I met the cutest goat this week – Wrigley.

Wrigley is no ordinary goat.  He is a goat who travels in good company – with 5 guys who have been walking from Arizona to Wrigley Field in Chicago to Crack the Curse against the Chicago Cubs (they have not been in a World Series since 1945 – see last post) and to help find a cure for cancer by collecting donations for the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Fund.

And further Wrigley has his own TWITTER account.  He daily tweets his thoughts about the day’s journey.  On Tuesday evening at 6:55PM he tweeted, “I can see Illinois.  These guys can’t push my cart fast enough.”  (Due to all the St. Louis traffic and the act of going over the bridge Wrigley was confined to his cart for the day’s travels.

I had written last week about the arrival of the Crack the Curse crew + Wrigley in St. Louis.  Arrive they did.  On Monday they visited the Cardinals Kids Cancer Center.  The children enjoyed petting Wrigley and giving him treats.  Cheez-its seemed to be a hit with the goat.

Locker Dome, a sports social media website,  (http://lockerdome.com) had offered the group including Wrigley a place to stay for the night.  Accompanied by my grandchildren, I stopped by the Locker Dome office, and we met Wrigley.

Here my grandson, granddaughter, two of the Crack the Curse crew and I are attempting to pose with Wrigley.  I think he was ready for another handful of Cheez-its and not for standing still and being petted.

The fellows + goat headed for the river front to visit the Arch and to visit with others at the Arch.  They all stopped by Busch Stadium and talked with a few Cub players and many Cub fans who had make the trip to St. Louis for the game.  The fellows had tickets for the evening game between the Cubs and the Cardinals.  Wrigley did not have a ticket.

Wrigley went back to Locker  Dome, where an intern was waiting to goat-sit for the evening.

Tuesday meant back on the road and over the border into Illinois.  They are on their final leg of the 1900 mile trip.  On Tuesday, May 15 they camped out in Alton, IL.  Now the trek northward to the Friendly Confines with its ivy covered wall (and Wrigley the goat has been quoted as saying he would like to get a taste of that ivy) begins – 25 miles (or so) a day.

If you want to see the Crack the Curse entourage, they will be reaching the Springfield, IL area on Saturday, May 19; Bloomington, IL about Monday, May 21.  These are estimates based on a 25 mile a day.  They plan to continue sticking close to the old Route 66 (I-55) on roads that allow walkers.  If they will be near you, why not drive out to visit them.  They love snacks and Wrigley also does.  You can give them contributions to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Fund.  Donations can also be made at their website: http://www.crackthecurse.com/

You can follow their progress by checking the blog:  http://blog.crackthecurse.com/ Their daily post typically goes up about 10:00PM.  They are also on Face Book at Crack the Curse.

I have so enjoyed following the daily updates from Matt and the fellows and now the tweets from Wrigley.

Thank you for stopping by Grandma in the Mailbox.  Next week I’ll publish a recipe from the past.  Hope you visit again.

I am a baseball fan; I am a Cub fan – the diehard kind of Cub fan.  The Cubs are always waiting for next year – maybe that will be a good year.  Is there a curse against the Cubs?

Back in 1945 the Cubs were playing the Detroit Tigers in the World Series in Wrigley Field.  William Sianis, a tavern owner, decided to go to the game – WITH his goat.  He even bought a ticket for the goat.  They got to their seats and were watching the game or at least Sianis was when it started to rain.  After the rain, came the sun.  After the sun’s warmth started shining on the goat, nearby fans complained of the odor of wet goat.  Sianis and the goat were asked to leave the ball park.  The Cubs lost the game, and they lost a fan.

Sianis stood outside Wrigley Field and invoked a curse, promising that the Cubs would not play in another World Series in Wrigley Field because his goat had been insulted.

The Cubs lost that World Series and as predicted the Cubs have not played another World Series in Wrigley Field.  In April 1969 just before his death, Sianis is said to have lifted the curse.  However, still no World Series.

From time to time fans come up with ideas for breaking the “curse.”  Last winter some fellows who had worked together at Denali National Park in Alaska came up with an idea.  They were baseball fans, and all but one was a Cub fan.  They would walk from Mesa, Arizona, the site of Cub spring training to Wrigley Field to break the “curse.”

Since all the men had been touched by cancer – a friend or a family member having suffered from cancer, they decided that as they walked,  they would try to raise money for cancer research. Money that is donated is given to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.  Hutchinson is a former baseball player who died from cancer.

They decided to take a friend with them – Wrigley, a goat that they purchased on Craigslist.

The fellows departed from Mesa, Arizona, on February 25, the birthday of the late Ron Santo, a Cub star who lost his life to cancer.  The fellows walk about 25 miles a day.  Wrigley walks about 4 or 5 miles a day.  Then he rides in a utility cart that the guys adapted for Wrigley.

They camp out at night and fix their own meals.  As they have journeyed closer and closer to Chicago, word has spread about their journey.  Well wishers bring them food and water and money for the cancer fund.  Some have provided lodging for them overnight.

They have walked through a dust storm in New Mexico and were near the outbreak of tornadoes that occurred in Oklahoma a few weeks ago.  They along with Wrigley huddled in a truck stop with other travelers until the storms passed by.

As I write, the guys and Wrigley have completed Day 74 of walking and spent last night in Cuba, Missouri.  They will arrive in St. Louis this weekend when the Cubs are there to play the Cardinals.  They hope to see the Monday night game.  Who will goat-sit, I wonder.  Then it will be up Route 66 (I-55) to Chicago.

Next Tuesday they will start the final leg of  their trip.  I’ll figure out when they will be nearby using the 25 miles a day formula and then journey over to see them.  I’ll take some treats for men and goat and a donation to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.  I hope to get my photo taken with Wrigley.

If you want to follow the Crack the Curse crew, you can “like” them on Face Book at Crack the Curse.  They also have a website:  http://crackthecurse.com/ At the website is a link to donate to the Hutchinson fund or to buy a tee shirt or sun glasses.  Each night as they settle in, they post an account of their day on Face Book and on their blog:  http://blog.crackthecurse.com/

Thank you for visiting Grandma in the Mailbox.  I hope you stop by to visit again sometime.

My granddaughter who lives 20 minutes away just celebrated her 8th birthday.  I have been the official cake baker for this princess all the way back to birthday #1.

She and her brother and I had a conference about the theme for her cake.  We have had a running joke for several years.  Her brother once wanted a car wash cake so she and I planned how to make it.  Then shortly before his birthday he changed the theme to his currently favorite Pixar movie.  Since that time I have been trying to sell the car wash theme each year.  My granddaughter looked at me and shook her head.  Maybe next year?

Eager for summer to come and eager to put on a swimming suit and head to a beach or pool, she selected a beach theme for her cake.

That sounded easy.  She and her brother went through the Play Mobile people that I have in the playroom.  They found a mother in a beach chair reading a book, a beach umbrella, two little ones to whom they gave ice cream cones and various beach toys.

My grandson requested the Play Mobile catalog and checked out other options, but I decided we had enough for a great cake.

The cake would have water (lake or ocean), and it would have a sandy area for the “people.”  I thought that raw sugar might work really well for sand.  The children weren’t sure so I poured some into a small bowl.  They looked at it; they tasted it, and it won their approval.

I baked the traditional (for this family) white cake using a box and a half of white Duncan Hines cake mix.  The cake was baked in a 2 inch deep 9 X 13 inch pan.   I stirred up my favorite butter cream frosting (recipe in the recipe archives).  Deep blue was added to half the frosting for the water; the white provided a base for our sandy beach.  I had found some beach creatures (octopus, dolphin, sea horse, whale, and fish) in the cake decorations at Hobby Lobby. These marine animals were placed into the blue water.

The raw sugar sand was sprinkled liberally on the white frosting.  Finally the sunbathing Play Mobile family was stuck into the sand.

One cake ready to party.  Mom put 8 candles into the water and we all sang Happy Birthday as the birthday lass huffed and puffed and blew the candles out – with a little help from her younger brother.

It is so much fun to make birthday cakes for my grandchildren.  They always greet the cake with smiles and “come look at what Grandma made” when I walk into the house with the cake.

Thank you for visiting Grandma in the Mailbox.  I have been following the walk from Arizona to  Chicago by 5 guys and a goat named Wrigley.  They are raising money for cancer research and trying to break the “curse” against the Chicago Cubs. My grandchildren enjoy hearing of  their adventures on the road.  They have reached Springfield, Missouri, as they tred northward. Check in next week to read all about it.

Appropriately it is early morning – time for breakfast.  I am sitting at my computer with a cat snuggling on my lap and a breakfast cookie and coffee at my side.  I’ll watch out for crumbs.  Back in the day when I worked, the IT fellow often reminded me that crumbs and keyboards were not a good combination.

I ate my first breakfast cookie about 11 years ago.  It was one purchased from the neighborhood grocery and dropped into my purse before I headed out on a trip to Italy.  A solo traveler, I changed planes in Germany, found the shuttle bus at the airport in Florence, with fractured Italian purchased a train ticket, and settled back for the final leg of my journey.  Having slept little and worried a lot, as I settled back into the seat on the train, I remembered the breakfast cookie in the bottom on my purse.

You know what happens to things in the bottom of your purse, right?  Well, conveniently I didn’t need to break the cookie into pieces.  Pieces awaited me.  I munched the cookie and gazed out the window at the beautiful Tuscan scenes that kept unfolding.  That cookie was not especially tasty, but it was food and I was hungry.

Since that first breakfast cookie, I have eaten many others; all were home baked.  Breakfast cookies are so handy to keep in the freezer.  You can take one out and by the time the coffee is ready, the cookie has thawed and there you have a quick breakfast.

I have tried various recipes – some better than others.  The recipe that I am now using and whose product I am now eating produces a cookie that is friendly to those with special dietary requirements.  No eggs; no milk.  It can also easily be changed into a gluten-free cookie.

This recipe came from http://nomnomnomblog.com/2012/02/17/cookies-for-breakfast/

Breakfast Cookies

1 cup old fashioned oatmeal

1/2 cup white whole wheat flour

1/2 unbleached all purpose flour

2 tbsp. sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 very ripe bananas, mashed

1/2 cup peanut butter or almond butter

1/4 cup canola oil

2 tbsp. real maple syrup

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1/3 cup chocolate chips or raisins

Preheat oven to 350.  In a large bowl whisk together all the dry ingredients.  In a small bowl stir together the banana, oil, maple syrup, and vanilla.  In batches add and combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients.  Fold in the chocolate chips.

Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.  Drop the batter in scoops (2 tablespoons) onto the cookie sheet.  Flatten with your fingers.  Bake until the edges of the cookies are brown.   This takes about 16 – 18 minutes.  Yield 12 large cookies.

Oh, so good – and good for you.

Thank you for stopping by Grandma in the Mailbox.  My granddaughter who lives 20 minutes away will be celebrating a birthday soon and I’ll be baking her cake.  If you stop back next week, you can see what she has requested.

When I was a small girl, I spent the week before the first of May busily making May baskets to leave on the front steps of my friends’ houses early on the morning of May 1.  These were creations that I made from construction paper.

My mother let pick flowers from the garden to put in the May baskets.  Since it was early spring, I was usually limited to bluebells, lily of the valley, violets or the last of the tulips and daffodils.  My mother would also buy me a bag of candy so that I could put a few pieces of candy in each basket.

I had no trouble waking up early on May Day since I had everything ready and was eagerly anticipating my trip up and down the block.  It was exciting to creep or sneak up to the door and leave my May basket and run off to get another basket to deliver.

May baskets over the years became a distant, but sweet memory.  Back in 1970, we had a 3 year old little guy and a two week old baby who found that sleeping at night was not his preference.  On May Day morning I  opened the front door to get the milk (yes, there was home delivery of milk back then) and there by the door was a May basket.  I was so surprised and with those  postpartum emotions pulsing through my body, I was just overcome.  I sat down and sobbed.  That gesture of thoughtfulness was wonderful.  It made my day and got me going.  I never did learn who gave me the May Basket.  It was a random act of kindness back before we even recognized random acts of kindness.

As my boys were growing up, I helped them make May baskets for the neighbors who all happened to be girls.  We used those plastic wicker baskets that strawberries and cherry tomatoes came in at that time.  The boys wove strips of construction paper through wicker.  I bought bedding plants that they put into small drinking cups.  Into each basket they put a potted flower and some small cookies that I had baked.

I coached them on how to be very quiet and not to talk or giggle when they went up to Irene or Jennifer or Stephanie’s houses to leave the baskets.  While they were delivering the baskets, I slipped May baskets on to the front porch for them to find when they returned.

This year I decided that I would make May baskets for the grandchildren.  Since two of them live 3 hours away, I had to enlist parental help with their baskets.  They have been delivered and secreted away.  I shall remind the tall people that the baskets need to be put out when they retire for the night on April 30.  I can drive to the home of  the grandchildren who live 20 minutes away to deliver the secret parcels.

I decided to make cone shaped baskets out of scrapbooking paper.

Using a pattern from the internet, I cut quarter circles and rolled them into cones.  It does take a little practice to get them rolled just right.  Since this was heavy paper, I decided I needed a hefty glue.  I had some glue for attaching pompoms and felt that I had used a few years ago.  I squeezed the bottle and nothing came out.  Squeezed again and nothing came out so I took the cap off and thoughtlessly turned the bottle upside down.  Oh, sure, then something came out all over me and the floor.

Time out for cleaning.  After I formed the cones, I let them dry over night and then assembled all the parts.

I crumpled colored tissue to put into the cones.  Since the long distance baskets would not have real flowers, I made one flower using some of the card stock and put a  pompom center on it.  I had long craft pipe cleaners to use for hangers and I had bought some butterfly lollipops to put into the baskets.

With a few pieces of candy dropped into the basket, my granddaughter’s May basket was done.

And so was my grandson’s basket.

I’ll make the same baskets for the grandchildren who live 20 minutes away substituting real flowers and their favorite candy.  I hope all the parents take photos for Grandma of the surprised faces on May Day morning.

There is plenty of time for you to put together a May basket surprise for someone special – a child, an elderly neighbor, or a special friend.  It will add a sparkle to their day.

Thank you for stopping by Grandma in the Mailbox.  Next week I’ll give you a recipe for breakfast cookies.  They are tasty treats for children and for Grandmas and everyone else.  I always have some in the freezer for a quick breakfast.  I hope you visit again.

While my grandson and granddaughter who live 3 hours away were visiting at my home during Spring Break, my grandson wanted to know if we could have Grandma Camp.  I suggested a science experiment, and he thought that was a great idea.

We would make volcanoes and have them erupt.  I told the children could choose the color of lava they wanted – any color.  My granddaughter thought teal and sunset orange would be great colors for lava.

We started by molding volcanoes out of white sand around plastic cups.  We let them rest overnight so that the volcanoes could harden.  Then the children landscaped their volcanoes.  

When the volcanoes were ready, we put the recipe for lava into them.  First, 1/2 cup of warm water was poured into the plastic cup.  To this was added about 6 drops of dish washing detergent and several drops of food coloring – any color or any combination of colors.  Two tablespoons of baking soda were dropped in the the liquid and this was all stirred together well.  Almost time for the action.  The final ingredient, 1/3 cup of vinegar, was poured into the mix and voila.  We had eruptions. We had lava.  Wow, what colors.

After the eruptions had settled down, my granddaughter reminded me that we were going to make flower coronets for her to take home.  This was truly going to be an experiment because I had never done this before.

We cut hyacinths from my garden.  While the children broke the individual flowerlets from the stem, I cut lengths of floral wire.  Then the children began stringing the bits of hyacinth on to the wire.

Oh, the coronets smelled so sweet as they grew.  When they were finished, I put ribbon streamers at the back so they would stream down from the coronet.

My granddaughter modeled one of the coronets.

And my grandson was eager to show his completed work.

We tucked these fragrant headdresses into a cooler and set out to go over the river to their home.  The  flower head-wear lived for a week by spending each evening in the refrigerator.  I’m sure this is a Grandma Camp experience that they will remember for a long time and next spring will request a repeat.

Thank you for stopping by to visit Grandma in the Mailbox.  Do you remember May Baskets?  Oh, back when I was a small one, I spent the week before May 1 busily preparing baskets for all my friends.  I’ll talk about these next week.  I hope that you stop back again.

The grandchildren recently had their Spring Breaks.  The ones near and the ones far away had the same week of vacation so we were able to have lots of fun.

Another grandma and I picked up the grandchildren who live 3 hours away to bring them back to our houses for a visit.

When I was young, I really enjoyed the stories about Paul Bunyan and his big blue ox, Babe.  I asked my grandchildren if they knew about Paul Bunyan.  My 9 year old granddaughter said that she had “heard” of him.  Her 6 year old brother just shook his head no.  I tried to sketch out the story for them because we were going to visit Paul on our way to my house.

For a couple of years I have wanted to drive to Atlanta, IL, to see the BIG Paul Bunyan eating a hot dog.  I know, I know, Paul usually eats stacks and stacks of pancakes, but it appears that he liked the occasional hot dog.  Atlanta, IL is located on old Rt. 66.  Like other cities and villages along Rt. 66 Atlanta wanted a “carrot” to attract visitors to the village.  As I read about Atlanta, IL, on the internet, I saw that they had the big Paul who stands 19 feet tall and also an old-timey restaurant serving among other things luscious pies and a transportation museum.

It was just a little jog on the map to stop in Atlanta so we did that on a Saturday afternoon at 4:00PM.  Unfortunately the Palms Grill Cafe,  the restaurant with the slices of pie that had us salivating, was closed. Alas, no cherry or pecan or peach pie that I had read about.  Add to that another unfortunately because the transportation museum was also closed.  We were able to look in the window at the motorized bicycle and the old, old tricycle.

Paul – Paul was still there.  His head was not through the clouds, but he was really tall.

We stood on his feet to have our photo taken.  No complaints from Paul about standing on his toes.

Cousin play dates always mean two things – craft time and dress up time.  I still had the tree that had been a Valentine tree.  Its branches were bare so the children gathered at the craft table and colored rabbits and chicks and eggs to turn the tree into an Easter tree.

“May we get out the dress up clothes now?”  Of course, so the big tub of clothes came up from the basement.  The girls went into my bedroom and shut the door telling their brothers not to disturb them because they not only had to find their outfits, but they also had to “do their makeup.”

The boys always dress quickly.  There is a stash of baseball shirts and Illini- wear from when the daddies were young.

Here we are breaking all the rules about playing wiffle ball in the house.  But you have to find some way to pass the time waiting for your sister.

The girls appeared wearing the first of several outfits that they modeled for us.  They enjoyed posing and then ran giggling back to the bedroom to change and to touch up their make up.

Then it was time for hide and go seek outside with Grandma being “it.”  There were a couple of super hiding places that caused me to wander around the yard looking and looking.

We ended the cousin play date our favorite way – making ice cream sundaes.  Ice cream and toppings, but oh, oh, Grandma forgot to buy whipped cream.

Thank you for stopping by Grandma in the Mailbox.  Next week I’ll finish the Spring Break visit talking about the eruptions of Mt. Vesuvius and Mt. Etna and  about some beautiful hyacinth creations the children made.

I hope you stop by again for another visit.

Nothing can top the aroma of snickerdoodles fresh out of the oven.  That cinnamony sugary smell makes your mouth water and summons small ones into the kitchen for a taste.

These snickerdoodles recently went over the river with me on a visit to my grandchildren who live 3 hours away.  I returned.  Needless to say, the cookies were  just a memory when I left.  As I have said several times, this family follows a vegan diet so these are vegan snickerdoodles.  Everyone loved them especially Daddy, my son.

And here is the recipe.

3/4 cup vegan margarine such as Earth Balance

1 1/3 cups sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup soy or almond milk

2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

3 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons sugar

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Cream together the margarine and sugar until fluffy.  Add the vanilla, soy milk, and 2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch and mix until incorporated.

Sift in the flour, baking powder, salt, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, and cinnamon.  Stir.  If the dough is too dry and crumbly, add a splash of soy milk.  It shouldn’t be sticky though.

Mix the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.  Form the dough into 1 1/2 inch balls and roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture.

Place on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper and flatten slightly.

Bake for 12-14 minutes until golden around the edges, but still soft on top.  Transfer to a rack to cook.

When the cookies are cool, if desired, melt chocolate chips along with a little shortening.  Dip half of the cookie into the chocolate mixture and place on rack to harden.

Yield 3-4 dozen.

I always try to acknowledge the source of my ideas and recipes.  I have had this recipe for a couple of years.  Unfortunately I have no idea where I found the recipe.  I even did a search on the internet to see if I could find this one, but no luck.

Thank you for stopping by Grandma in the Mailbox.  Spring Break is over for my grandchildren.  They all stopped by for some play and fun.  I’ll talk about that next week.

Hope that you visit Grandma in the Mailbox again.

I think of my refrigerator as a giant bulletin board.  I have a calendar affixed with magnets.  Usually there is the beginning of a grocery list or the reminder – DENTIST 7:50AM Tuesday.  Eeks.

That formerly was the “decor” of the frig.  Then the craze for magnetic refrigerator poetry came upon us.  Since I am a gardener, someone gave me flower poetry.

I found this rather difficult to use – shuffling through the box trying to locate an ‘s’ for a plural or an ‘ed’ to make a verb past tense.  I never succeeded in writing a poem.  I felt fulfilled if I could paste a sentence on the frig.

Later someone gave me a set of Italian refrigerator poetry.  I was preparing for a trip to Italy.  I found that helpful to put some words on the frig and then review them as I did the daily openings and closings.  Alas, that set is buried somewhere in the basement.  And that is unfortunate since my granddaughter is learning some Italian and would have use for it.  HOWEVER, we learned upon my last visit to her house that her refrigerator door in NOT magnetic.  Perhaps that is the trend with new appliances.  My appliances are past their prime.

As grandchildren came along, I started putting the latest pic of each on the frig to give me a morning smile or warm feeling.  Then followed the works of art.

I enjoy seeing the pictures and the momentos and the letters from my grandchildren.  One does wonder how long to keep these items up.  That train that I love has been on my frig for years.  It is a real keeper.

When my older granddaughter was about 3, I came upon a magnetic ‘paper’  doll that she could dress when she sat on the floor as I did the dishes.  This set has gone through two granddaughters and is in good shape for future users.

The girls have enjoyed dressing the girl for the beach and dance class and bed.  This is called Dowling Magnets Wonder Board Dress a Doll and is available at amazon.com.

If you have read many of my blogs, you will recall that I have a squirrel named Andrew Henry that I dutifully feed each day. I introduced Andrew Henry in a blog post on 2/16/2011.  When the grandchildren visit, he gets more peanuts and more corn that any squirrel needs, but Andrew Henry happily eats it all.

A few months ago I saw something that I decided just ‘had’ to grace the front of my refrigerator so I bought it.

It is a squirrel that comes with changeable outfits – all magnetic.  The squirrel can be a hippie, a Zorro look-alike, a cowboy, a pilot, Santa, or St. Patrick.  I confess I have so much fun changing his outfits.  My grandchildren like him too.  Today my grandson decided to make him half cowboy, half pilot.

My sons haven’t rolled their eyes – yet anyway – about Mom and her new squirrel.

Thank you for visiting Grandma in the Mailbox.  Next week I will give you a yummy recipe for vegan snickerdoodles.  My taste testers who live 3 hours away have given the recipe 4 thumbs up.

Hope you stop by again to visit.

I had never been a member of a bookclub – ever.  Now I am a member of TWO bookclubs.  Each of my granddaughters and I have started granddaugher/grandma bookclubs.

The book club with my 9 year old granddaughter is named the Missouri/Illinois Stars.  We have meetings during grandma visits and via telephone calls.  (My 7 year old granddaughter and I only started our club a few weeks ago so you will hear more about it at a later date.)

The first book I read in the Stars book club was one I came upon when visiting. I found myself awake while the household slept.  I spied a book that my granddaughter had been reading.  The Shadow Thieves by Anne Ursu so I picked it up and read a few chapters.  Boy, it was good.

My granddaughter loves Greek mythology; as a former Latin teacher, I favor Roman mythology.  She and I like to compare our gods and goddesses.  This book is a tale filled with Greek gods, sick and shadowless children and a plot to overthrow the Lord of the Dead.  Charlotte Mielswetzski (pronounced Meals. Wet. Ski.) and her cousin Zachary (nicknamed Zee) are trying to save the children.  Charlotte and Zee had to go to Hades to save the children.  How does one find the entrance to Hades – down a nondescript corridor in the Mall of America and through a nondescript door with a nondescript sign NO ADMITTANCE.

My granddaughter and I talked about what each of us liked in the book.  Then she said, “Grandma, you need to read the next books.  This is a series.”  That’s right it is – The Cronus Chronicles, three books about the adventures of Charlotte and  Zee.

The second book was The Siren’s Song. Charlotte was ultramegagrounded by her parents when she returned from the Underworld.  An educational cruise along the eastern coast of the United States turned into an adventure in the Mediterranean Sea.  Charlotte took Poseidon’s trident and was saved by a giant squid while her parents were sleeping in a trance brought on by a siren’s song.

The 3rd book, The Immortal Fire, sends Charlotte and Zee to Mt. Olympus to save the world.  Charlotte has a chance to eavesdrop on a gathering of Olympian gods that included Apollo in gold lame shorts and tee shirt roller skating around Zeus’ palace and Athena engrossed in doing Sudokus.

These books were so good.  As an adult, I enjoyed the subtle humor that the author sprinkled throughout.  The books are long.  The final one was 500+ pages, but they go very fast and held the attention of this grandma as well as her granddaughter.

My granddaughter said that I really needed to read a Percy Jackson novel.  Since I like the Roman gods, I wanted to skip to that series by Rick Riordan; however, I was told that I really need to read the first one first.  Boy, such an orderly plan.  The Lightning Thief was really good.  I liked the part when oops, during a scuffle a hole gets ripped in the very top of the St. Louis Arch.  Percy had to jump into the river, but since he is the son of Poseidon (sorry to let you in on the secret), he was not harmed and didn’t even get wet in the water.

By the way I also watched the movie.  I liked the book better.

In our bookclub we do read a variety of books.  My granddaughter suggested Bloomability by Sharon Creech.  This is the story of Dinnie, a girl who goes to Switzerland with her aunt and uncle who run an international school.  She met many kids – different cultures, backgrounds, and beliefs.  But deep down they were all the same.  Dinnie learned that life is full of bloomabilities – possibilities.  Everyone – granddaughters and grandmothers and everyone else has bloomabilities that can enhance and enrich their lives.   Since the setting was on the border of Switzerland and Italy, many people spoke Italian.  My granddaughter thought it was fun to learn the Italian phrases as Dinnie learned them also.

The next book my granddaughter recommended was 11 Birthdays by Wendy Moss.  Remember the movie Groundhog Day?  Well, the same concept is here.  Amanda and her friend Leo share the same birthday which they lived over and over until they learned how to break a spell they were under.

I found a terrific book that I have recommended for us to read.  It is The Sixty-Eight Rooms by Marianne Malone.

Much of the activity in this story takes place in the Art Institute in Chicago – in the Thorne Rooms which are in the children’s area.  In the book Ruthie and Jack find a small key.  When Ruthie holds it, she becomes 5 inches tall.  When she drops it, she returns to her original size.  Jack can only be made small if he holds on to Ruthie when she picks up the key.  They find ways to get into the miniature rooms to explore.  They even meet people from the pre-French Revolution days and from the Salem witch trials.

I took this book and a book about the Thorne Rooms with me when I last visited my granddaughter.  I was so excited about this book.  It was so much fun to read. I told my granddaughter about it.  She walked over to the book shelf in her bedroom and pulled a book from the shelf – The Sixty-Eight Rooms. She has the book.  Neat.  She said that a lady at the bookstore recommended it to her.  I am eager for her to read it so we can talk about it.

Her daddy told me that he thought she was planning to read A Tale of Two Cities next.  He was kidding, right?  Don’t you think he was?

Thank you for stopping by Grandma in the Mailbox.

What is ON your refrigerator?  Over the years many different items have graced the front of my frig.  Now something so cute lives there.  I hope you stop by to check it out.