Meet the new King and Queen of the United Kingdom, as of 1PM today, May 6th, London time. This was their official portrait this morning. It’s from 2019 when they were titled Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall. Don’t worry, they still look pretty much the same.

This is the first coronation since Elizabeth II in June of 1953. I wasn’t born yet, like most of the world, so this is the first coronation I’ve ever seen. I looked up the schedule last night. Click here to see what it said: Here's the Full Schedule for King Charles III’s Coronation | Time
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For the general public, the real enthusiasts, it all started at 6AM, London time. That’s when the viewing areas in central London opened up. Those early risers got a great view of the King’s procession. It passed by, twice. Me, I was fast asleep. That was 1AM, Tennessee time.
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​This is the official invitation. I didn’t get one, but Wikipedia let me share this one with you. The guest list had 2200 names, but only 2,000 people fit inside the church, so planning started way back in September.

The British government paid for this event, so they got to make the guest list. It included members of the royal family, representatives from the government, and both houses of Parliament. Representatives of the Commonwealth countries, foreign royalty, and heads of state got invitations too. Jill Biden represented the United States.
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All the invitations and RSVPs were done months ago, just like they are for a wedding. In March the holy oil was consecrated by Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem, in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. If you’re a Christian, this is where you go to celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It’s fitting that the holy oil is consecrated there.
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And just like a wedding, there were practices for Coronation Day. On the morning and evening of April 17th and 18th the military did dress rehearsals for the two processions. No one does ceremony like the Brits.

On the 19th the RAF (Royal Air Force) practiced their flypast, and finally on May 3 the King and Queen, the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children, plus the Princess Royal (his sister) had their own practice inside the Abbey. Practice doesn’t make perfect, but it helps you know what you’re doing!
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Westminster Abbey actually closed on April 25th to tourists, and to its own congregation. It won’t reopen until Monday, May 8th. I bet the people at the abbey will be glad to see things get back to normal again.
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This photo is from Queen Elizabeth II’s wedding. I wanted a photo with people inside the abbey. This is the newest one I could find. Just like today’s coronation, there were 2000 people there to celebrate the wedding of Charles’ parents.

For today’s coronation, guests had to arrive between 7:15 and 8:30AM.  It sounds like going to an airport. They went through security first, before they entered the abbey. Then most of them waited 3 hours, or more, before the king finally arrived. I would have brought a book. If you’d like to find out who did/who didn’t attend, click the link from Time, and scan down their page.
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From 9 to 10:45AM, the guests had time to mingle and find their seats. That’s also when world leaders, British politicians, and international royals started to arrive. Lucky them! 
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Meanwhile back at Buckingham Palace, there were other preparations going on. The men in the photograph are part of the Sovereign’s Escort of the Household Calvary. They’re called Life Guards. Too bad they don’t work at a pool!
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At 9:45AM they started getting into marching order. Their job – to escort the King’s Procession from the Palace to the Abbey. The parade will also include 200 members of the Armed Forces. No one moves until 10:20AM, or whenever Charles and Camilla arrive. I guess it takes time to get horses, and people, into position!
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​The King and Queen left Buckingham Palace at 10:20AM. They were in a special procession that took them to Westminster Abbey. That’s where British monarchs have been crowned for over 900 years, since William the Conqueror in 1066.
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​Both of these photos were taken during the procession today. Charles and Camilla were inside his mother’s Diamond Jubilee State Coach. It’s so modern it has air conditioning and electric windows, but, it still uses the traditional horses, 6 Windsor Greys, and the Household Calvary Mounted Regiment. I love British traditions!
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​The king and queen were scheduled to arrive at 10:53 for the 11:00AM ceremony. Why? To give them time, in case they were late, or needed to catch their breath. They made it . . . with time to spare.
                                                 

Next up, the oath, but first the Archbishop recognized the existence of other faiths and beliefs within the UK. That’s something new in the coronation. Then Charles promised to govern the UK and the Commonwealth, following the laws and justice set up in each nation. He finished by saying he’d maintain and protect the Christian church.
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Next Charles walked up to the altar, laid his hand on a Bible, and said, “The things which I have here promised, I will perform and keep. So help me God.” Then Charles kissed the Bible and signed a written copy of his oath. 
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​Charles was anointed with chrism oil. It’s a holy oil made from olives that were harvested from the Mount of Olives. Jesus went there to teach, and to pray. The chrism oil was also blessed in Jerusalem, back in March.
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Anointing a king is as old as the monarchy. Charles went behind a screen close to the altar. The Archbishop put oil on his hands, chest, and head using the coronation spoon. This is a private moment between a monarch, and the God who chose him. That’s why there are no pictures of it.
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​At long last, Charles was done, and it was Camilla’s turn. She was anointed with chrism oil. The only difference, she did it in front of the congregation, and that was a break from royal tradition. Every other king or queen was anointed behind a canopy or a screen.
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Camilla was invested too, but she only got the queen consort’s ring. BTW – Charles got a ring too . . . the sovereign’s ring.

​​This carriage gets 8 Windsor Greys to pull it  on the 1.3 mile route back to Buckingham Palace for the Coronation Procession. The streets were lined with 1000 loyal subjects. It was scheduled to leave Westminster Abbey at 1PM, and it included 5000 members of the UK’s Armed Forces, plus 400 from the Commonwealth and Overseas Territories. The Sovereign’s Bodyguards were there again, plus the Royal Watermen. This, was a very big deal!
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The first photo is the Royal couple on the balcony, just the two of them for the royal salute. It was scheduled for 1:45PM. It’s the only part I saw live on Saturday. I couldn’t figure out why all those soldiers were lined up on a field. It turns out they were in the garden (yard) for a salute, followed by three cheers from all those soldiers. Imagine a drill sergeant yelling, “Hip, hip.” And the 5000 answering, “Hooray,” times three. It was a very British moment.
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After the royal salute, it was time for my favorite part, and it wasn’t even on the schedule. It’s when the crowd approaches the palace, and the royal family joins the King and Queen on the balcony. They waved to the crowd, and the crowd roared back, like always. I think everyone loves it because we get a peek at the royal family, sharing a moment, with the country.             
       
From left to right do you see Prince William and his family? Next, the King’s 4 pages. One is William’s oldest, George. Can you find him? Hint - he’s looking down. Next of course, the King and Queen, and to her right are her 4 pages, 2 are her grandsons. Camilla’s sister is on the balcony, and finally on the right, Prince Edward and his family. It’s not the whole royal family, just the working ones.
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The Fly-past was scheduled for 2:15PM. I’m not sure what time it started, but it wasn’t the fly-past that was planned. It was scaled back from the 68 aircraft who were ready to represent the Royal Air Force, Royal Navy, and British Army.
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Even scaled back it was a crowd favorite with the helicopters and Red Arrow Team. Everyone knows about helicopters, but I’d never heard of the Red Arrows. I found this old photo, and I saw a clip of them tonight . . . a row of planes trailing blue, white, and red plumes. Magnificent!
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Monday, May 8 was a holiday across the UK. It was also The Big Help Out. The King and Queen partnered with The Scouts, the Royal Volunteer Service, and faith groups across the UK to help their local communities. What a lovely way to celebrate, and to encourage people to get involved.

                  Congratulations to King Charles III, Queen Camilla, and the UK! Well done you!
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​                                               Sources:
- Here's the Full Schedule for King Charles III’s Coronation | Time
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​-   Coronation of Charles III and Camilla - Wikipedia

I’m a reader, and I’m always looking for great advice, for you and for me. I found this on Quora.com, and I saved it. It was written by Julie Gurner, who’s a Doctor of Psychology. She said these are the 10 pieces of life advice that she wished people would take.
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The source link: (29) Julie Gurner's answer to What life advice do people not take seriously enough? - Quora    And the link to her Quora profile: (29) Julie Gurner - Quora
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1. “Don’t Make Decisions When You’re Angry:” Julie has seen many people in her practice do this, and the results, they aren’t good.

It’s easier said than done, but learning how to set aside anger will help you make better choices. When I’m super angry, I write a letter to myself. I go for a walk or talk to a friend. Find a way that helps you set aside your anger, for now. You’ll make better choices if you give yourself time to calm down. 


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2. “Be Yourself:” Julie said she’s seen people make choices they hate because they wanted to make someone happy. If you’re not true to yourself, you’re the one who’ll be miserable.
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Peer pressure is hard to handle at any age, but if you learn to ignore it, you’ll be happier. Don’t take a dance class because everyone’s doing it. Take it because you want to. I pick what I want to write, and I’m happy, finding the right words to tell that story. I refuse to spend my time writing what’s trending. Life is too short.        

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3. “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff:”    Julie says to choose your battles. Pick the things that are worth fighting for, and let everything else go.
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I spent my life worrying about those little details. It didn’t make anything better. In fact it made them worse. Now that I’m older, I can let them go. I also learned there are some things I can’t control, like finding an agent. All I have is my best. Then I send out my work. I hope, and I pray. If you’re in the same boat, do your best. There is no more. Then let the chips fall where they may. They will anyway, and you’ll be happier. That’s always a good thing.

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4. “Know Your Worth:” Julie said, when you value yourself, you don’t allow other people to bully you, and you’ll reap the rewards for the rest of your life.
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One of my strengths is knowing what I’m good at, and what I’m not. That helps me handle criticism. If you want to be a writer, it comes with the territory. You have to know how to handle it, and who to listen to. One of the best things I’ve learned, after a critique I look at the suggestions a day later. I have six critique partners that I trust, but it still comes down to what I think. If I agree with them, I’ll make the change. If I don’t, I’ll leave it as is, for now. If three people comment on something, then I have to change it. I want the writing to be just right, for you.

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5. “It’s Okay to Ask for Help:” Julie worked with lots of people who wished they’d asked for help earlier, but couldn’t. They waited until the last minute, until things were ready to break down.
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That’s one of the best things I’ve learned as a writer. I work with a group of six. We read each other’s’ work every week. I send them my best writing, but I can’t see my own mistakes, and they can’t either. Asking for help means that you’re smart, that you’re ahead of the game. I used to tell my students the only dumb question, is the one you don’t ask. 
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6. “Who You Marry is One of the Most Important Decisions You’ll Make:” Julie said it was key to the rest of your life. You’ll see that person every day if you stay together. If you divorce, you’ll get rid of them, but you’ll live with emotional and financial damage.
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I’d look at this much earlier, when you learn to make friends. I watched, especially when my kids were in middle school. I was lucky . . .  they found friends who built them up, who made good choices. When I met my husband, I was looking for someone who’d be my best friend for life. I’m blessed. We’ve been married for 38 years. I’ve been with him longer than any other person I know. I’m glad I made a good decision.

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8. “The Best Time to Start is Now:”  Julie’s advice, start working on your dreams today. Time passes too quickly. Don’t regret what you didn’t do . . . give it a try.
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If there’s something you’ve dreamed of, just do it. Give yourself permission to struggle. You might discover you hate it, or that you’re terrible at it. Sometimes that makes it easier to try something new. I’ve been writing since 2007, but I haven’t had super-success. I still don’t have an agent, but, I’ve had fun along the way. I’ve met a lot of great people, and, I’ve self-published three books. It’s true . . . nothing ventured, nothing gained.  So try it, and see what happens.

9. “The Best Revenge is Living Well:” Julie says when you hold onto grudges, it just messes up your life. Her best quote, “anger is something you carry for someone else’s mistakes.”
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In the words of Frozen, let it go! I’ve spent my whole life struggling with those grudges. Julie is right . . . I carried the anger, not the person who hurt me. They had no idea. One even said I made it up. Since then, I’ve learned to forgive first, then let the anger go. When it bubbles up, I forgive again, and let it go, again. I’m not responsible for what the other person chooses to do. I can move on. I feel happier and healthier. I hope forgiveness/letting it go will help you too.

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10. “Treat Others the Way You’d Want to be Treated:” Julie says that if everyone treated others like this, the world would be a better place.
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This is the Golden Rule from the Bible. It’s so simple to understand, but people get caught up in themselves. Then we forget about others. At least I do. Now I have a new goal . . . think about the people around me, then decide on the best course of action. Thinking before talking/doing is always a good thing, but hard. 

Welcome to the Writing Magic Society! It’s where I found all of my current critique partners. I couldn’t move forward as a writer without them. Six of us meet every Friday, and now I’m excited to introduce them to you. 

​Would you like to meet Lee? The best way is to visit her website, and the most important thing about Lee – she’s a middle-grade author.

Lee has published two books. The first came out in April of 2022, and the second in February 2023. All of her stories are about contemporary characters. They discover connections to their cultures, and to the families from their past.
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​Lee grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania. Its library – “to die for.” Would you believe her favorite grade school memories were listening to her teachers reading Newbery award-winning books? They did it year-round. One of them read A Wrinkle in Time, and it became Lee’s favorite.
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Lee spent her grade school summers picking strawberries with her siblings, and fishing in a lake nearby. Those days ended near the end of fifth grade. That’s when her family moved to a larger town. 

Now Lee lives with her family and their super-brainy dog. Would you believe she understands Italian, at least counting to ten. She lives to chase balls, and she’s good enough to go pro. If that doesn’t work out, she’s got a lock on the role of Frankie, the super dog in Lee’s first book, Wei to Go.

When Lee isn’t writing, you’ll find her swimming, traveling, and watching spectator sports. My guess, lacrosse is one of them. It’s the sport Kipp plays in the Ellie & Co book series.
 

Lee in the USA
Lee grew up in Pennsylvania. It’s a green state in the northeast. Then she moved to California. It’s a green state, but it’s on the west coast. Now Lee lives in New York. It’s a purple state that’s mostly north of Pennsylvania. I hope you found all three!

Would you like to visit Lee? Here’s her address online:  
Lee Y. Miao, middle-grade author (leeymiao.com)
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Part 2 – Meet Lee and her Middle Grade Books
This was Lee’s first book. The best part – her characters, and the way she writes . . . Her dialogue sounds like it came straight out of a middle schooler’s mouth.

The story – Ellie and her little brother Kipp get to take a trip to Hong Kong with their mother, but they also have a mission . . . to save their father’s company. Click the link below if you’d like to read my review of Wei To Go!

Link: http://www.rindabeach.com/my-reads/review-of-wei-to-go

​​Where in the world is Hong Kong? Check the map below. China is a HUGE country, and Hong Kong is a tiny place on its southeast side. Look for the red letters HK, and you have found Hong Kong. That’s where Ellie and Kipp got to go. Lucky them!

​Tomorrow, Lee’s second book

​This is Lee’s second book. I read it when it was in manuscript form, and now that it’s published, it’s even better.

The story – Cat discovers she has an identical twin, but she’s in a Renaissance painting by Raphael. How can Cat ever discover who she was? By doing a Rhap (Renaissance History and Art Project). That’s where Trey comes in . . . as a possible partner . . . if he can stay out of the clutches of the class diva.

Click the link below if you’d like to read my review of It’s a Rhap, Cat. Link: http://www.rindabeach.com/my-reads/review-of-its-a-rhap-cat

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Take a peek at Cat’s trip to Rome. Throw a coin into the Trevi Fountain and make a wish. Then visit the coliseum and imagine gladiators fighting in the ring. If you can’t get away, take a look at Cat’s report. All those things, and more are in it!
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Where in the world is Italy? Check the map below. It’s a brown country in southern Europe, and it’s shaped like a boot. That’s because Italy is a peninsula that’s surrounded on three sides by the Mediterranean Sea.

Rome is the capital of Italy. Can you find it? It’s in the middle of the country, just below Vatican City. 
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I googled natural resources, and this is what I found . . . materials or substances such as minerals, forests, water, and fertile land that occur in nature and can be used for economic gain, or for your own personal advantage.
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I’ve never thought of people having natural resources, but I do, and you do too. As a teacher I used to talk to kids about the things they were good at, their gifts. Their talents. You could also call them natural resources. Here are some of mine. 
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​1.  My Background as a Reader and a Teacher:  I’ve been reading books since I was a toddler. It was one of the things that helped me start writing. But now I read differently as a writer. I look at books for their characters, their plots, for the way they use words. I’ve always learned new ideas from books, and now they’re my writing mentors. 

I’m also a retired teacher. I taught reading, second grade, and inclusion. Those 33 years helped me begin writing. They’ve helped me find ideas that I think kids will like. They also taught me how to teach, and how to learn.

I’ve applied those skills as a writer. I learn from the children’s books I read, from my critique partners, and from listening to my own words. Listening slows my brain down. It lets me hear my mistakes, then correct them. I always listen again – sometimes changes work. Sometimes they don’t. I keep working until I’m happy with the words. Then I move on.
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Now I’m working on something that I’m not allowed to revise. It’s a middle grade novel, with lots  of chapters. I can’t go back because it’s a black hole that I can’t escape. I know – because I was in one with my ant book, for ten years. The only way forward is to write, run it by my critique partners, make notes on the manuscript, then move on to the next chapter. It’s working! I’m on chapter 5. Woohoo! And, I’m getting better at plotting those chapters!

2.  Time: When I was teaching time was my most valuable resource. I never had enough, ever . . . for my classroom, or my family. I always felt torn between them. Then I started writing . . .

I went to Germany to chaperone my high school son and his friends. I found a story I had to write, so I wrote on weekends and snow days, when I had time. Now I’m retired, and I can write all day, seven days a week. Would you believe I discovered there’s still not enough time? That there will never be enough? I try to use it effectively, but I learned again, my best is enough.
 
Now I have five stories that are agent ready. I also have two I’m working on this year. Another two are sitting in my computer, waiting for me to return. When? When I feel ready to write them. I need to learn more about their plots and characters, and that’s sometime . . . in the future.
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​3.  Organization: This is my key to everything, and teaching helped me embrace it. A friend wanted to plan out the units we’d teach from the first week until the last. I wasn’t sure, but I trusted her, and it worked! The best part – you can see connections across subjects, across disciplines, and, it keeps you moving, especially when you get stuck on a unit.

When you’re a teacher, you also do lesson plans. That means this week, you’re thinking about next week . . . what you want to teach . . . what resources you need to gather. Organization made my classroom go round.

This week you’re also following those plans you made last week, but if you know anything about plans, they never come out the way you imagine. Your class moves faster/slower than your plans. An experiment fails to work, even though you followed directions. One of the skills I learned as a teacher . . . roll with it. Somehow, everything works out in the long run.

I’m glad I found ways to get organized when I was teaching. I use different systems now as a writer. Some take care of my blog/website. Others make sure I move forward with my WIP’s (Work in Progress). I have another to take care of submissions. I may never get that agent . . .  that’s out of my control . . . but I’m going to give it a 100% Rinda Beach try, and that’s good enough for me. Your best is all you have to give. (It took me years to learn that.)
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​4. Revisions skills: Usually when I think of revision, I think of words and sentences, pages and paragraphs. I got a different kind of revision lesson today, and I almost forgot to write tonight’s blog.

Remember that book I’m working on? That I’m not allowed to go back and revise? I just discovered a big boo-boo! I’d forgotten a character. Somehow in my timeline I didn’t see him. Guess what I did?! I went back to chapter 3 and made it chapter 4. The chapter I was working on became chapter 5, and now I have a new chapter 3, about Phillip Livingston. I’m so glad I found him!
 
And the best part – I get to add Henry Laurens. If you check out The Books I’m reading for Research on my blog, you’ll see Henry. He’s pretty famous . . . he’s the only American who was ever imprisoned in the Tower of London. Have you guessed this story is set during the American Revolution? And the other good thing . . . I have chapter 5 already outlined. When I finish the new chapter 3, I’ll be ready to write 5. The prep work’s already done. Wahoo!
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​5. Imagination: I didn’t think I was creative when I started teaching, but  I learned that I see the world differently. No one else sees it like me, and that effects how I put ideas together, as a teacher, and as a writer.
 
The idea for Neil Armstrong’s Wind Tunnel Dream came out of that clear tub. It has a few pieces from the wind tunnel Neil built when he was 16. Thousands of people have seen them at the Armstrong Air and Space Museum, but I’m the only one who ever put them together, in a story.
 
I was fascinated with those old parts. Neil made them into a wind tunnel that looked like the Wright Brothers’. But that didn’t make me want to write about them. It was his mother – she never checked the wind tunnel, not until it was finished. Me, I would have watched as Neil put each part together. We’re polar opposites, Neil’s mother and I . That captured my attention. It made me want to write his story.
 
That’s what happens whenever I find a new idea to write about. Something catches my attention, and I have to check it out. I begin to weave characters and plot ideas together. Eventually a story takes shape, from my imagination, and from story magic.
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​6. Faith: I believe anything is possible – if I work hard, if I’m persistent, and if it’s meant to be. Back when I was looking for my first job as a teacher, I got a lot of no’s. I didn’t quit. I believed each door that closed, would lead me to the right one. It did!

I believed it was possible to become a writer. I got a lot of  no’s, but I found the right door, with Neil. It wasn’t easy, but every time I hit a roadblock, I found a way around it. Best of all I published it in time for the 50th anniversary of the moon landing.

It’s been five years, and I have three books out in the world, but I’m not done yet. I have more ideas, more stories to tell. This time I’m looking at traditional publishing. That means finding an agent. Here’s to knocking on a few more doors, and waiting to find the right one. 
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Welcome to the Writing Magic Society! It’s where I found all of my current critique partners.
I couldn’t move forward as a writer without them.
​Six of us meet every Friday, and now I’m excited to introduce them to you. 
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​​                                                                               Part 1 – Meet Yvona Fast
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The best way to meet Yvona is to visit her website.  This is a photo of the Adirondack Mountains. They’re in northern New York. Yvona calls them home and it’s true . . . Words are her World.
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Three Continents – Most of us have only lived in North America, but Yvona has lived on two other continents, Europe and Asia.  

She was born in Poland and lived in Warsaw until she finished first grade. Can you find Poland on the map? It’s in northern Europe.

Yvona and her mother moved to Tel Aviv, then later to Haifa. They’re both big cities in Israel. Can you find it on the map? If you have trouble, find Egypt in northern Africa, then go east. Look for a tiny country. That’s Israel. It’s part of the Middle East, and Asia too.
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​By fourth grade, Yvona moved again. This time she and her mom moved across the Atlantic Ocean, all the way west to Chicago, Illinois. Can you find Illinois on the map? It’s in the United States, and that’s part of North America.

Yvona was only ten, but she’d lived in three countries, on three different continents. She spoke three different languages. Thank goodness words are her life! I can’t imagine doing all those things, by the time I turned ten.

Yvona is also a first-generation immigrant. My family has been in the United States forever. I don’t know when they arrived, probably generations ago. They came to the United States from England, and Germany. They’re both countries in Europe. 
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Librarian – Yvona was always a reader. She brought home stacks of books every week as a child. No one made her – she wanted to. When she’d read everything in the children’s room, her mother signed a form so Yvona could get books from the adult section.
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Guess what career she picked?! A librarian. Would you believe Yvona has worked in public libraries, the academic ones at universities, and in prison libraries too? She’s seen the world from so many different points of view.

​Missionary – Yvona’s library skills led her into missionary work in Eastern Europe. She spent five years setting up libraries for seminaries and Bible colleges. It’s also where she sold her first magazine article, to the editors at Christian Single. Once she started, Yvona found new things she wanted to write about. 

Neurodiversity – Yvona didn’t discover this until she did a search for someone at the library. They were looking for books about learning disabilities in math, but not in language arts. She was surprised – there were people like her, who faced the same problems. It’s lovely to discover you’re not alone. That there are people who understand you and how you process the world.

When I was a kid, no one knew about learning disabilities. It was the same for Yvona. She discovered she was neurodiverse and hyperlexic as an adult. That means the language and analytical left side of her brain are more developed than her visual and motor right side. Yvona needs words to understand something new. Seeing it isn’t enough. It has to be put into words.
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I was curious about neurodiverse and hyperlexic so I googled them. Neurodiverse means showing autistic or other neurological patterns of thought or behavior. They aren’t the patterns most people have. Hyperlexia means having an exceptional reading ability at a really young age. What’s missing, age-appropriate speech and language skills. What I find interesting is how good Yvona is with words. I can’t write poetry, and it comes to her naturally, effortlessly. It’s a great silver lining!

What Inspires Yvona – The world around her! She lives in the mountains of northern New York. Her favorite place – outside. In the summer she’s swimming and paddling a canoe. In winter you’ll find her cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.
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When Yvona’s inside, she’s cooking and writing. Why does she write? She has to. The words come, and she has to put them down. It’s her gift, her talent.

                               Meet Yvona and her Books:
 

​This is the first one, but it’s still at the top of her Amazon titles. Her neurodiversity inspired her to write it. The title: Employment for Individuals with Asperger Syndrome or Non-Verbal Learning Disability. Yvona has been speaking to parents and teachers about learning disabilities and autism spectrum disorders ever since her book came out in 2004. 




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​​This is Yvona’s second book, My Nine Lives: A Memoir. It came out in 2011, and it was inspired by her mother’s memories as a Holocaust survivor. Yvona co-authored it with her mother. I can’t imagine how hard it must have been to put memories like this together, for both of them.

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​This book started with Yvona’s love of food and cooking. She’s been writing a weekly column for her local newspaper since 2005. I’m not surprised that it turned into her third book, Garden Gourmet: Fresh & Fabulous Meals from your Garden, CSA or Farmers’ Market. Check out this book, and you’ll find 300 recipes. Best of all they’re grouped by the season. It’s spring now . . .  I wonder what Yvona would suggest for dinner tonight.

Yvona has published two poetry chapbooks that are out of print, at least on Amazon. Their titles – Different from 2017 and Adirondack Blue Seasons from 2018. BTW – a chapbook is a small paperback booklet filled with poems or works of fiction.

But there’s good news, I found this on Amazon – Adirondack Seasons Haiku. It came out in 2020, and it started life as a Haiku Challenge. I love reading the back story and discovering how a book was born.

Good in the Midst of Evil came out in 2022. Yvona co-authored this one with her mother. It’s the amazing story of how her mother changed names and identities repeatedly during the Holocaust, to survive. She also changed religion. Dana Fast was born Jewish, but she learned to present herself as a Catholic, to stay alive.

Her mother’s message – it’s unfair to deny the Poles their acts of heroism. They risked their lives, and their families to help her. Thanks to them Dana found good in the midst of evil, and she lived to tell.
​
I loved Dana and Yvona’s book so much I posted a review on Amazon, Goodreads, and Barnes and Noble.  You can read it for yourself!

​

This is Yvona’s newest book, Loon Summer. Each spread starts with one of her poems. Then it adds in the perfect photo to illustrate it. The spread ends with a fun science fact about loons. They’re fascinating, especially the way they talk to each other!

​



​This book surprised me. Yvona never mentioned it. I stumbled across it on Amazon. Autumn Dance came to life because of The Autumn Chapbook Challenge. I’m glad Yvona took it and turned it into this book she published in March of 2023.

Her poems are incredible, and they just come! I’d rather pull my hair out than try to write poetry. When Yvona brings her poems to our critique group, we try to help her tweak them. Her words, are that good!

   


                                           Learn More at . . .
yvonafast.com
https://www.adirondackalmanack.com/2021/08/creative-adirondacks-writer-yvona-fast.html

Princesses are supposed to be practically perfect, right? They should be pretty and kind, and they should be able to read.

​What if the princess was pretty and kind, but she discovered she couldn’t read. What do you do with a princess like that, who isn’t quite perfect enough?
​
                                                                              Part 1 – A Princess and Dyslexia

This is that practically perfect princess as a baby. She’s with her grandmother and great grandmother. Together they’re three generations of the Windsor family. Do you recognize Princess Beatrice, Queen Elizabeth II, and the Queen Mum of England?
​
That was Beatrice – until she turned seven. That’s when she discovered life wasn’t so perfect. The print in her book looked muddled, like a bunch of gobbledy-gook. Why? Dyslexia, and it made Beatrice feel confused, like she wasn’t good enough, or smart enough. Imagine – a princess who didn’t feel like she was enough?!
​

Beatrice is a very private person, but in the last few years she started talking about her dyslexia. How as a child she noticed her best friends were ahead of her. They read yellow and green books, and Beatrice, she was left behind in the white ones.

I was surprised Beatrice felt lucky, but her friends and family never made her feel like she wasn’t enough. The people that surrounded her talked about how to move forward. They looked at what she could do, not at what she couldn’t. Beatrice talked to them about her struggles, and it changed minds, including her own. How could it not? Everyone is a sum of their capabilities and limitations.

During secondary school, which sounds like American middle/ high school, the princess got support from the Helen Arkell Dyslexia Centre, and it worked! Beatrice passed eight GCSE’s when she was 16. That’s the UK abbreviation for General Certificate of Secondary Education, and my guess is she passed eight tests. I wonder if she got eight certificates?!

Beatrice went on to pass three A-levels. In the US we’d call them college prep classes/end of year testing. She went on to college and graduated with a degree in History and the History of Ideas from Goldsmiths College in London. Here are two pictures of Beatrice, outside school of course.
​
The first picture is Beatrice skiing with her mom and sister back in 2004. She’s on the left. I did the math . . . She was 16 back then, and those GCSE’s must have been around the corner. 
​

​The second photo is of Beatrice with her baby sister Eugenie from 2013. I did the math again, and now Beatrice must be 24. She’s done all the hard work (school), and she’s working for a living. BTW – 2013 is the same year she became the Royal Patron for the Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity. Remember the group who helped her find coping strategies for her dyslexia? I bet it felt great to help the people who helped her.

Before covid, Beatrice worked for a software company. Her niche – communications and strategic partnerships. Best of all it played to her strengths in communication, and it’s much better than “sitting behind a desk.” She’s still at the same company, but Beatrice has worked herself up the ladder. Now she’s Vice President of Partnerships and Strategy at Afiniti.com. Would you believe it specializes in artificial intelligence, or that Beatrice says her dyslexia gave her an advantage?

She ended one of her interviews by saying that a lot of her colleagues have dyslexia, and that it’s a strength because they see things differently. They’re problem solvers who look for new ways to do things. They’re not afraid to be experimental or entrepreneurial. Beatrice said dyslexia turned into a gift. The best part – understanding that it’s not about what’s wrong with you. Dyslexia “is a great part of how your brain works, and everybody’s brain works incredibly differently.” What a great way to look at yourself and at your abilities! I imagine Beatrice’s parents are pretty proud of her 😊

                                                     ​​​Part 3 – Dyslexia: How to Recognize and Cope with It
Dyslexia makes it hard to match letters to sounds, whether they’re an individual letter or in combinations. It’s usually diagnosed when kids start formal reading, sometime in kindergarten or first grade, but it’s not a vision problem.

Here are some suggestions from Healthline.com. They’re common sense ideas that I can summarize for you. If you’d like to read their full article, this link will take you there: How to Help a Child with Dyslexia at Home: Ideas, Resources (healthline.com)
​

​1. Read together every day. It builds a relationship, and that’s always a good thing. Please do it in a way that fits your child. Sometimes I read a page, then one of my kids would read. If they didn’t know a word, I’d give them the first sound, wait a second, then give them the word. Other kids, I’d let them read as long as they wanted.

​2.  Focus on sight words. I used the Dolch Words, the 200 most common words in books. Think words like: is, been, the, are, or could to name a few. If your child is in kindergarten, they’re already bringing words like this home every night. 

3.  Repeat, repeat, repeat. I used to say repeat to remember, and remember to repeat. It works with math flash cards and sight words. It also works with the leveled readers that teachers send home. Each time your child reads them, they get faster and more confident. 

​4.  Create a nurturing place to study. Think comfy, and also being patient with your child. Sometimes it helps to think of times when something was difficult for you. What did you need to succeed? Try those same kinds of things with your child, age appropriate of course. 

​5.  Create a learning calendar and use it too keep track of progress or tasks to do. It’s great because kids can see their own growth, like how many words a minute they’re reading then, and now. If your child gets stuck, work together to get past the obstacle. 

6.  Make sure your child is getting enough sleep. I didn’t know that kids with dyslexia are more at risk for sleep disorders. I could tell when my 2nd graders weren’t getting enough sleep. When that happened, they didn’t do as well. I have sleep problems myself so I do these things as much as possible.
​
- establish a bedtime. Try to keep it at the same time, even on weekends.
- create an environment for sleep, like a dark room or a nightlight. Whatever your child needs.
- limit social media and electronics before bedtime. They stimulate you when it’s time to wind down.
- develop a sleep routine that you do every night before bed (a snack, brush teeth, read a book). Whatever fits your family.
Kids ages 5-13 need 9 to 12 hours of sleep each night. Teenagers aged 13-18 need 8 to10 hours.

​7.  Praise success and effort. You can do no more than your best. Your child can’t either. Remember, they already know they’re behind. Noticing those tries and successes builds confidence. Princess Beatrice said pushing back against dyslexia built her problem-solving skills and confidence. It can do that for your child too. 

8.  Use mnemonic devices. (new-mon-ic) They’re tricks to help you remember something.
​
- turn information into a song. I did. It helped my kids remember things like weather and landforms.
- letter or word imagery. Example – make b’s look like beds and d’s like dogs. For letter sounds like ow, I had ow as in cow, and ow as tow.
- acronyms like ROY G BIV. My second graders used that to remember the colors of the rainbow . . . red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.

​​9.  Find a tutor, especially over summer vacation. When I met my new 2nd graders, I could tell which ones read over vacation – they took off right away. The kids who didn’t took a few weeks to brush up on their skills.

Sources:
- Princess Beatrice's ongoing difficulty with 'muddled' thoughts swirling in her head (msn.com) 
- Watch Princess Beatrice Open Up About Her Dyslexia in Rare Interview (townandcountrymag.com)  
- Princess Beatrice: The Gift of Dyslexia - Dyslexia | Dyslexic Advantage
- How to Help a Child with Dyslexia at Home: Ideas, Resources (healthline.com)

Photo Sources:
By Archives New Zealand from New Zealand - Image from Christmas card issued by H.R.H. Queen Elizabeth II (1988), CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=122834578
​

​By File:Web Summit 2018 - Forum - Day 2, November 7 DF1 7541 (45765935451).jpg: Web Summitderivative work: Minerva97 - This file was derived from: Web Summit 2018 - Forum - Day 2, November 7 DF1 7541 (45765935451).jpg:, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8679423

​By Norbert Aepli, Switzerland, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5678659

​By Carfax2 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26706695

​When I think of whales, this is what I picture . . . one of them leaping out of the water. They are magnificent! How could such a huge and mighty creature find itself beached, without a chance of swimming back out to sea? It should be something that’s impossible.
​

​I’d never want to see a whale die like this – beached. Stuck in the sand, without a chance to escape, but 25 have died this way since December 1, 2022. Many, along the New Jersey and New York shoreline.

Our government has been studying these deaths since 2016, and 186 whales died in those six years. That’s a lot. The highest – 2017 – when 34 whales beached themselves. So, 25 whales in three months, that’s super high. I hope this isn’t a record-breaking year.

Scientists have done necropsies on 13 of those 25 whales. We have autopsies when we die to tell us why. Whales, they have necropsies.  Out of the 13 examined, 8 died because they ran into boats and ships. The other 12 whales – the scientists are still waiting on those results.

Usually if a whale beaches itself, it’s sick. Sometimes it’s trying to avoid sharks or killer whales. But 25, that’s way higher than normal. What’s going on? No one knows for sure. Some people suspect global warming. Others wonder if it’s the new offshore wind farms. Everyone has guesses, but no one knows the true answer, for sure.
​

​Source: As More Dead Whales Wash Up in NJ and NY, Officials Eye Research Into Wind Farms – NBC New York

                                               Part 2 – Which Whales Beached Themselves, and Where?
The NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) has been tracking where the whales beached themselves along the eastern seaboard. It’s mostly been on the shores of New York and New Jersey, but it stretches all the way down to Florida.

​Do you have trouble imagining the size of something large? I do. That’s why I added these two pictures to this post about whales . . . to help us imagine just how big they are. The average school bus is 35 feet long, probably longer than a classroom. And an elephant, he weighs about a ton, whether he’s from Africa or India.
​

​Humpback whales have suffered the most. Eighteen of these giant creatures have stranded themselves along beaches between New York and North Carolina.
​

​
 Only 3 sperm whales have been stranded, so far. They were found on beaches between New York and Florida. Three is a lot less, and they were scattered far apart along the Atlantic coastline.

Male sperm whales can be 52 feet long. That’s about a bus and a half. (Two buses are 70 feet in length.) Male whales weigh 50 tons. That’s 50 elephants sitting on your lap. No thanks!

Females, like the one in the photo, are about 36 feet long, just a little longer than your bus. They only weigh 15 tons, but I would still say no if 15 elephants asked to sit on my lap.

And a new baby whale – it’s only 13 feet long. If you add a yardstick to its length, you’d have half a bus. As for the weight, only 1.1 tons. That’s one elephant, on my lap? No thanks, I’d rather sit beside that elephant. Oh, I mean baby whale!
​

Meet a mama and baby North Atlantic right whale. I don’t understand why they’re right, not left. Maybe you can look it up and report back to me and my readers. Only two of the right whales have been stranded – along the shore of North Carolina and Virginia. I guess it’s good to be right 😊

Right whales are about 43 – 56 feet long. That’s about as long as the other two whales. The short ones are as long as a bus, plus the height of a 6-foot basketball player. The long ones are a bus long, plus four kids stretched out in front of it (if they’re about 5 feet tall).

And their weight? DO NOT let them sit on your lap! Each whale weighs about 100 tons. I don’t want to imagine 100 elephants anywhere near my lap ☹
​

These are sei whales! I’ll say . . . that’s how you say their name. Not like see or sigh. Only one of them has been stranded, along the North Carolina coast.

Sei whales are about 64 feet long. Put two school buses together. Then subtract that 6-foot basketball player.

These whales are long and thin, and they only weigh 31 tons. I thought they were the thinnest, but female sperm whales have them beat by 16 tons. Still, I’d prefer those 15 elephants, or 31, sitting beside me, not on my lap. 
​

 
                                                     Part 3 – A Summary and My Conclusions:
​               These are results over 3 months, from December 2022 through February 2023…
Number                            Kind                                                                               Location
18                                         humpback whales                                                 New York to North Carolina
3                                            sperm whales                                                           New York to Florida
2                                            North Atlantic right whale                               North Carolina and Virginia
1                                            sei whale                                                                      North Carolina
1                                            minke whale                                                               New York

Did you notice that no whale has beached itself north of New York? Or that most of these whales are choosing beaches north of North Carolina? It must have something to do with the water temperature. Evidently these whales like colder water, especially the humpbacks who have suffered the most.

I hope scientists can figure out why whales are doing this, and then find a solution. I would hate to see the humpbacks, or any of the other whales, disappear from the earth. Fingers crossed!

​

Sources:
Map: The original was edited by Andrew c to include Nova Scotia, PEI, Bahamas, and scale key.It was originally uploaded to the English Wikipedia with the same title by Wapcaplet:20:57, 9 October 2005 . . Dbenbenn . . 959x593 (339217 bytes) (fix South Carolina label)20:27, 9 October 2005 . . Dbenbenn . . 959x593 (339227 bytes) (typo, Massachussetts -> Massachusetts)19:01, 9 October 2005 . . Dbenbenn . . 959x593 (371653 bytes) (crop, and remove some shapes (rivers, highways, capitals, lakes) that didn't display anyway)13:18, 23 September 2005 . . Ed g2s . . 990x855 (978668 bytes) (fix (removed <image /> tag))23:48, 23 September 2004 . . Wapcaplet . . 0x0 (978926 bytes) (SVG map of the United States. Created by Wapcaplet. {{GFDL} }) - see below, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=362916

​Sperm Whale photo - By Gabriel Barathieu - https://www.flickr.com/photos/barathieu/7277953560/, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24212362

Information: As More Dead Whales Wash Up in NJ and NY, Officials Eye Research Into Wind Farms – NBC New York

Started 2/19                                                             Finished 2/27
I love this title . . . It reminds me of the old television show, Murder She Wrote, but this book is so much more than the events behind Disney’s Movie, Saving Mr. Banks.

Valerie Lawson took three years to write this book, and it reads like a story because she knew her character in and out. Would you believe she got to sit at P.L.’s desk a week or two after she died, and look around? OMG! Pamela’s son gave her permission.

P.L. was into philosophy, magic and mysticism so Valerie broke her biography into three parts – nymph, mother, and crone. P.L. was even OK with being a crone. Me – I’m still thinking about it.

The first time I read this book, it took two days, but this time it took me two months to reread it. That’s because I took time out to read all four Mary Poppins books, twice. Then I returned to reread and make notes on this one.

I want to write about P.L., Mary Poppins, and what I learned about both of them. Keep your eyes open – it might be another week or two before I get to write it, but believe me, it’s worth waiting for. Pamela is MORE fascinating than Disney’s version of her. 
​
​Amazon’s Description:
The spellbinding stories of Mary Poppins, the quintessentially English and utterly magical nanny, have been loved by generations. She flew into the lives of the unsuspecting Banks family in a children’s book that was instantly hailed as a classic, then became a household name when Julie Andrews stepped into the title role in Walt Disney’s hugely successful and equally classic film. But the Mary Poppins in the stories was not the cheery film character. She was tart and sharp, plain and vain. She was a remarkable character.

The story of Mary Poppins’ creator, as this definitive biography reveals, is equally remarkable. The fabulous English nanny was actually conceived by an Australian, Pamela Lyndon Travers, who came to London in 1924 from Queensland as a journalist. She became involved with Theosophy, traveled in the literary circles of W.B. Yeats and T.S. Eliot, and became a disciple of the famed spiritual guru, Gurdjieff. She famously clashed with Walt Disney over the adaptation of the Mary Poppins books into film. Travers, whom Disney accused of vanity for “thinking you know more about Mary Poppins than I do,” was as tart and opinionated as Julie Andrews’s big-screen Mary Poppins was cheery. Yet it was a love of mysticism and magic that shaped Travers’s life as well as the character of Mary Poppins. The clipped, strict, and ultimately mysterious nanny who emerged from her pen was the creation of someone who remained inscrutable and enigmatic to the end of her ninety-six years.

Valerie Lawson’s illuminating biography provides the first full look whose personal journey is as intriguing as her beloved characters.

​

Started 2/4                                                                             Finished 2/19
This is the 4th Mary Poppins book, but it felt like the end of the series. When I checked, Amazon carried the first four, then skipped to #7 and 8. If you want #5 and 6, you have to search for them.

IN THE PARK started with an author note, like #3. This time she wanted readers to understand that Mary couldn’t come and go forever. She’d done it three times already, and that’s a magic number in fairy tales. P.L. loved mixing them into her plots.

The chapters this time could be added to any one of her three earlier books, and the characters . . . many returned for encore adventures. If you don’t recognize them, I think you’ll enjoy meeting them now.

The Park book has six stories, but I picked two to share. The first was the Goosegirl and the Swineherd. It’s all about how every character sees themselves as someone cooler, like a prince or princess. The only one who doesn’t . . . Mary Poppins, of course.

The second has a tea party under the dandelions. That caught my attention . . . P.L. built tiny houses in Saving Mr. Banks, and said she did it as a kid. In 1952 she put them into this book. 

​Amazon’s Description:
Who else but Mary Poppins can lead the Banks children on such extraordinary adventures? Together they all meet the Goosegirl and the Swineherd, argue with talking cats on a distant planet, make the acquaintance of the folks who live under dandelions, and celebrate a birthday by dancing with their own shadows. And that’s just for starters!

​

Started 1/22                                                                  Finished 2/4
The more Mary Poppins books I read (I’m on #3), the more I realize how very British it is. The movie reflects more of Walt Disney than P.L. Travers. Plus, readers get to travel back to Britain of 1943, almost a century ago. This one opens with an explanation about Guy Fawkes Day.

In 1605 people were upset with King James I and Parliament. They came up with the Gunpowder Plot. It was discovered and stopped on November 5, 1605. Guy Fawkes was one of its leaders, and he was executed. Today Britain celebrates him in fireworks. King James – forgotten.

P.L. wrote her first author’s note for this book. She explained that Guy Fawkes Day stopped in 1939 – because of World War II. You can’t have fireworks when the enemy’s dropping bombs. In 1943 when Pamela published this book, she wrote that someday, it would be celebrated again, and it has been, ever since World War II ended. Chapter 1 begins on Guy Fawkes Day.

This is my favorite book, so far. Pamela pulled out all the stops. She wrote about the things she loved, like stars and folk tales. Each chapter is a gem of a story. Britain was depressed and gloomy in 1943. Guy Fawkes fireworks – banished – for four years. No end in sight. There’s nothing like a book to brighten life, for readers and writers. If you’re feeling gloomy in 2023, my suggestion – try this book.  

Amazon’s Description:
From the moment Mary Poppins arrives at Number Seventeen Cherry-Tree Lane, everyday life at the Banks house is forever changed. This classic series tells the story of the world's most beloved nanny, who brings enchantment and excitement with her everywhere she goes. Featuring the charming original cover art by Mary Shepard, these new editions are sure to delight readers of all ages.
​
Mary Poppins reappears just in time! According to her tape measure, Jane and Michael have grown "Worse and Worse" since she went away. But the children won't have time to be naughty with all that Mary has planned for them. A visit to Mr. Twigley’s music box-filled attic, an encounter with the Marble Boy, and a ride on Miss Calico’s enchanted candy canes are all part of an average day out with everyone's favorite nanny.​

​Most people strive for perfection – the perfect wedding, the perfect vacation, the perfect you. Perfect, truly perfect is incredibly difficult to achieve. You could work your entire life, yet never reach it. I found three inspiring quotes about perfection to share with you. 
​

It was Tyra Banks. If you’ve never heard of her, she’s one of the world’s top models. If anyone wanted to be perfect, you’d think it’d be a model, but Tyra actually encourages young models to be themselves. To embrace what makes them special. What sets them apart, what makes them beautiful.

Tyra wasn’t always successful. In middle school kids teased her about her looks. They thought of her as the ugly duckling. You know the one who became a swan? So did Tyra.

Tyra started modeling at age 15. She failed repeatedly, but she didn’t quit. She was rejected by four agencies before LA Models signed her. Then she moved to Elite Model Management, one of the top agencies in the world. That would have been around 1989 when she turned 16.

Tyra got involved in lots of different businesses over the years, from movies to music, television to teaching, cosmetics to writing. She continued to reinvent herself. You need to be brave to do that, ready to own your own mistakes. It’s the only way to grow. I haven’t read any of her books, but I love the title of the one she wrote with her mother in 2018. Its title . . . Perfect is Boring. I totally agree!
​

   Sources:
- Quote:  Daily Inspiration | Inspiring Quotes
​- Information:   Tyra Banks - Wikipedia
- Photo: By VOGUE Taiwan - 泰拉班克斯走秀摔倒才不怕：「多跌幾次」讓別人以為你是故意的！How Tyra Banks Would Handle Peter Kavinsky｜拆解經典電影｜Vogue Taiwan, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=95508569
​
​

Whoever said this, might agree that these two babies show the opposite sides of perfect care. The first one is so happy. Clearly her parents love her dearly.

​The second baby looks like she’s in the middle of a meltdown, but that doesn’t mean she’s unloved. Her parents are probably struggling to figure out what she wants. When they do, she’ll be happy and content again. So, who said it?
​

It was Fred Rogers. You know, Mister Rogers, the one with the neighborhood? Fred didn’t have the perfect childhood, but it doesn’t mean he wasn’t loved. His parents probably struggled with how to help him.

Fred was shy, introverted, and overweight as a kid. He was also stuck at home because of asthma attacks. Would you believe he was bullied? Kids can be mean. How did Fred survive it? He created his own world in his bedroom. Later bits and pieces of that world became Mister Roger’s Neighborhood.

Fred focused on a child’s developing psyche. On their feelings and the way they reasoned their way through problems, especially moral and ethical ones. His show modeled civility, tolerance, sharing, and self-worth. It handled hard things like the death of a pet, sibling rivalry, new babies, moving, and divorce. These are the problems of childhood, and I’m speaking as a retired second-grade teacher. They’re also the things families struggle with. I’m glad Fred was there to give us a helping hand.

Another piece of Fred’s legacy showed up nine years after his death. It was a new show created from some of his characters . . . Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood. It touches young children the same way Fred did. My grandchildren watch Daniel Tiger. They love him, and I love what he’s teaching them about feelings and reasoning. They’re the same things that Fred learned from his own experiences, then shared with his audience.
​

​Sources:
Quote:  Daily Inspiration | Inspiring Quotes
Information:   Fred Rogers - Wikipedia


​
​

Whoever said this, might agree these photos fit their statements. The first one shows a beautiful river flowing through a city. It’s perfect now, but what if there’s too much rain, and it runs off into the river? It won’t stay perfect. Nothing does.

Monday, February 20th is Presidents’ Day.
It’s a great time to quiz yourself on presidential knowledge.

Part 1 – Presidents and Colleges
1.  How many United States Presidents never attended college?
7     9     17     21
​
2. How many presidents graduated from Ivy League schools since 1980?
1   3   5   7

​And the answers are:  

1.  Nine presidents didn’t go to college, at all. They include . . . George Washington, Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren, Zachary Taylor, Millard Fillmore, Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, Grover Cleveland, and Harry Truman. Everyone since Harry has had a college degree. PS – James Monroe studied at the College of William and Mary but never graduated.

2.  Five presidents in a row have come from the Ivy League. They include . . . George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush. They all graduated from Yale. Barack Obama went to Harvard, and Donald Trump graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. PS – Our current president, Joe Biden, broke the Ivy League streak.
​

Sources:
More Info: getunbound.org
https://quizzclub.com/games/daily-trivia/how-many-us-presidents-never-attended-college/answer/1796158/

​

​Part 2 – Presidents and Citizenship
3.  How many US presidents were born as British subjects?
4   6    8   10
 
4.  Out of that number, how many presidents enjoyed dual citizenship at birth?
(Both American & British)
0   1   2    3
 
And the answers are . . . ​
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3.  The total number of US presidents who were born as British subjects – 10. Eight of them were born before the 13 colonies became the United States of America. Their names . . . George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, and William Henry Harrison. That’s 8. What about the other two?

4.  Two presidents had dual citizenship when they were born, so they were considered British subjects AND American citizens. They were born AFTER we became a country, after 1789. They were  . . . Chester A. Arthur and Barack Obama. 
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Sources:
More Info: en.wikipedia.org
How many US presidents were born as ... | Trivia Answers | QuizzClub
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​Part 3 – Presidents Captured during the Revolutionary War
5.  Which future US President was captured by the British during the American Revolutionary War?
James Madison             James Monroe             Andrew Jackson              John Quincy Adams
 
6.  How old was he?
13           23          33          43
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And the answer is . . . 
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​5.  That was Andrew Jackson. He was born on the frontier, between North and South Carolina in March of 1767. His parents left Ireland to come to the US. Andrew grew up as an orphan because everyone in his family, except for one person, was killed during the war. He was exceptional – growing up from humble beginnings. He became a celebrated soldier, and one of our country’s most influential presidents.

6.  Andrew was a courier when the British captured him. His age – 13. He’s the only prisoner of war to ever become president. Andrew, the orphan, went onto work in Tennessee as a lawyer, plantation owner, Tennessee Supreme Court justice, senator, and governor of the Florida Territory. He beat the British in the Battle for New Orleans. That was during the War of 1812. That’s when he became a national hero.
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John Quincy Adams, son of the second president, beat him in his first presidential campaign, but it was so close the House of Representatives had to decide the winner. They chose Adams. Andrew defeated him in his second try. He went on to serve two terms as president. Check out the $20 bill if you’d like to see his picture. 
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Sources:
More Info: en.wikipedia.org
Which future U.S. President was... | Trivia Answers | QuizzClub
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