Is Dorothy Studying for her Bat Mitzvah?
The short answer to that question is no.
The longer answer is no, but after lunch at the University of Minnesota Arboretum Friday, Mom wanted to sit down while my sister, brother-in-law, and I browsed in the gift shop. The management had thoughtfully placed children’s books near the comfy couches and easy chairs in the lobby. All the books were holiday related, but the only available ones were about Hanukkah. So Mom indulged in a Jewish cultures class and read a stack of kids’ books about the miracle of lights during our gift shop foray. We finished before Mom found out what happened to the Hanukkah Cat, but she didn’t complain about missing the exciting conclusion of the story.
The even longer answer is that reading a stack of children’s books in five or ten minutes is small potatoes for Mom. She reads like the wind, checking out a half dozen to a dozen books a week from the library. However she also worries about losing her library books and refuses to pack any when she comes to stay at our house or goes to my sister’s. But, she goes bonkers without anything to read, so we have to stock up on reading material for her.
So when she got to my house Tuesday afternoon, I handed her the book I’d just finished, Growing Up Amish by Ira Wagler. She finished it Wednesday morning before we left for the Twin Cities.
When we arrived at my sister and brother-in-law’s she immediately picked up the book he was reading. I didn’t catch either the title or author and maybe Mom didn’t either in her haste to finish it before company arrived on Thanksgiving afternoon.
My sis suggested Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns which Mom said she’d read before, but would read again. By the time we packed the car on Saturday morning, she was down to the last few chapters. We brought the book with us since the ending is a little more substantive than that of Hanukkah Cat.
So the final answer to the initial question is still no, Mom is not studying for her Bat Mitzvah. But I am stocking up on reading material for her next visit. Your book suggestions and donations are welcome!
