In With The New


In with the new...
Out with the old; in with the new?
I love the old too much to oust it. I finished Celestine Sibley's memoir, "Turned Funny," on New Year's Eve eve. Celestine Sibley (1914-1999) has long been a favorite journalist, columnist, and author. Out with the old? I think not. It is unthinkable to leave her work behind.
Usually, I feel a sense of loss when I finish a book that I thoroughly enjoyed. I anticipate the next book will not scratch my itch. Martha Hall Kelly proved me wrong. The first sentence in her debut book, "Lilac Girls," grabbed my attention and reeled me in: "If I had known I was about to meet the man who'd shatter me like bone china on terra-cotta, I would have slept in."
Often, I make a determination about an author's style within a few sentences. Kelly's style and manipulation of words intrigue me. In with the new.
Out with the old?
My mother reminds me that as a young girl every time she received a new doll, she had to give away her old doll. This is the reason there is only one Shirley Temple doll to pass along in our family. My grandparents instilled practical, down-to-earth life lessons. I'm grateful for their influence--yet, undecided about the doll thing. My older sister inherited the doll. Maybe it's what we can regard as a "push present" since she gave birth to the only granddaughter, who gave birth to the only great-granddaughter. It seems like my niece is now eligible to receive the Shirley doll. But that might be debated.
I concede it is not debatable when it comes to changing the date; we have to move on. (As if we had a choice?) So, out with the old year and in with the new!
Welcome, 2018.
~ LowTide explorer, Carolyn Fjeran


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