TV: Yesterday I found myself scrolling through the amazing collection of channels available to stream through Roku, which I use instead of cable. At no additional cost, I now have the Smithsonian and TED stations. I'm thrilled.

MUSIC: My friend Bex has turned me into a huge Kasey Chambers fan. Most of you know it's not that I don't enjoy music, but that it's quiet I enjoy more. (That sounds confusing, but I trust you know what I mean.) Kasey Chambers has me turning the volume up to the kind of decibels that are probably now responsible for my diminished hearing. The music and lyrics are brilliant. She and her partner, Shane Nicholson, have been over-the-top popular in Australia for many years with their bluegrass talent. Rattlin' Bones is the CD I loop nonstop.

BOOKS: Thanks to Sharon Holmes, I'm currently reading The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan. The Grapes of Wrath by Steinbeck focused on those who fled the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. Egan's book focuses on those who remained on the plains to miraculously endure and survive. While nothing else remained rooted to the shifting earth, the people did. Talk about true grit! This is an amazing book with tales that read like fantastical fiction. The ordeals that some conquered or some succumbed to leave the reader with a mix of horrifying and inspiring images. The storms raged for years. Many of the dusters were literally traveling mountains of dirt with elevations of 10,000 feet. The tons of dust that descended on the plains and people and animals sifted and clogged everything - including their spirits - yet, they held on or died as their bodies literally filled with dirt. This is a must-read book if one wants a comprehensive understanding of the era. Though the topic may seem dry as dust, it's a page-turner.

RANDOM:

1. Several years ago I read Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay. The other day I watched a French film adaptation. I didn't care for the book, but thought the movie was well done. The story is about the 1942 brutal roundup of Jews in Paris - the loss of family and life.

2. I watched The Falling Man, which is a documentary about those who jumped on 9/11. Actually, one photo in particular is researched in depth. I can recall reading about the jumpers, but other than one photo being published one time, the jumpers weren't put in print again because of public outrage. The documentary is done well with integrity and respect. It's sad to watch, though. While we all know the ending to this story, there's a comforting twist in the telling, which gives dignity and honor to those who died and and those who survived.

3. I think I need to watch some cartoons now.