This is an awesome book. I liked it better than Kite Runner. I learned a lot about Afghanistan and it's history from both Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns. A Thousand Splendid Suns focuses more on women - relationships between women, including mothers and daughters. And while a lot of the story is sad, there is also a prevailing feeling of hope.
We participated in a classic Utah tradition by making the trek up to Lagoon last weekend, or as Eli likes to call it, "Magoons." We took the kids last year also, but before that I think the last time I was at lagoon was ninth grade lagoon day. And I admit, it was not quite as white-trash as I remember. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised. We had a great time. I won't make fun of any of you (Angie...) for having season passes. We spent most the day in kiddie-land, but my sister and I decided for old-times we needed to go on Colossus. It did me in. I was still feeling yucky the next day. The classic lagoon moment was when I was standing in line and noticed the couple behind me had matching hot pink shirts on. His shirt said, "I'm hers," and her shirt said, "he's mine." Now that's the lagoon I remember.
In keeping with the prepardness theme, I went to the welfare square cannery this week. I have to tell you, I love the cannery. If you've never been, you should go. You can just show up, you don't need an appointment. So I went down with my mom and my mother-in-law (incidently, two of the most prepared, organized women I know). It's great, you just go into this huge warehouse and get the big bags of whatever you are going to can - wheat, rice, oats, etc... and bring them to your "station." Then you fill up your cans and seal them with this really cool machine (that's my favorite part). It's fun and it really doesn't take very long to get a lot done. Plus it makes you feel industrious, domestic, obedient, prepared...I'm not sure what the word is, put you feel good. And I think the cans are convenient because I keep them in my basement and just bring one up at a time to use. So that's my plug for the cannery. And by the way, I did make some wheat bread last week. My neighbor just bought a wheat grinder so we tried it out. The bread turned out good. The good news is maybe I will use that bucket of wheat I bought!
So I'm reading the fifth book in a series called "The Great and Terrible" by Chris Stewart, and it's pretty intense. I guess you could say it's a book about the end of the world. The series actually starts in pre-mortal life and follows several characters from the "war in heaven" to the "last days." When my mother-in-law told me about the series, I must admit, I thought it sounded a litte hokey. But I decided to read them anyway and they are really good books. If nothing else, they make you think. It gives you kind of an interesting perspective on life. It has also made me panic a little about food storage and being prepared. So last week I bought my first bucket of wheat, I feel like a true mormon mother. I have a long way to go. This quote by Pres. Ezra Taft Benson kind of puts it in perspective - “The revelation to store food may be as essential to our temporal salvation today as boarding the ark was to the people in the days of Noah.” So lets all get on the ark and remember "if ye are prepared, ye shall not fear."
