My Town Monday: Kicking It In San Diego, CA

Happy Monday!

We're living very laid-back and lazy days at chez Summy. All the students are now on spring break. Some of the family have left for Oklahoma to visit relatives. College decisions have been pushed to the back burner. Child #4 is on her second week of vacation. I read an entire book in two days: Elizabeth and After by Matt Cohen. Great book! Cohen won the Governor General's Award for this novel in 1999, only sixteen days before dying of lung cancer. If you've got a few minutes and want to learn a little more about Matt Cohen, here's a link.

And because we're all relaxed and de-stressed, today's My Town Monday post will follow suit.

Yesterday was pretty much an all-female day here. Child #4 invited a friend over. Here they are chatting in a chilly pool (72 degrees!) I do love fifth graders and eavesdrop every chance I get!

Child #4 and her friend spent HOURS going back and forth between the cold pool and a warm bath. Finally, they got dressed, then spent HOURS scrapbooking.

It was one of those days when all disputes can be solved with a game of "rock, paper, scissors."

I'm hoping for more mellow today. Although we may have to take Mr. Conehead (our male veiled chameleon) into the vet. The pointy casque on the top of his head is swollen. I'm wondering if he has an infection of some sort. Maybe from a cricket bite?

Wishing you all a slowed-down Monday, where you get a chance to stop and smell the roses.

I'm this week's hostess. If you throw up a My Town Monday post, let me know here or on the official My Town Monday blog, and I'l link to you on both.

Please check out these delightful My Town Monday posts:

Debra of From Skilled Hands' gallery gets a new look in the Village of Peninsula, OH.

Jim Winters posts about the death of a streetcar in Cincinnati, OH.

Clare2E of Women of Mystery brings us a strong and indepdent daffodil from New York.

p.s. Random House sent me several paperback copies of I SO DON'T DO MAKEUP. If you're interested in a free copy, leave your name and email in the comment section. I'll have Child #4 pick a winner next Friday. She can choose two winners (one from here on the blog and one from Facebook).

Friday's Forgotten Books

The Sweet Second Summer of Kitty Malone by Matt Cohen
First published: 1979
Nominated for the Governor General's Award

I recently picked up my old copy of this book, but wasn't sure why. I originally read The Sweet Second Summer of Kitty Malone for a university course and promptly fell in love with everything Matt Cohen. But I haven't read anything by him for several years now.

The Sweet Second Summer takes place in a fictional town in eastern Ontario, near Kingston. I'll be near Kingston in August, and I think that's what brought this book to mind.

Anyway...The Sweet Second Summerr is the story of two fringy characters, Kitty Malone and Pat Frank, who're looking for happiness and actually kind of find it. Kitty and Pat finally figure out how to mesh their past and present. Matt Cohen writes great characters, great scenery, great atmosphere.

Here's partly why I'm headed to the Kingston area (except for the winter part!) (from page 114 of the Bantom Seal version):

"Looking through it (the air above the burning tip of a cigarette) he could see the whole flat surface of the lake stretching miles in front of him, so smooth and icy-serene it could have been a giant eye frozen and buried in earth and rock. And the trees around the lake were like dark green lashes, thick and tipped with snow..."

Matt Cohen died of lung cancer in 1999. He was private, prolific (publishing over 20 novels). Weeks before his death, he won the Governor General's Award for Elizabeth and After. After his death, it was revealed that he wrote several children's books under the name Teddy Jam.

I'm happy to be participating in Patti Abbott's Friday's Forgotten Books. Please visit Patti's blog for book posts and for links to the other participants. I noticed Lesa's Books Critiques also reviews a Canadian novel.

Also, there's a surprise post by a bestselling author on the Class of 2k8's blog.