Mamie's 2021 Madness

I'm Mamie. Mother of four grown children, happily married 30 years to my best friend, and currently owned by three cats - Mercy, Mayhem, and Mischief. I am originally from Indiana, but we moved to Georgia eight years ago where the pecan trees are full of gorgeous and the weather is always a little too warm for me. I miss the snow. And Fall. I love snark, wine, and shenanigans - pretty much in that order. This year will be my tenth one in the 75ers, and also marks ten years without my Dad. A decade. I still miss him. Every. Day. This group has embraced me from the very beginning, and I am so very thankful for the warmth and the laughter and the shared journeys that I find here. Here's hoping that we can find many moments full of fabulous to share in 2021.

......

...

January:
1. River of Darkness by Rennie Airth, trade paperback acquired in 2014, crime fiction (John Madden, book 1) - 4 stars
2. The Yellow Wallpaper: a graphic novel by Charlotte Perkins Gilmore, illustrated by Sara Barkat, paperback acquired in 2020, horror - 4.5 stars
3. The Tortoise and the Hare by Elizabeth Jenkins, trade paperback acquired in 2014, literary fiction (Virago) - 4 stars
4. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes by Anita Loos, Kindle, humor - 3.25 stars

Katie’s Dirty Dozen - That’s right, folks, KAK’s reserved spot is back for a seventh year, let’s see what she hits me with this time.

The List:

1. A Cosmology of Monsters by Shaun Hamill - Shannon (sturlington)
2. Indian Summer: The Secret History of the End of an Empire by Alex von Tunzelmann - Susan
3. Cove by Cynan Jones - Richard - "...this is the book I wish The Old Man and the Sea had been, but was not."
4. The Riddle of the Third Mile by Colin Dexter - Jennifer (6th in the series)
5. A Lear of the Steppes by Ivan Turgenev - Paul
6. Summerwater by Sarah Moss - Caroline - "Moss communicates the dark undertow of the ordinary through a group of characters confined by weather to their cabins in a Scottish forest."
7. The Women of the Copper Country by Mary Doria Russell - Ellen gave this the full 5 stars
8. Sidewalks by Valeria Luiselli - Charlotte
9. The Yiddish Policeman's Union by Michael Chabon - Judy (ffortsa)
10. The War Widow by Tara Moss - Meg
11. Blood and Oil by Bradley Hope and Justin Scheck - Susan
12. Childhood by Tove Ditlevsen - Käthe
13. A Coffin for Dimitrios by Eric Ambler - Luanne (clue)
14. The Bells of Old Tokyo by Anna Sherman - Charlotte - travel writing
15. Homeland Elegies by Ayad Akhtar - Mark

This should do it - next one's yours!

Best wishes for a better 2021!

>6 DianaNL: Thank you, Diana! My first visitor!

Welcome back!

Thanks, Jim!

Happy New Year, Mamie!

>10 Carmenere: Thank you, Lynda!

There you are!

Love the topper :)

...don't mind me, just arranging my reading spot...

>12 katiekrug: *grin* Glad you love the topper. Somehow I knew you would approve.

>13 richardderus: Ha! I am honored that you have come prepared to make yourself at home, Richard.

Happy New Year, Mamie. Love the topper.

>15 BLBera: Thank you, Beth!

Hurrah, it's Mamie!!
*gets popcorn and settles in for snark & shenanigans*

>17 Helenliz: Oh, thank you, Helen! Delightful to have you here!

Happy new year and happy new thread, Mamie. Excellent topper ;-)

Happy New Thread, Mamie. Happy New Year! Glad we are turning the page on that one. Looking forward to sharing another year of books, with one of my very favorite LTers.

>4 Crazymamie: LOVE IT!

Dropping off my and wishing you the best of new years in 2021!

Hope you have a wonderful year in books.

I know you had important things to do last year, but I hope we get more of your time here this year!! You were missed. : ) Congrats again to the married couple. Wishing you and yours an even brighter, better and bookier 2021.

>19 jessibud2: Thank you, Shelley!

>20 msf59: Thanks, Mark! And I so appreciate those kind words. That list will soon be out of control, I predict.

>21 ronincats: Shiny! Thank you, Roni!

>22 thornton37814: Thank you, Lori!

>23 Berly: Kim, thank you so much for that. I am wishing the same for you and yours, my friend.

Hi, Mamie! I see you’re reading River of Darkness. That’s an excellent series. I’m reading the latest one now.

Hello, Terri! SO great to see you here. I am loving River of Darkness so far - good to know the series holds up.

Happy New Year, Mamie!

Happy New Year, Mamie. I've placed my star and I am looking forward to following along. :)

Happy New Year! Following along with your thread this year.
All the best!

>28 harrygbutler: Thank you, Harry!

>29 DeltaQueen50: Happy New Year, Judy! Happy to have you along for the ride.

>30 vikzen: Happy New Year, Vic! I'm happy to see you here!

Happy New Year, Mamie!

>32 lauralkeet: Thank you, Laura!

Happy New Year Mamie! Every year I try to follow you and usually I'm unsuccessful but this year I'm bound and determined to do a better job. We'll see lol.

Happy reading in 2021, Mamie!

So, at least I have left a message before you start your next thread ;-)

Hi Mamie! We had a rare white Christmas here in the Knoxville area. I had more snow (nearly 4 inches) than my family had in the Kokomo area!

>34 brenzi: Thank you, Bonnie! I fell off my own thread last year, so no worries. Maybe this year we can both keep up here. *grin*

>35 FAMeulstee: Thank you, Anita! Let's see if I can lure you back here before a next thread happens.

>36 cbl_tn: Hello there, Carrie! Lovely to see you here! Wow to the snowfall in Tennessee- I miss that about Indiana. Craig's brother used to live in the Kokomo area, but he has retired to Minnesota.

Here's my star for 21. Hope it's a good year for you :)

>39 RebaRelishesReading: Thank you, Reba! Me, too, for the hoping of goodness. We could all use some of that.

Happy reading in 2021!

Wishing you a new year full of books! I love the names of your cats.

It took me a while but ....

Happy New Year!

Happy reading in 2021

Hi Mamie, and Happy New Year!

>1 Crazymamie: Gadzooks. First image, not even reading words yet, and I see the exact same poster I got for Christmas from my friend Karen in Montana. Serendipity. Mine needs to be framed, but I thought I'd unroll it and take a pic of it to share with you.



Okay. That was exciting, I guess I’ll continue reading…

>2 Crazymamie: I read River of Darkness in the innocent times – February of 2020 – and loved it. I have number 2, The Blood-Dimmed Tide on my shelves just waiting for the right time, already tagged '2021 read'.

And keep up with my friends here, Mamie. Have a great 2021.

I guess I'll follow Paul around. I finally got a 2021 thread started, and Paul just barged right in. My first visitor. Then I came here, and here he wuz. Wow.

Just to let you know, I expect to be back here from time to time. Just to make trouble. Or whatever. Got any beer in the fridge? Oh, sorry. Check that. I'm driving. Heh heh.

Hey Mamie, I'll be following here as well as on the category challenge (hopefully that's a good thing, not a stalkery sounding thing!)

>41 jayde1599: Hello, Jess! Welcome to my thread! And thank you for those good wishes.

>42 banjo123: Thank you, Rhonda! So lovely to see you here. Mercy is named after Mercy Thompson because when we found her in our crawl space and decided to keep her, she became a kitten among poodles (we had 4 aging poodles at the time). Mayhem and Mischief came later, and let's just say that they live up to their names. *grin* Here they are hanging out at one of their favorite spots:


Mischief (on top), Mayhem, and Mercy

Hi Mamie! Happy new year to you! And to those three on top of my post!

>43 quondame: Hello there, Susan! That graphic is very fun.

>44 figsfromthistle: Thank you, Anita!

>45 karenmarie: Morning, Karen! Happy New Year! That is so awesome that you got that poster for Christmas!!! Serendipity indeed. I found the image online late last year and knew I wanted to use it as my opening topper, so I saved it to my junk drawer. It makes me think of Ellie (mirrordrum) who always said that I knew things - miss her.

I have almost finished River of Darkness - less than 100 pages to go, and it is very good, so I know I will continue with the series. I picked up a couple of others in the series for cheap on Kindle, but I don't know off the top of my head which ones. Must check.

>46 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul. It's missing more wine, more honesty, more compassion, more integrity...we must also squeeze those in.

>47 weird_O: Maybe Paul is following you but in front, oh Weird One, so as to make it look like you are following him. Stealthy.

I wouldn't have it any other way - I always have room for your kind of trouble. And there's always beer in the fridge, so get yourself a chauffeur and come back.

>48 charl08: Your post cracked me up, Charlotte! Please to follow away, and I will follow you in both places, too, because shenanigans happen. And when they do, I want to be there.

>50 EllaTim: Happy New Year, Ella! Lovely to see you here - welcome!

Morning, Mamie! Happy Sunday. It will be a day of books and football. Still deciding if I will venture out for a stroll. Still lots of snow and ice out there.

>49 Crazymamie: Lovely shot!

Morning, Mark! Happy Sundaying. Books and football for me, too.

Thanks on the photo - they are looking out the master bedroom windows at the feeders. Like you, they are avid birdwatchers.

>51 Crazymamie: You should get this mug for your daughters. I got one for Jenna a couple of years ago.

>56 karenmarie: That is too funny, Karen! I call Rae GiGi because she is my Google Girl - she looks up everything.

>49 Crazymamie: Great cat photo! I wish I could catch my 3 in a pose like that!

>49 Crazymamie: That's a brilliant picture of the cats, Mamie. Mine never sit that close together unless they're giving me a "feed me" group stare.

>58 thornton37814: Thanks, Lori! The watching of the birds seems to be the magic common denominator for getting them all together and remaining there long enough for a photo. Mayhem, however, is always happy to pose.

>59 The_Hibernator: Thank you, Rachel! They only sit that close for bird watching.

Sunday morning greetings, Mamie. Mine will be lazy...

Backatcha, Katie. Mine, too. But I might make potato soup later.

Quesadillas?

I'm hoping there's coffee around....

For Richard.

Happy New Year, Mamie. Looking forward to Jan. 5 in your state, and Jan. 20 for the whole country.

>63 richardderus: Yes, please!! Perfect timing, Richard. And look! Joe has brought the coffee. *grin*

>64 jnwelch: Thank you, Joe! Me, too, with the January 5th already. And January 20th can't come soon enough.

Happy New Year Mamie!

Thank you, Rhian!

>64 jnwelch:, >65 Crazymamie: Well, lookee here! Coffee and quesadillas all round. I am delighted.

Happy New Year, and YAY a cat pic!! More, please! Haha. That one looks like it could be in a photography contest, it's fantastic! I love their names, too. May there be many great reads and hilarious cat-scapades in the year ahead!

Happy New Year, Mamie! Love the pic of your kitties:) I've starred you and look forward to shenanigans in 2021. And wine. I can bring some.

Hi, Mamie! Best wishes for the new reading year. :)

>49 Crazymamie: What a charming image! All good wishes for a wonderful year of reading

>49 Crazymamie: I love your cats. That is all!

>69 dk_phoenix: Right?! Nothing but yum.

>70 AMQS: Thank you, Anne! Glad you love the kitties photo and that you have dropped a star. I never say no to shared wine. Or shenanigans.

>71 lyzard: Hello, Liz! Thank you!

>72 Whisper1: Thank you, Linda! Lovely to see you, my dear. I appreciate those good wishes.

>73 lauralkeet: Laura, that is more than enough. *grin*

>49 Crazymamie: What handsome kittehs!

I've set up a suet log from my balcony railing, but no visitors yet. Same thing with the hummingbird feeder in warmer weather. But I still have hope. I bought a DVD of birds as a suitable alternative entertainment for Duende but have yet to try it out with her...

I got bought a wildlife camera for Christmas, which we've set up looking at the bird feeder. Might need some adjustment of settings, but it seems to be working. Nothing particularly exotic, mostly the goldfinches on the sunflower seeds.
No cats here to watch the birdies, so I have to do it myself.

First Pre-Tuesday of the year is not looking like a good idea. I suggest staying in bed.

>77 Helenliz: Nice! I have binoculars that are supposed to be able to connect to a digital device to record/share. Haven't tried it yet. I hope you have lots of fun watching the birds.

>76 justchris: Hello there! And thank you. We have bird feeders outside of our south facing master bedroom windows and outside of the north facing windows of the "dining room" (we call this the beverage room as it is where we have our coffee bar and liquor cabinet set-up). We also have hummingbird feeders outside of our screened-in porch that see a lot of action in the summer. We get house sparrow, purple finches, tufted titmouse, cardinals, chickadees...and we have two pair of Eurasian collared doves that frequent the feeders much to our cats' delight.

Let me know what Duende thinks of the DVD when you try it.

>77 Helenliz: Helen, the funny thing is that I never paid much attention to the birds until Mercy came along, She loves watching them and will sit in the window for hours at a time. That's when I started noticing that she had favorites, and then I started paying attention, and then I wanted to know what each one was...it's a kind of sickness. Heh.

Not good news about Pre-Tuesday, especially with my just beginning. I like the suggestion of remaining in bed. So far so good, as I am currently back there after having got up to fetch my laptop and some coffee. Thanks for the warning.

>78 justchris: My son got me a small pair of binoculars for my last birthday. It's fun to be able to see more detail.

Morning, Mamie! My Bears lost but somehow managed to still get in the playoffs with a .500 record. Sighs...The Packers are a Super Bowl caliber team, so it was not surprising. I got a nice chunk of reading in too, along with a little birding.

>55 Crazymamie: "Like you, they are avid birdwatchers." That made me smile.

Hope you have a wonderful pre-Tuesday! (Or at least better than average!)

'Morning, Mamie, and happy Coffee Day to you. Of course, every day is Coffee Day, but it seemed appropriate to send hot caffeine greetings.

1. River of Darkness by Rennie Airth, trade paperback acquired in 2014, crime fiction (John Madden, book 1) - 4 stars - Katie's Dirty Dozen

I finished my first book of the year! This is crime fiction - a historical mystery/police procedural set in post WWI featuring Scotland Yard Inspector John Madden. Madden, having lost his wife and baby daughter to influenza and then served in WWI in the trenches, is back on the force at Scotland Yard. As one would expect, he is not the same man and carries his own scars from his experiences. When we meet up with him, he has just been assigned to solve the grisly multiple murders of a household in Surrey. This is very well done with good pacing, suspenseful even though we know pretty early on who the murderer is. I liked how twisty it was and the details of the newly evolving forensic techniques.

>80 msf59: Morning, Mark! At least your Bears are in - I was happy about the Packers win, as you know I have a soft spot for them. Falcons lost. Again.

Glad I could give you a smile. And hooray for the reading - I got some in, too.

>81 cbl_tn: Thank you, Carrie. I don't have to go anywhere today, so I am happy about that. But I do have to pay the bills. *sigh*

>82 karenmarie: Morning, Karen! Correct - every day is Coffee Day. You post made me laugh - hot caffeine greetings are always appreciated. *grin*

Morning, Mamie! Can we just skip today and move to Tuesday? First pre-Tuesday back at work after a break is The. Worst.

Morning, Katie! I vote yes.

OK, Pre-Tuesday did get better. Once the initial shock of the alarm clock wore off, and the fact that I had to be up and at 'em in less time than my leisurely holiday timeframe, the day did improve. And I remembered my password, always the most scary part of first day back. So hurrah for me.

About to get on the exercise bike and blow those cobwebs away - seeing the gyms are shut again, I need to do something to counterbalance all the cake and other goodies I've eaten in the last 2 weeks...

>84 Crazymamie: The Eagles fell apart this season, so I know how you feel about the Falcons. (Two teams that share a Mike Vick history. Is that behind their woes?)

Your first read sounds interesting. But I must avert my eyes. Too many good-sounding books atop my chest of drawers. Can't add more.

Lots of John Maddens in the world, eh? Football coach, commentator, video game frontman. John Madden the movie director (Shakespeare in Love, Best Marigold Hotel, etc.). Now John Madden of Scotland Yard.

>83 Crazymamie: She punctured me with that book-bullet, too. Read it while I was locked up in the goofy garage. Liked it a lot.

Splendid Baja Tuesday orisons. Spot of lunch?

Happy New Year and happy new thread, Mamie!

>1 Crazymamie: >56 karenmarie: Whenever my kids ask me, awe-struck, how I know something I always look mysterious and wise and reply 'Mama knows everything' (you have to take what you can get when you can). Though they have caught me out once or twice as they've grown older.

>89 weird_O: The Eagles did fall apart - very sad to watch. My son Daniel is an Eagle's fan. And no, I don't think they have been cursed by their Mike Vick connection. Heh.

You gotta do what you gotta do, my friend. Averting your eyes is perfectly acceptable. True about the name - I was thinking that when I was reading it.

Hoping today is kind to you, Oh Weird One.

>90 richardderus: It was a good one to be punctured by. Have you read any of the others in the series?

Perfect timing for the lunch - I was just getting peckish. Thank you, kindly. *smooch*

>91 humouress: Thank you, Nina! Your post made me laugh - so true. Mine used to think that I had eyes in the back of my head, but I have lost some of my magic powers as they have grown up. Not with Birdy - she was born old, so she was on to me from the very beginning.

>92 Crazymamie: Yes; unfortunately for me, my now-17 year old is at that age where 'parents don't know anything because they're dinosaurs'. On the other hand, just yesterday my now-12 year old asked the question. And got The Answer :0)

>1 Crazymamie: I LOVE that!!!

>83 Crazymamie: I have had that book on my TBR shelves for a while. It sounds like I should hold onto it and read it sometime!

Finally making it to your thread, Mamie. We already exchanged Happy New Year wishes over on my thread but I'm glad to drop off my star here. Day 4 of Dry January. So far, so good. Actually, it has been pretty easy. Once the decision is made, it's just a matter of getting on with things. :-)

Have a great week, my friend!

>93 humouress: Yeah, teenagers can be tricky. But hooray for a win with the 12 year old.

>94 EBT1002: Hello there, Ellen!! Lovely to see you here!

Yes, hold onto it for a bit longer and see if it calls to you.

Thanks for dropping your star off - I am honored. I completely forgot I was doing Dry January on the 1st, so I will have to go one day into February. Bad Mamie. You are right, though, that once you start it's not horrible.

Hoping your week is also full of greatness.

Inspired by you and Ellen, I am doing "Dry-er January" where I cut back on holiday-level amounts of wine. Baby steps....

>96 katiekrug: Ha! Now why didn't I think of that?!

>96 katiekrug: As someone who only usually has half a bottle of wine a week, if I tried to go drier, I'd dessicate!
I had a month without drinking prior to Christmas (medication related), so that half bottle is now going right to my head! I did used to have an alcohol tolerance, once upon a time.

Half a bottle of wine a week? So a serving? Um...you should not go drier, Helen; that would be arid January.

>99 Crazymamie: - My thoughts exactly.

>79 Crazymamie: Your place sounds like my mom's house--an old farmhouse in the country, next to a creek no less, with birdfeeders located all the way around for viewing from any window. She's got a tremendous range of avian visitors, and it's always a pleasure to visit her in the temperate seasons for the sounds that aren't traffic noise.

My last apartment was on a major street downtown with LOTS of pedestrian and car traffic. And yet, my bird feeder drew a lot of visitors, including plenty of woodpeckers, not just sparrows and the like. Plus, a pair of nesting ducks who hung out at the base of the feeder quite awhile before disappearing into parenthood.

Third floor balcony remains undiscovered. Next year, I hope to get my aerial oasis really going so hope to get a lot more visitors. We'll see. Will definitely report back on Duende's first bird DVD experience. Watching her experience snow on the balcony was hilarious.

>80 msf59: Our next community meals group meeting is contingent on Packers performance because it apparently currently conflicts with the Superbowl. Not a football person, so I'm clueless. Someone brought up the concern at our December meeting.

>90 richardderus: OMG. I'd be all "I have to share?" if that were on my table.

>83 Crazymamie: Sounds like a good book. I too am averting my eyes. Got lots on my plate already.

>92 Crazymamie: I haven't read any more in the series. You first. I want to be sure I won't be frothingly furious....

>101 justchris: LOL

>100 katiekrug: Right?!

>101 justchris: I like the image you are creating, but my house is so not...The front yard shows just a regular street. We do get plenty of pedestrian and car traffic. But the back of our house backs up to a pecan grove, so it is full of gorgeous. I LOVE those pecan trees - my favorite thing about Georgia. My husband grew up on a farm in Indiana, so we have plenty of feeders for the birds and lots of stuff growing.

No worries about averting your eyes.

You got me wth abook bullet for River of Darkness

>102 richardderus: Okay, I'll go first, but no pushing.

>105 Whisper1: Hello, Linda! I would be happy to send you my copy - PM me your address if you are interested.

>104 Crazymamie: WOW!

>104 Crazymamie: Ahh, the gloire that is the Carya. Loves me some papershells!

>108 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita.

>109 richardderus: Okay, I got the first part. What are papershells?

I just made recipe I got from you...Southwest Chicken Skillet. It was yummy!!! So thank you!

>111 Berly: Oh, I'm so glad you liked that one, Kim. You are welcome.

Morning, Mamie. Another tense day for your state, eh? All eyes will be on the Peach State. I hope the Dems can pull this off. We need something else positive for our country's future.

>99 Crazymamie: a bottle is usually 750 mL or 6 normal size glasses, so my half a bottle is approximately 3 units of alcohol.
So I could drink less, but that would either mean he was drinking more or we'd be wasting it - not happening in this house!
If you serve wine in 325 mL glasses, I'm clearly in the wrong place!

Tuesday is less of a nasty shock to the system than pre-Tuesday was.

Morning, Mark! Yep - big day. I am hoping and wishing and praying and willing the state to be blue today. We all voted early, so now we wait. And wait. And wait. Reminds me of that line is Casablanca:

>114 Helenliz: Helen, let's just say that I drink more wine than you do - there is no way that 750 ml equals six normal size glasses for me. That would be like 4oz per glass, which ain't happening.

"Tuesday is less of a nasty shock to the system than pre-Tuesday was." This remains to be seen on Georgia, as it is voting day here. Glad yours was less of a shock.

Come on Georgia! You can DO IT!!

Morning, Mamie! I'm also nervously awaiting results today...

119 Morning, Katie! Yep - gonna be a long day.

Morning, Mamie!

Adding my crossed fingers to the pile (okay, that came out sounding weird, but you know what I mean...):

>121 scaifea: Ha! Good morning, Amber! And yes, I know what you mean. *grin*

‘Morning, Mamie, and happy Tuesday to you!

>104 Crazymamie: Oooh, house pics! Beautiful brick. The pecan grove is lovely – all misty and wintry.

>115 Crazymamie: I’ve got everything crossed that the Dems can rout the expletive-deleted GOP.

>123 karenmarie: Morning, Karen! Happy Tuesday!

Thank you. Abby took the pecan grove photo. Those trees are gorgeous is every season.

Me, too. I am hopeful.

>110 Crazymamie: Papershells are the hybridized pecans that don't take two granite slabs and a bodybuilder to open.


Praying for Blue skies over Georgia today.

>125 richardderus: Well, that makes complete sense. I love pecans. One of my favorite things.

Me, too. Please may the Universe hear and answer, "YES."

Keeping fingers and toes crossed, Mamie!

When are the results expected?

>127 FAMeulstee: Thank you, Anita! It could be as early as this evening, but I am guessing it will take a day or two to get the final results. I'm thinking it's gonna be close.

Hello there you are.

Hello there, Bryony! Nice to see you!

I posted this over on Charlott'es thread, too, because of course, it immediately made me think of her. Look at the new Penguin Vitae series:


Beautiful hardbacks. I mean, look:



Aren't they gorgeous?!

>131 Crazymamie: me likey lots.

Mamie, when you mentioned Charlotte, it occurred to me that I haven't starred her thread yet. So I went to the groups page, and for the life of me, I don't see her thread listed there. And more weird, I don't see my own thread listed there. I feel like I'm in the Twilight Zone.... and ideas? I wonder who else I have missed

>132 Helenliz: Right?! Beautiful little works of art. And the books included in the series are not the ones you see all the time which is refreshing. The five here are:



And the endpapers:



>133 jessibud2: Shelley, Charlotte's thread is in the Category Challenge group this year. You can find her here: Charlotte's thread

*I see that Anita has solved the problem of your missing thread.

>131 Crazymamie: >134 Crazymamie: WELP. Thanks for that.

>77 Helenliz: I've got a lot of foggy things and any number of blurry things, but this looks remarkably good.



They're goldfinches, the plural of which is a charm. They're not necessarily very charming to each other though, getting rather territorial and there are any number of blurry tiffs caught on camera.

Thanks, Mamie and Anita! Found her!

>134 Crazymamie: Those are gorgeous. And notable books indeed. I've read 2 of them, want to read a third, and haven't heard of the remaining two, but that's on me.

>13 richardderus: - Lovely! But I hate The Awakening with the power of a thousand suns, so i can easily pass :)

>131 Crazymamie:, >134 Crazymamie: They're gorgeous! I think those, and Harper's Olive Editions, are proof that publishers are twigging to the existence of us with Folio Society tastes and Walmart budgets.

>135 scaifea: You are welcome, Amber. *grins*

>136 Helenliz: A charm of goldfinches - I love that, and they look charming in that one frozen moment of time. Thanks for sharing; they are so pretty. We have mockingbirds that are territorial - they love to chase off all of the other birds even though they don't want what's in the feeders. I think they might be related to Craig's mom.

>137 jessibud2: You're welcome, Shelley!

>138 justchris: I have only read The Yellow Wallpaper, so I might have ordered them.

>139 katiekrug: The boxed set contains the first five titles that they released, but you can also order the books separately. Just saying. And they have some interesting titles in the collection - I ordered Winter in the Blood, which comes out in February. It's by James Welch a Native American author, and has a foreword by Joy Harjo and an introduction by Louise ErdrichHere is a link to all 15 the titles: Penguin Vitae

>140 richardderus: Agreed, Richard. I love me a beautiful book that has quality paper and drool-worthy extras.

>134 Crazymamie: Those are beautiful!

Come on, Georgia!

>143 BLBera: Aren't they, Beth?

Right. Come on, Georgia! Polls close at 7pm, but anyone in line can still vote.

>142 Crazymamie: I first read The Yellow Wallpaper in some sort of horror collection. It was so brilliant, and the editor commentary on Charlotte Perkins Gilman so intriguing that I picked up a book of her stories. But I got bogged down somewhere in there and couldn't finish. Now I can't find my bookmark, so I might need to start over from the beginning for my Paused Fiction category over at the Category Challenge group.

I listened to The Yellow Wallpaper just last year, and I thought it was so well done - how she spins out the suspense building the tension. It is almost a physical thing. I have not read anything else by her, but I want to. I hope you do get a chance to get back to it some time this year - we could compare notes as I will read that lovely copy I ordered when it gets here.

*Okay, so I just checked, and I actually listened to it in 2018, but it has really stayed with me.

>146 Crazymamie: It really does stay with you, doesn't it? Amazing creeping psychological horror that doesn't go away. I'll definitely be reading it this year, just not sure when.

It does! And hooray - we can exchange thoughts whenever you get to it.

I'm trying not to obsessively check the results...

Morning, Mamie. Happy Wednesday. I am heading out to go birding, early today. My wife thinks I am completely bonkers and she might be right.

One down, one to go, in Georgia. Let's get this second one too!

>149 AMQS: I obsessively watched it play out, Anne. I am thrilled that we have at least one of the seats. Still hoping for the other one. And watching.

>150 msf59: Morning, Mark! Happy Wednesday. Your wife is absolutely correct. But we love the crazy in you.

Yes! If we could only get one seat, that is the one I wanted, but I am greedy so I want the other one, too.

We read The Yellow Wallpaper in 2019, I think, in our faculty book club. I think it was our favorite story in the collection. We had very interesting discussions on it. We still occasionally bring up some aspect of that story when talking about another story.

Hello, Lori! I can see how it would have made for interesting discussions. Recently they came out with a GN of it, and I purchased it but have not yet read it.

'Morning, Mamie!

You BB'd me with The Yellow Wallpaper and I just downloaded it to my Kindle. And that's without a review, just a book cover. Thank you.

Still up by ~16K votes... 🤞

Morning, Karen! I love when that happens!! You are welcome.

Watching that closely and practically holding my breath. I remain hopeful. Awaiting the chance to be giddy.

Go Georgia!

I have a copy of Winter in the Blood - maybe we could read it together at some point.

And a sarcastic thanks so much for telling me I can order individual titles. JUST what I need - LOL!

Indeed, Katie, Go Georgia!!

I would love a shared read.

Ha! I'm just letting you know there are options. *grin*

We did it!!!*



*It's not yet official, but it will be by this time next week.

My new favorite phrase, in addition to "Senator Raphael Warnock" and "Senator Jon Ossoff", is "Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer".

Go Georgia!!!!

>158 kidzdoc: That's such a cheerful and yet somewhat ungainly picture. Like they're not quite sure what the next steps in the dance are.

Looking good in Georgia, Mamie!

Nice photos of the Pecan Paradisio.

River of Darkness is on my tbr, and you've encouraged me with that review to move it up.

>158 kidzdoc: Welcome, Darryl!! And YES, we did. I am just so happy about it all that I am practically giddy.

>159 Berly: Indeed, Kim!

>160 Helenliz: Your post made me giggle. SO weird when all of your life's experiences tell you to go in for the handshake or the hug, but the global pandemic says no.

>161 jnwelch: It is looking good in Georgia, Joe. About time.

Thank you re the photos.

Hoping you do get to River of Darkness soon, then we can compare thoughts.

Hi Mamie! Repaying your visit to my thread, and just in time to celebrate a blue Georgia :) I couldn't sleep last night I was so excited!

Hello there, Natalie! Welcome. I could not look away from the coverage last night - slightly exhausting but so rewarding in the end. Very happy making. And also a HUGE relief.

Hooray for Georgia!

Happy New Year, Mamie. I’m looking forward to following along. You have a nice looking house.

Go, Georgia! I'm giddy with you, Mamie.

Congratulations! Yay Georgia! More pecans for everyone!

Thank goodness Georgia came through Mamie on what was otherwise a fairly horrific day Mamie so yay for that.

>134 Crazymamie: Gorgeous books!

Go Georgia!

>142 Crazymamie: Oooooo. That link to Penguin Vitae was just mean. And then there was a link to Classics Deluxe Editions. Damn! Makes me so acquisitive. I already have more than I can ever get read. You manipulative she-devil. Toying with me like that.

Now cut that out!

:-)

Morning, Mamie. Sweet Thursday. Wow! Wednesday was an ugly roller-coaster ride, wasn't it? At least it ended with a more positive spin but what a nasty stain on our American history. Congrats to Georgia for coming through. Stacey Abrams rules! Now, that is presidential material.

My reading took a hit yesterday too, with too many distractions. I hope to get back on the ball today.

So happy about the result in Georgia, Mamie.
And saddened about what happened in Washington.

I haven't read anything since I started watching the coverage on CNN last night.

>165 ffortsa: Agreed, Judy. Made me so happy.

>166 Familyhistorian: Happy New Year, Meg! Glad to have you along for the ride. And thank you - I actually don't like how the outside of house looks in the front, but the inside is perfect for us. On the outside I would much rather have the old farmhouse that Chris described - especially if it came with a wrap around front porch.

>167 ronincats: I am so proud that Georgia stepped up and happy that I got to be a part of it, Roni. After the events of yesterday, we need all the stepping up we can get.

>168 justchris: Ha! Hey, Chris. More pecans sounds good. Surreal that Ossoff's election was called while we watched the chaos at the Capitol play out.

>169 brenzi: I agree, Bonnie.

The books are might purty, aren't they?

>170 BLBera: *grin* Yes, Beth. Go Georgia!

>171 weird_O: I can't make any promises, Bill. Mary Oliver wrote my mission statement, and I take it very seriously:



>172 msf59: Morning, Mark! And please let Thursday be Sweet. Wednesday was indeed ugly. And sad. And angry making. It was affirming to see Congress finish counting the electoral votes. Thank you for the kind words about Georgia. Agree that Stacey Abrams is a valuable asset - I would love to see her run for governor again - Georgia still needs her.

My reading got completely set aside yesterday with the events at the Capitol. I spent the afternoon watching it all play out and then watching Congress get back to work.

>173 FAMeulstee: Me, too, Anita. All of it.

>176 Crazymamie: I love that. And I hope Thursday does everyone proud.

>177 Helenliz: *grin* Me, too, Helen.

Hi Mamie! A calmer Thursday is called for. Congrats on getting both Democratic senators elected so that Biden will now have a Democratic Senate AND House. As Darryl says, My new favorite phrase, in addition to "Senator Raphael Warnock" and "Senator Jon Ossoff", is "Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer".

Mass quantities of coffee are being consumed here in central NC.

Hello, Karen! Calmer would be most welcome. I am thrilled with the Georgia results.

Yes, to mass quantities of coffee.

>176 Crazymamie: Yeah, the storming of the Capitol really distracted from everything else, didn't it?

>176 Crazymamie: I love it!! I may try to print that off for the bulletin board above my desk.

>181 The_Hibernator: It did, Rachel.

>182 RebaRelishesReading: I hope you do, Reba. I love Mary Oliver, and that is my favorite of hers.

It's up there already :)

Hooray!

>176 Crazymamie: Same. I couldn't focus on anything else, let alone books! And I'm mad that I finally felt like we could celebrate a little after the Georgia results and then that was taken from us.

Yep, Natalie. I'm mad about that, too.

>176 Crazymamie: Love it!

Morning, Mamie. Happy Friday! Yes, the Bloody Wednesday hangover lingers. My remedy has been birds and books and that will continue today.

Morning, Mark! Happy Friday - my favorite day. I have the feeling we are going to be hungover until January 20th. I'm hoping to get more reading in today as I spent most of yesterday watching the news. I did read a bit in The Tortoise and the Hare and also in The Snow Leopard.

~

Yesterday I got these in the mail! I had pre-ordered them last year when I saw they were coming out; they are Penguin Deluxe Classics editions. With deckled edge pages!!! I have read both of these more than once but could not resist adding them to my collection. The Great Gatsby is a favorite of mine, and I like to add new editions of it that speak to me. AND all of our talking about The Yellow Wallpaper reminded me that I had purchased these last year:

~

These are GN versions of the books. I had forgotten about them as last year was crazy for us, but I pulled them out yesterday and have already started reading The Yellow Wallpaper. The illustrations are by Sara Barkat, and I think they really suit the story.

'Morning, Mamie!

I hope you have a marvelous Friday.

>190 Crazymamie: Very pleasing for you to have lovely copies of two of your favorites.

Morning, Karen! Thank you for those good wishes.

Yep. I love just looking at them on the shelves.

Happy Friday, Mamie! Hope it's full of wonderful :0)

>190 Crazymamie: ooh, those new Penguin Deluxe Classics editions are super nice.

>190 Crazymamie: Those are gorgeous editions!

>190 Crazymamie: - Me likey! I have my high school copy of TGG with all my notes and underlinings, which I love, but I wouldn't mind having a prettier edition on my shelves... And my copy of Mrs. D - which I've never read - is old and gross, so I think I might need to treat myself.

One of the challenges I am doing has a prompt to read a book with deckled edges, and it made me think of you :)

>193 Carmenere: Afternoon, Lynda! Happy Friday. I thank you for those good wishes - hoping your Friday is also full of wonder.

>194 lauralkeet: I agree, Laura. I love collecting these editions - they are so gorgeous on the shelves and delightful to read from.

>195 curioussquared: *grin* I love them.

>196 katiekrug: I was so excited when I saw they were coming out with these two particular titles - pre-ordered them as soon as I saw them. I hope you do treat yourself. I love that you still have your high school copy of TGG - so fun to read back through your notes and see what you underlined. Maureen Corrigan wrote an entire book that looks into what makes The Great Gatsby so special - And So We Read On: How the Great Gatsby Came to Be and Why It Endures, and it is full of fabulous.

I am honored. You know that deckled edge pages make me giddy.

Happy new year, Mamie!

I was going for the Eagles their final game (if they won, Rae's and my Giants would've been in the playoffs, as you probably know), and stayed up long enough to see them put their backup backup quarterback in clearly not attempting to win at that point. :::sigh:::

Hope you have a good weekend!

They are lurvely.

Morning, Mamie. Happy Saturday. We had successful owl hunt yesterday afternoon, more on my thread later. I think I am going to hang tight today, knock out some chores and hunker down with books and tune in to some football.

How is The Snow Leopard? I had my eye on that one, many years ago.

>190 Crazymamie: Those editions are beautiful Mamie. I'm averting my eyes; my goal is to move books out...

>198 bell7: Thank you, Mary! Yep - we were rooting for the Eagles, too. Disappointing.

Thank you for those weekend wishes - hoping yours is full of fabulous.

>199 Helenliz: *grin* Hello, Helen.

>200 msf59: Morning, Mark! Happy Saturdaying to you. Your plans for the day echo mine. Overcast and cooler here - only going to 48F today, and I am loving it.

I am really enjoying The Snow Leopard - the writing is excellent, the descriptions beautiful and I like his dry humor.

>201 BLBera: Morning, Beth! Good luck with the eye averting - I am always happy to acquire more.

Salad buffet?

It's been a long few weeks since New Year's Day, but I'm expecting worse to come.

>203 richardderus: Well, how could I say no to that? I mean, it's already set out and waiting; it would be rude to NOT partake. Thanks, BigDaddy. And yes, it has been a long few weeks, but we'll always have Paris Georgia.

>203 richardderus: as long as I don't have to eat it outside, and it comes with something hot along side. We've dropped to sub zero (C) this week...

>205 Helenliz:, >204 Crazymamie: It's the doomscrolling that is doing me in...got to step back from Twitter.

I can't eat hot food when I'm anxious. I stress-eat snacks. Oodles of fruit. The occasional hard-boiled egg. But hot food sticks and chokes me.

>205 Helenliz: We can make that happen, Helen.

>206 richardderus: Now see when I'm stressed, I want warm comfort food like mac and cheese or meatloaf and mashed potatoes or chicken and noodles. Great. Now I'm hungry.

Stop doomscrolling. *smooch*

>96 katiekrug: It is a bloody miracle that I didn't bail on Dry January this past week. Whew. Wednesday was tough. I did see lots of posting on Twitter about it (apparently we are not alone in this endeavor). One post that cracked me up was something like "You can probably have an exception built into Dry January for an attempted coup."

And yes to "stop doomscrolling." But this week I spent a LOT of time on social media. I've hardly touched it today and it feels like a bit of a relief. Last night we watched the first episode of Bridgerton and I think we'll watch a couple more episodes before the weekend is over. And I'm reading Squeeze Me by Carl Hiaasen which is a hoot.

Have a great week ahead, Mamie!

Morning, Mamie. Happy Sunday. I ended being more active yesterday afternoon & evening. We went over to Bree and Sean's , to hang out with the dogs, watch football and play some games. I think I am laying low today, with the books and watch some football later. Go Bears! They are going to have a tough time against the Saints.

>208 EBT1002: Ellen, I bailed. I'm going to start over on Monday. You are a better woman than I. That Twitter post cracked me up - thanks for sharing as I do not Tweet. LT is my only social media because I am boring that way.

Hoping you do continue with Bridgerton- it gets better as it goes. I have never read any Hiassen - do you have a favorite?

Thanks for those good wishes - I would settle for not horrible, to be honest. Hoping the coming week is kind to you, my friend.

>209 msf59: Morning, Mark! Happy Sunday. Your yesterday sounds like fun. We have the same plans for today - some lazy and some football and some reading. I am looking forward to that Bears/Saints game.

Morning, Mamie!

Morning, Katie! I just came from your place!

Good morning, Mamie! I hope you have a fun football day.

>210 Crazymamie: LT is my only social media because I am boring that way. We’re both boring that way.

Morning, Karen! Oh, good - we can be boring together. Looking forward to the football, although I am already feeling the sadness because football is almost over.

So what's another sport the Pecan Paradisio gets involved in as foosball wanes for the season?

Tennis. But football is my favorite.

Started watching this last night, and I really like it. Amazon Prime has it but only through Jan. 31st. There's snow!

> 210 Who in the world dreamed up dry January? Especially this January. Nope.

Anyway... hello and good wishes. I am on Twitter, and I often wish I were not. And yes, Doomscrolling has become one of my chief pastimes.

>218 mckait: There's a comedy skit that's been playing here about dry January and veganuary (yes, go vegan for January) and how January is exactly the wrong month to give up anything. He suggests that we should all be indulging in a new vice for January instead - especially this year. He has a point!

Morning, Mamie. I got plenty of reading in early yesterday and then watched my lowly Bears flounder. They did not deserve to be in the playoffs. Great to see the Browns win. Cold here today, only in the 20s, but I plan to get out for some birding, after taking 2 days off. The afternoon will be reserved for the books.

Morning, Mark! Sorry about your Bears. But what about that catch by Graham at the end of the game - that was a thing of beauty. And then he just continued into the locker room, which I did not blame him for since they were playing the Saints. I still do not understand why they traded him - it's been years, and I am still upset about it. Heh. And it was great to see the Browns win, even though I have a soft spot for the Steelers.

Overcast and cool here, too - only going to 50F today. *grin* It's supposed to rain, and I'm hoping that it does. Love me a rainy day.

Hi Mamie!

I hope you get your rain. And I hope you have a good day.

Morning, Karen! Thank you. Hoping your day is also filled with goodness. What's for dinner?

Leftover shrimp risotto, salad, and a glass of Dark Horse Sauvignon Blanc. What's on tap at the Pecan Paradisio?

That sounds so good. We're having Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Fig and Chili Sauce with jasmine rice, and peas.

Morning, Mamie!

Your and Karen's dinners sound gooooooood!

Morning, Katie! I can highly recommend the one we're having - it's a regular in the rotation here. The sauce is SO good. And I am wanting to try Karen's meal as it sounds most yum.

>227 Crazymamie: - In one of those weird coincidences, I just logged in to HelloFresh to look at what was available for next week, and there was a pork tenderloin dish with some sort of fig sauce! The Wayne vetoed it, though :(

And no shrimp risotto because he hates shellfish. Double sad face.

>228 katiekrug: Bummer! The recipe we make is so easy and so quick to make, and it's delicious - I like the chili sauce in it because it keeps it from being too sweet. It's a great sweet/spicy combo - we usually double the sauce just to have more of it.

No shellfish for me, either, except for shrimp. And lately no shrimp because the Publix keeps having the shrimp touching the scallops, and I am deathly allergic to those.

Speaking of delicious, this stuff is full of fabulous. I saw it at the Publix last week, and it jumped into the cart. So far we have tried it on burgers, grilled chicken sliders, and breakfast sandwiches. MOST. YUM.

>230 Crazymamie: - Mmm, I love me some bacon jam. One of our favorite places does an amazing burger with bacon onion jam and smoked gouda on a brioche bun. So freaking good...

Well, now I want that. *sob*

Oh, dear. Sorry. Maybe you could put the fixings on the grocery list and have them soon?

Good thinking. I'm planning on a market run tomorrow, so I'll see what they've got. Grocery shopping is an adventure these days because you never know what they will or they won't have.

Hope you like them!

I don't see how I could go wrong.

>231 katiekrug: Maybe plain Gouda rather than smoked but that does sound wonderful!!

>237 RebaRelishesReading: *waves at Reba*

Goodness! I am so glad that it is almost dinner time because you guys have made me SO HUNGRY!!! LOL. We did make a pork with fig sauce on it just last week and it was yummy! Just simple BBQ chicken and broccoli tonight.

Hello, Kim! Hooray for being able to sit down and eat after reading this thread. *grin* I love BBQ anything.

4. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes by Anita Loos, Kindle, humor - 3.25 stars

I finished Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and it was funny, but I wish it had been slightly shorter. Released originally in serial form in Harper's Bazaar back in the 1920s, I can understand how it worked brilliantly and was a huge hit in that format. The novel is organized as diary entries, and what Loos did so well was to include spelling and grammatical errors. In the introduction written by Jenny McPhee, there is praise for Loos' cleverness in creating the diary entries:

"...the novel's most innovative feature is Loos's use of language. The narrative is uniquely colloquial, unpolished, repetive, and full of mistakes. It both employs and slams modernist tropes, the stream-of-consciousness style, the writerly penchant for wordplay, the middlebrow misuse of grammar ('A girl like I'), the lowbrow vernacular. The prose is a cacophony of loopy cadences, alliteration, redundancies, oxymorons, malapropisms, multilingual puns, homophones, innuendo, euphemisms, double entendres, and more. Through these linguistic machinations Loos takes irony to a new level of complexity: our expectations repeatedly thwarted, we are hurled into a troubling state of merry destabilizations and pleasurable chaos.

It's a fun ride through the Jazz Age as seen through the eyes of a flapper who is the stereotypical "dumb blonde" but who is diabolically clever at getting what she wants. While trying to "improve her mind", she shares her own street smarts with us as she travels from New York to London, to Paris, to "the Central of Europe" and back again.

So what happened to books two and three? Um, I went to just post what I had read for January RandomCAT whose theme is humor (over in the Category Challenge), and I ended up writing a review. So here's the other two books I read to bring me to a total of four so far this month:


2. The Yellow Wallpaper: a graphic novel by Charlotte Perkins Gilmore, illustrated by Sara Barkat, paperback acquired in 2020, horror - 4.5 stars


3. The Tortoise and the Hare by Elizabeth Jenkins, trade paperback acquired in 2014, literary fiction (Virago) - 4 stars

Thoughts on those are coming.

Morning, Mamie. It will be cold again here but I plan on still getting out and I will seek out an unfrozen waterway. The highlights yesterday were swans and eagles. Of course, the afternoon is reserved for the books. Living the life...

Ooh, you got me with The Yellow Wallpaper. I will request it immediately. I NEED more GN recs. I have been running on empty with those.

ETA- Which version is the graphic novel? I can't seem to find it?

Morning, Mark! Still rainy and overcast here, which I actually like cause I am weird that way. Mercy is just as avid as you and is already at work watching the birds from my bedroom windows. I have a few errands I need to run, and the rest of the day will be household crap and reading.

So happy I hit you with The Yellow Wallpaper - I love that it's unabridged, so the full text is there. I have The Great Gatsby as my next GN, and also Neil Gaiman's Preludes and Nocturnes.

*Thanks for letting me know - I can't make the touchstone work, so I created a link if you click on the title

Thanks, Mamie but it doesn't look like my library system has the graphic novel version. Sad face.

I'm not much of a GN reader, but I do have a graphic novel of Animal Farm that I plan to read this year...

Morning, Mamie!

>244 Crazymamie: Mark, I would be happy to send you my copy. Just PM me your address.

>245 msf59: Morning, Katie! I will await your thoughts on that one - you know how I feel about Orwell. I have read that one many times but never in GN format.

'Morning, Mamie! Yay for overcast, although I can see a hint of blue up here. Good luck with the errands and household crap and yay for the reading.

>230 Crazymamie: well that looks amazing. Hope it makes its way out west sometime.

I hope you have a good day, Mamie.

>248 karenmarie: Morning, Karen! No blue here. I think the sun is supposed to be back on Thursday. Thank you for those good wishes.

>249 AMQS: It's delicious, Anne. They have a website that you can order from - I was checking it out yesterday, and they have loads of jams and mustards and sauces.

Hoping your day is also full of goodness.

Hoping Tuesday for you follows our pattern, wet overnight, grey this morning, blue with white streaks this afternoon. :-)

>241 Crazymamie: does look interesting. I like that roaring 20s thing. Although a flapper dress makes me look like a sack of spuds, so I'd not want to do it for real. Just in case anyone was about to wind up the time machine.

>251 Helenliz: Thanks for that, Helen - your Tuesday sounds full of beauty.

I'm glad I finally read it - now I need to watch the movie again. I love the story of how she came to write it - Anita Loos was a petite brunette traveling on a train and she noticed that a much taller and sturdier blonde lady was getting all the attention. The men were going out of their way to help her with her bags, etc, while completely ignoring her. She was a screenwriter, so she wrote up a snarky sketch and sent it to one of her friends who edited a magazine - he said it wasn't right for their readership and suggested she send it on to Harper's Bazaar, so she did. They loved it and wanted more, so asked her to continue the story which they then published in serial format. After it had all been published, she had another publisher friend offer to print up some copies of it in novel form for her to give to her friends. It became a huge bestseller, and they had to keep printing more.

I also cannot wear flapper attire, but Birdy looks FABULOUS is that type of dress.

>210 Crazymamie: Actually, Mamie, I think having LT as your only social media outlet is remarkably sane. I have said that the first thing I will do when I retire is delete my Twitter account but the truth is that FB has sent me into sleepless nights just as often over these past months. In any case, LT is the best.

I haven't bailed on Dry January but I will tell you that I can hardly wait for sopping wet February!!! :-D

Looking forward to your comments about The Yellow Wallpaper. I'm hoping to read a few more GNs this year than I did last.

Have a wonderful Tuesday!

I also have no other social media except LT (and bookcrossing, but I am more present here than anywhere else). And yes, it's the sane thing to do. To be honest, I have never even been tempted by twitter, FB or any of the others.

>242 Crazymamie: *plops into chair*

>241 Crazymamie: It's such a charming read! Sexual politics abysmal, but for the 1920s it was seriously subversive.

>230 Crazymamie: Want. Bad.

>253 EBT1002: Look at me being remarkably sane. The truth is, Ellen, that I have never had a FB account - just never trusted that platform. And I'm kind of old school - I only carry my phone if I am going out. Otherwise it sits on a table or on the bar - we don't have a landline, so it's the only way to get ahold of me, but I don't use it to do stuff. The exception would be listening to music or an audiobook while walking, which I really don't do enough these days. I've also never had Twitter, but that's not about trust, it just never appealed. I think social media stuff is mostly just too much work for me with the exception of LT. And I feel like I have to chose carefully these days because of my carpal tunnel.

I am so proud of you for not bailing on Dry January - if ever a month was begging to be bailed on, it's this one. Sopping wet February made me laugh - sounds like a plan!

I think you would like The Yellow Wallpaper a graphic novel. It has the full text of the short story and the artwork is an excellent representation of the creeping tension and slow descent into madness.

I spent Tuesday mostly watching the news unfold - our internet went down in the morning and did not come back up until late last night. Hoping to catch up on LT today.

Hoping Wednesday is kind to you.

>254 jessibud2: Shelley, for me it is the right choice. Daniel does all The Things, and for him, that is the right thing. Just a matter of personal preferences, and I am not very social, so...

>255 richardderus: BigDaddy!! SO lovely to see you here! *smooch and a bear hug*

So true what you say about Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. I'm guessing I missed out on some of the humor just because I didn't get all the references and wordplay. But what I did get was very fun. Charming is a great word to describe it.

It's. Delicious.

Morning, Mamie! Happy Wednesday. Getting ready to head out for some birding, taking advantage of warmer temps. It may hit 40F today. I am really enjoying Cowboys are My Weakness. Keep this collection in mind.

Morning, Mark! Happy Wednesday to you. I have not heard of that collection before, so I will have to check it out. Enjoy your birding. I have to brave the market - meant to do this yesterday, but I did not get to it.

‘Morning, Mamie! Happiest of Wednesdays to you.

>241 Crazymamie: A BB! I’ve just downloaded it to my Kindle for $.99. Thank you.

Morning, Mamie! Almost pre-weekend....

Humpday. Mmm. Well, can't be helped can it.

At least the House is impeaching 45 for a record-breaking second time. And McConnell's so pissed at him that he won't table it or kill it. Yay.

>260 karenmarie: Afternoon, Karen! Wednesday will be happier now that I am back from my grocery store run. Really amazing that the Publix has a mask policy in place and yet there were at least ten people in the store with no mask in sight. *sigh* They were all white and all were my age or older. Just so thoughtless.

Hoping you like this BB better than the last one you took from me. *grin*

>261 katiekrug: Hello, Katie! This week feels like it has been going on forever, and it's only Wednesday. I am ready for Friday already.

>262 richardderus: SO true, Richard. And that's how I am feeling about it.

I have to admit that watching that unfold last night was happy making. About time. I'm waiting for the actual vote.