Rumor Mills and Plants that Talk

Image © Friends of Acadia National Park / Yehyun Kim

If you’re a long-time reader you might remember that I’ve hated being pared for dinner with only one person living in my Independent Living facility. I’ve nicknamed her both Ms Manners and Vinegar Lady, the latter because she’s like vinegar to my oil. The former nickname is because of her oh-so prefect table manners and vast knowledge of proper British and Downton Abbey decorum which she talks about in her canary soft voice that barely makes it across the table. She never fails to find something to pick apart about the food---how it’s prepared, how its platted or how its served. She makes me want to lick my knife and watch her faint.

When she’s not talking about the above topics she talks about her world travels and gourmet cooking techniques. Rumor has it that she’s a trust fund baby because she’s never married and never worked. To balance all this out she’s by far the most creative and gifted knitter I’ve ever seen. Every single day, year-around for the two years I've known her she's worn one of her own creations of intricate stitches and the finest yarn money can buy. If I could steal her talent I would do it with no remorse.

Recently we got a notice in out daily email that the elevator in my building would be experiencing long waits that day which means someone was moving in or out. Since we didn’t have any empty apartments everyone was trying to figure out who moved out before the birds woke up. You guessed it. Ms Manners moved which she kept close to her vest (or sweater in her case). One person reported she hadn’t been happy here for a long time, doesn't think the place is managed well. But her next door neighbor had a long conversation with her just the day before the move and she never even mentioned the move nor said goodbye to her circle of line-dancing friends save for one person. We’re all trying to figure out how much money she lost moving out of this continuum care facility then buying into another. Gossip mills have to turn and this was a high-powered surge of gossip turning that metaphorical wheel.

I wondered if my oil vs vinegar reaction to the woman made it past my careful applied, fake smiley face and she sensed my true feelings and that contributed to her discontent with living here. As quickly as the thought ran through my head I dismissed it. In all our interactions she never once asked a question about me, my history or hobbies. We had the no children and knitting things in common so I did try in the beginning to befriend her before I decided I couldn't fake interest in her topics of conversation longer than over dinner. (Don't you hate it when you have to work at being nice? It's exhausting.) I’m sad, though, that she’s gone and I’m not sure if it’s the shock of her leaving or because for a blogger always on the lookout for blog fodder my world lost one of the quirky characters in my sphere of existence. Yup, you guessed it. I do enjoy/tolerate some people for all the wrong reasons.

Change of Topic: In our book club we’re reading Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer and Blinklist.com says it’s “a powerful exploration of the relationship between humans and nature, weaving together indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge, and personal anecdotes.” The author is an enrolled member of Citizen Potawatomi Nation and a college professor in the Environmental Sciences and Forestry Department at a university in New York. I was surprised Blinklist categorizes the book under the heading ‘Religion & Spirituality’ but I can’ think of a better one because they don’t have a category titled ‘Lyrical Prose that Rolls off your Tongue Like Poetry.’

The retired Art Professor here is the one who suggested the book and she’s been freaking out (my words, not hers) but when I asked her if she was nervous about the coming discussion. She shook her head ‘yes.’ My question was precipitated because The Professor put on her teacher's hat and sent us several emails on how to approach the book and a couple links to videos of the author interviews, etc. She really wants us to love the book as much as she does and most of us were complaining that we were having trouble getting into the book.

I’m still Fangirling the professor so I downloaded the audio version---which I often do if a book is too hard for me too read---and finally by the end of chapter three the book grabbed me and I fell in love with the smoothness of the author’s writing style, the language she uses and the stories of indigenous people that she wove together with modern environmental issues. Jane Goodall says it better in her back cover review: “….Kimmerer shows how the factual, objective approach to science can be enriched by the ancient knowledge of indigenous people. It is the way she captures beauty that I love the most---the images of giant cedars and wild strawberries, a forest in the rain and a meadow of fragrant sweetgrass will stay with you long after you read the last page.”

 Until next Wednesday. ©

 One of my Favorite Quotes from Braiding Sweetgrass 

 "Tom unlocked the door and we stepped inside. What words can capture that smell? The fragrance of your mother's newly washed hair as she holds you close, the melancholy smell of summer slipping into fall, the smell of memory that makes you close your eyes for a moment, and then a moment longer."