Mamie's 2013 Madness (Page 3)

This photo always cracks me up - that's Dan doing his "Captain Morgan" pose on top of Abby.

Currently Reading


January
1. Dreaming of the Bones by Deborah Crombie (4.25 stars)
2. Between, Georgia by Joshilyn Jackson (4 stars)
3. Alice in the Country of Hearts by QuinRose
4. A Bride's Story by Kaoru Mori
5. The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt (4 stars)
6. Maus I by Art Spiegelman (4.5 stars)
7. Black Hearts in Battersea by Joan Aiken (4 stars)
8. In the Woods by Tana French (4.5 stars)
9. Volt by Alan Heathcock (4 stars)
10. Emma by Karou Mori (3 stars)
11. Maus II by Art Spiegelman (4.5 stars)
12. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (4 stars)

Okay, so I have been working on my list of January possibilities, and here's what I came up with. I am going to really try this year to reduce the number of unread books on my shelves, so I did join the ROOTs challenge (Read Our Own Tomes), and my thread for that challenge can be found here: Mamie ROOTs for the Home Team. It's a bit spartan at the moment.

January Possibilities

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy GR thread here: Anna Thread (TILOI #3) - ROOT (audiobook) - COMPLETED

Between, Georgia by Joshilyn Jackson (TIOLI #7) - library book - COMPLETED
Dreaming of the Bones by Deborah Crombie (TIOLI # 2) - ROOT - COMPLETED
Round Mountain by Castle Freeman, Jr. (TIOLI #9) - ROOT
Howl's Moving Castle by Dianna Wynne Jones (TIOLI #14) - ROOT
Black Hearts of Battersea by Joan Aiken (TIOLI #6) - ROOT - COMPLETED
The Pale Criminal by Philip Kerr (TIOLI #8) - ROOT
The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie (TIOLI #11/shared) - ROOT
Case Histories by Kate Atkinson (TIOLI #9/shared) - Christmas Gift: Thank you, Stasia
Sacred by Denis Lehane (TIOLI #1/shared) - ROOT

Hey, Wait a Minute... These Weren't On the Original List!

A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin (TIOLI #2/shared) - ROOT
In the Woods by Tana French (TIOLI #11) - library book COMPLETED
Maus by Art Spiegelman (TIOLI #1/shared) - ROOT - COMPLETED
Alice in the Country of Hearts by QuinRose (TIOLI #22) - ROOT - COMPLETED
The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt (TIOLI #13/shared) - ROOT - COMPLETED
A Bride's Story by Kaoru Mori (TIOLI #22) - Abby's book - COMPLETED
Volt by Alan Heathcock (TIOLI #1) - library book COMPLETED
A Literary Guide to Flannery O'Connor's Georgia by Sarah Gordon - library book
Maus II by Art Spiegelman (TIOLI #1) - ROOT - COMPLETED
Emma by Karou Mori - ( TIOLI # 22) library book - COMPLETED

Because I am completely insane, I am also trying to complete a pyramid challenge for the Lucky 13 Challenge, so I will picking my possible reads each month so that I can also fit them into the pyramid that Abby (my 16 year old daughter) and I created. We used a game show theme, and here are the categories we came up with:

The Categories:

1. Truth or Consequences - nonfiction
2. What's My Line? - biographies and memoirs
3. Beat the Clock - time travel
4. Let's Make a Deal - I agree to read four Manga books and Abby agrees to read four mysteries - we are each trying a genre new to us that is a favorite of the other.
5. Name That Tune - books set in or about Georgia, our new home state
6. Treasure Hunt - graphic novels
7. Hollywood Squares - books made into movies
8. Queen For a Day - historical fiction
9. Joker's Wild - right now it is anything goes, but Abby and I will each choose our own category for this
10. The Price is Right - books found on sale, at a used book store, or borrowed from the library
11. Match Game - books in a series
12. Press Your Luck - authors new to each of us
13. Pyramid - books published in 2013

You can find our Lucky 13 Challenge thread here: Crazymamie's Lucky 13

Checked It Out: (books that I have out on loan from the library)

Into the Woods by Tana French
The Women of Brewster Place by Gloria Naylor
The Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby
Volt by Alan Heathcock
A Literary Guide to Flannery O'Connor's Georgia by Sarah Gordon
Edith Wharton by Hermione Lee
Emma by Karoru Mori

Books Purchased in 2013:
1. Sandman, Volume 1: Preludes and Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman
2. Dog Stars by Peter Heller
3. Snow White Must Die by Nele Neuhaus
4. The Fairest Beauty by Melanie Dickerson
5. Nightbirds on Nantucket by Joan Aiken

Hi Mamie!
I know this will be a nice new thread. Can't wait. Have to go to bed soon. ;-)

What a great reading list you have for January.

Hi, Mamie! Interesting photo (?)

Great reading list!

How are you liking Maus?

Happy new thread! And I love the picture up top and the one of you and Abby! It's so nice to be able to put a face with a name :-)

Oh Mamie! While I might not be able to keep up with you, I will drop in from time to time! How are you enjoying A Game of Thrones? I am up to the 4th book, but have yet to start reading it.

Cee - You are first!! I'm so glad that the cortisone did the trick for your shoulder, and that you are feeling better. I appreciate your confidence in the quality of my thread!!

Linda - Thanks! No losers so far, so that's good.

Terri - LOL! It's Dan being...well, Dan! We have one in reverse where Abby is the conquering hero. And glad you like my reading list!

Ellen - I have not actually started it yet - it's on deck, so I will start it either tonight or tomorrow.

Katie - Thank you! I always like to put a face with a name, too.

Brit - Hello there! So very lovely to see you! I am loving A Game of Thrones so far. I'm not quite half way through it and totally caught up in the storyline. Ready for book 4? You are WAY ahead of me!

Yay, I am all caught up here.... for now!

*Wave Hi to Mamie*

I love your new thread. To go back to your previous thread, that was a great discussion regarding library loan/hold limitations. I learned a learned a lot from that discussion. I wouldn't do well with only 5 holds/loans allowed at a time, but it sounds like your library is new and it will probably change its policy as the library grows and they get a better handle on the patron activity levels. I have never heard of a library starting out with overflowing shelves of books! My library system allows 60 loans and 60 holds at any given time - I have never maxed out either one of those limits and don't see that happening any time soon! - but I am sure our large limits are mostly due to the fact that there are 10 library branches in the system, and I can place holds for books from any one of those branches. Like you said, the fact that you have access to a library for books is a good thing, regardless of the limits!

I hope you and your family have an enjoyable weekend, Mamie, and I will see if I can make it back here before you move on to your next thread!

Ah, you're reading 'In the Woods'. Lots of Tana French fans in this group, including me. I hope you're liking it.

Love the photo of you and Abby -- what a lovely pair!

Mamie, that is such a lovely photo of you and Abby - it is so nice to see you! I hope you enjoy In The Woods - it's a great series.

Edited as typing on the Fire leads to mayhem.

Guessing you won't be taking photos like the topper in Georgia any time soon!

All caught up Mamie - congratulations on thread three and still leading the way for the ladies in posts although Nora is putting up one heck of a display (mainly Canadian beefcakes) too.

Lovely shot of you and your co-conspirator in your Lucky-13 challenge and very inventive it is too.

It is always such a pleasure to drop by here. Have a lovely weekend.

Morning Mamie- Love the new thread and the Captain Morgan pose! Also great photo of you and Abby. Good luck with your Challenges. It's amazing that we already have a chunk of our reading year planned. Yikes!
Go Broncos!

Lori - So lovely of you to catch up! Yes, the library is new - we moved here in October, and the library opened after that, I am thinking in November, so it's just a baby. Every time we go in there, they seem to have a few more books on the shelves, so I am very hopeful that this library will be a busy and thriving place before too long. It's has tons of seating which I am thrilled about, and the layout has been well thought out. I can live with the five books out and holds count because Craig has given me his card, so I will use mine for borrowing books from the shelves and his for requesting and checking out holds and ILL. I do like to read more than one book at a time and often have more than five going at once, so being able to have five out and still request five more should be just about perfect.

We should have a great weekend, thanks for your good wishes. The weather is supposed to be gorgeous and there is football on both days, so I'm all set!

Julia - I am liking the Tana French book. I like the characters and I like the writing. The prologue of the book really reminded me of how Ray Bradbury writes, and it did a lovely job of setting up the backstory, then she switches her writing style a bit for the modern day stuff. I was glad to read the comments on your thread about how the next book does not feature this pair (Rob and Cassie) because I would have been so disappointed when I picked up the second book if I had not known that ahead of time.

Reba - Thank you!

Susan - Thanks! I am loving In the Woods, and plan on continuing in this series. I know all about trying to type on a Fire - it surely does lead to mayhem!

Jenny - So true! It was fun having snow while the kids were little because they all loved playing in it. I loved watching it fall and the beautiful way that it blanketed the ground, but I am not missing shoveling it or driving in it. I think the Georgia weather will suit us nicely for this stage of our lives.

Paul - When it comes to myself, I have not one competitive bone in my body, so wherever I fall within the pack will be just fine with me. I am thrilled just to be IN the pack - surrounded by all of these book-loving, warm individuals with generous hearts.

Abby and I had so much fun building our pyramid, and now we are having even more fun trying to complete it! Thank you for your kind words and compliments!

*I called Lori by the wrong name (Pat) - I am SO sorry, Lori!

I, for one, don't miss the snow - but your topper photo is great! The one of you and Abby is great, too. Can't pretend you aren't related!

Is that YOU? An actual pic of you? Finally!!! You are beautiful :) Of course so is Abby, as she clearly takes after you :) #MadeMyDay!

I am not missing the snow yet either - we'll see how I feel about that done the road, but we can always visit the snow! I am loving all of the sunshine and warmth, and the weather has been great for Craig's arthritis, which usually really bothers him in the winter. Glad you like the thread topper - Daniel and I have the exact same sense of humor! Abby looks the most like Craig's sisters out of all of our girls, but she did get my eyes, and Craig thinks that she has my smile.

Kath - Yep - it's me! I have posted pics of me before, but they were always old ones - I just love old photos. This one is very current - taken just last week. And thank you - lovely words from a lovely lady! Happy to have made your day, sis!

We're due snow before the end of the weekend. I really don't want it - I love the look of it but it makes life such a hassle, especially over here where we are not used to it at all.

It's only got up to 1C today, which most people will laugh at, but in Southern England we are so temperate, we only tend to vary 25 degrees C either way, between about -1C and around 22C in the middle of summer. Sometimes we even get up to 25C!!!

So I'm not appreciating this cold spell we're in for :(

>21 Crazymamie: Go Broncos! I'm working today until 5 so you'll have to cheer louder to make up for my inattention during the 1st half hour of the game.

Jenny - That's exactly it - I love the look of it but not the hassle and work of it, too! And I had to convert the celsius to fahrenheit, but 1C is cold! We will beat your temperature high here in Georgia today - already it is 67F and going to 80F, which is about 27C if I did my calculations correctly - and it's winter here supposedly! I think I would love your temperate weather!!

Carrie - I will cheer louder! You can count on me!

I'm coming to move in with you Mamie. 27C in winter *sigh*

Ha! Love that Captain Dan and Abby pic up top, and the one of you and Abby, Mamie!

Good luck with the Broncos! Are you going to become an Atlanta fan at some point?

^^Ahem...

Lovely new thread! Love the pictures you have posted! You & Abby are so cute!

Go Peyton! In regards to the snow, I have a lot of friends who went to the Family History Library in Salt Lake this week to get some research for clients or for their own families done before SLIG (Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy) begins Monday morning. They all were quite disappointed when the library closed early yesterday due to the snow. There were rumors that it was going to be closed today as well, but fortunately they have discovered that it's open.

Jenny - So excellent!

Joe - Glad you love the photos! And thanks for the good wishes for our Broncos!! An Atlanta fan...hmm...I guess we'll have to wait and see on that one. I don't see Peyton playing for the Broncos anytime soon.

Mark - LOL! Iam SO sorry, friend! I am glad that you liked the photos - the Captain Morgan one just makes me laugh every time! And I am liking that we have a chunk of our reading year planned because I think it will help to keep me on track - I have a stack of books that I am really wanting t get to this year, and planning helps. I always like to think of a plan as a guideline anyway, so I don't mind going in a completely different direction should the mood strike me. Thanks so much for your good wishes concerning my challenges! And sorry again that I somehow managed to miss your post. You know I'm crazy about you!!

Tina - Thank you! What kind and generous words!

Lori - Yes! Go Peyton! Closures due to snow - I think those days are long gone for me!

LOL! Sorry, I couldn't help myself. Snickering...

Remember, Mark, that we have to stick together...safety in numbers and all that...

Hi Mamie! Your threads move so fast that I hopped into this one before totally catching up with the last one just because it was shorter! I loved the picture of you and Abby. You're both beautiful! I particularly like your haircut and am trying to figure out if it's something that might work for me. My hair is thin but I have alot of it and it has a bit of a wave and it sort of looks like yours does too. I've been loving having short hair and while I want longer bangs, the rest of it I'll be happy to have stay as short as possible.

So many people are reading and loving Anna Karenina that I wish I could join you but after joining the GRs for Team of Rivals and A Tale of Two Cities and failing to finish either one, I decided to wait to start AK.

I always get slightly thrown off when I see LTers routing for the Broncos. They are our college football team and 90% of Boise is crazy about them. Their colors are also blue and orange. Hope your Broncos win!

Morning Mamie -- hope your weekend is going well.

Hi Pat! I know what you mean about the threads - I am struggling to keep up right now, and it feels discouraging when I am behind by more than fifteen or so posts. It's so much easier to jump into a new thread! I am waiting for things to settle in to a slower rhythm.

If your hair is thin but you have a lot of it, then this haircut would work for you - you just described my hair! I like short, too - so much easier and faster in the mornings.

I am loving Anna Karenina - the audiobook version that I am listening to is very well done. I love GRs, but I tend to drag behind everybody else, so I have to be careful about reading the posts on the group thread. I just go at my own pace and don't worry about keeping up. I was reading Team of Rivals along with everyone else, but I just wasn't in the right mood, so I have set it aside for now, and I'll pick it back up when the time is right. That's one of the things that I love about this group of individuals - they aren't sanctimonious or pushy, they are just happy to embrace you wherever you are and travel your reading journey with you. Joyous! I have two big ones going right now, as I am also reading Game of Thrones but AK and GoT are just so very different that it actually works well to read them at the same time.

That is so funny about your local college team being the same mascot and colors! Here in Georgia, college football is so much bigger than pro football, so it's all about the Georgia Bulldogs! This works for me because I can cheer on the Georgia Bulldogs wholeheartedly while still rooting for my Broncos and Colts!! Thanks so much for your good wishes for the Broncos today - I will be one sad Mamie if they lose.

Reba- The weekend is going great so far - it's GORGEOUS here today!

Hey Mamie. Hope you have a great weekend! I love the photo you posted too :-)

Checking in on the new thread, Mamie. Happy weekend!

Very glad your Anna Karenina audiobook is good! Audiobooks are so hit or miss, and I can see how a bad one would definitely influence one's enjoyment of a classic novel (or any novel, really).

Hi Mamie, checking out your new thread and I have to say I love the new pictures. Very nice. I finished up AK the other day and loved it. Hope you're enjoying your weekend:)

Mamie, I'm so sorry about the Broncs. I think they should have gotten a bit more aggressive when they had the ball with less than 2 minutes to go. They had the lead, but I trust Peyton with the ball and it certainly didn't work out to let Baltimore have the ball back! I was rooting for your team, that's for sure.

You will forgive me, won't you Mamie, if I tell you that I am quite relieved that the Broncos somehow failed to win yesterday? As a Pats fan I was dreading the confrontation that, up until the last minute last night, I thought was inevitable. Don't how they did not win.

Ah football :) I am just glad it's almost over. Although I have to say that I had to endure almost none of it this year, since the Steelers decided to not really play.

Good morning to you!

Mamie, I started Lonesome Dove this morning and I think you'll love it when you get to it! I am waiting for the snow here. There are rumours of it in Kent (not far from London) but no sign of it near me yet.

Mamie - Sorry about the Broncos. You have an ambitious year of reading planned. Nice picture.

We've watched a couple of parts of a History Channel series called Cowboys (I think). The second one, which we watched last night, told the real-life story that Lonesome Dove was based on. Rather interesting and a nice conneciton to what you're reading.

Sorry about the Broncos, Mamie. What a game!

I will soon be in mourning for the end of the season. It's a long wait until pre-season...

Hi Mamie, I cant comment on "the game" as I know nothing of it - oh look at that I just did comment, sort of :)
Nice new digs youve got yourself here. I think I will stick around!
(and Id like to read one of your acquired books soon too...Dog Stars- it'll be on my library list)

Sorry about the Broncos, Mamie. I made the mistake of rooting for them. "My" teams are out of contention, and it seems like every team I decide to root for loses.

Made Mamie's goto chicken today... yummy!

Are you soaking up your last day of warm? Rain tomorrow they say.. for you and for us, too!

Just stopping by to pass on my condolences re the Broncos game, Mamie. I was hoping they'd win.

That was a heartbreaking game yesterday, Mamie. We were planning our trip to Denver around the Super Bowl. I guess it doesn't matter now. I'm still in shock.

Congratulations on your second thread. I love the picture of you and Abby. I hope your team does well in the 13 Challenge!

Hi mamie, your thread is moving too fast, so I skipped a bit. I love your new photos at the top of your thread. It's nice to see a newer photo of you as well. And Abby looks so much like you :)
I wish you a lovely reading week!

Wow, Mamie! You are onto your third thread already! Maybe you really are " crazy." Or at least very quick! Great photo of your and your daughter.

Goooood Morning Mamie! So here we are at another week. Mine will be same same..
do you have any new adventures planned?

Hey Mamie -

Wow, your thread is moving along so fast! Way back some enormous number of posts ago, there was some discussion about Fantasy February and if The Warrior's Apprentice (which I cannot recommend highly enough) would count. As I recall, it was left up to the reader to decide what was fantasy. A spirited discussion on the topic took place, as you can imagine. One line of though was that all science fiction is fantasy (of a sort), but not all fantasy is science fiction. If you go along with that, you can certainly count it!

Happy Monday!

Alright, I think I have finally recovered from the Broncos loss on Saturday - that was a Bad Day at Black Rock as we say around here. They should have won that game, and I have to agree with Ellen that playing it safe in those last moments cost them the game. Enough said, I will move on. Thanks so much to all of you who kept my thread warm during my pouting absence.

Heather - Thank you! The weekend went very well except fort he afore mentioned loss. I am fine now *sob*, really, *sob* just fine.

Stasia - Thanks for checking in. Hope your weekend was fabulous.

Faith - I am very picky about audiobooks, because listening slows me down - just reading the print form is so much faster for me, so I only listen if they work for me. This one does.

Bonnie - So glad that you loved the pictures! And you finished and loved AK!! Winner, winner, chicken dinner! I have been sadly remiss in listening lately and need to get back on the stick. I am really hoping to finish it up this month. The weekend was lovely, thanks.

Ellen - I could not agree with you more. I am blaming the coaching staff - I think Peyton would have trusted in his abilities and put the game away. Thanks for rooting for them - that cheers me a bit.

Fourpawz2 - Nothing to forgive - everybody gets to cheer for their own team. That's part of the fun! Your Pats were looking good on Sunday - congrats on the win!

Kath - The Steelers need a new quarterback. Maybe next year. And despite the agonizing loss, I will be sad to see football season come to an end. There will be some withdrawal for me and perhaps a bit of pouting.

But there's baseball coming up, Mamie - the American Pastime!

Susan - Did you get your snow? And I am thrilled to hear that Lonesome Dove is off to a good start and that you think I will enjoy it. Hooray fort that!

Beth - Welcome to my thread! And thank you for your condolences - greatly appreciated. I am being ambitious this year, but I figure nothing ventured, nothing gained, so I'll just go for it and see. The worst that can happen is failure...and complete despondency...(um, just kidding). Thanks for your kind words - we figure that if we don't complete our pyramid, at least we will have had the fun of trying.

Reba - I will have to check that out - it sounds interesting! Thanks!

Katie - Thank you! And yes, what a game - YIKES! So we'll toast to the Manning brothers and wait patiently until we can do it all over again next year. Go Giants! Go Broncos! I do a bit of mourning when it is all over, too. I just love football season! It's not even over yet, and already I am missing it!

Megan - So glad that you're planning to stick around! I had to buy my own copy of Dog Stars because it has deckled edge pages - my weakness. Here's hoping you can get it from the library soon!

Terri - Thanks so much for that! Trust me, it wasn't you.

Kath - You made my chicken recipe - that tickles me! No rain i sight here, so far. It's bright and sunny - and 70F right now! We are supposed to get rain later in the week, though. ANd thanks for coming back to wish me a good morning! This week? Let's see - I have Lunch Bunch on Tuesday (this is the group of women that our realtor set up to be friends - remember me telling about that?) and a hair appointment on Friday which I might move to next week or even two weeks from now as I feel I am still looking fabulous! Park Day is usually on Thursday, but I don't know if they are meeting this week. Oh, and the pool guys are back, so I should have a pool update this week! Other than that, I got nothing!!

Mamie, yes, we got the snow! Only a little tiny bit overnight but it snowed a bit more around lunchtime, and we may get 2 - 4 cm overnight in London. There is no snow on the ground where I am - just rooftops. Still, it is pretty exciting for London! I am just about to go downstairs to the gym, and will then head home for some more Lonesome Dove if I can stay awake long enough after the exercising (which is doubtful).

Pat - Thank for stopping in! And thanks for your kind words and for rooting for the Broncos. I'm still a bit sad about the whole thing, but I'll live.

Donna - So true! It was heartbreaking - I felt like they had that game in the bag, and then they gave it away. Thanks so much for your kind words - Abby and I are having a lot of fun with the pyramid challenge.

Bianca - Skipping is perfectly fine. And glad you like the photos - filing away another comment that Abby looks like me! I'm secretly very pleased about that because everyone always says that she looks like Craig's family (and she does a bit), but I think she has my eyes. Thank you for your good wishes - that's what I'm hoping for, too!

Deb - I switched to new threads earlier than I needed to because I think that sometimes people feel overwhelmed when they get too far behind and there are too many posts to read - I know I do. SO, switching to a new thread earlier allows people to feel like they can jump into the new one and start fresh. It's my way of dealing with the thread craziness right now. Glad you liked the photo!

My condolences to all of you Seahawk fans - I know Ellen and Karen and Kerri. They played a good game, and I was shocked that the Falcons won in those final seconds. I wish we could all get together and toast to our teams and to a better season next year.

Well now, starting new threads also discombobulates some of us old fogeys who can't keep up and would need therapy if required to find new threads too often.

Just a little counterpoint...xo

But I use the that continuation feature that appears when you get to 200 posts, so my new thread is automatically starred for those who starred the previous one, yes?
And I'm back to add that you are not old. Just saying...XO

Happy Monday, Mamie. My week will consist of mostly boring things like housework. But Monday is the night my grandson comes for dinner so that it exciting. I also have a couple of good books on the go so overall, life is good!

>69 Crazymamie: No...the star is there automatically, but if it was a busy day on the threads, your older thread would sink down the tables and your newer one, not posted in by a given user, wouldn't appear. However, that's why Jim made the threadbook! It's a GODSEND!!

Good point - I did not think about that! Thanks, Richard!

Hi Mamie! I see your thread is moving fast these days! Glad to see everything is going well in your world :)

Hi Chelle! So far, so good. The New Year is off to a great start, and it feels like everything is falling into place.

Mamie,

Whew! I'd better start sleeping less if I'm going to keep up with your thread. :-) Love the "Captain Morgan" pose - although I had no idea the captain was a snow lover. ;-)

Hi Mamie!
You and Abby make a beautiful team. Nice picture ;-)

Dropping by and waving hi.

Book #6: Maus I by Art Spiegelman (4.5 stars)
Category VI: Graphic Novels

Originally published as a serialized insert over a period of eleven years in the magazine Raw, this graphic novel broke new ground between comic strip and novel, and was one of the works that helped to create a new genre. The first six chapters of that strip are gathered together in this first volume which was published in 1986. The remaining chapters were published in a second volume in 1991. In 1994, the two volumes were published together as The Complete Maus. We have these books as two separate volumes, and so here I will discuss just the first one.

Maus I is the story of Spiegelman's father, specifically it is the first part of the story of how Vladek Spiegelman survived the Holocaust as told to his son Art, making this a memoir. It's cleverly done, using mice to depict the Jewish people, cats to represent the German people, and pigs to delineate the non-Jewish Polish people. What I liked about this book was its contrasts. Black and white images combine with subtle and sophisticated humor and wit to bring Art's story off of the pages. Vladek's broken English and character flaws combine with Art's frustration and his struggle to understand his father to paint a picture that is real and vivid and speaks to the humanity in all of us. Highly recommended.

Visitors! You snuck in while I was writing my review - what a lovely surprise!

Maryann - So great to see you back here! And now you know that the Captain loves snow!!

Cee - Thank you! You always say the nicest things!

Linda - LOVE the graphic - thanks so much for that! Hope all is well with you.

Book #7: Black Hearts in Battersea by Joan Aiken (4 stars)
Category XII: Match Game - Books in a series

I just discovered this delightful series last year thanks to Heather and Dee. This is the second book in the series of The Wolves Chronicles by Joan Aiken, and although they were originally published in the 1960s, they are new to me. I wish that I had known about these children's books when my own children were smaller because they would make wonderful read aloud books. Packed with action and charming characters and dastardly villains whose evil plans must be foiled, these stories are just begging to be read at bedtime. Sophie and Simon are back from the first book, but we also get to meet an entire cast of new characters including my personal favorite Dido Twite. If you're looking for an adventure full of mayhem and humor that is for the young and the young at heart alike, this is a series not to be missed.

I wish we could all get together and toast to our teams and to a better season next year.

Lovely review of Maus, Mamie. I couldn't agree with you more.

Lovely graphic, Ellen! And thanks for your kind words. Feel better, my friend!

I've been wanting to read Maus but I never get to it...partly because I'm not a huge graphic novel fan. But I am willing to appreciate new genres every once in a while for the sake of a keeping an open mind. ;)

#80: Joan Aiken used to be one of my favourite authors when I was younger. My library had lots of her books, and I can still picture where they were shelved :-) I hope you enjoy the rest of the series, Mamie.

Hi Rachel - I don't read a lot of graphic novels, either. Trying something new this year, and trust me, this one is worth the read.

Thanks, Susan! My kids would have loved these stories - guess I'll have to save them to read to my grandkids (I'm hopeful) or my great nephews and nieces.

I have liberally applied thumbs-ups to your reviews, dearie, and wave happily as you go off for that Thai lunch. *smooch*

Thanks, Richard! I am excited about the Thai lunch - I just LOVE Thai! *smooch back*

What other graphic novels are you planning to read this year, Mamie, as you explore this genre?

*planning to check back later for the Thai food report*

Ellen - Sadly, I did not get to eat Thai today. We have rescheduled for next month -two out sick and one stuck waiting for the cable guy. I will be eating Thai before that though because my tastebuds were all set for it, so now I simply MUST have it!

Graphic novels? I am willing to take suggestions. I would like to get to Sandman, Volume 1, Pyongyang - which Joe recommended, Bone - a favorite of my kids, Daytripper - because we have this on the shelves, Serenity - also on the shelves, and of course, Buffy the Vampire Slayer Omnibus - we LOVE Buffy! We do have a rather large collection of graphic novels because the kids have been collecting and reading them for years. I need to read at least six for our pyramid, but I will probably end up reading more than that.

Feel free to shout out if anyone has suggestions!

Hi Mamie- Just checking in with you! Good review of Maus. It's one of my favorite GNs and I hope to own The Complete Maus one of these days. I think the 2nd book is even better.

Thanks, Mark! And good to hear about the second volume. What? No suggestions?! I'm shocked!

Mamie, I recommend Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic as one possibility for your six GN selections.

Adding it to the list, Ellen, just because you said so!

Mamie - Enjoyed your review of Maus I very much; that could be the place for the reading of my first graphic novel. I also agree with not putting the two works together as one book (I think Ellen is counting them as 1). Read at separate junctures they are clearly separate works and count as 2 books.

Better late than never huh? Hope it was a good day :)

I counted them as one because they came in one volume and I read them in one sitting. Otherwise, I would certainly have counted them (note plural) as two.

I keep thinking I'd like to tackle the complete Sherlock Holmes except that I would want to count separately published novels/novellas (e.g., The Hound of the Baskervilles, which I read in a standalone volume as a teenager) as separate books.

Paul - Thank you! And thank you for your support of my counting technique! I think even if we did have them as one volume, I would still count them as two books since they were originally published that way. Sometimes these things are tricky to decide.

Kath - YES! Better late than never!! It was a good day except that I didn't get my Thai food. Craig even went to the grocery store on his way home from work, so now I don't have to go to the market tomorrow - WHOOPIE!! And congrats to you on your official hired status!!

Mamie- "No suggestions?! I'm shocked!" That reminded me of Claude Rains in Casablanca. "There is gambling going on here?"
I just thought you had been taking notes through the past year on GNs and were all set. LOL. Stitches, Essex County, blankets, Safe Area Gorazde, all the Peter Sis GNs, the Imposter's Daughter, yada, yada, yada.

Ellen - LOL! And I would like to tackle the complete Sherlock Holmes, too - I have that all in one volume, but would definitely count the novels separately. I think if they have been published separately, you can count them separately.

Mark - OH! I LOVE that movie - and that part is so funny because I love the look that Humphrey Bogart's character gives to Emil when he hands Claud Rains' character his gambling winnings right after Rains shuts them down! And I was not taking notes on GN because I didn't know that I would be reading them. *looks away guiltily* So thanks for those.

OH!! Stitches: A Memoir!! I had forgotten that one. It's wonderful.

Sorry about the Thai food.. although it isn't one of my favorites, and I would consider avoiding it a bonus! lol

>>#101 For some reason, Bogie's, "Are my eyes brown?" always cracks me up.

And EVERYTHING Claude Rains says cracks me up. :)

Thai is my favorite. My first date with the hubs was to a Thai place by my office - where i am going tomorrow for a colleague's birthday! I'm thinking Singapore noodles with chicken. Can I send you some?

Hi Mamie, just want to back Mark up and agree that Blankets would be well worth your visiting, and The Complete Essex County is my favorite GN.

So, any plans for today? I have none.. work, home to cook.. then read.. so really not a pan just a day..

Ellen - A second vote for Stitches - I will have to check that out. Sounds familiar, but...

Kath - LOL! It's one of my favorites, so I will have to treat myself to she soon. I am missing my favorite restaurant in Muncie which was a Thai restaurant - everything was delicious!

Plans for today? Let's see...The Paver Guys are bringing all the pavers today - this will be the decking around the pool. The foundation under them is a pretty elaborate set-up. There are specific measurements of each thing that goes under them, so it is interesting to watch. There is still much work to be done before they actually start placing them. I'll try to post a couple pictures today to show the progress. Nothing else major - working with Birdy on some school work, laundry, getting the guest bedroom ready for company - Craig's nephew is on his way to Florida and will be stopping in over the weekend. He is six months younger than Rae, so twenty. It will be nice to see him if only briefly.

Liz! Lovely to see you! I love that line, too! They just don't make movies like that anymore with all that clever dialogue. And WHAT a cast! You're right about Claude Rains - I like him in just about anything, but he makes that character.

Katie - Me, too! And YES!! How thoughtful of you!

Judy - Thanks, I will check those out. And we have Emma by Kaoru Mori on the way to us - the library system had it, so it is in transit! Abby is very excited about that, and I will read it, too, so thanks for the suggestion.

Stitches: A Memoir and Fun Home have something in common that I found compelling. They are both memoirs of a childhood impacted by a difficult family and a personal quality that led to isolation and marginalization. Both the authors illustrate the role of drawing in providing solace and escape from the painful reality around them. I found them both to be very poignant and honest.

I'll chime in on Blankets and The Complete Essex County - both really excellent. So glad you found Kaoru Mori' s Emma!

You got me with your Black Hearts in Battersea review. I did enjoy The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, and will look for this one.

Good morning, my dear Mamie, I hope the pavers arrive and are stored without incident. Apart from that, it's time for coffee and pecan pancakes, don't you think?

Good morning afternoon, Mamie!

I think my favorite GNs from last year were the Aya books - and, of course, The Rabbi's Cat. I'm not a huge fan of them, but some are very impressive.

I do hope that they don't make the sequel to "Casablanca" that they've been talking about, even if it is based on a script by the original scriptwriter (whose name escapes me at the moment). Nothing they make will ever even come close to the magic of the original.

Ellen - I love to read memoirs, so those sound like good fits for me. I'll check the library system - which I am loving. And the holds don't count against me - there was something the matter with the coding on my card and so now it has been fixed and works just fine!! Hoping that Stitches isn't too much - I do not do well with child abuse. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts on those!

Joe - If you and Judy and Mark all recommend those, then I definitely have to hunt them down! Thanks so much! And Abby and I are both very excited about finding the elusive Emma. I think you will enjoy Black Hearts in Battersea when you get to it - it is everything a story told to a child should be - fanciful and fun and imaginative.

Richard - The pavers have come and gone without incident, so yes, certainly it's time for coffee and pecan pancakes. Have a seat and let me whip some up for you, dear!

Not really child abuse in Stitches, Mamie. Just alienation.

Dejah - I know - how did it get to be afternoon already?! I will check out those titles, thanks! And a sequel to Casablanca - "This is not to be borne." (to quote Lady Catherine from Pride and Prejudice). Nothing could possibly touch the original - I had not heard anything about a possible sequel. Disturbing!

Ellen - OK, thanks.

I do so love pecan pancakes! Thanks.

It's mizzle-plop raining and I hate that. When it's 35 outside, there should be no precipitation! Not until snow temps are reached. *grumble*

It is bright and sunny and 75 here - I'm still in shock with this January weather. It is supposed to rain later, though.

*sigh* sounds luscious right now...but in July, when it's 80 here and 112 there, I will mercilessly laugh and point!

I know. I know. I think the summer here is probably something to be reckoned with. I am not sure I am up to the task - there may be much whining.

I would expect there will be. Over 90 and over 80% humidity for four months will wear on a person.

One big reason I left Texas was summer temps over 100 for 90+ days. Sorry, no. Homeysexual here don't play that. YECH. Three showers a day and I still stank like sweat all the time.

LOL! Thanks so much for cheering me up about it! Mamie + High Heat and Humidity = Mad Mamie (guaranteed not to be pretty)

*note to self: Avoid Mamie from 1 May to 31 October*

Luckily we have central air conditioning - do I really need to go out? I shall rule like a queen from within.

mmmm

Groceries don't shop for themselves....

Craig always calls on his way home from work to see if I need anything, and Daniel has a license but no car. The perfect trade off - in return for picking up groceries here and there, he can have free use of the vehicle. It could work.

*crosses fingers for Mamie's fantasy construct to survive contact with men doing her grocery shopping, though without a huge amount of confidence in a positive outcome for the poor deluded darling*

My man has been doing grocery shopping for years and does just fine now that I've trained him to NEVER EVER EVER make a substitution for anything on the list. He ALWAYS gets it wrong.

Richard - Well...there might be a few flaws in my plan...*remembers that Craig did the grocery shopping last night on his way home from work and that now, for some strange reason, we have eight boxes of cream cheese and seven jars of gravy but no butter and no bread*

Good point Morphy! Train them first - do you think three and a half months will be enough time? It's so lovely to see you here, by the way!

Whew! Just caught up with you, Mamie! I just found out about the Wolves of Willoughby Chase series last year, and I love them too! Wish I would've known about them earlier. :)

This probably just confirms how weird we are, but P and I like to grocery shop together. Either one of us can shop, and sometimes does, but we've made it a routine to go for the weekly big shopping trip together on the weekend.

Of course, I have always loved grocery shopping. I mean, food, right?

>129 Crazymamie: The key is to give them a list and make sure they don't stray from the list. The list is king.

*snorts quietly to himself*

My wife always worries when I do the shopping or come along. Cookies, chips and cheese always manage to mysteriously show up in the cart. Plus various guest star food items. But give me a list, and I'll at least get those in there, too.

My dad isn't allowed to go shopping anymore - well, aside from toilett paper, kitchen towels, tissues and our weekly drink shopping - even with a list he still would bring the wrong stuff.
Although *scratch head*........I wonder, whether men sometimes do that on purpose, because they try "not" to go shopping *smile*

>134 jnwelch: Joe, I thought the purpose of a list was to specify the minimum purchases. I never thought it meant "only" these items, rather "at least" these items. Am I missing something?

Hi Laura! Welcome! I wish I had known about those books earlier, too - my kids would have loved them! Better late than never, I guess. They are such great fun!

Ellen - I like to grocery shop with Craig if there is no time limit and I am in the mood for it. Sometimes I love to grocery shop, and sometimes I think it is a pain. Just depends on my mood. But Craig is a nut in the store, and so I have to resign myself to coming out with way more groceries than I had planned on - but he is a lot of fun!

Morphy - He had a list, but he strayed big time! I didn't even have cream cheese or gravy on there - I'm guessing there was a sale. I don't know what happened. I will have to work on the not straying from the list part, that's for sure!

*hands Richard a hanky and points him toward the pecan pie on the counter*

Joe - Craig is pretty good about getting what is on the list, but he does feel free to make substitutions if he can't find what's on the list (this never works out), and he always brings home items that weren't on the list - usually lots of ice cream and popsicles and various frozen treats. The kids LOVE it!

Bianca - I think you bring up a very good point!

Ellen - That's exactly what Craig says every time!!!

*Brief Thread Announcement*

Ok - in going back through my thread earlier today to check something, I noticed two things that I feel badly about. First - I skipped over willowsmom when she posted. Yep, I completely skipped her - so sorry about that! I have sent you a PM. And second, I called Lori (ikernagh) Pat by mistake - I have corrected that, but again my apologies. Seriously, if I skip you or call you the wrong name say something because that is not my intention.

My father used to do OK with grocery shopping with very explicit instructions. My mother would make her grocery lists in the order you'd come to the items in the store and that made it pretty easy for my father. He did my grandmother's shopping for several years when she was housebound and that was a different story. She listed items as she thought of them, in no particular order. If I went with my father to do my grandmother's shopping, I handled the list and sorted through the items as we came to them in the store. If he had to do her shopping by himself, he went through the list item by item and zigzagged back and forth all over the store. I suppose the exercise was good for him.

My favorite shopping trip for my grandmother was the time she included "no bananas" on her list. (She usually asked for 3 or 4.) My dad and I felt obligated to stand next to the banana display and then walk away empty-handed.

Hi Carrie! I always try to list my items the way that they are organized in the store, too - just makes things faster and easier. And less likely that I will accidentally skip an item. I love the story about the bananas!! Reminds me of that song: "Yes, we have no bananas. We have no bananas today..." Remember that one?!

Yes, I always think of that song when I remember our grocery story!

My mom and dad have been married for 44 years now. My dad almost always does the grocery shopping alone. But, EVERY trip, he calls my mom multiple times to check on items that are on the list. A typical conversation:

Mom: talking about something random
Me: laughing and responding
PHONE - Dad: which size ____ did you mean?
Mom: answers, then resumes topic if she can remember
Me: remind her what she was saying
Us: laughing and resuming talking
PHONE - less than 5 min later Dad: _____ is on sale, do we need it?
Mom: sighs, answers and cycle resumes
PHONE - Dad: is the Kroger brand ok for ______?
Mom: getting irritated visibly answers....
Me: rolling eyes and laughing
PHONE - Dad: Do we have any medicines that need to be picked up? **They use Kroger pharmacy
Mom: answers again with gritted teeth
Me: Trying to resume topic but now I've forgotten

And on, and on and on.... Literally irritating but so much fun to watch!! :)

Carrie - LOL!

Tina - Okay, I am totally cracking up now because Craig does the exact same thing! It's so sweet but also so annoying.

I gave up on trying to get Stitches from the library, I tried a few other GNs and feel Ive had my fill now.

We usually go our grocery shopping every second day.....silly really as not ideal for the old budget, but it is so much easier going out in the evening for a few essentials without the kiddos.
Not that Im doing that now, of course. Crutches and shopping trolleys don't mix! (4 whole days left on crutches to go!!)

I'm jealous of your 75 degrees! It's -3 today (27 in your world) and snowy, snowy, snowy!

#143 that sounds like my husband! I sent him to get cake supplies one day and he was furious because he called the house about 10 times while I was outside with the dogs. I thought it was funny ... him, not so much.

Hi Megan! What other GNs did you try?

I try to do grocery shopping on the weekday in the morning, just because it seems to be less busy, but I don't have to worry about little kids anymore. I can remember one shopping trip where the three older kids were little (Birdy wasn't born yet) so maybe, 2, 3, and 5 years of age. It was the shopping trip from hell, and the last time I took the three of them with me to the grocery store - YIKES! Abby went through this phase where she would throw tantrums (um...the REAL thing) and she decided to throw one about halfway through our shopping. I don't even remember what she was upset about, but she was screaming with flailing of arms and legs and I was mortified, trying to decide what to do - at home I would just ignore her until she was done and in public I would usually just leave, but it was the market and we needed those groceries. So I was trying to just hurry up and finish. We get to the produce section, and I am grabbing what we need with Abby now tucked under one arm because I don't want her to get hurt on the cart, and if I put her down, she will just lay there. Dan is explaining to the nice people to "just ignore the baby, she does this sometimes.." and I look up to check on Rae only to find her completely covered in chalk dust. What? How can this happen in five seconds? Then I notice the Specials Board (um, it's a chalk board). It was beautiful just a moment ago, but now it is smeared, and it is painfully obvious who the culprit was. So now we have to go apologize to the Bakery Lady for ruining her beautiful board - she was actually very nice about it. Then straight to checkout where the Bag Boys are eyeing us nervously - just when I think things cannot possibly ever be put right again, Dan pipes up with, "It's okay 'cause we don't bite." And suddenly I am able to see the humor in the situation and relax. "That's right," I agree as I smile at the Checkout Lady, "we do not bite."

Oh, Chelle - that's plenty cold! And oh dear about the cake supplies - did he come home with anything?

136> >134 jnwelch: Joe, I thought the purpose of a list was to specify the minimum purchases. I never thought it meant "only" these items, rather "at least" these items. Am I missing something?

I agree with that! Dan is a terrible shopper. Even sending him for a few items and having him on the cell is a dicey proposition. Still... Some days it's worth the risk...He never deviates from the list, and sometimes I wish he would. His shopping is much like Tina's dad's but he never takes the initiative to even call and ask if we need something that's on sale. le sigh.

LOL @ thread announcement.

Over 70F? I envy you now.. summer....? I may not.

In two days, I will be in L.A. Highs in the upper 70sF. I can't wait.

Kath - I am loving all the shared shopping woes! And glad that you got a kick out of my thread announcement. The weather - right now oh so wonderful. Come summer - we'll see. I'm predicting a lot of chilled wines in my summer forecast. At least there will be a pool, right? Oh, wait, you're not so big on pools. At least there will be air conditioning, right?

Ellen - Enjoy it! Hope you have safe travels, and that you visit goes well.

Pools are fine as lone as my eyes are closed......

:P

Poor baby! Is it the movement of the water that bothers you?

I've pretty much given up on doing grocery shopping in person - I usually do it all by Internet these days and just pick up a couple of extra bits and pieces at the weekend if we need them. And the deliveries are the highlight of Daisy's week, as the drivers usually come equipped with dog biscuits.

Grocery shopping by internet - I would LOVE that, Rhian! I always dream of being able to call the grocery for a delivery - you know, like Lucy always did on I Love Lucy. How cool would that be?

*ring*
ME: Yes dear?
DEAR: How many ____ do you want?
ME: Enough for six of us.
DEAR (who is 65, married four times, lived solo since 1971): How many is that?
ME (incredulous): Twelve.

Back to book.

*ring*
ME: Yes dear?
DEAR: I'm in the frozen vegetable aisle.
ME: I'll alert the media.
DEAR: Do you want the store brand, Doctor Sarcasmo, or the Birds Eye?
ME: The one that's 10 for $10.
DEAR: Which one's that?
ME: Look at the sign.
DEAR: What sign??
ME: The one on the glass door.
DEAR: Oh. What do you want?
ME: One of each? Two of some? I don't know, anything except corn or okra, you pick.
Ten boxes of peas come home.

ROFL!

LOLOL rd... so funny when it isn't me :P

And yes.. it does appear to be the movement of the water that makes me ill.
Hot tubs are the same.. ugh!

That's a bummer, Kath. I have a sister who has the same problem.

weird huh?

I hope you like peas, Richard. A LOT.

That would work for me, Ellen... I use peas in Dunkers food :) No struvites in peas :P

Hot tubs scare me. So many icky things grow in them. *shudder*

She says the movement of the water makes her feel like she is the one moving. It's probably a bit like the vertigo some people get when they look down from a height.

RD - hahaha; I do suspect grocery shopping by absent means means you get mostly what you don't want.
Mamie I wouldn't worry about Georgia in the summer, I've seen Darryl's threads and he.....oh yeah I think a worry or two is in order.

It is exactly vertigo.. different, but a type of vertigo.. as rd pointed out to me.

So, Mamieee. (read with innocent child-like voice)

Just wondering. I know you like dogs. And I know you like cats. What gives you the shudders? Hmm?

Anything?

pssssst Ellen go look at my thread

>161 EBT1002: LOL!

We use peas a lot, too, Kath, I like to add them to rice - the frozen kind, not the canned. And the dogs love to eat them frozen!

Richard - So true. Especially the ones in public places - like hotels. And Craig says lots of kids get ear infections in hot tubs when they get that warm yucky water in their ears - how gross is that?

*blurgh* How vile, parents let their kids in those bacteria growers?! EW!!!

Paul - I am trying not to panic since Richard has indicated that summer starts in May down here!

Kath - That's what I thought - makes sense!

Ellen - How strange that you are asking me that just now. What gives me the shudders? Um...coffee, pecans, books...stuff like that. Honest.

Richard - I know. It's disgusting if you think about it.

Count me in with the hot tub = gross folk
Kids do NOT belong in hot tubs for pity sakes!

Right, Kath!

*awaits Ellens response to THAT one*

Mamie dear...summer *starts* in March, and gets abominable in May. Summer ends in late December, just about Yuletide, and then it's The Cloudy Season. Learn your Southern Seasons!

Kath - I think I might be in trouble with Ellen. I was a tad insensitive over on Richard's thread.

Richard - Funny! Nobody pointed that out when they were trying to get us to move down here. You think the Yankee in me is showing? So Completely Unbearable hits about when?

28 April 12:45pm EDT to 1 May 1:05am EDT

Ha! Take that!
.
..
...
oh wait...... (I am so bad at this)

GAH!!!!

Richard - Oh Dear! That's good to know.

Ellen - LOL! That is totally cracking me up! Are you sure you can't just quit your job and be on the threads full time? Please? How about you be first in MY heart?! You are too fun!!

I promise to buy a lottery ticket tomorrow.
This is much more fun than working!!!!!

See? And now Kath's hiccups have no chance of returning!

Ellen - Excellent! Crossing my fingers!

You wanna hear something really weird?
Over on Darryls' thread, they're talking about books!
Go figure.

Hmmm. That IS odd.

Speaking of books, I did finish one today. I finished In the Woods by Tana French and really loved it - I am giving it 4.5 stars. Review coming soon.

...about...what now? ::confused::

Apparently this is a book website, Richard. (Just play along) So we should talk about books. I read one.

Oh my. Well. Ahem, then. Lemme see...how bout this: There once was a man from Nantucket...

...not that kind of book? Oh dear, I'm stumped.

In the Woods. Loved that read.
Since we're talking about books.

Richard - I LOVE how you think! *smooch*

Ellen - I think I might have to purchase my own copy. I borrowed it from the liberry, as Richard would say, but I really loved it. I don't think I can be happy until I have it permanently residing on my shelves. I am a big re-reader - and this I would reread.

I love your book tracking header "Hey! These weren't on my list!" Crack me up. So do the hiccups and peas discussion. : )

193 posts on your third thread and I'm just now checking in. How's that hole in the ground project coming along, Mamie?

Hi Mamie- See, I don't wander away to far! Wow! 90 posts and I was just here last night. You go girl! You are tearing them up.
I'm so glad you loved In the Woods. I was crazy about it too. Looking forward to your thoughts on the Likeness.

Kim! Lookie who's here! Every month I carefully plan my reads, and then every month I end up reading half from that list (if I am lucky) and half from whatever grabs my attention. Such is life! And I cannot take credit for the peas and hiccups discussion - that just sort of...happened!! Good to see you!

Lynda - There was shenanigans going on today, and that's why there are so many posts. This group is so FUN! The pool is coming along just fine - I will post pictures tomorrow. We had been waiting on the pavers to arrive, but they came today, so we are back in business. Thanks for asking!

Mark! I was worried about you - good to see you are fine! As I was telling Lynda, there was shenanigans going on here today - probably because Ellen was home sick! I did LOVE In the Woods, and I have already requested The Likeness from the library system. The system says, "Waiting on a copy" which I am guessing means that all the copies are currently out. Hopefully, the wait won't be too long.

Oh my, Ellen was off for a second day?! Must pay her a visit. Hmmmm, some tea might be helpful.........>

See, we need to all live in the same LT Complex, so we can just pass books back and forth. Forget the library and the stinkin' bookstore. I have the 1st 3 French books just sitting on a shelf.

Today was the "I'm still too sick to go to work but not too sick to play around on LT" day.
It was da bomb.

Tomorrow, I shall return to the mines.

Tomorrow night, I fly to LA to visit an aunt whom I haven't seen in 20 years. Sunshine and family. I'm looking forward to it.

Lynda- Yep - she is still sick and she has to catch a plane tomorrow.

Mark - Wouldn't that be SO great?! I think I need those books sitting on my shelves - I am so tempted to just buy the second one as I loved the first so much. Is the second as good as the first?

Ellen - It was da bomb! I had a lot of fun! I am wishing you an uncomplicated day of work tomorrow and safe travels. Please take good care of yourself, my friend. And feel better.

I was just on this thread a few hours ago & now I'm 55 behind!?!? :)

I love this group! Such a fun thread you have here Mamie! Looking forward to your review but would really miss it if all we talked about were the books!

Hi Tina! I know - crazy fun day here, huh?! Thank you for your kind words - I could not agree more about this group being fun. You make an excellent addition!

Well, I've had an enjoyable 5 mins. or so catching up here. It's great to know that mine isn't the only husband in the world that simply can't do the shopping, even with a list, he manages to come home with some very strange things!

I am also glad to see that you loved In the Woods, she is an amazing writer.

Good glory, Mamie, I was caught up on this thread fewer that 12 hours ago - you've had a thread explosion!

As for summer, I'd say it starts in April. But really, it's not that bad (of course, I did grow up in Florida). You have air conditioning and soon a pool! Unless you're planning to be a summer camp counselor (been there, done that), how many minutes a day will you actually be out in the heat? Air conditioned house to air conditioned car to air conditioned library to air conditioned grocery store and back home to lovely swimming poo - you can do it!

Grocery shopping by internet - I would LOVE that
I've been using it with various supermarkets for ages and I find it a lot qucker. And cheaper as well, because the websites point out where you have missed out on offers and it's much easier to compare prices quickly. And also I don't impulse buy.

I do suspect grocery shopping by absent means means you get mostly what you don't want.
To be honest that doesn't usually happen, certainly not with Tesco's which is the one I usually use at the moment. They've obviously got a minimum shelf life which they expect the pickers to choose and if they have to choose something with a shorter shelf life then they highlight it when they deliver. And anything that you're not happy with you can give back to the driver, or if you find something later in you can phone them up and they will give you your money back.

Morning Mamie- In the Woods is my favorite so far but the Likeness is very good as well. A much different approach. I've heard very good things about Broken harbor, hopefully I can bookhorn that baby in.

LOL @ Darryl's thread comments...

I like Tana French, too. I own her first 3 but I have to get Broken Harbor

It would be good fun to live in the same area! Sharing is good :)

Agreed.. Ellen made the day yesterday... I will be sorry when she goes back to being work Ellen :)

Good Morning Mamie! So, how is the pool coming? When and how will they fill it? curious...

Again, not much to say.. but... wishing you a lovely day!

I waited for years for Stop & Shop's Peapod internet delivery to cover my area and when it finally came to my town, I could no longer afford it. So - I shop. Once a week. Reluctantly. I hate it, but I've limited myself to the smallest of the supermarkets so that I don't have to spend hours in there. True, they don't have a very large selection, but truly I do not need 7 different brands of toilet paper to choose from - just the expensive one and the cheap one should cover it. Ditto everything else.

Wouldn't it be nice if someone had a grocery store that did not stock any junk food? It would be out of business in about two months, but I would enjoy it up until then.

I want a room in the LT complex. One with a view of something pretty. And there should be a deep porch with comfy chairs for reading in the afternoons in the summer. Am hoping the complex will be located up north - I don't want to see temperatures in the 70's in January - too weird! We can bring our pets, right?

Good Morning Everyone! We had rain come through yesterday, and with it the temperature dropped, so now it feels more like the season should to be - 54F right now, and it's not supposed to get any warmer than that today. I think the thing that throws me the most about the winter weather so far is it's unpredictably - one week it feels like summer, and the next week it feels like an Indiana Spring. Not sure if this is an unusual Georgia winter or if it's always like that - I'll have to ask around.

Judy - There were some fun posts yesterday, weren't there?! I think the thing that surprised me the most about In the Woods was the writing - so very good for a first book, and I loved her use of imagery.

Dejah - There was much mischief going on yesterday which accounts for the thread explosion. And now I am feeling better about the summer - thanks for that! The good news is that I have absolutely no plans of being a summer camp counselor! We have vacationed in the South in July for several weeks every year except the last one, so I do know what to expect - I just haven't had to live through an entire season of it. Really, last year in Indiana was miserable - very high temps, 100% humidity for days on end with not a breeze in sight. Craig would come home for a visit and exclaim that it was hotter in Indiana then it was in Georgia - and it was, but it didn't stay that way for months on end, just a few weeks, really. I am actually looking forward to making it through all of the seasons down here because it is just so different than Indiana - the trees are different ones, the crops are different, even the soil is different with its rich red color that makes me smile every time I see it. This state feels like home to me, and so far I am loving everything about it.

Rhian - I truly think I would love that way of shopping for most things. I enjoy shopping for fresh produce in person - I love all the colors and smells and different textures. And down here there are lots of lovely little market stands to explore, but I could easily adapt to purchasing all the staples that go into the pantry online and having them delivered to my door. That would be oh so fabulous! Sounds like your situation is a win/win one.

Mark - OK. Thanks for that - I'll stick with getting it from the library and see what I think. I do believe I might purchase my own copy of In the Woods - might have to get that for my Thingaversary when it rolls around, that is if I remember it this year. Last year I forgot!

Kath - What did you think of the second one? Did you like it as much as the first? The fact that you still have it says a lot because I know you only keep what you love. And I would LOVE to live close so we could pass our books around - how wonderful that would be!

The pool will probably not be worked on today - it rained yesterday late afternoon and evening, and it is supposed to rain more today. Now they are to the part where they are preparing all the ground around the pool for the material that will be our decking. We are using pavers which are a man-made material that looks like stone. Those will be put out into a T-pattern design when they get to laying those out. I am not sure what the next step is after that, but I know we will have to order the fencing soon. I'll post pics so you can see what it looks like right now. I do not know when they will fill the pool or how they fill it for the first time, I do know that it will be a salt-water pool. I have never owned a pool before, so I am learning as I go, but Craig grew up with a pool, and always knows every step of a project before it starts, so he knows.

Fourpawz2 - What a bummer to wait for something and then not be able to use it when it's finally available. So sorry about that! Grocery shopping and I have a love/hate relationship - it purely depends on my mood at the time. I tend to like it better when I am just shopping for a few things, and when I don't need to watch the time. I really hate restocking the pantry. I do like having a choice, but it doesn't have to be a huge choice. I don't mind junk food - it has a secret corner of my heart, but there is way too much junk food available, and I would like it better if it could somehow all be in one place instead of in each and every aisle.

I like your vision for the LT complex! I love a deep porch with comfy chairs - they always call to me. And I would think it couldn't work if our pets could not come - how ever would we live without them? I did not grow up with dogs, but I will never be without one again.

Mamie, there was an idea floated a few years back for The Tome Home, a retirement community aimed at the passionate reader. Many of us aren't in a position to assume our kids are going to take us in as we age, or have no kids. So, well, who's got a better idea than a retirement space centered around books instead of golf or tennis or *ugh* sunshine?

I would love it.

Richard - I really love that name. So clever. And what a wonderful, enchanting idea. I would love it, too.

I work in long term care and think RD has hit on a magical idea!!!! :)

I'd work there until it was time for me to head in; then is already have my room of choice picked out!! :)

>>136 EBT1002:, 137 I may have you speak to my wife, Ellen. I agree with your take on grocery lists - at least get those ones on the list, but that's only the starting point for the creative shopping.

Mamie, our kids always liked it when I shopped, too, I'm sure for the same reasons yours like it when Craig does. The goodies are the fun part.

Tina - It is indeed a magical idea! You would not want me working there in any kind of caregiver capacity - trust me on this! But, I could work in the kitchen - I'm good with food.

Joe - LOL! Craig says the list is more of a guideline! And yes, the kids loves the goodies that he always brings home. His mother was always very strict about food and the eating of it (actually, she was, and still is, very strict about everything). So, Craig is like a kid in a candy store when he goes to the grocery. It's actually kind of cute - as long as he also gets what's on the list!

>212 richardderus: definately a great idea, would be my dream for retirement as well, also I still have a few years to go before that. However, I wouldn't mind working in a place like that, sounds like fun. :)

Tome home would also welcome cats and dogs and etc.
And we can have a community kitchen for times and folks who want to eat together, and small kitchenette on each floor for those who want a solitary meal to take to their rooms.

Bianca - It would be a dream retirement, that's for sure!

Kath - I LOVE the way you think! Did you have a good day?

Okay, as promised, a pool update. For those of you who didn't follow my thread last year, I will repost pics from the start of the project.

Looking good! Just let me know when to bring my flip flops and bathing suit. Can we drink in front of the kids? Do I have to bring my own chair too?

Kim - Thanks! I will let you know when to come - it will be ready for this summer, so we are very excited about that. Yes, we can drink in front of the kids! No, you do not have to bring your own chair - there will be plenty of seating. And the view is FABULOUS!

Cats are verboten. Dogs are encouraged. Rats are okay. Just not cats. People with allergies find them repulsive and evil...I mean, highly disgusting...oops, I mean they cause a lot of horrifying disfiguring terrible accidents.

Ahem. Cat spit is toxic.

Richard are you coming too? I can't wait to see you! What will be your liquor of choice? And are you a speedo man or more a bermuda shorts kinda guy? I used to be a bikini girl, but after my surgeries, I look much better in a one-piece, with a little wrap, tied around the waist and some cute flip flops.

And there must be plenty of well designed, quiet & comfortable reading spots. We should have our own in house library system as well.

Uh oh, y'all have gotten me in a roll. Nursing homes / elderly care is my passion. Doing it better, with integrity and in a compassionate homelike environment is what we strive for each day as I'm teaching Activity Directors & Social Service Directors. Now my brain is off imagining other creature comforts that would be needed in a setting such as ours!

Wow, you really do have red dirt, Mamie.

I think we are going to need a complex of Tome Homes, one for cat lovers, one for dog lovers and one for people who don't care for either (if there are such people). Perhaps we could arrange the three in a triangle shape and have a beautiful courtyard with gardens and shady trees, with comfy chairs for sitting and room for a gentle stroll.

Oh Mamie, I'm so jealous of your pool! A pool is in my long term plans, but not this year *sigh*. I have a pond, but I'm not willing to swim in it....

I think Judy is right - a complex of Tome Homes is the way to go. And there needs to be a pool in the courtyard.

Add me to the "jealous of the pool" list! It's going to be beautiful.

We don't get enough swimmable days* to make the time and expense worthwhile, otherwise I'd have installed one long ago!

*swimmable day = 80+ degrees, not a work day, and not already off frolicking elsewhere

Wow, more great pool pictures, Mamie! And the view is indeed fabulous! So much room between the houses - lovely.

#226 - the heck with the people who don't like either - there's something wrong with them! No, the third section is for the people who have both cats AND dogs.

No going out to work today for me :) Plenty of work at home though.
So what do you have planned? Didn't you say you love fridays? They used to be my favorite day
too. Friday meant there was a whole weekend ahead of you! Different now.. so I think I don't
really have a favorite day...

I hope you have a frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!'

Jeez, the footprint of your pool area is bigger than the footprint of our entire house! I'm jealous.

Meanwhile, where can I sign up for the dog building of Tome Home?

I like the idea of separate homes, but I'm thinking we might need 4.....

Cats only
Dogs only
Both dogs & cats
No pets -- for those that are highly allergenic and/or something else ;)

I realized this morning that the list at "talk" hadn't shown any new posts in MamieLand for a while so I came checking and found I was 184 behind!! Why did it do that to me?!? Anyway, nice to catch up. When does the decking on the pool go it? It's really looking nice. I'm a bit surprised you don't have water yet. 30 years ago or so I had a pool put in and they filled it within a day or two of gunnite, but then, we had a high water table and they were afraid it would "pop" so probably put the water in to weight it down. With the pool and A/C I'm sure you'll manage the Georgia summer just fine.

Well, I can say without any doubt at all that you will have guests once that pool is a pool. It looks like it's going to be a lovely spot to sit with a book and a drink with a little umbrella.

You and Kath are very sweet to say how nice it was to have me around for a day. I am back to being "work Ellen." Sigh. I'll try to think of something funny to say now and then, but it's harder to do when skimming through forty-something posts on forty-something threads! Sheesh.

I'm having a lovely time in warm, sunny L.A. with my cousin and my aunt. My cousin is loaning me books and he has 14 birds. When we get one of them to perch on my shoulder, we'll take a picture and I'll try to post it. :-)

Happy Weekend, Mamie!

eta: I should specify that I mean for the little umbrella to be in the drink.

Nice progress on the pool, Mamie! Very shapely ;-)
Filling up my Kindle so I can stay awhile... will you have a little charging station close by?

#233 - obviously that is the best solution. I will want a small space in the cat and dog section. I don't have a dog; I may never have a dog. But I like dogs and would like being able to live among them. Do we have a veterinarian among us who can be lured into moving into the Tome Home? It would be soooo convenient to have an in-house doc.

I am not a fan of segregation of any kind :P I may not be able to live at the tome home... but I will visit the threads. He Mamie :) have a good saturday! A happy and healthy one!

Morning Mamie- Just checking in! Hope the week went well and you have a nice R & R weekend planned.

Mamie - Love the pool photos and I must say that the Georgian earth looks especially fertile.

Like RD's idea, way up in >212 richardderus: (yeah even I fall behind sometimes) of a Tome Home. Sounds like a pooling of resources is necessary (honestly no pun originally intended on your under construction item).

Have a lovely weekend my dear. As all our other threads slow down a little as January begins to wane, yours is just getting into its stride.

Morning mamie, thanks for posting the series of pool pics. I appreciate learning how this process takes place. Although a pool is not in our future it isnice to dream.

Hello Mamie! Just trying hard to keep up with your thread!

Hi Mamie! Hope all is well in your world. And where do you sign up for the Tome Home?

A Mamie free day? Hope all is well and happy :)

Pool progress is looking good! When the is LT Pool party?

Hi Mamie! Sorry it's taken me so long to make my way here, but I thought I'd finally drop in a say hello.

Good job reviewing Maus, and I just may have to move Black Hearts in Battersea up the book pile. I read The Wolves of Willoughby Chase toward the end of last year and really loved it. I'm curious to know who the narrator is on your audio version of Anna Karenina? I have the same print version as the one you show up top, but I also reserved an audio version from the library so I can alternate between the two - this one is narrated by David Horovitch, whom I like quite a lot.

A swimming pool! How exciting!

Sunday joy to dear Mamie!

Love the pictures of the pool. It is coming along! I am jealous - I would love to have one, lol.

Richard keeps saying the thread-mania will slow down once we're past the high of the first of a new year. I see no evidence of this to date. Am I missing something?

Hi Mamie!

>147 Crazymamie: woah, great shopping story with the kiddos! I havent had a tantrum situation at the supermarket, because I avoid taking more than one! I have had a tanty situation at a little suburban mall though, and I recall feeling very proud that my constitution was about to get very hard, and that I would out-wait the tantrum patiently. Which I did, :) And I liked that I got moral support from some passers-by who said things like "good on you for not giving in" etc.

The GNs I tried were Habibi (which I sort of liked, but less so with time) and Blankets (which I really liked). And just now as I type this, I see they are by the same guy. Duh!

Pool looking good! When's the pool warming party? ;)

Hi mamie, great photos of your "soon to be" pool. I probably will pop in as well in my shorts and my flipflops *smile*

I love Tina's idea of four homes, instead of three. That means we would be able to cater for anyone's needs, which is very important to make every one comfy.

However, just wanting to wish you a lovely remaining Sunday!

Hey Mamie -

I hope you and yours are well - you've been kind of quiet for a few days! Take care.

>249 EBT1002: It's taking longer to die down this year, Ellen, because the group got bigger faster than last year. It'll happen. I mean, look! We've already driven Mamie into hiding. Now she won't come out until it's time to check for her shadow.

Mamie? Oh, Maaaaamie!

Hm, you seem to be right, Richard. No sign of her.

Morning Mamie! I lost your thread again for a few days...don't know what's going on there but at least I've found you again for now. Hope all is well at Pecan Paradiso.

I have no idea how I managed to get so far behind in your thread, Mamie! I've missed you!!! Totally my fault, of course.

I've a couple more anime recommendations for Abby - Kaleido Star and Sakura Wars

Okay, I'm finally putting in an appearance on my own thread! Sorry t have been absent fort so long - RL has been busy. We have had company, but now we are returning to our regular programming, so, except fort he two games today, I'll be around. Thanks so much to all of you who have been keeping my thread warm!

Starting waaaay back up there in post 223: Richard - Cats are actually verboten here, too, although I think you're talking about the Tome Home. I actually really love cats, but we have allergies, so we cannot have them in the house. (But I would if I could) Adore dogs, too, but I would have to pass on the rats.

Kim - I am loving all this talk of bathing costumes! I am picturing those very old fashioned ones that always make me laugh. I myownself will not be wearing a bikini - no need to thank me. I can pull off the cute flip flops, though.

Tina - The library would of course have to be a jaw-dropping display of literary spender with plenty of comfy seating.

Judy - Yep! The dirt is very red down here - such a rich vibrant looking soil. Just thinking about the Tome Home if fun, isn't it? And addictive!

Dejah - A pool was one of our top priorities for down here. I am so pleased with the progress they have made and cannot wait to see the end result. I think we will get a ton of use out of it as all the kids absolutely love to swim. A Tome Home complex sounds lovely!

Carol - I cannot wait to see the finished product! We would never have put in a pool in Indiana because the expense and upkeep would never have been worth it with such a short season in which to enjoy it. Down here, we will be able to use it most of the year since it will be heated, so we are really looking forward to enjoying it.

Thanks, Susan! The view is indeed beautiful - and one of the reasons why we both this property. We also liked that the house are not right on top of each other - most of the lot sizes are 2-3 acres. We have 2.72 acres here and are thankful for every bit of it. Right now we also have extra room on one side as the lot next to us is still for sale.

Fourpawz2 - LOL! Although some people love both but have allergies, making being around them all the time not a good thing.

Kath - I DO love Fridays! It ended up being a very good day. I was supposed to get my hair cut, but the lady who cuts my hair was sick, so that got rescheduled. We did our Big Clean a day early since we had company coming and enjoyed a quiet afternoon of reading - ah, bliss!

Morphy - We wanted bigger than what we needed just for us because we have big families, and we want people to be able to come down and stay for a bit and for there to be room for extra people in the pool. Our families still live back in Indiana, so it's a hike to get here for them. And like you, I wish we could sign up for that Tome Home - wouldn't that be loverly?!

Tina - You're having a lot of fun with this, aren't you? We need to put you in charge of making this happen - what we probably need are several in different locations that we could time-share if we wanted so that we could have access to different climates.

Reba - That happens to me a lot when I use my iPad - I end up accidentally ignoring people if I try to scroll with my right hand. Now I try to remember to only scroll on the left side of the screen so I don't hit those little red x things by mistake. The decking on the pool goes in after they get the foundation prepared - there are specific layers that go down first. So many inches of dirt, so many inches of gravel, so many inches of more dirt, etc. That process starts this coming week. As soon as the foundation is done, then the decking starts to go down. I don't think they have to fill the pol with water until we are ready to use it, but I don't know that for sure - I'll ask!

Ellen - That is exactly what I am hoping for! I will have to remember to preorder those little umbrellas for the drinks! We want to run a quality poolside! And it was ever so lovely to have you on the threads more - what a delightful presence you have! I will be counting down the days to your retirement!! I am glad that your visit with your aunt and your cousin went well, but i think the 14 birds would freak me out a bit. I love to see birds - in the distance! Up close, they make me a bit nervous. And I would not want them sitting on my shoulder - YIKES! I love that you edited your post to specify that the umbrellas were for the drinks!!

Cee - Thanks! For sure there will be plenty of places to recharge your Kindle - I'm a bit of a technology junkie, so load her up and come on down!

Fourpawz2 - Such a good point! An in-house vet would be awesome!

Kath - No Tome Home for you? Bummer! Saturday was good, and Sunday is looking even better - gorgeous weather and football and catching up on LT! It is 65F and bright and sunny here today, so FABULOUS! Our company has left, and Craig and the kids are playing Mario Cart and trash-talking while I catch up here. I'm going to have to kick them off because it is game time!

Mark - Lovely weekend and I even managed to squeeze in some reading! Craig has been off, so it's been a lot of fun.

Paul - Glad you liked the photos! I think you're right about pooling our resources! And I also think I'm in trouble of the threads are slowing down but mine is just hitting its stride - YIKES!

Lynda You're welcome. The process is fun to watch and interesting. Agreed that dreaming is nice - one might argue that it is in fact essential!

Brit! Lovely to see you! Thanks for attempting to keep up - I'm having trouble with that myself!

Kim All is right here! And good question - I would like to know where to sigh up, too!

Kath No worries! All is well - just been crazy busy and having company. Thanks for checking on me and missing me!

Chelle - Thanks! An LT pool party! What a lovely thought! How fun would that be?!

Ilana, darling!! You have been missed!! I'm so thrilled to see you here! Thank you for your kind words. Black Hearts in Battersea is great fun - a good book to pair with something heavier. Judy Franklin is the narrator on the audiobook that I have of Anna Karenina, and she does a very good job with it. And yes! We are very excited about the swimming pool!!

*back in a bit - well, after the games, to finish catching up.

*It's half-time!

Richard - Thanks for the Sunday joy! Sending some fabulousness to you. xo

Stasia - We are making fine progress on the pool, and it has been so much fun watching the process. Sorry about the jealousy factor - you could probably use one big time in Texas!

Ellen - I am still waiting for the threads to slow down, too. Are we a chatty bunch or what?!

Megan - So glad you liked the shopping story! You are so right not to give into the tantrums - it's hard not to give in especially when you feel like you are on display, but if you give in once, they will try it every time just to see if they can wear you down. Kids are smart like that! I always say that the toughest part of parenting is being consistent. I will hunt down Blankets - I am guessing that the library has it. And pool warming party - there will be one, but I am not yet sure of the date as I am not yet sure when the pool will be finished. I will keep you apprised!

Bianca - We would love to have you! And thank you for your lovely wishes -we have been having a fabulous weekend, hoping that you are, too!

Dejah - All is well in Mamieland, just enjoying some company. I have missed the threads, though. My day is just not the same without all of you!

Richard - LOL! Sorry to abandon all of you! Luckily I was able to put in an appearance before February 2nd - I mean, think how behind I would be by then!!

EllenI'm here! Thanks for looking for me! Just a busy couple of days.

Reba - Oh dear! We need to figure out how to keep my thread within your sights! I do NOT want to be lost! All is fabulous here, thanks for checking.

Caro - I was behind on my thread, too! Thanks for missing me! I'll pass on those recommendations to Abby - she'll be thrilled!

*Whew! Just for a moment I'm all caught up on my own thread. Now...for all of the others...YIKES!!

*VERY IMPRESSED*
Your replies are multiple, well laid our for our viewing convenience and thorough.

A+

>258 Crazymamie: umbrellas would be great in my poolside beverage thanks. Now, to work on my bikini figure....this could be a tad harder than sourcing drink umbrellas.

Megan Thank you, thankyouverymuch. So relieved that I get to source the drink umbrellas instead of trying to develop a bikini figure - I have one, it is just covered up by fat. It's in there - somewhere.

Hi Mamie! I have FINALLY caught up on your thread. Love the pool pics, though the hubs and I have agreed that the next house we buy will NOT have one. Ours is a money pit and we don't use it enough to justify the cost. But it would certainly be different if we had kids!

- Thanks so much for taking the time to catch up on my thread! I totally get what you are saying about the pool - Craig and I would never do it just for ourselves, either unless we were planning on lots of visitors very often. We promised the kids a pool if we moved, so we are keeping our promise. i think we will get our money's worth out of it - time will tell, I guess. Is your pool a saltwater pool?

Mamie- Glad you had a nice weekend! Some incredible football today, huh? Big upset with the Ravens.
Congrats on finishing A.K. It was a monster. I feel 20 pounds lighter.

Hi Mark! It was a lovely weekend, and I completed a lot of reading, so I am thrilled with that. And yes, football was good. Rae was so excited that the Ravens won - she is normally a Giants fan, but since they were out of it she had been rooting for the Ravens. And finishing AK was oh so wonderful - I was determined to be done with it, so I powered through. I loved the first part of the book so much, but then it went downhill from there. What mother does not put the needs of her child first? Anyway, it was well written if a bit longer than it needed to be, and I am oh so happy to be able to say that I put that baby to bed.

Mamie! You finished AK: Good for you.

I was reading it on the plane today and the woman across the aisle asked if I was enjoying it. I said "mostly yes" but that my enjoyment waxes and wanes. She noted that she read it and "it's a commitment." Well said. She was reading a fast-moving Carl Hiassen.

So, it's a commitment and I'm committed. Kitty and Levin just got engaged, so that is nice. :-)

Rae and I should hang out - I was rooting for the Ravens in place of the Giants too :-) No, ours is not a salt water pool. And I didn't mean to give the impression of criticizing y'all for putting one in. I think you will definitely get your money's worth and the kids will love it!

Ellen - "It's a commitment" is SO right! I did love Levin, though. And the writing...um...mostly. I did give it four stars, and I do think it was worth the read.

Katie - I'm sure Rae would absolutely love hanging out with you! nice to see Ray Lewis get to go to the Superbowl on his way out of the game - so cool! And I did not at all get the impression that you were criticizing me - just the opposite. We would never have put one in when we lived in Indiana because they are so expensive to maintain, but down here I think we can justify the expense. And I am shamelessly hoping to use it to lure family down for a visit!

Congrats on the AK read, and catching up on your own thread, and ya for football!

This time you were right there where you should be -- hooray!! Pools with kids are great, especially in places with lots of warm weather. It gives the kids exercise and also a great place to hang with their friends. Then later it will be great for the grandkids. (although I admit I'm glad we don't have one anymore lol)

Kim - Thanks! Can't believe that football season is almost over - good thing we get to do it all over again next fall!

Reba - I'm so excited that I was right where I should be! LOL about the pool comments!!