About The Book
NORMAL-ISH is short and sweet with just a little bit of bitter. I wrote this book to honor the family I grew up in and describe through short-short stories (also called flash nonfiction) and poems some of our many joys and sorrows. We, who grew up in corn country and loved it, seemed to have had more time in the late 50s, 60s and early 70s as kids) to think and reflect. We took long walks (Funk’s Grove) and bike rides (everywhere!) and enjoyed the (mostly) quiet of nature (Lake Bloomington and Anderson Park).
A Different Journey
In this slower time and place, we got to deeply know our friends and neighbors by spending time with them usually accomplishing something worthwhile. (We also got bored once in a while and had to figure out on our own how to fill the time well…) and then, of course, there was always studying, for years and forever, to learn things and get good grades to make our parents’ and ourselves proud.
Whether you dip in and out of these stories, poems, and photos or binge straight through them, you’ll find funny, interesting, and meaningful anecdotes about life that will resonate with you, whoever you are.
Finding the Simple Truth
You’ll discover:
— That it’s best to be born to parents who love you and have good values (translation: “faith, hope, and charity”);
— That “Life is what you make it,” per Donald Henry Lee , and “Handsome is as handsome does,” per Jeanne Hamm Lee
as each of my parents regularly reminded their four daughters.
— that siblings (if they’re the right ones!) enrich your life;
— and finally that you’re not the only one who makes dumb moves and then tries as best as you can to get out of them! (Ha!)