Ffortsa fiddles around in 2020

Last year I posted a photo my father took after an ice storm coated the trees with crystal. This photo is from a trip my parents took to Switzerland. Suitably wintery, I think. To me, it looks like an ink drawing. I wonder if this glacier is still there?

Hi, I'm Judy. Maybe we haven't met. In 2019, I didn't quite make 75 books. Oh well. There's another year right on the doorstep.

As is true for most of us 75ers, I have too many unread books on my shelves, in my Kindle library, in my mind to read. I belong to two book groups (although one is on hiatus), neither of which is actually CALLED a book group, so that slows down my browsing a bit. Still, that should only account for 24 titles a year. Lots of room for more.

Welcome all!

A new ticker for a new activity. Last year, I decided to start playing my violin again. It's been quite an effort, and of course takes time away from the books, but I think they will get along over the year.

Last year I had an off-the-shelf ticker, but I hang my head in shame - only counted 7 books. I'll keep a count this year, but quietly.

Icons denote ebooks, library books, off the shelf, etc. modified from Bianca's list
♬ audiobook
✔ off the shelf
@ e-book
✿ TIOLI
↩ reread
✗ dnf

January -

1. @The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman
2. @Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce
3. @I Shot the Buddha by Colin Cotteril
4. @The Galapagos: A Natural History by Henry Nicolls
5. Blood From a Stone by Donna Leon
6. Stuff Matters: Exploring the Marvelous Materials that Shape Our Man-Made World by Mark Miodownik
7. Gigi by Collette
8. Miss Buncle's Book by D.E. Stevenson
9. Miss Buncle Married by D.E. Stevenson
10. Pigs in Heaven by Barbara Kingsolver
11. Fatally Flaky by Diane Mott Davidson
12. Galapagos Wildlife by David Horwell
13. @Tehran Noir by Salar Abdah
14. How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less by Sarah Glidden
15. Eva Luna by Isabel Allende
16. @The Cold, Cold Ground by Adrian McKinty
17. @A Soldier of the Great War by Mark Helprin
18. @I Hear the Sirens in the Street by Adrian McKinty
19. @The Purrfect Murder by Rita Mae Brown
20. @A Voice in the Night by Andrea Camilleri
21. @The Cat Who Could Read Backwards by Lillian Jackson Braun
22. @In the Morning I'll be Gone by Adrian McKinty
23. @Still Waters by Viveca Sten
24. Through a Glass Darkly by Donna Leon
25. ♬Cry, The Beloved Country by Alan Paton
26. @The Chessmen by Peter May
27. @Games to Keep the Dark Away by Marcia Muller
28. @Ten Second Staircase by Christopher Fowler
29. @Negative Image by Vicki Delaney
30. @Circe by Madeline Miller
31. ♬Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
32. ✔Speedboat by Renata Adler
33. ✔Winter Count by Barry Lopez
34. @Diamond Solitaire by Peter Lovesy

1. The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman

This would have been the last book of 2019, but we had PARTIES to go to. Not our usual pattern. On New Year's Eve, we attended a party in a genuine, old-time New York apartment in the East Village (sort of). My host was kind enough to remember that I preferred Prosecco to Champagne, and I managed to down half the bottle before we left after midnight. Good thing Jim was there to steer me home. The next day, we attended two open house gatherings. I prudently skipped the Prosecco at the latter one. Consequently, this delightful little book did not get finished until this morning.

Nina Hill loves her job at the bookstore, and loves to keep her life precisely organized, which staves off bouts of anxiety. But she discovers she has a family no one told her about, and they need to meet her. Major challenge. At the same time, her trivia team is defeated by a new set of challengers, and the tall, handsome leader of that team complicates her schedule even more.

This book had me howling with laughter in the beginning. Great snarky images and funny girl-talk. But it also tackles the difficulties of social anxiety, and how scary it is to stand your ground when that anxiety hits. I guess you could say it is chick-lit, but of a very particular kind.

Hm. touchstones are not working for this. The site has been a little weird today. I'm sure it will clean up soon.

Hi Judy! Happy New Year!

>1 ffortsa: I love that picture, but it makes me shiver to look at it. The glacier could be a lot smaller now.

Another resolution is to keep up in 2020 with all my friends on LT. Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, Judy. I also enjoyed The Bookish Life of Nina Hill. I hope 2020 is filled with wonderful books.

Happy new year, Judy! Glad Nina Hill found another fan. I am one, too :)

Best wishes for 2020!

Welcome back!

Hi Judy. Delurking, finally, to say hi and happy new thread, year and decade!

Happy reading in 2020, Judy!

First movie of the year: Knives Out

Interesting and entertaining, mainly for the all-star cast making the most of their screen time. The story is definitely B-movie material, part locked0room mystery and part farce. I doubt it will get many nominations, but fun to watch. The house is a major star - turns out it is in Easton, Pa. Don't worry about Christopher Plummer getting killed off in the first sequence; plenty of flashbacks!

Happy New Year, Judy! We've been considering going to see Knives Out but haven't yet done so.

Happy new thread and Happy New Year!!

>2 ffortsa: I am stealing some of your icons. : )

>3 ffortsa: Well, those sounds like reasonable excuses for not finishing the book, and now you already have one done for 2020!

>12 ffortsa: Saw Knives Out with my daughter and had a blast. Not a serious movie at all, but I totally enjoyed the sarcasm and humor. Loved the cast.

Happy New Year Judy! I'm looking forward to seeing Knives Out. I was supposed to see it on New Years Eve but the plans fell through at the last minute. I'm another Nina Hill fan.

Hi Judy, I enjoyed both Nina Hill and Knives Out too. I hope there are more good reads and movies to come in 2020!

Hi Judy! I was another fan of Nina Hill :-)

Happy New Year!

Hi Judy. Glad to see you here again!

I just found The Bookish Life of Nina Hill at the bottom of a TBR pile! It has been rescued :)

Hope 2020 is filled with great reads!

ooooh. visitors! Thanks for stopping by, everyone. I get terribly behind with threads, but I will try to stop by to say hi to each of you as the year progresses.

I just scanned the thread counts. It's a lost cause.

Hi Judy and a belated Happy New Year and Happy first thread of 2020.

I looked at the threads on January 1 of the folks I normally follow, and at that time there were 1,135 messages. I'm obviously still not caught up, and have to go back to the Threadbook to check that I've found everybody. I've been known to post a message that says something like "There's no way to get caught up so I'm drawing a line in the sand and a quick hello to you."

Dropping a star, Judy. Thanks for stopping by my thread and for the kind words. I love your topper photo.

3. I Shot the Buddha by Colin Cotterill

Cotterill is back in form in this delightful episode, in which the whole clan (Phosy, Civilai, Dr. Siri, Madame Daeng, Geung and Nurse Dtui, even Judge Haeng and Auntie Bpoo) get involved with magic, demons and Buddhism in Laos and Thailand. Following the three intersecting investigations is a bit demanding, but always both funny and awful. Terrific.

Just stopping by to wish you a lovely Sunday, Judy.

We've been theater-ing. (probably one of many reasons why I'm not reading that much these days).

Last week we saw 'Slave Play', quite an imaginative and bravely-acted exploration of power in relationships. Three interracial couples and a pair of comically predictable therapists, but ultimately very thought-provoking.

Last night we saw 'Grand Horizons', also about couples and communication (in this case elderly parents and grown children), due to open in about 10 days. Great performances headed by Jane Alexander and James Cromwell, and again thought-provoking. The playwright, Bess Wohl, also wrote the play 'Make Believe', which I think I warbled about late last year.

About not reading:
- theater
- movies (in prep for the Oscars)
- threads
- fiddle (lessons, practice, trio)
- prepping for Galapagos trip
- various self-care things
- time for friends

And last but not least, leaving my cell phone at the diner before the theater. Sigh.

I'm not exactly complaining, but...

Well, it wasn't in my plans, but I'm now reading a couple of books on the Galapagos, to prepare for my trip at the very end of this month. The first one is thorough to the point of boredom, but I am learning something, and it's not that long.

Hi Judy - lovet that topper. You're right, it does look like an ink drawing.

Oh The Bookish Life of Nina Hill sounds good. I've added it to my library list.

4. The Galapagos: A Natural History by Henry Nicolls

I found this a reasonable overview of the history, geology, flora and fauna of the Galapagos Islands, with some prim comments toward the end about how humans have corrupted the island ecosystem. A bit plodding.

How long will you be gone? Jim going?

>31 karenmarie: Jim is a city boy who likes his turtles fictional. I'm going with my brother, who likewise couldn't persuade his wife, or even his son! We are meeting in Miami on the 30th, and I'll be back in time to go from the airport to my friends' annual Oscar party. (Not the first time I've done that!) So 10 days end to end. Sweating out packing, proper clothing, cameras, etc. When I stop being terrified, I'm sure it will be really exciting.

How very exciting for you, Judy! What a wonderful adventure.

Oh boy Judy, That sounds like a wonderful trip. But I'm not surprised at the anxiety. I'm sure once you're on your way it will all be fabulous.

>3 ffortsa: I saw another recommendation for that one and put it in the BlackHole already or I would be adding it again. Glad to see you enjoyed it too!

>25 ffortsa: I need to get back to that series.

I hope you have a terrific trip, Judy! It sounds like a once in a lifetime opportunity!

Very envious of your trip to the Galapagos. It's on my bucket list.

I just finished a novel based on a couple who spent WWII on the Galápagos, Judy! Enchanted Islands is fiction, but Frances Conway did write a couple of memoirs about her time there.

>37 BLBera: Thanks. I'll look for it.

On another note, I just went through a list of ebooks that I either bought and didn't record in LT or ebooks that I can borrow from Jim, in an attempt to clear my shelves of some duplicate titles. No luck. I hate to get rid of books, even those I've read (especially if I don't remember them), but I seem to be paying more attention to titles I don't yet have. Sigh. There's just no more room. So I will have to read off my (actual) shelves this year and decide what is worth keeping. Or win the lottery and gain a lot more real estate.

I just picked up Blood From a Stone at the library, for Leon and Lackness mystery thread this month. Something to paradoxically soothe my brain. So I think that's next.

5. Blood From a Stone by Donna Leon

read for the Lackberg and Leon in 2020 challenge.

I sometimes wonder how Commissario Brunetti doesn't end up in the loony bin, considering his frustrations with the corruption of his own country's police and government. This is one of those times when a failure to pursue a murder investigation ends up with a hidden reward. Quite compelling and a bit of a twisted trail.

>38 ffortsa: Even if you were to win the lottery and get more real estate you would probably still end up with the same space problem, Judy. Probably best to see what you can do with what you have. I have the same problem with the ratio of books to space and I have a largish place.

How fun that you are going on a trip to the Galapagos with a like minded companion. Have a wonderful trip!

Thanks, Meg. You might be right about the books, although these days it's easier to read electronically. And that's a shame, dependent as it is on my charging habits!

And here you are, Judy! I've found you at last!

I'm currently reading Mark Miodownik's book Stuff Matters: Exploring the Marvelous Materials that Shape Our Man-Made World

Years ago, in college, I made a conscious decision to stay away from all but the (barely) required science classes. I'd enjoyed science in high school, but at this university, science seemed to be highly competitive, aimed at premed and PhD ambitions. If there had been a track for 'science for poets' as sometimes exists today, I would have taken every course. I was probably afraid of the competition, and the math, and had no ambitions for a scientific career. But in high school, especially in chemistry class (which I basically taught myself, the teacher was so bad), what fascinated me was what I later learned was called 'physical chemistry', the structure and behavior of atoms in substance.

(By the time I'd graduated, my writing was poorer for a lack of scientific metaphor and expanded horizons. And when I think of auditing college classes now, it's always the science courses that interests me.)

Well, this book is all about physical chemistry, complete with little pictures of things like carbon hexagons and great explanations of the substances discussed. Don't worry about the chapter on paper - didn't interest me much. But the other stuff, the steel chapter, the carbon chapter! Wow.

I might finish later today, but I just wanted to get my secret science hunger off my chest.

>43 ffortsa: - In high school, I was good at and liked biology. Chemistry was iffy, depending on what we were learning. And physics was a disaster for me because math. I had to take two math and/or science classes in college, but there were science classes for non-majors, so I took Human Reproduction, and then The Biology of Aging. I am eternally grateful for those cop-out classes :)

Hi Judy. Happy New Year. It sounds as though you and Jim managed to pack a lot into the 22 days of January. I love the opening photo. Your dad had quite a talent.

I send all good wishes for a wonderful year!

I had to have 6 units of physical science for my under-grad degree and most classes were 3 units so I would have had to take two of them. Geology, however, was a 5 unit class so I signed up simply because it was the least I could do. Turned out the professor was fantastic and I thoroughly enjoyed the class. Can't say I'm dying to take any more science at this point though.

I started out taking Home Ec in University so biology and chemistry were some of my required courses - because, food science, I guess. I wanted to get into fashion design but my Dad wanted me to get a degree. It wasn't long before it was suggested that I might do better getting an arts degree. Now if there had been a course on genetics, my interest in science would have blossomed.

>32 ffortsa: FUN!!!! How cool you are going to the Galapagos Islands. Jealous.

>43 ffortsa: I already have that one waiting for me in the wings!! I really loved Liquid Rules so I am sure I will enjoy Stuff Matters. : )

So envious that you are going to the Galapagos!

>43 ffortsa: I’m glad you like Stuff Matters. Sorry the paper chapter didn’t work for you. I appreciate ‘science for poets’.

51. Stuff Matters: Exploring the Marvelous Materials that Shape Our Man-Made World by Mark Midoonwnik

See comments at >43 ffortsa:

>43 ffortsa: I also did everything I could to avoid sciences and math in college. I was actually very talented in math, and my parents encouraged me to go to engineering school, or to major in math or a science. Instead I majored in music, (taking the one science and one math course required for my BA). In later life, I've become fascinated by science, and I'd say a substantial part of my NF reading relates to science (the other big chunk is political). And one of my daughters has a Ph.D in genetics, and the other is a medical doctor.
I think I already have Stuff Matters on my Kindle. Off to check.

7. Gigi by Collette

I finally read the novella on which the movie is based (and what do I think of the movie touchstone coming up first? Don't ask.). Quite lovely and uncharacteristically optimistic, according to the introduction by Judith Thurman. I have a gorgeous limited edition volume of Collette's Break of Day, and I'm now interested in reading her other work.

An interesting episode on Friday:

I went down to a government office, thinking I had an appointment. The office is in a beautiful building that is mostly a museum now; the waiting area is just inside the main entrance. Waiting for my appointment, I discovered that I had neither cell phone nor tablet with me. No reading material, no internet contact, no games to play, nada! Oh no!

What incredible peace. It turned out I didn't have an appointment; I thought I'd be annoyed, but I wasn't. Strange. I headed to the library to return some books; the library would not open for another two hours. I still wasn't annoyed.

I was completely and utterly relaxed. SO unusual for me. Maybe, without internet access for a week in the Galapagos, this relaxation will become more familiar.

When do you leave for your trip? Don't forget to take a camera!!

I don't think I'd be stressed by no internet (I don't have a tablet and I don't use my phone for much more than as a phone, or camera, to be honest) but I would definitely be freaked out by not having a book with me! :-)

Have a great time Judy and take lots of pics.

I would go nuts if I showed up for an appointment without any of the normal time kill stuff. I doubt I'm the only one and I don't want to experiment to find out lol.

Hi Judy!

I had a copy of The Bookish Life of Nina Hill from the library but had to return it before I got to it. "Howling with laughter" is quite an endorsement. I will check it out from said library again soon.

You're traveling to the Galapagos!!! How cool. P went there in 1981 or so, she has often talked about it as an incredible adventure. I don't know how much things will have changed in the intervening four decades (presumably too much) but I think it's still an amazing corner of the world. ENJOY!!!

Save travels, Judy. I hope you have a wonderful trip to the Galapagos and get to see everything on your wish list.

Miss Darwin, enjoy your trip!

Safe travels, Judy.

I'm back! And as soon as I recover, I'll post some photos. A very vigorous journey.

>61 ffortsa: Wow that went fast, Judy. I hope you had a great time!

Can't wait to see your photos!

Welcome back. Trip report and photos, pretty please.

Well, first the books. While away I read

8. Miss Buncle's Book by D.E. Stevenson
9. Miss Buncle Married by D.E. Stevenson
10. Pigs in Heaven by Barbara Kingsolver
11. Fatally Flaky by Diane Mott Davidson
12. Galapagos Wildlife by David Horwell

All were delightful except the last, which is more of a reference book. The two Stevenson books were great fun, and I will certainly continue with this lovely series. I almost put down Pigs in Heaven when I realized the upheaval to come, but I'm glad I finished it. It's the first Kingsolver I read, and won't be the last.

As for the trip, it was much more strenuous than I had anticipated! Up early every day, hikes and snorkeling and the Charles Darwin Research Center. A zillion meals, quite good - I hadn't anticipated the food on this kind of a cruise. I took lots of pictures (yes, I'll show you some). Naturalist talks almost every evening, including two by Donald Johanson, who is the archaeologist/paleontologist who found Lucy fifty years ago, visiting the Galapagos for the first time and, I imagine, singing for his supper. A lovely man. I was only seasick, and then only a little, one night, thank goodness.

It's hard for me to analyze each day. We sailed to the northern and western islands in the chain (I think) - there's a whole other week for the rest of it. The geology is fascinating - three tectonic plates meeting to slide under and away from each other, producing different kinds of islands over eons. Some were rounded and still erupting (the naturalists REALLY wanted us to see an eruption, but it didn't happen). Some were more conical, with fallen calderas. One had heaved up something like 11 feet overnight just before a Disney research ship came by, and you can still see the mouse-ear insignia in the graffiti.

The Galapagos is 97% national wildlife refuge, even though 30,000 people live there. Many people seek to live there to escape the dangers of Ecuador on the mainland - the islands themselves are very safe. And that is a sad commentary, isn't it? Everyone is pretty fanatical about plastic, pollution, and protection of the endemic species. Goats had been introduced by whalers and it took years and a concerted effort to eliminate them, which was done because of their severe impact on the island they populated. There are a few other species that were introduced by humans with no thought to impact, and they are (mostly) gone.

The snorkeling varied. I didn't go on the deep water dives, as I'm still a little insecure in the gear, but my brother did, and at least half the time the water was pretty murky. But my underwater camera worked well when there was visibility, and he and I both got interesting shots. I swam off the beach, and had a really good time.

We were lucky enough to visit just as the breeding season started for several species, including the famous blue-footed boobies, the frigate birds, and the tortoises! And believe me, none of them cared if those strange biped mammals were watching. As long as we didn't step on them, we might as well have been invisible.

There were about 92 tourists on board, and many were really lovely. The crowd skews older, of course, as this was a pricey deal and a bucket list type of destination. Still, a vigorous bunch! I bailed on one hike that was too fast and uphill for me, and didn't even attempt the last one, as it was reported to be steep and slippery, but most people went. Impressive.

I'll get some pictures up on LT soon, and display them with annotations.

The only bad note is that I think I left my Kindle on the plane home. It's an old one, and I may yet come across it today, but if not, I'll treat myself to a new one. At least all the books are safely tucked up on Amazon or the library.

Oh, and traveling with my brother turned out to be wonderfully easy for both of us.

It sounds wonderful, Judy! I can't wait to see the photos.

And I am so glad you and your brother made good traveling companions for each other. That can sometimes be dicey!

Sounds like such a terrific trip, Judy, thanks for the details! Also eagerly awaiting the photos.

What a wonderful experience for you, Judy, and I'm envious that you got to see Donald Johanson speak. I can't tell you how many times I've read Lucy and thrilled at their discoveries.

It's great that you and your brother were such good traveling companions, too.

Thanks for the detailed message.

It sounds like you had a great trip and found a wonderful traveling companion, Judy. Maybe there will be more trips for you together? It sounds like a good but exhausting time.

I enjoyed the Miss Buncle books when I read them, perfect vacation reading!

This beauty came up to the wall of the enclosure at the Charles Darwin Research Center to examine the visitors. That's pretty unusual - most of the time the animals just ignore us featherless bipeds.

CDRC keeps a number of hybrid species of tortoise, all of whom are sterile or sterilized, and returns them to islands that need 'grooming'. These slow-moving guys create pathways and ponds and return the vegetation to a sustainable level, after which species originally inhabiting the island will be reintroduced.

Sounds like a great trip, Judy. We've sometimes talked about doing it but I'm beginning to doubt we ever will so it's especially nice to get so much info about what it's really like.

I just read through Darryl's thread to this point, and I'm sorry that the extended and interesting discussion seems to have chased him away. I was going to comment on one of the comments there, but I'll do it here.

Benita commented in post 201, there, that Jonathan Franzen didn't like that Oprah chose his book The Corrections. Among other reasons, he was "irritated that a woman had picked his book for her largely female book club when he had written it for a male audience." Well la-de-dah. So sorry women think, right? I happen to have thought the book quite powerful, but then maybe I didn't understand it because I don't have a 'Y' chromosome.

We are seeing the play 'My Name is Lucy Barton' tomorrow, and I haven't read the book yet. I borrowed it from the library today but decided to see the play first rather than get half-way through the book. Will report back.

The next two books for my reading groups are Eva Luna by Isabel Allende and A Soldier of the Great War by Mark Helprin. I'll have to buckle down for the latter - it's pretty long.

And I bought tickets for an interview with Amor Towles at the NY Public Library later on in the spring. Actually I bought two pairs of tickets, because I couldn't quite figure out the website. If I can't cancel one, I may treat friends to the extras.

The aforementioned play 'My Name is Lucy Barton' was not a winner for us in spite of Laura Liinney. I assume the book has more meat in it. And Manhattan Theater Club made a horrible mistake in pulling out the first two rows of seating and then replacing them with hard seated chairs when there is actually a negative rake at that point. Jim ended up behind an extremely tall woman on one of those hard seats while we were in the upholstered ones, and in spite of his height of 6'4" he said it was like listening to a radio play. Grump.

I wanted to start Eva Luna today, but the ebook I downloaded is in Spanish! It has a translator credit, but someone must have loaded the wrong text. I'll report it on Tuesday. I've reserved a paper copy, but I can't pick it up until Tuesday when the long weekend is over. I might read a little side by side to tickle my Spanish acquisition.

So instead I started A Soldier of the Great War which is so far delightful and unexpectedly funny. But it's really long, which means I might not get to the Viveca Sten before it gets returned to the library. Boo.

And my kindle is well and truly lost. Oh well. The only reason I will miss it is when I want to read outside, and that won't be for a while, I think. Oh, except I'm going to San Francisco a week from Thursday. Rats.

Hmm...I'm going to My Name is Lucy Barton tonight and am disappointed to hear your review....It hasn't received much good press so I think you're in the majority, but I'm still eager to see Laura Linney. What did you think of her?

She is always wonderful.

btw, I accidentally bought two sets of tickets to a talk with Amor Towles at the NYpl on April 14th. Would you be interested in joining us?

13. Tehran Noir by Salar Abdah

I thought I'd already read this, but the title I read was Baghdad Noir in the same series. This set of short stories seems to focus most on the social realities of men and women in the Tehran culture, sometimes funny, often horrific. I'm not sure what I think about it as a whole.

I just received Nairobi Noir as an ER.

This blind date went nowhere

True love, at least for now.

>65 ffortsa: Your trip sounds wonderful, Judy. The photos are fabulous!

Lovely photos. I did Zoology at University originally and would so love to visit the Galapagos!

>78 ffortsa:, >79 ffortsa: - Blue-footed Boobies! Wow, great shots! Were you really able to get that close or did you have a great zoom lens or were you behind a blind?

I love your photos Judy. What a wonderful trip!

>72 ffortsa: I read The Corrections before Franzen made his obnoxious comments and had no trouble understanding his ideas. I've stayed away from his books since that time.

Ooh, I love hearing about your Galapagos trip, Judy! It sounds absolutely dreamy and is high on my bucket list. I had no idea there were 30,000 people living on the islands. I am assuming they were friendly? I am sure you saw many bird species. Did someone help identify them?

Hooray for the blue-footed boobies! I was lucky to see these beauties on my Mexico trip, Pacific side.

>51 ffortsa: Adding that one to the BlackHole!

>53 ffortsa: I do not think I have ever read that book, although I have seen the movie a couple of times. I will have to see if I can find the book version.

>65 ffortsa: Welcome back! Glad to see you got some good reads in while you were gone.

Loving the pictures! Please keep posting them!

>84 msf59: Mark, we were guided by naturalists throughout our visit, so we were inundated with info! Nat geo wants to live up to its image. In addition to the boobies, we saw penguin, pelicans, flightless cormorants, and two species of frigates, displaying their red throats. I don't think we saw any finches, but I have a shot of the nest of a cactus finch among the fleshy cactus leaves.

The people on the islands were delightful. Many of them got permission to live and work on the islands in an effort to escape the much more dangerous mainland of Ecuador. The schools are not great, but it is very safe. Note that there were no indigenous people on the islands ever, in fact no indigenous mammals (some rats came from passing ships) and no amphibians. Some people do farm in the highlands, mainly coffee and chocolate, and of course tourism is very important to the economy. The talks each night regarding the creation and population of the islands were very interesting.

>82 jessibud2: we didn't get quite this close. I have a rather pokey zoom built into my digital point-and-shoot, which helped, but basically the animals ignored us. The rule was to stay 6 feet away unless the animals came up to you, and to stay on the trails where present. The tortoises in particular didn't care about us at all, except for that one curious one above. It was mating season for many species and they were rather singleminded!

>86 ffortsa: Thanks for the great info, it sounds like an amazing place. I also saw frigatebirds while in Mexico. Very cool birds. Any other boobies? Brown-footed or pink-footed?

>76 ffortsa: Thanks so much for the Towles offer... I wish I could make it but right now am planning to visit my daughter in DC (hoping to hit cherry blossom time) for a long weekend.

Loving your photos and comments on Galapagos trip. It sounds like such an amazing place.

14. How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less by Sarah Glidden

Jim's been divesting himself of some of his graphic novels via eBay, and I grabbed this one before it went out the door. It's protagonist shares a lot of the misgivings I would have, or did have, when thinking of visiting Israel, which meant it was an interesting read. A quick read, which is both the good and bad part of this style of novel for me. It moved along quickly, but it felt more like a lattice of thought than a solid story.

I should really change my 'currently reading' notations. Right now I'm reading Eva Luna for Monday's readers' gathering, and A Soldier of the Great War for a week from Tuesday. I normally can't read two novels at the same time, but these read side by side rather easily.

an underwater shot with my new camera. I had to chase these two around a bit.

>92 ffortsa: Lovely, Judy. I thoroughly enjoyed catching up with your travelogue.

>92 ffortsa: Beautiful photo! If I saw that in a magazine I would be sure they had photoshopped those colors! Amazing.

>94 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks. I was sort of amazed myself. I got so absorbed in chasing this one big fish and one little fish down, I lost all nerves about snorkeling.

Awesome photos! It looks like you had a blast!

Doing the laundry can be dangerous when the community book shelves are in the same room. I came upstairs with three books: Enemies: A Love Story by I.B. Singer, a Donna Leon I haven't yet read, and a new translation of Gilgamesh. I must have pretty well-read neighbors.

More than half-way through Eva Luna but I have to take a break. My eyes get very tired reading paper books, especially paperbacks. Bums me out - I used to be able to read all day. Oh well. Laundry.

>90 ffortsa: I will have to see if I can find a copy of that one. It sounds interesting to me.

>91 ffortsa: Soldier of the Great War is one I have owned for years. I really need to get it read.

>92 ffortsa: Beautiful!

>97 ffortsa: LOL! I would be carting books away too, I am sure!

You took some wonderful photos of your trip, Judy. Thanks for sharing them and yay for literary neighbours who leave book treasures for you to find.

Hope your weekend has gone well, Judy. You seemed to miss me in >93 PaulCranswick: above.

>100 PaulCranswick: Sorry, Paul. I did see you up there!

15. Eva Luna by Isabel Allende

This is a book about story-telling, more than anything else, so it is sort of picaresque, in that the stories flow by in an almost happy-go-lucky way, as our protagonist Eva Luna skips from one situation to another, some good, some bad, without accumulation of wisdom that a single coherent storyline might provide. Toward the end, I felt it was too much 'look at me', a writer being joyously but a big obviously clever.

16. @The Cold, Cold Ground by Adrian McKinty

My first Sean Duffy mystery, and quite interesting. Setting the character in Northern Ireland in the midst of the Troubles, McKinty allows the news to be a constant background hum during the investigation of a pair of murders. I liked the characters and the police dialogue, and I'll be sure to read more in this series.

Gorgeous photos. Are you using an iPhone?

>103 cameling: Thanks. Nope, not an iPhone. This was from an actual camera! I bought a rather sophisticated point-and-shoot so I could take shots underwater, which it does quite well. I'm still getting used to it and all its zillions of settings, but it's light and small and sold specifically for travelers who need a camera that won't be wrecked by casual use.

That said, I think I could have used my LG Android for a lot of the shots.

We are off to San Francisco tomorrow for a short week, or long weekend, or something like that. See you all when we get back.

Hi Judy!

>74 ffortsa: Sorry your Kindle’s well and truly lost. When that happened, my husband bought me a Paperwhite and of course about a month later the old one showed up. I don’t use the old one any more, just the Paperwhite.

>78 ffortsa: and >79 ffortsa: Excellent photos.

>92 ffortsa: Ooh!

Safe and fun trip to you and Jim!

>106 karenmarie: Thanks! I keep meaning to set up the 'slide show' of best shots from my trip where people can see them on the internet. Maybe when I'm in SF.

I was hoping that Kindle would show up, but it doesn't look likely. The Paperwhite is a reasonable price, and I can get a cheap case and put one of those round phone handles on the back. But I'm in no rush, as my tablet serves me well except in sunlight.

We just have to pack up our boarding passes and head for Newark now. I hope to have time to read the rest of A Soldier of the Great War before we get home.

I dug my old Kindle out the other day to give to Hubby since he's having trouble reading normal book-size print for any length of time and I was hoping being able to increase the size of the print would help. Battery was dead and it doesn't respond when I put it to charge -- even for a full day. Too bad because I couldn't find the cord so bought a new one on-line so I'm out a little cash as well as having a Kindle that doesn't work :(

Oh, bummer. Sorry to hear that.

When my first kindle died, it was the charger connection that failed. I think the replacement one, refurbished, was heading in the same direction. Seems to be a stress point. And I suspect if the battery has been dead too long, it stays dead.

>109 ffortsa: "if the battery has been dead too long, it stays dead" -- I suspect that's the problem too. I was thinking about seeing if I could send it somewhere for a new battery but then decided it probably isn't worth it. He has a little computer for travel that isn't much bigger than a tablet and I may see about installing the Kindle app on that.

And we're back.

Staying with my family in Tiburon, and not being able to read outside using my tablet even though the view of San Francisco Bay is stunning, has convinced me to buy another Kindle. Outdoor reading time is coming.

I'm almost finished with A Soldier of the Great War by Mark Helprin. Discussion tonight.

>111 ffortsa: Welcome home!

That is definitely an advantage of Kindle but I like traveling with my small-size i-Pad because it is not only my travel library but I can also do my internet "stuff" all on the same device.

I hope that you had a fun time in San Francisco, Judy, but sometimes it is just great to be home.

17. A Soldier of the Great War by Mark Helprin

The Great War in Italy had its share of trench warfare, but most of the fighting was up north in the mountains, where Italy abuts what was then the AustroHungarian Empire. The soldier of this story, Alessandro, grows up in Rome, and is studying aesthetics when the war begins; he enlists because he feels he can better avoid the worst of it if he volunteers.

Alas, that was not to be. While he leads what seems to be a charmed life, the war in all its cruelty and fatality whirls around him in various venues and battles. and he sees many friends and foes die.

The story is enclosed in the simple adventure of an old man walking to a distant village with a young man, to whom he tells the history of his war and also much more. Helprin uses the character's love of beauty as permission for vivid and often beautiful descriptions of even ugly and terrifying events, but does not forget to show how Alessandro learns, hardens, and finds meaning in life in spite of, or because of, the war.

There are funny scenes as well as tragic ones, some of them just short of magical realism; some villains get their comeuppance promptly, some long after it does any good, some not at all. Many good people die, some almost by accident, some quite deliberately. Ultimately, Alessandro is left with the idea of beauty as that with which God comforts his broken children, and the idea of life as the balance of risk and hope.

>108 RebaRelishesReading: and >109 ffortsa: My old Kindle won’t charge either – most likely the charging connection. I was told by Amazon that I might be able to turn it in for credit on a new Kindle, but I don’t need a new Kindle and won’t bother.

>115 karenmarie: Yeah, I checked with them and found mine too old to bother with. But I'm a little annoyed that my collections aren't downloaded to my new Kindle.

On the other hand, I think I spend far too much time arranging things rather than doing something with them, so perhaps I'll keep my new device leaner.

Reba, it's only because I like to read outside that I got myself another Kindle. Otherwise I agree, the app on my tablet is quite sufficient.

Your trip sounds wonderful, Judy. P visited the Galapagos in the early 1980s (as a side trip from her Peace Corps gig in Ecuador) and it sounds breathtaking. Thanks for sharing stories and pictures!

>111 ffortsa: I love my new (current version) Kindle Oasis. I had to do a bit of shopping to find a cover that works for me but I love how it fits in my hand.

>116 ffortsa: Aren't all of the books you have purchased in your library and available for moving to another device?

>118 RebaRelishesReading: Oh, of course. But I had sorted them into collections, which are now recognised on the kindle content list. I didn't expect the books to download but i hought the collection labels would appear. I'm being picky. And to tell the truth, I spend much too much time sorting things like ebooks and email into collections and folders, and not enough time reading or getting rid of them. So it might be for the best. After all, downloading 100 books to my Kindle and then not reading them is idiocy.

(Did you miss me^?)

"downloading 100 books to my Kindle and then not reading them is idiocy." IDK. Is it more idiotic than collecting hundreds (who, me?) of books for one's shelves and not having the time to get to them?

>119 ffortsa: Ah yes, I see now.

>120 EBT1002: Nope, didn't miss you, just had a time crunch. I didn't know P. was in the Peace Corps in Ecuador. A friend of mine was also in the PC, before then, in Malaysia, and another recently in the Republic of Georgia. I admire all of them for their willingness to extend themselves in foreign cultures!

As for the books, it's not any more idiotic than collecting hundreds of physical books, but then again, I've already done that to the capacity of the apartment. Sigh. I really mean to read them one of these days. At least those are bindings out, hovering in front of my eyes.

18. I Hear the Sirens in the Street by Adrian McKinty

Definitely hooked on another series. I love the way McKinty weaves a good mystery into the real events of the Troubles. He sends me to look things up, thinking 'Did that really happen?", the answer to which is always yes. His detective Sean Duffy is liable to injury, but that is consonant with the ferocity of the Troubles, isn't it.

Well, I've definitely lost my footing among the mountains of thread posts. Please don't take it amiss if I jump in unannounced wherever you might be without reading the preceding threads. I love staying in touch but...

My week will be pretty full with visitors from Boston, and other obligations, and I suspect it will get even fuller when I return a couple of phone calls. I'm going to have to sneak in my reading between events.

>102 ffortsa: Mamie has been recommending the Sean Duffy series, but my local library does not have any of them. I need to look further afield, I guess.

>114 ffortsa: Oh yeah. I really need to get to that one.

>124 ffortsa: Good luck sneaking in the reading!

>125 alcottacre: No Duffy books? That's too bad. I would send them along except they are l8brary ebooks. One of the side effects of technology. Hope you are finally mending.

>92 ffortsa: What an incredible photo! You trip sounds so fascinating!

It's getting a little abnormal here in NYC. The Governor effectively closed Broadway shows today by declaring closed any sites with more than 500 people expected. Jim and I and Marianne (MichiganTrumpet) and a couple of friends from the Boston area saw "Hadestown" last night, part of a packed house, just under the wire. We have a number of plays and concerts on the schedule that will probably be cancelled in the coming weeks as well.

There's been talk of closing the schools and the subways, but I doubt that will happen en masse, especially the schools, because many children will have no one at home and will end up either a) forcing a parent to stay home from work or b) in a daycare center that is at least as germy as the school. Some kids get their main meal, and even a shower at school. Maybe the time would be better spent teaching them how to avoid contagion. As for the subways, that would completely wreck many peoples' finances, especially those people who can't afford that to happen. It's quite a bind.

As typical Manhattanites, Jim and I don't cook much, and I can't say we are especially well-stocked for a two or three week quarantine. We'll do some additional shopping tomorrow afternoon, then just take things as they come. We have lots of order-in choices if necessary. The only problem might be a bit of cabin fever, but if the weather stays nice, I'll take lots of walks. Keeping my distance, of course. Maybe we will even catch up on our TV viewing.

Stay safe and sane, everyone.

>128 ffortsa: I hope you and Jim weather the virus just fine, Judy!

I traveled on the subway to my violin lesson today, and since the trip was mainly against traffic, there were no crowds and plenty of space.
Now I'm confronting my desk. There's something I rarely have time to do!

>128 ffortsa: Our local restaurants are offering drive-up, curbside take out as a way to make at least some money while this thing is going on. I’m glad to help them out!

Starbucks, though, was eerily quiet for a Saturday morning...

It's a beautiful day in New York, but rather quiet outside. We had some excitement here to keep us amused - a kitchen fire that filled the hall with white smoke, a ferocious run on toilet paper, of course - and a very unstable internet connection. I can't even waste my money on a lottery ticket. I guess the lottery machines are connected via wifi.

Against all advice, we are attending a small party tonight to congratulate a couple on their marriage. I'm sure there will be hand sanitizer provided to all.

>131 drneutron: Curbside pickup is a good idea. We of course have zillions of take-out places, and in New York they deliver as well. My sister in San Antonio said her supermarket was offering online ordering and curbside pickup, which for her is important as she can't afford a respiratory infection. Most people here are 'very serious' about things - when I dared laugh at someone's elbow handshake, I got a stern lecture on the situation. From a young man. Sheesh.

The first uneasy news from my very large apartment house population: a friend who lives a few floors above me was taken to the hospital yesterday morning with what might be pneumonia and/or covid19. He's someone I meet on the elevator, in the lobby, at the homes of mutual friends. Uh-oh. I think I'll start my 5-day clock to watch for symptoms.

>133 ffortsa: Yikes! Good luck Judy. Hope he's OK and that you haven't caught anything.

>132 ffortsa:

While we'd LOVE to order take-out, how are people protected from any illness of those who prepare the food?

>135 m.belljackson: regarding take-out, I would hope that food preparers use gloves as a matter of routine, except for the chef, I guess. I don't plan take-out for a while, since I now have a stuffed refrigerator, but Jim sometimes hankers for a meal from our favorite diner. We'll see.

It's going to be a long haul, I'm afraid. There's some talk of a 'shelter in place' order, which is as yet undefined, but might mean we can't go out for groceries and such. I am determined to walk every day I can, just to prevent myself from going crazy. And maybe I'll finally get around to choosing an exercise routine for home.

>134 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks, Reba. I'm not that close to Joe, but who knows, if he has the virus, how long he's been incubating it? And who else might have spent more time with him. Poor guy. Whatever he's got, it's not good.

19. The Purrfect Murder by Rita Mae Brown

Why do I read these books? Each one gets preachier and more political than the last.

Re: takeout - the virus isn't carried through food or the digestive system. As long as you are careful with the packaging and contact with the delivery/restaurant staff, it should be okay.

We got delivery last night. I paid over the phone, took the bag from the delivery person, washed my hands, unpacked the food, washed my hands, etc.

ETA: We have plenty of food at home, but our local restaurants are hurting, so we want to try to help. The other piece of good advice I heard about takeout/delivery is to only do it from places you are familiar with, especially ones you've visited in person so you have some sense of how seriously they take hygiene and health in general.

Hi Judy.

I'm so sorry to hear about your neighbor and hope that you didn't get any of his germs. Very scary for you.

>136 ffortsa: >138 katiekrug:

Okay, gloves work for handling, but what if the preparer sneezes and coughs?

(I'm still trying to get this into perspective and so imagine my local low-paid pizza maker...

the county where I live has 7-8 coronavirus cases, 4 of them in Sun Prairie 2 miles away, 3 in one church.)

>140 m.belljackson: - If you mean sneezes and coughs into the food, I don't know what to tell you. They should be fired. But it's not a food-born illness, so....? If you mean onto the packaging or whathaveyou, that's what the hand-washing/sanitizing is for. If you mean when being served/delivered, my delivery guy was wearing a mask, but I could go to the grocery store and have someone sneeze or cough on me. That's why limiting contact is important. Anything at this point is a calculated risk. We did what we could to mitigate the risk, while still trying to support a local business.

>139 karenmarie: Thanks, Karen. The update is that he is in intensive care and tested positive. Very bad news.

>142 ffortsa: - So sorry to hear this, Judy.

>142 ffortsa:

Does that brings the virus close enough to qualify for testing?

>142 ffortsa: - Oh dear. This whole thing is scary enough. But when it gets that close, I imagine it ramps up the anxiety. I do hope that he recovers and that you and everyone else who inadvertently has had contact with him, will escape with only the anxiety and nothing more. Fingers crossed.

>123 ffortsa: I just finished I Hear the Sirens in the Street too, Judy. Duffy is prone to injury but it is also interesting that at the end of both books that I have read there are consequences for his actions. But the next book will take a while to get because all of the libraries in Vancouver and its surrounding cities are closed.

That's bad news about your neighbour. I hope he is getting better and that you are doing ok. Good luck getting out for walks to prevent stir craziness.

>144 m.belljackson: I don't think I would get priority because we live in the same building. We have about 450 apartments and it's not like he and I spent considerable time together. And so far I feel fine.

I'm so sorry to hear about your neighbor, Judy. I certainly hope that he has something unrelated to covid-19... I mean, I'm sorry he's ill and has to be taken to the hospital and I send good vibes to him for a speedy and full recovery. But I do hope it's unrelated to covid19 because that will at least ease the anxiety of the residents in your building.

When was the last time you saw him? .. relatively up close I mean, because your 14 day window counts down from your last interaction with him. At least that's what I've been reading.

>148 cameling: I hear all sorts of date brackets about how long to wait for symptoms to appear, anywhere from 5 to 14 days. That said, I don't recall, but probably sometime before the weekend. I doubt we had a handshake, but we may have stopped to talk. And yes, he's tested positive, alas.

Hi Judy. I am dropping this all over the place because it's so good. As a NYer and a Broadway fan, you should appreciate this. Here is a little music to uplift:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5AyGvJcyoU

It's terrific. Enjoy.

21. The Cat Who Could Read Backwards by Lillian Jackson Braun

I read this mainly because it is the first in the endless series. The language and habits might rate this historical fiction, but it was ok.

We scooted out in the rain about an hour ago, to pick up some bagels for a friend who was quarantined. The streets are eerily empty; we passed a few people on University Place south of 14th St., and a few cars, but that was it. The police had several vans marked as 'homeless outreach' parked on University Place, and they were probably searching the park and the subway station.

Picked up the bagels and headed right back.

Yesterday we listened to Saturday's 'Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me' and Maz Jobrani said he was going to read New Yorkers while he was sequestered - he has them back to 2016. Ha. I'm just starting 2010! The February 1 issue is particularly interesting. I'll post about it later, after I've finished.

Hi Judy--sorry to hear about your neighbor, but so glad you continue to feel fine. Nice of you to drop off the bagels. Hope your friend feels better soon, too.

We are all huddled down at home. Except for hubby, but he is the only one going in to our company office. Everyone else is working virtually.

from Karen Marie:

1. Who(m) are you named after? A popular name from the year I was born.
2. Last time you cried? Reading the end of Cry the Beloved Country
3. Do you like your handwriting? I used to - now it's less decipherable
4. What is your favorite lunch meat? Rare roast beef.
5. Longest relationship? 25 years with Jim (current)
6. Do you still have your tonsils? Nope.
7. Would you bungee jump? Maybe
8. What is your favorite kind of cereal? Oatmeal with blueberries, and brown sugar if I have it
9. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? Usually
10. Do you think you're strong willed? no.
11. Favorite ice cream? Coffee, or Breyer's Vanilla
12. What is the first thing you notice about a person? Their facial expression
13. Football or baseball? It used to be football (American game), now maybe not.
14. What color pants are you wearing? none - still in my robe
15. Last thing you ate? a banana
16. What are you listening to? Jim typing
17. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Teal.
18. What is your favorite smell? The ocean
19. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone? My neighbor in quarantine
20. Married? not officially
21. Hair color? Strawberry blonde, straight from the hairdresser
22. Eye color? Blue.
23. Favorite food? Chicken thighs
24. Scary movies or happy endings? Happy endings.
25. Last movie you watched In a theater? Joker
26. What color shirt are you wearing? see #14
27. Favorite holiday? Thanksgiving Passover Seder.
28. Beer or Wine? white wine,
29. Night owl or morning person? slightly nightowl
30. Favorite day of the week? any day - I'm retired
31. Favorite animal? Dog
32. Do you have a pet? no, alas
33. Where would you like travel to? Anywhere in a country setting - we are sheltering in place in NYC

>153 Berly: Glad you are staying home.

Joann's is putting together free kits to make face masks. Not N95, but useful anyway. Unfortunately, no Joann's in Manhattan, and I don't think I have the right kind of cotton fabric. Bummer.

Hi Judy!

Fun stuff, except for #19 and #33. #14 and #26 - you in your robe and I was wearing my jammies.

'Cause why not? : )

22. In the Morning I'll be Gone by Adrian McKinty

I continue to love how McKinty weaves his story within the history of the time. I guessed the perpetrator pretty quickly, and the way the alibi is discredited, but the story is great.

So there we were, in the Greenmarket, which is very sparsely attended these days, and we were buying some delicious rye bread, when the sheltering tent top over the bread stand flapped and dumped a river's worth of cold rainwater right on my head!

Clearly, I should have stayed home.

I almost left this on Ellen's thread, but it is too much of a downer to dump on someone else. For all the talk of how this pandemic and isolation will change us, I don't have that optimism. I doubt anything material will change after the pandemic subsides. We'll all say the air was better and the streams were clearer and go back to our wasteful ways. Some will continue to hoard, or make up for the sense of emptiness that shopping fills up. And we don't need to, but that doesn't mean we won't.

I think the indoors is getting me down.

Glad to see you safe, Judy as the numbers coming out of New York are pretty scary.
.

>159 ffortsa: I hope you at least got your rye bread!

>160 ffortsa: I'll hazard you are right whilst wishing at all times you are not.

The rye was delicious as was the jalapeno and cheddar scone.

Thanks for stopping by, Paul.

This is for you and Jim, Judy.

Thought of you as I was doing a play list for 1969.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2swOlajJ-zU

>159 ffortsa: OMG that must have been awful!!
>160 ffortsa: Sadly, I think you're probably right

Stay well!

Hey, my replies disappeared!

As I was saying >160 ffortsa:, it was actually pretty funny, although cold.

>163 PaulCranswick: Jim is off to Queens to pick up his mail and do some stuff in his mancave. I'll wait to watch the video you posted when he gets back. Thanks.

I've watched two Midsomer Murders this afternoon, the last of season 13, and the first of season 14 with the new Barnaby. I didn't expect to like him, but he's quite good.

>159 ffortsa: Judy--Sorry you got dumped on, literally. LOL At least the day wasn't boring and you enjoyed the bread. : )

>160 ffortsa: Hoping humanity proves you wrong. xoxo

I finally started Still Waters by Viveca Sten. It's been on my tablet for a while, but I was hesitant about reading yet another mystery. So far, so good. After this, I have an audio book I must listen too before April 7th - plenty of time, really, as long as it doesn't put me to sleep if I'm not walking.

Inside all day yesterday, which wasn't hard since it was rainy and glum, but I may have to get out and take a walk today, rain or no rain. Otherwise, I find myself strangely content staying home.

>165 ffortsa: We didn't think we'd like him as well either but turns out we not only like him a lot, but also really like his family. We've watched them all now so we're anxiously waiting for them to make some more.

Just catching up and waving hello. Glad all is well.

>165 ffortsa: It took me a while to get used to the new Barnaby but soon came to enjoy watching the new one in action!

>168 RebaRelishesReading: >169 figsfromthistle: I think I'm going to like him a lot. My sister has seen all outstanding episodes and so misses them she said she might start from the beginning again!

Hi Judy! We've watched all the Midsomer Murders episodes. I envision watching them all again one day because they were so well done.

I got a text from a cousin of mine in Ohio, one of those people who get up early and actually DO things. She's been sewing masks for a couple of places near her, while I've been dragging my heels. So I went to my storage locker on 11th Ave. and sorted through my fabric to find the %100 cotton stuff and hauled it home. AND I found a place that is accepting these home-made masks - at least they were when they set up their website. I sent them an email to double-check, since we have had delivery of masks in the city.

The pleasure of the walk was enhanced by listening to Cry, The Beloved Country, read by Michael York! Terrific reading. We're going to try to have an online meetup next week to discuss this book. I thought I'd read it before, but now I think maybe not. The recent chapters were a surprise to me.

23. Still Waters by Viveca Sten

An interesting character and setting for a mystery series. I liked the story and learned a bit about Swedish culture and law. My only complaint was that the author's technique of starting a chapter with results before explaining the process got a little tiresome. But everything was accounted for in the end, and made sense.

I look forward to the next book.

24. Through a Glass Darkly by Donna Leon

I really enjoyed this entry into the Brunetti series. I don't recall one I enjoyed more, as Brunetti tries to help a friend of Vianetto's and gets involved in a pair of Murano glassmakers way before anyone dies. I felt could see the glassmakers at their furnaces, manipulating the hot glass into the beautiful works of art we still associate with that area, as well as the pollution that results from that work. Leon lets us see the tight-knit community of craftsmen, and the beauty of spring in Venice.

Have a lovely, peaceful, safe and healthy weekend, Judy.

>175 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul. Stay well.

I'm about half-way through Cry, The Beloved Country, which we will discuss over a Zoom meeting on Tuesday evening. I should be able to get the second half in by then. I listen when I'm sewing masks (still perfecting that) and knitting. If I listen without anything else to do, I fall asleep, no matter how lovely or exciting the book is.

The place I found to donate home-made masks is overrun with donations. I did find some N95 masks in the back of the closet, and I'm trying to donate them via a medical-student website. The medical students will pick them up from my doorman. I have three of the N95 and three surgical masks in unopened emergency kits. If that's enough for them, I'll get them to where they are most useful.

Sewing, after all these years, is quite therapeutic. I'm not a baker, so the sewing is a good substitute. Also housework. I cleaned and reorganized my freezer the other day and found a one-inch cube of chocolate brownie. Such joy!

And my library has an e-copy of the Lackberg mystery I missed in March, so I can catch up on the mystery thread. Small wonders.

And of course, it's great to be here with Jim, although I think I could tolerate being alone. I'm more of an introvert than I like to admit, but I'm glad I don't have to find out just how much.

Nothing better than a surprise brownie!

Glad to hear you are coping well. We are doing fine, too. Lots of cooking going on, thanks to The Wayne. I make a decent sous chef when needed :)

The Department of Health has assembled medical students to pick up donations of N95 and surgical masks, and I called them for a pickup today. Easy peasy, as my cousin says. A great big guy of a med student came to my lobby to get them. I hope they do some good.

>178 katiekrug: We subscribe to HelloFresh and are generally behind in using the ingredients they deliver, but we are marching through them now. I usually play sous chef and Jim handles the stove-top matters. That's really the only way the two of us can operate in our tiny kitchen. It's working out ok. Friday we made a genuinely delicious blackened tilapia dish with rice and a kidney bean ragout thingy. Or did I say that before?

I'm sure the masks will be very welcome and well used! Nice perk to having a tidier closet :)

>180 RebaRelishesReading:. Ah, the closets are next. That will be a hard job.

It's amazing how much stuff one can accumulate when you live in one place for a long time isn't it? Good luck with the cleaning and stay well!!

>165 ffortsa: Midsomer Murders is one of my favourite shows. I wasn't too sure about the new Barnaby when John Nettles retired from the role, but he is really good.

Sorry to hear about you getting dumped on but I'm impressed by the face mask making. Is that your cousin who does those wonderful wall hangings?

>183 Familyhistorian: I have two cousins who are artists, one on each side of the family. But the one in Ohio is someone else, very efficient, very practical. She keeps bees, and collects sewing machines, repairing them as necessary. And she sews. A real straight ahead worker, entirely self motivated.

I'm continuing to experiment with mask patterns, although i don't have that much cotton material. Now i'm seeing requests for surgical caps as well. I wish I had more of a stash. They take more yardage.

I began uploading pictures of my masks to my junk drawer, but the first one came out sideways, for reasons I cannot derive. You can see them on facebook, however.

25. Cry, The Beloved Country by Alan Paton

We read this for our downtown reading group, and I would have sworn I'd read it long ago, but so much of it was new to me that maybe I hadn't.

The story of a country parson's journey to Johannesburg to find his son is told in the slow, stately rhythms of country life, and perhaps the Zulu language itself. I was moved by the ritual use of language: go well, stay well, yes, I understand, many other repeated phrases that become something of a hymn to the country and the lost culture. The characters are sometimes emblems: the girl, the demonstrator, the boy, the child, all without names. But the characters that are named are very present. The parson's brother John has long since relocated to Johannesburg, and adopted city ways and pace. Gertrude has been totally corrupted by the city after traveling there to find her husband. Jarvis and Parson Kumalo share the countryside and the terrible pain of loss. Msimangu is a loving guide through the inferno of the city, and a truly religious man.

Paton doesn't shy away from the politics and desolation of apartheid, but he shows its effect on behavior, on the way things must be done and must not be done. He makes it very personal, and all his characters sympathetic, no easy task.
And the book is filled with grinding poverty, unspoken fears, poignant hope.

We know now that apartheid has ended, reconcilliation has been attempted, people still live in poverty and separation. Amazingly, there was no war. But the fears between and among groups of different people resurge, and this book bears reading again.

>186 ffortsa: I read it a couple of years ago but I really do need to put it back into Mt. TBR for a reread. Thanks for your thoughtful comments Judy.

25. The Chessmen by Peter May

I am so sorry this trilogy is over. I loved this book, and the ones before it.

This third book in the Lewis Trilogy is the intensely personal story of Fin MacLeod, former detective inspector and native of Lewis, in the far north Hebrides. And it is the story of the people who grew up there, left or didn't leave or came back, the adolescent pains and victories, the circle of friends whose secrets are, in the end, toxic to almost all of them.

In the last trilogy, Fin has discovered he has a son, and has returned to the woman who bore that son. Fishing with his dearest friend, Whistler, he discovers a plane at the bottom of a bog burst, with a skeleton in it of a murdered man, their old friend Roddy. Unwinding the murder brings Fin back to the tight group of musicians of his youth, and their secrets, some of which threaten them all. A terrific read.

>160 ffortsa: I fear you are right. Sadly.

I'm an incorrigible optimist but I'm also an incorrigible cynic. About human behavior, the latter almost always wins out.

>188 ffortsa: I loved that trilogy. I just ordered his Lockdown from Book Depository. It won't even be available for another 17 days but I'm just interested.

Hang in there, my friend. I'm thinking of you and Katie and all my buddies in NY and NJ. Stay home, stay safe.

>189 EBT1002: Thanks, Ellen. We are doing pretty well. I had a virtual training session yesterday and although I tend to snark at this particular trainer, I felt better and more cheerful afterward. Why is that so hard to remember?

And I think being an optimist and a cynic go together. The cynic tries to protect the optimist from too much hope, but it never really works.

I'll have to keep an eye out for Lockdown.

As you said, stay home and stay safe, you and P.

I'm not happy with the masks I made. Not dense enough, most of them, except the ones with a layer of denim, but no more scraps of denim in my basket. I was considering cutting up a skirt that I probably will never be able to wear again, but I'd rather donate it in wearable condition. I have a pair of jeans I don't care about, but I think that denim is a little too heavy. I could use some towelling between layers, but I have very little cotton left, and it's not great quality. Boo.

The thing is, I've really gotten back into sewing, and when I don't have something to do, it's hard for me to change gears. Isn't that interesting? I stopped sewing my own clothes when fit became problematical - i.e. I would have to figure out how to modify the pattern in all the ways I'm not standard. And I don't have room for dress forms, etc. Oh for a house with a nice attic with windows and shelves.

I wanted my message this year to be fairly universal in a time we all should be pulling together, whatever our beliefs. Happy Celebration, Happy Sunday, Judy.

Oh, tulips!

Jim and I were salivating at the thought of the next season of 'Killing Eve', and tuned in to our recorded episode eagerly, only to find that there were SO MANY COMMERCIALS we couldn't stand it. So we will wait until we can pay for the series on Amazon Prime or wherever it ends up. This show is full of tension-buildup that these endless commercials completely destroy!

Hm. I just read something on another's thread that made me realize what a microaggression feels like. A surprise as to source, content, and reaction. It wasn't directed at me. Nevertheless, it made me flinch. Something to think about.

27. Games to Keep the Dark Away by Marcia Muller

This is from an old, old series that I never systematically read. I think this is listed as the third. Not bad, but not terrific either. And the experience was somewhat compromised by the obvious 'slap and scan' text, as every once in a while I had to interpret which word had been corrupted by OCR errors.

Small technical victories are a delight. I have a large monitor plugged into my small laptop, but the combination seemed to turn off my sound channel. Whenever I wanted to listen to something online, I had to unplug the larger monitor. Today Jim found an old headset, probably from his old office, that had a USB connection instead of an audio connection, and the sound works! Hurrah!

>197 ffortsa: Absolutely! When I went one against technology it's a real highpoint.

Congrats to Jim and have fun to you.

I can get a hair color kit from my hairdresser, but I've decided to let the roots grow out for a while, to see just how grey or white my hair is. I've been coloring it so long that I have no idea. My sister looks so good in her white hair that I'm eager to get to that point! I can always go back to the 'alchemist' (my mother's term) to turn my silver hair into copper.

28. Ten Second Staircase by Christopher Fowler

I'm confused, and not by the book itself. The title claims that it is the fourth in the series, but the end-paper in the book itself lists two other titles before it. Drat. I kept seeing references that felt like they pointed to other stories.

That said, this is Bryant an May with their usual deadpan silliness wrapped in tons of history and trivia and absurd behavior, and yet a decent puzzle with rather spectacular murders. I guessed early on what was happening, but the journey was a pleasant one, and in at least one place I laughed out loud.

I read Full Dark House which was the first of the series and was sort of put off by the grimness and the darkness.

The second one was The Water Room when the series hit its stride and the author found the right voice for these quirky characters.

and the third one was The Seventy Seven Clocks

It's the mark of a good series when the characters grow and change between Book Two and Book Four and you can't read them out of order.

The highlight of my day so far: Walking 9 blocks (about half a mile) to Home Depot to buy a new broom. Sunshine, warm day. I couldn't get into the Greenmarket yet, however, because the line was too long. Maybe later.

29. Negative Image by Vicki Delaney

The next book in a series from Canada, fairly light and an easy read. A washed-up fashion photographer is killed in the fancy hotel in town, and various ties emerge, involving the sergeant's wife, a long-lost brother, would-be models, photographer's assistant, etc. just go provide lots of possibilities. In the meantime, Constable Molly is being harassed by an abusive ex-con, and dealing with an overeager lover. Enough to keep me reading.

I'm getting a little crazy staying home all the time. How I envy people with gardens, terraces, even dogs to walk. I got out for a little while today to run some errands and do a round in Washington Square Park, where most people were distancing appropriately but not everyone was masked. It's hard to herd New Yorkers. I'm surprised it's going so well.

Every few days I get a buzz to DO THINGS. Unfortunately, it doesn't always make an environmental difference. But at least I've made a few new masks for Jim and me. They are the simplest I've seen, and seem to cover our very different face sizes well. My cousin sent me a box of quilting fabric in entertaining prints, nothing remarkable but very serviceable, so I got some of my itch taken care of. And then I had a violin lesson via Skype today before my walk. I realized how much I needed the walk when I found myself practically running for the elevator, leaving my phone behind.

The area I live in is very ghostly. There are people around, not too many, and some stores are open - food, news and magazine stores, liquor stores, not much else. More empty storefronts than I recalled, and that will happen more often, especially as restaurants run out of reserves. It's almost impossible for restaurants to open part-way, 25%, 40%, and pay their expenses. So I think we will see many more fail than usual, and that's already a lot.

Jim and I are cooking more, thanks to HelloFresh deliveries and the occasional salad and tuna fish, and there is plenty of food in the kitchen, but we are New Yorkers, and it feel strange to maneuver every meal from our own kitchen. Yesterday, I quit and opted for take-out meatballs and spaghetti. Not as good as our regular place, but good enough.

Now if I can just stop gaining weight!

No significant reading yet, although I have to read Circe before Tuesday evening's Zoom reading group, and I've tentatively started a new translation of Gilgamesh, of all things. So it's Circe tonight!

Stay well, everyone.

>205 ffortsa: We aren't New Yorkers but we normally eat out several times a week and changing to preparing nearly all of our meals at home (we've had take-out three times) is a major change. In a way I rather like it because I think we're eating more healthfully but it's definitely a change.

Hope you're able to get out more now that spring is coming/here.

Stay strong, stay well. :)

Hi Judy!

It's a strange new world, isn't it? Your environment is much different than mine of course, but not being able to do your pre-Covid-19 routine, whatever it was, is disconcerting and a strain. Much more 'no' than before - for me no thrift shops, no lunches out on Saturday with Bill as part of Saturday errands, no wandering up and down the grocery store aisles, no book-sort team work every Tuesday with lunch after.

I loved Circe and hope you, do, too. I read it in July of last year for August's discussion and almost everybody loved it.

Hang in there. Congrats on the face masks, by the way. I don't sew, don't have a sewing machine, and am using store-bought masks and gloves. I admire people who can sew.

>206 RebaRelishesReading: Hi, Reba. Spring is cutting both ways. This day was truly gorgeous, so of course there were too many people walking around with their masks dangling below their chins. I'll have to explore other routes.

>207 karenmarie: Hi, Karen. I Hope we can rally from this shelter in place judiciously so I can go for longer walks and still feel safe.

I'm having some minor trouble with Circe. Too much set up for me, and I get inpatient. But I may be past that now that Odysseus has come and gone.

30. Circe by Madeline Miller

Read for this Tuesday's virtual reading group.

If it hadn't been for the reading group, I might have put this down at about the 30% mark. Miller spends a lot of time with Circe's backstory, filling in lineage, persecutions, and personal discoveries. It went on a little too long for me, although it was interesting, and gave Circe both history and personality. But when Odysseus finally shows up, the book becomes much more engaging. Miller's portrait of the Greek pantheon is full of spoiled children and old animosities, her depiction of the relationships of men to women, on Olympus and in the world, typical of the brutality of the masculine view of life. How Circe, and others, triumph over this makes the end of the story very satisfying.

I'm glad you liked Circe even though it took you a while to get into it.

>210 karenmarie: Ooo - a visitor. Thanks for stopping by, Karen.

I'm in a down mood these days, which makes it hard to enjoy books like this. But I finally started Trevor Noah's Born a Crime in audio, and I'm glued to it.

>211 ffortsa: - Delurking to say I'm sorry you are feeling down. My mood is quite the roller coaster these days.

I hope Trevor Noah continues to provide welcome distraction. I loved it on audio.

>212 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie. I think this staying at home is magnifying the frustration caused by my own procrastination. Jim is much more laid-back about the place than I am, so I can't rely on him to get ME moving. Add to that the necessity of doing the housework ourselves, and it's making me grumpy at best. First world problems, I know.

Totally understand. You'd think with being at home all this time I would have finished unpacking from the move. Nope. And like Jim, Wayne is much more chill about it so it doesn't bother him, and if he's not going to waste time doing productive stuff, why should I? I'd rather read anyway :)

Born a Crime is wonderful as an audiobook. I'm sorry you're in a down mood, Judy, and hope you can find things here and there to break the mood occasionally.

First world problems are still problems. I gave up my cleaning ladies in January of 2018, tried to get something new going late February but they absolutely sucked and I said don't bother coming back. Of course now they wouldn't be allowed to come back. I clean enough to feel decent about our house, but do not obsessively clean and Bill's tolerance level is higher than mine so it's usually me who does the cleaning. He's still working away from home 3 days a week so I don't mind. He does his own laundry and although he doesn't cook he frequently does the dishes and cleans the master bathroom, after all...

>200 ffortsa: So how is the hair/root situation going? I had to cut my own hair this week. I am trying to keep the cool asymmetrical look going, so the short side is easy. I just can't see the back--keep meaning to ask my son to give it a try.

>211 ffortsa: I LOVED Born a Crime, so I hope you do too and it lifts your mood. A lot. : )

>213 ffortsa: I was just griping that no one in my house is pushing the get-fit motivation. It's always me trying to get something going. Same with cleaning the house. Sigh. Oh well, they are good at dragging me to play games, which is also a mood lifter, so there's that.

Hang in there!!

>216 Berly: - Another vote here for Trevor Noah's audio book. For the parts where he uses other languages (he speaks something like 6 or 7 languages) alone, hearing him is ten times better than trying to pronounce foreign words on your own. It's a great book but even better on audio. As for hair situation, I am feeling your pain. I have already spoken to my hairdresser and begged her to put me on her *immediate* list as soon as she is allowed to reopen. Apparently, though, I wasn't her first such call! ;-)

Yes, I agree. Born a Crime is a great book and I loved the audio.

>216 Berly: Ha! The hair thing really doesn't bother me. Unlike straight hair, curly hair covers a multitude of neglect. Every once in a while I check the progress, more to see how white I am, but no chance yet of letting go of the coloring. Mouse brown with grey is not a fashion statement I'm willing to make!

Food, on the other hand, seems to be the comfort of choice these days, with the usual results.

I've just volunteered for something called Invisible Hands, to help other people in this lockdown. I'll have to see what activities fit, but getting out of this apartment would be great.

Thanks to >218 RebaRelishesReading:, >217 jessibud2: and >215 karenmarie: for the thoughts on Trevor Noah's reading. I also can't imagine reading it as text. It's fascinating to find out how he came to be such a fabulous mimic, adapting to every cohort by literally speaking their language. And wonderful to hear about his determined mother and her ambitions for herself and her children. Where she found that agency in herself may be a wonder, but she had it.

I should finish the audio sometime today or tomorrow. And I'll miss it.

It was fun to hear Trevor Noah chatting in French to a guest on the show this week.

He is a master of comic voices - would love to hear him do stand up

I was over on Karen's thread reading about her computer adventures, but I didn't want to clutter up her space with my own computer woes. They are trivial but aggravating, and a little costly.

When I moved my laptop into position so my violin teacher could watch me play, I disconnected most of the peripherals rather than drag their wires with me. This time, when I moved the laptop back to my desk, the mouse usb antenna (affectionately known by one and all as a dongle) got hit and broke apart. Well, no trouble, I thought, I have a backup. So I plugged in the new dongle for the new mouse, same as the old mouse, and suddenly my ergonomic keyboard didn't work.

What?

I really need an ergonomic keyboard so I don't cock my wrists or develop shoulder problems again. No life without it. But it turns out that since I bought the keyboard and mouse and number pad as a packaged set, they all worked off the same antenna. The keyboard has no ports, no bluetooth, just a slot for the batteries. So it is effectively DEAD. Sigh.

After consultation at Best Buy, online shopping, etc. I considered buying the new Microsoft Surface Ergonomic keyboard, which connects via Bluetooth, but it would take about 10 days to get here! Grump. After much searching, I found my original keyboard, BY ITSELF, sold by Amazon with a promise to deliver it tomorrow. So it will have its own dongle, making my little laptop look like the old phone boards. Oh well. I can only hope it gets here tomorrow.

I did watch an episode of Midsomer Murders where among the protagonists are Sinead Cusack and Harriet Walter! Bravura acting from two of my favorites.

Reading is sort of stalled. I picked up a book of short stories by Barry Lopez. It's ok. I started a Peter Diamond mystery and realized I'd missed the one before it, so stopped before I committed to it. I read the extended preface to a newish translation and interpretation of Gilgamesh, but stopped before the saga began. The only book I have been able to pay attention to is Trevor Noah's audiobook, nothing to sneeze at, but at the moment my iPod is charging.

The pluses and minuses of tech. (When did the double consonants go away??)

Judy, I'm very sorry that you have computer problems but am laughing at the fact that they are dongle problems. I've never heard of a dongle. Your problem is not trivial and any $$ outlay to just get back to where you were is insult to injury. (I'm still pissed off that I broke the foot off my wired keyboard and can't live without just that little bit of angle the feet provide, so ordered a new keyboard.) I hope the keyboard arrives tomorrow without fail and works quickly and perfectly.

I also hope you can settle on a new book soon before you finish Born a Crime.

I love Harriet Walter and Bill and I watched the first two episodes of Belgravia tonight. She's fabulous in it. We're both very happy with how it's started. I impressed Bill with my knowledge of the Duke and Duchess's ball the night before Waterloo. Hello, Regency period? My favorite romance books are Regency period books. Quite a bit of historical fact crept into Georgette Heyer's writing.

I hope you've had a wonderful day, dongle problems notwithstanding.

>222 karenmarie: Oh, I didn't know Walter was in Belgravia. Maybe I'll tune in, after all the other stuff we have pledged ourselves to catch up on. We are halfway through season 2 of Mrs. Maisel. And there are so many things I never watched that are available on Netflix now! I may have to promise myself to do exercises while I watch, to justify the otherwise-named couch time.

The keyboard didn't arrive yesterday, but i s scheduled to arrive today before 9PM. We'll see. I do feel bad for the USPS with its covid-19 numbers and political angst. And this is, after all, a first-world problem. I worry a lot more about other things, but somehow tech problems drive me nuts.

Not quite finished with Born A Crime. Maybe today.

Richard Derus posted a list of 50 short contemporary novels from LitHub and I will repost the link here, as they sound yummy. Thanks, RD.

list from LitHub and RD

I've read a few of them, and own a few more. They may be just right for this weird state of mind I've been in, never able to settle on a text.

In fact, I'm reading one of them now, Speedboat by Renata Adler, which I've owned for years in a hardcover first edition without ever reading it. The cover is a little torn, so it won't make me rich if I choose to sell it to a collector, but the text was reissued by NYRB in 2013 (I think).

Before I forget, I did finish
31. Born a Crime by Trevor Noah, and it was delicious, funny, sad, revealing, and wonderfully read by the author. I miss it.

More computer grief. I have files on OneDrive (not my plan, just oblivious to the default settings) and some of them are now inaccessible, marked 'pending sync'. I played around with the help suggestions from Microsoft and got most stuff back. But some is still inaccessible, like medical data from 2017. That's WITH an external backup drive active. Difficult for me to understand all this.

So I'm considering buying a separate external drive to hold my pictures(the biggest chunk of space, of course) and my most sensitive data. Research leads me to even more deep woods, like do I have a USB 3.0 or 3,1 drive on my (fairly new) laptop. None of this has to do with cost - which is pretty cheap. But my experience with OneDrive leads me to distrust the permanence of cloud storage enough to want my own data in hand. Of course, I could store pictures in a variety of places online, but I have all my family's pictures on my computer going back 90 years of so (!), and that's a lot of storage.

It's hard to find actual human help these days. If the Microsoft Store on 5th Avenue were open, I'd bring this little laptop in and ask them to figure out how to retrieve that data from 2017 (it's probably on OneDrive but somehow rendered inaccessible), but of course they are closed now because of the big bad virus.

Time to read a book.

>225 ffortsa: Isn't tech fun? I just posted a plea for help on my thread and then came over here and found you're having "issues" too. Hope they get resolved soon.

We started watching Belgravia the other night. I read the book a year or so ago and couldn't decide whether it all looked so familiar because of that or because I'd seen it before. Hubby is enjoying it though so we'll watch.

Having poured out my heart about tech above, I'd better continue the saga, no? A friend of mine has a young friend who is a whiz at this stuff, and I just got off the phone with him. First piece of good news - I can see my missing files on my backup device as I am supposed to do - I just didn't quite know how to get around on it. (Duh) Second piece of good news - Microsoft support isn't available right now (???) but should be on Monday afternoon when the whiz can get back to me and talk to them and correct the rest of the problem. I love when people know how to fix things.

Today was gorgeous in NYC (a little hot), and I traipsed around to the post office, Staples (where I found a bag of pony beads to use with my home-made masks) and a 64 gig thumb drive to save my photos too, since many of them are irreplaceable. I searched in vain for our favorite frozen desserts, treated myself to a half-gallon of pineapple juice and a bottle of seltzer, bought lottery tickets for the big prize tonight, and did it all in shorts and a t shirt. Two days ago we were freezing. This is the age of flexibility, my friends. Be prepared for anything!

The sun is still up, I'm feeling optimistic, and Speedboat is making me laugh out loud. More to come.

>227 ffortsa: Sounds like a good day! Glad you'll have tech support soon. What would I have done without Jennifer? (what are pony beads?)

Judy, I saw your comment on Karen's thread about a container garden. Have you looked into an aerogarden (www.aerogarden.com)? The Wayne has one for herbs, and it's fantastic. So easy, and we have fresh dill and basil and thyme and a couple of other things I can't remember... It's very compact and practically fool-proof. I think the one we have has space for 6 different varieties. Might be worth checking out - we can barely use all that it supplies, so I've started putting fresh herbs in my salads which makes them infinitely more interesting :)

Hi Judy! Glad to hear that the tech woes are straightening out, and thank goodness for young tech wizards!

>228 RebaRelishesReading: Hi Reba. Yes, I feel the same way about my friend's friend Bobby, although he isn't always available. Then again, I'm not often in a true emergency situation where I can't wait a day or two. And he's a sweetie.

>229 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie. I'll look into it. It will depend on the footprint needed, but if it's that good, I will try to make room.

ETA: Grump, it uses a power cord and thus requires an outlet. Sigh. That rules out the kitchen window. I might be able to string yet another surge protector/extension cord in the living room when I clear up that space. Or even put it near the door if I clear one of the shelves there. Still, it looks great.

My scallion (round 2) is still recalcitrant.

>230 karenmarie: Yes, most of the problems are resolved, and I got my replacement keyboard yesterday! This morning I had a brainstorm, and was able to reposition my peripherals so that ALL the cords are behind the desk. What a difference! I put my laptop on the shelf above my desk surface, where the big monitor sits, and everything else is tucked away. Most of the peripherals are either permanently on, like my backup drive, or used only occasionally, like my little scanner, and fit on the desktop under the bookshelf overhand. the desk look so clear!

And while I was at it, I ripped a flap off the box of paper and cards I have under the desk, so I don't bump the chair into it. It only took me about 8 years to figure this out. It's amazing how quickly I accommodate to imperfect situations. Have to watch out for that.

tasks remaining:
1) finish dealing with OneDrive on Monday with Bobby's help
2) reactivate my deactivated Amazon account (probably Tuesday) so I can download the next book in the Brunetti series to my Kindle, from the library.

Congratulations on rearranging your workspace to make everything look tidier AND (I assume) work better. I'll admit I'm a bit OCD and I just can't work well in a space unless it's organized "correctly" for me :)

>232 RebaRelishesReading: More potential improvements today. I just put my 3 inch step-up platform (I use it in the kitchen) under the desk to give me more foot security. I'll see if this works well, and then I might have to buy another one. It makes an enormous difference in my standard-height everything kitchen.

32. Speedboat by Renata Adler

Um. Interesting. I'll sleep on it.

>233 ffortsa: Needing a step-up in the kitchen made me smile because I have the opposite problem. My cabinets are standard height but I'm not and I get a back-ache if I cook too much because I have to "hang" at a slightly bent angle to work there. Wouldn't it be nice if they were on some kind of sliding mechanism so we could make them fit the user?

>235 RebaRelishesReading: - The Wayne has this problem with most counters. When we re-do our kitchen, the only request he has is that the counters be made slightly higher than normal. I am tallish for a woman, and the kitchen counters are ok for me, but most bathroom counters seem low...

I once was listening to a cooking show on the radio and the expert being interviewed said that all kitchen counter heights (and of course the under-the-counter appliances) were engineered for people 5'6" tall. Aha, I said. That's the problem! You know - one size fits all.

If Jim and I ever move and have a nice big kitchen to reconstruct, I think we should have one counter high for him (he's 6'4") and one considerably lower for me (I'm not quite 5' anymore) maybe 5" or 6" down. That means there would be no under-the-counter appliances on my side, but I'm sure that's workable. All it would take is money for the custom cabinets!

I've heard that hair salons might open in NYC soon. There goes my excuse to shave my head and see what I look like without the curls. One thing for sure - I'm white-haired in the very front.

So, Speedboat by Renata Adler. This book was on the list of 50 short contemporary novels that LitHub posted recently, and I had it on the shelf, so why not? It was hailed as a breakthrough in novelistic technique when new, which was quite a while ago. (1976. Is that still contemporary?) The text is spiky and episodic - sometimes a piece is no more than a couple of lines - which is a pretty good picture of the early 70s culture. The narrator is a journalist and traveler who seems to hang out with a sort of trendy set - or maybe just a neurotic bunch of freelancers. Hard to tell just how trendy they are, especially as I wasn't the least bit trendy in those days. I did laugh out loud a few times, but most of the snark is more subtle.

There is enough topical reference to bring back Watergate and other events from my youth. Ultimately, in the spirit of a sense of the ending, our narrator seems to have gotten through the worst of it with a positive view.

33. Winter Count by Barry Lopez

I know Lopez's writing from the wonderful non-fiction book Arctic Dreams. This is something else, a series of short stories set in the various wilderness places he knows. Settings include American desert, remote farmland, beaches, and one set in Spain. His writing is lyrical, sometimes (perhaps) a little overwritten, but I found the stories quite immersive, sometimes mystical, and eminently rereadable. It will stay on my shelf.

My friend Trudy and I just took a glorious (if slow) walk across town and back. Slow because Trudy doesn't walk very fast. I got some summer clothes out of storage, but the High Line Park is closed, alas, so we couldn't get up on that. All in all, over 2 miles. Masked at all times, of course.

At this time of the end of Ramadan I want to give thanks for your friendship in this wonderful group, Judy.

Enjoy the long weekend and give my best wishes to Jim. x

>242 PaulCranswick: Thank you Paul. I wish you a rewarding Eid, even though your family is far apart this year.

34. Diamond Solitaire by Peter Lovesy

I finished this second installment of the Peter Diamond mystery series, but found it became more annoying and preposterous as it went along. I have the next book in the series on my Kindle, but I might ignore it for a long time to come.

Good Morning on Memorial Day, everyone.

For some reason I woke up unusually chipper today. No point in questioning that!

Jim is always eager to watch movies, and last night we saw "How to Build a Girl", which was quite good. An exuberant 16 year old sets out to become a writer/journalist in the world of rock and roll, with both hilarious and serious results. I usually am impatient with coming of age stories, but Beanie Feldstein brings enormous energy and reality to the part.

My sewing machine is giving me trouble just as I am gearing up to make more cloth masks, but I think I've cleared it. Since my cousin sent me enough for battalions, I really have to get cracking. Any requests?

Hope you have a pleasant and productive holiday, Judy. Save some time to read or do something else nice for yourself though, OK?

>246 RebaRelishesReading: Yes, Ma'am, and the same to you. I have found it really fun to start sewing again, but not so much when the machine acts up! I've got a fairly new low-end Brother, and if I were serious about sewing as more than an occasional hobby, I'd spring for a higher-end one. But so far, it's just fun to remember my childhood skills.

>247 ffortsa: I've never minded sewing but in this place there's no place to put it up except the eating table so it has to be put up and taken down with each project (or repair). As a result it rarely comes out although I did endure the mess for a couple of days recently to make a batch of face masks.

>247 ffortsa: I have much the same problem. Luckily I have a section of the bedroom with a gate-leg table. The place gets littered with fabric and thread (oh the thread is everywhere!) and I can't work on a project much bigger than a mask. That said, I've been having fun figuring out the various patterns, even though today I sort of crashed and burned on what was supposed to be a super easy, super fast one. Never mind. It gets me thinking.

I have gotten a request or two, and I will get back to the project tomorrow or Thursday.

What's that you say about reading?

I need a little advice. Someone in the family keeps sending gifts, without determining whether they are appropriate. Usually we don't want them, or can't use them, but it's hard to know what to say. The most recent one is meant kindly, but I want to discourage this. The person doesn't have much money, and doesn't need to ingratiate herself - she is much on our minds. What might I say to change this without doing too much damage?

I sat down to make a mask today and ended up with something resembling a jack-in-the-box. Not really, but I'm not happy with it - and I made it perfectly just yesterday! It was supposed to be the easiest pattern, but I may edge back to the previous one, which I think was easier with a similar wearability.

To shake my aggravation, I walked up to Home Depot, about half a mile, and they actually had the paracord I was looking for. Of course, I had to find it myself, because the sales person didn't know what it was. I should have said 'nylon cord' and he would have pointed me to the aisle we were standing next to. I felt a great achievement when I figured it out for myself. Now my masks will have something nicer than t-shirt ties.

>250 ffortsa: That's a tough one Judy. Wish I had something creative to suggest ;(

Good luck with your masks.

>250 ffortsa: - Can you use the size of your apartment as a rationale? That you don't have space for more stuff?

>253 katiekrug: Yes, I probably will. But also, please make sure I want and/or would like a gift before you send it. Thanks.

Time for a new thread!