Book Review - Matriarch: A Journey Through Tradition by Suzann M. Brucato

MATRIARCH ~ A JOURNEY THROUGH TRADITION
Suzann M. Brucato
ISBN: 978-0-615-47832-6

This lovely photo journal is a wonderful tribute to the family to which Suzann Brucato belongs, tracing her heritage back several generations. The pictures and the poetry speak to the importance of family and traditions and special rituals that all families seem to have. I'm sure her large extended family is thrilled to have the history and the poetry that honors them all.

No matter where we go in life our ties to family are never broken, and the stronger those ties are the more secure we feel, and it is that sense of security that I saw in this journal. The book is divided into sections starting with Matriarch where the poems focus on motherhood. Next is The Journey, with a mix of poems about family, friends, travel and dreams. Tradition focuses on the things that families find important, such as special meals and places that have significant meaning. I especially liked the piece called Answering Machine.The next section is Home, which has a mix of poems about women, affection, sea shells and more.

Rounding out the book are two great recipes; one for Paticinni and the other for a dessert cookie called Fresine. I had never heard of Fresine, but I am going to try the recipe. It just seems like a real, feel-good dessert.

Susan sent me a copy of the book in the hopes that I would review it, and the production quality is so high, I am happy to do so. The only little quibble I have with the presentation is the few typos or misspellings. Everything about the rest of the production was so well-done, those little mistakes really stood out for me, but then, I'm at editor and maybe they bothered me because of that.

The rest of the book; the images, the design, the vintage look of it all, as well as most of the writing is just terrific. It is the kind of book that can help readers remember the special times and people of their lives.

___________

Susan lives in New Jersery and is especially proud of her rich Italian heritage. The vintage design elements in the book are used with permission by www.JudyAtTOC.com  - Judy at a Touch of Class: An Art Nouveau Heritage Scrapkit

Mushrooms Growing in my Pasture

When I was cleaning my small pasture this morning I noticed these mushrooms. Needless to say I put the shovel down and went to get my camera before my horse could step on the mushrooms and squash them. This one looks like a little cap that a child might have for a doll.

I've seen lots of white mushrooms around, but these are the first orange ones. I didn't even notice that little baby mushroom in the first picture until I loaded it in my computer to 'play' with it. And that second orange mushroom has the most interesting companion.

This next one looks like it has mold growing on it. When I first saw it, I thought it was some excess fur from our cream-colored cat, John. I do find bits and pieces of him stuck to brambles and berry vines all over our property.

This last one looks to me like it was made out of delicate lace.

Hope you enjoy the pictures.

Let's all be Mellow

I thought after slamming HOAs and talking about road rage, it would be a good idea to focus on something pretty and relaxing.

In Texas we have some of the most spectacular cloud formations I have ever seen. And the sky can go on forever, giving this amazing "postcard" view of the clouds. At sunrise and sunset, the colors can take your breath away.

Last night, as I was coming home from picking up some hay, I almost ran off the road when I saw the clouds along the eastern horizon. Of course, by the time I got home and ran in to get my camera, some of them had dissipated. Plus I didn't have the same vantage point I did when I was on a high point in the road. Not to mention the problem of  the trees that tend to get in the way. But I did get some shots and I hope you enjoy them.

Spring is busting out all over

One of my favorite things to see in the spring is all the wild, and not so wild, daffodils as they start popping up. Here in East Texas they grow wild along the roadways, but they are also popular flowers for home landscaping. They come up before the grass starts to grow so they can be planted throughout an entire yard.

My neighbors, about a mile down the road, have a gorgeous display of daffodils surrounding their house. Some yellow and some with pale outer petals and deep orange centers. They also have a huge old oak tree with daffodils planted around the base. Every day when I drive by I think I should take pictures, so the last time I passed and had my camera with me, I stopped.

I took a few shots and then one of their cats decided to come over and say "howdy." She seemed to enjoy weaving her way through the rows of flowers and liked having her picture taken.

What are the first signs of spring you see where you live?

The Party's Over

The last of my company left today, so now I have no more excuses for not working. Darn. I sure was enjoying myself. I guess that is one reason that I like having my birthday on the Fourth of July.

I was playing the "It's my birthday" card all weekend until one of our sons reminded us that it was America's birthday, too. And since he is American, he could play that birthday card. Double Darn. .

In addition to lots of company and lots of good food, I got lots of neat presents. New books to read. An exercise mat so I can work off all this good food. Some lotions to make me all soft and pretty, and a new camera.

This is a Nikon Coolpiix P90, so I can no longer blame the quality of the pictures I take for WinnsboroToday.com on the old camera I was using.

One of the neat features this camera has is a setting for taking pictures of fireworks automatically. My daughter has that feature on her camera, too, so Saturday night we shot a whole bunch of pictures as the guys set off the fireworks.

Here are a couple of the better shots I managed.



My husband gave me the camera, and as I was shooting the pictures that night, I realized that he had given me a 35mm camera about 40 years ago, and one of the first things I did with that one was take pictures of fireworks.

I still have those prints in an album, and it was really neat to make that connection from so long ago to the present.