for a long time.  And what was surprising was that he had an accomplice, a female.  The resulting book is a captivating and vivid suspense story.  You know who dun it early on but exploring how all the experts got there is fascinating.  (~JWFarrington) 

ON THE SMALL SCREEN

Inspector Vivaldi Mysteries (Amazon Prime)

(from MHzChoice)

Just when I was wondering what to watch next, my friend Patricia came to the rescue with a great recommendation.  This Italian series from 2005 is marvelous.  It’s set in Trieste and Frederico Vivaldi is a police detective whose son Stefano is also a policeman.  When a young woman is found dead after a lively beach party, Vivaldi has his son re-assigned to the team working to solve the mystery.  Vivaldi is estranged from his wife, Laura, and is unaware that his son is gay.  How he learns about his son becomes tangled up with the murder case.  Although the production quality is grainy by today’s standards, the characters are engaging and complex and, so far, the series is as much about their relationships as it is about the police work.    

BREAKFAST OUT

Mocha Joe’s Cafe

If you’re looking for a casual place for breakfast in Bradenton, Mocha Joe’s could be your answer.  A small café on Cortez Road West, Mocha Joe’s is popular, for sure with the breakfast crowd, and maybe later also.  We met friends there and were pleased with the wide selection of eggs, pancakes, and omelets.  Several of us ordered lightly, but one person sampled eggs and toast with sides and was most pleased.  It’s tucked in a shopping mall, but definitely worth a try for either meal as the lunch menu of burgers and sandwiches also looks tempting.

Note: Header image of fire in eastern Virginia by Jay Diem, AP.

Manhattan: Stage, Screen & Page

JWF Leave a comment

STAGE:  OKLAHOMA

Through the years, I’ve seen several productions of the American musical, Oklahoma.  This new production directed by Daniel Fish, is a dark one.  The staging is amazing—open and creative.  It’s theater in the round, really more of a horseshoe, with theatergoers seated on one side of some of the tables used by the actors.  At intermission, the red pots on the tables reveal chili, and cups of chili and cornbread are served to anyone who wants to line up. 

The cast is stripped down, the music is backed by a small combo, not an orchestra, and Curly strums his guitar for the opening, “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’.”  All the songs are here, but overall the play is edgy.  The taunting conversation between Curly and Jud about Jud becoming more loved in death is played out in a darkened theater using video projections on a far wall.  Go expecting the unexpected along with a revised ending.  This is an Oklahoma for our time. 

SCREEN:  Official Secrets

I would wager that most Americans have never heard of Katharine Gun, but she was a courageous, albeit naïve, whistleblower, working in British intelligence in 2003.  When Katharine reads a secret memo that the United States is pressuring allies, including Britain, to support a war against Iraq, she is disturbed enough to want to share it.  How her actions play out, what impact they have on her Kurdish Turkish husband, and what the British government does to make an example of her make for a fascinating film for political junkies.  

It is not fast paced, nor full of tension, but it does shine a light on how and when governments deceive the people they represent.  There’s an all star cast with Keira Knightley as Gun and recognizable favorites from Downton Abbey and The Crown such as Matthew Goode and Matt Smith along with Ralph Fiennes as a shrewd defense lawyer.  The Chief Penguin especially loved it! (~JWFarrington)

Seasonal display in Rockefeller Plaza, real style!

PAGE:  STYLE ICON

Bunny Mellon:  The Life of an American Style Legend by Meryl Gordon

Bunny Melon was a product of wealth who married wealth and lived a life of style and glamour. Shy by nature, she mostly avoided the spotlight, but sought and gained recognition for her gardens and her personal taste in décor and decoration.  She married one wealthy man, Stacy Lloyd, then divorced him after WWII to marry the even richer Paul Mellon.   

A man of his time and class, Mellon had affairs and mistresses, something Bunny knew and was unhappy about, but became resigned to.  When he wanted a divorce, she refused, preferring to remain Mrs. Paul Mellon despite everything.  She, in turn, had warm friendships with a number of dashing younger men, florists, hair stylists, and others, mostly gay.  As a close personal friend of Jackie Kennedy, she had a front row seat at some of the most dramatic and tragic moments in the 20th century. 

Gordon’s biography is engaging, breezy, accessible, and, at times, a catalog of celebrities, events and stuff: glittering galas, stunning jewelry, haute couture, and houses upon houses from Manhattan to Virginia horse country to Antigua and Paris.  Bunny Melon was the designer of the White House Rose Garden and of a second garden there named for Jackie Kennedy.  She could be warm and whimsical or brusque and fickle; but, throughout her long life (103 years), she always had Style!  (~JWFarrington) 

Whimsical “Hare on Bell” by Barry Flanagan, 1983

Note: All photos by JWFarrington. Header photo is the Oklahoma set at Circle in the Square Theatre.

Maine Time: Mostly Granddaughters

JWF Leave a comment

GRANDDAUGHTER TIME 

Even since she could say, ‘”grandma,” our younger granddaughter F, now almost two and a half, has called both me and the Chief Penguin that name.  This visit, she finally got it right and for a few days, he was “GrandPA” and then became just Grandpa.  We are now differentiated and she always wants to know “Where’s Grandpa?” if he isn’t right there with us.  F’s language continued to explode over the five days here with more sentences, more new words, questions like what’s that, and statements such as “I’m hungry” or “water dancing” in reference to the slightly shifting water in the cove. She likes books and being read to, can happily play by herself with her baby doll—changing her and carrying on a steady conversation or singing to her—and is a great builder with blocks, magnetic tiles and even small Legos.  She almost always has a ready smile, is fearless and physically bold (too much so) but being two, also a bit stubborn and wanting to do things herself.

Her older sister, E, is six and excited about starting first grade. She is reading a lot, both simple books and shorter chapter books.  A current favorite is the Ivy and Bean series.  E is very creative and likes art projects that involve drawing and cutting out objects and paper dolls.  She and I made a paper doll family, mother, father, big sister and little sister, and then drew and cut out suitcases, beach towels, and food items for them to take on vacation.  Earlier we did all the trappings of a birthday party—birthday cake, cups of lemonade, and goodie bags as well as pizza, cupcakes and doughnuts for refreshments–using just paper, crayons, and tape.  I’m the least artistic of my sisters, and both of them who are more so, would enjoy these draw, cut and color exercises!

When not engaged in art or books, we all visited the local alpaca farm (a hit), spent several hours at the botanical garden in their children’s area (fabulous!), shopped at the bookstore, walked the footbridge and ate ice cream in town, collected rocks and shells on the rocky shore, and watched while the girls and their dad braved Maine’s cold waters in a small cove and then romped in a nearby swimming pool. 

Meals were mostly at home and planned (not seriously planned) to be rustled together quickly.  E. was a good helper at mealtime and loved what she called, “make your own lunch,” basically a buffet of choices on the kitchen island. It also re-appeared as make your own breakfast and even make your own dinner.  One can perform culinary “miracles” with frozen meatballs and jarred tomato basil sauce with some cheese ravioli on the side!

Grandchildren wake up early; fortunately, the C. P. and I are early to rise also.  The little feet came pattering downstairs by 6:00 am, if not before, and I could guarantee that there would be voices greeting me as soon as I emerged to see about breakfast.  Lively, fun, and a real treat to have them here!  I think we stored up lots of good memories.

 

READING UPDATE

#19 Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou

Smart and blond with big blue eyes and a manufactured husky voice, Elizabeth Holmes’ idea for a finger stick blood testing device intrigued her Stanford professor mentor.  Dropping out of college at 19, she founded her own company, modeled herself on Steve Jobs, and wielding charm and charisma, convinced a number of wealthy, older prominent men to invest in Theranos and join its board.  None of these board members (all seemed to be male) had any medical or scientific background and hence didn’t possess the knowledge to evaluate her product. A detailed account of how Holmes cajoled, lied and hoodwinked investors and company staff, it is unputdownable and reads like a novel!

Elizabeth and her number two, Sunny, who was also her boyfriend, ruled with an iron hand creating a very toxic work environment.   She frequently fired individuals who raised doubts or asked questions; he bullied and harassed the staff and was often the one carrying out the dismissals.  Security was extreme, there was no cross communication between departments, and Elizabeth was routinely misleading in presentations to possible vendors such as Walgreens and Safeway.  Not only was she marketing a device that gave false and misleading results to patients, she also deceived her board.

A sad case is that of George Schultz and his grandson Tyler.  Tyler briefly worked for Theranos and had issues about the device and the company which he shared with his grandfather.  His grandfather sided with Elizabeth and became estranged from Tyler. It took a long time, but ultimately, thanks to this author, a Wall Street Journal  reporter, who gained access to a number of brave individuals and then wrote the first articles for his newspaper, the truth was revealed.

 

Note:  All photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved) 

Maine Time: Antidotes

JWF 4 Comments

 

LIFE IN MAINE

Our time in Maine is beginning to wind down and two friends have already departed.  We, though, are happily anticipating the arrival of our son and family with our two granddaughters.  That means making blueberry pancakes with E’s assistance and at least one visit to the botanical garden where F will be quickly in the sandbox and entranced by the children’s play house.  E will delight in showing her around.

On the food front, Maine has been a glorious feast, partly because the Chief Penguin was inspired to bake, even though this kitchen’s batterie de cuisine is somewhat lacking.  Two steamed lobsters downed, five lobster rolls sampled, blueberry muffins and blueberry lemon cake made and shared, plus fresh corn on the cob, homemade corn muffins, and lovely juicy local tomatoes! Toss in a slice of pizza or two, linguine a la vongole (love those tiny clams), veal scaloppini at Ports of Italy, halibut and scallops at the Newagen Seaside Inn, and I know that the scale at home will tell me I’ve over indulged!  I wouldn’t have it any other way.  September will be a return to reality.

Food and grandchildren and even the cinema are antidotes to the corruption, sniping, nasty tweets, and name calling arrayed on the national stage.  What a disheartening, yet perhaps encouraging, pair of trial results unfolded this week! What will happen next?

HEARTWARMING DOCUMENTARY

Itzhak

This is a wonderful documentary about Itzhak Perlman’s early life and career up to the present day. As a child and teenager in Israel, young Perlman’s talent on the violin was admired, but set aside due to his polio disability.  Once he got proper recognition, opportunities opened up and he was launched on an international career with New York as his base.  Instrumental and influential in so many ways, his wife Toby shines through as partner, critic and delightfully articulate commentator on the power of music. She is the force behind their music school on Shelter Island and the annual Suncoast festival in Sarasota, where we’ve heard her speak.  Included in these 80 minutes are lovely clips of various performances, conversations with violin makers, as well as interactions with Alan Alda, President Obama, and Perlman’s extended family.  It is a warm portrait of two individuals who are full of passion for music and life.

POLITICAL BOOK

This memoir is pretty much old news, but fascinating nonetheless.

A Higher Loyalty:  Truth, Lies and Leadership by James Comey

Whatever you may think about Mr.Comey, former FBI director, and even if your opinion changed over the past year, his book is worth reading.  More than just an account of the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s e-mail and his decisions and  interactions with the current president (which are strange and unusual), it is a memoir.  He details his childhood and his early career with a combination of pride and ego mixed with humility and hindsight.  In describing his bosses along the way, he critiques their management styles and indicates what he learned from them and how he tried to be a different kind of leader. At times, he’s quite hard on himself and is able to state how another person might have had a different response and taken a different action.

I don’t know that even now I forgive him for his press conferences about the Clinton investigation, but I better understand his rationale and gained some insight into his work environment from information that I don’t think was public before this book. (~JWFarrington)

Note:  All photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved)