I finished reading two books last week. The first one was Founding Mothers -The Women Who Raised Our Nation by Cokie Roberts. I was hoping for more information on these ladies personal lives and less on the political info., but it was still good and interesting reading. The ladies written about were mothers, daughters, sisters or wives of our founding fathers. I particularly liked reading about the wives. John and Abigail Adams were apart for nine years at one time during their marriage, this was due to his "job" not a legal separation. There were other interesting little tidbits like that in the book also, but I don't want to give them all away. Plus, I can't remember any of the others right now! While I did enjoy reading this book, it was a book you had to pay attention to. You could not lay in bed half asleep to read this one. The language and skipping around from person to person made this reading a little tougher.
The second book was called And Still Flying...The Life and Times of Elizabeth "Betty" Wall written by her son, Patrick Roberts. What an amazing lady! She was one of the first members of the W.A.S.P.'s (Women Airforce Service Pilot). Mrs. Wall was born in 1919 and is still alive. She talks about many of the planes she has flown over the years, the last one being just a few years ago! I am not interested in planes, nor know any thing about them, so a little of what she talks about I did not understand. I was mostly interested in her life and all she has accomplished. When World War II ended, she went back into secretarial work, married and had children. She dedicated her life to her husband and children, putting flying and all that she had achieved behind her. Her husband died at the young age of fifty, leaving her to finish raising their last two children by herself. After all her children were gone from home, she started working for the American Cancer Society, which included a lot of traveling. She still travels the country doing speaking engagements about her flying days, encouraging young people to work for their dreams.
Today I will be doing some of my favorite things! I need to do some baking for church and make a table runner. Tonight I get to watch the King play softball. What more could you want in a day?
Betty is an absolutly amazing woman!!! And funny as all get out. I've had the pleasure of meeting her and pleasure it was. This woman was so far ahead of Women's Lib. She competed with and men and beat them at their own games and rules. She's flown old planes, barnstormed, flown fighter jets and passenger jets and an Air Force Thunderbird. Now there's a WOMAN!! And the stories she can tell. And she's still doing it at 93!! With no sign of slowing down. The day I met her she was speaking and putting on a presentation at our car club picnic in the afternoon in Hampton then she had to go home to Faribault (35 miles) then back to St Paul (70 miles in Saturday night traffic) that evening for another all evening event. And she had her 90 yr old boyfriend with her. She had about 2 hours between events. And it didn't faze her. As I said--She's amazing. Oh by the way, she's speaking now at the History musiem in St Paul most days during their exhibit on the Amazing Generation-about the Depression and WWII generations. As you can tell, she boggles my mind! Makes me feel like I should be doing at least 3 more jobs and in my free time solving world peace.
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