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When I was growing up, my mom had a two-volume edition of East of Eden by John Steinbeck. I saw it on her bookshelf for years, and I remember thinking someday I should read it. I never did. When she passed away, we cleaned out her house and her books disappeared somewhere in the confusion. I remember wishing I had grabbed a few of those books, including East of Eden, but I missed the chance. The chance came back to me with a recent gift card. I picked up a copy of East of Eden and finally read it, quickly reminding me of why I love Steinbeck's work. Over the years, I taught The Grapes of Wrath, Of Mice and Men, and The Pearl many times. Now I can add East of Eden to the list of Steinbeck books I have truly enjoyed.
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One of our favorite afternoon events is to go visit Birchbark Books, an independent book store owned by National Book Award winner Louis Erdrich in Minneapolis. There is always something interesting on the shelves there. Then we go just down the street and take the three-mile walk around the beautiful Lake of the Isles. We just did that combination again today. Nice.
We have a beaver pond not far from our house. It is a frequent destination for walks. When we moved here two years ago, the beavers had a well-established lodge on the east side of the pond. Their work was evident in dozens of trees chewed down and numerous paths from the water up to the trees and through a marsh to a larger pond farther east. Last summer, they built a second lodge fifty yards from the first. They chewed down more trees, and then suddenly last spring, they disappeared. No more trees cut down. Their well-worn paths grew over and filled with leaves in the fall. Then, three days ago, they returned. I've seen three of them swimming in the pond each day since. Their rounded heads move just above the surface, cutting a gentle wake in the still water. They have a large collection of branches in front of the newer lodge, food for the winter that is soon coming.
Nice to celebrate Veteran's Day with a showing of the Northern Lights above our home.  It's been ten years since Dan Brown last published a book, but Secret of Secrets was worth the wait. In recent years, I've become hesitant to launch into reading a 700-page book, but I wanted to see what Brown had to say after such a long absence from publishing. Wow. The intrigue and suspense I remember from The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons is back in full force. It features Robert Langdon, the professor of symbology from earlier books, and is set in Prague, an interesting location for the adventures to take place. Brown, while solving a brutal murder and dealing with international organizations, takes an interesting look at human consciousness.
Tonight we drove into downtown St. Paul and the Fitzgerald Theater to listen to John Grisham speak. Over the years, we have read and enjoyed many of his books. He has now published fifty best-selling novels, most of them legal thrillers, the style he is most known for writing. I wondered if he would be as interesting in person as he is on the page. He kept the attention of at least 800 people for a full two hours. Yes, the guy can tell a story. Yes, he can entertain a live audience.
We rode several miles on the Dakota Trail which winds through several western suburbs of the Twin Cities. It is a beautiful trail with views of lakes, marshes, woods, and farm fields. We have really enjoyed exploring all the bike paths, many converted from abandoned railroad tracks, throughout the region. The Rails-to-Trails movement has made good use of the old trackbeds and the paths give residents endless hours of entertainment and enjoyment.  More than 30 years ago, I decided I wanted an oak rolltop desk. I found one I liked and bought it. It has moved with us to two places in Wyoming, two places in Montana, and now two places in Minnesota. It is like an anchor point, a place where I store my tax papers, our bills and receipts, my writing supplies and files. Today I removed the lamp and memorabilia from the top, emptied the cubbyholes, and stacks of working papers from the desktop. I used a coloring pen to touchup the scratches and a bottle of furniture wax to add a shine. The desk looks brand new. I'll enjoy having it around for many more years.
Just returned from Mankato and the 2025 Minnesota Senior Games. What a fun event! I was never a swimmer in high school or college, but my first college roommate was a swimmer and I went to watch him compete. Then, years later, our youngest daughter Denby swam competitively for a dozen years. We watched so many meets and I finally decided to give it a try. She helped me learn the strokes and encouraged me to keep swimming. Now, at these senior events, I enjoy the fun of being in a race and meeting new people.
One of my favorite literary magazines published a short essay of mine recently. Deep Wild, from Colorado, features writings about places where there are no roads. I sent them an essay called "On Knowing the Wild" about a solo hike I took in the Beartooth Mountains of Montana several years ago. I went because I wanted to see a large glacially-cut cirque on a mountain and seeing it reminded of why I so much enjoy walking in the mountains and seeing wild places. I am very honored to have that essay in their excellent review.
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Photo by John Jancik
AuthorDr. Steve Gardiner is the author of nine books and over 1,000 articles. |