So much affection from last week’s anniversary post, I’m at a loss for words at the response. Thank you. Visiting through my window each week really is fun, and I’ll continue to open it as long as I have something to share.

Of course this week I’m at a loss for words also in that I don’t have a post ready. It’s Monday morning and I’m writing this on the fly – much like in 5^th grade when Mr. Kirsh would give us an art card and 30 minutes and say ‘write!’ So as I sit at my computer, I’ll simply write.

Typically Fridays are my days to hammer out the post, then tweak over the weekend. This past Friday I was ‘helping’ my son and hubby install new flooring in my closet library – read go-fer and consultant, “Yes, that looks good.” I’ve mentioned in a previous post I was converting the walk-in closet in my office into a mini library, and Friday was floor day. Yesterday was put in bookcases and start shelving books day. This little library won’t hold all my books, but it will be a good start and I’m loving putting it together.

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I went with bookcases instead of build-ins because I know I won’t be in this house forever, and since my office is a bedroom, the next owners may want to use the closet as an actual closet – imagine! I know what it’s like to tear out book shelves. The previous owners of a house I once lived in converted a doorway into a mini library. The width of the door jamb was just the right size for their collection of paperbacks, so there were several shelves. Unfortunately for us, the door was one to the front porch (there was another door so we still had access to the porch), and by boarding it up, it cut off natural light into the room. Dismantling it was not easy – fun seeing it all go – but not fun doing it. So for my mini library, it was bookcases.

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I’m also at a loss for words in that today is my mom’s 25^th heavenly birthday. It’s still hard to believe she’s gone, harder still to believe it’s been 25 years. I’ve written about Mom before in several posts, and how on this day I head to McDonald’s for coffee in her honor. I’ll go in a bit, and like on her 85^th birthday in November, I’ll have something extra today for this significant birthday.

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Two weeks ago our part of the Carolinas had snow – trust me, I know it was absolutely nothing compared to what so many others had, so it’s hardly worth calling it snow. But it was enough to go out and make some shadowy snow angels. It too was in honor of Mom. One of my sisters’ and my favorite memories is watching her flop onto the snow late at night as we left our neighbor’s house. Maybe it was New Year’s Eve and we’d been visiting with Max and Ethel that night. I don’t remember, but it was late and Ethel had never seen a snow angel. So by the light of the moon and stars Mom formed her wings, and the laughter from all of us sounded like angels singing. My sister Trudy usually does this, one for Mom and one for Dad, but I’m glad I had the chance to do it this year.

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I’m at a loss for words, but know Mom and I would have plenty in conversation, over a book I just started, The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan. The book was written by the granddaughter-in-law of one of my fellow Rowdy Readers, so we’ve known for a while this was coming. We were excited when Betty reported the manuscript was picked up by an agent and going to be published, but we never suspected it would be a Jenna Bush pick on the Today Show, and create the buzz it has.

The story is about Frida, the mother of a toddler, who has a bad day and a momentary lapse of judgment, and things get worse. As it says on the book flap, The state has its eyes on mothers like Frida. The ones who check their phones, letting their children get injured on the playground; who let their children walk home alone. Because of one moment of poor judgment, a host of government officials will now determine if Frida is a good candidate for a Big Brother-like institution that measures the success or failure of a parent’s devotion.

The story takes place in the not-so-distant future, 2045. It’s fast-paced and grips the reader from the very first sentence. But to call the book unsettling would be an understatement. And that’s where I’d love to talk with Mom about it. She would have so much empathy and sympathy for this mom, even while absolutely not condoning what she did. She knew none of us are perfect and have momentary lapses of judgment. Mom was always one to give the benefit of the doubt, always ready to give a second chance. And she would not be in favor of an institution that claimed to know how to measure a parent’s devotion.

I’ve not finished the book yet but when I do I’ll post an official review of it. There are so many points to consider . . .

And speaking of books, I have more to unpack . . . after my trip to McD’s. I hope all of you have a good week, and if possible, hug your mom, your kids, and your grands.