By CANDY FERGUSON

Tomorrow is the deadline for turning in this Villager article from Solo Sisters . And I have writer ’ s block , which is funny because

FERGUSON I don ’ t consider myself a writer . I just happen to write this monthly article and occasional birthday cards to friends and family . I have started this article at least three times with different subjects , ranging from recovering from death of a friend , to preparations for our own demise . Nothing cheerful , therefore rejected by yours truly .

Personally , I get tired of writing about the latest Solo Sister gathering . At our most recent event we enjoyed a potato bar , salad bar and desserts and for entertainment we played either Chicken Foot or Left Center Right . There was lots of fun and laughter ,

but nothing to write home about or to expand on in this article . At our next meeting we are going to provide our own Happy Hour since local restaurants are making it hard for us to show up with a group of 30 – 35 people and expect to be served . San Blas Mexican and Backstop Bar & Grill in Canby love us , but that ’ s about it – within comfortable driving distance of Charbonneau .

Have you seen any good movies lately ? Tonight is the Academy Awards show and I used to pride myself on seeing up to 90 % of the movies prior to the awards season . This year I have seen only four of the 10 nominated movies , which surprises me that I have seen that many ! They count even though I watched all of them on TV , right ?

Well , before I put either you or myself to sleep , I ’ m going to end with my usual invitation , which is that if you are a single woman living in Charbonneau and would like to learn more about Solo Sisters , please send an email to Deanna Morgan at deannamorgan @ gmail . com , and she will be happy to reach out to you .

317 words , not bad !

By DAVE MAUK

The Charbonneau Nonfiction Book Group is putting the idea that you can ’ t get too much American history to the test , by reading backto-back-to-back books on the topic . The central cast features three U . S . presidents whose impact on our nation is iconic . There is no foundation without Washington ’ s tenacious strength , no purpose without Jefferson ’ s aspirational vision and no endurance without Lincoln ’ s moral courage .

As one of our readers said discussing “ American Sphinx , The Character of Thomas Jefferson ,” ‘ Americans are hard on their presidents , expecting perfection and knocking them off their pedestals when , like the rest of us , they prove imperfect .’ We showed that to be the case , in whittling away at the symbolic monument of a founding father selected as one of the greats . By the end of our session , Jefferson ’ s exalted status was intact , though slightly tarnished .

We fought the urge to erase his legendary accomplishments due to the stain of slavery . Another dozen presidents presided absent the harshness of that judgment , and , as the third president , with wars past and near , foreign powers lurking , a teetering nation nursing its scars , one can see the justification for avoiding new wounds for what was certain to be a war of the nation with itself . Which brings us to Abraham Lincoln .

“ And There was Light ,” by Pulitzer Prize winning author Jon Meacham , is teed up as our next book . Lincoln ’ s moral convictions were firmly in place as he faced a bitterly polarized and divided nation . Before blood colored the soil of Civil War battlefields , he was vilified on one hand and looked at as a savior on the other . There will be many opportunities for comparing the third and 16th presidents with each other , and the historical mountains they climbed . As a group , we concluded that , given those challenges and context , our current controversies pale in comparison .

Our next meeting will be April 8 at 1:30 p . m .. We welcome new members to join us for good books and lively discussion .