Relationships and Going Places

These pocket-sized buildings are at once a reminder of travel, and a record of popular architecture. Included in the collection are iconic tourist destinations, like the Tower of Pisa; Empire State Building; the Parthenon; the Space Needle; the Alamo; the Eiffel Tower; and the Temple of Heaven. Also included are more modest buildings, like dozens of suburban American banks, grain silos, and football stadiums, as well as souvenirs from places with less architectural, but nonetheless popular, pedigrees: Lincoln’s log cabin; Elvis’ Graceland; and the Disneyland Castle. After decades of display in museums and private residences, the entire collection was donated to the Museum in 2019. more »

Before a baby is born, expectant mothers in Sweden get prenatal care through free or subsidised courses that help them prepare for the delivery, with breathing techniques, coaching sessions and group support. Women who work typically strenuous jobs that require heavy lifting or in risky work environments such as construction sites are entitled to additional pregnancy benefits by taking time off work earlier during their pregnancy. Benefits can be paid as early as 60 days into the pregnancy and continue up to 11 days before the due date. The amount received is roughly 80 per cent of the mother’s daily pay and is paid by the Swedish Social Insurance Agency. Many Swedish hospitals have adjoining ‘hotels’ where new mothers and their partners may stay for two or three days (with all meals included) after a birth so nurses can monitor the mothers and provide postnatal care for newborns. more »

We are greeted by the most amazing azalea bushes in our front yard! Big puffs of pink remind us of the beauty of Spring. The warmer weather is not just about the brilliance of a flowering bush. I get yelled at each time I pass by the Smoke Tree in our backyard. The yeller is a robin trying to get me away from her nest and the four beautiful blue eggs inside. She, or he because both male and female robins are very protective of the nest, zooms out of the Smoke Tree and onto an extended peach tree branch, all the while watching me with intense eyes. When I move out of the immediate nest area, the robin flies back to the nest, no doubt content that the immediate danger has passed. I understand her/his need to protect the potential babies. more »

Nothing captures my heart more firmly than endearing but flawed characters with whom I can identify, an improbable but somehow still believable story, and — especially — a clever punch line. A writer who can make me laugh gets my vote every time. Sure, occasionally I enjoy curling up with one of the Bronte sisters, Hemingway, Du Maurier, or Fitzgerald. And sometimes I try to match wits with James Patterson, David Baldacci, or John Grisham — or even allow myself to be terrorized by a Stephen King horror tale. But for the most part, I love a writer who tickles my funny bone. more »