Movie Review - Wonder

If you are looking for an inspirational, feel-good movie the whole family can enjoy this holiday season, look no further than Wonder.  This film has everything that leaves a moviegoer satisfied—characters you actually care about, themes that matter, and a happy ending.  You might shed a few tears, like I did, but they will be the kind of tears that make you feel something beautiful.

Based on the runaway best-selling book by R.J. Palacio, Wonder takes us into the life and times of August Pullman, a ten-year-old boy born with the kind of severe facial deformities that cause most everyone he meets to respond to him in ways that are very painful.  The movie follows Auggie as he makes his grand entry into the public life of a fifth-grader after previously being home-schooled.  Anyone who has ever been the new kid at school will be able to relate to Auggie's experiences with bullies and the extreme distress of not fitting in.

The movie's storyline is revealed to us as the main characters take turns presenting their perspectives.  I don't always like this cinematic or literary technique, but it works well in this movie.  It is a very effective way of telling the stories within the story and it helped me form bonds with each character.  Getting to briefly run around inside the heads of the supporting characters fleshed out the movie's themes and made them multi-dimensional.

Choose Kind

We are introduced to Wonder's guiding principles through the precepts of Auggie's English teacher, Mr. Browne.  Choosing kindness, a major theme, is unveiled early in Mr. Browne's classroom via this quotation by Dr. Wayne Dyer:

"When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind."

The mark of an exceptional movie, at least for me, is what happens when I step out of the theater after the closing credits.  Last night, upon arriving home, I found myself spending hours online learning more about Treacher Collins Syndrome (Auggie's condition), the Choose Kind movement inspired by Wonder, watching video interviews with families affected by this syndrome, and reading up on how R.J. Palacio came to write Wonder.

Nurture Kindness

This movie is one that will impact me for a very long time.  As a former teen who was bullied for merely being the new kid at my middle school, I have never forgotten the misery and deep pain caused by that experience.  It shaped who I became as a teacher and continues to remind me that we each have an awesome responsibility to nurture kindness in young people.  If I leave no other legacy as a teacher and human being than that of planting seeds of kindness and compassion, I will feel as though I did something meaningful with my life.

I encourage you to take a child or grandchild to see Wonder.  My gifts to young people this Christmas will include the book Wonder, along with related journals and t-shirts that promote the Choose Kind message.  It is just one of the many ways I intend to celebrate the hope and wonder of the season.

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Review of Favorite Christmas Cookies - Rosettes Recipe

Nothing says Christmas to me like my grandmother’s rosette cookies.  Coming together as a family during the holidays means making, and then inhaling, these Scandinavian treat delights (my highest dessert rating).

These lacy snowflake-like cookies are as much eye candy as they are absolutely the tastiest lighter-than-air, flaky pastry you will ever eat.  I don’t think there is a more beautiful holiday food than rosettes.  Just having a plate of these delicate cookies on your table will instantly make the season more merry and bright.

If you are looking for a unique gift for friends, family, neighbors, teachers, or co-workers, this is a delightful way to share the warm spirit of the season.  Simply create a gift basket filled with rosettes, or even better, offer a kit with the recipe, a set of rosette irons, and the mix.  You just might help someone start a treasured holiday tradition.

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon granulated white sugar
• 1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. In a mixing bowl, whisk your eggs, sugar, and salt until blended.
2. Use a sifter to mix in your flour.  Add milk and vanilla.
3. Add three to four inches of cooking oil to a deep fryer or stove top pan.
4. Use candy thermometer to heat oil to 365 degrees (Fahrenheit).
5. Heat rosette iron in the oil for at least two minutes.
6. Remove heated rosette iron from the oil.  Let excess oil drain off the iron.
7. Carefully dip the hot iron into batter (leaving a 1/4 inch margin at top of iron).
8. Immerse rosette iron into heated oil.  Fry batter until golden.
9. Use skimmer to remove rosette from oil.  Drip off excess oil.
10. Place rosette on drying rack.  Sprinkle with sugar (granulated or powdered) just before serving.
11. Reheat rosette iron in hot oil for one minute and repeat the process.

Serves: 10     Prep Time: 15 Minutes     Total Time: 30 Minutes

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Zack & Zoey Nor'easter Dog Blanket Coat Review

When you live in the mountains, the weather can turn on you without warning.  My adventure companion, Toby, has to be prepared for a wide range of conditions on our daily hikes.  One of the most important pieces of outdoor gear for my dog is his all-weather jacket.  Toby’s new Zack & Zoey Nor’easter Dog Blanket Coat just arrived and we gave it a test run this afternoon.  Here’s our review of the coat’s performance.

First, I must mention that I specifically looked for a dog coat that came in a high visibility orange color.  With hunting season in high gear, Toby’s safety was my top priority.  Having a dog that loves to root around in the brush for rabbits and bones made it imperative that he not be mistaken for wild game.  I am extremely happy with the color of Toby’s new coat.  He can be seen from a great distance and the reflective stripe and paw logo on his coat provide for additional safety with darkness coming on so early these days.  Score: 10/10

Next, I wanted a waterproof outer fabric that would offer a shield from the wind that blows down off the 14,000-foot peaks here in our stomping grounds.  Toby's new Zack & Zoey dog coat has a polyester shell with just the right weave and weight to keep him comfortable.  Any hiker at high elevations knows that every ounce counts.  You need to find performance gear that won't weigh you down.  The weight of Toby's new jacket is just perfect.  We didn't have any precipitation to contend with during our test today, but we'll score this based on wind-breaking capacity.  Score: 10/10

The third feature on our must-have list for a new dog coat was that it be fleece-lined.  We found that the Zack & Zoey Nor’easter Dog Blanket Coat offers just the right amount of warmth.  Being a rugged, outdoorsy kind of guy, Toby really likes the camo print lining, but you can select another lining style if your dog has different fashion tastes.  As an added bonus, this coat is reversible.  We flipped the jacket inside out during our test so you could see how it looks when reversed.  You can choose from eight different coat colors and lining prints.  Score: 10/10

Our final expectations, in terms of the dog coat’s features, centered on the ease of getting it off and on, as well as on the sizing adjustability.  The chest and belly straps on this dog coat make it quick and simple to gear up.  I’m pleased with the quality of the Velcro closures.  Some brands of dog coats have leg openings that require a dog to step into his jacket.  That would never work for us.  Those kinds of openings constrain movement and rub the wrong way on a dog’s body.  Toby and I much prefer the Zack & Zoey style of strapping.  We found the sizing to be very accurate.  I ordered an XL coat for Toby and it fits just right.  Score: 10/10

In summary, we couldn’t be happier with the Zack & Zoey Nor’easter Dog Blanket Coat.  The coat is everything we wanted and the price was extremely reasonable (much less than other dog coats).  I will definitely buy this same coat again.  Highly recommended.  Toby gives this dog coat an overall score of 10/10 bones.

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Rescue Road: One Man, Thirty Thousand Dogs, and a Million Miles on the Last Hope Highway - Book Review

Heading northward the other day with a vanload of precious cargo, rescue dogs being transferred to prime locations where their adoption chances were vastly improved, I got to thinking about the individuals who do this on a grander scale throughout the year.  What would it be like to be the individual who has driven a million miles to save 30,000 dogs?  Who could sustain that kind of commitment for the long haul?

The who is Greg Mahle and Rescue Road is the inside story of what it takes, week in and week out, to give thousands of dogs a stay of execution.  Animals in high-kill shelters in the South, facilities that kill four out of five dogs due to overcrowding or lack of resources, would have no chance without the network of dedicated volunteers who make it their mission to move dogs away from a sure death via the last hope highway.

When the author, Peter Zheutlin, adopts a lab that had ridden its way to him on Mahle’s eighteen-wheeler, he becomes curious about the intricacies of the rescue operation.  We make the journey with Zheutlin as he rides along with Mahle to immerse himself in the grueling, and yet joyous, work of uniting homeless dogs with their new families.  Over the course of a week, we travel from Ohio to the Gulf coast.

Along the way, we meet the inspirational heroes without whom there would be no future for these abandoned animals.   This is book that celebrates happy endings without glossing over the realities of rescue work.  Anyone who loves dogs, or loves the people who make it their life’s work to save animals, will appreciate this book.

As one who is involved in the rescue mission, I seek out books that will inspire me to continually do more and be more.  Though you and I will most likely never drive one million miles, and though I transport smaller numbers of dogs, the message we can take to heart is this: There is something we each can do to make a difference in the lives of desperate beings.  How we do it is a very personal choice.  Whether we adopt, or volunteer, or donate, or educate, or transport, it all adds up.  The sum of our actions is significant.  I encourage you to read Rescue Road and then to help spread hope wherever it is needed most.

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The Bright Hour: A Memoir of Living and Dying

Some books are so achingly beautiful they cry out to be read.  This is one of them.  To not read The Bright Hour would be to deny yourself one breathtaking moment after another.  This is a memoir that reveals how to savor every day—even the days, especially the days, we would not typically love.

When Nina Riggs was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 37, it was one small spot that seemed fixable.  “No one dies from one small spot,” she reassured herself.  Within a year, though, Riggs was dealing with a terminal diagnosis.  Lest you think the book turns grim at this point, let me assure you that this is not a dark accounting of impending death—far from it.

The question at the heart of The Bright Hour is this: What makes for a meaningful life when your time is limited?  It is an extraordinary individual who can see and illuminate for us the radiance and joy to be found in the seemingly mundane moments that fill our lives with meaning.  Nina Riggs’ poetic eye, and soul, gifts us over and over again with word pictures that not only dazzle, but that enrich our spirits.

What if, like Nina Riggs, we were to live the answer to that question every day?  Isn't that the key to loving our days and living with fullness of life?

The Bright Hour is the most important book I have read this year.  Having recently lost a good friend to cancer, I found this memoir to be a poignant way to reflect on how Susan also lived her life with great meaning and purpose.  It can be healing in many ways to read a book that celebrates a life force that is not diminished by death.  I highly recommend this book.

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