I hope you are all sitting down, as I have a bit of shocking news to tell you. I received a book in the mail the other day. See, I told you…/snort/ Anyhow, the book is All The Secrets Of The World a novel by Steve Almond. I checked the label several times, it was addressed to me, from a bookstore. I figured it was from housemate Dan so trashed the mailer. The problem? When I thanked him for it, he had no recollection of ordering it.
Did any of you think of me and send it? I really haven’t a clue who to thank. One of the larger secrets of my world! Hmm, did I receive a notice to order a free book and this is it? It’s a hardback, $28.00, pretty pricey for a freeby, eh?
Telemarketers
I subscribe to a daily poem from Rattle magazine as well as A Poem A Day from Poets.org. I’m seldom disappointed, but today’s (4 July) from Rattle I’ve got to share. I’m pretty sure it’s copyrighted and I can’t post the whole of it, so I’m giving you the link. It’s short. It’s humorous. Please, read it! “Telemarketer” by Brett Garcia Myhren. Isn’t that the bestest ever comeback to a telemarketer?
Referrals
I also subscribe to a few blogs/newsletters, some are free, some I pay for. Three are:
Newsletter of Carla Ra, a scientist by day, a science-fiction writer by night. She’s a brainiac with a marvelous sense of humor. Check her out. Join her mailing list and join her Bot Family. Great fun. Carla Ra at https://www.authorcarlara.com Free
Dr. Stacey Patton. She has both free and pay. I pay. She is an African American professor of media, journalism, film & communication at Howard University. I don’t know where she gets all the energy to teach, write, speak, etc. Sometimes her newsletters are angry with cause, sometimes, she makes me cry, and sometimes she makes me laugh. Always, I learn something. And her Sunday sermons are marvelous. For the first time in years, I look forward to going to church, her church. Today’s newsletter is “Forget the Founders. Celebrate the Enslaved Black People Who Escaped on the 4th of July.” It’s a powerful piece. Read it and learn some history! Stretch your mind. It’s good for you! She’s on Substack.
And, of course, I subscribe to Sherman Alexie, also on Substack. I pay, but he also has a free subscription. I get poetry, essays, short fiction, opinion, audio, and video, and yes, some recent history of life as an Indian in modern America. His poem, “The Book of Samuel” is one of those poems. It’s free, so I can share.
Please Consider
I have written before about the Iraqi bakery/grocery store/restaurant next door to me, Somer’s Bakery. Now I want to write about the family operated store or restaurant or bakery near where you live. If you’re too busy to shop there because the Big Store you go to has everything, or better prices, or is more convenient, please consider the Mom n Pop in your neighborhood. Not for all your needs, but for some. If you are lucky enough that the owners are from another country and sell things you’ve never seen or tried, consider trying. Support them.
Somer’s is my bread store, my pickle store, my date store, my eggplant and pickled cabbage store and my homemade and fresh baklava store. Also my baba ghanoush lunch restaurant. But now it will probably me my ex store come January. Gas has gone up, shipping has gone up, people aren’t buying as much, he can’t afford to stock product and throw it away when it expires. And they’re from a different country.
Did I tell you that’s where I buy my bread. Pita bread. Do you know why I buy it there? I’ll tell you, it’s the ingredients—flour, water, yeast, salt. Period. Not only can I pronounce all the ingredients, I can spell them. And remember them. And the taste and texture is so much better than grocery store bread.
Is he competition for the Big Store across the street? No, he’s too small and carries things they’ve never heard of. Oh, did I mention the cheeses? sigh….
So, if you have a Mom n Pop near you, support them. Get to know them. And if they came to America from a different place, try their foods. Tell your friends. Help in a small way for someone to reach the so-called American Dream. A taste bud once introduced to a new experience will never settle for boring again! /snort/
Latest email from Cousin Jimmy
“I just read this post to Substack. I believe it needs to go viral.”
Well, I just read it, too, and totally agree with him. A well thought-out article and well worth the couple of minutes to read and longer to cogitate.
The Epstein Class: What Jeffrey Epstein revealed about wealth, immunity, and institutional failure. by Eli Goldstein at Eli’s Substack
Addendum:
Goodest morning, y’all. It is Sunday, 5 July. The Brave Dog snuggled most of the night, thereby keeping me safe from those nasty exploding things outside. And I’ve already been to church this morning—still in my jammies no less!—and I invite you to come sit in the pew with me, there’s always room for my friends. The doors are open, and the message is strong! Dr. Rev. Staceypants is Preachin’
“Death is a reminder to live fully.” —Ram Dass
Remember,
I love you,
I appreciate you,
and I give you a fantastically wonderful week
so take it and run;-)
Auntie Lenora