karenmarie: a new normal with lots of books - IV

Welcome to my fourth thread of Twenty Twenty-one.

The Good: Books, family, friends, kitties. A decent man in the White House. That decent man signs $1.9 trillion stimulus into law. There are three vaccines available here in the US.

The Bad: The coronavirus mutates, people get complacent. I haven’t seen my daughter in 14 months. The vaccines are not available worldwide.
The Ugly: The country is polarized. Trump is still spewing poison from Florida and the Gang of Psychos is still in his thrall. Lawlessness is justified by prejudice and religion.

I still love being retired, and am beyond grateful that I don’t have to venture out to work to earn a living ever again. I’ve paid my dues. Every day I don’t have to get up to an alarm is a cause for celebration.

I read and am a charter member of the Redbud and Beyond Book Club, started in 1997. We haven’t met since March of last year, and I’m not at all certain when we’ll be able to meet again. I am President for our local Friends of the Library (henceforth abbreviated FoL), and am sad that our Tuesday morning FoL book sale donation sorting meetings are still on hold, the Library is still closed, and we’ve now had to cancel three book sales because of Covid-19 and an October 2020 cyberattack on our county, which includes the Libraries.

I have been married to Bill for almost 30 years and am mother to Jenna, 27. Bill and I live in our own little corner of paradise on 8 acres in central North Carolina USA. Jenna is currently working as a tutor for her community college.

We have three kitties. February pictures of all three. L to R: Zoe, Wash, Inara.



No theme for pictures although I do like posting ones of family members. This one has a story – Bill and I were just friends in 1979. I was living in Connecticut, visiting my sister in SoCal, Bill was stationed in San Diego, and he came up for a visit one day. At the time my newborn niece had red hair, so we took a ‘family picture’. Prescient!



My goal last year was 100 books and I exceeded it by 24. This year’s goal will be 100 again. It’s a good goal, not too stressful and not too comfortable. No page goal, just tracking. I seem to read around 30000 pages per year and surpassed that too, last year, by 3,869 pages.

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In response to the pandemic and in need of comfort reading, I’m reading/re-reading the Nero Wolfe mysteries by Rex Stout, all 47 of them. I started last April and will finish when it makes sense. I’ve currently read 29 of them.

New this year: With Julia’s blessing, I’ve taken over the Dick Francis Shared Read, now in its 3rd year. Here’s the link: Third Race at the LT Racetrack: a Dick Francis SHARED Read.

Every year I buy a new Lett’s Week to View Desk Diary. The first thing I do when I get it is to put in my name, address, phone number, and email address in case it needs to be returned to me, although it hasn’t gone out of the house since a meeting at the Library in February. Next, I transfer my voter registration card from last year’s to this year’s diary. I then write “God does not make bargains, but She does dispense grace.” across the top of the left inside front cover. Finally, I print out and tape in the two following quotes. The first I think I found in an old Ann Landers column and I don’t remember where I found the second one. But I’ve had both for decades and read them often.

On This Day

Mend a quarrel.
Search out a forgotten friend.
Dismiss a suspicion and replace it with trust.
Write a letter to someone who misses you.
Encourage a youth who has lost faith.
Keep a promise.
Forget an old grudge.
Examine your demands on others and vow to reduce them.
Fight for a principle.
Express your gratitude.
Overcome an old fear.
Take two minutes to appreciate the beauty of nature.
Tell someone you love them.
Tell them again,
And again,
And again.

**********

Whatever you do, death occurs. But if you have lived with a sense of reality and gratitude towards life, then you can leave the dignity of your life behind you, so that your relatives, your friends, and your children can appreciate who you were.

**********
2021 – a new normal with lots of books.

books read

January
1. Washington's Farewell Address and Webster's Bunker Hill Orations, Introduction and Notes by William T. Peck 1/8/21 1/9/21 172 pages hardcover
2. Banker by Dick Francis 1/3/21 1/12/21 303 pages mass market paperback
3. Christmas Beau by Mary Balogh 1/16/21 1/18/21 224 pages mass market paperback
4. If Death Ever Slept by Rex Stout 1/22/21 1/25/21186 pages hardcover
5. The Postscript Murders by Elly Griffiths 1/25/21 1/28/21 342 pages hardcover
6. The Duke and I by Julia Quinn 1/29/21 1/30/21 438 pages trade paperback
7. The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths 1/28/21 2/2/21 352 pages hardcover, Kindle
8. The Distant Echo by Val McDermid 2/5/21 2/10/21 450 pages mass market paperback
9. Sworn to Silence by Linda Castillo 2/11/21 2/12/21 353 pages trade paperback
10. Sharks in the Time of Saviors by Kawai Strong Washburn 1/15/21 2/15/21 373 pages hardcover
11. And Four to Go by Rex Stout 2/13/21 2/16/21 150 pages mass market paperback
12. A Promised Land by Barack Obama 11/20/20 2/17/2021 701 pages hardcover
13. Pray for Silence by Linda Castillo 2/17/21 2/19/21 322 pages trade paperback
14. We Keep the Dead Close by Becky Cooper 2/19/21 2/23/21 433 pages trade paperback
15. The Night Hawks by Elly Griffiths 2/23/21 2/26/21 359 pages hardcover
16. A Wealth of Pigeons by Harry Bliss and Steve Martin 11/25/20 2/28/21 272 pages hardcover
17. A Darker Domain by Val McDermid 2/26/21 3/4/21 404 pages mass market paperback
18. Prodigal Son by Gregg Hurwitz 3/4/21 3/7/21 417 pages hardcover
19. The Law of Innocence by Michael Connelly 3/7/2021 3/9/21 421 pages hardcover
20. Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman 3/9/21 3/9/21 59 pages hardcover
21. Little Black Sambo and the Baby Elephant by Frank Ver Beck 3/9/21 3/9/21 57 pages hardcover
22. Breaking Silence by Linda Castillo 3/9/21 3/12/21 302 pages trade paperback
23. The Skeleton Road 3/12/21 3/17/21 404 pages hardcover
24. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman 3/18/21 3/21/21 351 pages hardcover
25. Bootlegger's Daughter by Margaret Maron 3/22/21 3/23/21 261 pages hardcover
26. Southern Discomfort 3/23/21 3/27/21 241 pages hardcover
27. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 10/18/20 3/29/21 audiobook 20 hours
28. Win by Harlan Coben 3/28/21 3/29/21 371 pages hardcover
**abandoned Murder At the 42nd Street Library by Con Lehane 65 pages
29. Odds Against by Dick Francis Francis 3/30/31 3/31/21309 pages mass market paperback
30. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E.Schwab 3/30/21 4/5/21 444 pages hardcover
31. Fup by Jim Dodge 4/5/21 4/6/21 51 pages trade paperback 1983
**abandoned Our Tragic Universe by Scarlett Thomas 56 pages
32. Champagne for One by Rex Stout 4/9/21 4/10/21 205 pages mass market paperback
33. Plot it Yourself by Rex Stout 4/11/21 4/12/21 132 pages hardcover

Currently Reading:

Deacon King Kong by James McBride 3/10/21 370 pages trade paperback 2020
Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell 1/1/21 305 pages hardcover 2020
White Trash by Nancy Isenberg 11/9/20 321 pages trade paperback 2016
The Source by James Michener 10/1/20 909 pages hardcover 1965
Emma by Jane Austen 8/18/20 xxx pages, 1816
Moby Dick 5/1/20 517 pages trade paperback 1851

books added - 2020 was the great conjunction of adds and culls, both at 128. Keeping the adds down will probably be as easy as it was last year because of the pandemic - no Friends of the Library book sales and no trips to used book stores and thrift shops.

**I spoke too soon - a FoL book donation with me getting first dibs has put me in the hole already.**

00. Friend Jessica - Double Star by Robert A. Heinlein. Given in December, but it offsets the first cull, below, so they're in the 00. black hole.
1. Amazon - Twice Shy by Dick Francis
2. ER - Sergeant Salinger by Jerone Charyn
3. Amazon - The Time Traveler's Guide to Elizabethan England by Ian Mortimer
4. Amazon - A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life by George Saunders
5. FoL member Marian - In the Morning I'll Be Gone by Adrian McKinty
6. FoL member Marian - The Cold Cold Ground by Adrian McKinty
7. FoL member Marian - I Hear the Sirens in the Street by Adrian McKinty
8. FoL member Marian - Police at the Station and They Don't Look Friendly by Adrian McKinty
9. FoL member Marian - Rain Dogs by Adrian McKinty
10. FoL member Marian - Gun Street Girl by Adrian McKinty
11. FoL member Marian - The Death of a Joyce Scholar by Bartholomew Gill
12. FoL member Marian - Counterparts by Gonzalo Lira
13. FoL member Marian - The Hellfire Club by Jake Tapper
14. FoL member Marian - Lost Light by Michael Connelly
15. FoL member Marian - Echo Park by Michael Connelly
16. FoL member Marian - The Overlook by Michael Connelly
17. FoL member Marian - The Reversal by Michael Connelly
18. FoL member Marian - Chasing the Dime by Michael Connelly
19. FoL member Marian - City of Bones by Michael Connelly
20. FoL member Marian - All Saints by Karen Palmer
21. FoL member Marian - Ripley Under Water by Patricia Highsmith
22. FoL member Marian - The Drop by Michael Connelly
23. FoL member Marian - The Dark Winter by David Mark
24. FoL member Marian - The Last Four Days of Paddy Buckley by Jeremy Massey
25. FoL member Marian - Fair Warning by Michael Connelly
26. FoL member Marian - Reversible Errors by Scott Turow
27. FoL member Marian - Law of Innocence by Michael Connelly
28. FoL member Marian - The Scarecrow by Michael Connelly
29. FoL member Marian - Since We Fell by Dennis Lehane
30. FoL member Marian - Death Descends on Saturn Villa by M.R.C. Kasasian
31. FoL member Marian - The naive & Sentimental Lover by John Le Carre
32. FoL member Marian - The Professionals by Owen Laukkanen
33. FoL member Marian - The Widow by Fiona Barton
34. FoL member Marian - The Looking Glass War by John Le Carre
35. FoL member Marian - The Spy Who Came In From The Cold by John Le Carre
36. FoL member Marian - Dead I Well May Be by Adrian McKinty
37. FoL member Marian - The Chain by Adrian McKinty
38. FoL member Marian - The Monkey's Raincoat by Robert Crais
39. Amazon - The Duke and I by Julia Quinn
40. Kindle - The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
40. Kindle - Gentlemen Prefer Blondes by Anita Loos
41. Kindle - Legion by Brandon Sanderson
42. Mark - We Keep the Dead Close by Becky Cooper
43. Kindle - Medieval People by Eileen Edna Power - saw it on Mamie's thread
44. Amazon - Prodigal Son by Gregg Hurwitz
45. Kindle - The Chronicles of Barsetshire by Anthony Trollope - recommended by lauralkeet
46. Amazon - The Queen's Gambit by Walter Tevis
47. Kindle - Theresa Marchmont or, the Maid of Honour by Mrs. Gore

February
48. Amazon - Deacon King Kong by James McBride
49. friend Karen - the President's Shadow by Brad Meltzer
50. friend Louise - Sworn to Silence by Linda Castillo
51. FoL member Marian - Pray for Silence by Linda Castillo
52. FoL member Marian - Breaking Silence by Linda Castillo
53. FoL member Marian - Gone Missing by Linda Castillo
54. FoL member Marian - Her Last Breath by Linda Castillo
55. FoL member Marian - The Dead Will Tell by Linda Castillo
56. FoL member Marian - After the Storm by Linda Castillo
57. FoL member Marian - Among the Wicked by Linda Castillo
58. FoL member Marian - Down a Dark Road by Linda Castillo
59. FoL member Marian - Shamed by Linda Castillo
60. Amazon - Cumin, Camels, and Carabans by Gary Paul Nabhan
61. Amazon - Drive Your Plows Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk
62. Amazon - A Darker Domain by Val McDermid
63. Kindle - My Soul to Keep by Tananarive Due

March
64. friend Jan - Remains of Innocence by J.A. Jance
65. friend Jan - Dead Wrong by J.A. Jance
66. Kindle - The Decameron by Giovanni Boccacio
67. Circle City Books - Bootlegger's Daughter by Margaret Maron
68. Amazon - The Skeleton Road by Val McDermid
69. Amazon - The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
70. Amazon - The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
71. Amazon - Win by Harlan Coben
72. Kindle - Castle Rackrent by Maria Edgeworth
73. Sanford book store - Shooting at Loons by Margaret Maron
74. Sanford book store - Death's Half Acre by Margaret Maron
75. friend Pam Dennis - A Very English Scandal by John Preston
76. friend Pam Dennis - The Hand That First Held Mine by Maggie O'Farrell

April
77. Amazon - Too Many Clients by Rex Stout
78. Amazon - Refusal by Felix Felix Francis
79. Amazon - The Survivors - Jane Harper
80. Amazon - Blue Nights by Joan Didion

books culled - there are still quite a few books on my shelves, lurking in corners and 3 deep on the shelves, that need new homes.

00. Mi's Day by Mira Vest. Cousin Mira, published in 1947. I had two copies and gave one to my sister. I actually culled this one in December but won't go back and update 2020 statistics.

1. Lost Light by Michael Connelly - upgraded to hardcover
2. The Overlook by Michael Connelly - upgraded to hardcover
3. Echo Park by Michael Connelly - upgraded to hardcover
4. Chasing the Dime by Michael Connelly - upgraded to hardcover
5. City of Bones by Michael Connelly - upgraded to hardcover
6. The Drop by Michael Connelly - upgraded to hardcover
7. The Reversal by Michael Connelly - upgraded to hardcover
8. The Scarecrow by Michael Connelly - upgraded to hardcover
9. The Duke and I by Julia Quinn - won't read any more of the series
10. Field Gray by Philip Kerr - won't read the series - for Peggy
11. For the Time Being by Annie Dillard - for Richard
12. I Shall Not Want by Julia Spencer-Fleming
13. The Brass Go-Between by Ross Thomas
14. Voss by Patrick White
15. The Monkey's Raincoat by Robert Crais
16. Straight On Till Morning by Mary S. Lovell
17. Our Tragic Universe by Scarlett Thomas
18. Field Gray by Philip Kerr
19. Our Tragic Universe by Scarlett Thomas
20. Champagne for One by Rex Stout
21. ?

Statistics Through February 28

16 books read
8 of them on my shelves before 01/01/2020 and not rereads
0 books abandoned, 0 pages abandoned
5455 pages read
0 audiobook hours 0
Avg pages read per day, YTD = 92
Avg pages read per book, YTD = 341

Book of the month: A Promised Land by Barack Obama

Books Read By Month
January 6
February 10

Author
Male 44%
Female 56%

Living 75%
Dead 25%

US Born 62%
Foreign Born 38%

Platform
Hardcover 44%
Trade Pback 25%
Mass Market 25%
Audiobook 0%
e-Book 6%

Source
My Library 75%
Library 0%
Other 25%

Misc
ARC/ER 0%
Re-read 13%
Series 50%

Fiction 81%
NonFiction 19%

New to Me Authors 5

Author Birth Country
England 25%
Scotland 6%
US 63%
Wales 6%

Original Decade Published
1910-1919 6%
1950-1959 13%
1980-1989 6%
1990-1999 6%
2000-2009 19%
2010-2019 12%
2020-2029 38%

Category
Biography 0%
Chrestomathy 0%
Contemporary Fiction 0%
Fantasy 6%
Historical Fiction 13%
Humor 6%
Informational Nonfiction 13%
Memoir 6%
Mystery 6%
Poetry 0%
Science Fiction 0%
Suspense 0%
Thriller 50%

February’s Lightning Round

And Four to Go by Rex Stout 2/13/21 02/16/21

Four novellas:

1. Christmas Party. Archie delivers a shocker to Wolfe, who decides to investigate. Who played Santa? Fun concept, interesting solution.
2. Easter Parade. Wolfe sends Archie out on a mission to steal a spray of orchid blooms, and they are involved in a murder. Quite clever, actually.
3. Fourth of July Picnic. Wolfe and Archie solve a murder by tricking the murderer – they frequently do this but this one was particularly satisfying. Also, we get some biographical information on Wolfe and Archie. Here’s Archie’s:”Born in Ohio. Public high school, pretty good at geometry and football, graduated with honor but no honors. Went to college two weeks, decided it was childish, came to New York and got a job guarding a pier, shot and killed two men and was fired, was recommended to Nero Wolfe for a chore he wanted done, did it, was offered a full-time job by Mr. Wolfe, took it, still have it."
4. Murder is No Joke. One of the oldest motives for murder with an interesting twist based on technology widely used in the 1950s. Not particularly memorable, but clever.

Pray for Silence by Linda Castillo 2/17/21 2/19/21 322 pages trade paperback

Second in the Kate Burkholder series. A brutal and vicious annihilation of an entire Amish family has Chief of Police Burkholder and her department looking for any possible motive. Clues slowly accumulate. Once again Kate lets her background influence her decision making, which is disappointing; however, the story ratchets up as horror upon horror are revealed. Kate’s personal life with Tomaselli moves forward, and we gain more understanding about the Amish way of life.

A Wealth of Pigeons by Harry Bliss and Steve Martin 11/25/20 to 2/28/21 272 pages hardcover

I saw an interview with Bliss and Martin on TV somehow and figured that I needed this book. Strangely, I started it a week or so after I got it and only finished it up today. It’s clever but not particularly memorable, although I did like the cartoons of their collaboration.

I’ll let the stats speak for me.

124 books read

1 Masterpiece
19 Stunning
67 Excellent
20 Very Good
12 Good
4 Average
1 Bad
0 Very Bad
0 Don't Bother
0 Anathema

Best Fiction
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
Beastly Tales From Here and There by Vikram Seth
The Standing Chandelier by Lionel Shriver
Mrs. Caliban by Rachel Ingalls

Best Nonfiction
Abraham Lincoln: Mystic Chords of Memory edited by Larry Shapiro
Dr. Seuss Goes to War by Richard H. Minear
In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick
How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi

Top five overall for the LT Top Five Books of 2020 list:

Mrs. Caliban
How to Be an Antiracist
In the Heart of the Sea
The Standing Chandelier
Dr. Seuss Goes to War

This one still cracks me up.

Welcome, one and all.

Happy new thread, Karen!

Happy new thread, Karen! I can't get my ticker to look good and behave as yours are. Mine is cut off, numbers covered, words make no sense. I may or may not just delete it altogether but so far, I have just left it as is. For now.

>8 karenmarie: still makes me laugh.

...darn thing weighs a TON...now where's that sunny window corner...

Happy new thread!

Happy New Thread, Karen!

I’ve paid my dues. Every day I don’t have to get up to an alarm is a cause for celebration. Amen, sister. (Although I used to wake myself up rather than use an alarm - don't ask. I've always been that way).

I just finished A Wealth of Pigeons, too. Your It’s clever but not particularly memorable is right on target for me. A pleasant experience with some chuckles, but nothing particularly memorable.

I'm glad Prodigal Son got four stars from you. Me, too.

Happy New Thread, Karen. Hooray for #4! It is still damp and chilly out there, so I am glad I am in for the rest of day.

>10 katiekrug: Thank you, Katie.

>11 jessibud2: Thanks, Shelley. Sometimes the tickers misbehave. I simply exit and go back into the link. The biggest problem I seem to have is that I’ll see an updated number then it reverts to an older number. They are much less predictable than they used to be before the company ‘improved’ them.

>13 richardderus: Ooh. Beautimous. Thank’ee kindly for sharing, RD.

>14 drneutron: Thank you, Jim.

>15 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe. We’re on the same wave length these days, aren’t we?

>16 msf59: Thanks, Mark. Yes. Lots of chatter here and all over our glorious group. Enjoy your time indoors with books, beer, and all other good things.

Happy fourth thread, Karen!

>1 karenmarie: There will always be good, bad and ugly, but I am glad that there is a little more good at present.
Fearing what our national election tomorrow will bring...

Happy new thread!

Happy new thread, Karen.

>8 karenmarie: Yes, it's still funny.

What!!? No Nudibranchs in here?

I can't figure out how you get any reading of books done when there's such a rapidly-filling thread to keep an eye on, not to mention answering all us layabouts!

And yeah, >8 karenmarie: is always good for a grin, hey?

Happy new thread, Karen.

>13 richardderus: looks comfy!

Happy New one, dear Karen!

I'm up too late again, so I'm going..........

Morning, Karen. Happy Wednesday. Heading out shortly with my birder buddies. I did get a pair of FOY, pileated woodpeckers yesterday. One of my favorite birds.

>24 msf59: ooh, I'm jealous Mark. Pileated woodpeckers are gorgeous, but so hard to find. I would settle for the equally wonderful Northern Flicker; I love those birds.

----
Hi Karen! I thought of you the other day. A friend of mine in upstate NY went to a library book sale for the first time since the pandemic. This particular library issued numbers to patrons (like at a deli counter) and when the sale began they admitted small groups by calling numbers. Members of the Friends were given their own sale day before the general sale. I thought it was an interesting way to restart an important part of the library's fundraising.

I'm glad your library system is beginning to recover from the cyber attack (I guess this was mentioned on your previous thread, oops). I didn't realize they were keeping paper records in the interim, but I guess that's the only alternative isn't it? It sounds much worse and more complex than I imagined.

>18 FAMeulstee: Thank you, Anita. I tried to figure out what was going on in your national election tomorrow, but frankly couldn’t get much past how many parties there are.

>19 quondame: Thanks, Susan! I just got my copy of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue because of your 4.5 star review.

>20 BLBera: Thank you, Beth.

>21 SandyAMcPherson: Hi Sandy. I’m actually behind in number of books read so far this year at 22, and 2 of those were only 57 and 59 pages each. Last year by this time I'd finished 29 books.

Ah, nudibranches. Aren't they gorgeous?



>22 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul.

>23 LizzieD: Thanks, Peggy. I hope you got some good sleep last night!

>24 msf59: ‘Morning, Mark. Enjoy your birding adventure. I’m envious of your seeing the Pileated Woodpeckers. They are so prehistoric looking. I know we have them around here, but have only seen one flying across our pasture a long time ago.

>25 lauralkeet: Hi Laura. Ah, a book sale. One of those things that seemed cast in stone yet so vulnerable to unpredictable forces, as it turns out. I like the idea of admitting small groups by calling numbers. I’m going to make a note of that for what will be a May meeting of the book sale team to discuss a 2021 book sale, always assuming the Library will reopen sometime this year.

Our fundraising took a huge hit with 3 cancelled book sales, with lost revenue of $55-60K. However, we had two donation letters, one in September 2020 and one last month, which combined, raised $32K. Not the same by any means, but definitely more money than we were expecting.

I knew they were keeping paper records, but didn’t realize it extended to 125 pages. I don’t know how many entries that is, but I admire our Library staff for updating those records AND conducting a 4-walls inventory.

They still don’t have computers available to all the staff, and will have to figure out how to capacity-manage access once the Library reopens.

…
Coffee. Reading. A bit of housework. I bought some saffron on a whim. I plan on making saffron risotto in the Instant Pot for a start, maybe today.

We’re expecting dangerous weather tomorrow, a Level 4 thread on a scale of 1-5.

National Weather Service: Numerous strong to severe thunderstorms are expected Thursday, mainly from late morning through the afternoon. The greatest threat will be south and east of the Triad, with the highest risk over the eastern Sandhills and the central and southern Coastal Plain, mainly south and east of Raleigh. Highly damaging straight-line winds, large hail, and a few significant tornadoes are all possible.

Local TV station WTVD: The damaging wind probability is at the highest risk level possible. There is a nearly 45 percent chance that damaging straight line wind will happen somewhere in central North Carolina. That means wind gust anywhere from 70-90 miles per hour. The tornado threat is less likely but still possible. The threat level is moderate, which translates to a 15 percent chance that an EF2-EF5 tornado could happen. Localized flooding and hail are also possible with the system.

I’m glad Bill works from home on Thursdays. To complicate matters, he’s got his second vaccine dose tomorrow morning, but they’re saying the potentially dangerous weather will be in the afternoon/evening.

>26 karenmarie: It makes me happy to see that the library book sale tip might be useful. Isn't LT fab? On the topic of figuring out "how to capacity-manage access once the Library reopens," I wonder if a similar "take a number" idea could apply. Or maybe some sort of timed entry system or appointment scheduling.

I sincerely hope the weather event isn't as bad as current predictions.

After I posted above, I created a Word document with several ideas, including yours. And I've just added to it. 😀

>26 karenmarie: Love the sea creature images. They're so fantastical when you see them IRL!

Nice score of saffron. I love its effect in rice dishes.
Hope the tornado season isn't really starting. But who knows with all the climate changes becoming so evident now.

>22 PaulCranswick: It does, doesn't it?

>26 karenmarie: YIKES

Well, get there and get back fast is the best advice for Bill! And y'all test-fire the generator because at anything like 70mph you're gonna be without power.

I had no IDEA the booksale was so lucrative! Of course I suspect 60% of it is you scarfing the crême de la crême....

Pretty nudies!

>27 lauralkeet: , >28 karenmarie: If you might find it helpful, here's what our PL's have done:

Our librarians set up tables in the foyer area (all our libraries have double entrance doors because of the climate...). There's a foot-operated hand-sanitizing stand to use before proceeding. You can't approach the entry until directed to do so. No mask, no entry.

Then the patrons are counted in and the limit depends on provincially-mandated numbers based on floor area. If you are simply there to pick up hold requests, the librarians will do so and check it out for you. There's a separate (socially-distanced, limited line up).

This may sound too strictly-controlled, but it works very smoothly. I have stopped browsing (myself, but others enjoy that), so I'm usually in and out in less than 5 minutes.

Maybe this will give you some ideas. I haven't been to the downtown branch, which has two floors of stacks, because I'm closer to a smaller branch in a suburban centre. So no idea how that main branch is operating.

>29 SandyAMcPherson: We’re not in what’s called Tornado Alley. Also, I didn’t realize this, from Wikipedia: Canada gets the second most tornadoes in the world, after the United States. The average number of tornadoes per equal area of land is highest in the southern parts of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario. According to one article I just looked at, we get an average of 19 tornadoes a year with 2 fatalities.



However, North Carolina is usually more seriously impacted by the Atlantic Hurricane Season, originally defined as June 15 through October 31. Over the years, the beginning date was shifted back to June 1, while the end date was shifted to November 15, before settling at November 30 by 1965. Now there’s noise about having the season officially start May 15.

>30 richardderus: Yikes indeed, RD, but Bill’s nothing if not cautious. If the storms start earlier, he will simply not go and figure out dose #2 later. Excellent idea about the generator.

We do scarf the crême de la crême, and either up-price them or send them off to an antiquarian book dealer we use in New York. Those finds are few and far between. But we always offer 17,000 – 18,000 items (books, audiobooks, CDs, DVDs, sheet music, etc.) every 6 months. And that’s after sorting and rejecting items for problems with condition and quickly-dated fields (think health and business). We also reject the small mass-market paperbacks, giving the local second-hand store the option of paying us $.25/each and donating the rest to the local thrift shops. We’ve currently got about 17,000 items that were primed and ready to go for the March 2020 book sale, unavailable to us because the Library's closed. We had just gotten ready to stop accepting donations for that sale.

Glad you like the nudies.

>31 SandyAMcPherson: Thank you, Sandy. I’ve cut and pasted your comments into my newly-created Word document for use at our May meeting.

>28 karenmarie: That's great, Karen!
>31 SandyAMcPherson: That seems quite sensible, and not too strictly-controlled at all.

I'm looking forward to checking out the library system in our new community, as a patron of course and then possibly as a volunteer once they are fully reopened.

Hi Karen my dear, happy new thread dear friend.

Hi Karen! I've skimmed through your last thread and landed here, huffing and puffing. I hope the weather doesn't affect you - the wind speeds sound dreadful. Stay safe.

>26 karenmarie: There were 37 parties, Karen, and it looks like 17 wil be in parliament for the next 4 years.
Tomorrow we will know for sure.

>36 FAMeulstee: Don't ask us, what they all want or stand for. We needed a course in the art of unfolding and folding the election ballot.

>37 EllaTim: I thought the English Wikipedia did rather well: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_Dutch_general_election#Participating_parties

My vote was rather on the left side of the ballot, #2 of list 6, not much unfolding/folding needed ;-)

>38 FAMeulstee: Oh, I am going to look through that! I have been following the main choices, but not all of them. Yours was a good choice in my opinion, and she will be there for the next four years! Full trust in her.

Happy new thread, Karen! Your The Good, the Bad and the Ugly made me smile.

>33 lauralkeet: I love spreadsheets and word documents. Minor geekdom.

>34 johnsimpson: Hi John, and thank you.

>35 ffortsa: Hi Judy. Glad you stayed the course. They’re really talking up the potential weather threats. We’ll hunker down and ride it out. I hope there’s no damage to our house. Power loss would be irritating but not fatal, and our generator should carry us forward. Bill ‘tested’ it 3 weeks ago when we lost power for a while.

>36 FAMeulstee: - >39 EllaTim: I hope the new governing coalition does great things for the Netherlands.

>39 EllaTim: Thanks, Ella. Sometimes I like wallowing in detail, but occasionally I try to take a step back and up.

…
Bill and I just finished watching the excellent series Major Crimes. What an amazing last season.

I also finished another book today, The Skeleton Road by Val McDermid, 3rd in the Karen Pirie series. I’ll comment on it in my March Lightning Round.

I’m going to be totally self-indulgent and start a book that literally came in the house tonight – The Thursday Murder Club, recommended by my friend Rhoda and several people here on LT.

And we’ll see about tomorrow’s weather. We’ll most likely keep the kitties in all day, which won’t be much fun at all for any of us, but better safe than sorry.

Horned Grebe (NMP)

Morning, Karen. Sweet Thursday. We have a very nice walk yesterday but it was another breezy, chilly day. The highlight, (there were also a couple of others) was a FOY, Horned Grebe. We had to view it through a scope, so a photo was out of the question. A wet one here today, so I am staying in with the books.

>25 lauralkeet: I am a fan of Northern Flickers too, Laura and we have one show up in our yard now and then. They have not returned yet in full force. The pileated are much more elusive.

Hi Mark, and happy Thursday to you. The red eyes are definitely an arresting sight. According to allaboutbirds.org, I'm at the border of non-breeding/migration and you're in the migration path.

Our nasty weather has been downgraded to a level 3 risk and the nastiness all depends on how warm it gets and where/when the warm air collides with the cool air. Jenna's still under a level 4 risk in Wilmington.

Hi Karen -- hope your weather settles down and the you and the kitties have a snug day together :)

Good early afternoon, Karen. Yep. We are in the danger zone with the weather. The DH and I just had what was likely our only walk of the day before the monster line blows through. Good luck to us! I should make my soup right now, and I had intended to do Italian next. Oh well.

I meant to say that losing Margaret Maron has made me take up Bootlegger's Daughter. It's been so long since a reread that I had forgotten many details. I still think it's worthy of its Edgar and hope you enjoy it when you get to it (again?)

>44 RebaRelishesReading: Hi Reba. No weather so far, but I'm not complaining. Zoe went through a bit of distress first thing when she realized I wasn't going to open the kitty door, but she's settled in the living room Bill and Wash.

>45 LizzieD: Let's hope neither of us gets much weather, Peggy.

I haven't read Bootlegger's Daughter before, and I'm looking forward to it.

Cape Fear Community College in Wilmington is shutting the tutoring lab down an hour early today, so Jenna will call at 4 instead of at 5.

I've filled the bird feeders, gotten the dishwasher going, and am reading. None of which relates to potential bad weather at all, but I'm proud I've gotten at least a few things done today so far. *smile*

>46 karenmarie: So Bill's all vaccinated? Great about not being all weathered out, though. No need to use the generator. Read hearty!

*smooch*

Yup. Bill's gotten two doses of the Pfizer. Two more weeks for complete peace of mind, even if it still includes masks and social distancing.

Still no weather. In fact, some blue skies, but there's a line heading our way.

Hi Karen my dear, we get our first vaccine shot on Sunday and then the second on the 8th of June.

Felix is showing Karen a bit more love until i appear and then he is back with me for ear skritches. We are both well although my hands are still giving me problems and i will have to see the doctor about them.

Sending love and hugs to you all dear friend.

>48 karenmarie: I hope the bad weather stays away from your place, Karen.

Hope the worst of the weather (which even made our news tonight) stays away from you and from Jenna.

>49 johnsimpson: I'm glad to hear that you're scheduled for your vaccines, John. I'm really sorry about your hands giving you problems. I hope the doctor can figure out what's wrong and fix it.

Sending love and hugs to you and Karen.

>50 FAMeulstee: The weather was, thankfully, a no-show here. There were some tornado warnings and severe thunderstorms in other parts of the state, but nothing here. I'm grateful. It was looking quite dire yesterday.

>51 jessibud2: Wow, our weather made your news. Amazing. I haven't spoken with Jenna this evening, but it looks like she might have gotten some rain but nothing worse than that.

Happy newish thread, Karen. I enjoyed The Thursday Murder Club. Hope you do too.

Thank you, Meg. I just got a chuckle out of DC De Freitas chiding DI Hudson about not ironing his shirts. I'm enjoying Joyce's diary entries and am intrigued with what Elizabeth did before retiring. All in all a good read so far.

...
For some reason I woke up at 4 and just couldn't get back to sleep. Perhaps it was 3 kitties on the bed making me fight for proper room to stretch out. Anyway, I've made some coffee and had a piece of bread with peanut butter.

The joy of being retired is that I can either stay up and take a nap later or go back to bed for a while if my eyelids droop.

Later today, after chatting with my aunt, I'll be taking our tax documents to our accountant, about 30 miles away. I'm definitely going to get some fast food and perhaps stop at a used book store in town. Depending on if there's a line, I might also stop in at the best indie donut shop ever. Living the high life, that's me.

>1 karenmarie: I loved reading about your annual routine with the Lett’s Week to View Desk Diary, the things that you transfer from diary to diary. I do similar (the 'who to return to if lost' part, and the drs numbers, numberplate details, blood type etc. I have been using the same brand (moleskin) diary every year for 15 years now! It is quite the ritual, the transferral of material for the new year :)

'Real' desk diaries are so satisfying, aren't they? I've been using Lett's for 29 years now, after trying a variety of different kinds since 1985.

Morning, Karen. Happy Friday. Trouble sleeping? I see you were up pretty early. I spent the rainy day yesterday, taking care of a few things around here and cuddled up with my books. We have a sunny warm-up that starts today, (60s on Sunday) so I am meeting a birding buddy in a little while and see if we could drum up another FOY.

Hi Mark, and happy Friday to you, too. enjoy your birding and good luck with FOYs.

I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep and once I thought about coffee, it was all over. *smile*

Bill's home today with reaction to his 2nd Pfizer vaccine shot - he's a bit achy, has a headache, is whupped, and his arm is sore. Yesterday his lips were tingly for a while, but he hasn't complained about that today. My symptoms lasted about 6 hours starting 24 hours after my second dose. We'll see how he does as the day progresses. One of my friends and her son-in-law were prostrate for 2 days after second doses of the Moderna vaccine. I don't think this will affect Bill that long, but at least it's Friday and if he does have a longer reaction it'll be over the weekend.

Happy Friday, Karen.

Sorry to hear Bill had a strong reaction to his second shot. So did Debbi. It apparently happens with the second one - with two days like your friend and her SIL being the longest I've heard about. It's worth it, right? What a weight of worry off our shoulders.

Glad the bad weather missed you. Hope Bill feels better soon and wishing you Happy Friday! Enjoy your fast food and the bookstore. Ooh and maybe a donut!

Tingly lips? Never good. I'm glad that's stopped and hasn't recurred. I send no-more-tears-formula whammys to Bill.

I always used the spiral-bound day-by-day calendars with the built-in address book. I believe the brand was At-A-Glance...? They were perfectly sized for me...fit in my messenger bag, didn't take up undue room on my desk...so I just kept using them until 2005. Then I didn't need a calendar anymore, because I lost my job!

Super-dee-dooper Friday wishes.

Sorry to hear Bill was feeling poorly after the second dose. I hope he is better now and you all have a happy weekend.

>60 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe! I remember reading about Debbi’s reaction. Bill’s still puny. Totally worth it.

>61 Berly: Yes, Kim we’re grateful. The fast food was heavenly – one crunchy taco and one bean burrito/no onions. Tons of hot sauce. First time in over a year. I didn’t go to the bookstore, but did stop and get donuts. Haven’t eaten one yet, having just eaten my late lunch.

>62 richardderus: Hiya, RD. I think my symptoms were worse, frankly, but they ended quickly. Bill’s arm hurts and he’s exhausted.

I remember At-A-Glance. I didn’t mind taking my desk calendar to work. I always carried a canvas book bag, with my calendar, at least one book, a thermos of coffee, wallet, and etc. Now it just sits either on the desk or, when I’m being organized, on one of the bookshelves.

Has it been that long? So you were already not working when I met you in 2007 or 2008?

>63 connie53: Thanks, Connie. I’m sure he’ll be better tomorrow.

>56 karenmarie: I love this pic. I have swapped sizes now and again over the 15 years of getting the Moleskin diary, so my photo would be not nearly as neat as yours :)

>64 karenmarie: Oh no, I was still working. I wasn't working in a profession, but as a phone monkey for different places...a pizza chain, a medical paging service. The last professional job was TGSLC. I collected student loans...shame on me.

>65 LovingLit: Thanks, Megan. I was given my first Lett's Diary when I worked for a British company, GKN, here in North Carolina. They gave us the maroon ones. After I left GKN, I loved the diaries so much I started buying them on my own. I switched to black in 1999.

>66 richardderus: Ah. Understood.

Morning, Karen. Happy Saturday. I hope Bill is feeling better today. We had a nice bird hike yesterday, despite the early chill. No FOYS or photos but a nice walk in the woods. Oh yeah, we did see 4 titmouse. I sure hope they are expanding into our area. I love seeing these guys. No birding plans set for today...yet.

'Morning, Mark. Happy Saturday. Bill is feeling better today, in fact 100% recovered from his 2nd shot side effects. I hope you have a wonderful day even if you don't go birding.

Bill didn't even watch Carolina in March Madness yesterday. They lost, first time ever in the first round under Roy Williams.

Wait...why is there March Madness during the plague? Isn't that, well, a little careless?

Anyhow, read well this Saturday. *smooch*

It's hugely careless, as was the entire college season, IMO. It's very sad about the timing for the kids coming into college-sports age during the pandemic, but it is apparent that money overrides safety.

And now, having spent a few minutes figuring out a better word than t****s, I'm happy. It is sad that a word I used to love is associated with such a vile and evil person. Every time I think of using it, I get all queasy and icky-feeling and refuse to.

I'm thoroughly enjoying The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman and am more than halfway through. Several laugh out loud moments, and I'm terribly curious about some of the characters - both things inclined to keep me reading.

Hope you have a great weekend!

>71 karenmarie: I have the same problem. I tried to bid "two no t****" at bridge and actually gagged. Maybe I can use "override" there, too...?

>72 ChelleBearss: Thanks, Chelle!

Take out two days in a row. Yesterday was my first Taco Bell in over a year and today bill brought me home a meat and cheese stromboli with marinara sauce. I ate half of it and it was yummy.

I just updated location tags for 22 books, always satisfying. One of those books had been tagged MIA, so it was particularly satisfying to realize I'd put it upstairs in a place I knew I'd find it and tag it.

>73 richardderus: I haven't played bridge in so long that I never had the association with the evil git that bridge players may now be experiencing. There may be other words that work better for bridge. And treat those individual hands with respect instead of as a negative. What about two free-for-alls? Two BCs (biggest cards)? You get the idea...

Latish Happy New Thread!

I love your meme in #1 that you put in your desk diary. Sometimes the lack of caring and empathy in the US right now seems overwhelming.

I'll start the Dick Francis next. I found the thread - but your link in #1 is not working.

Thanks for mentioning Major Crimes. I'll certainly give it a try. There is NOTHING on television right now and a new series to watch sounds perfect.

Hi Janet! Link fixed, and proper syntax added to the Word document started for my fifth thread. Thanks.

I hope you like Major Crimes, and I hope Bob's doing well. I told Karen about Bob and, being a kitty person herself, was pleased that you adopted him. I think her girl kitty Deene is about up to Bob's fighting weight. I call Deene the kitty area rug...

Hi Karen my dear, i am glad that Bill is feeling much better after his vaccine shot, we have our first one tomorrow and Karen is off all next week. She planned the vaccine to coincide with her week off so that if she was feeling a bit icky she wouldn't have to go into work on Monday.

We have got Hot Cross Buns to comfort us if we are both under the weather on Monday, lol.

Hope that you are having a good start to the weekend my dear, over here it began lovely with the sun out and quite warm but just after noon it dulled over and has got quite cool and windy since.

Sending love and hugs to you,Bill and Jenna and give Zoe, Wash and Inara kitty skritches from both of us dear friend.

Morning, Karen. Happy Sunday. Getting ready to shove off early to attend a guided bird walk. This will be a waterfowl excursion. Waterfowl will be leaving our area soon, as they finish their migration north so this will be one of the final chances to see them before they go. I have my scope all ready too. Looks it will be a beautiful day.

>77 johnsimpson: Hi John. Thank you. Yes, Bill's fully recovered. I hope your jabs, as you guys call them, go well and that Karen's vacation time is spent in fun things and not recovering from the shot. Or jab. *smile*

So far so good on the weekend. It's about half blue skies and half clouds, coolish at about 45F. Lots of birds are visiting the feeders and I'm particularly happy to see Downy and Red-Bellied Woodpeckers enjoying the new suet cake - Cherry Crunch.

Love and hugs to you and Karen, kitty skritches to Felix.

>78 msf59: 'Morning, Mark, and happy Sunday to you. Yay for the waterfowl expedition and having your scope all ready to go. I heard a woodpecker drumming somewhere in the woods when I first woke up, and just heard a GHO.

...
As usual, no plans for today. Coffee and my 2nd doughnut from the Friday taxes-PO-Taco Bell-doughnut extravaganza. This one was a glazed chocolate cake doughnut. One was good but not nearly enough. I'm glad I live 30 miles from the doughnut shop. I live 8 miles from a small bakery in our town, but their doughnuts are about half as big for twice as much money. I'm cheap.

I've started reading a BB from @SandyMcPherson, Cumin, Camels, and Caravans, by Gary Paul Nabhan.

I was immediately captivated by these sentences from the Introduction:

When, where, how, and through whose hands did the process of globalization begin? What have we gained and what have we lost by entering into this Faustian bargain? And finally, how has globalization irrevocably changed the human condition? How has that thirteen-letter word come to be perhaps the most pervasive expression of the current cultural tendency to trade a place-based existence for one that is essentially placeless?

And then the author goes on to provide a bit of commentary on an essay by Charles C. Mann, "The Dawn of the Homogenocene". Here's a link to it, for anybody interested: The Dawn of the Homogenocene

I'm a happy camper right now. Food for thought. And, although I may or may not ever make any of them, there are recipes in the book!

Morning, Karen. Saw a lot of different birds yesterday but only 2 FOY sightings, including this Great Egret (NMP), that was flying across the marsh. They summer here, so I will see them regularly. More details on my thread. I will be doing a solo jaunt today.

'Morning to you, too, Mark! Beautiful bird. Congrats on 2 FOYs. Enjoy your solo jaunt.

...
Coffee, reading, etc. I'm going to go to my original chiropractor today because, frankly, 3 adjustments have not done as good a job as I would have expected them to. Food shopping, and general laziness otherwise.

>82 karenmarie: Here's to hoping the next adjustment will turn the trick.

*smooch*

>80 karenmarie: That sounds interesting Karen! Food for thought indeed.

>82 karenmarie: Good luck, I hope your chiropractor will find the right adjustment.

>83 richardderus: Hiya, RD. I feel much better right now after the adjustment - we'll see how the night goes since that's usually when my hip hurts the worst. *smooch*

>84 EllaTim: I've never heard the phrase 'place-based existence' before and I can see what keeps getting lost with globalization.

Keeping my fingers crossed that going back to Dr. Sherwood will be a good choice. Thanks, Ella.

Morning, Karen. As I type these words, a red-bellied woodpecker is drilling away on the cap of our chimney. This has become a morning routine. It is territorial. I am waiting for Sue to yell down at me, "Shut your bird up!" She has a late start on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Rain in the forecast for later today, so I think I am going to hang at home. Watch the feeders and read the books.

'Morning to you, too, Mark! As soon as I say this I'll jinx it, but we've never had a woodpecker drill on our house. "Shut your bird up!" Go Sue.

Watching the feeders and reading are two of my favorite things to do, so I approve. *smile* I hope your day is a good one.

How did the night go post-adjustment?

It's dank here today. I've finished a disappointing read, Clean: The New Science of Skin and the Beauty of Doing Less...it wasn't what I was expecting based on the subtitle but it was a good book packed with good information that wasn't properly glued together. So I was disappointed.

But the world still turns.

It went really well, thanks for asking. Only a twinge here and there and not enough pain to wake me up. Feel pretty good right now, too.

Boo, hiss to dank. Interesting concept, sorry the book disapppointed. Dare I say that I don't shower nearly as often as I did when I worked? Other not-as-often-as-I-used-to hygiene stuff too, without delving into the details? However, I still floss, brush, and use a special brush with Listerine to brush my 4mm pocket every day.

The world still turns. I'm planning on making See's Chocolate Chip cookies this afternoon.

I'm planning on making See's Chocolate Chip cookies this afternoon.

I'm a-comin' I'm a-comin'

Dank, thank grank, sank. I am sunshine'd within an inch of my life now!

I don't shower but every patch-change day. Otherwise the patch falls off and *whoosh* down the drain it goes. Covered by tape, the active ingredient...sensitive to body heat...melts. So, every third day it is, and a PTA otherwise.

*smooch*

I'm down to one shower a day, but if I don't take at least one I just feel icky. Cat TV continues to be a thing in chez moi And I know that Parker has bested the other neighborhood black cat when he tears through the house like his tail is on fire. Cat TV airs between 5:00 and 6:00 a.m., at least an hour before I get up, but when a new episode premieres I do know about it. Sometimes, just to be sure, Parker will jump up on the bed and purposely jump directly on my diaphragm like a 12 lb furry hammer.

Today is one of those days where I can barely keep my eyes open. It's cloudy, and rain always makes me tired, so that may be it.

I had to put aside The Only Good Indians, I just could not take the internal ruminations. After about 30 pages I thought it was as boring as reading about dreams. So now I've picked up a Nero Wolf, I know that will be good.

The local junior league has started a book drive to benefit the city jail, I guess no more kids need to go to summer camp. They especially ask for spiritual or self-help books. I'm taking a bunch of Stephen King and Donald Westlake. I know that's what I'd want to read if I were in jail.

>91 richardderus: The cookies are rich, flavorful, and tasty. I followed the recipe on the bag exactly, even browning some of the butter, cooling it down in the freezer, and then mashing it with the dark brown sugar I had to buy rather than the light brown sugar that's always in the house. The chips are about 3 times larger than the ones from the grocery store. I even used a scoop to try for that elusive uniformity...



...
edited to add, 'cuz you snuck in on me while I was pondering.

>92 SomeGuyInVirginia: Hiya, Larry! Down to one shower a day. Hmm. Our ick factors are different, I suppose. *smile*

Bless his little heart. Parker seems to have switched to Daylight Savings Time whereas you’re on Standard. Wash is a monster at 11.4 lbs, so a 12-lb Parker is rather amazing to me.

Rain is always good for a nap, IMO. Plus, you’re still coming off the selling and moving high and it’s understandable.

Nero Wolfe is always a good choice, IMO. Next up on my list is book 31 of 48, Champagne for One. Probably early April. Which one did you pick up?

I’d give fun books too, not the ‘should’ books. Yay for you.

Finally making the rounds and love hearing all the bird watching talk. Our woodpeckers are back in full force. The most exciting winter was siting was three pileated woodpeckers working their way along the edge of the field. And, I was able to finally visit my parents in Pennsylvania. The snow geese were mostly gone from the refuge but there were ring-necked ducks and mergansers to entertain us.

Hope you are doing better and enjoying your cookies!

Hi Karen my dear, we had our first dose of the Oxford Astra-Zeneca vaccine on Sunday afternoon and we were fine but yesterday morning i was the one who was bad. All my joints ached doubly and i could have chopped my hands off, Karen was fine but later in the day things changed. By six pm i was not too bad but Karen felt awful and ended up going to bed.

This morning i was fine, so much so that i did a run to the recycling centre with six bags of rubble and then went off to Dewsbury to visit the WH Smith stationary store as it is closing down, sadly the pens had gone but i got six packs of Lamy ink cartridges for the price of one and a quarter packs. By the time i got home Karen was still under the weather, she still feels hot and then cold, bless her.

Hope that you and Bill are doing fine and also Jenna and the kitties, have a good rest of the week. Sending love and hugs to you, Bill, Jenna and kitty skritches to Zoe, Wash and Inara from both of us dear friend.

Morning, Karen!

>93 karenmarie: Those cookies look amazing!

Morning, Karen. Happy Wednesday. I did get out for a short jaunt yesterday, while I was doing a library run. Not many birds. More heard than seen. One highlight, was a man walking a dog off leash in the woods. It scared up a fox and was pursuing it. The fox was probably bigger than the dog. This may be the first time I have seen a fox on one of my rambles, but I sure wish folks would keep their dogs leashed.

On the feeder front, I had a female red-winged blackbird. She was feasting away. Red-wings do not visit my feeders very often. They seem to prefer more wide open spaces. How about you?

>93 karenmarie: These look great! Yes, please!

>94 witchyrichy: Hi Karen! Thanks for visiting. Mark is the inspiration for the bird watching talk, for sure. I mostly sit in a room where all I have to do is look up and to the right a bit to see sunflower, wild bird seed, and suet feeders and it’s rarely quiet out there. I’m envious of your three Pileated Woodpeckers, it must have been marvelous to watch them. Yay for visiting your parents in PA.

My back is doing much better. I’m very glad I’ve gone back to my first chiropractor.

>95 johnsimpson: Hi John. Sorry you both had aches and pains from your first dose, and I do hope they’re gone now. I just looked it up online, and it appears that it’s 12 weeks between doses for the Astra-Zeneca. I'm glad you got some special ink cartridges, even if you missed out on pens.

We’re all fine out here. Jenna got her stimulus check ($1400) and is breathing easier again, so to speak. She’s trying to not hit up her assets, hard with just a part time job, but she’s as cheap as they come. We occasionally throw some money at her and I just gave her a set of 10-lb weights for her exercise routine. *smile*

>96 scaifea: Hi Amber! They’re pretty yummy and taste even better after a couple of hours. Of course the big taste tests will be to use those chips in my usual chocolate chip cookie recipe and use my usual chocolate chips in the See’s chocolate chip cookie recipe. Fun times ahead, although with 24 cookies it’s going to be a while before we need cookies, even with me planning on giving a few to Louise when I see her this week.

One of our neighbors doesn’t leash their dogs and the dogs wander down to Louise’s. Louise doesn’t leash her dogs either, but except for the occasional ramble onto my property, they stay on hers. Her dogs are smaller than a fox, too.

I had Doberman Pinschers one time in my life, in the 1980s, when I was living with a boyfriend. Mark kept the dogs when we broke up since I moved into an apartment and he stayed in the house until we sold it. They were always leashed when we walked them.

I’ve seen one Red-Wing Blackbird here this year. They’re rare at my feeders too. Right now I’ve got a female Cardinal, a Carolina Chickadee, a Bluejay, and many finches. More negatives than positives right now – no drumming and no hooting.

I make desserts infrequently these days because it’s only Bill and me. Last one was for his birthday a month ago, before that was Christmas.

…
Coffee. I’ve finished Bootlegger’s Daughter and will post in my March Lightning Round. A wonderful book and I’m probably going to get the second, Southern Discomfort from the Library tomorrow. It’s at a different branch than the one I usually go to, which will allow me to also visit the thrift shop in that town and - what else? - look for books.

I’ve started Our Tragic Universe by Scarlett Thomas, but am only on page 8 so we’ll see if it grabs me. The cover is gorgeous, the edges a beautiful smoky gray, the book a physical pleasure to read. Anybody read anything by Scarlett Thomas?

>98 karenmarie: I've read The End of Mr. Y. ~meh~

*smooch*

>93 karenmarie: Send cookies! I promise to give them a good home! I'm slowly uncovering my kitchen stuff, so I should actually be cooking again pretty soon.

I take at least a shower a day because I'm a germaphobe. I've tried going to bed without taking a shower but it bothers me to the point where it keeps me from falling asleep, so it's easier to just stand under the water and lather up.

I'm reading The League of Frightened Men. (Have touchedstones stopped working for some? I haven't been able to get them to work for several days now). As you know, it's an early Wolf and the premise is way cool.

Hi, Karen! Glad that the back is giving you some time of not thinking about it!

I was blown away by The End of Mr Y when it first came out, and I wonder whether I'd be that excited about it now. I see that I gave *Universe* four stars, but I remember not one thing about the book but the cover - not a good sign. I confess to being a sucker for even moderately successful experimental writing. On the other hand, I'm still being happy that you're pleased with M. Maron. I pulled *S.Discomfort* this morning and will look forward to it when I can get those lambs to stop screaming. (oh horror)

>99 richardderus: But you have to admit that it has a gorgeous cover. *smooch*

>100 SomeGuyInVirginia: Setting up a kitchen is one of the most gratifying things about moving, at least to me. The closest I have come lately is moving all my flat baking pans and cookie sheets to a drawer under the wall oven. Of course now the stuff that was in that drawer is out on the breakfast table. I wonder how it will be there before I get motivated to move it?

If I can find the right-sized box, I may just send you some cookies as an early-house warming gift.

Book 2, 1935. A very good Wolfe, as I recall.

>101 LizzieD: Hi Peggy. Yes, not thinking about my back is a joy.

I’ve read 53 pages of Our Tragic Universe and it’s intriguing enough to continue, so far. Of course, I may bail with the temptations of the second Deborah Knott – Southern Discomfort – which I’m picking up at the Siler City Library at 1:30 today, along with the first two of the currently-three book 42nd Street Library Mysteries series by Con Lehane. And, the PTA Thrift Shop is on the way home…

Finally, while internet dumpster diving to check out Con Lehane, I discovered that there’s a new book by Harlan Coben, starring Windsor Horne Lockwood III, Myron Bolitar’s friend. It will arrive on Friday.

>102 karenmarie: It is indeed a gorgeous cover. Too bad about the book....

>98 karenmarie: 24 cookies last you more than half a day?! Oh, to have that kind of willpower.

^I think you missed me up there yesterday. Sad face.

Morning, Karen. Sweet Thursday. I have an owl report from yesterday, over on m thread. I am heading out for a solo jaunt, (my birding buddies are out of town but will be back today). Rain moves in later.

>103 richardderus: I've got several books that I love just for the covers, including two by Eggers - A Hologram for the King and The Monk of Mokha. I also have a passion for slipcased books, although I only have 21.

>104 scaifea: No kidlet at home and a bit of willpower, Amber. I only had 2 yesterday, haven't had any yet this morning although they go well with coffee, according to Bill.

...
The fog's lifting - with coffee and outside. Still overcast, I don't usually consider that a bad thing.

I am in awe of your succinct writing. You wrote about covid and how it impacted your personal life and the country set back by all the craziness of 2020. And, then you wove in the craziness of a non leader - Donald Trump and how his craziness still goes on with his mighty group who wait for his orders.

You wrote what I also feel. Everything is out of control. Our long-term relationships, and our families are uprooted. Many note that they haven't seen their children since 2019.

I enjoy reading your posts and the way in which you express things.

Thank You!

>105 msf59: Hi Mark. I almost missed you today, in the timing of messages and replies, but here I am! Happy Thursday to you.

I actually did reply to some of what you wrote, but somehow left off the message number, >97 msf59:, and acknowledgement that it was you. Here's what I wrote up there, though: One of our neighbors doesn’t leash their dogs and the dogs wander down to Louise’s. Louise doesn’t leash her dogs either, but except for the occasional ramble onto my property, they stay on hers. Her dogs are smaller than a fox, too.

I had Doberman Pinschers one time in my life, in the 1980s, when I was living with a boyfriend. Mark kept the dogs when we broke up since I moved into an apartment and he stayed in the house until we sold it. They were always leashed when we walked them.

I’ve seen one Red-Wing Blackbird here this year. They’re rare at my feeders too. Right now I’ve got a female Cardinal, a Carolina Chickadee, a Bluejay, and many finches. More negatives than positives right now – no drumming and no hooting.

I saw your wonderful GHO pics and posted on your thread. Enjoy your solo birding adventure today.

Happy Thursday, dear Horrible! No huge news. Women's History Month has led me to clear a few galleys off my Kindleshelf...today's is an 1844 attempted-murder trial that had serious repercussions for women's rights.

But hey, what's a little pre-Weinstein coercive sex criminalization?

Hiya, RD! Thanks. No news is good news? Intriguing about the 1844 trial.

I'm enjoying Our Tragic Universe and Southern Discomfort, 2nd in the Deborah Knott series by Margaret Maron. The first is almost weep-out-loud, and the second is laugh-out-loud.

...
Joy of joys - I was at Louise's for a while this morning, maskless for the first time in a year and in her house for the first time in a year. While sitting there she pointed out a Pine Siskin, which although I've probably seen them dozens of times haven't recognized them as Pine Siskins. Thus, a Lifer!

>110 karenmarie: I am glad you are balancing your books reads. Phew!

And hurray for a mask-less visit!! And the Pine Siskins. LOL.

"Pine Siskin," given that you live in NC, could very easily be a person's name. "Oh, you know ol' Pine, his grandma was one of the Aberdevines" kind of thing.

Popping by to say hello. Your kitties look fat and happy. :)

Morning, Karen. Happy Friday. I loved both of your messages to me from yesterday. Glad I wasn't overlooked. Grins...I had a nice solo outing yesterday, over 2 hours. Mostly regulars seen, with only one FOY, a tiny Golden-Crowned Kinglet, which should start arriving in droves. Funny, before I took up birding, I never noticed a kinglet, probably thinking they were just some kind of minuscule sparrow, now I see them constantly, from spring to fall.

No birding plans for today, with a few errands on the dock.

Hi Karen! Happy Friday to you.

>110 karenmarie:, >114 msf59:
I never fail to learn stuff around here. Seems I might be guilty of overlooking both pine siskins and kinglets. They both look an awful lot like sparrows. I'll have to pay closer attention in the future.

>111 Berly: Hi Kim! Comedy and tragedy. I’m afraid that Our Tragic Universe isn’t going to live up to its cover. If you had this book on your shelves, wouldn’t you expect it to be practically perfect in every way?



So much fun and excitement over here. We take the little pleasures seriously.

>112 richardderus: Hiya RD! ol’ Pine Love it.

>113 nittnut: Hi Jenn, nice to see you here. They are all doing well. Wash is the big boy at 11.4 lbs, but the vet assures me he’s not fat. Compared to Janet’s new adopted feral kitty, Bob, he’s eensy. Bob weighs in at almost 17 lbs.

>114 msf59: Hi Mark! Happy Friday to you, too. You are not overlookable. Sometimes the timing’s just off…

Once you start seeing something it’s hard to ignore. Bill never paid attention to Volvos until I moved to NC with my 740GLE. Even now, 30 years later, when I don’t own a Volvo, if he sees one on the street or on TV he automatically says “Volvo!” Yay for the Golden-Crowned Kinglet.

Ah, so today is ‘just’ books and errands. Have a good’un.

>115 lauralkeet: Hi Laura! Thanks. Happy Friday to you, too.

If I had our house to build over, with an eye to making it birding friendly, I’d plan it so whatever room was my day-time room had a large picture window and a deck just outside for feeders, just like Louise has. The sun rarely hits the bird feeders here and sometimes all the little birds just become a blur of LBBs and LGBs. (little brown birds and little gray birds) Louise has been birding for 65+ years and I’m always impressed with her immediate identifications. Yesterday we also saw a male White-Throated Sparrow with the beautiful yellow lores (just learned that term), a female Purple Finch, and a Chipping Sparrow, with his bright rufous cap.

...
I won’t be running any 5K events today. (joke - I'm the most sedentary person I know) Late yesterday I had the opportunity to snag a last-minute appointment with my doctor because my right knee has started giving me fits. He said it’s either a torn meniscus or, more probable, just a worn-out knee with arthritis. He sent me across the hall for x-rays and will review them sometime in the next day or so. The thing I love about UNC Healthcare is that the online chart system just notified me that he reviewed the x-rays: Good news, the joint is not "worn out". I expect the injection will help. You have a "loose body" - probably a tiny bone fragment in the joint. If the injection doesn't help, an evaluation by orthopedics would be the next step.

He also gave me a cortisone shot, which I gladly accepted. I had one in October, when at the very end of my annual exam I mentioned my knee. Both times now I’ve had a strong reaction – what they call a cortisone flare. It’s hellish pain. Last night’s wasn’t pleasant, but today my knee is only a bit painful and I’ll be babying it.

Coffee, reading. Today’s excitement is that the Phillips’ cows got out. These folks lease land from a man who’s awful about keeping his fences mended. I would call the AG agent on them like I promised to last time except that they don’t seem to have damaged any of our fencing today. Imagine my surprise when I heard a Very Loud Moo, stood up, and saw these 4 plus 2 on the side and one in my pasture. I just got hold of the younger Phillips to let him know.

>116 karenmarie: - Wow, such a peaceful bucolic scene, lol! I had a friend who lived in Alaska and she has a photo of looking out her window one day to find a moose trying to raid her bird feeder! Now that would be something!

Hi Shelley. As long as the cows don't tear down the pasture fences and churn up the pastures, I'm okay. They got spooked when I opened the door and trotted down around the fences, and it's as if they were never here.

I'm just as happy to not see a moose, frankly. While visiting friend Karen in Montana in 1987, traffic was stopped near a swampy bit of meadow, blocking the road. There were idiots trying to get up close to take pictures. It was especially dangerous since it was a cow and calf. We got out of the car, but stayed behind it in case Mama Moose decided to charge.

During my one visit to Alaska, all I wanted to see was a moose (it was my first word as a baby and I've always had a fondness for them), but I never did :(

I'm sorry you were disappointed in Alaska. Perhaps you could plan a vacation sometime that might include visiting one of the states with moose? The closest one to you is New York. Just a thought...

>116 karenmarie: ...!!...

>118 karenmarie: ...!!!...

Large herbivores are not my idea of pleasant proximal neighbors. Papaw's dairy herd surrounded my seven-year-old self to lick me clean of salt.

I was *petrified* and, since then, have made it a point to keep at the minimum a fence between me and them. Preferably a county. Ideally a state.

The last time I was in Alaska, I saw a moose on the roadside driving from the airport to my hotel! Not to rub it in, Katie. :)

They can be very unpredictable, as are any wild animals.

>122 richardderus: I agree about large herbivores. I visited friend Karen in Montana in 1980 and was terrified when a herd of cows surrounded me - she was absolutely oblivious to my fear and bumping them and skritching them like they were dogs or cats and was surprised when I mentioned my fear to her years later.

>123 BLBera: i've never been to Alaska and envy you the visit, Beth.

...
Newest critter episode: Zoe brought in a critter this morning. It's tailless, so not a mouse. Not a vole either, to head off those suggestions. I did not realize this until Wash started bouncing around under my desk while I was talking with Jenna on the phone. The critter was trapped behind the subwoofer and Wash eventually scared it into going under my foot warmer. Needless to say, my feet were up up and away before that. I quickly grabbed a trash can, emptied it onto the floor (sigh, cleaned up later) quickly moved the foot warmer and trapped it under the trash can. Cardboard under the trash can, flip, shudder, and outside.

Way too much excitement today. I need a cookie.

>124 karenmarie: ...or a batch...

Glad the cows left without damage to your property, Karen. How annoying that the property owner doesn't keep his fences mended even though he has tenants with beasts.

"Our" deer were in the property just over the fence again this morning. I've heard people complain about having them nearby because they munch on treasured plants but I noticed that these alternated between mowing the grass and munching on leaves from a pile of branches than had been pruned off of something. Very well behaved visitors I thought :)

>119 katiekrug: Katie, you reminded me of trips to Alaska where we came to believe that the only moose there were the ones on banners along the streets. My cousin, who lived there said live ones really exist and are frequently seen but you couldn't prove it by me.

>124 karenmarie: would need a cookie AND a glass of wine after that, Karen!

>125 richardderus: How about the last two and a glug of ice-cold milk, RD? This will tide me over 'til dinner, Honey Balsamic Chicken and oven roasted potatoes. I don't want to be on my feet too long today in order to not aggravate my knee, so won't make another batch of cookies 'til next week.

>126 RebaRelishesReading: Hi Reba. Very well-behaved visitors. The deer don't come close enough to our house out here to eat precious plants.

I'll probably have a glass of wine with dinner tonight. Lately I've been enjoying Dark Horse Sauvignon Blanc.

Hi, dear Karen, saver of tiny critters and frustrater of Wash! Good for you!

Cows are not among my favorite farm animals; they rank right down there with chickens. I do remember laughing uncontrollably as a child from the safety of the front porch, when my granddaddy, chasing a cow, was suddenly changed to the chasee as they ran round and round the house until they wore themselves out.

I'm sorry about the knee. I hope the non-invasive stuff works for you although being invaded by a cortisone flare sounds pretty damned bad.

Read something good. (I've started *SDiscomfort* too.)

>124 karenmarie: Cows and cat-brought critter. What a day already!

I don’t mind cows, which is a good thing really as public footpaths in the U.K. frequently cross fields which have cows in them. Daisy finds cows pretty frightening though and keeps her distance.

She had an experience when she was younger which marked her for life. We were having a walk in South Wales not far from where my Mum lives. It was quite a rural area and we were walking down a country lane when a farmer comes herding a herd of bullocks down the road. We just stood to the side to let them past but they were young and quite frisky and obviously thought Daisy looked interesting and wanted a closer look. Daisy was so, so frightened when a couple bent down to get a closer look! She given cows a wide berth now.

I am late in wishing you a Happy new thread. I'm all caught up now.

>116 karenmarie: Ah yes, fences should really be mended on a farm. However, it is nice to have a natural alarm clock ;)

Have a great weekend.

>128 LizzieD: Hi Peggy. Wash still loves me, fortunately, and the critter is outside the Sunroom somewhere.

I’ve never been around chickens. However, I do remember my maternal grandmother telling me that as the youngest of 4 on a farm in Iowa in the 1910s she was responsible for gathering the eggs from the hen house. She said there were upwards of 100 chickens and she was terrified at having to gather the eggs. That same hen house was there when I visited in 2010. Here’s the restored farmhouse, restored with the original colors, too. The hen house is off to the left as you face the front of the house.



Thanks re my knee. It’s much better, having babied it all day. It was absolutely not pleasant.

Southern Discomfort, page 155 of 241. What a pleasure.

>129 quondame: Hi Susan. I was busy all day with critters, Friends of the Library stuff, and phone calls with my daughter, friend Karen, and sister. Chicken and potatoes for dinner, a bit of TV, now time to toddle off to bed to read a bit and sleep.

>130 SandDune: Hi Rhian. Poor Daisy, to get traumatized when young. They would look huge to a dog, wouldn’t they?

>131 figsfromthistle: Thanks, Anita. I prefer no alarm clocks. Ever. I never schedule early appointments, and I have successfully switched the Friends of the Board meetings to 10 a.m instead of 9 a.m. When we start getting younger people on the board we’ll need to switch them to the evenings, just as the PTAs work during non-Covid times, 7 p.m. But until then 10 is fine with me.

Normal, boring weekend. Bill’s still not fully protected from his second dose of Pfizer vaccine until April 1, so this will be just another in a long sequence of Covid-protection weekends. I go grocery shopping during the week and Bill takes trash to the dump and gets take out for on Saturdays. No visits with friends (Louise now excepted but she and I visit during the week) and Jenna’s not vaccinated yet so she can't come home yet.

Hi Karen, Happy Weekend. Good to hear your back is doing better!

Morning, Karen. Happy Saturday. Hooray for seeing a white-throated & chipping sparrow. The former have mostly migrated north of here but the latter should be arriving for the summer. I hope to see a chipping near the feeders this year. I did not bird yesterday and no plans for today, unless an alert comes up.

'Morning, Mark, and happy Saturday to you, too.

We have Chipping Sparrows year round, but White-Throated Sparrows should be migrating north soon.

Right now it's slim pickin's at the feeders - a female Cardinal and a Titmouse.

>132 karenmarie: Pretty! I like solid ol' basic houses.

I don't blame her for being scared. Hens are mean, mean, mean. The life of the one the flock doesn't like isn't long and is awful...they peck at her and aim for the eyes. Then one day, no signal given, they rush the poor thing and finish the job.

If roosters got as big as beagles, Humanity would cease to exist. There's a reason cockfighting is so violent.

>93 karenmarie: ooh, delicious. Uniformity can be exciting when it's homemade :)

>136 richardderus: It's a lovely old house, RD, well-made, beautifully maintained/restored. When they were doing some of the 2000s restoration work they found a photo in the walls, deliberately put there by my 2nd-great grandfather, showing work being done to build the house. When my cousin George Warren found the photo, he had copies made but put the original back in the wall so his great-grandsons would find it.

Chickens the size of beagles are scary to think of. Speaking of roosters - saw an ad on Nextdoor Neighbor for a rooster to a good home, with the specifics of its not being for the stewpot or the cockfighting pits. Unfortunately still have illegal cockfighting here although I have no idea where.

>137 LovingLit: They were pleasing to look at, Megan, and even more pleasing to eat. They're all gone now.

...
Coffee, of course, and I need to get engaged in a book. So far a new mystery, Murder at the 42nd Street Library is not holding my interest very well at 64 pages in.

Potential nasty rain, thunderstorms, isolated tornado or two today. We had the same outlook late yesterday and got about .5" of rain.

Morning, Karen. Happy Sunday. I am still deciding if I will get out for a walk this A.M. It will be cool and breezy day. We are starting to see more Tufted Titmouse in our area, which us local birders love. In the past, their range seemed to be slightly south of us. I would love to seem them at my feeders again.

ETA- Ooh, looks like your weather is much worse than ours. Good luck with that.

Hi Mark! I hope your day is excellent, regardless of whether you walk or not. I love Tufted Titmouses (Titmice?). Yesterday afternoon I saw a beautiful male Goldfinch, all decked out in spring finery. The feeders are completely quiet right now, but there's a Bluejay hanging out in the Crepe Myrtle.

>138 karenmarie: Wherever there are Mexican laborers, there is cockfighting.

It's raining here, too. Only it's putting its entire heart and soul into it. We'll end up with an inch or I miss my guest.

Cockfighting has a long, ignoble history here without Mexican laborers bringing in new blood. Much as I loathe chickens, I hate the whole fighting business even more. My idiot uncle raised bantam roosters to fight.

I didn't comment on your pine siskins, Karen. I love their PEEEEEeeee? call with the rising inflection.

Once more, may we avoid really bad weather!

>141 richardderus: See, below, Peggy's commentary about cockfighting here in NC.

>142 LizzieD: Yuck about your idiot uncle.

Pine Siskins - I like their distinctive PEEEEEeeeee too. I just didn't realize which bird made that noise before!

So far the bad weather's going south of us. 🤞

Delurking after reading / skimming over a 100 messages!
Lots going on and some fun anecdotes. I guess all the cookies are gone.
Glad the bad weather is apparently? going south of you.

We're in a weird weather system, zoomed up to 16 oC (~60 F), but we're told to expect rain showers changing to snow and blowing snow in the morning (Monday), with an accumulation of ~10 cm.
The wind is expected to gust up to 100 km at some point.

Morning, Karen. I did go on a short jaunt yesterday, before food shopping and I did score another GHO. The photo is not as clear but I will share it later. I have some running around to do this A.M. but I on making some birding stops. There are some new arrivals that I would like to add to my FOY list.

>143 karenmarie: Like RD said, when I read Pine Siskin my first thought was, 'Pine Siskin? They must be Siskins from back yonder'.

I still haven't been to the store to buy bird food. I do need to go get some kitty litter tomorrow, and I imagine the pet store will have bird food. Do you find that the birds make a huge mess? The grass is dead under one of the feeders but that could easily be squirrel activity rather than bird droppings.

Today's going to be cooler and this will be the only chance for me to light a fire for at least the next week, so today's going to be reading cheesy mysteries in the basement then day. Parker seems to enjoy the den, but he approaches the rest of the basement with extreme skepticism.

Have you read any of the Bryant & May mysteries by Christopher Fowler? I just picked up his latest, Oranges and Lemons, and it's a blast. I ordered the physical book rather than the Kindle because I no longer have to worry about books taking up physical space. It's a nice feeling.

>145 msf59: What's a FOY list, Mark? First of the Year?

BTW, here's what we're going to try and find for our chimney cap ~ to stop birds like woodpeckers and Flickers from hammering at 4 am! Do you think it will work? Our current cap is only very slightly rounded.

>146 SomeGuyInVirginia: Hi, chatting on someone else's thread here... hope you don't mind Karen?

I never heard of this series by Christopher Fowler. It sounds right up my alley, too.
Full Dark House is even available in our local PL system, yay!

>144 SandyAMcPherson: Hi Sandy! Cookies are long gone. Today’s going to be a decision about whether to stop at the bakery in Sanford after lunch out with former coworkers for doughnuts or stay strong. I hate it that I love sweets so much.

Springtime is always crazy weather. Winter fights to stay on, summer fights to come early. I hope your weather is milder than it sounds like it’s going to be.

>145 msf59: ‘Morning, Mark! Happy mumbledy-day to you. Enjoy your outdoor adventures. What’s on the springtime FOY list?

>146 SomeGuyInVirginia: Hiya Larry. Kitty litter is a pretty major requirement. I’m sure the birds will be appreciative since you’ll be out anyway. Bill and I have two Tidy Cat Breeze cat boxes and would never go back to sand again. We order the pellets and pads from Amazon and since they're regularly scheduled items save 5-15% off.

Birds can make a terrible mess, frankly. I wouldn’t mind the grass not growing under the feeders, but I’ve got feeders hanging off the front porch eaves and Chatham County red-clay stained bird prints, bird poop, and sunflower seed shells litter that end of the porch. It’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make (Bill occasionally grumbles), but doesn’t make it any more pleasant to look at when I’m filling the feeders.

Enjoy your fireplace. I’ve got the propane heater on in the Sunroom because 65F’s just a tad too chilly to hang out in all day.

I’ve read the first Bryant & May. I liked it but didn’t love it. I have the 3rd on my shelves, but need the 2nd, The Water Room. I just looked, and my county library system doesn’t have it.

I’m so glad that you’re back to having your complete library with you and not just your traveling library! Hurray for physical books!

>147 SandyAMcPherson: I don’t mind chatting here at all, Sandy. Sorry you have 4 a.m. wake up calls from the birds.

…
Coffee, birthday card prep – one for the mail to send my Uncle for his 80th birthday on Thursday, and one for friend/former coworker Michelle that I will deliver in person.

I’m going out to have an indoor meal with my former co-workers today. Two of us are fully vaccinated, one of us has had her first shot, and I don’t know about the 4th’s vaccination status. At this point I’ll do the mask thing in and out and as much as my coworkers want/need in the restaurant. Then grocery shopping on the way home. Bill's going to be 2+2 on Thursday - 2nd dose and 2 weeks after it - and we may go out to a restaurant on Saturday.

He’s home today – only got 2 ½ hours of sleep last night. I never worked at a job where my boss literally did not care if I came in or not, and I’m a combination of envious and irritated that he can ‘get away with it’. Bad wife.

Hiya Horrible, happy Moon's Day. Did you see that the Moon finally unstoppered the Suez Canal last night? A king tide and about a zillion horsepower in tugboats and that ship is free at last!

'Morning, RDear, thank you.

I did see that. It's funny that all of a sudden people realize there's such a thing as Globalization and that the Suez Canal is so vulnerable now that the container ships are ridiculously huge.

I wonder when the last blockage of the Panama Canal was? Of course, it's entirely different what with the locks and all. Enquiring minds and all that.

I stopped at a used book store in Sanford, and for $1.60 got a pristine-if-yellowed mass market paperback of the 3rd in the Deborah Knott series by Margaret Maron, Shooting at Loons. I also got #14 in the series, Death's Half Acre for the same price. So in addition to a wonderful lunch out in a restaurant with friends, I got 2 books I really wanted.

28. Win by Harlan Coben
3/28/21 to 3/29/21





From Amazon:

In this #1 New York Times bestselling thriller from Harlan Coben, a dead man's secrets fall into the hands of a vigilante antihero—drawing him down a dangerous road.

Over twenty years ago, the heiress Patricia Lockwood was abducted during a robbery of her family's estate, then locked inside an isolated cabin for months. Patricia escaped, but so did her captors — and the items stolen from her family were never recovered.

Until now. On the Upper West Side, a recluse is found murdered in his penthouse apartment, alongside two objects of note: a stolen Vermeer painting and a leather suitcase bearing the initials WHL3. For the first time in years, the authorities have a lead — not only on Patricia's kidnapping, but also on another FBI cold case — with the suitcase and painting both pointing them toward one man.

Windsor Horne Lockwood III — or Win, as his few friends call him — doesn't know how his suitcase and his family's stolen painting ended up with a dead man. But his interest is piqued, especially when the FBI tells him that the man who kidnapped his cousin was also behind an act of domestic terrorism — and that the conspirators may still be at large. The two cases have baffled the FBI for decades, but Win has three things the FBI doesn't: a personal connection to the case; an ungodly fortune; and his own unique brand of justice.

Why I wanted to read it: I loved the Myron Bolitar series by Coben and the idea of a book from the point of view of Myron’s best friend Win was irresistible.

Told from Win's view, there are a lot of asides and philosophical meanderings, all of which I loved. One that resonates with me in particular:

When I take the helicopter to my familial home of Lockwood, I customarily don’t appreciate the views. Human beings adapt, one aspect of which is that when something becomes common, we lose the sense of awe. We take the everyday for granted. I am not saying this is a negative. Too much is made of “live every moment to its fullest.” It is an unrealistic goal, one that leads to more stress than satisfaction. The secret to fulfillment is not about exciting adventures or living out loud – no one can maintain that kind of pace – but in welcoming and even relishing the quiet and familiar.

This is an intelligently written book, a quick read, with a satisfying plot and resolution. One potential drawback is there are so many characters that it might have been a good idea to make a list when I started. Domestic terrorists, murder victims, parents of murder victims and of domestic terrorists, plus various mobsters, family members and employees all have a place. Lots of violence too, so those of you who prefer cozies, be warned.

I’d love to see more books from Win’s point of view.

Edited to add: Six word review: Old mysteries solved, Win's philosophy explained.

Morning, Karen. Sunshine, with very nice temps here but gusty winds. I did get a FOY, osprey yesterday but only a brief glimpse in flight. There is a tall nesting box in this location but the raptor was not in it. I am heading out shortly with my birding buddies. Oh yeah, I somehow got my first vaccine yesterday. Yah!

>147 SandyAMcPherson: Hi, Sandy. Yep, FOY is First of the Year. A big deal with birders. Grins...I like that chimney cap. Fortunately, it is never at 4am but even 7-730 is a bit early for the wife, on her sleep in days.

'Morning, Mark, and happy Tuesday to you. Enjoy the time with your birding buddies and the bird. Congrats on getting your first dose of vaccine yesterday. Congrats on the FOY glimpse of the osprey. There's a Bluejay calling from the Crepe Myrtle, a Red-Bellied Woodpecker on same, and a female Cardinal enjoying the early morning sun.

...
Just up, coffee, coming out of the early morning fog.

>153 karenmarie: - I've enjoyed the Myron Bolitar series, as well (I've only read 4 so far, I think). I'll definitely keep an eye out for Win - he's such an intriguing character.

Hi Katie!

Depending on which of the Bolitar series you've read, this book might have a spoiler or two about Myron, but he is such a peripheral character here that unless you're a serious stickler for reading a series in order it might not bother you to learn what he's doing now or who he's doing it with. *smile*

Good to know, thanks!

I put out the first of the bird seed yesterday and this morning my back yard looks like the crowd scene in a zombie movie but with birds. It's Christmas morning for Parker, who is all poofed out and running back and forth down the hallway at top speed.

I've got a new Donald Westlake coming today sometime, looking forward to reading that.

>158 katiekrug: NP. *smile*

>159 SomeGuyInVirginia: I'm glad you're making the birds happy, Parker too, from the sound of it. I've posted this a couple of times on previous threads, but this is a feeding frenzy under one of our feeding stations on January 18, 2018.



You either recommended Who Stole Sassi Manoon or actually mailed it to me - alas, my memory is letting me down on this one. I read it and liked it. Two years later I acquired 361 but haven't read it yet.

Which one is arriving today?

*smooch*

That is all.

*smooch* to you, too, RD.

...
So I called our investment management office last week to confirm that I had all the tax forms necessary to give our accountant and one of the office managers, Pam, and I got to chatting about books. She goes to a wonderful used book store in Charlotte and asked me to send her a list of some wish list books. I sent her a list and didn't think anything more of it until just now when UPS delivered a box with two from her in it:

A Very English Scandal by John Preston
The Hand That First Held Mine by Maggie O'Farrell

Yay. They're both lovely hard cover books with VG dust jackets, about 1/4 of the cover price.

Nice to see things opening up a bit for you with both shots in, Karen. Not sure when that day may come here. Our restrictions have now been increased.

>162 karenmarie: Oh! Saint Pam is a lovely, lovely human soul.

>163 Familyhistorian: Hi Meg. I'm venturing out selectively and rarely so far. I'm so sorry that things are not working out as well in Canada so far, and I hope the vaccination rates increase and cases decrease. We are bracing for a fourth wave here as people seem to think that things are more safe than they actually are. I'm not getting rid of my masks any time soon, for sure.

>164 richardderus: I've never actually met Pam, but yes, she is lovely.

...
And more good news on the vaccination front - Jenna's scheduled for her dose of whatever vaccine's available on April 6th in Wilmington. I'm thrilled. That means that by May 18th at the latest we can all get together.

Holy cow, that's going to be a very emotional reunion. From what I gather it looks like the vaccine is becoming widely available in the US for the first time.

Castle in the Air came today, another comic caper from Westlake. Hard Case Crime is reprinting some of his out of print books.

I need to look into why touchstones aren't working for me, at least on my phone.

Today is the 15th anniversary of my father’s death. He was 84, would have been 85 in June. He was born in 1921, died in 2006.

Dad was a musician, engineer, bowler, golfer. He loved cigars, cats, fishing, and camping. He was an AAU swim champ in high school in Omaha, Nebraska. He played trumpet in swing bands in the early 1940s before serving in WWII, slogging all over the eastern European theater. He ended up with shrapnel in his right leg that set off metal detectors every time he traveled. He came back from the war with PTSD, although the Greatest Generation just carried on and didn’t complain. He never talked about the war except to tell two humorous stories. My sister made this display of his service ribbons.



After the war he went to the University of Iowa in Iowa City where he met and married my mother. Their honeymoon was driving to southern California, where he had rented a nice little house for them. He had a job lined up as an expediter with a small engineering firm, which he eventually parlayed into the position of Chief Engineer. I'm one of three children, the oldest, and now senior partner in the firm since my mother passed away in 2016. I always miss my dad, but especially today.

.........

Morning, Karen. Happy Wednesday! A salute to your father! We sure miss our fathers don't we? We had a very nice walk yesterday. 31 species, with 4 FOY birds. Yep, the spring arrivals are gearing up. Heading out again with my birding buddies, although it will much cooler today. Mid-40s.

'Morning, Mark, and a very happy Wednesday to you, too. Congrats on 31 species, 4 FOYs. enjoy your birding adventure today.

...
Off to the chiropractor later this morning, but in the meantime some reading is in order.

Nice tribute to your dad, Karen. Good luck at the chiropractor!

>165 karenmarie: All together in May, that would be great, Karen!
We will have to wait a bit longer, our Minister of Health said all who wanted should have their first shot in July. Since the pandemic started my brother and SiL, his son (with wife and sons) and his daughter (with partner and a newborn in November) all moved to a new place, so we have some visits to make when everyone is vaccinated.

>167 karenmarie: Lovely tribute to your dad.
Makes me glad to have my dad is still around.

>170 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie! The chiropractor's visit went very well.

>171 FAMeulstee: Hi Anita. Yes, we really want to see the kidlet as soon as we can. I hope you can get your shot in July, if not earlier. Thanks re my tribute to my dad. Yes, you are fortunate that your dad is still around.

...
Just had a Red-Shouldered Hawk perched in the Crepe Myrtle looking for lunch, but everybody hid in the hollies and magnolia so he went away hungry. I was glad to not witness bird carnage but he is a gorgeous bird and I enjoyed checking out some of his features with the binoculars.

That was a touching tribute to your dad, and he had the good sense to keep his hair! I've been missing my dad a lot lately and carrying on running arguments with my mom in my head. I keep hoping that both will get better but I guess they never will.

I wish I'd been fast enough to get a picture of it, but this morning during Cat TV, Parker was literally scratching at the window panes trying to get at whatever was in the backyard.

Quiet Hump Day at my house. I actually got up at eight o'clock (and yes, I did stay up). Scanned some of a cache of photos I happened upon over the weekend. I've gathered every book I've acquired so far in 2021; I sort of want to do a photo. Which reminds me. How is it you say with assurance (which you did on my thread) than i've got about 50 books more than you in that time? You been rummaging in my catalog?

>173 SomeGuyInVirginia: Thanks Larry. I'm sorry you're missing your dad, too.

Parker sure sounds like he's finally enjoying his new home. All those tempting birdies and other critters.

>174 weird_O: Hi Bill. Eight is a respectable time to get up.

Well, ah, yes, if you must know, I was rummaging around your catalog and simply sorted by entry date newest to oldest, then since I always display 100 books per page went to the second page and counted the 24 books on the 2nd page and added it to the first 100. When I did that I had acquired 74 books this year, so the math was easy. I figure public catalogs are fair game to look at, mine included.

Statistics Through March 31

29 books read
8 of them on my shelves before 01/01/2021 and not rereads
1 books abandoned, 65 pages abandoned
9129 pages read
20 audiobook hours
Avg pages read per day, YTD = 101
Avg pages read per book, YTD = 315

Book of the month: Win by Harlan Coben

Books Read By Month
January 6
February 10
March 13

Author
Male 45%
Female 55%

Living 69%
Dead 31%

US Born 59%
Foreign Born 41%

Platform
Hardcover 55%
Trade Pback 17%
Mass Market 22%
Audiobook 3%
e-Book 3%

Source
My Library 83%
Library 3%
Other 14%

Misc
ARC/ER 3%
Re-read 14%
Series 69%

Fiction 90%
NonFiction 10%

New to Me Authors 10

Author Birth Country
England 24%
Scotland 14%
US 59%
Wales 3%

Original Decade Published
1890-1899 3%
1910-1919 3%
1920-1929 3%
1950-1959 7%
1980-1989 3%
1990-1999 10%
2000-2009 17%
2010-2019 17%
2020-2029 34%

Category
Adventure 7%
Biography 0%
Chrestomathy 0%
Contemporary Fiction 0%
Fantasy 7%
Historical Fiction 7%
Humor 3%
Informational Nonfiction 7%
Memoir 3%
Mystery 21%
Poetry 0%
Science Fiction 0%
Suspense 0%
Thriller 45%

March’s Lightning Round

A Darker Domain by Val McDermid 2/26/21 3/4/21 404 pages mass market paperback

Highly satisfying mystery, with two cold cases for Karen Pirie. Back and forth in time, two investigations, multiple points of view. The resolutions are logical, supported by evidence, and the hints at the end of future actions are delicious.

Prodigal Son by Gregg Hurwitz 3/4/21 3/7/21 417 pages hardcover

6th in the Orphan X series, very satisfying. Evan discovers more about his past after he gets a call purporting to be from his birth mother. She asks him to help someone from his past life. Evan starts re-evaluating what’s important to him. Bad guys get killed, good guys are saved. There’s some very interesting and scary AI. Once again there’s a shocker at the end of the book, set up for the next book.

The Law of Innocence by Michael Connelly 3/7/21 3/9/21 417 pages hardcover

6th in the Lincoln Lawyer series. Mickey Haller is arrested for murder after a former client is found dead in the trunk of his Lincoln. Haller’s hauled off to jail, doesn’t waive his right to a speedy trial, and this makes some very powerful people very unhappy. Interspersed with the story, which takes place from October 28, 2019 to March 9, 2020, are hints of the coming pandemic, the first such hints in any new fiction I’ve read. A bit too much lecture about police, legal, and political procedure to make it completely enjoyable, nevertheless the plot and ending were satisfying.

Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman 3/9/21 3/9/21 59 pages hardcover

My copy, inherited from Bill’s Great Aunt, was published in the 1920s, with a VERY politically incorrect cover. However, I found the story itself to be a tribute to a close-knit family and a children’s fantasy that works beautifully. The illustrations are charming, too.

Little Black Sambo and the Baby Elephant by Frank Ver Beck 3/9/21 3/9/21 57 pages hardcover

My copy, inherited from Bill’s Great Aunt, was published in the 1920s, with a VERY politically incorrect cover. A very sweet story with gorgeous illustrations.

Breaking Silence by Linda Castillo 3/9/21 3/12/21 302 pages trade paperback

This is going to be a series that I read much more slowly than I initially thought I would, because Chief of Police Kate Burkholder keeps repeating her mistakes, keeps mentioning the reasons she left the Amish community, keeps rehashing things. I guess the author’s doing that if people drop into the series, but I find it a tad irritating.

The mystery is a shocker. An Amish man, his brother, and his wife are dead from methane gas asphyxiation caused by a poorly ventilated cesspit. 4 children are orphaned. As the story progresses, more and more clues point to an unexpected culprit. Good story, good detective skills, a few lucky breaks.

The Skeleton Road by Val McDermid 3/12/21 3/17/21 404 pages hardcover

Bleak, well and intelligently written. War crimes during the Balkan war of 1991, with multiple viewpoints and multiple timelines. People aren’t always who you think they are. I was irritated with the flashbacks and actually skipped the last couple, to tell the truth. The ending was a complete shock for several reasons.

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman 3/18/21 3/21/21 351 pages hardcover

Four members of a retirement community meet to discuss cold cases but find themselves involved in some new cases, too, as there are conflicts about taking away an old cemetary on the property. Each of them has special qualities they bring to the Club. There is quite a bit about aging in a practical yet poignant way and we still have a lot to learn about each of the four. Intelligently and perceptively written, and lots of fun to read, too.

The Bootlegger’s Daughter by Margaret Maron 3/22/21 3/23/21 261pages hardcover

First in the Deborah Knott series, we meet Deborah as she is pushed too far by a rigid and prejudiced judge and decides on the spot to run for his seat. At the same time Gayle, the 18-year old daughter of a woman murdered when Gayle was 3 months old asks Deborah to find out why her mother was murdered – she doesn’t care as much about who as why. Old troubles get stirred up, new troubles add to the mix, and soon Deborah is playing Nancy Drew.

The best parts of this book are the sense of time and place, beautifully written. Cynical, unmarried in a society that finds unmarried women inexplicable, intelligent and driven, Deborah Knott clearly loves her home. The writing is evocative of the feeling of belonging and deep knowledge of the people, social structure, and cultural mores that make me envious of the best part of the time and place even while understanding and abhorring the racial prejudice and homophobia that coexisted and inform much of the plot.

Southern Discomfort by Margaret Maron 3/23/21 3/27/21 241pages hardcover

Second in the Deborah Knott series, Deborah becomes Judge Knott and starts presiding. Her brother Herman is taken ill, his daughter and her friends are raging teenage hormones, we run into several examples of male testosterone poisoning, a rash of missing animals, and community home-building ala Habitat for Humanity. A very satisfying read. One particular walk, late at night, with Deborah and her daddy is evocative of summer nights, a feast for the senses of sight, sound, and smell.

Odds Against by Dick Francis 3/30/21 3/31/21 309 pages mass market paperback

Second book for this year’s Dick Francis SHARED Read, first book in the Sid Halley series. I’d forgotten how excellent this book was. Former jockey Sid Halley is a sad mope after a career-ending hand injury and is putting in time in a detective/enquiry agency. His wife has left him, too, and he passes the time basically doing nothing at the agency. He stumbles upon a possible case, takes it over with the blessing of the owner, and slowly starts figuring out the scope of the crime and just how evil the bad guys are. A very satisfying ending except for the torture he undergoes. Sid is intelligent, stoic, loyal, and trustworthy.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling 10/18/20 3/29/21 audiobook, 20 hours

Fourth book in the Harry Potter series, 4th or 5th time I've listened to it over the years. It took 5 months this time due to isolating because of the pandemic. As always, full of delicious details with a good plot, wry humor, good vs. evil, and Harry growing stronger and stronger as a wizard. The blast-ended skrewts still amuse, as do S.P.E.W. and Hermoine catching Rita Skeeter spying on Harry in the hospital wing as an unregistered animagus and capturing her.

>177 karenmarie: Wow, what a stellar reading month, Karen. Look at all them 4-Stars!
I'm trying to zoom through a bunch of starred threads before April arrives and everyone flips over like it was New Years!

Edited to mention that I admire your restraint with Linda Castillo's novel by saying "a TAD irritating" with the re-hashing. I would be (1) bitterly complaining out loud (2) throwing the book down in disgust. I guess the story was worth it since you awarded 4-stars.

-Eurasion Collared Dove.

Morning, Karen. Happy April! 29 books? Nice. I have less than half of that. I may have to cut down on the birding...NOT.
I got this dove on a residential street, a few blocks from here, on a tip. First time in my county. You can just make out the collar on the back of it's neck. They are fairly rare here.
No birding plans today.

>178 SandyAMcPherson: Hi Sandy! What I find highly amusing about my March reading is that of the 13 books read, 2 children’s books for a total of 116 pages were adventure, the Harry Potter audiobook was fantasy, and the rest were mystery or thriller. I’m enjoying a BB from you, Cumin, Camels, and Caravans, but otherwise am mostly hanging out with comfort reads.

I’ve only thrown one book, ever, that I can remember, Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier. I was finishing it up at work during my lunch hour one year in the distant past, and at the end was so shocked and dispirited that I literally threw it across my desk.

I tend to binge-read series and it’s my own fault if I notice things the author wasn’t intentionally doing to irritate me. If you think about it, people get excited about a new book a year or two after the last in the series and the re-hashing go unnoticed or read with gratitude.

>179 msf59: ‘Morning, Mark, happy Thursday, and Happy April to you. Yup, 29, although two of them were only 57 and 59 pages respectively.

I can’t see you cutting down on your birding for books either. I’ve enjoyed watching you get more and more into birding, more into group adventures, more into traveling many hours for a sighting, better with your photos.

And yay for the Eurasian Collared Dove. I’m totally envious. I heard them in SoCal in 2017 when I was closing down Mom’s house after she passed away in 2016, but without a decent pair of binoculars I didn’t catch a glimpse. I still vividly remember hearing one, looking up Doves on allaboutbirds.org and hearing their call, as distinct from Mourning Doves.

Speaking of birds, I just had the major excitement of catching a Very Large Bird out of the corner of my eye as he/she swooped through the pasture and landed just beyond the fence. Binoculars in hand, I saw a beautiful Great Blue Heron. He was in the right neck of the woods, down by the creek, in what is probably quite marshy river frontage right now with all the rain we’ve gotten.

Edited to add: A Red-Shouldered Hawk swooped in and hung out in the Crepe Myrtle for a bit, didn't see anything on the menu, and zoomed away. Two big birds in one day.

>177 karenmarie: Quite the month! Isn't it nice to discover a completed series with a lot to say to us personally?

*smooch*

>175 karenmarie: Excellent! I thought that if anyone here would do such a thing (sorting someone's catalog on a data set), it would be you. So you've seen the awful truth: 125 or so book acquired in three months. But I have already read some of them.

>181 richardderus: Hiya, RD! Nothing challenging or demanding, just a solid month of good stuff read. And I love finding series that I can binge read if so inclined. *smooch*

>182 weird_O: Thank you, Bill. Acquiring books is an entirely different need than reading them, of course. But I'm glad that you've read some of your 2021 acquisitions.

>167 karenmarie:, Hi Karen my dear, your Dad's military honours is lovely to see and a lovely display of his ribbons. I see from this that your Dad took part in The Battle of the Bulge, i love this film despite some of its inaccuracies and have two books about this campaign, it has fascinated me for years.

Morning, Karen. Happy Friday. After a couple of very chilly days we are back up to 50F today, with 60s and possibly 70s for the weekend and most of nest week. Yah! I am going on a guided walk this A.M. The first time with this particular group in nearly 2 years. Come on FOYs!!

>184 johnsimpson: Hi John! Thank you. My dad downplayed his service and now that he's passed I wish I had asked more. Keen eyes to notice the Battle of the Bulge. Sending love and hugs to you and Karen, and skritches for the boy.

>185 msf59: Hi Mark! Happy Friday to you, too. We've had two nights around freezing and only about 50F during the days ourselves. Today's 50F and tonight's 23F will be the end of the really cold weather for at least a while.

Enjoy your guided walk and may you see many FOYs.

The feeders are really hoppin'. I did put out a hummingbird feeder yesterday for the migrants but haven't seen any hummingbirds yet.

...
Great news! I got an email from the County Librarian last night telling me that all three branches of the Library will be open on Monday. Hours are reduced, no Saturdays yet, but they've had such a tough row to hoe between the pandemic and the cyber incident that I completely understand them easing back into hours open to the public. Now my job as President of the Friends will get more real.

>186 karenmarie: The library opening again is wonderful news, Karen. Reduced hours is a lot better than not open at all.

>186 karenmarie: Much yay over the Library reopening! It will finally feel like the pandemic is winding down.

Weekend-read excellence *smooch*es.

>187 FAMeulstee: It is wonderful news, Anita. I'll be interested in seeing what their social distancing/capacity allowance procedures are.

>188 richardderus: Much yay, for sure. Weekend-read excellence *smooch*es back'atcha, RD.

That's great news about your library, Karen!

I love reading your monthly round-ups, Karen. I should reread Bootlegger's Daughter; that was such a great series.

>116 karenmarie: Yup, Bob Cat is a huge boy. And I think lounging around in my garage for two weeks with all the food he could eat made him bigger. My theory though is his large size helped make him safe from predators - I had seen him off and on for several years - .

Lovely tribute to your Dad!

My Dad wouldn't speak about his service either.

And books! so many books! Good job!

Wow! All caught up with you now.

Great stats and great lightning round reads! I've read a few of them on there as well.

Anyhow, have a wonderful weekend :)

Dear Karen, I love your tribute to you father. When I looked at his picture and looked quickly away, I was left with a clear impression of you. I learned more about my father's service from members of his crew after he died than I ever knew when he was alive.

I'm happy that you're enjoying D. Knott so much. I'm about through #2 reread myself and enjoying it again as much as I remembered.

Congrats on Jenna's upcoming vaccination! Also congrats on the reopening of your libraries and your being able to do more with the Friends.

Enjoy your weekend!!!!!

>186 karenmarie: Promise me that you will only use your powers for good!

Still working my way through the latest Bryant and May book, Oranges and Lemons. I'd rather read it than watch movies, so that's a plus.

>190 katiekrug: It surprised me, Katie, because at our Board Meeting on March 15th the Librarians were being cagey – with justification – about reopening, and I didn’t think it would be so soon.

>191 BLBera: Thanks, Beth. This is my first time with the series, having read just the first two, but I have the 3rd on my shelves waiting for the right time.

>192 streamsong: Bigger is better in the wild, unless you’ve got venom or some other clever trick to protect yourself. I’m glad Bob Cat is thriving. Thanks re my Dad. Come to think of it, Bill’s Dad, who was in the 1st Cavalry in Korea (sounds weird, no horses, but still 1st Cav), didn’t talk about the war either, except with his brother-in-law, who also served in the military. And thanks re my books.

Part of me feels bad that I’m not reading anything requiring many intellectual resources, but in my philosophy of reading it’s supposed to be fun, not homework. I do have a couple of more challenging books going though.

>193 figsfromthistle: Hi Anita. Thanks. I really like the Lightning Round concept, taken from the Warbler himself, Mark.

Bill had Good Friday off, so for most of yesterday I thought it was Saturday and started planning Sunday breakfast and dinner. Oopsie…

>194 LizzieD: Thanks, Peggy. You’re lucky to have folks who served with your dad tell you about him. My dad didn’t socialize much in general, and I think I take after him in not keeping track of many people from the various phases of my life. Oh well.

Shooting At Loons, #3 in the Deborah Knott series, will get read this month for sure. I love the title.

Yes, a few signs of forward progress through the pandemic – Jenna’s vaccination and the Library.

…
It was 24F this morning, only 26F now. Coffee to warm the insides and the propane heater on to make the Sunroom warmer than 60F are greatly appreciated.

Morning, Karen. Happy Saturday. As I type these words, a red-bellied woodpecker is drilling on my chimney cap. This has became a regular routine. I hope it didn't wake up Sue. Small prayer...We tramped around the trails for several hours yesterday and no FOY birds. It was very cold, so maybe the birds were staying hunkered down. Regardless, it was nice being out. Keep me posted on the hummers. I will put up my feeder in a week or so.

Hooray for Jenn's vaccination!

'Morning, Mark! I just posted on your thread. Great minds...

Yikes for the Red-Bellied Woodpecker drilling on your chimney cap. I wonder if the sound is particularly pleasing? Because otherwise, I can't see the benefit - no bugs, no way to make a nesting hole...

No hummingbirds so far. Right now I've got Bluejays and LBBs. Jays have gotten bold with the feeders, and if only one tries to eat at a time they don't close the feeding ports. It's okay with me.

Woot for your library reopening!!

>197 msf59:, >198 karenmarie: Y'all're overlooking the literary prequel to this "birb-does-summat-weird" story...a little number entitled, with astonishing directness, The Birds.

And on that happy note...Weird Saturday Wishes!

>180 karenmarie: Hi Karen, I tend to binge-read series, too. I whipped through the St. Cyr mysteries like that (CS Harris).

On Friday I started the Postscript Murders and I am just about finished it. The Harbinder Kaur character has totally captivated me! In the earlier book, (Stranger Diaries), I really disliked the way Harbinder was portrayed. But this second book is really interesting. Some of the elderly persons are very well-drawn.

I know I'll read the sequels as fast as these novels are published. Hardly 'binge' reading since I'll have to wait a year between each but I've more BB's than I'll ever get to reading, so lots to keep me busy!

>199 scaifea: It is exciting AND scary, Amber. It certainly won’t be back to normal for quite a while, that’s for sure.

>200 richardderus: Thanks for Weird Satuday wishes, and I’ll check out The Birds. Daphne du Maurier has always been one of my favorites.

>201 SandyAMcPherson: I’m glad you like Harbinder Kaur, Sandy, and now we have to wait for the next one.

…
I love this...

>153 karenmarie: I'm looking forward to read that book when the translation is published in The Netherlands.

Hi Connie! You'll enjoy it when you are able to get it.

Is there a consistent time-frame for translations to Dutch? Like x months or 1 year or whatever?

Jenna, 1996, 2 years and 8 months.

>204 karenmarie: Not really, sometimes the Dutch translation is sooner then the UK or US version.

Win will be published on April 7! So that's real soon!

Fantastic news, Connie! It's definitely a Win-ner in my book.

Morning, Karen. Happy Easter. Yep, the red-bellied was drilling on the chimney cap again. His A.M. ritual. This is territorial behavior. The good news is, Sue can't hear it in our bedroom. Yah. Not much birding yesterday, but I did take a run to a distant lake and got my FOY, Common Loon. I love these birds but their breeding grounds are north of here, in WI and MN.

We are going to Bree's for Easter dinner. It could reach 74F, so it will be nice to spread out, outdoors. They have a nice, big backyard.

>202 karenmarie: I love that too (well, except I don't like cheesecake).
I do have other similar wrestling matches though, mostly with the cookies the Hubs bakes. He's damn good at what he cooks!

BTW, I agree with you at >153 karenmarie:. I just re-read the quote you posted and it follows precisely what I've experienced. I admit to a BB!

Also, replied on my thread (to your comment there this morning). It was splendid to see that you visited.

Edited to mention, #153 touchstone goes to a film...

>208 msf59: 'Morning, Mark, and Happy Easter to you, too. At least he doesn't wake Sue up! Congrats on your FOY Common Loon. Enjoy your dinner at Bree's.

>209 SandyAMcPherson: Hi Sandy. I was just telling friend Karen in Montana yesterday that we didn't eat cheese when I was growing up except for Velveeta, which I couldn't abide (except in mac'n'cheese). I went to a friend's slumber birthday party when I was 10 and was appalled that her birthday cake was cheesecake. However, I was raised to be polite and at least try a bite of anything offered to me, so took a bite, and was hooked. Nobody had ever told me about cream cheese! Bill always requests cheesecake for his birthday in February, so we had it recently.

Yay for your husband making cookies. I think I'd die of shock if I ever saw Bill in the kitchen doing anything more than foraging, getting soda, putting away groceries, or washing dishes/pans.

I fixed the touchstone in >153 karenmarie: - thank you.

Re #153, (Win) I was wondering whether that is a stand-alone or "should" be read in some kind of order? From your review, I had the impression the character appears in a series...

I couldn't figure out which specific series, because there seemed to be several. Usually when you put in a title, the link to a series appears under the author's name.

>210 karenmarie: I love that Bill is cool to think of putting away groceries, or washing dishes/pans. *grin* Now, the key thing, does he take turns vacuuming?

Re Win, this is from Wikipedia:

Windsor "Win" Horne Lockwood III is a fictional character created by Harlan Coben. He is the secondary character in the Myron Bolitar series. While the best friend of hero Bolitar, Win would best be described as an anti-hero, having some psychopathic tendencies. In many of the books, Myron and Win debate the ethical nature of various actions, often Win's.

If you were to want to read the Myron Bolitar series, which I loved and recommend wholeheartedly, you might want to wait to read Win, but only if you really don't want to hear about Myron's life after the series. We don't see Myron in Win, but know where he's living, the people in his life, and bits and pieces of cases with Win, their time at Duke University, and some of what happened to Myron during those books personally and professionally.

I didn't read that series in order but have started reading series in order since then. You'll have to decide if you want to read any of the Myron Bolitar books - the first is Deal Breaker.

Bill only vacuums one place - the jacuzzi tub in the master bathroom when there are dead ladybugs in the winter. Ladybugs can 'swarm' in the winter months and if they can find a way inside, do. We only get dozens at a time, thank goodness. I had a friend who would get thousands milling around a corner of her bedroom every winter. *shudder* Bill does his own laundry because I told him 30 years ago that I didn't feel any desire to wash his dirty clothes and that since he'd been doing laundry successfully for many years he could continue to do so. He also mows the yards and cleans the bathroom he uses. We get on well together, all in all.

>207 karenmarie: Win-ner

Oh nooooo.....

I rarely make puns but I was feeling feisty.

Morning, Karen. I did not make it to Bree's yesterday. I was feeling under the weather and did not want to take a chance. Bummer. I am hoping for a rebound today. I am heading out on a guided walk, at the Arboretum. I am hoping the fresh, warm air does me good.

Oh yeah- Go Cubbies! They won the series against the Pirates.

'Morning to you, too, Mark! Sorry about feeling under the weather, good idea to stay away from the pregnant daughter if you're sick. Enjoy the walk and fresh, warm air. Go Cubbies!

...
One of my book club friends is coming over this afternoon - we're both fully vaccinated but will sit out on the back porch. I'll take my clues from her re masks - if she's wearing hers when she gets out of the car, I'll wear one, too.

>216 karenmarie: I'm amazed how much of a habit this mask-wearing thing has become. I'm quite reluctant to go out among the hoi polloi to breathe without one.

Happy new week's reads!

In addition to protecting against Covid transmission, I've been absolutely staggered by the lack of flu season, a strong argument for masks, hand washing, and social distancing in non-Covid aspects of life.

Yup, masks make sense for the foreseeable future.

>218 karenmarie: Really says a lot about our societal level of hygiene, doesn't it. Wash your hands, you goofballs!

Yikes, when you put it that way, yes, it does.

*smooch*

I just finished another 4.5 star read in 2021. I am either finding totally stunning books are am getting more generous in my old age... anyway, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is a stunner.

30. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
3/30/21 to 4/5/21





From Amazon:
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
USA TODAY BESTSELLER
NATIONAL INDIE BESTSELLER
THE WASHINGTON POST BESTSELLER

Recommended by Entertainment Weekly, Real Simple, NPR, Slate, and Oprah Magazine
#1 Library Reads Pick―October 2020
#1 Indie Next Pick―October 2020
BOOK OF THE YEAR (2020) FINALIST―Book of The Month Club

A “Best Of” Book From: Oprah Mag * CNN * Amazon * Amazon Editors * NPR * Goodreads * Bustle * PopSugar * BuzzFeed * Barnes & Noble * Kirkus Reviews * Lambda Literary * Nerdette * The Nerd Daily * Polygon * Library Reads * io9 * Smart Bitches Trashy Books * LiteraryHub * Medium * BookBub * The Mary Sue * Chicago Tribune * NY Daily News * SyFy Wire * Powells.com * Bookish * Book Riot * Library Reads Voter Favorite *

In the vein of The Time Traveler’s Wife and Life After Life, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is New York Times bestselling author V. E. Schwab’s genre-defying tour de force.

A Life No One Will Remember. A Story You Will Never Forget.

France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever―and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.

Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.

But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.

Why I wanted to read it: I saw it on @quondame’s thread, and it immediately grabbed my attention.

This one has definitely lived up to Susan’s review and Amazon’s blurb. I frequently buy books on a whim, start them, and then don’t have the oomph to continue with them, but this one captured my attention from the very first and held it for 442 pages plus Acknowledgements.

Addie’s voice is true, her story intertwining with the Devil’s over the course of 300 years. Their love-hate-power relationship is marvelously portrayed. Just the descriptions of his eyes in all their emotions are enough to make this book worth reading, yet the unique set up, descriptive detail, and headlong rush to tell Addie’s story all tangle together to make this a marvelous read, a brilliant use of language and emotion and imagination.

And there are several prominent historical figures who make unfortunate appearances as those who’ve sold their souls.

This book is written with assurance, has a solid story to tell, uses emotions and historical perspective to keep it entertaining yet so much more.

Six word review: Intimate as freckles, expansive as universes.

Ha, so glad you loved it as much as I did, Karen.

>221 karenmarie: - BB!

>221 karenmarie: You...and...Starless...agree...

Pretty amazing, isn't it? For someone who rarely likes fantasy.

>221 karenmarie: Great review!

I've just put it on my list!

ETA Wowzer! There was a 6-month weight on both the Arlington and Fairfax County Library websites, so I just ordered a copy on Amaslum. Amaslob. Imapeeinbottle.

>177 karenmarie: I love this formatting, it is so good for multiple expanded points! I might have to steal it :) (Assuming I can read more than about 2 or 3 in a month!)

Morning, Karen. Good review of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. I have seen that one mentioned here and there but your warbling, landed it on the list.

We had a nice guided walk yesterday. We saw about 30 species but only one FOY for me-a pair of yellow-rumped warblers. They will soon be coming through in droves.

>222 connie53: Oops, Connie! Sorry I skipped you. Oh yes, I wanted it to end so I could see how it could be satisfactorily ended but wanted it to go on much longer.

>223 jessibud2: And the BBs keep flowing.

>226 quondame: Thank you, Susan.

>227 SomeGuyInVirginia: Six month waits? Whew. I think you’ll really like it, Larry, glad you broke down and bought it from the Great Satan.

>228 LovingLit: Steal away, Megan. I stole the format from Mark, and between writing expanded reviews like I just did for The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and the Lightning Round, I’m finally satisfied with how I review books. No guilt – an important goal in my life.

…
Well, I just got up, have had a few sips of coffee, and am reading a marvelous little book given to me by @nittnut, Jenn. And she got it from @LovingLit, Megan! Both their names are in it, I’m going to put my name into it too, and offer it to the first LTer who wants it after I’ve finished it and reviewed it, continuing the Traveling LT Book tradition.

*smooch*

Pretty much what I got to offer today...sleepy...

*smooch*es work. Nothing more required.

31. Fup by Jim Dodge
4/5/21 to 4/6/21





From Amazon:

Start with Granddaddy Jake Santee, a cantankerous, ninety-nine-year-old coot with a taste for gambling and whiskey; add in Tiny, his gentle giant of an adopted grandson, whose passion for building well-crafted fences on land with no livestock borders on obsessive; then add Fup, a twenty-pound mallard with an iron will and a fondness for hooch and romantic movies. What do you get? You get Fup—a wildly eccentric modern classic that invites you to sit a spell and wet your whistle while it regales you with tales of teaching Fup to fly, the Sunday morning pig hunt, and the Great Checker Showdown of '78. First published in 1983, this hilarious, heartwarming, magical tale has sold over 100,000 copies since its debut. Fup is a contemporary fable that inspires an evangelical fervor in all who read it. As Granddaddy Jake says: It just ain't possible to explain some things, maybe even most things. It's interesting to wonder on them and do some speculation, but the main thing is you have to accept it—take it for what it is, and get on with your getting.” So, get on with your getting and read Fup—it's all it's quacked up to be!

Why I wanted to read it: At loose ends, checking out one of my shelves in the Sunroom and saw Fup and knew this was the right time to read it.

Laugh out loud humor, vivid, endearing. If I tried to share quotes, I’d pretty much have to share the entire book, and it’s only 52 pages. It is a prime 52 pages, however, whimsical and magical.

Thank you to Jenn for sharing it with me. I’ll be happy to pay it forward to the first person who asks for it.

Six word review: Endearing tall tale, deep philosophical underpinnings.

>230 karenmarie:. No need to be sorry. Karen. I had the same feeling. Let it not end please!

>233 karenmarie: Huh! Why does this ring my brain so hard? Glad you enjoyed it so much.

Hi, Karen! I've just caught up with you after two and half threads. I fell behind at the end of the year; didn't want to start reading the 2021 threads until...2021. Probably a mistake!

We've been enjoying some of the same books, but I got hit by a few BBs (for which I'm grateful!)

Enjoy the spring!

Karen O.

Hi, Karen! It's too late to do more than say that we're pretty happy with Hubert Davis here and hope that Bill, especially, is too.

That's it! Take care!! Keep reading!!!

Up above I believe you were talking about husbands who do cleaning and laundry and scrubbing pots and pans. That domestic stuff. I'm becoming a house elf with all the responsibilities (and rewards, of course) that entails. Necessity.

>233 karenmarie: That looks like fun, Karen.

^I think we cross-posted up there yesterday!

Morning, Karen. Happy Wednesday. I went on a solo jaunt yesterday but did get to meet and bird with an older man, who has birded 50 years. A really nice guy, who had not birded much since his wife passed in December. Book nerds and birders are generally pretty good people. My only FOY, was a Wilson's Snipe and it was not a good look. I should see plenty more of them. I also had an Eastern meadowlark serenading me from a treetop.

>233 karenmarie: This one sounds like a hoot - adding it to my list!

>229 msf59: Ugh. Sorry I missed you up there yesterday. I need to pay better attention to my visitors. Yay for the Addie LaRue BB! Wow. 30 species but only one FOY. Better luck next time.

>234 connie53: For me, those kind of books are rare – not wanting them to end - so I appreciate them when I get them.

>235 richardderus: Hiya, RD! It was a breath of fresh air. I need more like it. It made me think of Mark Twain’s short fiction, so I’ll head upstairs in a bit and fetch The Notorious Jumping Frog & Other Stories.

>236 klobrien2: Hi Karen, so glad you came by for a visit. Glad to oblige with BBs. Right now I can hear the birds chattering, am enjoying my first cup of coffee, and am looking forward to a chiropractic visit later this morning. The trees are leafing out, it’s coming on to pollen season, and I’ve been enjoying seeing the redbuds.

>237 LizzieD: I saw the announcement, Peggy. I don’t know anything about Hubert Davis, and actually haven’t asked Bill what he thought about Roy’s replacement. Bill was busy mowing yesterday – first time this spring – and then we got busy with our late afternoon/evening routine.

I’m trying to find the right next book and haven’t settled in yet. Two first-of-series mysteries haven’t grabbed me. Therefore, I’m on a mission. Mark Twain might be the answer, because of Fup.

>238 weird_O: Hi Bill! I’m terribly sorry for the reason that you’re elfing these days, but cleaning and laundry do have immediate gratification.

>239 PaulCranswick: It was laugh-out-loud fun, Paul. Bill was working in his home office and I was here in the Sunroom snorting and giggling and guffawing. I even read him a few passages.

>240 msf59: Mark, I don’t seem to be very focused this week, so apologize again for missing you yesterday. ‘Morning to you, and happy Wednesday. I hope your newly-widowed friend becomes a good birding buddy. Congrats on the Wilson’s Snipe, even though it was not a good look, and being serenaded is quite wonderful.

>240 msf59: You won't be disappointed, Amber.

…
Coffee, brekkie, shopping list prep, and off to the chiropractor then grocery shopping. All of a sudden I only have 30 minutes before I have to leave!

>233 karenmarie: Good Morning! I enjoy your review of Fup. I'm checking my library to see if they have this book.

Today is a rainy day, and it is good for the grass. I love the greenness of spring!

>242 karenmarie: I fell victim to the "holy-carp-half-an-hour?!" syndrome today as well. I had forgotten an appointment with the money lady, she called me, and suddenly it was all go all the time.

Wouldn't've been quite so yucky if I felt normal, but I'm allergy-pill-groggy. Not even an extra mug of java made a dent in my woolheadedness.

If I can stay awake long enough, it's almost time for lunch, and I can't even begin to care what it is. *snore*

>230 karenmarie: Im reading a marvelous little book given to me by nittnut, Jenn. And she got it from LovingLit, Megan! Both their names are in it
Oh! How cool is that??

>233 karenmarie: I loved this wee book :)

Morning, Karen. Sweet Thursday! I had a good time yesterday with my birding buddies. No FOY, but snagged a Lifer. Rain has moved into the area and may be here off and on for the next few days. We really need it, though. It has been very dry.

>245 LovingLit: It is very cool, Megan, and I'm glad to be part of the Fup family.

>246 msf59: 'Morning, Mark, and a very sweet Thursday to you, too. A Lifer! Nice. We're expecting rain over the next several days too, so Bill mowed on Tuesday.

...
First sips of elixir taken. I need to do a couple of things I've been putting off. Sigh.

Edited to add: First hummingbird of the season on my feeder! I put the feeder out a week ago and hadn't had any luck yet. I did see one flit by yesterday while on the phone with my sister, but today one took a good long sip.

Hi, Karen. Seems I lost my place and had to skim down most of this thread. I think I saw your libraries are opening up? That's excellent. Ours are still on 'grab-and-go' only, so no shelf browsing or lingering. Ah well. I do most of my reading on Kindle and tablet these days anyway.

Happy Spring!

Hi Judy! I've been doing a lot of that lately - skim, skim, skim.

Our 3 county libraries have opened up, reduced hours and no Saturdays yet. 30 minutes browsing time, 1 hour for the public computers. No study room availability (small rooms, bad air circulation), and not even any access to the large public room so no Board meetings or Book Sale Team meetings yet. I'm not complaining - in the face of a pandemic AND a cyber incident the librarians and staff have done a magnificent job.

Happy Spring to you, too.

Horrible! It's Thursday! How have you majgiqcked this into being when it's *actually* Sunday?! (Feels like it to me, anyway.)

Ugh.

It's not Sunday, RD, because I didn't make breakfast for Bill. :) It was a solid-feeling Þūnresdæg, not Sunnandæg.

And tomorrow is definitely Frīġedæġ.

...
Well, as it turns out, I don't have a loose body in my right knee. The Orthopedic Surgeon re-interpreted the x-ray and said I have a fabella. Only 39% of the world's population has this little anatomical variation, typically men, typically older people, and typically in Asia or Oceania. I'm only one out of three. Sheesh. Fabella means little bean, which charms me - I have a little knee bean. Jenna and I talk about kitty toe beans with affection, so now we'll have my little knee bean to talk about with affection, too. Combined with the increased arthritis, I guess it's just reached critical mass and can only be pain managed, not fixed with surgery. He's given me a prescription for meloxicam, which I'll pick up tomorrow.

Part of me wanted to have something that could be fixed with surgery instead of something that's going to require pain management for the rest of my life.

Morning, Karen. Happy Friday. Yes, "little bean" sounds charming but sorry to hear that it brings you discomfort. I hope the meds can manage it. Hooray for the first hummer. There have been no sightings reported here but I think I will still get mine up early next week.

Due to rain, I did not get out yesterday. Still damp and cool here but I plan on getting out for a solo run. My feeders have been very slow, for some reason.

'Morning, Mark, and happy Friday to you. My little bean and I slept pretty well last night. I didn't have the meloxicam but had pain killers that worked.

Enjoy your solo run today. My feeders are empty. I need to drag the bags of seed I bought the other day out, fill the metal trash cans in the garage, and fill the feeders. Or wait 'til tomorrow when Bill can bring the bags of seed to the trash cans for me.

...
Ah, first sip of coffee. I need to work on FoL stuff a bit and clean Freddie Mercury's aquarium. The algae is beginning to win.

For reading I have gone back to the tried and true - Nero Wolfe. Champagne for One is #31 of 47 in my pandemic-inspired complete series read, started last April. I've read this one, but so long ago that i can't remember much about it.

First hummingbird! I am heading down to get the feeders up right now.

Hoping for some pain management for you and it's OK to let Bill drag the bags of seed.

Sorry about your little "knee bean". I agree that I would prefer something that could be fixed (even if that involves surgery) rather than just "managed" so my sympathy in that sense too.

Oh dear Karen, I'm sorry to hear about the knee bean from a pain management perspective. But it does sound kind of cute.

Happy Friday otherwise. The local library in our new town is open for browsing and hold pickups (although curbside is also still available), and my first hold is waiting for me. I'm planning to pay a visit this afternoon, on my way to pick up groceries, and wander around a bit more than I did last Saturday when we picked up our library cards. I'm ridiculously excited about visiting the library!

Meloxicam is a very potent anti-inflammatory, so it should de-sensitize the fabella very effectively. It's a darn good thing you don't drink! That would be Very Very Bad Indeed.

Happy weekend's reads. I'm still sure it's Sunday II.

>254 witchyrichy: Hi Karen. Yes, I was quite excited about the hummingbird sighting. So far the only one. Sounds like good timing for Virginia to get your feeders out. I just picked up the Meloxicam and was pleasantly surprised that there was no cost to me at all. $0.00. And I will let Bill do the bags of seed tomorrow.

>255 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks, Reba.

>256 lauralkeet: Thank you, Laura. I’m getting rather fond of my little knee bean and I’m fortunate to live in a time when a good strong pain medication is available.

It’s so exciting to hear you settling in and prioritizing the library.

>257 richardderus: I’ve been known to have a glass of wine now and again, but should probably cut that out since I don’t want gastrointestinal bleeding. Sigh.

Today’s still Friday as far as I can figure out, not Sunday II.

…
Got Freddie Mercury’s aquarium cleaned, which makes me happy. Now it’s time to reward myself with a bit of reading.

Hi Karen! I have been slow in visiting threads. I really enjoyed your march write-up. Well done and interesting, you hit me with several possible BB's.

I'm sorry to hear about that favella thing. Hope this medication will help with it.

Oh, and a hummingbird sighting! Wow. I bet you're watching for the next one?

Hi Ella. Thank you re my March books.

I'll be taking the meloxicam for the first time this morning.

I haven't seen a hummingbird since, but am always hopeful.

...
Joy! Rapture! Coffee!

Morning, Karen. Happy Saturday. I had a nice solo jaunt yesterday. Not as birdy as I would have liked and no FOY birds but I did get a fine look at a GHO. Very first time at that particular location and I have tried many times. I also came home and freshened up all the feeders and birdbath. Light rain out there now and for most of the day, so no birding for me today.

>251 karenmarie: Hi Karen. That meloxicam sounds like the 'Metacam' I was on a couple years ago for some lumbar problems I had. It was really hard on my stomach.

I was looking back in your thread to see where I last commented and noted you have a fabella diagnosis. A bit of a coincidence to read that (I had missed reading parts of the thread I guess).
I wonder if you might be interested in hearing of the surgery my neighbour had to resolve persistent pain in her knee?

She was just telling me yesterday about it, because I saw her walking without difficulty after a whole winter of not managing walks (especially in snow and ice). She had an "Arthroscopy-Assisted Fabella Excision". I had to look it up to remember exactly what she described. I guess it is one of those fiber-optic camera surgeries and causes minimal tissue damage. She's in her late 60's, so I don't know whether she has osteoarthritis which could complicate resolution. We're lucky here to have an amazing sports injury surgical facility. I would love you to be a good candidate so you don't have to take that vile medication!

>261 msf59: 'Morning, Mark! Your Friday sounds like a birder's dream - solo jaunt and taking of the home-front birds. I hope today's non-birding day is a good one regardless.

>262 SandyAMcPherson: Hi Sandy! I've been reading that meloxicam can be hard on the stomach and have decided that I need to take it with food although the label said with or without food is okay.

Thank you! for mentioning your neighbor and her Arthroscopy-Assisted Fabella Excision. It's something to keep in mind for sure if I can't get good relief from the meloxicam. The doctor didn't even mention such a surgery. I don't know if it is because of my particular knee/fabella or in consideration of seeing if medication would work and not having to resort to surgery. Sigh.

>263 karenmarie: Oh, good thing >262 SandyAMcPherson: mentioned the surgical option. It helps to know what else is on the table when problems like this crack open around you.

Enjoy your coffee. I've barely begun my caffeination.

>196 karenmarie: No guilt allowed! Whatever you are reading is perfect for you. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy.

>205 karenmarie: I love the Easter picture of Jenna. So sweet! May you see her soon!

I'm glad your library is opening up. Ours is open in a limited way, but all I do is pick books up that I have ordered - mostly LT recommendations. Luckily, with all the wonderful gotcha's, I don't really miss library browsing.

Yesterday I picked up three more from the library and had the first of several that I ordered (meaning purchased) arrive. I don't know when I'll get to browse in a used book store, but have the feeling it will be quite unsafe as far as number of books hauled home.

Hooray for your hummingbird!

Not so hooray on your knee bean. I hope the anti-inflammatory does the trick.

>264 richardderus: Potentially having a back up option is good for sure. I definitely enjoyed my caffeine. Now it's time for left-over Instant Pot Chicken and Potato Soup - a recipe of my sister's - so tasty. I think I'll make some garlic toast to go with it.

>265 streamsong: Hi Janet. I'm mostly reading mysteries/thrillers but did really enjoy The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.

I've taken one dose of meloxicam and my knee has hardly hurt all day. Psychological or real, I'll take it.

Morning, Karen. Happy Sunday! We have had a decent amount of rain, so it is keeping me indoors. It seems like it will be mostly dry today but everything will be muddy. One thing is for sure, everything is beginning to bloom and bud.

I am glad the meloxicam is helping.

'Morning, Mark! I just took another meloxicam. The doctor suggested starting with one a day and seeing if that was enough, but I woke up in the night after having only taken one yesterday and have already decided to take one in the morning and one at night.

Spring's springing, eh? I hope it dries out soon so you can have a good jaunt soon.

Morning, Karen!

Yay for medicine that works!

'Morning, Amber!

I've never shied away from taking prescription medicine, and certainly was glad for drugs when I had my daughter!

>270 karenmarie: Amen, sister friend!

Hi Karen, I'm happy to see that the meloxicam agrees with you.
How is the spring springing "down there" in NC? It's spring snowstorm time here, huge sticky blobs and hovering around zero. As a westcoast kid, I really struggle with prairie "spring".

This is from my garden in yesterday's warmish sunshine ~ aptly named Scilla siberica

Good luck with the anti-inflamatory drug. I'm also one of those that would prefer a one-off solution, but knee surgeries have been increasingly controversial lately, based on statistical efficacy. It wouldn't hurt(!) to get a second opinion, but watch out for orthopedic surgeons. As my PCP said, they tend to emphasize the 'surgeon' part of their specialty!

Hi Karen.

So sorry to hear about your knee. Luckily there is a solution in medication.

>273 ffortsa: I have one artificial knee and am very happy with it. It cured not only my knee pain but also my back and hip pain. I would not hesitate for one minute if my second knee needed surgery too. I had a quick recovery and hardly any pain.

I had both of my knees replaced in 2013 and I regularly thank them for the wonderful difference they've made in my life. I can't kneel comfortably but otherwise I can walk, bend, twist, etc. and they never, ever hurt. I'm very glad I had them done.

>271 scaifea: 👍

>272 SandyAMcPherson: So far so good, Sandy. Right now, 11 hours after taking it, my right knee didn’t pop when I got up from the couch and isn’t hurting at all. Being a baby, however, I've already decided to take it twice a day.

Spring is springing – trees leafing out and thus pollen, dogwoods and redbuds in bloom. The forsythia has passed. The Solomon’s Seal is rising like a tide in the north flower bed (pic tomorrow if I can remember), and soon the Crepe Myrtles will leaf out and I won’t be able to see the birds hanging around the feeders any more. It’s 72F (22.2C) now, at 8 p.m., going down to a low of 12.8C tonight. Tomorrow will be beautiful at 77F (25C) with low humidity. Yikes about your prairie ‘spring’ with a snowstorm. I’m reconciled to having not had snow this winter. Maybe next year.

Your Scilla siberica are beautiful delicate little things.

>273 ffortsa: Thanks, Judy. If/when the meloxicam doesn’t work, I’ll make sure that the surgical option Sandy mentioned above gets mentioned to an orthopedic surgeon. This wouldn’t be a knee replacement, since my GP insists my knee isn’t ‘worn out’, but an Arthroscopy-Assisted Fabella Excision. Isn’t that the bee’s knees, so to speak?

>274 connie53: Hi Connie! Good to know about the knee surgery helping your hip, too. They’re all connected, for sure.

>275 RebaRelishesReading: Wow, Reba, both. So glad you’re pleased with the surgeries.

…
I wrote a President’s Email Blast for the Friends today with a couple of goals in mind: reporting on how the two donation campaigns have gone so far this year, reminding people that even with the Library open the Friends are not yet accepting book donations, letting folks know that the Book sort Team will be meeting to discuss the possibility of having a book sale this year, needing a new Board Secretary, At Large Members, and a Book Sale Team Volunteer Coordinator, plus always reminding folks about how to renew memberships and make donations. Finally, we’re going to conduct a survey of our membership, first one EVER to my knowledge, to see what’s important to our members. My go-to reader/critic and her husband loved what I wrote with a few small word-smithy changes, which pleases me. I'll be getting the final numbers and links inserted in the next several days then work with our webmaster to send it to everybody in our Wild Apricot database Wednesday or Thursday. I also published the March Board Meeting minutes and the April Agenda, reminding folks that our next Board meeting is April 19th.

And I’m reading #32 of 47 in the Nero Wolfe series, Plot It Yourself. I vaguely recall reading it aeons ago, but don’t remember much about it.

>276 karenmarie: Hope your knees hold up, Karen. Problems with knees and hips are things we don't expect to look forward to in our 2nd half century of life. x

*smooch*

Hmmph. I'm not at all charmed by the little bean and wish it were not there. Otoh, I'm glad that the meloxicam is keeping it quiet and hopeful that it will continue to do so for long years.

Nothing else penetrates my sleep fog, so I'm off to bed. Good night, Karen!

Morning, Karen. We visited friends both Saturday & Sunday, hanging out playing games and sharing a few beverages. Sue put out some peanuts yesterday and we got a couple of blue jays. They love those peanuts in the shell.
Heading out with my birding buddies in a just a bit...

Glad those meds seem to be working.

>276 karenmarie: nice work, Madame President. I love the idea of a survey.
Wild Apricot?

>277 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul, I hope so, too. It’s disturbing to think of myself either walker-bound or wheel-chair bound, although if it comes to it that’s the way it will be. But I envision that years down the road, if at all. I find it … amusing, interesting, irritating … that we’ve come so far with drugs and surgeries and knowledge of what foods are good and bad for us we expect our bodies to hold up without talking back to us. How dare my knee give me such fits when I’m only 67? *smile*

>278 richardderus: *smooch* back’atcha, RDear.

>279 LizzieD: I wish it wasn’t there although it was probably minding its own business until the arthritis in my knee started interacting with it. Only 2 days in, but the meloxicam is amazing. It’s helping with all sorts of little achy-inflammatory things.

>280 msf59: ‘Morning, Mark, and happy good-birding day. In fact, looks like you’ve got good weather all week. There are whole peanut feeders – just sayin’.

Thanks re the meloxicam.

>281 lauralkeet: Thank you, Laura. I hope it gives us information to help us educate our membership, give them benefits they want, and let them tell us things in the free-text part that we may or may not want to hear.

Wild Apricot is the stupidest name ever for a very good system. Here’s their blurb:

Contributing to a better world by helping nonprofits and associations fulfill their purpose.

At Wild Apricot, we help small membership organizations grow by providing you with the resources and tools to run your organizations effectively. Our affordable and easy-to-use cloud software lets you manage membership, website, events, and more all through your browser.

Online membership and donation renewals, event planning and ticket management, volunteer coordination, an online store (possible future use for selling books), good email/communications system. For the number of members we have, we pay $1748/year, discounted 10% by paying it annually instead of monthly.

...
Ah, coffee.

>281 lauralkeet: I agree. The survey is a brilliant idea. Good for you, Karen.
In my experience the library director here could care less what the patrons want. No survey has ever appeared on the horizon. The FoL seem to be completely disbanded these days.

>283 SandyAMcPherson: Thanks, Sandy. I need to give most of the credit to our Membership Chair, but my President's Email is the best way to get it out.

We've had some disastrous Librarians here, early in my stint on the Board of the Friends, but once we got Rita as Branch Librarian, the Library has come into the 21st Century. We're lucky to have her, even if she wants more money each year than we really can afford to give.

We've also had some less-than stellar Presidents of the Friends. I've heard several folks say that Board Meetings were frequently shouting matches. Not on my watch!

Here are the Solomon's Seal - I just took this picture and was able to capture some perfectly lit by morning sunlight.

>284 karenmarie: Gorgeous clump.
My Solomon's Seal wandered widely but never made a nice 'stand'. It might be drought-stressed in a very dry shade garden. Hard to compete with the spruce trees ~ such a moisture-robbing root system.

A new work-week is here. I'm going to dip in at any moment and do some chores. Your Solomon's seal photo reminded me that the daffodils Judi planted in some garden plots are in full bloom. They are lovely.

>285 SandyAMcPherson: Thanks, Sandy. We have no other plants there except begonias and the irritatingly-frequent black walnut volunteer.

>286 weird_O: Hi Bill. Beautiful daffs. I hope you get inspired to do the chores – all I’ve gotten done today is a shower, breakfast, and starting a load of laundry.

From Paul’s thread, I’ve been inspired to (finally) pull Life of Pi and either read it, or abandon and deaccesion it. I’m hoping to read it, obviously, since I’ve given it shelf space for the last 14 years.

Here’s a great bit from the introduction.

Unfortunately, the novel sputtered, coughed and died. It happened in Matheran, not far from Bombay, a small hill station with some monkeys but no tea estates. It’s a misery peculiar to would-be writers. Your theme is good, as are your sentences. Your characters are so ruddy with life they practically need birth certificates. The plot you’ve mapped out for them is grand, simple and gripping. You’ve done your research, gathering the facts – historical, social, climatic, culinary – that will give your story its feel of authenticity. The dialogue zips along, crackling with tension. The descriptions burst with colour, contrast and telling detail. Really, your story can only be great. But it all adds up to nothing. In spite of the obvious, shining promise of it, there comes a moment when you realize that the whisper that has been pestering you all along form the back of your mind is speaking the flat, awful truth: it won’t work. An element is missing, that spark that brings to life a real story, regardless of whether the history or the food is right. Your story is emotionally dead, that’s the crux of it. The discovery is something soul-destroying, I tell you. It leaves you with an aching hunger.

Thanks for explaining Wild Apricot to me, Karen.

I've been thrilled with the Loudoun County Library system so far. My library experience took a big step backwards when we moved from the southeastern PA suburbs into Philly. The suburban system worked pretty well for what I used it for, which was mostly holds. I assumed a big city library system would be inherently better, and while Philly had an excellent calendar of author events (pre-COVID), the branches were in disrepair and hold fulfillment was awful: you'd reach the front of the line and then wait forever for the book to be ready for pickup. So imagine my delight when my first Loudoun County hold was fulfilled within days. Squeeee! We also attended a great online talk last week about birds, co-sponsored with a wildlife agency. They haven't yet resumed working with volunteers but I'm keeping my eyes open for opportunities.

"Wild Apricot" is indeed a stupid name for a company that does such good work. Then again so is "Goop" and it's hugely successful. *shrug*

Probably going to sleep soon what with these blinkin' allergies so see ya tomorrow.

>287 karenmarie: Oh, I hope you love Life of Pi as much as I did. It's a stand-out favorite for me.

-Barn Swallow (NMP)

Morning, Karen. We had a good birding buddy outing yesterday. A new place for me. A big marshy area. 5 FOY birds, including this barn swallow. Tree swallows have all ready arrived but we have been waiting for these guys. Several other highlights but 18-20 American White Pelicans, (Not FOY) was a treat. I did get a few photos but did not process anything yet. Heading out again shortly.

Hooray for Life of Pi! I am also a big fan.

Morning, Karen! Just getting caught up...

>288 lauralkeet: You’re welcome, Laura. I’m happy to hear that the Loudoun County Library system pleases you. Sometimes smaller is better for sure.

>289 richardderus: I’m sure Wild Apricot’s name is meaningful to the folks who designed and built it, but I’ve never been able to figure out its meaning.

Poor RD! Allergies are horrible, especially when the only thing that you can take wipes you out.

>290 scaifea: So far so good, Amber. I love the conversational style and am very appreciative of the in-depth discussion of how zoos work, nature vs. captivity, and the psychology of the lion tamer’s dominance. And that’s just in the first 44 pages.

>291 msf59: I love the bird pics you post here and on your thread Mark! 5 FOYs is impressive. Enjoy your outing today. I looked back over my records and Life of Pi was a RL book club selection for the 2002-2003 book club year. I can’t remember what put me off, because I don’t remember even starting it. I’m thinking it will have been my loss for the last 19 years, but better late than never.

…
Coffee. Reading. Perhaps library, grocery store, and pharmacy today.

Wash, our easily-spooked 12-lb boy ginger, did a whole lot of squeaky meowing just now and finally decided it was safe to go out through the kitty door if I held it open.

My college friend Karen, who lives near Bozeman MT wrote a very interesting article about Sand Hill Cranes last week for the Belgrade News. When I visited her in 2018 I only saw one SHC, and that was a juvenile, at a time of year when I should have seen dozens. Major disappointment.

81 years later, crane recovery is a grand success story

For whatever reason, the key to the sun porch will no longer unlock the lock. So I'm staring through these glass panes at my coffee machine, whole bean Pete's coffee, and coffee grinder, which are all sitting artfully arranged on the sun porch table. Mocking me. I'm about to climb on the roof and drill a hole through the shingles to reach my sweet sweet caffeine.

Torture! Cruelty to new home owners!

I hope you can get access sooner than later.

>294 SomeGuyInVirginia: ...or you could pile into the car and get Starbucks...

I'm not excited about allergy season at any time, but if it has to coincide with something, dank rainy greyness is preferable to cloudless breezy sunshine. So there's that.

Karen, I love your "the good, the bad, and the ugly" bit at the top of your thread. All so true.

I read Life of Pi quite a while ago and loved it. I did not remember that bit from the introduction. It might go on the reread stack. For, you know, after retirement. :-)

Our little ginger boy continues to be both a love and a pain in the rear. He is a needy little cat. And I adore him. I really love our morning time, me with my mug of coffee and a book, him sprawled happily on my lap. It allows P to sleep for another couple hours, too, so that is good.

Have a great rest of the week!

>293 karenmarie: The SH crane story was interesting. Thanks for the link, Karen.

Traditionally, it was over-hunting that decimated the population at the times there were habitat stressors (the droughty 1930's). We see the SHC in our province in great numbers now, probably upwards of 10,000 in a flock. Hunting is permitted although we don't care for the meat, so simply admire nature's gift.

Many hunters are too blind (or selfish) to distinguish between Whooping cranes (endangered) and SH cranes. I think a special license should have to be earned to hunt SHC, so that there's less chance of shooting the Whoopers.

These latter are easy to identify once your eye is trained. They are magnificent birds. Sadly, only about 600 hundred survive in the wild. While that's an improvement over the numbers in the 1940's (only 21 Whooping Cranes existed in the world), it is a fragile population because the birds need protection all along their migration to and from their wintering grounds on the Texas Gulf Coast and Wood Buffalo National Park on the border between Alberta and the Northwest Territories.

Just saying... they are such a gift to hear as they fly overhead. I've only once seen them at rest on a slough, eating frogs and little fishes.

Here's some birding info for those who may like to know more. And some photography records from last year are here.

>296 richardderus: Starbucks. Hmmm. Haven’t had it since I visited Peggy in 2019. I don’t even know where the closest one is. But in a pinch, to go coffee would have to do, wouldn't it?

*smooch* in sympathy to the allergies

>297 EBT1002: Hi Ellen, and thanks. I’ve only read another 11 pages, being busy with visiting the Library, pharmacy, and grocery store, but anticipate much more reading time later this evening and tomorrow.

You’ll be building up quite a big new reads and re-reads list for Retirement. Ah, Carson. Such a sweet boy. Our gingers are quite wonderful, aren’t they? Even when they drive us nuts. Good that he hangs with you so P can sleep in. I never quite got the knack of relaxing with coffee and a book before heading off to work, but any other time of the day is beverage and book time. The rest of this week will be a bit of FoL kerfuffle and possible tax check writing. Haven’t heard back from our accountant yet.

>298 SandyAMcPherson: You’re welcome, Sandy! Very interesting info re Whooping Cranes and Sand Hill Cranes. I did not realize there were so few Whooping Cranes in the world. Those photos and the article are fascinating.

Off to make thread number 5…