Tag Archives: Family

Life

Clouds and Rays

While visiting my in-laws over spring break, we ended up losing my father-in-law. A lot of you saw my posts on Facebook so you guys are in the know, but I thought I’d mention it here because I will be away from the blog for a few more days as we attend the funeral and visit with the rest of the family.

What I can tell you is that this was sudden and unexpected and at the same time just horrible to witness. The plus side is that we had one good night with him when we went over there for dinner. He wasn’t feeling well but we got to spend time with him. The next morning was spent in the ER and eventually the ICU. I like to think that he knew we were there but I can’t be certain.

Life. Everyone always says to not take it for granted but of course we do. We get comfortable and don’t pay attention to the important things.

Anyway, The Hub is just trying to process it all. It’s weird how when you lose someone, it doesn’t immediately hit you that they are gone. You catch yourself wanting to pick up the phone or addressing a letter to them, etc. When I lost my father it was that way, and I expect it will be that way for The Hub and his brothers too.

The photo above was taken yesterday. I was trying to explain to The Girl that grandpa is in heaven with Momo and Papa and we both looked up and at that very moment, the sun peeked out of that dark cloud. I don’t know if you can see it but when The Girl blew this photo up, she found three distinct areas of emphasis. Of course, we take this as a sign. A good sign. A comforting sign. Whatever it is, we’ll take it.

Review: Hour of the Bees

Hour of the Bees

Hour of the Bees
By Lindsay Eagar
Candlewick Press (MA), Hardcover, 9780763679224, March 2016, 368pp.

The Short of It:

A debut novel with a sweet story to tell.

The Rest of It:

I suppose this novel is considered Young Adult but the story really speaks to any age, young, old and anywhere in-between.

Carolina is like most teen girls, once summer hits, all she can think about is spending time with friends. This summer is a little bit different. She heads to New Mexico with her family to help her ailing grandfather transition into an assisted living facility.

The ranch has always been a part of the family, but the drought has caused the land to go to ruin, the animals to waste away and what was once a vibrant landscape, is now just a shriveled-up dust bowl. Grandpa Serge does not agree. Although battling dementia, he’s hanging onto the stories of his past, which include his deceased wife Rosa and the bees that literally took the rain away with them.

Carolina’s time at the ranch is short but from the stories Grandpa Serge tells and the curious bees that continue to circle her head, Carolina realizes the importance of family.

What a sweet story. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. There is a little magical realism going on, which I tend to have a very low tolerance for, but here, it’s done well and with a very light hand. The author’s description of a land ravaged by drought is spot-on. This is the second book I’ve read dealing with drought and my poor Southern California self is really hoping this is not a trend but honestly, I didn’t mind too much.

If you like stories about family or ones where kids respect and even admire their elders, check this one out. Carolina is a sweet kid and her grandpa is quite the story teller. You’ll breeze through this one in a heartbeat.

Source: Review copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley.
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.