Island of Saints is another amazing book by Andy Andrews, and although I am not a professional writer or book reviewer I must tell you this is a great book. I bought it at a thrift shop in Merrill, WI for around $1.50 (hardcover). I was sort of excited because I really appreciate his work as an author. I told Mary to drive home and I would read out loud; sort of like an audio book up close and personal...sort of.
I had no idea that the Nazi military had subs in the gulf of Mexico during the WWII. I was hooked almost immediately on the very idea that the country was in an even greater danger than I had ever learned in history; (just for the record I am not a big history buff). So the idea that we had overcome a danger so close to home was intriguing to me. Andy tells the story of digging up the roots of an old tree and finding a can buried in the ground, the buttons, photo, ring; and who was the child and the woman (?) in the photograph? Yet because I am not a history buff I put the book down and allowed it to sit idle for a few months before I picked it up again.
Andy tells the story of a German submariner and the politics and loyalty to duty and the Nazi regime aboard a Kriergsmarine U-boat; and his near death experience at the hands of another German and the beating by a hard hearted military widow after he washed up on shore. I am certain that great deal of research went into the telling of this story, but it was personal to Andy. The can and it's contents were found under his own tree on a small island situated along the Florida and Alabama coastline of the north coast of the Gulf of Mexico.
I would try to retell parts of the story to whet your curiosity but it is told so masterfully that any attempts to do so might ruin the story for you.
The sub-title of the book speaks of the "One Principle That Frees the Human Spirit"; that description is what sold the book for me. I want my heart to be free of clutter and baggage that keeps me from freely giving what I can to others. If I am bound by the baggage of a broken down life how can I give to others, and tell them about the true freedom that is in Jesus Christ. My heart longs to be free, your heart wants to be free and this book truly addresses one of the monumental areas that we find ourselves bound in; the power to forgive. Forgiveness is not about the other person forgiveness is personal it's about you and taking back your life.
I must tell you that you need to read the last "part" of the book. The book is divided into three parts and part three is the clincher. Enjoy; it is a must read.
The common snapping turtle is most common in the south and eastern U.S., they can be found in ponds, lakes, rivers and along walking trails in Central Wisconsin which is where I came across this little fella. The common snapping turtle is a very crabby turtle; however when they are in the water they are less aggressive. We have found them hatching along the side of a gravel road and as they emerged from the hole where they were left they were already mad at the world. I picked one up that day and instantly his beak-like mouth open and was ready to take a chunk off my finger.
Snapping turtles in the wild can live for up to 30 years, but please do not get the notion that they would make a good pet; they are hard wired to be mean. A snapping turtle is very flexible so if you attempt to pick one up you may be surprised at how far back his jaws can reach. If you ever see a snapper trying to get across the road please think twice before you simply push him or drag him because you could scratch his underside on the pavement and cause damage to the turtle.
Snappers like turkey vultures eat carrion or dead things (mostly dead fish)...yuck, but will also eat crayfish, frogs, plants and algae. The knobby shell of a snapper is called a carapace which smooths out with age, and the only real predators that they have are men and boys (and some women but women are generally smart enough not to take on the snapper, most guys are not).
Island of Saints is another amazing book by Andy Andrews, and although I am not a professional writer or book reviewer I must tell you this is a great book. I bought it at a thrift shop in Merrill, WI for around $1.50 (hardcover). I was sort of excited because I really appreciate his work as an author. I told Mary to drive home and I would read out loud; sort of like an audio book up close and personal...sort of.
Well once again we will crack open our Peanuts Cook Book and try out another recipe; this month it is a chocolate sauce for ice cream. Ice cream is the perfect treat makes no difference what the season or time of day it always seems to satisfy that inner longing for comfortable eating. I sent this recipe to my daughter and she is going to give it a try...I will let you know what she says. Christal said that she may try making it with Agave syrup instead of honey; her son has food allergies and in the past has had to go somewhere special to get the type of chocolate ice cream syrup that he can eat.
