karenmarie: a new normal with lots of books - VII
This is a continuation of the topic karenmarie: a new normal with lots of books - VI.
This topic was continued by karenmarie: a new normal with lots of books - lucky thread VIII!.
Talk 75 Books Challenge for 2021
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1karenmarie
Welcome to my seventh thread of Twenty Twenty-one.
This is my dad’s and my birth month. Six hours earlier and I would have been born on his birthday. This is the 100th anniversary of his birth year.
The Good: Books, family, friends, kitties. Vaccinations and a few forays socially. A decent man in the White House. Our three county libraries have re-opened and are now back on their pre-pandemic schedule. Jenna has landed a full-time-with-benefits job at the Biltmore Farms Hotels in Asheville NC and is currently going back and forth from Wilmington to Asheville, with a Mom-and-Dad-and-kitties overnight stay each time until she gets moved to Asheville later this month.
The Bad: The coronavirus mutates, people get complacent. The vaccines are not available worldwide. And WTF is it with people not wanting to get vaccinated? Gun violence is beyond out of control.
The Ugly: The country is polarized. t**** is still spewing poison from Florida and the Gang of Psychos is still in his thrall. Incredibly, the certifiably insane t**** is talking about getting reinstated as President in August. And the senior Senator from WVA needs to stop sabotaging the party he’s nominally a member of.
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 meet again. I am President for our local Friends of the Library (henceforth abbreviated FoL). We will be having our first in-person Board meeting since last March on the 21st of June. The book sale team has met and we’re discussing sale options for the fall.
I have been married to Bill for 30 years and am mother to Jenna, almost 28. Bill and I live in our own little corner of paradise on 8 acres in central North Carolina USA.
We have three kitties. Current pictures of all three. L to R: Inara, Zoe, Wash.
.
No theme for pictures although I do like posting ones of family members. Omaha, Nebraska, in the 1910s. Top row, L-R, are my 2nd-great Aunt Nellie, her sister/my great-grandmother Alice - and Alice's daughter/my grandmother Nellie, named after her aunt. Second step down is my great uncle Karl’s wife Ella, daughter-in-law of Alice. Unfortunately, the picture wasn’t labeled so I don’t know who the others are or why the pic was taken. I do know that it was taken at the house my father grew up in on Seward Street.
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.
.
.
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 38 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.
This is my dad’s and my birth month. Six hours earlier and I would have been born on his birthday. This is the 100th anniversary of his birth year.
The Good: Books, family, friends, kitties. Vaccinations and a few forays socially. A decent man in the White House. Our three county libraries have re-opened and are now back on their pre-pandemic schedule. Jenna has landed a full-time-with-benefits job at the Biltmore Farms Hotels in Asheville NC and is currently going back and forth from Wilmington to Asheville, with a Mom-and-Dad-and-kitties overnight stay each time until she gets moved to Asheville later this month.
The Bad: The coronavirus mutates, people get complacent. The vaccines are not available worldwide. And WTF is it with people not wanting to get vaccinated? Gun violence is beyond out of control.
The Ugly: The country is polarized. t**** is still spewing poison from Florida and the Gang of Psychos is still in his thrall. Incredibly, the certifiably insane t**** is talking about getting reinstated as President in August. And the senior Senator from WVA needs to stop sabotaging the party he’s nominally a member of.
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 meet again. I am President for our local Friends of the Library (henceforth abbreviated FoL). We will be having our first in-person Board meeting since last March on the 21st of June. The book sale team has met and we’re discussing sale options for the fall.
I have been married to Bill for 30 years and am mother to Jenna, almost 28. Bill and I live in our own little corner of paradise on 8 acres in central North Carolina USA.
We have three kitties. Current pictures of all three. L to R: Inara, Zoe, Wash.
.
No theme for pictures although I do like posting ones of family members. Omaha, Nebraska, in the 1910s. Top row, L-R, are my 2nd-great Aunt Nellie, her sister/my great-grandmother Alice - and Alice's daughter/my grandmother Nellie, named after her aunt. Second step down is my great uncle Karl’s wife Ella, daughter-in-law of Alice. Unfortunately, the picture wasn’t labeled so I don’t know who the others are or why the pic was taken. I do know that it was taken at the house my father grew up in on Seward Street.
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.
.
.
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 38 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.
2karenmarie
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
February
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
March
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
April
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
34. Life of Pi by Yann Martel 4/12/21 4/15/21 325 pages trade paperback
35. Never Caught by Erica Armstrong Dunbar 4/16/21 201 pages hardcover
36. Three at Wolfe's Door by Rex Stout 4/18/21 4/19/21 184 pages hardcover
37. Up the Down Staircase by Bel Kaufman 4/19/21 4/20/21 355 pages trade paperback
38. Too Many Clients by Rex Stout 4/20/21 4/22/21 188 pages mass market paperback
39. The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell 4/22/21 4/24/21 340 pages hardcover
**abandoned What Angels Fear by C.S. Harris 186 pages read
**abandoned North Carolina as a Civil War Battleground 1861-1865 by John Gilchrist Barrett 71 pages read, rest missing
May
40. An Unnecessary Woman by Rabih Alameddine 4/29/21 5/2/21 291 pages trade paperback
41. The Final Deduction by Rex Stout 5/3/21 5/5/21 188 pages mass market paperback
42. Out of Bounds by Val McDermid 5/5/21 5/7/21 421 pages trade paperback
43. The Widow of the South by Robert Hicks 5/8/21 5/13/21 418 pages hardcover
44. Swimming Lessons by Claire Fuller 5/13/21 5/17/21 350 pages hardcover
45. Homicide Trinity by Rex Stout 5/18/21 5/19/21 205 pages mass market paperback
46. North Carolina as a Civil War Battleground 1861-1865 by John Gilchrist Barrett 4/30/21 5/20/21 99 pages trade paperback
47. Out of Bounds by Val McDermid 5/21/21 5/24/21 419 pages trade paperback
**abandoned yet again - sigh - Emma by Jane Austen 69 pages
48. Gambit by Rex Stout 5/25/21 5/26/21 206 pages Kindle
49. Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination That Changed America Forever by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard 5/24/21 5/29/21 295 pages hardcover
June
50. Don't Let Go by Harlan Coben 6/1/21 6/2/21 347 pages hardcover
51. The Mother Hunt by Rex Stout 6/2/21 6/4/21 213 pages mass market paperback
**abandoned Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots 150 pages
52. Still Life by Val McDermid 6/4/21 6/7/21 434 pages hardcover
53. Last Seen Wearing by Hillary Waugh 6/7/21 6/9/21 214 pages trade paperback
54. Case Pending by Dell Shannon 6/9/21 6/12/21 215 pages trade paperback
**abandoned Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell 39 pages
**abandoned Archaeology From Space by Sarak Parcak 25 pages
**abandoned Moby Dick by Herman Melville 93 pages
55. Trio for Blunt Instruments by Rex Stout 6/12/21 6/13/21 200 pages mass market paperback
56. A Right to Die by Rex Stout 6/13/21 6/15/21 194 pages mass market paperback
57. The Doorbell Rang by Rex Stout 6/16/21 6/17/21 207 pages hardcover
58. Death of a Doxy by Rex Stout 6/18/21 6/19/21 155 pages mass market paperback
59. The Father Hunt by Rex Stout 6/19/21 6/20/21 182 pages hardcover 1968
60. Bonecrack by Dick Francis 6/14/21 6/20/21 240 pages mass market paperback
61. Death of a Dude by Rex Stout 6/20/21 6/26/21 200 pages mass market paperback
62. Please Pass the Guilt by Rex Stout 6/26/21 6/27/21 168 pages mass market paperback
63. A Family Affair by Rex Stout 6/27/21 6/29/21 167 pages mass market paperback
64. Death Times Three by Rex Stout 6/29/21 6/30/21 243 pages trade paperback
**abandoned The Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich 58 pages
July
65. The Murderer's Daughters by Randy Susan Meyers 7/2/21 7/7/21 307 pages hardcover
66. Archie Meets Nero Wolfe by Robert Goldsborough 7/7/21 7/9/21 223 pages trade paperback
67. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig 7/9/21 7/11/21 304 pages hardcover
68. Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit 7/2/21 7/11/21 154 pages trade paperback
Currently Reading:
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
February
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
March
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
April
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
34. Life of Pi by Yann Martel 4/12/21 4/15/21 325 pages trade paperback
35. Never Caught by Erica Armstrong Dunbar 4/16/21 201 pages hardcover
36. Three at Wolfe's Door by Rex Stout 4/18/21 4/19/21 184 pages hardcover
37. Up the Down Staircase by Bel Kaufman 4/19/21 4/20/21 355 pages trade paperback
38. Too Many Clients by Rex Stout 4/20/21 4/22/21 188 pages mass market paperback
39. The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell 4/22/21 4/24/21 340 pages hardcover
**abandoned What Angels Fear by C.S. Harris 186 pages read
**abandoned North Carolina as a Civil War Battleground 1861-1865 by John Gilchrist Barrett 71 pages read, rest missing
May
40. An Unnecessary Woman by Rabih Alameddine 4/29/21 5/2/21 291 pages trade paperback
41. The Final Deduction by Rex Stout 5/3/21 5/5/21 188 pages mass market paperback
42. Out of Bounds by Val McDermid 5/5/21 5/7/21 421 pages trade paperback
43. The Widow of the South by Robert Hicks 5/8/21 5/13/21 418 pages hardcover
44. Swimming Lessons by Claire Fuller 5/13/21 5/17/21 350 pages hardcover
45. Homicide Trinity by Rex Stout 5/18/21 5/19/21 205 pages mass market paperback
46. North Carolina as a Civil War Battleground 1861-1865 by John Gilchrist Barrett 4/30/21 5/20/21 99 pages trade paperback
47. Out of Bounds by Val McDermid 5/21/21 5/24/21 419 pages trade paperback
**abandoned yet again - sigh - Emma by Jane Austen 69 pages
48. Gambit by Rex Stout 5/25/21 5/26/21 206 pages Kindle
49. Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination That Changed America Forever by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard 5/24/21 5/29/21 295 pages hardcover
June
50. Don't Let Go by Harlan Coben 6/1/21 6/2/21 347 pages hardcover
51. The Mother Hunt by Rex Stout 6/2/21 6/4/21 213 pages mass market paperback
**abandoned Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots 150 pages
52. Still Life by Val McDermid 6/4/21 6/7/21 434 pages hardcover
53. Last Seen Wearing by Hillary Waugh 6/7/21 6/9/21 214 pages trade paperback
54. Case Pending by Dell Shannon 6/9/21 6/12/21 215 pages trade paperback
**abandoned Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell 39 pages
**abandoned Archaeology From Space by Sarak Parcak 25 pages
**abandoned Moby Dick by Herman Melville 93 pages
55. Trio for Blunt Instruments by Rex Stout 6/12/21 6/13/21 200 pages mass market paperback
56. A Right to Die by Rex Stout 6/13/21 6/15/21 194 pages mass market paperback
57. The Doorbell Rang by Rex Stout 6/16/21 6/17/21 207 pages hardcover
58. Death of a Doxy by Rex Stout 6/18/21 6/19/21 155 pages mass market paperback
59. The Father Hunt by Rex Stout 6/19/21 6/20/21 182 pages hardcover 1968
60. Bonecrack by Dick Francis 6/14/21 6/20/21 240 pages mass market paperback
61. Death of a Dude by Rex Stout 6/20/21 6/26/21 200 pages mass market paperback
62. Please Pass the Guilt by Rex Stout 6/26/21 6/27/21 168 pages mass market paperback
63. A Family Affair by Rex Stout 6/27/21 6/29/21 167 pages mass market paperback
64. Death Times Three by Rex Stout 6/29/21 6/30/21 243 pages trade paperback
**abandoned The Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich 58 pages
July
65. The Murderer's Daughters by Randy Susan Meyers 7/2/21 7/7/21 307 pages hardcover
66. Archie Meets Nero Wolfe by Robert Goldsborough 7/7/21 7/9/21 223 pages trade paperback
67. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig 7/9/21 7/11/21 304 pages hardcover
68. Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit 7/2/21 7/11/21 154 pages trade paperback
Currently Reading:
Religious Literacy by Stephen Prothero 5/5/21 244 pages hardcover 2007
Cumin, Camels, and Caravans by Gary Paul Nabhan 276 pages hardcover 2014 - Sandy McPherson
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
3karenmarie
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
41. Kindle - Gentlemen Prefer Blondes by Anita Loos
42. Kindle - Legion by Brandon Sanderson
43. Mark - We Keep the Dead Close by Becky Cooper
44. Kindle - Medieval People by Eileen Edna Power - saw it on Mamie's thread
45. Amazon - Prodigal Son by Gregg Hurwitz
46. Kindle - The Chronicles of Barsetshire by Anthony Trollope - recommended by lauralkeet
47. Amazon - The Queen's Gambit by Walter Tevis
48. Kindle - Theresa Marchmont or, the Maid of Honour by Mrs. Gore9
February
49. Amazon - Deacon King Kong by James McBride
50. friend Karen - the President's Shadow by Brad Meltzer
51. friend Louise - Sworn to Silence by Linda Castillo
52. FoL member Marian - Pray for Silence by Linda Castillo
53. FoL member Marian - Breaking Silence by Linda Castillo
54. FoL member Marian - Gone Missing by Linda Castillo
55. FoL member Marian - Her Last Breath by Linda Castillo
56. FoL member Marian - The Dead Will Tell by Linda Castillo
57. FoL member Marian - After the Storm by Linda Castillo
58. FoL member Marian - Among the Wicked by Linda Castillo
59. FoL member Marian - Down a Dark Road by Linda Castillo
60. FoL member Marian - Shamed by Linda Castillo
61. Amazon - Cumin, Camels, and Carabans by Gary Paul Nabhan
62. Amazon - Drive Your Plows Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk
63. Amazon - A Darker Domain by Val McDermid
64. Kindle - My Soul to Keep by Tananarive Due
March
65. friend Jan - Remains of Innocence by J.A. Jance
66. friend Jan - Dead Wrong by J.A. Jance
67. Kindle - The Decameron by Giovanni Boccacio
68. Circle City Books - Bootlegger's Daughter by Margaret Maron
69. Amazon - The Skeleton Road by Val McDermid
70. Amazon - The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
71. Amazon - The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
72. Amazon - Win by Harlan Coben
73. Kindle - Castle Rackrent by Maria Edgeworth
74. Sanford book store - Shooting at Loons by Margaret Maron
75. Sanford book store - Death's Half Acre by Margaret Maron
76. friend Pam Dennis - A Very English Scandal by John Preston
77. friend Pam Dennis - The Hand That First Held Mine by Maggie O'Farrell
April
78. Amazon - Too Many Clients by Rex Stout
79. Amazon - Refusal by Felix Felix Francis
80. Amazon - The Survivors - Jane Harper
81. Amazon - Blue Nights by Joan Didion
82. Amazon - e.e. cumming: the Growth of a Writer by Norman Friedman
83. found on my shelves - don't know how I acquired it - Defending Jacob by William Landay
84. Kindle - Mystery Mile by Margery Allingham
85. Amazon - What Angels Fear by C. S. Harris
86. Amazon - The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman
87. Amazon - Out of Bounds by Val McDermid
88. Thrift Shop - The Golem of Hollywood by Jonathan Kellerman and Jesse Kellerman
89. Thrift Shop - Lady Cop Makes Trouble by Amy Stewart
90. Thrift Shop - Beneath the Skin by Nicci French
91. Thrift Shop - Land of the Living by Nicci French
92. Thrift Shop - The Crocodile Bird by Ruth Rendell
93. Thrift Shop - A Visit from the Good Squad by Jennifer Egan
94. Thrift Shop - Wait Wait... I'm Not Done Yet! by Carl Kasell
95. Amazon - The Final Deduction by Rex Stout
May
96. Amazon - Homicide Trinity by Rex Stout
97. Amazon - Blind Justice by Bruce Alexander
98. Amazon - Nomadland by Jessica Bruder
99. Amazon - The Code Breaker by Walter Isaacson
100. Amazon - Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots
101. Thrift Shop - The Mirror & the Light by Hilary Mantel
102. Thrift Shop - Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
103. Thrift Shop - The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer
104. Thrift Shop - Frederica by Georgette Heyer
105. Library of Congress Shop - Last Seen Wearing by Hillary Waugh
106. Library of Congress Shop - The Silent Bullet by Arthur B. Reeve
rather than renumbering from January and February,
107. Amazon - Archaeology From Space by Sarah Parcak
108. friend Roni - Dangerous Visions by Harlan Ellison
109. Kindle - A Duke, the Lady, and a Baby: A Multi-Cultural Historical Regency Romance by Vanessa Riley
110. Amazon - Train by Pete Dexter
111. Amazon - Broken Ground by Val McDermid
112. Amazon - North Carolina as a Civil War Battleground 1861-1865 by John Gilchrist Barrett - replacement for copy that mysteriously stopped at page 71 and culled
113. Kindle - The Jungle by Sinclair Lewis - Mark
114. Thrift Shop - Crisis by Felix Francis
115. Thrift Shop - Later by Stephen King
116. Friends donations reject - The Beat Book: Writings from the Beat Generation edited by Anne Waldman
117. Friends donations reject - Adventures in American Literature 1952
118. Kindle - Gambit by Rex Stout
119. Amazon - The Children of Pride by Robert Manson Myers
120. Thrift Shop - Parade's End by Ford Madox Ford
121. Thrift Shop - More Letters from Pemberly by Jane Dawkins
122. Thrift Shop - Rituals of the Season by Margaret Maron
123. Thrift Shop - Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow
124. Thrift Shop - Theodore Roosevelt by Nathan Miller
125. Amazon - Still Life by Val McDermid
126. Kindle - Virginia Woolf: The Complete Works
June
127. Friend Jessica - The Love Girl and the Innocent: Victory Celebrations. Prisoners by Alexander Solzhenitsyn
128. Thrift Shop - Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
129. Thrift Shop - The Parrots by Filippo Bologna
130. Amazon - A Right to Die by Rex Stout
131. Amazon - Death Times Three by Rex Stout
132. ER - The Hawaiian Romance of Laieikawai by S.N. Hale'ole
133. Amazon - The Dead Letter by Seeley Regester
134. Amazon - I Am I Am I Am by Maggie O'Farrell
135 - 137. Kindle - first three Miss Silver mysteries by Patricia Wentworth - Grey Mask, The Case is Closed, Lonesome Road
138. Univ of Chicago Press - The Daily Jane Austen: A Year of Quotes by Jane Austen
139. Univ of Chicago Press - Socrates and the Fat Rabbis by Daniel Boyarin
140. Amazon - 1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed: Revised and Updated by Eric H. Cline
141. Univ of Chicago Press - Knossos and the Prophets of Modernism by Cathy Gere
142. Univ of Chicago Press - American Indians: Fourth Edition (The Chicago History of American Civilization) by William T. Hagan
143. Univ of Chicago Press - Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things by Lafcadio Hearn
144. Amazon - The Royal Wulff Murders by Keith McCafferty
145. Univ of Chicago Press - Rattling Spears: A History of Indigenous Australian Art by Ian McLean
146. Univ of Chicago Press - Who Freed the Slaves?: The Fight over the Thirteenth Amendment by Leonard L. Richards
147. Univ of Chicago Press - Ties That Bound: Founding First Ladies and Slaves by Marie Jenkins Schwartz
148. Univ of Chicago Press - A Village with My Name: A Family History of China's Opening to the World by Scott Tong
149. Univ of Chicago Press - The Thousand-Year Flood: The Ohio-Mississippi Disaster of 1937 by David Welky
150. Amazon - The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness by Simon Wiesenthal
151. Amazon - Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz
152. Friend Tamsie - The Elements of a Home by Amy Azzarito
153. Friend Tamsie - Midland Club by Mark Spano
154. Friend Tamsie - Cats Cats Cats edited by S. Gross
155. Friend Tamsie - Dead Feminists: Historic Heroines in Living Color by Chandler O'Leary and Jessica Spring
156. friend Tamsie - White Fragility by Robin Diangelo
157. book sale room reject - Unger's Bible Dictionary by Merrill F. Unger
July
158. friend Louise - American Sherlock by Kate Winkler Dawson
159. Ann Sanders - The American Heritage Cookbook and illustrated History of American Eating & Drinking by editors, American Heritage
160. Ann Sanders - Trinity Treats: A Collection of Recipes by The Woman's Society of Christian Service
161. Ann Sanders - Aunt Bee's Delightful Desserts by Ken Beck and Jim clark
162. Ann Sanders - Eating with Etta Cookbook Holiday Recipes by Etta L. Broaddus, R.D.
163. Ann Sanders - The Williamsburg Art of Cookery or, Accomplish'd Gentlewoman's Companion by Mrs. Helen Bullock
164. Ann Sanders - Birds of North Carolina by Thomas Gilbert Pearson
165. Ann Sanders - Marcus Aurelius by Marcus Aurelius
166. Ann Sanders - Endangered and Threatened Wildlife of Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee by Warren Parker and Laura Dixon
167. Ann Sanders - Japanese Proverbs and traditional phrases by Jeff Hill
168. Ann Sanders - Joy of Cooking by Irma Rombauer
169. Ann Sanders - Guide To Ecclesiastical Birdwatching by LeRoy Koopman
170. Ann Sanders - The Illustrated Encyclopedia of American Cooking by editors, Favorite Recipes Press
171. sister Laura - The Harbinger by Jonathan Kahn
172. Amazon - Archie meets Nero Wolfe by Robert Goldsborough
173. Amazon - The Midnight Diary by Matt Haig
**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
41. Kindle - Gentlemen Prefer Blondes by Anita Loos
42. Kindle - Legion by Brandon Sanderson
43. Mark - We Keep the Dead Close by Becky Cooper
44. Kindle - Medieval People by Eileen Edna Power - saw it on Mamie's thread
45. Amazon - Prodigal Son by Gregg Hurwitz
46. Kindle - The Chronicles of Barsetshire by Anthony Trollope - recommended by lauralkeet
47. Amazon - The Queen's Gambit by Walter Tevis
48. Kindle - Theresa Marchmont or, the Maid of Honour by Mrs. Gore9
February
49. Amazon - Deacon King Kong by James McBride
50. friend Karen - the President's Shadow by Brad Meltzer
51. friend Louise - Sworn to Silence by Linda Castillo
52. FoL member Marian - Pray for Silence by Linda Castillo
53. FoL member Marian - Breaking Silence by Linda Castillo
54. FoL member Marian - Gone Missing by Linda Castillo
55. FoL member Marian - Her Last Breath by Linda Castillo
56. FoL member Marian - The Dead Will Tell by Linda Castillo
57. FoL member Marian - After the Storm by Linda Castillo
58. FoL member Marian - Among the Wicked by Linda Castillo
59. FoL member Marian - Down a Dark Road by Linda Castillo
60. FoL member Marian - Shamed by Linda Castillo
61. Amazon - Cumin, Camels, and Carabans by Gary Paul Nabhan
62. Amazon - Drive Your Plows Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk
63. Amazon - A Darker Domain by Val McDermid
64. Kindle - My Soul to Keep by Tananarive Due
March
65. friend Jan - Remains of Innocence by J.A. Jance
66. friend Jan - Dead Wrong by J.A. Jance
67. Kindle - The Decameron by Giovanni Boccacio
68. Circle City Books - Bootlegger's Daughter by Margaret Maron
69. Amazon - The Skeleton Road by Val McDermid
70. Amazon - The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
71. Amazon - The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
72. Amazon - Win by Harlan Coben
73. Kindle - Castle Rackrent by Maria Edgeworth
74. Sanford book store - Shooting at Loons by Margaret Maron
75. Sanford book store - Death's Half Acre by Margaret Maron
76. friend Pam Dennis - A Very English Scandal by John Preston
77. friend Pam Dennis - The Hand That First Held Mine by Maggie O'Farrell
April
78. Amazon - Too Many Clients by Rex Stout
79. Amazon - Refusal by Felix Felix Francis
80. Amazon - The Survivors - Jane Harper
81. Amazon - Blue Nights by Joan Didion
82. Amazon - e.e. cumming: the Growth of a Writer by Norman Friedman
83. found on my shelves - don't know how I acquired it - Defending Jacob by William Landay
84. Kindle - Mystery Mile by Margery Allingham
85. Amazon - What Angels Fear by C. S. Harris
86. Amazon - The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman
87. Amazon - Out of Bounds by Val McDermid
88. Thrift Shop - The Golem of Hollywood by Jonathan Kellerman and Jesse Kellerman
89. Thrift Shop - Lady Cop Makes Trouble by Amy Stewart
90. Thrift Shop - Beneath the Skin by Nicci French
91. Thrift Shop - Land of the Living by Nicci French
92. Thrift Shop - The Crocodile Bird by Ruth Rendell
93. Thrift Shop - A Visit from the Good Squad by Jennifer Egan
94. Thrift Shop - Wait Wait... I'm Not Done Yet! by Carl Kasell
95. Amazon - The Final Deduction by Rex Stout
May
96. Amazon - Homicide Trinity by Rex Stout
97. Amazon - Blind Justice by Bruce Alexander
98. Amazon - Nomadland by Jessica Bruder
99. Amazon - The Code Breaker by Walter Isaacson
100. Amazon - Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots
101. Thrift Shop - The Mirror & the Light by Hilary Mantel
102. Thrift Shop - Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
103. Thrift Shop - The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer
104. Thrift Shop - Frederica by Georgette Heyer
105. Library of Congress Shop - Last Seen Wearing by Hillary Waugh
106. Library of Congress Shop - The Silent Bullet by Arthur B. Reeve
rather than renumbering from January and February,
107. Amazon - Archaeology From Space by Sarah Parcak
108. friend Roni - Dangerous Visions by Harlan Ellison
109. Kindle - A Duke, the Lady, and a Baby: A Multi-Cultural Historical Regency Romance by Vanessa Riley
110. Amazon - Train by Pete Dexter
111. Amazon - Broken Ground by Val McDermid
112. Amazon - North Carolina as a Civil War Battleground 1861-1865 by John Gilchrist Barrett - replacement for copy that mysteriously stopped at page 71 and culled
113. Kindle - The Jungle by Sinclair Lewis - Mark
114. Thrift Shop - Crisis by Felix Francis
115. Thrift Shop - Later by Stephen King
116. Friends donations reject - The Beat Book: Writings from the Beat Generation edited by Anne Waldman
117. Friends donations reject - Adventures in American Literature 1952
118. Kindle - Gambit by Rex Stout
119. Amazon - The Children of Pride by Robert Manson Myers
120. Thrift Shop - Parade's End by Ford Madox Ford
121. Thrift Shop - More Letters from Pemberly by Jane Dawkins
122. Thrift Shop - Rituals of the Season by Margaret Maron
123. Thrift Shop - Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow
124. Thrift Shop - Theodore Roosevelt by Nathan Miller
125. Amazon - Still Life by Val McDermid
126. Kindle - Virginia Woolf: The Complete Works
June
127. Friend Jessica - The Love Girl and the Innocent: Victory Celebrations. Prisoners by Alexander Solzhenitsyn
128. Thrift Shop - Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
129. Thrift Shop - The Parrots by Filippo Bologna
130. Amazon - A Right to Die by Rex Stout
131. Amazon - Death Times Three by Rex Stout
132. ER - The Hawaiian Romance of Laieikawai by S.N. Hale'ole
133. Amazon - The Dead Letter by Seeley Regester
134. Amazon - I Am I Am I Am by Maggie O'Farrell
135 - 137. Kindle - first three Miss Silver mysteries by Patricia Wentworth - Grey Mask, The Case is Closed, Lonesome Road
138. Univ of Chicago Press - The Daily Jane Austen: A Year of Quotes by Jane Austen
139. Univ of Chicago Press - Socrates and the Fat Rabbis by Daniel Boyarin
140. Amazon - 1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed: Revised and Updated by Eric H. Cline
141. Univ of Chicago Press - Knossos and the Prophets of Modernism by Cathy Gere
142. Univ of Chicago Press - American Indians: Fourth Edition (The Chicago History of American Civilization) by William T. Hagan
143. Univ of Chicago Press - Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things by Lafcadio Hearn
144. Amazon - The Royal Wulff Murders by Keith McCafferty
145. Univ of Chicago Press - Rattling Spears: A History of Indigenous Australian Art by Ian McLean
146. Univ of Chicago Press - Who Freed the Slaves?: The Fight over the Thirteenth Amendment by Leonard L. Richards
147. Univ of Chicago Press - Ties That Bound: Founding First Ladies and Slaves by Marie Jenkins Schwartz
148. Univ of Chicago Press - A Village with My Name: A Family History of China's Opening to the World by Scott Tong
149. Univ of Chicago Press - The Thousand-Year Flood: The Ohio-Mississippi Disaster of 1937 by David Welky
150. Amazon - The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness by Simon Wiesenthal
151. Amazon - Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz
152. Friend Tamsie - The Elements of a Home by Amy Azzarito
153. Friend Tamsie - Midland Club by Mark Spano
154. Friend Tamsie - Cats Cats Cats edited by S. Gross
155. Friend Tamsie - Dead Feminists: Historic Heroines in Living Color by Chandler O'Leary and Jessica Spring
156. friend Tamsie - White Fragility by Robin Diangelo
157. book sale room reject - Unger's Bible Dictionary by Merrill F. Unger
July
158. friend Louise - American Sherlock by Kate Winkler Dawson
159. Ann Sanders - The American Heritage Cookbook and illustrated History of American Eating & Drinking by editors, American Heritage
160. Ann Sanders - Trinity Treats: A Collection of Recipes by The Woman's Society of Christian Service
161. Ann Sanders - Aunt Bee's Delightful Desserts by Ken Beck and Jim clark
162. Ann Sanders - Eating with Etta Cookbook Holiday Recipes by Etta L. Broaddus, R.D.
163. Ann Sanders - The Williamsburg Art of Cookery or, Accomplish'd Gentlewoman's Companion by Mrs. Helen Bullock
164. Ann Sanders - Birds of North Carolina by Thomas Gilbert Pearson
165. Ann Sanders - Marcus Aurelius by Marcus Aurelius
166. Ann Sanders - Endangered and Threatened Wildlife of Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee by Warren Parker and Laura Dixon
167. Ann Sanders - Japanese Proverbs and traditional phrases by Jeff Hill
168. Ann Sanders - Joy of Cooking by Irma Rombauer
169. Ann Sanders - Guide To Ecclesiastical Birdwatching by LeRoy Koopman
170. Ann Sanders - The Illustrated Encyclopedia of American Cooking by editors, Favorite Recipes Press
171. sister Laura - The Harbinger by Jonathan Kahn
172. Amazon - Archie meets Nero Wolfe by Robert Goldsborough
173. Amazon - The Midnight Diary by Matt Haig
4karenmarie
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
10. Champagne for One by Rex Stout
20. The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep by H. G. Parry
21. What Angels Fear by C.S. Harris blech
22. North Carolina as Civil War Battleground 1861-1865 by John Gilchrist Barrett - missing pages
bye-bye J.A. Vance!
23. Betrayal of Trust by J. A. Jance
24. Cold Betrayal by J. A. Jance
25. Cruel Intent by J. A. Jance
26. Day of the Dead by J. A. Jance
27. Dead Wrong by J. A. Jance
28. Deadly Stakes by J. A. Jance
29. Deadly Stakes by J. A. Jance I do not know why I had two copies. bad inventory control. *smile*
30. Failure to Appear by J. A. Jance
31. Injustice for All by J. A. Jance
32. Left for Dead by J. A. Jance
33. Partner in Crime by J. A. Jance
34. Remains of Innocence by J. A. Jance
35. Second Watch by J. A. Jance
36. Taking the Fifth by J. A. Jance
37. Trial by Fury by J. A. Jance
38. Until Proven Guilty by J. A. Jance
39. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel - will never, ever read this trilogy
40. Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel - ditto
41. The Mirror & The Light by Hilary Mantel - ditto
42. Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots - nope. Not my cuppa.
43. Forgiveness by Simon Wiesenthal - duplicate
44. The Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich - urp. Boring.
45. We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates
46. Sheer Abandon by Penny Vincenzi
47. The Civil War: A Narrative, Vol. 1: Fort Sumter to Perryville by Shelby Foote, audiobook missing disc 7
48. The Civil War: A Narrative, Vol. 2: Fredericksburg to Meridian by Shelby Foote - don't like narrator, and because disc 8 is missing can't continue with vol 1 anyway
49. A Kingdom of Dreams by Judith McNaught
50. Almost Heaven by Judith McNaught
51. Every Breath You Take by Judith McNaught
52. Once and Always by Judith McNaught
53. Someone to Watch Over Me by Judith McNaught
54. Something Wonderful by Judith McNaught
55. Until You by Judith McNaught
56. Whitney, My Love by Judith McNaught
57. Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice
58. Servant of the Bones by Anne Rice
59. The Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice
60. The Tale of the Body Thief by Anne Rice
61. The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice
62. Violin by Anne Rice
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
10. Champagne for One by Rex Stout
20. The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep by H. G. Parry
21. What Angels Fear by C.S. Harris blech
22. North Carolina as Civil War Battleground 1861-1865 by John Gilchrist Barrett - missing pages
bye-bye J.A. Vance!
23. Betrayal of Trust by J. A. Jance
24. Cold Betrayal by J. A. Jance
25. Cruel Intent by J. A. Jance
26. Day of the Dead by J. A. Jance
27. Dead Wrong by J. A. Jance
28. Deadly Stakes by J. A. Jance
29. Deadly Stakes by J. A. Jance I do not know why I had two copies. bad inventory control. *smile*
30. Failure to Appear by J. A. Jance
31. Injustice for All by J. A. Jance
32. Left for Dead by J. A. Jance
33. Partner in Crime by J. A. Jance
34. Remains of Innocence by J. A. Jance
35. Second Watch by J. A. Jance
36. Taking the Fifth by J. A. Jance
37. Trial by Fury by J. A. Jance
38. Until Proven Guilty by J. A. Jance
39. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel - will never, ever read this trilogy
40. Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel - ditto
41. The Mirror & The Light by Hilary Mantel - ditto
42. Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots - nope. Not my cuppa.
43. Forgiveness by Simon Wiesenthal - duplicate
44. The Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich - urp. Boring.
45. We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates
46. Sheer Abandon by Penny Vincenzi
47. The Civil War: A Narrative, Vol. 1: Fort Sumter to Perryville by Shelby Foote, audiobook missing disc 7
48. The Civil War: A Narrative, Vol. 2: Fredericksburg to Meridian by Shelby Foote - don't like narrator, and because disc 8 is missing can't continue with vol 1 anyway
49. A Kingdom of Dreams by Judith McNaught
50. Almost Heaven by Judith McNaught
51. Every Breath You Take by Judith McNaught
52. Once and Always by Judith McNaught
53. Someone to Watch Over Me by Judith McNaught
54. Something Wonderful by Judith McNaught
55. Until You by Judith McNaught
56. Whitney, My Love by Judith McNaught
57. Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice
58. Servant of the Bones by Anne Rice
59. The Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice
60. The Tale of the Body Thief by Anne Rice
61. The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice
62. Violin by Anne Rice
5karenmarie
Statistics Through June 30
64 books read
20 of them on my shelves before 01/01/2021 and not rereads
9 books abandoned, 813 pages abandoned
18576 pages read
20 audiobook hours 20
Avg pages read per day, YTD = 103
Avg pages read per book, YTD = 290
Book of the month: Still Life by Val McDermid
Books Read By Month
January 6
February 10
March 13
April 10
May 10
June 15
Author
Male 61%
Female 39%
Living 52%
Dead 48%
US Born 67%
Foreign Born 33%
Platform
Hardcover 44%
Trade Pback 23%
Mass Market 28%
Audiobook 2%
e-Book 3%
Source
My Library 86%
Library 9%
Other 5%
Misc
ARC/ER 2%
Re-read 20%
Series 61%
Fiction 91%
NonFiction 9%
New to Me Authors 21
Author Birth Country
England 16%
Germany 2%
Jordan 2%
Scotland 11%
Spain 2%
US 67%
Wales 2%
Original Decade Published
1890s 2%
1910s 2%
1920s 2%
1950s 6%
1960s 25%
1970s 5%
1980s 5%
1990s 5%
2000s 12%
2010s 18%
2020s 18%
Category
Adventure 3%
Biography 0%
Chrestomathy 0%
Contemporary Fiction 5%
Fantasy 8%
Historical Fiction 5%
Humor 2%
Informational Nonfiction 8%
Memoir 2%
Mystery 44%
Poetry 0%
Science Fiction 0%
Suspense 0%
Thriller 23%
Book Acquisition Date
2007 - Joined LT, added 1853 books 10
2008 1
2009 1
2010 1
2012 1
2016 2
2018 8
2019 1
2020 6
2021 24
borrowed from friends 3
Library 6
Rating
2.5 - Average 1
3 - Good 6
3.5 - Very Good 14
4 - Excellent 32
4.5 - Stunning 11
3.86 - YTD Average
64 books read
20 of them on my shelves before 01/01/2021 and not rereads
9 books abandoned, 813 pages abandoned
18576 pages read
20 audiobook hours 20
Avg pages read per day, YTD = 103
Avg pages read per book, YTD = 290
Book of the month: Still Life by Val McDermid
Books Read By Month
January 6
February 10
March 13
April 10
May 10
June 15
Author
Male 61%
Female 39%
Living 52%
Dead 48%
US Born 67%
Foreign Born 33%
Platform
Hardcover 44%
Trade Pback 23%
Mass Market 28%
Audiobook 2%
e-Book 3%
Source
My Library 86%
Library 9%
Other 5%
Misc
ARC/ER 2%
Re-read 20%
Series 61%
Fiction 91%
NonFiction 9%
New to Me Authors 21
Author Birth Country
England 16%
Germany 2%
Jordan 2%
Scotland 11%
Spain 2%
US 67%
Wales 2%
Original Decade Published
1890s 2%
1910s 2%
1920s 2%
1950s 6%
1960s 25%
1970s 5%
1980s 5%
1990s 5%
2000s 12%
2010s 18%
2020s 18%
Category
Adventure 3%
Biography 0%
Chrestomathy 0%
Contemporary Fiction 5%
Fantasy 8%
Historical Fiction 5%
Humor 2%
Informational Nonfiction 8%
Memoir 2%
Mystery 44%
Poetry 0%
Science Fiction 0%
Suspense 0%
Thriller 23%
Book Acquisition Date
2007 - Joined LT, added 1853 books 10
2008 1
2009 1
2010 1
2012 1
2016 2
2018 8
2019 1
2020 6
2021 24
borrowed from friends 3
Library 6
Rating
2.5 - Average 1
3 - Good 6
3.5 - Very Good 14
4 - Excellent 32
4.5 - Stunning 11
3.86 - YTD Average
6karenmarie
June’s Lightning Round
Don’t Let Go by Harlan Coben 6/1/21 6/2/21
Don’t Let Go by Harlan Coben 6/1/21 6/2/21
Tightly plotted and interesting characters, but ultimately seemed dated even though it was published in 2017. It was a good two days of reading candy, though.The Mother Hunt by Rex Stout 6/2/21 6/4/21
Interesting premise, very interesting client. The motive was questionable, and it’s amazing that so many people didn’t put a particular person on a list. Entertaining, though, and Wolfe hiding out at the client’s house was more than amusing. Who knew it takes 40 minutes to make scrambled eggs?Still Life by Val McDermid 6/4/21 6/7/21
The interesting thing about McDermid’s style is that by the time you’re near the denouement, every single thing you know about the crime, the victim, and the suspect seems inevitable. You forget the false starts, dead ends, red herrings, and shock you would have felt if you’d been told at the beginning where it would all lead. The writing is seamless, intriguing, addictive. And now there’s a long wait for the next in the series.Last Seen Wearing by Hillary Waugh 6/7/21 6/9/21 214 pages trade paperback
One of the first police procedurals. Well done, with an abrupt and satisfying ending. The police were not bound by procedure so it’s a bit jarring – a rather rough interview, an un-search-warranted search, etc. However, the clues pan out, the story moves forward logically, and that bad guy is discovered. I particularly liked the Chief of Police’s reconstruction of the crime.Trio for Blunt Instruments by Rex Stout 6/12/21 6/13/21
Three novellas:A Right to Die by Rex Stout 6/13/21 6/15/21
1. Kill Now – Pay Later. So forgettable that by the time I had finished Murder is Corny I couldn’t remember it at all.
2. Murder is Corny. Better write this one down quickly – Archie is accused of being at a murder scene by a woman who thinks he’ll have an alibi. He doesn’t and is dragged down to headquarters by Cramer and released on bail. Wolfe feels obligated to prove Archie’s innocence so he won’t be minus his sidekick, and solves the murder. The woman, Sue McLeod, is as ditsy as they come, a real stereotypical disappointment, and Archie’s comments about her are disappointingly stereotypical too.
3. Blood Will Tell. Interesting mystery wherein a blood-stained tie is sent to Archie. Everybody’s in love with somebody not their spouse, and this is one of the first instances I remember reading abouta murderer keeping a trophy.
Unflinching look at race relations in 1964 in NYC.The Doorbell Rang by Rex Stout 6/16/21 6/17/21
A woman buys 10000 copies of an expose of the FBI and mails them out. The FBI doesn’t like it, she’s harassed, and she hires Wolfe to stop the harassment and give the FBI a black eye. Wolfe and Archie come through beautifully, andDeath of a Doxy by Rex Stout 6/18/21 6/19/21the hiring of Wolfe and Archie lookalikes, who are brought in in orchid boxes, is a treat.
Who killed the kept woman? One of the suspects is Orrie Cather, and although Wolfe, Archie, Saul Panzer, and Fred Durkin don’t particularly like Orrie, none of them think he’s guilty.The Father Hunt by Rex Stout 6/19/21 6/20/21
A young woman wants to find out who her father is after her mother is murdered and she finds almost a quarter of a million dollars in a box in her mother’s apartment. Excellent. Layered, intelligent, Wolfe and Archie at their best.Bonecrack by Dick Francis 6/14/21 6/120/21
Interesting riff on fathers and sons and their problems. Neil Griffon takes over for his father when his father breaks his leg and can’t manage his stable. Another father forces Neil to take his son in to become a jockey. The beginning was a bit rough withDeath of a Dude by Rex Stout 6/20/21 6/26/21a horse having to be put down . Adequate, not sensational.
One of my least favorite in the series, Archie is visiting Lily in Montana when a man is murdered. Archie stays to help find the murderer when the wrong man is jailed, Wolfe can’t be without Archie as long as it seems to be taking, and the mountain comes to Mohamed, as Wolfe puts it. Wolfe in Montana is a treat, but the mystery relies on other places action.Please Pass the Guilt by Rex Stout 6/26/21 6/27/21
All the right elements – rich client, many suspects, Archie, Saul, Fred, and Orrie on the case, and Wolfe grumbling about having to work. It didn’t spark with me, although Archie fishing for flounder with a suspect was amusing.A Family Affair by Rex Stout 6/27/21 6/29/21 167
This is the last Nero Wolfe book published by Stout in his lifetime, a month before he passed away. It is as saucy and witty and full of life as the first one only now we know Wolfe, Archie, Saul, Fred, Orrie, Theodore, and Fritz much better. Cramer, too. A fine end to a stunning, marvelous series.Death Times Three by Rex Stout 6/29/21 6/30/21I thought my mind was playing tricks on my in an earlier book when Orrie Cather was arrested for murder but didn’t do it. I distinctly remembered a book where Orrie was guilty of murder but by the time I got to this last Nero Wolfe book published in Rex Stout’s lifetime thought that I was wrong. However, it turns out that my memory had not played me false and Wolfe, Archie, Saul, and Fred, are devastated when they figure out that Orrie has killed three people.
Three novellas published 10 years after Stout died:
1. Bitter End. Excellent plot yet I honestly feel as if it wasn’t written by Stout. Several things seemed off – Archie’s reactions, Wolfe’s words, and there only being 3000 orchids.
2. Frame-up For Murder. Clever use of technology to try to get away with murder. Still a bit off on Archie and Wolfe’s words and behavior.
3. Assault on a Brownstone. This is actually a second version of a novella in Homicide Trinity, book 36, Counterfeit for Murder: Archie is Buster and Wolfe is Falstaff to Hattie Annis, an eccentric and feisty old lady who hires Wolfe to make the cops eat dirt. She’s also warm-hearted and doesn’t suffer fools gladly. She almost gets run over and won’t eat the food the cops offer when she’s held as a material witness overnight. Easily the best part of this one, although the cast of characters is vivid and entertaining.
In Assault on a Brownstone, it is Hattie Annis’s actually being run over that gets Buster involved. I prefer the one with Hattie alive and feisty, although Wolfe putting his considerable bulk against the front door to keep Inspector Cramer out is a great visual.
7karenmarie
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
9karenmarie
Welcome!!!
11richardderus
What >10 quondame: said
12SomeGuyInVirginia
I'm in!
14jessibud2
Happy new thread, Karen.
>8 karenmarie: is perfect (except in my case, there is no husband to say no). Works for me. :-)
>8 karenmarie: is perfect (except in my case, there is no husband to say no). Works for me. :-)
16SomeGuyInVirginia
You know, one of the things I like most about having my own place is that now I can buy hardback books again.
17PaulCranswick
Happy new one, Karen.
18streamsong
Happy #7! Wow!
19karenmarie
>10 quondame: Thanks, Susan.
>11 richardderus: See response to Susan, RDear. *smooch*
>12 SomeGuyInVirginia: Yay Larry!
>13 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita. I would imagine the viciously humid summers in Nebraska contributed to the wearing of white.
>14 jessibud2: Thank you, Shelley. One less voice telling you no.
>15 drneutron: Thanks, Jim!
>16 SomeGuyInVirginia: You have that lovely finished basement room to turn into a Library. No more Traveling Library!
>17 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul!
>18 streamsong: Thanks, Janet! I know. *blinks* I’m thrilled.
…
Dueling coffee makers this morning – Bill and I were dodging each other to grind coffee and get water for our respective coffee makers. I always win, though – I have a Bunn and he doesn’t (by choice). Coffee nirvana with the first few sips.
>11 richardderus: See response to Susan, RDear. *smooch*
>12 SomeGuyInVirginia: Yay Larry!
>13 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita. I would imagine the viciously humid summers in Nebraska contributed to the wearing of white.
>14 jessibud2: Thank you, Shelley. One less voice telling you no.
>15 drneutron: Thanks, Jim!
>16 SomeGuyInVirginia: You have that lovely finished basement room to turn into a Library. No more Traveling Library!
>17 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul!
>18 streamsong: Thanks, Janet! I know. *blinks* I’m thrilled.
…
Dueling coffee makers this morning – Bill and I were dodging each other to grind coffee and get water for our respective coffee makers. I always win, though – I have a Bunn and he doesn’t (by choice). Coffee nirvana with the first few sips.
20msf59
Happy Saturday, Karen. Happy New Thread! We are moving my FIL from his dumpy little apartment to a retirement village. He will be in a much better place and it will 15-20 minutes closer to us. Sue has been busting her butt cleaning and helping him pack. He is not very healthy. Hopefully, we will be done around noon or so. It supposed to be pretty hot and humid.
Enjoy your weekend, my friend.
Enjoy your weekend, my friend.
21karenmarie
Hi Mark, and happy Saturday to you too.
Yup, #7 in the hit parade. I'm happy.
Good luck getting your FiL moved into the retirement village. Closer, not dumpy, and much better for him.
Our weekend will be quiet, as is the case most of the time. I like being less busy and less involved because of the pandemic and am already feeling a tad irritated at people wanting to socialize. I like my little corner of paradise reading and NOT doing much. Harrumph.
Jenna will be coming back through on Monday night after attending a friend's wedding, then have to be in Asheville on the 15th to pay for her first month's pro-rated rent and get her keys to move in.
Yup, #7 in the hit parade. I'm happy.
Good luck getting your FiL moved into the retirement village. Closer, not dumpy, and much better for him.
Our weekend will be quiet, as is the case most of the time. I like being less busy and less involved because of the pandemic and am already feeling a tad irritated at people wanting to socialize. I like my little corner of paradise reading and NOT doing much. Harrumph.
Jenna will be coming back through on Monday night after attending a friend's wedding, then have to be in Asheville on the 15th to pay for her first month's pro-rated rent and get her keys to move in.
23SomeGuyInVirginia
I know Jenna will have a great time in Asheville, it's such a fun town and there's so much to do. That was the first place I looked when I was buying a house, but it was simply too expensive for me.
Ha! My reaction to the post-pandemic has been the exact opposite. I'm being super social, at least as much as I can be not knowing many people in the area. I've also liked exploring the little towns surrounding Lynchburg. Sometimes I'll recognize a house that was for sale at the same time I was looking at this place. One place I saw was next door to the Amherst public Library. That was a huge selling point for me, but the house was old and had been flipped. When I looked at Google Street view it showed the house before the flippers, and it was a mess.
One thing I do really miss is the Fairfax County library system. The Lynchburg library just doesn't compete. It may get better, I've only been to the main branch of the Lynchburg city library, but there are city run libraries and county run libraries. That reminds me that I need to get a card for the county library and see if I can get a card for the colleges in town. The main branch that I was in was older, kind of dark, and in a marginal section of town. It's also a hike. When I was living in Alexandria I passed two libraries on the way to Costco, which was just a few miles away.
Ha! My reaction to the post-pandemic has been the exact opposite. I'm being super social, at least as much as I can be not knowing many people in the area. I've also liked exploring the little towns surrounding Lynchburg. Sometimes I'll recognize a house that was for sale at the same time I was looking at this place. One place I saw was next door to the Amherst public Library. That was a huge selling point for me, but the house was old and had been flipped. When I looked at Google Street view it showed the house before the flippers, and it was a mess.
One thing I do really miss is the Fairfax County library system. The Lynchburg library just doesn't compete. It may get better, I've only been to the main branch of the Lynchburg city library, but there are city run libraries and county run libraries. That reminds me that I need to get a card for the county library and see if I can get a card for the colleges in town. The main branch that I was in was older, kind of dark, and in a marginal section of town. It's also a hike. When I was living in Alexandria I passed two libraries on the way to Costco, which was just a few miles away.
24LizzieD
Happy new thread! Happy weekend!!! I really, really should pull a lot of those 70s and 80s mysteries, but I couldn't quite bring myself to do it yet even if I were home and able to. Oh well. (I love to see "for Peggy" in your culled list. One day!!!!!)
25richardderus
Hey there Hermitlady I mean Horrible! *smooch*
>23 SomeGuyInVirginia: When you choose to live in Neck'a'Nowhere, these are the compromises you accept....
>23 SomeGuyInVirginia: When you choose to live in Neck'a'Nowhere, these are the compromises you accept....
26weird_O
Hi Karen. Number 7 is way beyond me. But I'm okay with that.
Still reading The Song of Achilles, with a side of Great French Paintings from the Barnes Foundation. And just a few hundred TBRs glaring at me. I had a stack of all the books I've read this year. Couple of nights ago, I was startled by a crash. Yeah, the top of the stack toppled. Gotta find a empty corner for the stack, where the books can have support. Of course, I have no photos, so maybe it didn't happen.
Good to read life is being good for you and Bill and Jenna.
Still reading The Song of Achilles, with a side of Great French Paintings from the Barnes Foundation. And just a few hundred TBRs glaring at me. I had a stack of all the books I've read this year. Couple of nights ago, I was startled by a crash. Yeah, the top of the stack toppled. Gotta find a empty corner for the stack, where the books can have support. Of course, I have no photos, so maybe it didn't happen.
Good to read life is being good for you and Bill and Jenna.
27karenmarie
>22 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie. So far so good…
>23 SomeGuyInVirginia: You’re in a new town in your charming-looking new home. Makes sense to be out and about. I completely shut down early on in the pandemic, not wanting to make Jenna an orphan. Now we’re all vaccinated and it’s okay to be out and about. I’m still wearing a mask, though. Haven’t been challenged, fortunately, by anti-mask police.
>24 LizzieD: Hi Peggy! Thank you.
I’m going to cull some Judith McNaught romances I won’t read ever again. For TBRs I’ve still got some shelf space in the built-in bookcase in Bill’s Media Room but it’s getting very tight in the Sunroom and Library.
>25 richardderus: Hiya, RD! *smooch*
>26 weird_O: Glad you’re stopping in for a visit. Only a few hundred TBRs glaring at you? Haven’t you bought a few hundred just this year? *smile*
Yes, life’s being good right now. Of course there will always be something… just not right now.
…
I just finished another Library of Congress Crime Classics – Case Pending by Dell Shannon. It will be a Lightning round review.
I’ve read four, have two on my shelves tbr, and have number six, not yet published, due next week. It’s been a lot of fun so far to read this series and get exposed to authors I otherwise haven’t heard of or read.
>23 SomeGuyInVirginia: You’re in a new town in your charming-looking new home. Makes sense to be out and about. I completely shut down early on in the pandemic, not wanting to make Jenna an orphan. Now we’re all vaccinated and it’s okay to be out and about. I’m still wearing a mask, though. Haven’t been challenged, fortunately, by anti-mask police.
>24 LizzieD: Hi Peggy! Thank you.
I’m going to cull some Judith McNaught romances I won’t read ever again. For TBRs I’ve still got some shelf space in the built-in bookcase in Bill’s Media Room but it’s getting very tight in the Sunroom and Library.
>25 richardderus: Hiya, RD! *smooch*
>26 weird_O: Glad you’re stopping in for a visit. Only a few hundred TBRs glaring at you? Haven’t you bought a few hundred just this year? *smile*
Yes, life’s being good right now. Of course there will always be something… just not right now.
…
I just finished another Library of Congress Crime Classics – Case Pending by Dell Shannon. It will be a Lightning round review.
I’ve read four, have two on my shelves tbr, and have number six, not yet published, due next week. It’s been a lot of fun so far to read this series and get exposed to authors I otherwise haven’t heard of or read.
29SandyAMcPherson
Hi Karen.
Enjoyed catching up...
I liked that photo in the topper. I have a similar one of my Grandmother with her Mother and we guess, her 3 sisters. The girls are all in white dresses, kind of like in the photo you have.
There were some other women as well, who aren't named.
Heck, what am I saying! no one was named! My aunt helped identify a couple of the girls as sisters (my great aunts).
The weird thing is how special photos were in those days, yet there were never any photos with names or dates or *anything*. And so many photos not mounted in an album so we could have at least had a chronological progression.
OK, sorry, 'chatty-cathy' and all. This here's a new thread so I hope you have fun filling it up.
Enjoyed catching up...
I liked that photo in the topper. I have a similar one of my Grandmother with her Mother and we guess, her 3 sisters. The girls are all in white dresses, kind of like in the photo you have.
There were some other women as well, who aren't named.
Heck, what am I saying! no one was named! My aunt helped identify a couple of the girls as sisters (my great aunts).
The weird thing is how special photos were in those days, yet there were never any photos with names or dates or *anything*. And so many photos not mounted in an album so we could have at least had a chronological progression.
OK, sorry, 'chatty-cathy' and all. This here's a new thread so I hope you have fun filling it up.
30msf59
Morning, Karen. Happy Sunday. My FIL's move went surprisingly well and we made it all in one trip and we were done by noon. My son and SIL were especially helpful. Of course Sue stayed to after 6, to help him unpack.
No birding for me this weekend, but we are expecting more comfortable weather next week, so I plan on getting out a lot. My feeders continue to be quiet, so nothing to report there.
No birding for me this weekend, but we are expecting more comfortable weather next week, so I plan on getting out a lot. My feeders continue to be quiet, so nothing to report there.
31karenmarie
>28 Berly: Hi Kim, and thanks!
>29 SandyAMcPherson: Hi Sandy. You’re right about photos – so few of them are ever labeled. You bring up a good point, so keep on chattin’!
Funny story – when we went to my grandmother’s 90th Birthday in 1999 we stayed at my Uncle and Aunt’s house. One day a box of pictures got brought out. None were labeled, but Grandma and my Aunt Edith would look at a photo and say “Oh, that’s a Becicka!” or “Those are the Joseph Zvaceks.” They could tell by the facial features. I thought it was uncanny but remembered that this was isolated Iowa farming country realized that there were few families nearby and they knew them all. (Mom’s side of the family immigrated from Bohemia in the 1860s. I’m 50% Czech-American. Hence the unusual names.)
‘Morning, Mark! Happy Sunday to you, too, and I’m glad your FiL’s settled in. Not much going on at the feeders here, although right this second I’ve got a female Cardinal, a female Cowbird, and an LBB. Yesterday somebody crashed into the window and (fortunately) flew away. Oh. On Friday I saw a Great Blue Heron at the pond on the way into town.
>29 SandyAMcPherson: Hi Sandy. You’re right about photos – so few of them are ever labeled. You bring up a good point, so keep on chattin’!
Funny story – when we went to my grandmother’s 90th Birthday in 1999 we stayed at my Uncle and Aunt’s house. One day a box of pictures got brought out. None were labeled, but Grandma and my Aunt Edith would look at a photo and say “Oh, that’s a Becicka!” or “Those are the Joseph Zvaceks.” They could tell by the facial features. I thought it was uncanny but remembered that this was isolated Iowa farming country realized that there were few families nearby and they knew them all. (Mom’s side of the family immigrated from Bohemia in the 1860s. I’m 50% Czech-American. Hence the unusual names.)
‘Morning, Mark! Happy Sunday to you, too, and I’m glad your FiL’s settled in. Not much going on at the feeders here, although right this second I’ve got a female Cardinal, a female Cowbird, and an LBB. Yesterday somebody crashed into the window and (fortunately) flew away. Oh. On Friday I saw a Great Blue Heron at the pond on the way into town.
33richardderus
Sunday orisons, Horrible, and hat lovely musings on family connections and interconnectivity.
34karenmarie
>32 BLBera: Thanks, Beth!
>33 richardderus: Hi RD.
Speaking of connections and interconnectivity - I recently received a fund-raising letter from my mother's maternal family's long-time church in Iowa. They knew just how to snag me - picture of the Quilt in the Church Living Room, each square containing the stitched signature of one of the members of the Johanna Society. They highlighted my Great-Grandmother's. The fund-raising literature also has two photos of the group, one from 1932 and one from 1968, both of which have my g-grandma. One also has my g-aunt, and the fundraising committee is co-chaired by a first cousin once removed. Can't/don't want to give much, but I'm appreciative.
>33 richardderus: Hi RD.
Speaking of connections and interconnectivity - I recently received a fund-raising letter from my mother's maternal family's long-time church in Iowa. They knew just how to snag me - picture of the Quilt in the Church Living Room, each square containing the stitched signature of one of the members of the Johanna Society. They highlighted my Great-Grandmother's. The fund-raising literature also has two photos of the group, one from 1932 and one from 1968, both of which have my g-grandma. One also has my g-aunt, and the fundraising committee is co-chaired by a first cousin once removed. Can't/don't want to give much, but I'm appreciative.
35SandyAMcPherson
>34 karenmarie: That's a pretty cool fundraising approach. Sure would hook me! Not that I would necessarily be anything but a token donor. Marketing this way with the family touch, is very effective. Better than most begging-letters. Nice story. Thanks.
36karenmarie
Oh, my donation is only token, but I included a note that said in honor of my g-grandmother, my g-aunt, and my cousin. I suppose if I was Christian I might be inclined to give more money, but since I'm not I won't.
37LovingLit
You have abandoned Hamnet and Moby Dick! Will you save them for another time? Or are you done. I had planned on reading both, one day.
38msf59
Morning, Karen. I liked the bird feeder report from yesterday and hooray for the GBH sighting. After taking the weekend off, I am heading out on a bird stroll. A bit cooler here today.
39karenmarie
>37 LovingLit: Hi Megan! They're tucked safely onto shelves just waiting for the right time. Moby Dick is a victim of the pandemic - my brain was/is scattered and I found/find comfort in mostly genre reading. Mystery/thriller/suspense are my go-to genre. Hamnet is simply a victim of the new shiny toy displacing the old one - I don't remember what book it was but all of a sudden I was devouring something else. From my list of completed books and timing I think it might have been Sharks in the Time of Saviors.
>38 msf59: 'Morning, Mark. Enjoy your bird stroll. It's 67F here, but going to be nasty later at 90F.
...
Friend Tamsie cancelled on me, so although I still have errands in town I have the entire morning to myself. *happy dance*
>38 msf59: 'Morning, Mark. Enjoy your bird stroll. It's 67F here, but going to be nasty later at 90F.
...
Friend Tamsie cancelled on me, so although I still have errands in town I have the entire morning to myself. *happy dance*
40richardderus
>39 karenmarie: Yay for canceled plans! I always think of canceling as a kindness to the canceled-on, with unexpected free time being their reward.
*smooch*
*smooch*
41LizzieD
Absolutely, congratulations on your serendipitous morning! It's almost gone, I sigh.
As Christians donating to churches: I do, of course. But --- when I find an organization that I think is doing a better job ministering to poor folks, I give more.
As Christians donating to churches: I do, of course. But --- when I find an organization that I think is doing a better job ministering to poor folks, I give more.
42weird_O
>31 karenmarie: Unlabeled family photos are so frustrating. All of my grandparents were members of large families. I was given a photo of my maternal grandmother's family and had my mother identify each person. My grandmother was the youngest of 12, so with spouses and children, there were a lot of people to ID.
43karenmarie
>40 richardderus: I was able to get the rest of the errands done by 12:30 or so. Jenna got here early and is now headed off to one of her best friend's wedding - band friend from high school of the boy type. He's marrying a Laura - my sister's name. Back tonight, then to Asheville tomorrow. She's exhausted, but knows things will settle down soon.
>41 LizzieD: Thanks, Peggy. It was enjoyable. I agree about ministering to the poor being more worthy than some other things as far as donations go.
>42 weird_O: Yay for your mom identifying folks.
>41 LizzieD: Thanks, Peggy. It was enjoyable. I agree about ministering to the poor being more worthy than some other things as far as donations go.
>42 weird_O: Yay for your mom identifying folks.
44johnsimpson
Hi Karen my dear, happy new thread dear friend.
45ursula
I can see Hamnet being an easily-set-aside book. I've almost finished it, maybe tonight. The writing is beautiful, the story is involving, but there's not really a PLOT to drag you through it. I don't get a feeling of "oh my goodness what's going to happen next" so I could see something shiny replacing it!
46msf59
Morning, Karen. It was cool enough to open the house last night. Yah. We get a reprieve for a couple of days but then the heat returns Thursday. Heading out on a guided walk. This guy is really good, with an excellent ear. Maybe I can snag a Lifer!
47SomeGuyInVirginia
I put The Thirteenth Tale back on the shelf. I was enjoying it, but I thought that if I'm going to put the time and effort into reading what wanted to be a Victorian novel, why didn't I just read a Victorian novel? Went to a local bookstore and was looking for The Moonstone but they didn't have it so I bought The Count of Monte Cristo instead.
48richardderus
How do, smoochling. Nothing new to say or to talk about. But I was here, and now I'm not.
49karenmarie
>44 johnsimpson: Hi John! Thank you.
>45 ursula: Hello Ursula. Beautiful writing, involving story are sometimes not enough, although at least you’ll finish it. It was a Christmas present so I’ll keep it and re-try when the time seems right. I have spent most of this year reading mystery/thriller/suspense.
>46 msf59: Hi Mark! Wow. Opening the house up to cool down. That’s what I always did in SoCal, but it just doesn’t work that way here in central NC. Enjoy your guided walk.
>47 SomeGuyInVirginia: Hiya, Larry. Somebody else here on LT has read The Count of Monte Cristo recently, can’t remember who offhand.
Victorian literature isn’t my go-to but I have read The Moonstone. How lovely that you went to a local bookstore, even if they didn’t have the book you wanted.
>48 richardderus: Hey, RD. I ackjnowledge that you were here, and am glad of it.
…
I had a Friends book sale team meeting at the Library this morning and am now home finishing up A Right to Die and dozing.
>45 ursula: Hello Ursula. Beautiful writing, involving story are sometimes not enough, although at least you’ll finish it. It was a Christmas present so I’ll keep it and re-try when the time seems right. I have spent most of this year reading mystery/thriller/suspense.
>46 msf59: Hi Mark! Wow. Opening the house up to cool down. That’s what I always did in SoCal, but it just doesn’t work that way here in central NC. Enjoy your guided walk.
>47 SomeGuyInVirginia: Hiya, Larry. Somebody else here on LT has read The Count of Monte Cristo recently, can’t remember who offhand.
Victorian literature isn’t my go-to but I have read The Moonstone. How lovely that you went to a local bookstore, even if they didn’t have the book you wanted.
>48 richardderus: Hey, RD. I ackjnowledge that you were here, and am glad of it.
…
I had a Friends book sale team meeting at the Library this morning and am now home finishing up A Right to Die and dozing.
50richardderus
>49 karenmarie: AT THE LIBRARY! Wow. Out of the house. Into town. Inside the building.
Weird, this normalcy-returning thing.
Weird, this normalcy-returning thing.
51SomeGuyInVirginia
Oh oh oh! There's a fabulous bookstore in Lynchburg called Givens Books and Little Dickens, and that's where I went. Karen, I'm actually afraid of it because it's so cool. When you walk in the entire right bottom floor is given over to toys and children's books, and I am an absolute fool for very cool kids' toys. And these are such cool toys. Puppets and maps of the heavens and kites, and puppets and stuffed animals, which I think have souls, globes of the moon to use as a night light, and just cool things for kids to mess around with. I did not see one goddamn panda riding a tricycle anywhere, and pandas riding tricycles were huge when I was a kid and I hated them even then. I swear, kids have the coolest stuff to play with.
The store is, I believe, owned by members of my church, the Mormon church. But I went in there and I saw LGBT literature, a hot guy i was pretty sure was gay (or I behaved in an embarrassing manner for no reason at all) searching the stacks. If there's one thing I didn't like about it it was that it didn't have a copy of the Moonstone. Sure, they had a copy of the Woman in White, but if you're going to have two by Willky Collins it just seems natural you'd have the Moonstone first, right? Maybe the other gay guy beat me to it. I'm pretty sure if we met in the men's room he would have beat me to something. But that's me, I'm a people person. Anyway, I was walking around there with a critical eye when I finally realized that I really, really wanted this place to work. I'm even willing to pay *shudder* full retail ( sorry I think I've thrown up a little in my mouth) if it does work.
In a way, my visit to Given's Books was really disappointing. I was in the awe of the Chinese silk dragon kite with the 6 foot tail and the 1/4 scale T-Rex skeleton model in glow in the dark blocks and cornered the guy who was the main buyer for the toys. We talked for several minutes and he told me that the whole store was a family endeavor and completely staffed by family members. Very Mormon, but I was hoping to get a job working there on the weekends, anyway. It really is a very, very cool bookstore.
Actually, I'm going to spend the next two weeks making sure that my brother's safe and has everything he needs, and then I'm going to come back home and live my own life. One of the things I'm going to do is tell Givens Books that they have a really skimpy section for used mystery books and that, yes, they absolutely do need me to help dirt that mess out. I'll need two things first. One) twice the footprint they currently give to used mystery books, and two) a raise.
The store is, I believe, owned by members of my church, the Mormon church. But I went in there and I saw LGBT literature, a hot guy i was pretty sure was gay (or I behaved in an embarrassing manner for no reason at all) searching the stacks. If there's one thing I didn't like about it it was that it didn't have a copy of the Moonstone. Sure, they had a copy of the Woman in White, but if you're going to have two by Willky Collins it just seems natural you'd have the Moonstone first, right? Maybe the other gay guy beat me to it. I'm pretty sure if we met in the men's room he would have beat me to something. But that's me, I'm a people person. Anyway, I was walking around there with a critical eye when I finally realized that I really, really wanted this place to work. I'm even willing to pay *shudder* full retail ( sorry I think I've thrown up a little in my mouth) if it does work.
In a way, my visit to Given's Books was really disappointing. I was in the awe of the Chinese silk dragon kite with the 6 foot tail and the 1/4 scale T-Rex skeleton model in glow in the dark blocks and cornered the guy who was the main buyer for the toys. We talked for several minutes and he told me that the whole store was a family endeavor and completely staffed by family members. Very Mormon, but I was hoping to get a job working there on the weekends, anyway. It really is a very, very cool bookstore.
Actually, I'm going to spend the next two weeks making sure that my brother's safe and has everything he needs, and then I'm going to come back home and live my own life. One of the things I'm going to do is tell Givens Books that they have a really skimpy section for used mystery books and that, yes, they absolutely do need me to help dirt that mess out. I'll need two things first. One) twice the footprint they currently give to used mystery books, and two) a raise.
52SandyAMcPherson
>51 SomeGuyInVirginia: That was a very engaging anecdote. I want to know "what happened next"!
So you be sure to star the reply when you next are in this oh-so-fascinating bookshop. 'Kay?
So you be sure to star the reply when you next are in this oh-so-fascinating bookshop. 'Kay?
53msf59
Morning, Karen. Happy Wednesday. We had a very nice guided walk yesterday, exploring a large prairie. I did get a Henslow's Sparrow which was a Lifer. Savannah Sparrows were abundant, along with several pairs of bobolinks. Have you ever seen these birds? They are beautiful. Unfortunately, I couldn't get a usable photo. I had 37 species but others had 40-plus.
54karenmarie
>51 SomeGuyInVirginia: Oooh, Larry, when I come up to visit, you will have to take me to that book store. It sounds wonderful. I also love that a Mormon-family bookstore has LGBT literature. They absolutely do need you to clean up their used mystery section.
I’m glad Eric’s well enough for you to be able to come back home and live your own life. You’ve been the best-est brother ever, and I’m so glad that you have a good relationship with him.
>52 SandyAMcPherson: Hi Sandy!
>53 msf59: ‘Morning, Mark, and a very happy Wednesday to you. Yay for the Lifer. Bobolinks migrate through NC on their way up to you, but I’ve never ever seen one.
…
Got busy with some Friends book sale calculations (having been Treasurer for the last sale we had in Fall 2019) because we’re thinking of changing how we reward members. Used to be a $3 coupon mailed to them (equivalent of one hardcover) but we’re looking at the idea of discounting by amount of sale.
Time to drink more coffee and do some reading.
I’m glad Eric’s well enough for you to be able to come back home and live your own life. You’ve been the best-est brother ever, and I’m so glad that you have a good relationship with him.
>52 SandyAMcPherson: Hi Sandy!
>53 msf59: ‘Morning, Mark, and a very happy Wednesday to you. Yay for the Lifer. Bobolinks migrate through NC on their way up to you, but I’ve never ever seen one.
…
Got busy with some Friends book sale calculations (having been Treasurer for the last sale we had in Fall 2019) because we’re thinking of changing how we reward members. Used to be a $3 coupon mailed to them (equivalent of one hardcover) but we’re looking at the idea of discounting by amount of sale.
Time to drink more coffee and do some reading.
55richardderus
>54 karenmarie: Happy Humpday Horrible! You were truly in your element, futzing with the numbers, so I know it was a good time.
Read hearty!
>51 SomeGuyInVirginia: There's hot guy ogling to be done in a bookshop?!?
*alexa how much is an uber to virginia*
Read hearty!
>51 SomeGuyInVirginia: There's hot guy ogling to be done in a bookshop?!?
*alexa how much is an uber to virginia*
56LizzieD
Oh that bookstore!!!!!
I think that the rolling discount is what I'd want if I were a FoL member. What a great idea!
Good morning, Karen. I'm sipping coffee #2 before hustling to get things done. Today I am eating take out green curry from Thai Chili with 3, maybe 4, of my dearest local friends - first time since February '20. I'm SO EXCITED!!!!! Then I get to leave while the other 4 play bridge; win/win!
I think that the rolling discount is what I'd want if I were a FoL member. What a great idea!
Good morning, Karen. I'm sipping coffee #2 before hustling to get things done. Today I am eating take out green curry from Thai Chili with 3, maybe 4, of my dearest local friends - first time since February '20. I'm SO EXCITED!!!!! Then I get to leave while the other 4 play bridge; win/win!
57karenmarie
Hi Peggy!
Thanks re the rolling discount - not my idea, but I really like it.
You've become a social butterfly for sure! And you can also avoid the bridge. As you say, win/win.
Enjoy your time out.
Thanks re the rolling discount - not my idea, but I really like it.
You've become a social butterfly for sure! And you can also avoid the bridge. As you say, win/win.
Enjoy your time out.
58EBT1002
>8 karenmarie: LOL! It's true!!
Hi Karen. It has been so lovely to be able to walk into the library and browse, take home books, just be around books!! We are still in the "wear a mask if you are not vaccinated" on the honor system, and I am gradually letting myself not wear a mask. The scientists with whom I work keep reminding us that the vaccines work.
We are having about 15 of my colleagues over this Saturday to sit on the (large) back deck, talking and eating and sipping on beer or wine. We'll be outside and everyone in the group is vaccinated, but still, it's weird to anticipate.
You know, there are many things about retirement to which I look forward but truly the thing I MOST look forward to is moving to a town that has a bookshop!!!!
Hi Karen. It has been so lovely to be able to walk into the library and browse, take home books, just be around books!! We are still in the "wear a mask if you are not vaccinated" on the honor system, and I am gradually letting myself not wear a mask. The scientists with whom I work keep reminding us that the vaccines work.
We are having about 15 of my colleagues over this Saturday to sit on the (large) back deck, talking and eating and sipping on beer or wine. We'll be outside and everyone in the group is vaccinated, but still, it's weird to anticipate.
You know, there are many things about retirement to which I look forward but truly the thing I MOST look forward to is moving to a town that has a bookshop!!!!
59msf59
Morning, Karen. Sweet Thursday. I had a nice solo walk yesterday, clocking in a couple of special birds. I also had good looks at a singing Carolina Wren. Heading to the Arboretum with a birding buddy before the HEAT returns. Getting ready to start The Night Watchman. Are you an Erdrich fan?
60karenmarie
>58 EBT1002: Hi Ellen! Yes, walking around the Library is very satisfactory. I still buy most of my books - 83% are off my shelves, 12% are from the Library, and 5% are borrowed this year so far - but I like seeing the variety of books and other materials and knowing that there's an audience for each.
I'm glad you are having a social event. I know how it will feel weird - I was in a meeting with 7 folks yesterday, maskless, at the Library, and will be meeting people I used to work with today for lunch. That will be maskless, too. And you know what? If any of them aren't vaccinated it's their lookout, not mine. I'm fully vaccinated.
I'm glad you're on the retirement countdown and I look forward to your making such a big change next year.
>59 msf59: Hi Mark! Happy Thursday. Another day birding, and yes to working in more outdoor stuff before the stifling Midwest humidity kicks in for good for the summer.
I have The Plague of Doves on my shelves, and in looking at the Amazon blurb don't understand why I haven't already pulled it to read - murder mystery, cold case, etc. I'll head up to the Media Room later to fetch it from shelf M13.
...
As mentioned above, lunch out with former coworkers. It will be nice to see them. I saw the women in May, but haven't seen my old boss in a year and the former GM and CFO in a year and a half.
Bill and I went to a seafood restaurant last night - only the second time out for us since we've been fully vaccinated. I got my favorite - Shrimp Sensation - and brought more than half of it home for tonight's dinner. You can't tell from this picture, but the potatoes and large shrimp are on a huge mound of popcorn shrimp. It was so good!
I'm glad you are having a social event. I know how it will feel weird - I was in a meeting with 7 folks yesterday, maskless, at the Library, and will be meeting people I used to work with today for lunch. That will be maskless, too. And you know what? If any of them aren't vaccinated it's their lookout, not mine. I'm fully vaccinated.
I'm glad you're on the retirement countdown and I look forward to your making such a big change next year.
>59 msf59: Hi Mark! Happy Thursday. Another day birding, and yes to working in more outdoor stuff before the stifling Midwest humidity kicks in for good for the summer.
I have The Plague of Doves on my shelves, and in looking at the Amazon blurb don't understand why I haven't already pulled it to read - murder mystery, cold case, etc. I'll head up to the Media Room later to fetch it from shelf M13.
...
As mentioned above, lunch out with former coworkers. It will be nice to see them. I saw the women in May, but haven't seen my old boss in a year and the former GM and CFO in a year and a half.
Bill and I went to a seafood restaurant last night - only the second time out for us since we've been fully vaccinated. I got my favorite - Shrimp Sensation - and brought more than half of it home for tonight's dinner. You can't tell from this picture, but the potatoes and large shrimp are on a huge mound of popcorn shrimp. It was so good!
62scaifea
>60 karenmarie: Are those...onion rings? Ooof, that looks so good!
63karenmarie
>61 richardderus: It was yummers and will be yummers again tonight for supper. *smooch*
>62 scaifea: Actually, Amber, those are hush puppies. I don't know hush puppy etiquette all over the South, but here many of the places do these donut-shaped ones. I like 'em this way because they're easy to tear into fourths and dip the ends into butter.
Tonight's butter of choice for the hush puppies (which will be reheated in the toaster oven with the rest of the meal) will be Kerrygold, of course. Cocktail sauce for the shrimp and catsup for the potatoes. *smile*
I love onion rings. My favorite ones are from a place we get Saturday takeout from about every 3rd weekend, Hwy 55 in Pittsboro. Here's my favorite Saturday lunch. Hot chicken/mushroom/provolone sub with crispy onion rings. Gotta order them crispy, otherwise, nope nope nope.
>62 scaifea: Actually, Amber, those are hush puppies. I don't know hush puppy etiquette all over the South, but here many of the places do these donut-shaped ones. I like 'em this way because they're easy to tear into fourths and dip the ends into butter.
Tonight's butter of choice for the hush puppies (which will be reheated in the toaster oven with the rest of the meal) will be Kerrygold, of course. Cocktail sauce for the shrimp and catsup for the potatoes. *smile*
I love onion rings. My favorite ones are from a place we get Saturday takeout from about every 3rd weekend, Hwy 55 in Pittsboro. Here's my favorite Saturday lunch. Hot chicken/mushroom/provolone sub with crispy onion rings. Gotta order them crispy, otherwise, nope nope nope.
64RebaRelishesReading
As I entered the supermarket yesterday I noticed a sign that said masks were not required for the fully vaccinated. I hesitated and then ripped it off -- but I felt a little awkward inside especially because at least half the people were wearing masks and I suspected that many of them were probably fully vaccinated but choosing to mask (or hadn't read the sign). Anyway...big step.
65jessibud2
Call me paranoid or just a skeptic when it comes to human nature, but I won't be ditching my masks in public places for a long time. Humans have given me little reason to believe them when it comes to the *honour* system, and for something as serious as a pandemic, well, why take a chance. And yes, I am fully vaccinated myself. Anyhow, it's a moot point, for the time being as in my province, masks are still required and we are only in stage one of reopening after a long lockdown. I still can't go inside a library, a mall, or get a haircut. For most of it, I don't care (except for the haircut. I really need one!)
66scaifea
>63 karenmarie: Huh. I've never seen or heard of ring-shaped hush puppies! Cool. I love those just about as much as I love onion rings. Aaaand now I'm hungry.
67weird_O
I've eschewed The Mask in most public places, but I've taken to masking up to mow. Mask prevents coughing, sneezing, nose-blowing. It's a miracle!
Oooooooo, seafood. Our favorite restaurant is/was Youell's Oyster House in Allentown (since 1895). I bought Judi a $100 gift card for Christmas 2019. Sadly, I still have it
Read in the NYT recently that good lobster rolls are costing $35 and up. Oh my!
Karen, you've reminded me that I need to ferret out an Erdrich TBR and transmogrify it into an R. I have several to choose amongst. Currently reading Instant Replay by Jerry Kramer. Kramer was an offensive lineman for the Green Bay Packers during Vince Lombardi's tenure as their head coach, and the book is Kramer's diary of the 1967 season.
Oooooooo, seafood. Our favorite restaurant is/was Youell's Oyster House in Allentown (since 1895). I bought Judi a $100 gift card for Christmas 2019. Sadly, I still have it
Read in the NYT recently that good lobster rolls are costing $35 and up. Oh my!
Karen, you've reminded me that I need to ferret out an Erdrich TBR and transmogrify it into an R. I have several to choose amongst. Currently reading Instant Replay by Jerry Kramer. Kramer was an offensive lineman for the Green Bay Packers during Vince Lombardi's tenure as their head coach, and the book is Kramer's diary of the 1967 season.
68msf59
Morning, Karen. Happy Friday. No birding plans for today, plus it is currently raining, which we need. You mentioned The Plague of Doves up there. I loved that one and I am sure you will too. She is remarkably consistent.
69karenmarie
>64 RebaRelishesReading: Hi Reba! I’m one of the ones still wearing a mask in the grocery store and pharmacy, but will probably stop doing that this week. Bill and I went into the restaurant Thursday night maskless. The hostess was maskless, but our waitperson was masked. There were tables blocked off to keep some good social distancing in place, and of the 5 or 6 other groups I saw, two were masked and four weren’t. I don’t know if the new normal – maskless if vaccinated – will hold or if there will be new waves.
>65 jessibud2: I’m cynical, Shelley, and know lots of folks who are not vaccinated are going maskless because there’s no requirement to prove vaccination. However, I feel it’s mostly their problem at this point, not mine. I’m sorry you’re still required to wear masks and the lockdown is still strict.
I’m still debating about getting a haircut. Not because of the potential spread of Covid, but simply because I’m enjoying the extra funds. Also, I’ve finally figured out how to keep my hair from completely tangling at night, too, since I found one of my daughter’s old scrunchies.
>66 scaifea: I’m not sure I ever had hush puppies when I lived in CA or CT, so these are within normal range. Donut-shaped and little balls are both good. You could make hush puppies at home.
>67 weird_O: I suggested to my Bill that he mask up to mow yesterday but he didn’t. He did say after he mowed that it is a good idea and he might start doing it.
I’m sorry you still have the $100 gift card to Youell’s. Different reason, but a gift card we got from my niece/wife and nephew one Christmas expired before we could use it. Our fault for not noticing, but I think it’s wicked to put an expiration on a gift card. Also, as Books-A-Million was doing at one point, taking x% off each month after a certain amount of time had expired (1 year? 18 months?). But McIntyre’s Books in Fearrington Village honored a gift card I had tucked in my wallet and forgotten about after seeing that it was not in their current and looking through old records to see that it hadn’t been used. It was for $100, too.
Turning a TBR into a R is what I’m going to do with The Plague of Doves. It’s down, open, and already started. In the meantime, enjoy your football TBR->R.
>68 msf59: ‘Morning, Mark, and happy Friday to you. You’ll be able to get a lot of reading done today, for sure.
…
Bill’s at work, so this NTA person – needs-time-alone – will get another 7 hours or so.
>65 jessibud2: I’m cynical, Shelley, and know lots of folks who are not vaccinated are going maskless because there’s no requirement to prove vaccination. However, I feel it’s mostly their problem at this point, not mine. I’m sorry you’re still required to wear masks and the lockdown is still strict.
I’m still debating about getting a haircut. Not because of the potential spread of Covid, but simply because I’m enjoying the extra funds. Also, I’ve finally figured out how to keep my hair from completely tangling at night, too, since I found one of my daughter’s old scrunchies.
>66 scaifea: I’m not sure I ever had hush puppies when I lived in CA or CT, so these are within normal range. Donut-shaped and little balls are both good. You could make hush puppies at home.
>67 weird_O: I suggested to my Bill that he mask up to mow yesterday but he didn’t. He did say after he mowed that it is a good idea and he might start doing it.
I’m sorry you still have the $100 gift card to Youell’s. Different reason, but a gift card we got from my niece/wife and nephew one Christmas expired before we could use it. Our fault for not noticing, but I think it’s wicked to put an expiration on a gift card. Also, as Books-A-Million was doing at one point, taking x% off each month after a certain amount of time had expired (1 year? 18 months?). But McIntyre’s Books in Fearrington Village honored a gift card I had tucked in my wallet and forgotten about after seeing that it was not in their current and looking through old records to see that it hadn’t been used. It was for $100, too.
Turning a TBR into a R is what I’m going to do with The Plague of Doves. It’s down, open, and already started. In the meantime, enjoy your football TBR->R.
>68 msf59: ‘Morning, Mark, and happy Friday to you. You’ll be able to get a lot of reading done today, for sure.
…
Bill’s at work, so this NTA person – needs-time-alone – will get another 7 hours or so.
70richardderus
Yay for the Solitude of the NTA! (There's a novel in that somewhere.)
It's Morphy's birthday today, so in her honor, I've blogged a review of a book she gave me a good while ago. Now I just need to figure out where the heck she hangs out these days.
Off to have my head shrunk.
It's Morphy's birthday today, so in her honor, I've blogged a review of a book she gave me a good while ago. Now I just need to figure out where the heck she hangs out these days.
Off to have my head shrunk.
71ursula
>69 karenmarie: Our fault for not noticing, but I think it’s wicked to put an expiration on a gift card.
Expiring gift cards have been illegal in California for a long time, it’s a shame other states still haven’t adopted that practice.
Expiring gift cards have been illegal in California for a long time, it’s a shame other states still haven’t adopted that practice.
72LizzieD
Masks! I'm not wearing one with intimate, vaccinated people. BUT --- I'm not sure how good our immune systems are, and Mama's has to be compromised big time since she's 99. I'm also fearful of this D-strain and suspect that it may hit our unvaccinated community hard. It's pretty much a moot (I had typed noot. What an interesting looking word! Something about NOO..... Our beloved Cubbie was "The Noofer.") question for us anyway since I'm still staying in and Mama surely isn't going anywhere. The DH is going out more freely but always masked.
Enjoy your Friday!
Enjoy your Friday!
73karenmarie
>70 richardderus: Good afternoon, RD! Head shrinking, aye. Morphy's birthday, aye. *smooch*
>71 ursula: North Carolina is pretty far behind the game in oh, so many things, but I'd still rather live here than where I lived for 35 of my years. (3 in Connecticut, and 30 here.)
>72 LizzieD: I'm worried about the Delta variant, too, Peggy, and am not confident that there won't be many more waves, spikes, whatever you want to call them.
...
One of thejoys issues with indoor-outdoor kitties is critters. While vacuuming this morning I found a dead mouse under the coffee table (it did not stink, so I'm thinking it's a new offering) and a Very Dead Lizard near the TV table. Since the rule is whoever finds it (critter, urp, poop, whatever) has to clean it up I've now washed my hands two additional times today.
>71 ursula: North Carolina is pretty far behind the game in oh, so many things, but I'd still rather live here than where I lived for 35 of my years. (3 in Connecticut, and 30 here.)
>72 LizzieD: I'm worried about the Delta variant, too, Peggy, and am not confident that there won't be many more waves, spikes, whatever you want to call them.
...
One of the
74SandDune
>69 karenmarie: I had my hair cut on Tuesday and to be honest despite being double vaccinated I didn’t feel at all comfortable. Just having someone so close who was not part of my family felt ... well ... wrong. One part of me would love to go to a reflexology session, as I haven’t had one for ages, the other part of me knows I would probably freak out!
>73 karenmarie: I’m happy that I’ve never had a cat that was a keen hunter (or at any rate not one that was a successful hunter. So we never had many little gifts to deal with. Most cats here are indoor-outdoor cats. In contrast to the U.S., many of the big animal charities won’t rehome cats to be indoor only unless there is some specific reason for it, such as illness and disability. I would like another cat - we have had a cat for most of our married life - but the last one was so mean to Daisy ...
>73 karenmarie: I’m happy that I’ve never had a cat that was a keen hunter (or at any rate not one that was a successful hunter. So we never had many little gifts to deal with. Most cats here are indoor-outdoor cats. In contrast to the U.S., many of the big animal charities won’t rehome cats to be indoor only unless there is some specific reason for it, such as illness and disability. I would like another cat - we have had a cat for most of our married life - but the last one was so mean to Daisy ...
75EllaTim
Hi Karen! Your thread is interesting and lively. I like your summing up of the state of things in your Good, Bad and Ugly. Glad that there is a lot of good there!
Interesting subject, how fameus politicians will change, or appear to change after leaving office. This book by George Bush is a very surprising example.
Here in Holland we had some examples as well, a very conservative right wing politician who changed to a staunch defender of the rights of Palestinians. Surprising, lots of eyebrows were raised, but not a bad change.
Sometimes people don't change at all, and those aren't necessarily better!
I'm worried about this Delta variant as well. We need to get everybody vaccinated, all over the world, or this virus will just keep evolving.
Interesting subject, how fameus politicians will change, or appear to change after leaving office. This book by George Bush is a very surprising example.
Here in Holland we had some examples as well, a very conservative right wing politician who changed to a staunch defender of the rights of Palestinians. Surprising, lots of eyebrows were raised, but not a bad change.
Sometimes people don't change at all, and those aren't necessarily better!
I'm worried about this Delta variant as well. We need to get everybody vaccinated, all over the world, or this virus will just keep evolving.
76quondame
>69 karenmarie: This NTA person has had to make do with being alone in a room of a house for way too long now and the constant stream of repair people/cleaners is not welcome. And Mike is now scheduled for knee replacement, so that's him limited to the lowest level for some days and me fetching from the kitchen. But then him having improved mobility will be good.
77karenmarie
>74 SandDune: Hi Rhian! I think I’d feel as uncomfortable, too, and that’s part of the reason I still haven’t scheduled a haircut, although saving $55 every 5/6 weeks has been very nice.
I’m interested in hearing about most kitties being indoor/outdoor in the UK and the shelters preferring to give kitties to be indoor/outdoor. My kitties stayed indoors for quite a while after we got them, and I let them slowly figure out that going outdoors was good and that they could come back in and feel safe. Zoe's semi-feral and Wash is extremely skittish.
Kitties and dogs getting along can be done, but I can see that your priority is Daisy and getting another kitty is risky.
>75 EllaTim: Thanks, Ella. There is much more good than last year for sure. I find it a shame that people ‘change’ after leaving office. They should do the right things while in office. Being somewhat of a cynic, I tend to think they prefer the money and power for acting in a particular way to being good human beings. George Bush was a spoiled alcohol-abusing entitled kid who …. Well. At least he seems reasonably intelligent and does love to read. I cannot condone his starting the war with Iraq and I’m not even 100% sure that waging war in Afghanistan was a good idea. Plus he stole the election in his brother Jeb's home state of Florida.
I’m glad that the US, under Biden, has come back to the world stage and especially proud that we’re giving 500M doses to other countries.
>76 quondame: Well, NTA Susan, I can completely understand your not welcoming people in your home. I’m glad to hear that Mike’s going to get a knee replacement and sorry that it’s going to put an extra burden on you. My husband desperately needs knee replacement surgery, but so far his doctors discount his pain and lack of mobility. I think we’re going to have to doctor shop.
I’m interested in hearing about most kitties being indoor/outdoor in the UK and the shelters preferring to give kitties to be indoor/outdoor. My kitties stayed indoors for quite a while after we got them, and I let them slowly figure out that going outdoors was good and that they could come back in and feel safe. Zoe's semi-feral and Wash is extremely skittish.
Kitties and dogs getting along can be done, but I can see that your priority is Daisy and getting another kitty is risky.
>75 EllaTim: Thanks, Ella. There is much more good than last year for sure. I find it a shame that people ‘change’ after leaving office. They should do the right things while in office. Being somewhat of a cynic, I tend to think they prefer the money and power for acting in a particular way to being good human beings. George Bush was a spoiled alcohol-abusing entitled kid who …. Well. At least he seems reasonably intelligent and does love to read. I cannot condone his starting the war with Iraq and I’m not even 100% sure that waging war in Afghanistan was a good idea. Plus he stole the election in his brother Jeb's home state of Florida.
I’m glad that the US, under Biden, has come back to the world stage and especially proud that we’re giving 500M doses to other countries.
>76 quondame: Well, NTA Susan, I can completely understand your not welcoming people in your home. I’m glad to hear that Mike’s going to get a knee replacement and sorry that it’s going to put an extra burden on you. My husband desperately needs knee replacement surgery, but so far his doctors discount his pain and lack of mobility. I think we’re going to have to doctor shop.
78msf59
Morning, Karen. Happy Saturday. Today is Bree's baby shower, so the women have been busy. I will not be attending but I can't wait to hear about it. It is exciting. No birding plans so I should get plenty of reading in.
79karenmarie
'Morning, Mark, and happy Saturday to you, too. Yay for the baby shower.
I was thrilled when the folks at Bill's work, Nortel, had a baby shower for him. I was invited, of course, but the focus was on Bill. At the time I worked for a company that had 2 facilities that I alternated between, so I had two baby showers.
Enjoy your reading day.
I was thrilled when the folks at Bill's work, Nortel, had a baby shower for him. I was invited, of course, but the focus was on Bill. At the time I worked for a company that had 2 facilities that I alternated between, so I had two baby showers.
Enjoy your reading day.
81msf59
Morning, Karen. Happy Sunday! It sounds like the baby shower went well and Bree was bombarded with wonderful gifts. We are going to lay low today, since Bree wants to rest up after her busy day. We will celebrate at a later time. I have no plans, other than reading which is fine with me.
82SomeGuyInVirginia
>77 karenmarie: The only nice thing I can say about either Bush is that they married well.
I know it might be hopeful thinking, but since I've gotten the vaccine I don't worry about being out in public or having anybody in my house.
I know it might be hopeful thinking, but since I've gotten the vaccine I don't worry about being out in public or having anybody in my house.
83richardderus
Happy Sunday, Horrible.
I five-starred a comic book. The same week I liked a poetry collection better than utter loathing.
I'm not the being I once was.
I five-starred a comic book. The same week I liked a poetry collection better than utter loathing.
I'm not the being I once was.
85karenmarie
>80 weird_O: Hi Bill! Visitors always welcome.
>81 msf59: Hi Mark. Happy Sunday to you. I’m glad the baby shower went well. Lots of wonderful gifts for the niblet are good, too. Rest and relax and read.
>82 SomeGuyInVirginia: Hi Larry. I still wore a mask at the grocery store today although I realize I don’t really need to. Perhaps I’ll lighten up this coming week.
Huh. Bush wives. I guess so.
>83 richardderus: Hiya, RD! My, my, not totally loathing a poetry collection. Something’s amiss… *smooch*
>84 Ameise1: Hi Barbara, and thank you. Lots of things are going well here. Thank you. One hitch in my get-long, see below.
…
My computer, only 15 months old, is temporarily dead and I had to resuscitate my old Windows 8.1 machine. It had to update… I had to move external monitor and sound system and mouse connections back, but here I am. And it’s Father’s Day and we’re in the middle of the second wave of Claudette remnants. I just made it to the grocery store between lashings of heavy rain.
Bill received cards and candy and a call from Jenna. Tonight will be Pastitso and garlic toast and buttermilk pound cake with strawberries and whipped cream for dessert.
And my box of books from the University of Chicago Press arrived yesterday and I got it out of the mailbox today… early birthday present. *smile*
I’m not going to be visiting much on LT today or tomorrow. Today is Father’s Day and etc. Tomorrow morning is the Friends of the Library Board meeting, in person at the Library since last March, and then and only then do I feel I’ll have the time to deal with Dell and getting my computer back up and running.
Sigh.
>81 msf59: Hi Mark. Happy Sunday to you. I’m glad the baby shower went well. Lots of wonderful gifts for the niblet are good, too. Rest and relax and read.
>82 SomeGuyInVirginia: Hi Larry. I still wore a mask at the grocery store today although I realize I don’t really need to. Perhaps I’ll lighten up this coming week.
Huh. Bush wives. I guess so.
>83 richardderus: Hiya, RD! My, my, not totally loathing a poetry collection. Something’s amiss… *smooch*
>84 Ameise1: Hi Barbara, and thank you. Lots of things are going well here. Thank you. One hitch in my get-long, see below.
…
My computer, only 15 months old, is temporarily dead and I had to resuscitate my old Windows 8.1 machine. It had to update… I had to move external monitor and sound system and mouse connections back, but here I am. And it’s Father’s Day and we’re in the middle of the second wave of Claudette remnants. I just made it to the grocery store between lashings of heavy rain.
Bill received cards and candy and a call from Jenna. Tonight will be Pastitso and garlic toast and buttermilk pound cake with strawberries and whipped cream for dessert.
And my box of books from the University of Chicago Press arrived yesterday and I got it out of the mailbox today… early birthday present. *smile*
I’m not going to be visiting much on LT today or tomorrow. Today is Father’s Day and etc. Tomorrow morning is the Friends of the Library Board meeting, in person at the Library since last March, and then and only then do I feel I’ll have the time to deal with Dell and getting my computer back up and running.
Sigh.
86jessibud2
Not to put a damper on things but there was an article in the Montreal newspaper today that one of the coaches of the hockey team now in the playoffs just tested positive for covid - and he has had both his vaccines. Cautionary tale. Keep the masks, Karen. Better safe than sorry
87karenmarie
Hi Shelley!
The Delta variant does have me worried. Perhaps I won't stop wearing a mask in public. Thanks for the cautionary tale.
The Delta variant does have me worried. Perhaps I won't stop wearing a mask in public. Thanks for the cautionary tale.
88richardderus
I myownself ain't steppin' toe outside my room maskless...luckily Old Stuff agrees with me about this so we don't have that conflict.
89LovingLit
>60 karenmarie: I am drooling right now :) YUM
90karenmarie
>88 richardderus: Wow, RD, you and OS agree on something. Excellent news.
>89 LovingLit: It was really good, Megan, and I got 3 meals out of it.
...
So insult to injury - we lost power for 5 hours and I had to make dinner without overhead lights. Fortunately, I have a gas cook top and gas oven, so the Pastitso got made. Whipping cream was whipped, strawberries sliced, and buttermilk pound cake with strawberries and whipped cream was had. The power came back on about half an hour ago.
I'm whupped.
>89 LovingLit: It was really good, Megan, and I got 3 meals out of it.
...
So insult to injury - we lost power for 5 hours and I had to make dinner without overhead lights. Fortunately, I have a gas cook top and gas oven, so the Pastitso got made. Whipping cream was whipped, strawberries sliced, and buttermilk pound cake with strawberries and whipped cream was had. The power came back on about half an hour ago.
I'm whupped.
91msf59
Morning, Karen. Sorry to hear about the power loss. I hope it is back on. It looks like we had severe weather last night, with a tornado touching down in a couple of places near us. Fortunately, just some damage and a few injuries, but nothing serious. Whew! Good luck with the meeting today.
92karenmarie
>91 msf59: 'Morning, Mark! Power came on yesterday about 8:30. The rest of the evening was uneventful.
...
I'm looking forward to seeing everybody in person for the first time since last March.
And, edited to add, these are my birthday present books - The University of Chicago Press was/is having a wonderful sale. I just speny an enjoyable half hour cataloging them.
A Village with My Name: A Family History of China's Opening to the World by Scott Tong
American Indians: Fourth Edition by William T. Hagen
Knossos and the Prophets of Modernism by Cathy Gere
Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things by Lafcadio Hern
Rattling Spears: A History of Indigenous Australian Art by Ian McLean
Socrates and the Fat Rabbis by Daniel Boyarin
The Daily Jane Austen: A Year of Quotes by edited by Devoney Looser
The Thousand-Year Flood: The Ohio-Mississippi Disaster of 1937 by David Welky
Ties That Bound: Founding First Ladies and Slaves by Marie Jenkins Schwarta
Who Freed the Slaves?: The Fight over the Thirteenth Amendment by Leonard L. Richards
...
I'm looking forward to seeing everybody in person for the first time since last March.
And, edited to add, these are my birthday present books - The University of Chicago Press was/is having a wonderful sale. I just speny an enjoyable half hour cataloging them.
A Village with My Name: A Family History of China's Opening to the World by Scott Tong
American Indians: Fourth Edition by William T. Hagen
Knossos and the Prophets of Modernism by Cathy Gere
Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things by Lafcadio Hern
Rattling Spears: A History of Indigenous Australian Art by Ian McLean
Socrates and the Fat Rabbis by Daniel Boyarin
The Daily Jane Austen: A Year of Quotes by edited by Devoney Looser
The Thousand-Year Flood: The Ohio-Mississippi Disaster of 1937 by David Welky
Ties That Bound: Founding First Ladies and Slaves by Marie Jenkins Schwarta
Who Freed the Slaves?: The Fight over the Thirteenth Amendment by Leonard L. Richards
93scaifea
I'm so glad the power loss didn't keep you from having that delicious meal. It all sounds wonderful!
Tomm, Charlie, and I still plan on wearing masks in public for the foreseeable future, even though we're all vaccinated. It's in no way a hassle and it makes me more comfortable, so why not?
Tomm, Charlie, and I still plan on wearing masks in public for the foreseeable future, even though we're all vaccinated. It's in no way a hassle and it makes me more comfortable, so why not?
95LizzieD
Sorry about the power loss (#*_@(&$^T!!! NC weather!) but amazed at the celebration dinner. I guess you is wupped.
Wow! What a great box of books! I'm really, really going to check out that sale if it's ongoing.
We had my thoroughly vaccinated cousin in the house yesterday without a mask, so that makes 4 cousins and a friend at different times. None of them got close to Mama, of course, and three of them wore their masks. I do need to get us to a hairdresser. We are both awful, and I don't think Mama will be content to have me hacking at her hair. Mine doesn't matter much. I do think I'd better move on this in case worse comes.
I'm sure your meeting is going well, and I wish you a day or two of good downtime!
Wow! What a great box of books! I'm really, really going to check out that sale if it's ongoing.
We had my thoroughly vaccinated cousin in the house yesterday without a mask, so that makes 4 cousins and a friend at different times. None of them got close to Mama, of course, and three of them wore their masks. I do need to get us to a hairdresser. We are both awful, and I don't think Mama will be content to have me hacking at her hair. Mine doesn't matter much. I do think I'd better move on this in case worse comes.
I'm sure your meeting is going well, and I wish you a day or two of good downtime!
96streamsong
It's so great to hear about people venturing out again into what used-to-be normal routines now they are vaccinated!
Bob, the huge feral Manx I adopted after he was trapped in this area, has settled right in. He's happy to hang here - a little too happy, perhaps because he's twice the size of Cree the-used-to-be-feral and Cree is terrified of him. All the growling, caterwauling, aggressive moves come from Cree who obviously thinks we *do NOT need another cat*. Bob sits at the table outside the window asking to come in. I predict that by the time the cold weather comes, Bob will have wormed his way inside. Bob has the clipped ear of the neutered and released feral cat, but he obviously knows about houses.
I see that our FOL no longer has their shelf of books for sale near the library door. Now, they are at the local bookstore a couple blocks over. I had to go check them out. The prices are the same as for the used books at the store - $5 for a trade paperback or $2.50 for mass market. They used to cost between $1-$3 each when the library sold them. No more mega splurges of buying ten books as I walk out the door! I'll go by the store once a month or so ... I would be in the library at least once a week.
Bob, the huge feral Manx I adopted after he was trapped in this area, has settled right in. He's happy to hang here - a little too happy, perhaps because he's twice the size of Cree the-used-to-be-feral and Cree is terrified of him. All the growling, caterwauling, aggressive moves come from Cree who obviously thinks we *do NOT need another cat*. Bob sits at the table outside the window asking to come in. I predict that by the time the cold weather comes, Bob will have wormed his way inside. Bob has the clipped ear of the neutered and released feral cat, but he obviously knows about houses.
I see that our FOL no longer has their shelf of books for sale near the library door. Now, they are at the local bookstore a couple blocks over. I had to go check them out. The prices are the same as for the used books at the store - $5 for a trade paperback or $2.50 for mass market. They used to cost between $1-$3 each when the library sold them. No more mega splurges of buying ten books as I walk out the door! I'll go by the store once a month or so ... I would be in the library at least once a week.
97karenmarie
>93 scaifea: Hi Amber. It was wonderful, and we had leftovers tonight. Whatever makes you feel comfortable. So far I’m still wearing a mask into the grocery store and the pharmacy and the PO and Bank.
>94 richardderus: Yes for my books, yes for the fully powered day, and Dell fixed my computer. There were corrupt files, not my fault but he couldn’t tell me what exactly caused them. Regardless, I’m back in business.
>95 LizzieD: Power reliability has never been good here, frankly, even under Progress Energy, but now that it’s under Duke/Progress Energy it seems to have gotten worse. The only mitigating factor is that we have a smart meter and THEY call US when the power’s out and give us regular automated phone updates.
I’m glad you’re able to have company. And it’s not a bad idea to get haircuts. Fewer people are getting vaccinated, things are opening up way too much IMO, and the new variant is more contagious and more deadly. A recipe for a new and bad wave.
The meeting went well. The computer got fixed. The dishes got done. We finished watching The Closer. Onward and upward! Tomorrow’s lunch with the Branch Librarian – Mexican! First Mexican since last January or February.
>96 streamsong: Hi Janet! I think my new normal will be quite a bit of mask wearing but not 100%.
Yay for Bob, your new wanna-be-a-house-kitty. I’m sorry he’s terrorizing Cree though.
It's sad that the books now cost the same as the used book store. Our FoL doesn’t sell books except at sales, but we stopped selling mass market paperbacks about 4 years ago. We donate some to the Library’s book cart where they sell them for $.25/each and sell the rest to a used book store in town at $.25 each.
I’m going to gather up my culled mass market paperbacks and take them to the Library tomorrow. Trade paperbacks and hardcovers go to the Friends, of course.
…
When I came into the Sunroom about 25 minutes ago I could see the fireflies rising. This is one of my favorite things about summer.
>94 richardderus: Yes for my books, yes for the fully powered day, and Dell fixed my computer. There were corrupt files, not my fault but he couldn’t tell me what exactly caused them. Regardless, I’m back in business.
>95 LizzieD: Power reliability has never been good here, frankly, even under Progress Energy, but now that it’s under Duke/Progress Energy it seems to have gotten worse. The only mitigating factor is that we have a smart meter and THEY call US when the power’s out and give us regular automated phone updates.
I’m glad you’re able to have company. And it’s not a bad idea to get haircuts. Fewer people are getting vaccinated, things are opening up way too much IMO, and the new variant is more contagious and more deadly. A recipe for a new and bad wave.
The meeting went well. The computer got fixed. The dishes got done. We finished watching The Closer. Onward and upward! Tomorrow’s lunch with the Branch Librarian – Mexican! First Mexican since last January or February.
>96 streamsong: Hi Janet! I think my new normal will be quite a bit of mask wearing but not 100%.
Yay for Bob, your new wanna-be-a-house-kitty. I’m sorry he’s terrorizing Cree though.
It's sad that the books now cost the same as the used book store. Our FoL doesn’t sell books except at sales, but we stopped selling mass market paperbacks about 4 years ago. We donate some to the Library’s book cart where they sell them for $.25/each and sell the rest to a used book store in town at $.25 each.
I’m going to gather up my culled mass market paperbacks and take them to the Library tomorrow. Trade paperbacks and hardcovers go to the Friends, of course.
…
When I came into the Sunroom about 25 minutes ago I could see the fireflies rising. This is one of my favorite things about summer.
98msf59
Morning, Karen. It looks like the tornado caused a lot more destruction than I was aware of, including the building where Matt works. It hit the building hard, knocking out doors and windows. He won't be able to work, (it is a glass/shower company) for another day or so, until they clean it up. Many people homeless too. Yikes.
99karenmarie
'Morning, Mark. I saw photos from the tornado and am sad for the folks left homeless and houses/apartments/businesses damaged. I'm sorry the building where Matt works got hit. Tornadoes are so strange - two houses next to one another, one destroyed, one not touched. You don't get them up there very often, do you?
...
I am enjoying my first cup of coffee. I'll also enjoy putting up the University of Chicago Press books.
...
I am enjoying my first cup of coffee. I'll also enjoy putting up the University of Chicago Press books.
100richardderus
>99 karenmarie: I wanted to find a QUILTBAG book I knew I owned. It was hiding. I got irked and started gathering all my QUILTBAG tree-books in one area...you can imagine that this was not the, um, least disruptive thing I could've done. Old Stuff was *extra* about it because he so resents me having books. (It keeps space from being empty, the way he likes it. Poor thing, must suck to be him in a room with all the artwork and books.)
101SomeGuyInVirginia
>100 richardderus: Richard, omg, can you request a transfer? If I were in a roommate situation, and I have been many many many times in my short and happy life, okay not so short, I would be disturbed if someone didn't have things on the wall. I just got back from a few days with my brother and he has no books and his entire flipping house. I felt like I'd landed on Mars, or a game show, or something from Pinterest. I mean who doesn't have books in their house? Anywhere!? Even a f****** Bible!?
Whatever, my deepest sympathies. One day you'll come to your right senses and realize the only thing for you to do is come and live with me.
Whatever, my deepest sympathies. One day you'll come to your right senses and realize the only thing for you to do is come and live with me.
102SomeGuyInVirginia
It's pouring rain here, anything more than what we've got would be a monsoon. It's kind of gorgeous.
103weird_O
Understand you like cottage cheese, Karen. Just finished my breakie: cottage cheese embellished with cut up dried apricots and prunes, cashews, and pecans. Mmmmm. And coffee, of course.
Did you read the article in the WaPo over the weekend about the futility of trying to organize one's books. "Why bother organizing your books? A messy personal library is proof of life." The writer should have talked to you.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/why-bother-organizing-your-bo...
Did you read the article in the WaPo over the weekend about the futility of trying to organize one's books. "Why bother organizing your books? A messy personal library is proof of life." The writer should have talked to you.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/why-bother-organizing-your-bo...
104johnsimpson
Hi Karen my dear, just stopping by to say hello, i am trying to catch up with things as i have been a bit hit and miss over the last couple of weeks. Things have been busy one way or another (see my long post on my thread) but i hope now that i can get back on track with things.
Elliott is doing fine and we have seen quite a bit of him over the last couple of weeks, bless him.
Hope all is well with you, Bill, Jenna and of course the kitty's, sending love and hugs to you all and kitty skritches from both of us dear friend.
Elliott is doing fine and we have seen quite a bit of him over the last couple of weeks, bless him.
Hope all is well with you, Bill, Jenna and of course the kitty's, sending love and hugs to you all and kitty skritches from both of us dear friend.
105richardderus
>101 SomeGuyInVirginia: *looks up from packing for the move* ...what was that, dear? Oh...no, if anyone's movin' it's him since I lived in this room for three years before he arrived in the building! I have position, as I believe the basketball argot goes.
I got my most exciting new toy a day early, Horrible! Prime Day suckered me in...a leather tablet-holder with a built-in keyboard for less than $50? Yes please...and it arrived today! It took them under 16 hours from "complete transaction" to "you have a package."
Evil they are, but efficient withal. Unlike dear Usman...six and three-quarters months after I bought it, his Pakistani fairy-tale retellings arrived, too.
I got my most exciting new toy a day early, Horrible! Prime Day suckered me in...a leather tablet-holder with a built-in keyboard for less than $50? Yes please...and it arrived today! It took them under 16 hours from "complete transaction" to "you have a package."
Evil they are, but efficient withal. Unlike dear Usman...six and three-quarters months after I bought it, his Pakistani fairy-tale retellings arrived, too.
106karenmarie
>100 richardderus: Sorry about OS going all *extra*. You need your books and artwork and he needs to keep to his side of your shared living space, physically and mentally.
>101 SomeGuyInVirginia: I’m sad to say that I have few friends in real life who have shelves and shelves of books. My sister is like your brother – no books in the entire flipping house, although they have a Bible, but …. Well. I guess I won’t go there.
Imagine RD and SGiV living in the same house! Boggles the mind, sorta.
>102 SomeGuyInVirginia: I drove home this afternoon through white-knuckle torrents of rain. And then it abruptly stopped 5 minutes from the house.
>103 weird_O: Oh yes (*urp*) I love (hate) cottage cheese, Bill. Yum, yum. You can have all my cottage cheese except for 16 ounces every time I make lasagna.
I did not catch the article over the weekend, but just read it and think there’s a false dichotomy there – you can be organized with your books AND not have them alphabetized or colorized or Dewey-ized or s-ized AND still know where 99.5% of them are. I refer to my location tags, of course.
>104 johnsimpson: Hi John! We’re all doing well and I’m glad to hear that you are, too. Sending love and hugs to you and Karen and kitty skritches for Felix the Cat.
>105 richardderus: I don’t remember you mentioning any other roommate except OS, RD. Did you mention someone that I’ve forgotten? Or were other roommates tolerable compared to you-know-who?
Yay for Prime Day! Yay for Amazon. We did a bit of Prime-Daying, too, I must admit.
…
Well, we watched the last season of the Kominsky Method. Highly satisfactory, lots of fun, many poignant moments.
>101 SomeGuyInVirginia: I’m sad to say that I have few friends in real life who have shelves and shelves of books. My sister is like your brother – no books in the entire flipping house, although they have a Bible, but …. Well. I guess I won’t go there.
Imagine RD and SGiV living in the same house! Boggles the mind, sorta.
>102 SomeGuyInVirginia: I drove home this afternoon through white-knuckle torrents of rain. And then it abruptly stopped 5 minutes from the house.
>103 weird_O: Oh yes (*urp*) I love (hate) cottage cheese, Bill. Yum, yum. You can have all my cottage cheese except for 16 ounces every time I make lasagna.
I did not catch the article over the weekend, but just read it and think there’s a false dichotomy there – you can be organized with your books AND not have them alphabetized or colorized or Dewey-ized or s-ized AND still know where 99.5% of them are. I refer to my location tags, of course.
>104 johnsimpson: Hi John! We’re all doing well and I’m glad to hear that you are, too. Sending love and hugs to you and Karen and kitty skritches for Felix the Cat.
>105 richardderus: I don’t remember you mentioning any other roommate except OS, RD. Did you mention someone that I’ve forgotten? Or were other roommates tolerable compared to you-know-who?
Yay for Prime Day! Yay for Amazon. We did a bit of Prime-Daying, too, I must admit.
…
Well, we watched the last season of the Kominsky Method. Highly satisfactory, lots of fun, many poignant moments.
107weird_O
Speaking of organized book collections, I'm telling YOU before anyone else that I've downloaded the LT app to my cell and have already used it to add a book to my library. A mashup of library friends is staging a four-day book sale at a shopping mall near me. Just after the 4th. I will attend, of course. We'll see if I can avoid buying dupes by using that there app. Heehee.
108quondame
>105 richardderus: Oh that is tempting!
109msf59
Morning, Karen. Happy Wednesday. We are in what is referred to as tornado alley, but it seems to be more common in the open plains area but it does touch down now and then in our urban areas. Getting ready to meet my birding buddy.
110karenmarie
>107 weird_O: I love the LT app and have saved dozens of dup acquisitions over the last 4 years. Have fun at the book sale and fun checking against your catalog!
>108 quondame: Hi Susan!
>109 msf59: ‘Morning, Mark, and happy Wednesday to you, too. I guess there are lots of tornado alleys in the US, eh? Enjoy your birding adventure. I like that graphic!
>108 quondame: Hi Susan!
>109 msf59: ‘Morning, Mark, and happy Wednesday to you, too. I guess there are lots of tornado alleys in the US, eh? Enjoy your birding adventure. I like that graphic!
111karenmarie
Julia posted an article about Why Walking Through a Doorway Makes You Forget, and it reminded me of this, which took about 10 minutes to find in my documents folders.
Recently diagnosed with A.A.A.D.D.
(Age-Activated Attention Deficit Disorder).
I decided to wash my car.
As I start toward the garage,
I notice that there is mail on the hall table.
I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car.
I lay my car keys down on the table,
put the junk mail in the trash can under the table,
and notice that the trash can is full.
So, I decide to put the bills back on the table
and take out the trash first.
But then I think, since I'm going to be near the mailbox when I take out the trash anyway, I may as well pay the bills first.
I take my checkbook off the table and see that there is only one check left.
My extra checks are in my desk in the study, so I go to my desk where I find the Diet Coke that I had been drinking.
I'm going to look for my checks, but first I need to push the Diet Coke aside so that I don't accidentally knock it over.
I see that the Diet Coke is getting warm, and I decide I should put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold.
As I head toward the kitchen with the Diet Coke,
a vase of flowers on the counter catches my eye—
they need to be watered.
I set the Diet Coke down on the counter,
and I discover my reading glasses that I've been searching for
all morning.
I decide I better put them back on my desk, but first I'm going
to water the flowers.
I set the glasses back down on the counter, fill a container with water and suddenly I spot the TV remote.
Someone left it on the kitchen table.
I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV, we will be looking for the remote, but nobody will remember that it's on the kitchen
table.
I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs, but first
I'll water the flowers.
I splash some water on the flowers but most of it spills on the floor, so I set the remote back down on the table, get some towels and wipe up the spill.
Then I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do.
At the end of the day:
the car isn't washed
the bills aren't paid,
there is a warm can of Diet Coke sitting on the counter, the flowers aren't watered,
there is still only one check in my checkbook,
I can't find the remote,
I can't find my glasses,
and I don't remember what I did with the car keys.
Then when I try to figure out why nothing got done today,
I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all day long,
and I'm really tired.
I realize this is a serious problem, and I'll try to get some help for it, but first I'll check my e-mail.
Do me a favor, will you?
Forward this message to everyone you know, because I don't remember to whom it has already been sent.
112lauralkeet
That's priceless, Karen. I've been there!
113SomeGuyInVirginia
I'm that person if I don't have a to-do list. When I have a workable list I am ruthless. Ruthless!
A few years ago I went all through the house trying to find my glasses. I was wearing them.
A few years ago I went all through the house trying to find my glasses. I was wearing them.
114richardderus
>108 quondame: It was irresistible. And now I need to learn how to use it best.
>106 karenmarie: Before Old Stuff...lessee...Charlie was violent, left a scar on my right bicep, but lasted three weeks before being moved out; Harry, bless 'im, was a seriously bad drunk...I found over 120 empty pint-bottles of vodka after he got carted off to the mental hospital!...and Tubby the Toilet-Killer was the one in the room when I moved here. Broke three seats in the four months I lived with him. I wore out a plunger keeping up with the other issue he caused. Prior to meeting him, I had no idea one could wear out a plunger.
Old Stuff is the least awful to date, in other words. I just don't like having someone in my sleeping space, still less a stinking unshowered smoker who refuses to send his clothes to the laundry because they come back just as dirty, gets rip-snortin' drunk once a week (down from nightly!), and complains whines pisses and moans whenever his eyes are open.
>106 karenmarie: Before Old Stuff...lessee...Charlie was violent, left a scar on my right bicep, but lasted three weeks before being moved out; Harry, bless 'im, was a seriously bad drunk...I found over 120 empty pint-bottles of vodka after he got carted off to the mental hospital!...and Tubby the Toilet-Killer was the one in the room when I moved here. Broke three seats in the four months I lived with him. I wore out a plunger keeping up with the other issue he caused. Prior to meeting him, I had no idea one could wear out a plunger.
Old Stuff is the least awful to date, in other words. I just don't like having someone in my sleeping space, still less a stinking unshowered smoker who refuses to send his clothes to the laundry because they come back just as dirty, gets rip-snortin' drunk once a week (down from nightly!), and complains whines pisses and moans whenever his eyes are open.
115karenmarie
>112 lauralkeet: I’m glad you liked it, Laura! I’ve been there many times.
>113 SomeGuyInVirginia: Oooh, lists. Go, Larry. I’m glad you found your glasses.
>114 richardderus: Ah. Least awful to date, but still sucky. I wouldn’t want a stranger in my sleeping space either. Only drunk once a week instead of seven days a week isn’t bad, though, relatively speaking...
…
So lots of time today on Friends of the Library stuff. Then the new Shark arrived with a broken extension wand. Lots of kerfuffle with Amazon with just needing the extension wand replaced – Amazon was in Uruguay, Shark rep was in the Caribbean, and they were willing to just replace the extension wand, but it was backordered for 2 weeks so we opted for a full replacement. Full replacement ordered, return label printed, now I’ve just got to get the new one so I can figure out how to get the broken one stuffed back in the box. They would ask me to take the unit out to get the number on the plug… sheesh. And then I found the number on the plug on the shipping box itself!!! I’m frazzled. It may be a glass of wine with dinner night.
>113 SomeGuyInVirginia: Oooh, lists. Go, Larry. I’m glad you found your glasses.
>114 richardderus: Ah. Least awful to date, but still sucky. I wouldn’t want a stranger in my sleeping space either. Only drunk once a week instead of seven days a week isn’t bad, though, relatively speaking...
…
So lots of time today on Friends of the Library stuff. Then the new Shark arrived with a broken extension wand. Lots of kerfuffle with Amazon with just needing the extension wand replaced – Amazon was in Uruguay, Shark rep was in the Caribbean, and they were willing to just replace the extension wand, but it was backordered for 2 weeks so we opted for a full replacement. Full replacement ordered, return label printed, now I’ve just got to get the new one so I can figure out how to get the broken one stuffed back in the box. They would ask me to take the unit out to get the number on the plug… sheesh. And then I found the number on the plug on the shipping box itself!!! I’m frazzled. It may be a glass of wine with dinner night.
116quondame
>114 richardderus: I resisted the specific, but not the general and got a case/keyboard for my iPad 6. If it were something I used daily I would have gone for the leather, but this is 1-2 books a month, so I skimped a bit on it.
117SomeGuyInVirginia
I've ordered a 70-in TV and a laptop, and I'm worried about the TV getting damaged in transit.
Those boxes are just enormous. If it shows up broken I'm going to have to get the guy who does my lawn to come over with this truck so we can take it back.
I got both from Sam's Club because they had the best prices. The only things I ordered from Amazon during Amazon Prime days was a charging cable, and maybe aspirin?
We're supposed to get a Costco here in Lynchburg but I have no idea when. The closest Costco is in Charlottesville and that's about an hour north of us. Sam's Club is pretty good, but I think I prefer Costco.
Those boxes are just enormous. If it shows up broken I'm going to have to get the guy who does my lawn to come over with this truck so we can take it back.
I got both from Sam's Club because they had the best prices. The only things I ordered from Amazon during Amazon Prime days was a charging cable, and maybe aspirin?
We're supposed to get a Costco here in Lynchburg but I have no idea when. The closest Costco is in Charlottesville and that's about an hour north of us. Sam's Club is pretty good, but I think I prefer Costco.
118msf59
Morning, Karen. Sweet Thursday. Details on yesterday's road trip are on my thread. I am heading out with my birding buddy for a short jaunt before the rain moves in. Any better luck with The Plague of Doves?
119karenmarie
>117 SomeGuyInVirginia: Wow, Larry, when you go big, you go big! I hope they arrive safe and sound. The one benefit from ordering from Amazon was that when we bought Bill's TV, it was shipped to their local set up company, which then brought it out to the house and set it up. The first one arrived damaged, but never got to the house. They handled it internally, got a second one, it arrived there safely, and then they brought it out and set it up for us. We also paid the guys $20/each to carry the old 65" upstairs to the media room.
At this point I can get everything I need without going to Costco, so I let our membership lapse last year. $55 for going twice a year doesn't make sense any more.
>118 msf59: 'Morning, Mark! Sweet Thursday to you, too. I haven't touched The Plague of Doves in three days. I'll read a bit today and see if it grabs me, if not, I'll abandon it and decide whether to keep it or cull it.
...
I'm visiting a friend today, outdoors at her house. We've cancelled for over a month now and today's the day.
Next Tuesday I'll be having lunch with Bill's Aunt Ann at a wonderful little Greek place called Taziki's then go back to Ann's house. She's giving me most of her old cookbooks and Uncle Sandy's jazz CDs and some LPs. Uncle Sandy passed away in 2017 and Ann's going to be moving to Florida to be near her daughter,. Sne and their 24-year old daughter who has Downs will live together in an apartment. Big changes ahead.
At this point I can get everything I need without going to Costco, so I let our membership lapse last year. $55 for going twice a year doesn't make sense any more.
>118 msf59: 'Morning, Mark! Sweet Thursday to you, too. I haven't touched The Plague of Doves in three days. I'll read a bit today and see if it grabs me, if not, I'll abandon it and decide whether to keep it or cull it.
...
I'm visiting a friend today, outdoors at her house. We've cancelled for over a month now and today's the day.
Next Tuesday I'll be having lunch with Bill's Aunt Ann at a wonderful little Greek place called Taziki's then go back to Ann's house. She's giving me most of her old cookbooks and Uncle Sandy's jazz CDs and some LPs. Uncle Sandy passed away in 2017 and Ann's going to be moving to Florida to be near her daughter,. Sne and their 24-year old daughter who has Downs will live together in an apartment. Big changes ahead.
120richardderus
>119 karenmarie: A lovely day indeed! I hope Aunt Ann is fun next week, too. I'm so pleased you're getting new stuff to catalog family heirlooms as well! Always a lovely thing. *smooch*
>117 SomeGuyInVirginia: Seventy-inch TV. Seventy inches. I, in fact, am only four inches taller than your TV. That is *terrifying* to me. I would feel as though the spacetime vortex of Stargate could open in that thing's gravity well, without warning, and I'd wake from my TV-induced sleep to find myself in Jurassic Gondwana or something.
>117 SomeGuyInVirginia: Seventy-inch TV. Seventy inches. I, in fact, am only four inches taller than your TV. That is *terrifying* to me. I would feel as though the spacetime vortex of Stargate could open in that thing's gravity well, without warning, and I'd wake from my TV-induced sleep to find myself in Jurassic Gondwana or something.
121karenmarie
Hi RD! I had fun visiting with Tamsie today, and she gave me some books she's culled... I've kept 5 of them and the rest go to the thrift store - too foxed or otherwise damaged for the Friends, but the thrift store can keep what they want and sell the rest by the pound.
And yes, more books next week. I seem to be a book magnet recently.
And yes, more books next week. I seem to be a book magnet recently.
122richardderus
>121 karenmarie: That's just lovely! I'm very happy for you.
I had a lovely thing happen today...I got a blog message from the publisher of a book I reviewed today, saying that she liked the review...then she took to Twitter and touted the review by saying "first read the review then buy the book"!
It is really lovely to be recognized by the people who make the books as someone whose take is valuable. It can get weird, though, like today's email from a christian publisher's publicist asking me to review Phillip Yancey's memoir! Specifically saying that my unbeliever's take would be especially welcome...that was just WEIRD.
I had a lovely thing happen today...I got a blog message from the publisher of a book I reviewed today, saying that she liked the review...then she took to Twitter and touted the review by saying "first read the review then buy the book"!
It is really lovely to be recognized by the people who make the books as someone whose take is valuable. It can get weird, though, like today's email from a christian publisher's publicist asking me to review Phillip Yancey's memoir! Specifically saying that my unbeliever's take would be especially welcome...that was just WEIRD.
123msf59
Morning, Karen. Happy Friday. Thunderstorms rolled through all night long and it is currently raining out there, which will probably keep me indoors. I got out birding 4 days in a row, so that scratched that itch.
Did you DNF the Erdrich? How was your visit with your friend?
Did you DNF the Erdrich? How was your visit with your friend?
124SomeGuyInVirginia
>119 karenmarie: I keep my membership to Costco or Sam's Club just to be able to buy 25 lb bags of good rice. Also, one thing I learned from the current supply problems and the ransomware attacks is that it's always best to be prepared. I still buy canned food and shelf-stable food in bulk. I went full blown prepper back in January 2020 when I saw those pictures out of China of people dying in the street, long before covid was a thing here. Part of that is probably a Mormon thing, too.
>120 richardderus: I know! That's exactly what I want to happen! The zombie apocalypse show Black Summer just released a whole new season and I want to be able to smell the rot!
>120 richardderus: I know! That's exactly what I want to happen! The zombie apocalypse show Black Summer just released a whole new season and I want to be able to smell the rot!
125jessibud2
As a single person living alone, you would think I'd have very little reason to have a Costco membership as I rarely need to buy anything in bulk. But for the last few years I have kept my membership up for 2 reasons: the cost of kitty litter and the cost of gasoline. Gas is usually a full 10 cents less per litre than anywhere else in the city and for that reason alone, it's worth it. Yes, there is often a line up at the pumps. I don't care; I go when I have time and am not in a hurry (and being retired and especially during covid, when there has been pretty much nothing else to do and nowhere else to go, that hasn't been difficult) and I just take a book, of course. And during covid, truth be told, I haven't been using the car or filling it up nearly as much as before.
I also use Costco as my pharmacy because I discovered that their dispensing fees are nearly half of other pharmacies. When I was teaching full time, my benefits covered all prescriptions so I never even knew about dispensing fees. But once I retired and my benefits were reduced and I had to pay for part of the benefits package, I did my homework and was shocked at what dispensing fees actually are! And you don't have to be a member of Costco to use their pharmacy for prescriptions so that was how I started there. I am generally not a fan of any big box store or company that squeezes out small local businesses, but for these 3 things alone, I use Costco.
And the prices of their books (small as the selection is) is also appealing. Just saying...;-)
I also use Costco as my pharmacy because I discovered that their dispensing fees are nearly half of other pharmacies. When I was teaching full time, my benefits covered all prescriptions so I never even knew about dispensing fees. But once I retired and my benefits were reduced and I had to pay for part of the benefits package, I did my homework and was shocked at what dispensing fees actually are! And you don't have to be a member of Costco to use their pharmacy for prescriptions so that was how I started there. I am generally not a fan of any big box store or company that squeezes out small local businesses, but for these 3 things alone, I use Costco.
And the prices of their books (small as the selection is) is also appealing. Just saying...;-)
126karenmarie
>122 richardderus: Thanks, RD! Congrats on the recognition of your review by the publisher of a book AND the Twitter endorsement for folks to read it.
Funny about the perspective for a review – I read an Amazon review about a book someone mentioned here on LT because I wasn’t going to read it but was interested in it, can’t remember the book – and the reviewer said that religious books should be reviewed by both believers and nonbelievers.
>123 msf59: Hi Mark, and happy Friday to you. Wow. Much weather in Chicagoland this week. I am glad you got 4 days of birding in a row. Have you joined BA yet? Birders Anonymous? “Hello, my name is Mark, and I’m a birdoholic?”
I have not DNFd the Erdrich but I didn’t get any further along in it yesterday. Yesterday got busy and strange for a while. The visit with Tamsie was marvelous. We sat outside at her house and talked for 2 ½ hours. It was marvelous. We may or may not be able to get another visit in before she goes to Bellingham, WA for a 3 week visit to her daughter/grandson in early July.
>124 SomeGuyInVirginia: Hi Larry! I buy 10 lbs of basmati rice at a time and once I open the bag it goes into the freezer in freezer baggies. In fact, I’m getting a tad low with only one Tupperware’s worth in the pantry and one baggie in the freezer in the garage, so will be filling up soon. I’m using less basmati rice since I got the Instant Pot and have been making various and sundry risottos with arborio rice.
You’re right about the current supply problems again/ongoing and wise to stock up, especially with the Mormon thing going. First time I was exposed to Mormon 'stocking up for the apocalypse' was when I was staying with my sister in 1981 and saw the wall-to-wall-and-floor-to-ceiling shelves filled with canned and packaged goods in their garage. That's also the first time I realized that people actually paid to go to church. (I never, ever went to church with my parents because my Dad was an agnostic and my mother wasn't strong enough to insist that she wanted to go to church and take us.) The Mormons garnished the wages of the husband... amazing to me.
I can’t seem to get interested in anything zombie. Vampires, check. Werewolves, check. Fey, sometimes check. The only time I was interested in zombies was when I had just started reading the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter books. Those were great for a while, then got absolutely distasteful to me.
>125 jessibud2: Hi Shelley. Since you live in town and presumably close to the Costco, it makes sense for you to use it. In the best of times, we'd only go twice a year. However, I'd renew my Costo membership in a heartbeat IF I didn't live 30 miles away from the closest one. Seems ridiculous to go there for gas if I'm going to spend more in the gas to get there than I'll save at the pump. I only have 2 prescriptions, too, one of which is free.
Hmmm. Dispensing fees. Here, at least my part of US here, all costs are embedded in the total price of the prescription. And, one of my two prescriptions is free under Medicare.
…
Ah, coffee. Quiet house. Bill’s at work. My dad would have been 100 today.
June 21, 1921 - March 31, 2006
Funny about the perspective for a review – I read an Amazon review about a book someone mentioned here on LT because I wasn’t going to read it but was interested in it, can’t remember the book – and the reviewer said that religious books should be reviewed by both believers and nonbelievers.
>123 msf59: Hi Mark, and happy Friday to you. Wow. Much weather in Chicagoland this week. I am glad you got 4 days of birding in a row. Have you joined BA yet? Birders Anonymous? “Hello, my name is Mark, and I’m a birdoholic?”
I have not DNFd the Erdrich but I didn’t get any further along in it yesterday. Yesterday got busy and strange for a while. The visit with Tamsie was marvelous. We sat outside at her house and talked for 2 ½ hours. It was marvelous. We may or may not be able to get another visit in before she goes to Bellingham, WA for a 3 week visit to her daughter/grandson in early July.
>124 SomeGuyInVirginia: Hi Larry! I buy 10 lbs of basmati rice at a time and once I open the bag it goes into the freezer in freezer baggies. In fact, I’m getting a tad low with only one Tupperware’s worth in the pantry and one baggie in the freezer in the garage, so will be filling up soon. I’m using less basmati rice since I got the Instant Pot and have been making various and sundry risottos with arborio rice.
You’re right about the current supply problems again/ongoing and wise to stock up, especially with the Mormon thing going. First time I was exposed to Mormon 'stocking up for the apocalypse' was when I was staying with my sister in 1981 and saw the wall-to-wall-and-floor-to-ceiling shelves filled with canned and packaged goods in their garage. That's also the first time I realized that people actually paid to go to church. (I never, ever went to church with my parents because my Dad was an agnostic and my mother wasn't strong enough to insist that she wanted to go to church and take us.) The Mormons garnished the wages of the husband... amazing to me.
I can’t seem to get interested in anything zombie. Vampires, check. Werewolves, check. Fey, sometimes check. The only time I was interested in zombies was when I had just started reading the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter books. Those were great for a while, then got absolutely distasteful to me.
>125 jessibud2: Hi Shelley. Since you live in town and presumably close to the Costco, it makes sense for you to use it. In the best of times, we'd only go twice a year. However, I'd renew my Costo membership in a heartbeat IF I didn't live 30 miles away from the closest one. Seems ridiculous to go there for gas if I'm going to spend more in the gas to get there than I'll save at the pump. I only have 2 prescriptions, too, one of which is free.
Hmmm. Dispensing fees. Here, at least my part of US here, all costs are embedded in the total price of the prescription. And, one of my two prescriptions is free under Medicare.
…
Ah, coffee. Quiet house. Bill’s at work. My dad would have been 100 today.
June 21, 1921 - March 31, 2006
127lauralkeet
Hi Karen, nice photos to remember your dad.
We've never had a Costco membership. Back in the days when I bought diapers, we joined BJs (similar to Costco) but I really hated shopping there and stopped when our need for diapers disappeared.
I mostly just stopped by to let you know that last night at bedtime I started the first Kate Burkholder novel, Sworn to Silence, which you recommended. That may not have been the best way to prepare for a good night's sleep! But the story certainly gripped me from the start. Thanks for the rec.
We've never had a Costco membership. Back in the days when I bought diapers, we joined BJs (similar to Costco) but I really hated shopping there and stopped when our need for diapers disappeared.
I mostly just stopped by to let you know that last night at bedtime I started the first Kate Burkholder novel, Sworn to Silence, which you recommended. That may not have been the best way to prepare for a good night's sleep! But the story certainly gripped me from the start. Thanks for the rec.
128quondame
>126 karenmarie: What a great display. Your dad looks like he had a lot of good nature with which to approach life.
129jessibud2
>126 karenmarie: - Lovely series of photos, Karen. Such a loving way to remember your dad.
130richardderus
>126 karenmarie: What lovely memories! I'm so glad you've got them to enjoy.
131msf59
Morning, Karen. Happy Saturday. I love the tribute to your Dad. Very special. I am glad you had a nice visit with Tamsie.
More rain in the forecast today, which is a bit of a bummer, since we have a family reunion to attend. It will be at a cousin's house. This will be the first time this side of the family, (my Moms) has got together like this, (not counting funerals) in 15 years or more.
More rain in the forecast today, which is a bit of a bummer, since we have a family reunion to attend. It will be at a cousin's house. This will be the first time this side of the family, (my Moms) has got together like this, (not counting funerals) in 15 years or more.
132karenmarie
>127 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura. There’s a BJs somewhere down here, south of us, but way too far to ever consider joining.
Ooh, I hope you like it! I agree about the atmosphere just before going to bed.
>128 quondame: Thanks, Susan.
>129 jessibud2: Thank you, shelley.
>130 richardderus: Oh yes, RDear, I had fun looking at the photos and putting that together. Family photos are very important to me.
>131 msf59: ‘Morning, Mark, and happy Saturday to you, too. Thanks re the tribute to my dad. Tamsie and I have slowly become friends over the years. We met when she joined our book club in 2001. I’ve liked 8 of the 17 books she chose. Sorry about the rain forecast for today. I hope the reunion is wonderful and that the rain holds off or goes around.
…
Glorious coffee. Books to read…
Ooh, I hope you like it! I agree about the atmosphere just before going to bed.
>128 quondame: Thanks, Susan.
>129 jessibud2: Thank you, shelley.
>130 richardderus: Oh yes, RDear, I had fun looking at the photos and putting that together. Family photos are very important to me.
>131 msf59: ‘Morning, Mark, and happy Saturday to you, too. Thanks re the tribute to my dad. Tamsie and I have slowly become friends over the years. We met when she joined our book club in 2001. I’ve liked 8 of the 17 books she chose. Sorry about the rain forecast for today. I hope the reunion is wonderful and that the rain holds off or goes around.
…
Glorious coffee. Books to read…
133SomeGuyInVirginia
Snappy birfdee! Plans? And I want a swag report.
I stayed super busy yesterday getting things put away, polishing furniture, etc. Maybe I was too tired to sleep. What I'm leading up to is for the last hour I've been in bed reading the news on my phone while Parker has been doing his damnedest to get me up. I mean, if he's not patting me on the head then he's doing a war dance around the bed and making that weird mrowing sound that isn't quite a meow and isn't quite the sound he makes before he throws up, but is something else entirely.
I must have slept at some point because I did dream that I was hosting the president and first lady at a dinner party.
The new Riley Sager will be delivered on Tuesday, Survive the Night. Gersberms!
I stayed super busy yesterday getting things put away, polishing furniture, etc. Maybe I was too tired to sleep. What I'm leading up to is for the last hour I've been in bed reading the news on my phone while Parker has been doing his damnedest to get me up. I mean, if he's not patting me on the head then he's doing a war dance around the bed and making that weird mrowing sound that isn't quite a meow and isn't quite the sound he makes before he throws up, but is something else entirely.
I must have slept at some point because I did dream that I was hosting the president and first lady at a dinner party.
The new Riley Sager will be delivered on Tuesday, Survive the Night. Gersberms!
134jessibud2
Happy birthday? If I am *translating* correctly from >133 SomeGuyInVirginia:. If so, well, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Karen! Hope it is a good one, as quiet and relaxing as you want it to be!
135karenmarie
Thank you, Larry! First plan of the day was to open cards and get some Wild Berry Skittles, my favorite. Bill got me two popup cards, which are the new family favorite right now. I'm leaving this oversize so you can see the detail on the cards. They are wonderful. Wash is wearing a tuxedo kitty disguise, as explained in the note. *smile* We like silly things like that.
We're going to have an early dinner at S & T Soda Shoppe. I couldn't have it last year because of the pandemic, but I'll report back if I'm successful in acquiring Bowl o' Cheese, a.k.a. Lasagna.
I made my birthday cake yesterday, German Chocolate Cake. Bill hates coconut, so here's the compromise version that I make every year and that we'll have later tonight.
I'm glad your cleaning/putting up day went well yesterday - and I hope today's long joy ride through the countryside and etc. blows some of the cobwebs out.
Yay for Parker, cutie pewtie that he is. I haven't heard of Riley Sager, but he's now on my wish list!
And what is the deal with you hosting Joe and Jill? Was I included? *smile*
We're going to have an early dinner at S & T Soda Shoppe. I couldn't have it last year because of the pandemic, but I'll report back if I'm successful in acquiring Bowl o' Cheese, a.k.a. Lasagna.
I made my birthday cake yesterday, German Chocolate Cake. Bill hates coconut, so here's the compromise version that I make every year and that we'll have later tonight.
I'm glad your cleaning/putting up day went well yesterday - and I hope today's long joy ride through the countryside and etc. blows some of the cobwebs out.
Yay for Parker, cutie pewtie that he is. I haven't heard of Riley Sager, but he's now on my wish list!
And what is the deal with you hosting Joe and Jill? Was I included? *smile*
136karenmarie
>134 jessibud2: Yes, you interpreted correctly, Shelley. Today I turned 68. Actually, considering the time difference, about 30 minutes ago. 6 a.m. in CA, 9 a.m. in NC.
140LizzieD
Oh, Karen! How could I not know that today is your birthday????? It goes into my birthday book as soon as I get home tonight. Meanwhile, I'm glad that it has begun well, and I wish you may continue with the Bowl o' Cheese, CAKE, and many other unforeseen bits of wonderfulness.
Long may book magnetism reign!!!!
Long may book magnetism reign!!!!
141jnwelch
Happy Birthday, Karen!
Great to see Mrs. Caliban in your Top 5. I have it as a favorite of the year. I believe you tipped me off to it. I just gave it to my BIL, along with Cluny Brown, another different one I liked.
Great to see Mrs. Caliban in your Top 5. I have it as a favorite of the year. I believe you tipped me off to it. I just gave it to my BIL, along with Cluny Brown, another different one I liked.
142RebaRelishesReading
Happy birthday, Karen! Those pop-up cards are really cute/pretty and the cake looks yummy (well the side with coconut does anyway lol). Hope you have a lovely day!
143jessibud2
Karen, did you know you share a birthday with author Pearl S. Buck? She was a tad older than you, though...
144scaifea
Happy birthday!!
German Chocolate is my dad's favorite, too. I'm with Bill about the coconut, but I do love that you've made sure to have the lion's share of that cake. It's only right and honestly very generous of you to make any compromises at all on your own birthday cake!
German Chocolate is my dad's favorite, too. I'm with Bill about the coconut, but I do love that you've made sure to have the lion's share of that cake. It's only right and honestly very generous of you to make any compromises at all on your own birthday cake!
145lauralkeet
Happy birthday Karen! Looks like you're having a great day with lots of favorite goodies.
146quondame
Happy Birthday!
>135 karenmarie: >144 scaifea: I don't hate coconut, but find I enjoy cake without it more than with it. The texture is fine if I'm eating in savory food or by itself, but it and the flavor distract me from the goodness of chocolate and butter cream.
>135 karenmarie: >144 scaifea: I don't hate coconut, but find I enjoy cake without it more than with it. The texture is fine if I'm eating in savory food or by itself, but it and the flavor distract me from the goodness of chocolate and butter cream.
147SomeGuyInVirginia
Have you read Are You Somebody? by Nuala O'Faolain? It was the main book discussed on a recent backlisted podcast, and I was gobsmacked by some of the things that she said in interviews that they played as backup. I could not wait to pull over to order a copy and I see that you have one in your lie-berry.
148Copperskye
Happy, happy birthday to you, Karen!!
(My son is celebrating his birthday (28th) today, too!)
(My son is celebrating his birthday (28th) today, too!)
149karenmarie
Thanks Beth, Katie, Bill.
>140 LizzieD: It was a great day, Peggy, but alas! No Bowl o’ Cheese. The place was absolutely mobbed, even at 4 p.m. We ended up the road at Moon Asian Bistro, just recently open for indoor seating. We were the only folks indoors – it was mostly to go orders at 4:30.
>141 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe. Mrs. Caliban was my choice for our aborted 2020 book club schedule but I decided I should read it. Yes, a couple of folks read it after I made a bit of noise about it. I’ve just added Cluny Brown to my wish list!
>142 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks, Reba. Bill’s very thoughtful – knows I love flamingos, and anything about our 3 kitties is always a hit. The cake was good – Bill tells me the chocolate cream chocolate cake side was good, too.
>143 jessibud2: Very few people seem to share my birthday, glad I share it with such a wonderful author as Pearl Buck, Shelley.
>144 scaifea: Thanks, Amber. I’m in good company, then! I also will give a piece of the coconut side to friend Louise and a piece of the coconut side to friend Dwain, so I won’t eat the Whole Coconut Pecan Frosting side by myself.
>145 lauralkeet: Lots of my favorite things, lots of phone calls and texts and good wishes here on LT, Laura. Thank you.
>146 quondame: Thanks, Susan. I’d share a piece of the buttercream side if you were here…
>147 SomeGuyInVirginia: I have not read the O’Faolain book. It’s been on my shelves for 2 years and 3 months… one of these days, Larry.
>148 Copperskye: Thank you, Joanne. And yay for another June 26th baby.
…
As I mentioned above, couldn’t get Bowl o’Cheese, but had shrimp pad thai and have leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch. Plus cake for brekkie, of course…
Off to do a bit of reading then a bit of sleeping.
Thank you all for my lovely birthday wishes.
>140 LizzieD: It was a great day, Peggy, but alas! No Bowl o’ Cheese. The place was absolutely mobbed, even at 4 p.m. We ended up the road at Moon Asian Bistro, just recently open for indoor seating. We were the only folks indoors – it was mostly to go orders at 4:30.
>141 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe. Mrs. Caliban was my choice for our aborted 2020 book club schedule but I decided I should read it. Yes, a couple of folks read it after I made a bit of noise about it. I’ve just added Cluny Brown to my wish list!
>142 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks, Reba. Bill’s very thoughtful – knows I love flamingos, and anything about our 3 kitties is always a hit. The cake was good – Bill tells me the chocolate cream chocolate cake side was good, too.
>143 jessibud2: Very few people seem to share my birthday, glad I share it with such a wonderful author as Pearl Buck, Shelley.
>144 scaifea: Thanks, Amber. I’m in good company, then! I also will give a piece of the coconut side to friend Louise and a piece of the coconut side to friend Dwain, so I won’t eat the Whole Coconut Pecan Frosting side by myself.
>145 lauralkeet: Lots of my favorite things, lots of phone calls and texts and good wishes here on LT, Laura. Thank you.
>146 quondame: Thanks, Susan. I’d share a piece of the buttercream side if you were here…
>147 SomeGuyInVirginia: I have not read the O’Faolain book. It’s been on my shelves for 2 years and 3 months… one of these days, Larry.
>148 Copperskye: Thank you, Joanne. And yay for another June 26th baby.
…
As I mentioned above, couldn’t get Bowl o’Cheese, but had shrimp pad thai and have leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch. Plus cake for brekkie, of course…
Off to do a bit of reading then a bit of sleeping.
Thank you all for my lovely birthday wishes.
150msf59
Happy Birthday, Karen! Sorry I missed it yesterday. I got here to early, I guess. I hope you had a wonderful day. We had a great time at the reunion and the weather lifted just in time. The entire old guard has passed away and the next generation are in their 70s. I am third wave. That is why these events are important.
151ursula
Happy belated birthday! I always asked for German chocolate cake as a kid. I don't think I realized the frosting had coconut in it until later in life, haha.
152karenmarie
>150 msf59: 'Morning, Mark, and thank you. Yes, you got here before the day's festivities began. I'm glad your RL festivities went well.
>151 ursula: Hi Ursula. Thank you. I never thought about what was in GCC, but remember asking for it for my birthday when I was perhaps 10 or so. There were no box mixes for it yet, or at least not in Hawthorne California in the early 1960s. My mom was a box-mix girl, so she had to make it from scratch, which she did, bless her. Frosting, too, but all I remember is that she had to buy buttermilk, which we never had in the house for any other reason ever.
First sip of coffee taken, the pleasure of GCC for breakfast in a while after I've had a chance to wake up.
>151 ursula: Hi Ursula. Thank you. I never thought about what was in GCC, but remember asking for it for my birthday when I was perhaps 10 or so. There were no box mixes for it yet, or at least not in Hawthorne California in the early 1960s. My mom was a box-mix girl, so she had to make it from scratch, which she did, bless her. Frosting, too, but all I remember is that she had to buy buttermilk, which we never had in the house for any other reason ever.
First sip of coffee taken, the pleasure of GCC for breakfast in a while after I've had a chance to wake up.
153scaifea
Pad Thai sounds so very good right now. YUM. Also, cake for breakfast is always wonderful.
154karenmarie
Hi Amber! The breakfast cake was great.
...
The replacement Shark came Friday and I didn't want to deal with it until today - we had to make sure we understood how it was packed so we could properly repack the defective one. We were successful, I tested the new one in the kitchen and living room area rug, am happy with it, and the old one is properly packed away to return to Amazon. Bonus: While rearranging the storage under the stairs where we keep the vacuum cleaner, I found some Oreck bags to give to Jenna for the old Oreck we're giving her, which works like a champ and which I actively hate. I also found the second rack for the wall oven, which I didn't remember putting in that closet. See >111 karenmarie: above, "Age-Activated Attention Deficit Disorder".
...
The replacement Shark came Friday and I didn't want to deal with it until today - we had to make sure we understood how it was packed so we could properly repack the defective one. We were successful, I tested the new one in the kitchen and living room area rug, am happy with it, and the old one is properly packed away to return to Amazon. Bonus: While rearranging the storage under the stairs where we keep the vacuum cleaner, I found some Oreck bags to give to Jenna for the old Oreck we're giving her, which works like a champ and which I actively hate. I also found the second rack for the wall oven, which I didn't remember putting in that closet. See >111 karenmarie: above, "Age-Activated Attention Deficit Disorder".
155SomeGuyInVirginia
Breakfast cake with coffee? Yes please!
I'm unpacking boxes, and putting boxes and wrapping paper in garbage bags for pickup on Wednesday. It's a process.
I'm unpacking boxes, and putting boxes and wrapping paper in garbage bags for pickup on Wednesday. It's a process.
156richardderus
>154 karenmarie: "Triple-A Double-D" is a Very Very Serious Issue.
Yesterday Rob found a tree-book I *swore*blind* I didn't own. In the book-crate next to my bed. It still had the publisher's compliments sheet inside it. And it's three years too late to return the Kindlebook I bought of it.
Yesterday Rob found a tree-book I *swore*blind* I didn't own. In the book-crate next to my bed. It still had the publisher's compliments sheet inside it. And it's three years too late to return the Kindlebook I bought of it.
157karenmarie
>155 SomeGuyInVirginia: Looks like I'll have to make a German Chocolate Cake when I come to visit you. Yay for continuing the process.
>156 richardderus: It would almost have been better to remain in ignorance that you had the tree book... but nice to have another tree book.
Speaking of which, my friend Karen told me that I should get The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness by Simon Wiesenthal after a discussion about my issues with a non-blood-related family member and her issues with a blood-related family member. I do not ever plan on forgiving this non-blood-related family member, but this isn't a bad book to have just because.
So I bought a copy from Amazon. And I added it to my catalog, and I already had a copy. The exact same trade paperback. I think I must have picked it up at a Friends sale because Amazon didn't warn me that I'd already bought it. Alas. Sometimes I just do not remember to check my shelves before buying a book. Harrumph.
Jenna just sent this to me and it is Totally Appropriate and it totally cracked me up.
>156 richardderus: It would almost have been better to remain in ignorance that you had the tree book... but nice to have another tree book.
Speaking of which, my friend Karen told me that I should get The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness by Simon Wiesenthal after a discussion about my issues with a non-blood-related family member and her issues with a blood-related family member. I do not ever plan on forgiving this non-blood-related family member, but this isn't a bad book to have just because.
So I bought a copy from Amazon. And I added it to my catalog, and I already had a copy. The exact same trade paperback. I think I must have picked it up at a Friends sale because Amazon didn't warn me that I'd already bought it. Alas. Sometimes I just do not remember to check my shelves before buying a book. Harrumph.
Jenna just sent this to me and it is Totally Appropriate and it totally cracked me up.
158richardderus
>157 karenmarie: Oh, Rob went home with the tree-book, thank goodness. I am teetering on the edge of just giving him all of them since it would make my roomie happy and would reduce the work he'll have to do if I kick the bucket suddenly.
But then I realize that making my roomie happy is the antithesis of what I want out of my remaining life....
The graphic is *chef's kiss* and proof you raised Jenna right.
But then I realize that making my roomie happy is the antithesis of what I want out of my remaining life....
The graphic is *chef's kiss* and proof you raised Jenna right.
160karenmarie
>158 richardderus: I think you need to breathe in the book perfume, RD, and not get rid of all your tree books quite yet.
Yup, Jenna's a keeper. I laughed long and hard over that one.
>159 FAMeulstee: Thank you, Anita!
Yup, Jenna's a keeper. I laughed long and hard over that one.
>159 FAMeulstee: Thank you, Anita!
161msf59
Morning, Karen. We have rain in the forecast for the next few days, so birding will be limited but I am starting to get that itch after 3 days. There should be plenty of book time though.
>157 karenmarie: I think that graphic nails it. Grins...
>157 karenmarie: I think that graphic nails it. Grins...
162richardderus
We made it. It's Monday. Whee.
More coffee, I think.
More coffee, I think.
163weird_O
>157 karenmarie: About the graphic. I don't get it. I'm missing something, right?
164karenmarie
>161 msf59: Hi Mark! Sorry about the rain, but books are quite a nice backup.
>162 richardderus: Yay. Monday. Heading into Tuesday. I'm already looking forward to tomorrow morning's coffee.
>163 weird_O: Do I Need More Books? Blue = Yes. Yellow also = Yes, therefore 100% of the circle is a resounding YES to Do I Need More Books? The immediate visual is that there's some portion of the circle that is NOT Yes, but actually all of it is.
And I got one today - book, that is. I was at the Library, went into the Book Sort Room, and there were two books headed for the PTA Thrift Shop because we already have way too many religion/philosophy books. I grabbed them for friend Karen, but she said she already had one and said "it would be a good book for you to have. (Hint, you little Deist)."
The one for her is Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words by W.E. Vine, 1966, Fleming H. Revell Co Publishers.
The one she already has is Unger’s Bible Dictionary by Merrill F. Unger, 1976, Moody Press, now in my catalog and headed to my shelves.
>162 richardderus: Yay. Monday. Heading into Tuesday. I'm already looking forward to tomorrow morning's coffee.
>163 weird_O: Do I Need More Books? Blue = Yes. Yellow also = Yes, therefore 100% of the circle is a resounding YES to Do I Need More Books? The immediate visual is that there's some portion of the circle that is NOT Yes, but actually all of it is.
And I got one today - book, that is. I was at the Library, went into the Book Sort Room, and there were two books headed for the PTA Thrift Shop because we already have way too many religion/philosophy books. I grabbed them for friend Karen, but she said she already had one and said "it would be a good book for you to have. (Hint, you little Deist)."
The one for her is Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words by W.E. Vine, 1966, Fleming H. Revell Co Publishers.
The one she already has is Unger’s Bible Dictionary by Merrill F. Unger, 1976, Moody Press, now in my catalog and headed to my shelves.
165SomeGuyInVirginia
I've cut way back on my caffeine for the past few days and I've noticed that my sleep is better. I don't guess I'll ever learn. I went to Starbucks a few days ago and asked for a coffee boilermaker, a large dark roast with a shot of espresso tossed in, and it was so hot that when I went to pick the cup up from the console it had wilted and I had a lap full of really hot coffee. Most unpleasant. But, as usual, cursing save the day. I'm pretty sure that my swerving all over Rivermont also helped. And is it just me or are the kids who work in Starbucks now just way, way too happy to be there? 'Good morning! What can I do for you this fine day?'. Try taking it down a few notches. They're like Up With People, but with coffee.
Anyway, my point, and I do have one, is that the new Riley Sager will be here today. Wheee!
Anyway, my point, and I do have one, is that the new Riley Sager will be here today. Wheee!
166msf59
Morning, Karen. I did not go birding yesterday but I ran a few errands, messed with the bird feeders, and mowed the grass. I am meeting my birding buddy shortly but not sure if we will stay dry.
167lauralkeet
>165 SomeGuyInVirginia: They're like Up with People, but with coffee.
That made me spew my coffee!! Our local SBUX is similar. On a recent drive-through visit the employee engaged me in conversation about favorite animals while my drink was being made. It was actually an excellent stall tactic because drove off thinking to myself, "what a nice young man" (said in a granny voice because thinking that always makes me feel old). Having recently moved from Philly to Northern Virginia I'm still adjusting to people being nice.
--
Good morning Karen! I hope you're staying cool, and that the coffee and books are treating you well.
That made me spew my coffee!! Our local SBUX is similar. On a recent drive-through visit the employee engaged me in conversation about favorite animals while my drink was being made. It was actually an excellent stall tactic because drove off thinking to myself, "what a nice young man" (said in a granny voice because thinking that always makes me feel old). Having recently moved from Philly to Northern Virginia I'm still adjusting to people being nice.
--
Good morning Karen! I hope you're staying cool, and that the coffee and books are treating you well.
168BLBera
>157 karenmarie: I love your pie chart, Karen.
169karenmarie
>165 SomeGuyInVirginia: Hiya Larry! I’ve had Starbucks exactly three times in my life, two with Peggy and once with my niece-by-marriage. It’s good, but you’re right about how hot it is.
Heh. Up With People. We had to sing that song in 7th grade Language Arts – Social Science (L.A.S.S.) class with Mr. Johnson. Unfortunately, I remember the chorus.
Ooh on the new Riley Sager. I meant to ask you – should I just wait this one for my introduction to his books or is there a previous book you’d recommend? The Lie-berry has Final Girls, Home Before Dark, Lock Every Door, and The Last Time I Lied.
>166 msf59: Hi Mark. I hope it’s dry enough for a Birding Adventure today.
>167 lauralkeet: Hi Laura. It’s not as vicious here as it is out west and in the northeast, although 90F is quite warm enough. The coffee’s gotten me off to a good start, and I need it. I was awake from 4 a.m. to 5:30 a.m., so am a bit groggy.
>168 BLBera: Thanks Beth. My daughter has been having fun in recent months sending me book-related funnies.
…
Off to a Friends meeting to discuss volunteer needs for our August Children’s and Audiovisual one-day sale in half an hour, then straight from there to have lunch with Aunt Ann and pick up those cook books for me and jazz CDs and LPs probably for the Friends I mentioned upthread.
In the meantime I’ll get a teensy bit of reading in. I decided to power through the last 3 Nero Wolfe mysteries before month end and started Death Times Three earlier this morning. Should be easy-peasy to have it done tomorrow.
Heh. Up With People. We had to sing that song in 7th grade Language Arts – Social Science (L.A.S.S.) class with Mr. Johnson. Unfortunately, I remember the chorus.
Ooh on the new Riley Sager. I meant to ask you – should I just wait this one for my introduction to his books or is there a previous book you’d recommend? The Lie-berry has Final Girls, Home Before Dark, Lock Every Door, and The Last Time I Lied.
>166 msf59: Hi Mark. I hope it’s dry enough for a Birding Adventure today.
>167 lauralkeet: Hi Laura. It’s not as vicious here as it is out west and in the northeast, although 90F is quite warm enough. The coffee’s gotten me off to a good start, and I need it. I was awake from 4 a.m. to 5:30 a.m., so am a bit groggy.
>168 BLBera: Thanks Beth. My daughter has been having fun in recent months sending me book-related funnies.
…
Off to a Friends meeting to discuss volunteer needs for our August Children’s and Audiovisual one-day sale in half an hour, then straight from there to have lunch with Aunt Ann and pick up those cook books for me and jazz CDs and LPs probably for the Friends I mentioned upthread.
In the meantime I’ll get a teensy bit of reading in. I decided to power through the last 3 Nero Wolfe mysteries before month end and started Death Times Three earlier this morning. Should be easy-peasy to have it done tomorrow.
170richardderus
>169 karenmarie: Pleasant kind of busy to be...yay!
>165 SomeGuyInVirginia: They're like Up With People, but with coffee.
Thought 1: U G H
Thought 2: Dating yourself, dearest.
>165 SomeGuyInVirginia: They're like Up With People, but with coffee.
Thought 1: U G H
Thought 2: Dating yourself, dearest.
171SomeGuyInVirginia
>169 karenmarie: Try 'The Last Time I Lied'. If that's not your cuppa, you won't like any of them.
>167 lauralkeet: *bow*
>170 richardderus: I'm a cheap date and, at this stage of my life anyway, I'm no harder to get into the sack than it is knocking over a bowling pin. I've been dating myself for a long time.
>167 lauralkeet: *bow*
>170 richardderus: I'm a cheap date and, at this stage of my life anyway, I'm no harder to get into the sack than it is knocking over a bowling pin. I've been dating myself for a long time.
172LizzieD
>157 karenmarie: That's one pie I'm happy to consume!
I look forward to taking you Starbuckwards for your fourth time sometime this year! Hugs and Happy Day! We just got back from our walk - bearable because it's overcast, but it's awfully humid, and so am I.
I look forward to taking you Starbuckwards for your fourth time sometime this year! Hugs and Happy Day! We just got back from our walk - bearable because it's overcast, but it's awfully humid, and so am I.
173weird_O
>164 karenmarie:. I'm sorry, Karen. I DID get it, but I was being a smartass in a dumbass sorta way.
Hoping to get through Ken Kesey's Demon Box by the end of the month. But I'm going to miss by at least a day. June needs 31 days; 30 is never enough.
The atmosphere has turned syrupy, and it takes more time to wade from one end of the house to the other.
Hoping to get through Ken Kesey's Demon Box by the end of the month. But I'm going to miss by at least a day. June needs 31 days; 30 is never enough.
The atmosphere has turned syrupy, and it takes more time to wade from one end of the house to the other.
174karenmarie
>170 richardderus: I may or may not finish the last Nero Wolfe today, RD. I’ve got a bit of Friends stuff that will take a while. We’re closing one checking account and transferring to a different back closer to the new Treasurer and the last day of the month makes most sense.
>171 SomeGuyInVirginia: Thanks for the recommendation. I just placed a hold on the one copy our Library has. It’s checked out, due back 7/19, so it will be a happy surprise when I get the notification that it’s ready for me to pick up. I’ve been dating myself for a long time. LOL
>172 LizzieD: Excellent pie for sure, Peggy. And I look forward to a time when I can come visit again.
>173 weird_O: I’m a very literal person, Bill. It didn’t occur to me that you were being a smartass.
We do need an extra day this month, as I’m trying to finish the last of 47 Nero Wolfe books by the end of June. We’ll see…
Pancake syrupy? Humid syrupy?
…
Coffee, book.
I was on the receiving end of 2 boxes of cookbooks, but frankly most of them are church cookbooks so will get donated to the Friends. We are going to keep the old wooden Drink Coca-Cola box. It’s cool.
>171 SomeGuyInVirginia: Thanks for the recommendation. I just placed a hold on the one copy our Library has. It’s checked out, due back 7/19, so it will be a happy surprise when I get the notification that it’s ready for me to pick up. I’ve been dating myself for a long time. LOL
>172 LizzieD: Excellent pie for sure, Peggy. And I look forward to a time when I can come visit again.
>173 weird_O: I’m a very literal person, Bill. It didn’t occur to me that you were being a smartass.
We do need an extra day this month, as I’m trying to finish the last of 47 Nero Wolfe books by the end of June. We’ll see…
Pancake syrupy? Humid syrupy?
…
Coffee, book.
I was on the receiving end of 2 boxes of cookbooks, but frankly most of them are church cookbooks so will get donated to the Friends. We are going to keep the old wooden Drink Coca-Cola box. It’s cool.
175msf59
Morning, Karen. Happy Wednesday. The rain arrived earlier than expected yesterday, so we never did get out. I have an appointment today so no birding today either...sighs. House finch, house sparrows and doves seem to be my most active feeder visitors. Not much color.
Congrats for getting a signed copy Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet.
Congrats for getting a signed copy Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet.
176karenmarie
Thanks, Mark! Sorry about the rain and RL interfering with your birding... *smile* I literally have no birds right now, colorful or not colorful.
Thanks - I'm looking forward to getting that copy back.
Thanks - I'm looking forward to getting that copy back.
177richardderus
>176 karenmarie: It's too hot for 'em to fly!
>174 karenmarie: Well, they'll sell at the Friends sale. Church cookbooks are a vital trove of sociological info about people's real eating habits.
>174 karenmarie: Well, they'll sell at the Friends sale. Church cookbooks are a vital trove of sociological info about people's real eating habits.
178karenmarie
Hiya, RD!
It's only normal summer hot here - 91F will be the high.
I do have several church cookbooks, those with family members in them, either Bill's or mine.
Here are the books I'm keeping, several church-like but not exactly church:
Eating with Etta Cookbook by Etta L. Broaddus. I'm keeping it because it was published by The Chatham Herald-Tribune, Pittsboro, NC, the town I live in, in 1986. However every page I've opened to either has Cream of Something soup, frozen vegetables, jello, or the word Cheesy in the title. To be fair, some of the desserts are scratch. However...
Aunt Bee's Delightful Desserts by Ken Beck and Jim Clark. I can't resist.
Trinity Treats by The Woman's Society of Christian Service, Trinity Methodist Church, Durham N.C. I'm keeping this one because there's a recipe that calls for sweet milk. Bill's Mama would never drink what she called 'sweet milk' because she grew up drinking buttermilk.
Japanese Proverbs & Traditional Phrases by the Peter Pauper Press.
Guide to Ecclesiastical Birdwatching by LeRoy Koopman
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife of Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee by Warren Parker
Marcus Aurelius Translated by C.R. Haines, Loeb Classical Library
The Williamsburg Art of Cookery by Mrs. Helen Bullock. Beautiful 1938 leatherbound edition.
The Joy of Cooking by Irma S. Rombauer and Marion Rombauer Becker. Blue cover edition, 1964.
Birds of North Carolina by Thomas Gilbert Pearson, 1959 edition. Inscribed to ... wait for it.... my husband's step-mother's sister's father- and mother-in-law.
The cookbook I'm not keeping has this atrocious-sounding recipe: Yule-Morn Yummies.
It's only normal summer hot here - 91F will be the high.
I do have several church cookbooks, those with family members in them, either Bill's or mine.
Here are the books I'm keeping, several church-like but not exactly church:
Eating with Etta Cookbook by Etta L. Broaddus. I'm keeping it because it was published by The Chatham Herald-Tribune, Pittsboro, NC, the town I live in, in 1986. However every page I've opened to either has Cream of Something soup, frozen vegetables, jello, or the word Cheesy in the title. To be fair, some of the desserts are scratch. However...
Aunt Bee's Delightful Desserts by Ken Beck and Jim Clark. I can't resist.
Trinity Treats by The Woman's Society of Christian Service, Trinity Methodist Church, Durham N.C. I'm keeping this one because there's a recipe that calls for sweet milk. Bill's Mama would never drink what she called 'sweet milk' because she grew up drinking buttermilk.
Japanese Proverbs & Traditional Phrases by the Peter Pauper Press.
Guide to Ecclesiastical Birdwatching by LeRoy Koopman
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife of Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee by Warren Parker
Marcus Aurelius Translated by C.R. Haines, Loeb Classical Library
The Williamsburg Art of Cookery by Mrs. Helen Bullock. Beautiful 1938 leatherbound edition.
The Joy of Cooking by Irma S. Rombauer and Marion Rombauer Becker. Blue cover edition, 1964.
Birds of North Carolina by Thomas Gilbert Pearson, 1959 edition. Inscribed to ... wait for it.... my husband's step-mother's sister's father- and mother-in-law.
The cookbook I'm not keeping has this atrocious-sounding recipe: Yule-Morn Yummies.
179richardderus
Spam Sammys with Cling Peaches
180streamsong
>178 karenmarie: They obviously forgot the marshmallows!
Some of the regional cookbooks sell quite well on eBay - offspring of contributors want them
ETA: I should finish Bonecrack before the year is done with June. :)
Some of the regional cookbooks sell quite well on eBay - offspring of contributors want them
ETA: I should finish Bonecrack before the year is done with June. :)
181Whisper1
Hi Karen! Sorry to be out of touch. I've worked too much on projects around the house. I went through a time of reading a lot of books about the Roosevelts. But, then stopped reading and continued working on the house. I've been a bit of a hermit..time to get back to happiness!
182karenmarie
>179 richardderus: Yup. Urp.
>180 streamsong: I know - what else awful could go on that mess? Cookbooks are a big seller at our Friends sales, so will donate them there.
I found Bonecrack to be less ... everything... than other Dick Francis books. It got lots of LT stars, which is what me pick it, but so far it's my least favorite of this year's choices.
>181 Whisper1: Hi Linda! Glad to see you here. I admire your projects.
>180 streamsong: I know - what else awful could go on that mess? Cookbooks are a big seller at our Friends sales, so will donate them there.
I found Bonecrack to be less ... everything... than other Dick Francis books. It got lots of LT stars, which is what me pick it, but so far it's my least favorite of this year's choices.
>181 Whisper1: Hi Linda! Glad to see you here. I admire your projects.
183ursula
>178 karenmarie: What in the crimes against humanity is that recipe?!
184karenmarie
Hi Ursula. The Spam is what put me off. The last time I liked Spam was when a boyfriend fried it up in the cast iron skillet I still have, about 1973 or so. I tried it once again last year just for shits and giggles and threw it away without even finishing two bites. The recipe also just tries too hard, combining things that should never be combined.
185msf59
Morning, Karen. Sweet Thursday. It has cooled off nicely and will be in the mid-70s. I am heading out for a solo jaunt and expect to be gone for a few hours. I can't believe it has been a week since I got out on the trails. I am itchin' to get a couple of photos too.
186karenmarie
'Morning, Mark! We cross posted. Yay for a solo jaunt. I hope it clears the cobwebs out, gets you some great sightings, and even a photo or two, too.
187karenmarie
June stats are in >5 karenmarie: and >6 karenmarie:.
188karenmarie
In April of last year, in a fit of Pandemic-induced angst, I wanted a comfort read and picked up Fer-de-Lance, the first of 46 Nero Wolfe books written by Rex Stout. It was so well-remembered and comforting that I decided to read/re-read all 46. I also discovered that Death Times Three was published posthumously, bringing the total to 47.
Well, last night I finished number 47, and have finished the series as originally written by Stout plus the one published posthumously.
9,325 pages
13 hardcover
3 trade paperback
24 mass market paperback
7 e-books
Original Publication History
1930s – 6
1940s – 10
1950s – 16
1960s - 12
1970s – 2
1980s – 1
33 novels
14 collections of 2 or 3 novellas, for a total of 41 novellas
There are 14 books written about Wolfe and Archie by Robert Goldsborough, and just for the heck of it I ordered the prequel, Archie Meets Nero Wolfe.
I’m also toying with the idea of re-reading either Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot as my next personal challenge, but not quite yet.
Well, last night I finished number 47, and have finished the series as originally written by Stout plus the one published posthumously.
9,325 pages
13 hardcover
3 trade paperback
24 mass market paperback
7 e-books
Original Publication History
1930s – 6
1940s – 10
1950s – 16
1960s - 12
1970s – 2
1980s – 1
33 novels
14 collections of 2 or 3 novellas, for a total of 41 novellas
There are 14 books written about Wolfe and Archie by Robert Goldsborough, and just for the heck of it I ordered the prequel, Archie Meets Nero Wolfe.
I’m also toying with the idea of re-reading either Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot as my next personal challenge, but not quite yet.
189katiekrug
>188 karenmarie: - Well done!
190richardderus
>188 karenmarie: A deeply impressive feat. That's an astonishing career, too, which deserves a mention...six decades of publishing, five or more of writing, is simply incredible.
Thursday's best be unto thee.
Thursday's best be unto thee.
191weird_O
>174 karenmarie: Humid syrupy.
192karenmarie
>189 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie!
>190 richardderus: I'm rather proud of myself, and pushed to get the last 3 read in 4 days. Rex Stout was prolific, consistent, and always enjoyable.
>191 weird_O: Humidity is so draining. Sorry you're in it. We are too, but it's relatively mild compared to some late June/early July years.
I've been busy with Friends stuff, it being the first day of the new fiscal year.
>190 richardderus: I'm rather proud of myself, and pushed to get the last 3 read in 4 days. Rex Stout was prolific, consistent, and always enjoyable.
>191 weird_O: Humidity is so draining. Sorry you're in it. We are too, but it's relatively mild compared to some late June/early July years.
I've been busy with Friends stuff, it being the first day of the new fiscal year.
193SomeGuyInVirginia
Oh my God, no! Spam is horrible, no matter how it's prepared, or manufactured, or disguised. It's just gross! It is a zombie apocalypse staple. If you feel the zombie apocalypse is eminent, I urge you to buy spam in bulk. And a ton of sauces. If you want to eat like a normal person, no. Spam is just gross. It's gross at breakfast. It's gross at dinner. Spam is just gross. For you people in Hawaii, who think spam taste like human meat which you can no longer eat, I urge you to eat actual humans because spam is just gross. Seriously, I'll send you a cousin. Eat him.
194karenmarie
Well, Larry, tell us what you really think about Spam... I'll just ignore the zombie and cannibalism parts.
195msf59
Morning, Karen. Happy Friday. I had a very nice solo bird jaunt yesterday, visiting two preserves. It was a beautiful day. I also got to use a new bird "Sound ID" app and it works wonderfully. This comes in very handy, when you are hearing more than you are seeing. I got a warbling vireo and a red-eyed vireo this way, both singing high in the foliage. Yah!
We are going up to the UP, in MI to visit friends for the holiday weekend. My time LT will be limited. I hope to get in some birding while up there too. There are some good "Hot Spots".
We are going up to the UP, in MI to visit friends for the holiday weekend. My time LT will be limited. I hope to get in some birding while up there too. There are some good "Hot Spots".
196karenmarie
'Morning, Mark! Yay for a good birding jaunt yesterday and being able to get vireo IDs with it.
Have a safe journey and Happy Fourth of July Weekend.
Have a safe journey and Happy Fourth of July Weekend.
197FAMeulstee
>187 karenmarie: Aa always enjoying a look at your stats, Karen :-)
>188 karenmarie: That is an accomplishment worth mentioning!
>188 karenmarie: That is an accomplishment worth mentioning!
198LizzieD
CONGRATULATIONS on reading through the Wolfes!!!! I truly think I may have read them all but over years and years, some of the last ones as they were published. I'd like to read a few now, but I'll finish my personal Margaret Maron binge first.
Oh YARG: canned peaches and crab apples (!) and Spam and eggs and brown sugar --- a real Mary Jane if I ever heard one. Has to be a '50s book! Mary Jane was a county home agent, who worked for a year or two down the hall from my mom's office as secretary to the county farm agent. She passed on recipes all the time, and when I was a child, Mama would try them, and Daddy and I would reject them. The only one I remember for sure was a dessert of grapes slopping around in hot caramel --- also YARG!
Enjoy staying dry today, dear Karen.
Oh YARG: canned peaches and crab apples (!) and Spam and eggs and brown sugar --- a real Mary Jane if I ever heard one. Has to be a '50s book! Mary Jane was a county home agent, who worked for a year or two down the hall from my mom's office as secretary to the county farm agent. She passed on recipes all the time, and when I was a child, Mama would try them, and Daddy and I would reject them. The only one I remember for sure was a dessert of grapes slopping around in hot caramel --- also YARG!
Enjoy staying dry today, dear Karen.
199richardderus
Spam is not, I gather, as good a substitute for long pig as Larry might wish...?
>198 LizzieD: Grapes in caramel?! Like grapes aren't sweet enough?!
I sorta slid past the crab apples...Mama used to buy jars of pickled crab apples and I liked 'em. I've never eaten a fresh one but I think it's be pretty puckery....
*smooch*
>198 LizzieD: Grapes in caramel?! Like grapes aren't sweet enough?!
I sorta slid past the crab apples...Mama used to buy jars of pickled crab apples and I liked 'em. I've never eaten a fresh one but I think it's be pretty puckery....
*smooch*
200karenmarie
>197 FAMeulstee: Thank you, Anita. I like looking at your stats, too. And I’m rather proud of reading all the Nero Wolfe novels.
>198 LizzieD: Thanks, Peggy. I had thought I’d read all of them but it turns out I’d previously read only half of them. I need to get back to Margaret Maron.
Surprisingly, it’s a 1972 book, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of American Cooking by the editors of Favorite Recipes Press. I may keep it, possibly uncataloged, for when I need a belly laugh. Today’s fun recipe is “Flounder at Its Easiest”:
Grapes in hot caramel. Yeesh. There’s a recipe in here for scallops with grapes… My three favorite ingredients are garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and onions. To go with the scallops and grapes, of course.
I managed to stay dry. In fact there was no significant rain after about 9 a.m., and only one set of sprinkles after about noon.
>199 richardderus: OMG, RD. *shudder*
I don’t think I’ve ever had a crab apple, fresh or pickled.
…
>198 LizzieD: Thanks, Peggy. I had thought I’d read all of them but it turns out I’d previously read only half of them. I need to get back to Margaret Maron.
Surprisingly, it’s a 1972 book, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of American Cooking by the editors of Favorite Recipes Press. I may keep it, possibly uncataloged, for when I need a belly laugh. Today’s fun recipe is “Flounder at Its Easiest”:
1 lb flounder filletsTomorrow’s entry in the “Oh, my God. People might have actually tried this?” category is Frankfurter-Fruit Pot. Stay tuned.
1 can celery soup
½ c grated cheese
Arrange fillets in a well-greased shallow baking dish. Spread soup over fillets; top with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until fish flakes easily.
Grapes in hot caramel. Yeesh. There’s a recipe in here for scallops with grapes… My three favorite ingredients are garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and onions. To go with the scallops and grapes, of course.
I managed to stay dry. In fact there was no significant rain after about 9 a.m., and only one set of sprinkles after about noon.
>199 richardderus: OMG, RD. *shudder*
I don’t think I’ve ever had a crab apple, fresh or pickled.
…
201quondame
>200 karenmarie: Grapes. My mother spent the longest time getting the cheese sauce with grapes just right for Chicken Veronique to serve at a ladies luncheon. We must have had the results a minimum of 4 times in as many weeks and I've never cared to try it since.
202richardderus
>201 quondame: Makes one wonder who Veronique was and if she ever sued for character assassination.
>200 karenmarie: The pickled ones are lovely, tart and crisp and spicy with cinnamon and caraway. I don't know of anyone hardy enough to have eaten one raw.
That flounder recipe is...unspeakable. So we shan't speak of it.
Ever. Again.
>200 karenmarie: The pickled ones are lovely, tart and crisp and spicy with cinnamon and caraway. I don't know of anyone hardy enough to have eaten one raw.
That flounder recipe is...unspeakable. So we shan't speak of it.
Ever. Again.
203quondame
>202 richardderus: Sometimes I see what look like mini-apples in Persian markets and I have wondered if they are crab apples. When I think of the wonderful celery stew khoresht karafs, I figure they can probably do something even better than the ones you describe!
204karenmarie
>201 quondame: Gag. Grapes and chicken. Grapes and scallops. Grapes and ... well anything not grapes mostly, although I must admit that there's a Southern thing I like, having had it at some pot luck lunches at work here in central NC before I retired, called Grape Salad. Church food at its finest, what with cream cheese and all.
>202 richardderus: I thought you'd appreciate that flounder recipe, RD, if only to repudiate it totally. Forever.
>203 quondame: I just looked up celery stew khoresht karafs and it sounds wonderful. Lamb, celery... yum. One recipe I looked at used dried Persian lemons, another used dried limes. But why not crab apples?
edited to add:
Well, I've abandoned and culled The Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich. Too many books, too little time. This is a reasonably good hardcover, with dust jacket. The cover's a bit dinged near the spine. If anybody wants it, please PM me.
>202 richardderus: I thought you'd appreciate that flounder recipe, RD, if only to repudiate it totally. Forever.
>203 quondame: I just looked up celery stew khoresht karafs and it sounds wonderful. Lamb, celery... yum. One recipe I looked at used dried Persian lemons, another used dried limes. But why not crab apples?
edited to add:
Well, I've abandoned and culled The Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich. Too many books, too little time. This is a reasonably good hardcover, with dust jacket. The cover's a bit dinged near the spine. If anybody wants it, please PM me.
205quondame
>204 karenmarie: It's the most earthy tart stew I've had, and the dried lemons/limes are undoubtedly part of the reason.
In a couple of months there will be the week of fresh pistachios, which I only hit every few years and not at all lately. I could pretty much eat the things all afternoon if I could afford that many and my thumbs stood up to peeling them. Of course no matter how few I have I end up with blackened nails. There must be a lot of tannin in the fruit which covers the nutshell.
In a couple of months there will be the week of fresh pistachios, which I only hit every few years and not at all lately. I could pretty much eat the things all afternoon if I could afford that many and my thumbs stood up to peeling them. Of course no matter how few I have I end up with blackened nails. There must be a lot of tannin in the fruit which covers the nutshell.
207SomeGuyInVirginia
I was wondering the other day why there wasn't a white grape ice cream? It seems like it would be light and delicious, but I have no idea what would be the add-ins, if any. Just not Spam.
I bought a ton of Spam back in February 2020 just before lockdown. I still have about half of it because I just can't bring myself to eat it.
58 degrees this morning. Bliss.
I bought a ton of Spam back in February 2020 just before lockdown. I still have about half of it because I just can't bring myself to eat it.
58 degrees this morning. Bliss.
208jessibud2
>200 karenmarie:, >202 richardderus: - Might I suggest, as a *side dish, perhaps - this little delight:
Retro Food Fiascos
The illustrations and fonts are so 50s/60s.... ;-) I read this one years ago and chuckled (and gagged) all the way through. Not even remotely tempted to try any but it was a fun read.
Retro Food Fiascos
The illustrations and fonts are so 50s/60s.... ;-) I read this one years ago and chuckled (and gagged) all the way through. Not even remotely tempted to try any but it was a fun read.
209karenmarie
>205 quondame: I love tart things and vinegary things and sour things (except candy, sour candy being an oxymoron if I ever heard one).
Fresh pistachios sound like the hickory nuts and black walnuts I have on my property – a skin then a hard shell then the nut. Since I’ve ruined many a shirt with the tannin from the skins I can understand your blackened nails.
>206 ffortsa: Hi Judy! That’s the way I’m feeling about most threads – I’ve missed so much. Between Jenna visiting as she transitions from Wilmington to Asheville, Bill’s cataract surgeries and attendantwhining adjusting, my birthday, and the new year for the Friends of the Library (Prez Karen for the second year), I’ve been letting visits go. Next week I’m going to try to get back down to less than 25 new messages for all my starred friends threads and actually post instead of lurk.
>207 SomeGuyInVirginia: I can’t envision White Grape Ice Cream, Larry, with or without Spam.
Spam fried in lots of butter is almost tolerable. Just sayin’.
It’s 61F here, and I’ve got the one Sunroom window with a screen on it open. Bliss for sure.
>208 jessibud2: Hi Shelley! An entire official cookbook with awful recipes? I hope you got it from the Library and didn't pay for it.
…
I think we’ll be watching Coco Gauff and Roger this morning, Centre Court Wimbledon.
Fun link: Literature Map
Awful recipe from The Illustrated Encyclopedia of American Cooking that will make your hair curl. These ingredients should never be within a universe of one another:
Fresh pistachios sound like the hickory nuts and black walnuts I have on my property – a skin then a hard shell then the nut. Since I’ve ruined many a shirt with the tannin from the skins I can understand your blackened nails.
>206 ffortsa: Hi Judy! That’s the way I’m feeling about most threads – I’ve missed so much. Between Jenna visiting as she transitions from Wilmington to Asheville, Bill’s cataract surgeries and attendant
>207 SomeGuyInVirginia: I can’t envision White Grape Ice Cream, Larry, with or without Spam.
Spam fried in lots of butter is almost tolerable. Just sayin’.
It’s 61F here, and I’ve got the one Sunroom window with a screen on it open. Bliss for sure.
>208 jessibud2: Hi Shelley! An entire official cookbook with awful recipes? I hope you got it from the Library and didn't pay for it.
…
I think we’ll be watching Coco Gauff and Roger this morning, Centre Court Wimbledon.
Fun link: Literature Map
Awful recipe from The Illustrated Encyclopedia of American Cooking that will make your hair curl. These ingredients should never be within a universe of one another:
2102wonderY
>209 karenmarie: See, that’s an upgrade from the original Spam-Fruit Pot recipe.
211lauralkeet
>209 karenmarie: I'm loving your church cookbook recipes, Karen! Pork and sauerkraut are a good combo, but using hot dogs instead of actual pork? And adding all that sweetness and fruit .... just NO.
I'll take church potluck green beans anytime though (the dish with the mushroom soup and fried onions)
I'll take church potluck green beans anytime though (the dish with the mushroom soup and fried onions)
212karenmarie
>210 2wonderY: Hi Ruth. So nice to see you here. I wonder what hallucinogenics people were on who created these recipes? Fun to read and gag over, though.
>211 lauralkeet: Hi Laura. Thanks re the recipes. I'm not a fan of sauerkraut but do realize that it and pork go well together. And yes, I love Green Bean Casserole. It wouldn't be Thanksgiving without it... and I use frozen french cut green beans in it instead of canned beans.
>211 lauralkeet: Hi Laura. Thanks re the recipes. I'm not a fan of sauerkraut but do realize that it and pork go well together. And yes, I love Green Bean Casserole. It wouldn't be Thanksgiving without it... and I use frozen french cut green beans in it instead of canned beans.
213ursula
>209 karenmarie: I might be watching Coco too, but Roger's match will overlap with Kyrgios's and I will watch that.
214jessibud2
Before I saw her name in print, I *heard* it as Coco Puff.
>209 karenmarie: - I found that book in a Little Free Library, Karen. Though, for the pics alone, it might have been worth it to purchase (on sale, of course) ;-)
>209 karenmarie: - I found that book in a Little Free Library, Karen. Though, for the pics alone, it might have been worth it to purchase (on sale, of course) ;-)
215richardderus
>209 karenmarie: What foul fiend possessed that bored, broke mother-of-too-many to invent that, that Spoodge of Satan?!?
*gag*
I might not eat the rest of the day....
I hope somepoor dupe lucky soul claims the Erdrich soon. *smooch*
*gag*
I might not eat the rest of the day....
I hope some
216karenmarie
>213 ursula: Sorry about Kyrgios defaulting - apparently he was in a lot of pain and couldn't go the distance.
>214 jessibud2: Ha. Coco Gauff. She won her match. Roger's playing now, but stupid ESPN switched to UEFA soccer and I don't know how to work the TV downstairs to find which other ESPN channel it's been moved to. Bill's gone to run errands, but should be back before the match is over.
Glad you didn't pay for that book.
>215 richardderus: Fortunately I am not grossed out enough to NOT eat the rest of the day.
The Erdrich has been claimed. More power to them.
...
We're in an interesting situation. 4 armed men are loose in the county, within 4-5 miles of us. We got an emergency call on our landline. Fortunately we never pick up calls we don't recognize so both heard it from the different rooms we were in. And since there's no sense in owning a handgun unless you are willing to use it for the purpose you bought it for - self-defense - my 45's out and loaded with the safety on. First line of defense is to retreat to a safer part of the house and call 911, of course.
I must admit that it's a bit creepy to keep looking outside halfway expecting to see 4 criminals I shouldn't be seeing in my yard.
>214 jessibud2: Ha. Coco Gauff. She won her match. Roger's playing now, but stupid ESPN switched to UEFA soccer and I don't know how to work the TV downstairs to find which other ESPN channel it's been moved to. Bill's gone to run errands, but should be back before the match is over.
Glad you didn't pay for that book.
>215 richardderus: Fortunately I am not grossed out enough to NOT eat the rest of the day.
The Erdrich has been claimed. More power to them.
...
We're in an interesting situation. 4 armed men are loose in the county, within 4-5 miles of us. We got an emergency call on our landline. Fortunately we never pick up calls we don't recognize so both heard it from the different rooms we were in. And since there's no sense in owning a handgun unless you are willing to use it for the purpose you bought it for - self-defense - my 45's out and loaded with the safety on. First line of defense is to retreat to a safer part of the house and call 911, of course.
I must admit that it's a bit creepy to keep looking outside halfway expecting to see 4 criminals I shouldn't be seeing in my yard.
217ursula
>216 karenmarie: Yeah the retirement was unfortunate. Abdominal strain/tear. Disappointing all around.
Wow about the people on the loose. While living in Fresno we had a SWAT team + K9 unit searching door to door, including in our garage and back yard for someone or other.
Wow about the people on the loose. While living in Fresno we had a SWAT team + K9 unit searching door to door, including in our garage and back yard for someone or other.
218lauralkeet
Wow. Take care and stay safe, Karen.
219LizzieD
HOly MOly! Le us know when they have picked them up, Karen, and be safe. (I'm reminded of the zebra cobra loose in the Raleigh neighborhood last week. It's not safe to go outside!)
220SomeGuyInVirginia
>216 karenmarie: Holy cow, Karen! There's little chance that they'll show up at your place, but when I heard gunfire on Capitol Hill I made sure all the doors and windows were locked, let the blinds down, and turned off all the lights.
Gun violence has taking a dramatic turn for the worse lately. There's about a shooting a day here in tiny Lynchburg, for crying out loud.
Gun violence has taking a dramatic turn for the worse lately. There's about a shooting a day here in tiny Lynchburg, for crying out loud.
221karenmarie
>217 ursula: We've never had anyone loose in the 23 years we've lived here. Living in LA there were always sirens and I was broken into and robbed in three of six apartments/houses I lived in after moving out from my parents' house.
>218 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura.
>219 LizzieD: I know... The Zebra Cobra was very strange, wasn't it?
>220 SomeGuyInVirginia: It's only because I got the Colt 45 out that they're not coming here - so it's worth its weight in gold. We have everything locked that can be locked. I haven't filled the birdfeeders today and Bill hasn't mowed because of the potential for it to go bad.
Sorry about the shootings in tiny Lynchburg.
Update: They've captured two of the four and are telling us to continue to stay inside with locked doors and be alert.
Coco Gauff won, and Roger won, so my tennis soul is happy.
I've added Aunt Ann's books to my catalog, even including the one with the awful recipes. And scanned covers as appropriate. Time to reward myself with some reading, I think.
>218 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura.
>219 LizzieD: I know... The Zebra Cobra was very strange, wasn't it?
>220 SomeGuyInVirginia: It's only because I got the Colt 45 out that they're not coming here - so it's worth its weight in gold. We have everything locked that can be locked. I haven't filled the birdfeeders today and Bill hasn't mowed because of the potential for it to go bad.
Sorry about the shootings in tiny Lynchburg.
Update: They've captured two of the four and are telling us to continue to stay inside with locked doors and be alert.
Coco Gauff won, and Roger won, so my tennis soul is happy.
I've added Aunt Ann's books to my catalog, even including the one with the awful recipes. And scanned covers as appropriate. Time to reward myself with some reading, I think.
223karenmarie
Yay for plain grapes. I snacked on some fresh cherries today - excellent flavor and on sale.
224quondame
>216 karenmarie: Way too interesting. I hope things go back to calm and steady for you sooner than you read this message.
Meanwhile in (my corner of) LA it's quite calm and mild.
Meanwhile in (my corner of) LA it's quite calm and mild.
225LizzieD
Well, two of four is better than none of four. Hope that the other two are in custody by the time you enjoy your morning coffee. Sleep well, Karen.
Hooray for grapes and cherries right by themselves! We also have some blueberries to enjoy in the morning.
Hooray for grapes and cherries right by themselves! We also have some blueberries to enjoy in the morning.
226karenmarie
>224 quondame: They've captured 3 of 4, but we're still keeping everything locked and have no plans on going out. The last one is probably quite desperate by now, which makes him more dangerous.
>225 LizzieD: One to go, as I wrote above, Peggy.
We've got blueberries and cherries and even one box of pretty-good-looking-and-smelling strawberries. The strawberries are going to get consumed by dipping in sour cream then brown sugar - heaven on earth.
...
Coffee, book, and 45 in hand. Can't believe I just wrote that. I'm feeling much safer now, but still.
I'm reading an interesting book, not something I'd normally pick up, called The Murderer's Daughters. The action starts in the early 1970s and so far the chapters are alternating between the daughters. It's been on my shelves for 5 years and finally called my name.
>225 LizzieD: One to go, as I wrote above, Peggy.
We've got blueberries and cherries and even one box of pretty-good-looking-and-smelling strawberries. The strawberries are going to get consumed by dipping in sour cream then brown sugar - heaven on earth.
...
Coffee, book, and 45 in hand. Can't believe I just wrote that. I'm feeling much safer now, but still.
I'm reading an interesting book, not something I'd normally pick up, called The Murderer's Daughters. The action starts in the early 1970s and so far the chapters are alternating between the daughters. It's been on my shelves for 5 years and finally called my name.
227SomeGuyInVirginia
...'book, and 45 in hand.' Mom?
228karenmarie
Hi Larry! Well, it's silly to have a weapon for self-defense and not have it available when we might need defending, isn't it? How awful AND stupid would I feel if the criminal showed up at our house and the 45 was in the gun safe?
It was on the nightstand last night and although I thought I might have disrupted sleep worrying about the criminal breaking in, I actually did something I rarely do - slept through the night.
It was on the nightstand last night and although I thought I might have disrupted sleep worrying about the criminal breaking in, I actually did something I rarely do - slept through the night.
229richardderus
UGH on knowing you need the .45 out; yay for knowing you're capable and willing to use it in the emergency at hand.
*smooch*
pssst move to Asheville
*smooch*
pssst move to Asheville
230karenmarie
Hiya, RD!
All's well that ends well, at least for those of us who are law-abiding. We just got another reverse 911 call tellling us that all four have been captured. Such relief!
The 45 is back in the gun safe. I didn't particularly like toting it from room to room, but it was an amazing comfort. And yes, I'm capable of using it and willing to use it.
...
Bill and I currently have no plans on moving and are getting ready to put on a new roof in August ($17K), paint the front/back porches and railings, and power wash the concrete driveway and sidewalks. He doesn't know this yet, but I also want to re-evaluate the gutters and fix/add as needed, replace bedroom carpets with red oak hardwood floors, and replace one more window that needs replacing. That's on top of possibly getting a whole-house generator next year to replace our 'most-house' generator that's 23 years old.
Jenna would probably be appalled if we talked about moving to Asheville. She does love her independence. However, moving several hours away to western North Carolina somewhere other than Asheville might make it tolerable.
Happy idea after reading Amber's thread - Bill and I are going to rewatch Independence Day early this afternoon. We've probably seen it a dozen times, but that won't stop us.
All's well that ends well, at least for those of us who are law-abiding. We just got another reverse 911 call tellling us that all four have been captured. Such relief!
The 45 is back in the gun safe. I didn't particularly like toting it from room to room, but it was an amazing comfort. And yes, I'm capable of using it and willing to use it.
...
Bill and I currently have no plans on moving and are getting ready to put on a new roof in August ($17K), paint the front/back porches and railings, and power wash the concrete driveway and sidewalks. He doesn't know this yet, but I also want to re-evaluate the gutters and fix/add as needed, replace bedroom carpets with red oak hardwood floors, and replace one more window that needs replacing. That's on top of possibly getting a whole-house generator next year to replace our 'most-house' generator that's 23 years old.
Jenna would probably be appalled if we talked about moving to Asheville. She does love her independence. However, moving several hours away to western North Carolina somewhere other than Asheville might make it tolerable.
Happy idea after reading Amber's thread - Bill and I are going to rewatch Independence Day early this afternoon. We've probably seen it a dozen times, but that won't stop us.
231richardderus
That's excellent news! Heck, there's Sylva and Bryson City or even Blowing Rock near enough.
Glad all the miscreants are re-homed along with the gun.
Glad all the miscreants are re-homed along with the gun.
232lauralkeet
Glad to see the perps have all been apprehended, Karen. Whew! Enjoy your Fourth of July.
233streamsong
I have guns in the house that belong to other family members; I'm sort of storing them. DS did not want to have guns while living in CA; my brother has one of my Dad's shotguns here that eventually we'll get to him in Phoenix. But I don't know how to use them. :)
When we lived in Deer Lodge, the home of the Montana State Prison, escapes were common enough that ranchers living near the prison left keys in their vehicles so the escapees could just grab and go and not bother them. I never heard of anyone's vehicle actually being taken though.
Glad you are safe. And watching Independence Day is a wonderful idea.
When we lived in Deer Lodge, the home of the Montana State Prison, escapes were common enough that ranchers living near the prison left keys in their vehicles so the escapees could just grab and go and not bother them. I never heard of anyone's vehicle actually being taken though.
Glad you are safe. And watching Independence Day is a wonderful idea.
234FAMeulstee
>230 karenmarie: Glad to read it has ended with capturing the last, Karen.
235quondame
>230 karenmarie: It's good you can stand down. Happy 4th of July!
237karenmarie
>231 richardderus: Well, RD, I just spent a bit of time looking at houses for sale in the western part of the state, and realize that I really, really love our house even though it’s too big for us.
Oh yes, today’s been much better than yesterday in that we don’t have to worry about criminals coming out of the woods.
>232 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura. It’s been a good day. I’m hearing fireworks in the distance.
>233 streamsong: Hi Janet. Wow about folks leaving the keys in their vehicles so that escapees could just steal the vehicles and go. Safety first, though. Independence Day was as wonderful as I remember.
>234 FAMeulstee: Yes, Anita, it’s a relief. Bill mowed today and I refilled all the bird feeders.
>235 quondame: Absolutely, Susan. Thanks. The same to you.
>236 Whisper1: Thanks, Linda. All good wishes to you, too.
…
The fireworks have ramped up. It sounds like M80s… totally illegal in NC, but hey. I live in a rural part of my county and people are a bit loosey goosey about things like this.
Oh yes, today’s been much better than yesterday in that we don’t have to worry about criminals coming out of the woods.
>232 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura. It’s been a good day. I’m hearing fireworks in the distance.
>233 streamsong: Hi Janet. Wow about folks leaving the keys in their vehicles so that escapees could just steal the vehicles and go. Safety first, though. Independence Day was as wonderful as I remember.
>234 FAMeulstee: Yes, Anita, it’s a relief. Bill mowed today and I refilled all the bird feeders.
>235 quondame: Absolutely, Susan. Thanks. The same to you.
>236 Whisper1: Thanks, Linda. All good wishes to you, too.
…
The fireworks have ramped up. It sounds like M80s… totally illegal in NC, but hey. I live in a rural part of my county and people are a bit loosey goosey about things like this.
238SomeGuyInVirginia
>237 karenmarie: we don’t have to worry about criminals coming out of the woods.
What, have all the politicians been rounded up at last?
I'm about halfway through The Premonition by Michael Lewis, about the lead up to the country's preparedness to battle Covid19. So far the bad guys are the CDC that said 'no' to everything, and Trump for his unwillingness to act. The good guys you've never heard of but they all have interesting backstories.
What, have all the politicians been rounded up at last?
I'm about halfway through The Premonition by Michael Lewis, about the lead up to the country's preparedness to battle Covid19. So far the bad guys are the CDC that said 'no' to everything, and Trump for his unwillingness to act. The good guys you've never heard of but they all have interesting backstories.
239connie53
Hi Karen, it's impossible to read this whole thread and previous missed threads, so I'm starting from here. I hope to visit more frequently.
2402wonderY
>212 karenmarie: Hi Karen! I’ve been lurking for a while. You keep the best company here.
241richardderus
The neighborhood fireworks didn't materialize this year! How delightful.
Have a lovely not-really-Monday.
Have a lovely not-really-Monday.
242karenmarie
>238 SomeGuyInVirginia: I wish they would round up some of the politicians, mostly the ‘red’ ones. I haven’t read any books about Covid, but have been following @margd’s phenomenal threads here on LT. Here’s the current thread:
SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 (22)
>239 connie53: Hi Connie! Good to see you here.
>240 2wonderY: Well, thank you, Ruth. Glad you delurked.
>241 richardderus: Quiet is underrated… Thanks re today. I visited friend Louise, watched Roger win, and am puttering.
SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 (22)
>239 connie53: Hi Connie! Good to see you here.
>240 2wonderY: Well, thank you, Ruth. Glad you delurked.
>241 richardderus: Quiet is underrated… Thanks re today. I visited friend Louise, watched Roger win, and am puttering.
243drneutron
Just catching up and seeing the escapee news. Yikes! Glad it ended up uneventful for you.
244quondame
>238 SomeGuyInVirginia: Ah, we do have to worry about those criminals selling the woods.
245karenmarie
>243 drneutron: Thanks, Jim. We had about 24 hours of uncertainty and fear. Uneventful is the best result, of course.
>244 quondame: Interestingly, our county is going through a huge development effort - Chatham Park - so lots of the woods north east of where I live is changing big time. It will actually increase property values for us here 15 minutes away and give us more local shopping, restaurants, and even potentially a movie theater, although Covid-wise I may never go into it. I just looked at the website and am saddened that it showed a white family, 2 white couples enjoying glasses of beer and my doctor, also white, with a black nurse and only black folks in the picture. I don't think I like the overall message very much.
>244 quondame: Interestingly, our county is going through a huge development effort - Chatham Park - so lots of the woods north east of where I live is changing big time. It will actually increase property values for us here 15 minutes away and give us more local shopping, restaurants, and even potentially a movie theater, although Covid-wise I may never go into it. I just looked at the website and am saddened that it showed a white family, 2 white couples enjoying glasses of beer and my doctor, also white, with a black nurse and only black folks in the picture. I don't think I like the overall message very much.
246msf59
Morning, Karen. I hope you had a nice holiday weekend, despite the booming fireworks. I am no longer a fan either. We had a good trip and I topped it off by going to the Cubs game last night, (it was hot & humid and they lost) but my cousin and I had a very nice time. I am having a chill day today. I have to run my aunt to PT but after that, I am kicking back with the books. Of course, I need to tend to the feeders, as well.
247karenmarie
'Morning, Mark, and happy Tuesday to you. Frankly the holiday weekend was pretty much as any other weekend except that Bill got Monday off work. Our big, bad excitement, of course, was the 4 armed criminals wandering around our neck of the woods for about 24 hours. The reverse 911 calls warned us to stay inside with doors locked, which we did, and kept us posted as the caught 2, then 1, and then finally the last one.
...
Today will be meeting the new Friends Treasurer at the Library for an hour to continue getting her up to speed about her role. We have two checks to write against the new budget among other things.
I'm also going to continue cataloging the 45 rpm records that Aunt Ann gave me. They were Uncle Sandy's. She just wanted them out of the house and thought the Friends might want them - not sure about that, although we are going to probably be setting up an online store and can think about selling batches of them there perhaps. I have no idea of what any of them are worth except for a quick check on a couple on eBay, but nothing spectacular so far.
...
Today will be meeting the new Friends Treasurer at the Library for an hour to continue getting her up to speed about her role. We have two checks to write against the new budget among other things.
I'm also going to continue cataloging the 45 rpm records that Aunt Ann gave me. They were Uncle Sandy's. She just wanted them out of the house and thought the Friends might want them - not sure about that, although we are going to probably be setting up an online store and can think about selling batches of them there perhaps. I have no idea of what any of them are worth except for a quick check on a couple on eBay, but nothing spectacular so far.
248richardderus
I'm sure the Chathamland images are, um, an error that's it of course it's all just a minor flub after all no one would dare, I mean care, to accuse Nawthkaalaanaa of accepting racism now would they.
*sigh*
Well, the meeting must've gone swimmingly or you'd've vented about it!
*sigh*
Well, the meeting must've gone swimmingly or you'd've vented about it!
249quondame
>245 karenmarie: Ah yes, I see what you mean. One reason I disliked N. Virginia when we went because my husband's job moved to Reston, was that it was so white. After living in Los Angeles, I am not used to such homogeneity. Although my husband's boss was from Pakistan the only non Anglo person I saw was a single Asian woman.
250karenmarie
>248 richardderus: Our county is schizophrenic, RD, SW is red, NE is blue and never the twain shall meet.
Excellent meeting, Weezie (yes, that's her nickname) will do well.
>249 quondame: In 2010 our county was ... quick duckduckgo search... 76.0% White, 13.2% Black or African American, 0.5% Native American, 1.1% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 7.1% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. 13.0% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. (Wikipedia)
It's deceptive because there are large populations of Hispanics in the two largest towns, and a higher percent of Black or African American in those two towns, too.
It's funny about LA, because when I lived there, 1953 - 1977, 1980-1991, I lived in white suburbs mostly although there were quite a few Hispanic kids in my classes. I actually never saw a black person until I was in 7th grade and then went to a high school where there were several dozen black kids. We moved to Pomona in the middle of my first year of high school and I went to school there with a much more diverse population.
Excellent meeting, Weezie (yes, that's her nickname) will do well.
>249 quondame: In 2010 our county was ... quick duckduckgo search... 76.0% White, 13.2% Black or African American, 0.5% Native American, 1.1% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 7.1% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. 13.0% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. (Wikipedia)
It's deceptive because there are large populations of Hispanics in the two largest towns, and a higher percent of Black or African American in those two towns, too.
It's funny about LA, because when I lived there, 1953 - 1977, 1980-1991, I lived in white suburbs mostly although there were quite a few Hispanic kids in my classes. I actually never saw a black person until I was in 7th grade and then went to a high school where there were several dozen black kids. We moved to Pomona in the middle of my first year of high school and I went to school there with a much more diverse population.
251lauralkeet
>249 quondame: When did you live in Reston, Susan? We recently moved from Philly to Northern Virginia, although we are in Western Loudoun County which is more rural than points east. When we were looking for places to live I looked into a number of demographic factors. While whites are still the dominant ethnic group, I was surprised to see Asians as the second-largest group in Loudoun County. Fairfax County, where Reston is located, is similar. According to virginia-demographics.com, the largest Fairfax County racial/ethnic groups are White (50.7%) followed by Asian (19.1%) and Hispanic (16.3%).
Coming from Philly, I've been surprised by how seldom I see a black person here in NoVA.
What are LA's demographics like?
Coming from Philly, I've been surprised by how seldom I see a black person here in NoVA.
What are LA's demographics like?
252quondame
>251 lauralkeet: Oh I never lived there. We visited and I was interviewed to see if I would join the group. They offered me a 1 year contract which, considering I didn't want to move at all, earned more than my husband, and we owned a condo in west LA, wasn't a real inducement. If I'd been stuck in a tiny valley apartment maybe a house in the Reston area would have looked good, but nope.
LA is very diverse, the cross section varying a lot by part of town and neighborhood. For the county the official numbers are
52.1% White (25.9% Non-Hispanic White*), 8.1% Black or African American, 14.7% Asian, 0.8% Native American and Alaskan Native, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 19.9% Other Race, and 4.1% from two or more races. It's not a surprise to see anyone of any race anywhere, but it's still pretty de-facto segregated, especially for African Americans.
Very locally east Asian and middle eastern seems more common than Hispanic but I live in a cul-de-sac neighborhood with almost a cliff on one edge with the demographic shifting with the altitude. In general the wait staff and grill workers in almost all but the highest end restaurants are Hispanic of native Central or South American ancestry.
*I guess that 25.9% includes all the northern and eastern Europeans and middle easterners too, so 26.2% Hispanic white which doesn't conform to my experience of the surname distribution.
LA is very diverse, the cross section varying a lot by part of town and neighborhood. For the county the official numbers are
52.1% White (25.9% Non-Hispanic White*), 8.1% Black or African American, 14.7% Asian, 0.8% Native American and Alaskan Native, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 19.9% Other Race, and 4.1% from two or more races. It's not a surprise to see anyone of any race anywhere, but it's still pretty de-facto segregated, especially for African Americans.
Very locally east Asian and middle eastern seems more common than Hispanic but I live in a cul-de-sac neighborhood with almost a cliff on one edge with the demographic shifting with the altitude. In general the wait staff and grill workers in almost all but the highest end restaurants are Hispanic of native Central or South American ancestry.
*I guess that 25.9% includes all the northern and eastern Europeans and middle easterners too, so 26.2% Hispanic white which doesn't conform to my experience of the surname distribution.
254karenmarie
>251 lauralkeet: - >253 lauralkeet: Glad to provide the venue.
255msf59
Morning, Karen. Happy Wednesday. Scary story about the escaped cons but at least it added a little spice and danger to your life. Grins...
I am starting my Dupage Forest Preserve volunteer work. Today will be clean-up help at a wildlife center. Our forest preserve system is huge here, so there will be plenty of opportunities. I have wanted to do this for awhile, so I am glad I got the ball rolling on this.
I am starting my Dupage Forest Preserve volunteer work. Today will be clean-up help at a wildlife center. Our forest preserve system is huge here, so there will be plenty of opportunities. I have wanted to do this for awhile, so I am glad I got the ball rolling on this.
256karenmarie
Hi Mark, and happy Wednesday to you, too. I wasn't particularly interested in spice and danger, but it did make me appreciate, quite forcefully, how much I appreciate and am grateful for my usual safety and comfort.
How exciting! I'm glad you're doing a bit of volunteer work. It sounds like the exact right opportunity for you. I hope it goes well.
I just put out fresh hummingbird food since someone knocked the feeder off the pole last night. That's two times in 3 days, so now I'll be bringing in the feeder when it gets dark. Darn it. In the meantime it's been a Finch fest today on the seed feeders and a Carolina Chickadee on the suet feeder.
How exciting! I'm glad you're doing a bit of volunteer work. It sounds like the exact right opportunity for you. I hope it goes well.
I just put out fresh hummingbird food since someone knocked the feeder off the pole last night. That's two times in 3 days, so now I'll be bringing in the feeder when it gets dark. Darn it. In the meantime it's been a Finch fest today on the seed feeders and a Carolina Chickadee on the suet feeder.
257richardderus
Happy Humpday, Bird Butler.
Weezie? Wowzer. She's got a hugely-tolerant-of-bad-jokes nature!
Weezie? Wowzer. She's got a hugely-tolerant-of-bad-jokes nature!
258karenmarie
Thanks, RD. Heh. Bird Butler. I do spend a lot of time catering to the feathered ones.
She's a little dumpling of a woman - white-haired, soft-spoken, currently with rotator cuff problems in her right arm, and thus wearing a sling. She just doesn't seem like a Mary Louise - her legal name - and I have no problem calling her Weezie.
Sadness - Federer lost in straight sets, badly. I didn't watch, and am now glad I didn't. I got busy with errands - prescription pick up for Bill, grocery store, and taking a defective Shark Vacuum to the UPS drop off. Puttering after.
And now it looks like the epicenter of what will become Tropical Depression Elsa after being Hurricane Elsa will pass about 10 miles west of us most of tomorrow. Glad I went out today, and Bill always works from home on Thursdays anyway.
She's a little dumpling of a woman - white-haired, soft-spoken, currently with rotator cuff problems in her right arm, and thus wearing a sling. She just doesn't seem like a Mary Louise - her legal name - and I have no problem calling her Weezie.
Sadness - Federer lost in straight sets, badly. I didn't watch, and am now glad I didn't. I got busy with errands - prescription pick up for Bill, grocery store, and taking a defective Shark Vacuum to the UPS drop off. Puttering after.
And now it looks like the epicenter of what will become Tropical Depression Elsa after being Hurricane Elsa will pass about 10 miles west of us most of tomorrow. Glad I went out today, and Bill always works from home on Thursdays anyway.
260karenmarie
Hi Megan!
The frosting does. The cake is plain chocolate. Traditionally, a German Chocolate Cake is 3 layers, with coconut-pecan frosting between layers and on the top only - nothing on the sides. And absolutely no chocolate frosting, although I've seen store-versions that frost the sides with chocolate frosting. *shudder* I've compromised by making a one-layer cake so I can frost part of it with chocolate frosting because my husband won't eat coconut. The things we do for love...
...
Looks like it will still be Tropical Storm Elsa, not Tropical Depression Elsa, as it roars through NC today. The project path has shifted, but only about 15 miles or so east.
The frosting does. The cake is plain chocolate. Traditionally, a German Chocolate Cake is 3 layers, with coconut-pecan frosting between layers and on the top only - nothing on the sides. And absolutely no chocolate frosting, although I've seen store-versions that frost the sides with chocolate frosting. *shudder* I've compromised by making a one-layer cake so I can frost part of it with chocolate frosting because my husband won't eat coconut. The things we do for love...
...
Looks like it will still be Tropical Storm Elsa, not Tropical Depression Elsa, as it roars through NC today. The project path has shifted, but only about 15 miles or so east.
261msf59
Morning, Karen. Sweet Thursday. As you can see on my thread, my first volunteer day went well. I am heading out shortly with a birding buddy. Finally cooling off nicely here, to the low 70s. Yah!
A quick question: I have to send in a form to withhold taxes from my SS. What should I check- 10, 12 or 22 %? those are my options. I want to make sure 22% isn't too much.
A quick question: I have to send in a form to withhold taxes from my SS. What should I check- 10, 12 or 22 %? those are my options. I want to make sure 22% isn't too much.
262karenmarie
'Morning, Mark, sweet Thursday to you, too. Enjoy your birding adventure. Yay for low 70s. We're in the midst of TS Elsa. It's been raining for over an hour now.
I don't have a clue, frankly - it depends on Sue's income and other income you might have. Do you have an accountant? I'd ask her/him. I personally would rather get some back and adjust for next year than owe a lot. I felt quite happy this year with only owing $600 to the Feds.
I don't have a clue, frankly - it depends on Sue's income and other income you might have. Do you have an accountant? I'd ask her/him. I personally would rather get some back and adjust for next year than owe a lot. I felt quite happy this year with only owing $600 to the Feds.
263weird_O
I spent quite a few hours yesterday rescuing some worthy books from greedy, and probably depraved, book hoarders. It was volunteer work, just like Mark is doing for the birdies and beasts. Except, of course, that it costs ME money to do this rescue work. :-)
264karenmarie
Hi Bill! Admirable. Civic-minded soul that you are, to rescue worthy books. I'm proud of you.
I just looked at my acquired vs. cull total for the year - 182 acquired, 62 culled. Another banner year for acquisitions, alas.
I just looked at my acquired vs. cull total for the year - 182 acquired, 62 culled. Another banner year for acquisitions, alas.
265streamsong
Happy Thursday, Karen!
At a zoom meeting recently, we were told that Montana had the highest percentage of whites in the U.S. Your discussion prompted me to look up the numbers: Montana as a whole is 88.54% white. The county I live in is 95.9% white. Working at Rocky Mountain Lab, with postdocs from all over the world, I saw diversity, so I didn't realize how very white this corner of the world is. :(
Good luck with Elsa! Hope you can hunker down with some good reading!
Wowza - on the numbered of acquired books. I know you had a lot of FOL's donations giving you lots of options even when you couldn't go out.
At a zoom meeting recently, we were told that Montana had the highest percentage of whites in the U.S. Your discussion prompted me to look up the numbers: Montana as a whole is 88.54% white. The county I live in is 95.9% white. Working at Rocky Mountain Lab, with postdocs from all over the world, I saw diversity, so I didn't realize how very white this corner of the world is. :(
Good luck with Elsa! Hope you can hunker down with some good reading!
Wowza - on the numbered of acquired books. I know you had a lot of FOL's donations giving you lots of options even when you couldn't go out.
266SomeGuyInVirginia
Holy cow, it's gone dark and it's pouring rain right now. We weren't supposed to get rain until this evening but surprise!
Damn! The electricity is about to go out. Lights are flickering. It's raining so hard I can hear it on the roof.
Damn! The electricity is about to go out. Lights are flickering. It's raining so hard I can hear it on the roof.
267richardderus
Heavens! Elsa's on her way me-ward, too, and they've been blowing up my phone with watches and advisories. I switched off my alert tone at 4am.
Hey...I don't live in a house, it's a Home, and there's staff to worry about what to do when The End comes! But the lovely side effect of this is the temp is a solid, pre-Warming normal 76°.
Hey...I don't live in a house, it's a Home, and there's staff to worry about what to do when The End comes! But the lovely side effect of this is the temp is a solid, pre-Warming normal 76°.
268SomeGuyInVirginia
>267 richardderus: there are times, Richard, when I wish I were back in my apartment. Because if something broke, or got clogged, or was just a pain in the behind all I did was pick up the phone and somebody came and fixed it within 24 hours.
That being said, I would simply die if a thermostat were set at 76°. I mean, lay down and give up the ghost. I've got it set at 73° now because my last bill was, apparently, and yen rather than dollars. And the heat is, at times, cloying.
I like my neighborhood which is almost overwhelmingly white, like maybe 97%? That being said, the lady who lives on one side of me is black and the lady who lives on the other side is white, and both are established southern matrons in the grand tradition. In that, I didn't meet either one so much as be presented to them, and I did everything but bow. And I probably should have bowed. Both of them, I could tell, are used to people bowing. I adore them.
My personal favorite is Pat, the black lady who lives to my left. She's invited me to parties, and gone out of her way to send her children over to welcome me to the neighborhood and make me feel at ease. I even found out that her granddaughter lives in the same apartment complex that I just moved out of in Alexandria. Small world.
I also adore the white lady who lives on the other side of me. She's from a truly old Virginia family and is probably what is labeled 'a character'. She can be irascible and, if your yard is 1 mm out of line, she's going to march over on her walker and tell you about it. But she's also sweet in a drawing room comedy kind of way, and her son lives with her, who is single and my age. And cute. So yeah.
That being said, I would simply die if a thermostat were set at 76°. I mean, lay down and give up the ghost. I've got it set at 73° now because my last bill was, apparently, and yen rather than dollars. And the heat is, at times, cloying.
I like my neighborhood which is almost overwhelmingly white, like maybe 97%? That being said, the lady who lives on one side of me is black and the lady who lives on the other side is white, and both are established southern matrons in the grand tradition. In that, I didn't meet either one so much as be presented to them, and I did everything but bow. And I probably should have bowed. Both of them, I could tell, are used to people bowing. I adore them.
My personal favorite is Pat, the black lady who lives to my left. She's invited me to parties, and gone out of her way to send her children over to welcome me to the neighborhood and make me feel at ease. I even found out that her granddaughter lives in the same apartment complex that I just moved out of in Alexandria. Small world.
I also adore the white lady who lives on the other side of me. She's from a truly old Virginia family and is probably what is labeled 'a character'. She can be irascible and, if your yard is 1 mm out of line, she's going to march over on her walker and tell you about it. But she's also sweet in a drawing room comedy kind of way, and her son lives with her, who is single and my age. And cute. So yeah.
269lauralkeet
>261 msf59:, >262 karenmarie: butting in on Mark's question:
One easy approach to start with is to look at the % withheld on your pension income and/or Sue's income and just go with that. See how it works out on your next tax return and adjust if necessary. If that feels too loosey-goosey, you could also create a mock tax return with your income sources and current withholding and determine how much additional withholding you'd need.
One easy approach to start with is to look at the % withheld on your pension income and/or Sue's income and just go with that. See how it works out on your next tax return and adjust if necessary. If that feels too loosey-goosey, you could also create a mock tax return with your income sources and current withholding and determine how much additional withholding you'd need.
270karenmarie
>265 streamsong: Thanks, Janet. That doesn’t surprise me about Montana at all. North Carolina is 62% white, 22% black, 10% Hispanic, and etc.
We’re in another band of rain, but fortunately not much wind. Two sets of power flickers, but we haven’t lost power yet.
My number was wrong. I’ve only acquired 173 and culled 62. You’re right - 43 of those were from that FoL donation. But I’ve made up for it in other ways…
Amazon 44
Aunt Ann 12
book store 3
ER 2
found on shelves 1
friends 15
Friends - Marian 43
Friends donation reject 3
Kindle 17
LOC book store 2
sister 1
Thrift Shop 20
U of Chicago Press 10
>266 SomeGuyInVirginia: Before I realized that I had misnumbered my acquisitions, I had looked at the radar for Lynchburg and there was a bunch of yellow, orange, and red over you. I hope you don’t lose power, although unless it shifts west you may be over the worst of it. Looks like we’ll be out of it in a couple of hours, with mostly slow steady rain.
>267 richardderus: Oh yes, I can see that she’s headed your way, too. Glad you’re safe and sound in your Home.
>268 SomeGuyInVirginia: Home ownership is more onerous than condo/apartment/Home living, for sure.
76F is a tad warm. I think Bill’s got it set at 74F. The Sunroom, where I hang out, is usually a bit warmer, so now it’s 75F. But I’m not doing anything strenuous and the humidity in here is only 51%. Totally acceptable.
Glad your neighbors are so gracious, Larry. And that there’s a cutie next door, too…
We’re in another band of rain, but fortunately not much wind. Two sets of power flickers, but we haven’t lost power yet.
My number was wrong. I’ve only acquired 173 and culled 62. You’re right - 43 of those were from that FoL donation. But I’ve made up for it in other ways…
Amazon 44
Aunt Ann 12
book store 3
ER 2
found on shelves 1
friends 15
Friends - Marian 43
Friends donation reject 3
Kindle 17
LOC book store 2
sister 1
Thrift Shop 20
U of Chicago Press 10
>266 SomeGuyInVirginia: Before I realized that I had misnumbered my acquisitions, I had looked at the radar for Lynchburg and there was a bunch of yellow, orange, and red over you. I hope you don’t lose power, although unless it shifts west you may be over the worst of it. Looks like we’ll be out of it in a couple of hours, with mostly slow steady rain.
>267 richardderus: Oh yes, I can see that she’s headed your way, too. Glad you’re safe and sound in your Home.
>268 SomeGuyInVirginia: Home ownership is more onerous than condo/apartment/Home living, for sure.
76F is a tad warm. I think Bill’s got it set at 74F. The Sunroom, where I hang out, is usually a bit warmer, so now it’s 75F. But I’m not doing anything strenuous and the humidity in here is only 51%. Totally acceptable.
Glad your neighbors are so gracious, Larry. And that there’s a cutie next door, too…
271richardderus
>270 karenmarie: Oh, umm, so...there's this YouTube channel I watch that's all book reviews? And he, the guy Clifford that is, well, he told me about this, you see I always buy books in Ammy Marketplace from Goodwills around the country because of course I do?, and Clifford's channel got this sponsorship thing where if you sign up at goodwillbooks.com and enter the code BETTERTHANFOOD you get 15% off your order FOR ONE WEEK FROM TODAY 7/8/21 and they always ship mediamail free...so, like, anyway they don't pay Ammy's Marketplace cut and that makes me even happier than recycled books from them, plus Clifford (who looks like a saluki dog!) gets a kickback and it's GOODWILL so it makes the world a brighter place.
Just thought you'd like to know.
>268 SomeGuyInVirginia: A Virginia neighborhood with 98% whiteness...will wonders never cease.
The Ladies sound like a hoot! And Cutiepie who lives with Mother could prove interesting, if for no other reason than the tea needs spilling re: Lynchburg.
Just thought you'd like to know.
>268 SomeGuyInVirginia: A Virginia neighborhood with 98% whiteness...will wonders never cease.
The Ladies sound like a hoot! And Cutiepie who lives with Mother could prove interesting, if for no other reason than the tea needs spilling re: Lynchburg.
272karenmarie
>271 richardderus: Thanks, RD. I'm whupped tonight, but I've opened goodwillbooks.com in a new tab and will browse tomorrow morning.
It's as if we never had a storm. Mostly clear skies, wispy clouds floating by. A nice coolish 75F.
TTFN
It's as if we never had a storm. Mostly clear skies, wispy clouds floating by. A nice coolish 75F.
TTFN
273Familyhistorian
Escaped cons on the loose sounded a tad concerning, Karen. Good to see they were rounded up. Congrats on reading all the Nero Wolfes. I started doing that and didn't get very far at all.
275msf59
Morning, Karen. Happy Friday. We had a nice bird outing yesterday and I snagged 2 FOY birds- Virginia Rail & monk parakeet. Probably do a solo jaunt a bit later. My feeders continue to be eerily quiet.
>269 lauralkeet: Thanks Laura for the solid advice.
>269 lauralkeet: Thanks Laura for the solid advice.
276lauralkeet
>275 msf59: No problem Mark! I'm not an accountant but am just knowledgeable enough to be dangerous LOL.
Happy Friday, Karen!
Happy Friday, Karen!
277karenmarie
>269 lauralkeet: Missed you up there, Laura. Sorry.
>273 Familyhistorian: Hi Meg. We were definitely not happy about 4 armed men running loose and trying to not get caught. All’s well that ends well. Thanks re the Wolfes. I just finished Robert Goldsborough’s Archie Meets Nero Wolfe and was happily surprised at how well it worked. I may write a review. If not, I’ll include it in my July Lightning Round.
>275 msf59: Happy Friday to you, too, Mark. Yay for the FOYs. Mine are open for business – all were restocked with food yesterday after the storm passed through. I’ve got a male hummingbird, a male Cardinal.
>276 lauralkeet: Hi Laura, and happy Friday to you, too. Bill and I decided a long time ago that we would pay an accountant to do our taxes for us. We definitely needed an accountant during Bill’s small business ownership phase, and we’ve just continued. Could we do our own taxes? Probably. Do we want to do our own taxes? Nope. Not ever. I can call Lynda any time during the year and ask questions, no consulting fees ever charged. We pay her to do Jenna’s taxes, too.
...
I'm going to spend some time today working on Friends volunteer needs for the September book sale, which I resent having to do on top of all the other stuff I do for Friends. The book sale team leader has been irritating me lately. Harrumph.
On the other hand, I've got a fresh cup of coffee, there are beautiful blue skies, and I'm going to be starting a new book, The Midnight Library. Connie gave it 5 stars and I had some Ammy credit card point money that was burning a hole in my pocket.
>273 Familyhistorian: Hi Meg. We were definitely not happy about 4 armed men running loose and trying to not get caught. All’s well that ends well. Thanks re the Wolfes. I just finished Robert Goldsborough’s Archie Meets Nero Wolfe and was happily surprised at how well it worked. I may write a review. If not, I’ll include it in my July Lightning Round.
>275 msf59: Happy Friday to you, too, Mark. Yay for the FOYs. Mine are open for business – all were restocked with food yesterday after the storm passed through. I’ve got a male hummingbird, a male Cardinal.
>276 lauralkeet: Hi Laura, and happy Friday to you, too. Bill and I decided a long time ago that we would pay an accountant to do our taxes for us. We definitely needed an accountant during Bill’s small business ownership phase, and we’ve just continued. Could we do our own taxes? Probably. Do we want to do our own taxes? Nope. Not ever. I can call Lynda any time during the year and ask questions, no consulting fees ever charged. We pay her to do Jenna’s taxes, too.
...
I'm going to spend some time today working on Friends volunteer needs for the September book sale, which I resent having to do on top of all the other stuff I do for Friends. The book sale team leader has been irritating me lately. Harrumph.
On the other hand, I've got a fresh cup of coffee, there are beautiful blue skies, and I'm going to be starting a new book, The Midnight Library. Connie gave it 5 stars and I had some Ammy credit card point money that was burning a hole in my pocket.
278richardderus
Hi Horrible! Didja know the 2021 Audubon photo contest winners were announced? This one's by Patrick Coughlin, and won the Fisher Prize:
A juvenile Anna's hummingbird! Glorious.
A juvenile Anna's hummingbird! Glorious.
279lauralkeet
>277 karenmarie: I'm totally with you on tax services, Karen! I had an expat assignment from 2000-2004, during which the company paid for us to have our taxes done because they must be filed in both countries and things get super complicated. Well, that spoiled me for good and I've paid someone to do it ever since. No regrets!
280LizzieD
Speak not to me of taxes. As long as we don't have anything in the way of money or complications, we will continue to do our own. That's complicated enough.
Hmmm. I'll check out the Goodwill site. I never buy anything but AMP or Kindle, as you see on my thread.
We got close to 3" of rain from Elsa and enough wind to bring down a rotten branch here and there. I wish that might be the worst from this hurricane season.
Hope you're through your FoL stuff and can enjoy the rest of the day!
>278 richardderus: Gorgissimus!
Hmmm. I'll check out the Goodwill site. I never buy anything but AMP or Kindle, as you see on my thread.
We got close to 3" of rain from Elsa and enough wind to bring down a rotten branch here and there. I wish that might be the worst from this hurricane season.
Hope you're through your FoL stuff and can enjoy the rest of the day!
>278 richardderus: Gorgissimus!
281richardderus
>280 LizzieD: I'm with ya on the birb! Really, even if you're not a Regular, can you resist the chance to get some wished-for books for 15% off, free shipping, and supporting Goodwill? Hm? Can you really, Peggy? Hm? *nudgenudge*
282quondame
>277 karenmarie: After 3 years in a row when the IRS sent me corrections in my favor I decided to go to an accountant. The first closed with no warning after several years, the second was astoundingly expensive and we're still with the third who was a partner with a co-worker's father who has survived him by decades. As she's older than I am I am always heartened by her continued health and stamina. Now if my daughter would move forward on her accounting training....
283karenmarie
>278 richardderus: I did not. Thanks for sharing, RD. *smooch*
>279 lauralkeet: Great minds, eh, Laura!
>280 LizzieD: I admire folks who do their own taxes, Peggy. I just have no confidence that I’ll do them right, and Bill doesn’t want to do them.
I have all sorts of book sources, as you could see from above. Major source is Friends book sales in normal years but Amazon is tied with Marian this year. Strange.
Wow. 3” with Elsa. We got 1.42”. And today we had a hellacious storm that came through about 4:30. One bolt of lightning with its accompanying thunder was less than 2 seconds away – way too close. And just from that 25 minutes or so we got 1.12”. We should have been more afraid of that storm than Elsa, because it also packed a lot of wind. It came and went too quickly to build up stress, fortunately.
I spent about 4 hours on Friends stuff, including 3 phone calls. And the book sale volunteer coordinator is upset… way too long a story to bore you all with here, but working with volunteers sometimes is the shits. She has a legitimate reason to be upset AND the decisions made by other folks are logical, so it’s basically a lose-lose situation. Sigh.
>281 richardderus: We’ll have to see if either of us can resist the siren song of 15% off and free shipping. You’re a menace, you know – I’m already 10 books ahead from the University of Chicago Press sale because of you.
>282 quondame: Wouldn’t it be lovely to have free tax prep courtesy of Becky! My CPA in California was in his 50s when I left California in 1991, so I’m sure he’s retired by now.
>279 lauralkeet: Great minds, eh, Laura!
>280 LizzieD: I admire folks who do their own taxes, Peggy. I just have no confidence that I’ll do them right, and Bill doesn’t want to do them.
I have all sorts of book sources, as you could see from above. Major source is Friends book sales in normal years but Amazon is tied with Marian this year. Strange.
Wow. 3” with Elsa. We got 1.42”. And today we had a hellacious storm that came through about 4:30. One bolt of lightning with its accompanying thunder was less than 2 seconds away – way too close. And just from that 25 minutes or so we got 1.12”. We should have been more afraid of that storm than Elsa, because it also packed a lot of wind. It came and went too quickly to build up stress, fortunately.
I spent about 4 hours on Friends stuff, including 3 phone calls. And the book sale volunteer coordinator is upset… way too long a story to bore you all with here, but working with volunteers sometimes is the shits. She has a legitimate reason to be upset AND the decisions made by other folks are logical, so it’s basically a lose-lose situation. Sigh.
>281 richardderus: We’ll have to see if either of us can resist the siren song of 15% off and free shipping. You’re a menace, you know – I’m already 10 books ahead from the University of Chicago Press sale because of you.
>282 quondame: Wouldn’t it be lovely to have free tax prep courtesy of Becky! My CPA in California was in his 50s when I left California in 1991, so I’m sure he’s retired by now.
284SomeGuyInVirginia
I started using an accountant a few years ago and she has consistently gotten me larger returns than I was getting on my own.
I've heard lots of stories about bad or lazy accounts, though, so I always try to schedule a few minutes to go over my return with them.
I've heard lots of stories about bad or lazy accounts, though, so I always try to schedule a few minutes to go over my return with them.
285karenmarie
Hi Larry! More money back and probably less stress. Two winners in my book.
...
Coffee. Ah.
...
Coffee. Ah.
286msf59
Morning, Karen. Happy Saturday. I had a pleasant solo outing yesterday. It was beautiful on the trails. We are in the market for a new vehicle and have our eye on a Ford pick up. We will need one, once we purchase a camper, which will be early next year. I checked a couple out yesterday and I think I found one we like. Sue gave her approval too, by test driving it. It is a gorgeous truck.
Big day today- I am meeting with Joe in the city, for the first time in a year and a half. Yah!!
Big day today- I am meeting with Joe in the city, for the first time in a year and a half. Yah!!
287karenmarie
Hi Mark, and happy Saturday to you, too. Both Bill and I have owned Ford pick'em up trucks although we're currently truckless. Good vehicles and I'm glad you found one you both like.
Yay for a Joe meet-up. If you see this before you go off to meet him, tell him hi from me. Have a wonderful time.
Yay for a Joe meet-up. If you see this before you go off to meet him, tell him hi from me. Have a wonderful time.
290richardderus
Hiya Horrible. You flatteress you, reminding me I've already fattened your TBR via the UCPress sale! That's a good'un, isn't it. *smooch*
291richardderus
Yoo-hoo! Imma make you real, real mad with me:
Beaks, Bones & Bird Songs: How the Struggle for Survival Has Shaped Birds and Their Behavior by Roger Lederer...terrific writer...
$3 on Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FIV80CU
Beaks, Bones & Bird Songs: How the Struggle for Survival Has Shaped Birds and Their Behavior by Roger Lederer...terrific writer...
$3 on Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FIV80CU
292karenmarie
>288 msf59: I hope you had a great meet up.
>290 richardderus: Oh yes, and I might actually start one of them today or tomorrow. I'm finishing Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit. There was a horrible chapter where she talked favorably about Virginia Woolf that I had to get through, but it's smooth sailing again.
>291 richardderus: Now you're dive-bombing me! Thanks for the reccomendation, and onto the wish list it goes.
...
Coffee, figurative fog to come out of and literal fog outside to view. I love fog when I don't have to drive in it.
Carlos came by this morning to get the UHaul to drive to Wilmington, where he and Jenna will get her stuff packed up. They'll return to Pittsboro, where Jenna will spend the night, then head off tomorrow morning to Asheville.
I've also got a first-time-in-16-months RL book club meeting, but it's mostly to say good-bye to one of our members who is moving to Wyoming in August. We'll also discuss how to restart our meetings.
>290 richardderus: Oh yes, and I might actually start one of them today or tomorrow. I'm finishing Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit. There was a horrible chapter where she talked favorably about Virginia Woolf that I had to get through, but it's smooth sailing again.
>291 richardderus: Now you're dive-bombing me! Thanks for the reccomendation, and onto the wish list it goes.
...
Coffee, figurative fog to come out of and literal fog outside to view. I love fog when I don't have to drive in it.
Carlos came by this morning to get the UHaul to drive to Wilmington, where he and Jenna will get her stuff packed up. They'll return to Pittsboro, where Jenna will spend the night, then head off tomorrow morning to Asheville.
I've also got a first-time-in-16-months RL book club meeting, but it's mostly to say good-bye to one of our members who is moving to Wyoming in August. We'll also discuss how to restart our meetings.
293msf59
Morning, Karen. Happy Sunday. As expected I had a great visit with Joe. He looks fine and fit. We then had dinner with Bree & Sean and my Momma to Be looks beautiful. Just a few more weeks.
I have Men Explain Things to Me on the list. I am a big fan of Solnit. Have a good time at the book club meeting.
I have Men Explain Things to Me on the list. I am a big fan of Solnit. Have a good time at the book club meeting.
294karenmarie
Happy Sunday to you, too, Mark. I'm glad your visit went well, and your dinner with Bree & Sean. I was thinking about her this morning, wondering when in August the baby was going to arrive. My daughter's an August baby, although she was supposed to be a July baby.
I just finished Men Explain Things to Me. Sigh. I'll post some comments in my July Lightning round. Well worth the read.
Thanks re book club. I just printed out our 2020-2021 Book Club Schedule in case we want to use it as a starting point. I've read four of the books:
Dear Committee Members by Julie Schumacher 4*
The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai 5*
Mrs. Caliban by Rachel Ingalls - my choice - 4.5*
Less by Andrew Sean Greer 4.5*
I just finished Men Explain Things to Me. Sigh. I'll post some comments in my July Lightning round. Well worth the read.
Thanks re book club. I just printed out our 2020-2021 Book Club Schedule in case we want to use it as a starting point. I've read four of the books:
Dear Committee Members by Julie Schumacher 4*
The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai 5*
Mrs. Caliban by Rachel Ingalls - my choice - 4.5*
Less by Andrew Sean Greer 4.5*
295lauralkeet
>292 karenmarie: Good morning Karen. A RL book club meeting is a BIG DEAL, no matter the circumstances. I hope you'll be able to restart your meetings. I haven't found a book club here yet, but I admit I haven't been looking very hard. No particular reason, just haven't made it a priority. The 75ers keep adding to my TBR, so I have no shortage of reading material.
297karenmarie
>295 lauralkeet: Hi Laura! Our book club started in 1997. We've discussed 246 books, although personally I've only finished 140 of them. I've missed our meetings over the last 16 months and am really looking forward to seeing most of the members today. One woman is in California seeing her new grandbaby, and I don't know about a few of the others. Ah well, I'll find out about 4 p.m.
I can understand why you haven't made a RL book club a priority yet, having just moved. I got into this book club because it was a neighborhood start-up and I am a founding member. I can't imagine having to go out and FIND a book club. I hope you find a good one when it becomes a priority. Perhaps your local Library might know of local book clubs?
>296 msf59: Thanks, Mark. I've edited >294 karenmarie: to show my ratings of each of those four.
I can understand why you haven't made a RL book club a priority yet, having just moved. I got into this book club because it was a neighborhood start-up and I am a founding member. I can't imagine having to go out and FIND a book club. I hope you find a good one when it becomes a priority. Perhaps your local Library might know of local book clubs?
>296 msf59: Thanks, Mark. I've edited >294 karenmarie: to show my ratings of each of those four.
298lauralkeet
>297 karenmarie: I *think* the library might even have sponsored some book clubs before the pandemic, Karen. They've been gradually adding in-person events back to their calendar so I'm keeping an eye out.
299weird_O
>292 karenmarie: Should I take it that Virginia Woolf is not a favorite?
>283 karenmarie: I've done the tax forms for the last several years, because our/my revenue streams are straightforward and I've got no expenses to deal with. We used a tax preparer for maybe a dozen years, but Dave and Karen retired to Maine and the guy that bought their business didn't inspire confidence. So I'm doing them.
>292 karenmarie: (again!) That "mansplaining" thing. I went to an epic, EPIC book sale on Wednesday with a friend (my DiL's mother) who made a list of things she wanted to look for. She had about 8 to 10 women writers she was particularly interested in. A male volunteer offered to point her in the right direction and looked at her list. Noting that "these are all women", he pointed and said, "Romance is over there." Her daughter would have "splained" a few things to him, but Gig just shrugged.
~~~~~~~~~~
I confess to having hit that sale twice and acquired an obscene number of books. I'm still learning how to use the LT app. I've encountered books with an ISBN that doesn't compute, but I managed to catalog a part for a skid-loader. No skid-loader parts in sight, only books, but there in my book catalog was a skid-loader part. Lots of the books had no bar code—from before the bar code was invented, jacket missing, bar code covered with a sticker. Plus, I'm a fumble-fingers with the telephone gadgety thingie.
Still logging the books.
>283 karenmarie: I've done the tax forms for the last several years, because our/my revenue streams are straightforward and I've got no expenses to deal with. We used a tax preparer for maybe a dozen years, but Dave and Karen retired to Maine and the guy that bought their business didn't inspire confidence. So I'm doing them.
>292 karenmarie: (again!) That "mansplaining" thing. I went to an epic, EPIC book sale on Wednesday with a friend (my DiL's mother) who made a list of things she wanted to look for. She had about 8 to 10 women writers she was particularly interested in. A male volunteer offered to point her in the right direction and looked at her list. Noting that "these are all women", he pointed and said, "Romance is over there." Her daughter would have "splained" a few things to him, but Gig just shrugged.
~~~~~~~~~~
I confess to having hit that sale twice and acquired an obscene number of books. I'm still learning how to use the LT app. I've encountered books with an ISBN that doesn't compute, but I managed to catalog a part for a skid-loader. No skid-loader parts in sight, only books, but there in my book catalog was a skid-loader part. Lots of the books had no bar code—from before the bar code was invented, jacket missing, bar code covered with a sticker. Plus, I'm a fumble-fingers with the telephone gadgety thingie.
Still logging the books.
300SomeGuyInVirginia
I tried to start a Cheesy Mystery Book Club in my neighborhood using the Nextdoor app. Eight people joined but, despite all my follow-up posts, I haven't heard from anyone. Bummer.
I want to hear if any of the people in your book club changed during the pandemic!
I want to hear if any of the people in your book club changed during the pandemic!
301karenmarie
>298 lauralkeet: Good luck finding something when the time’s right!
>299 weird_O: I read Orlando and was appalled. I started Mrs. Dalloway and quickly abandoned it. I personally think she’s seriously overrated, but shhh!! Don’t tell anybody.
Bill and I could probably do our own taxes but it would necessitate knowing more about the tax laws each year than we’re willing to spend energy on. Our CPA Lynda does it all for us and charges us reasonable amounts to get it done.
OMG. “Romance is over there.” I hope that I would have challenged him on the spot. Jerk is too mild a word for him.
Congrats on the book sale. I’ll be interested in seeing the list of your acquisitions, Bill, over on your thread sometime soon. I personally only use the LT app to see if I already have a particular book, and never use the app to add books. I do that on my handy-dandy laptop with oversized monitor and scan my own covers in if I don’t see a member-uploaded cover that exactly matches mine. I love Amazon inordinately, but don’t like using their covers.
>300 SomeGuyInVirginia: Hi Larry. I’m sorry about the lack of response to your Cheesy Mystery Book Club.
I’ll report back, probably tomorrow, about book club members + 16 months.
And now, on to creating lucky thread #8.
>299 weird_O: I read Orlando and was appalled. I started Mrs. Dalloway and quickly abandoned it. I personally think she’s seriously overrated, but shhh!! Don’t tell anybody.
Bill and I could probably do our own taxes but it would necessitate knowing more about the tax laws each year than we’re willing to spend energy on. Our CPA Lynda does it all for us and charges us reasonable amounts to get it done.
OMG. “Romance is over there.” I hope that I would have challenged him on the spot. Jerk is too mild a word for him.
Congrats on the book sale. I’ll be interested in seeing the list of your acquisitions, Bill, over on your thread sometime soon. I personally only use the LT app to see if I already have a particular book, and never use the app to add books. I do that on my handy-dandy laptop with oversized monitor and scan my own covers in if I don’t see a member-uploaded cover that exactly matches mine. I love Amazon inordinately, but don’t like using their covers.
>300 SomeGuyInVirginia: Hi Larry. I’m sorry about the lack of response to your Cheesy Mystery Book Club.
I’ll report back, probably tomorrow, about book club members + 16 months.
And now, on to creating lucky thread #8.
This topic was continued by karenmarie: a new normal with lots of books - lucky thread VIII!.
