karenmarie: a new normal with lots of books - XIII

Welcome to my thirteen thread of Twenty Twenty-one.

The Good: Family, friends, kitties, books, in constantly-rotating order. Chocolate, too. More proof, if any is needed, that vaccines work, with most states reporting reduced cases and deaths. At least for a bit, Covid is in retreat. Not gone, but in retreat. Some family members are going to Utah to visit the wife’s family, but we may be able to have a very small, fully-vaccinated and boostered-up Thanksgiving with friends Geoff and Diane and Aunt Ann, depending on how her back’s doing. Jenna too, of course, although her work schedule may not allow her to be here exactly on Thanksgiving.

The Bad and the Sad: Delta and The un-vaccinated ruining it for everybody who’s a responsible person and citizen. Climate change is here, folks, and we’re going to be reaping what we’ve been sowing sooner than later. The international breakdown of the manufacturing/distribution network because of the pandemic. Lots of other economic repercussions because of same.

The Ugly: The Gang of Psychos. Continued and escalating polarization both politically and emotionally, an absolute disconnect. t***** not going gentle into that good night.

I am so glad I’m 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, met July 11th and decided to ramp back up in September. However, that’s now off. I am President for our local Friends of the Library (henceforth abbreviated FoL). The Board met in person in June and July and I’ve cancelled the August – October meetings. We’ll definitely meet in November simply to keep in compliance with our by-laws, but with no sales now before next year, there’s not much to talk about.

I have been married to Bill for 30 years and am mother to Jenna, 28, who lives in Asheville now. Bill and I live in our own little corner of paradise on 8 acres in central North Carolina USA. We’ve recently gotten a new roof, new gutters, and a not-planned new hot water heater.

We have three kitties. Current pictures of all three. L to R: Inara - 14, Zoe - 3, Wash – 2. I love it when Wash sleeps with his paws up against the back of the chair.



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No theme for pictures although I do like posting ones of family members. This one is seasonal. It’s from November 1996 at our old house. Jenna, Karen, Bill’s Mama Anne, and Bill with the ugliest decorated pumpkin imaginable. Bill’s Mama brought it and thought it was cute. Yeesh. I’d forgotten that thing until I saw the picture just now. *shudder* But, on the bright side, looks like I’d made a carrot cake.



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

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I’ve started my personal Miss Marple challenge – all books by Agatha Christie featuring Miss Marple. I’ve already read two. I’ve pulled The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories, and we’ll see when I decide to open it.

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. I’m hoping 3 years is good and everybody’s content with it gracefully ending unless someone else is willing to take over for 2022.

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

On This Day

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

**********

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

**********

2021 – a new normal with lots of books.

books read

January
1. Washington's Farewell Address and Webster's Bunker Hill Orations, Introduction and Notes by William T. Peck 1/8/21 1/9/21 172 pages hardcover
2. Banker by Dick Francis 1/3/21 1/12/21 303 pages mass market paperback
3. Christmas Beau by Mary Balogh 1/16/21 1/18/21 224 pages mass market paperback
4. If Death Ever Slept by Rex Stout 1/22/21 1/25/21186 pages hardcover
5. The Postscript Murders by Elly Griffiths 1/25/21 1/28/21 342 pages hardcover
6. The Duke and I by Julia Quinn 1/29/21 1/30/21 438 pages trade paperback
7. The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths 1/28/21 2/2/21 352 pages hardcover, Kindle

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
69. A Promise of Spring by Mary Balogh 7/13/21 7/15/21 183 pages mass market paperback
70. Night Film by Marisha Pessl 7/17/21 7/24/21 599 pages hardcover
**abandoned The River Between Us by Liz Fenwick 103 pages
71. Ties That Bound: Founding First Ladies and Slaves by Mary Jenkins Schwartz 7/11/21 7/30/21 356 pages hardcover

August
72. Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley 7/25/21 8/1/21 301 pages trade paperback
73. The Stranger Times by C.K. McDonnell 8/2/21 8/6/21
74. Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz 8/6/21 8/15/21 603 pages hardcover
75. Three Doors to Death by Rex Stout 8/16/21 8/17/21 136 pages hardcover
76. Hot Money by Dick Francis 8/17/21 8/18/21 423 pages mass market paperback
77. Topper by Thorne Smith 8/19/21 8/22/21 218 pages trade paperback Kindle
78. The Eighth Detective by Alex Pavesi 8/15/21 8/25/21 2020 289 pages hardcover
79. Feral Creatures by Kira Jane Buxton 8/25/21 8/29/21 349 pages hardcover
80. The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie 8/29/21 8/31/21 231 pages hardcover

September
81. The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz 9/1/21 9/3/21 320 pages hardcover
82. The Tuesday Club Murders by Agatha Christie 9/4/21 9/7/21 197 pages hardcover
83. Killing Kennedy by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard 8/26/21 9/9/21 304 pages hardcover
84. Murder, Culture, and Injustice 9/11/21 9/16/21 262 pages hardcover
85. The Game of Thirty by William Kotzwinkle 271 pages trade paperback
86. The Cabinet of Curiosities by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child 9/17/21 9/22/21 Kindle 629 pages mass market paperback
87. Still Life with Crows by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child 9/22/21 9/26/21 Kindle 640 pages mass market paperback
88. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling 3/30/21 9/27/21 audiobook 27 hours
89. Gone Missing by Linda Castillo 9/26/21 9/28/21 319 pages mass market paperback

October
90. The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman 9/29/21 10/3/21 355 pages hardcover
91. Dance of Death by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child 10/3/21 10/6/21 Kindle 451 pages hardcover
92. The Book of the Dead by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child 10/6/21 10/10/21 597 pages mass market paperback
93. The Mandibles: 2027 - 2049 by Lionel Shriver 10/11/21 10/17/21 402 pages hardcover
94. The Merchant's House by Kate Ellis 10/17/21 10/23/21 Kindle 256 pages mass market paperback
95. Decider by Dick Francis 10/24/21 10/26/21 327 pages mass market paperback
96. Death at Whitewater Church by Andrea Carter 10/26/21 10/28/21 Kindle 352 pages hardcover
97. Japanese Proverbs & Traditional Phrases by Peter Pauper Press 10/29/21 10/29/21 57 pages hardcover
**abandoned The Barrakee Mystery:The Lure of the Bush by Arthur W. Upfield 13 pages
**abandoned The Wheel of Darkness by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child 34 pages
**abandoned American Indians by William T. Hagan 34 pages
**abandoned Cumin, Camels, and Caravans by Gary Paul Nabhan 59 pages
**abandoned White Trash by Nancy Isenberg 42 pages
**abandoned The Source by James Michener 96 pages
**abandoned Religious Literacy by Stephen Prothero 49 pages

November
98. A Perfectly Good Family by Lionel Shriver 10/29/21 11/4/21 277 pages trade paperback
99. Girl Waits With Gun by Amy Stewart 11/4/21 11/9/21 408 pages hardcover

Currently Reading:

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón 11/?/21 486 pages trade paperback 2001
Swann's Way by Marcel Proust 11/4/21 458 pages hardcover 1913
Run with the Horsemen by Ferrol Sams 1/23/21 422 pages trade paperback 1982
The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race by Walter Isaacson 10/16/21 489 pages hardcover 2021
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling 9/29/21 audiobook 19 hours 2005

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
174. Amazon - The Hidden Palace by Helene Wecker
175. Amazon - Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley
176. Kindle - The Plague by Albert Camus
177. Kindle - The River Between US by Liz Fenwick
178. Kindle - Summary and Key Points of What Really Happened In Wuhan: The cover-ups, the conspiracies and the classified research by Sharri Markson - by Laurie Bunger
179. Kindle - Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay

August
180. Kindle - The Stranger Times by C.K. McDonnell - jackie_k
181. Friend Karen - The Winner Stands Alone by Paulo Coelho
182. Friend Karen - Chocolate Every Day: 85 Plant-based Recipes for Cacao Treats that Support Your Health and Well-being by Bennett Coffey
183. Friend Karen - The Chatham School Affair by Thomas H. Cook
184. Friend Karen - Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare by Stephen Greenblatt
185. Friend Karen - The Old Contemptibles by Martha Grimes
186. Friend Karen - Stories in the Stars: An Atlas of Constellations by Susanna Hislop
187. Friend Karen - The Male Brain: A Breakthrough Understanding of How Men and Boys Think by Louann Brizendine, M.D.
188. Friend Karen - The Dangerous Ladies Affair by Marcia Muller
189. Friend Karen - Four Spirits by Sena Jeter Naslund
190. Friend Karen - Seeking the South: Finding Inspired Regional Cuisines by Bob Newton
191. Friend Karen - I Will Judge You by Your Bookshelf by Grant Snider
192. Friend Karen - MAD About the Trump Era by Various
193. Friend Karen - The Agenda: Inside the Clinton White House by Bob Woodward
194. Amazon - How the South Won the War by Heather Cox Richardson
195. Amazon - The Eighth Detective by Alex Pavesi
196. Kindle - Topper by Thorne Smith
197. Friend Mark - The Orphan Mother by Robert Hicks
198. Kindle - The Barrakkee Mystery by Arthur Upfield
199. Kindle - This Girl for Hire by G.G. Fickling - mentioned by magicians_nephew
200. Amazon - Thus Was Adonis Murdered by Sarah Caulwell - friend Karen
201. Amazon - Feral Creatures by Kira Jane Buxton
202. Kindle - Divine Lola: A True Story of Scandal and Celebrity by Cristina Morató

September
203. Amazon - If You Exist by Lillian Moats
204. Kachergis donation - FDR's Unfinished Portrait by Elizabeth Shoumatoff
205. Kachergis donation - Five Black Lives editor Arna Bontemps
206. Kachergis donation - Gertrude Bell: The Arabian Diaries, 1913-1914 editor Rosemary O'Brien
207. Kachergis donation - Murder, Culture, and Injustice by Walter L. Hixson
208. Kachergis donation - Plain Folk and Gentry in a Slave Society by J. William Harris
209. Kachergis donation - Rose O'Neale Greenhow and the Blockade Runners by George Johnson, Jr.
210. Kachergis donation - Sally Hemings & Thomas Jefferson editors Jan Ellen Lewis & Peter S. Onuf
211. Kachergis donation - The Clerihews of Paul Horgan by Paul Horgan
212. Kachergis donation - The Man Who Wanted Seven Wives by Katie Letcher Lyle
213. Kachergis donation - Virginia Landmarks of Black History editor Calder Loth
214. FoL member Marian - Consequences by E.M. Delafield
215. FoL member Marian - The Children Who Lived in a Barn by Eleanor Graham
216. FoL member Marian - The Young Pretenders by Edith Henrietta Fowler
217. FoL member Marian - The Fortnight in September by RC Sherriff
218. Friend Karen - The Round House by Louise Erdrich
219. Friend Karen - Merry Meet by Isobel Bird
220. Friend Karen - Second Sight by Isobel Bird
221. Friend Karen - So Mote It Be by Isobel Bird
222. Friend Karen - Poems, 1923-1954 by E.E. Cummings
223. Friend Karen - The Drunken Forest by Gerald Durrell
224. Friend Karen - Great Beginnings and Endings: Opening and Closing Lines of Great Novels by Georgianne Ensign
225. Friend Karen - A General Introduction to Psychoanalysis by Sigmund Freud
226. Friend Karen - Love in a Green Shade: Idyllic Romances Ancient to Modern by Richard F. Hardin
227. Friend Karen - An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks
228. Friend Karen - The Basque Kitchen: Tempting Food from the Pyrenees by Gerald Hirigoyen
229. Friend Karen - Hateship, friendship, courtship, loveship, marriage : stories by Alice Munroe
230. Friend Karen - Einstein for Beginners by Joseph Schwartz
231. Friend Karen - Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko
232. Friend Karen - Hillbilly Elegy : A Memoir of a Family and a Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance
233. Kindle - Welcome to Cooper by Tariq Ashkanani
234. Kindle - Swann's Way by Marcel Proust
235. Amazon - The Misadventures of Nero Wolfe:Parodies and Pastiches Featuring the Great Detective of West 35th Street by Josh Pachter
236. Amazon - The Best of Me by David Sedaris
237. Thrift Shop - The Chameleon's Shadow by Minette Walters
238. Thrift Shop - Oxymoronica by Dr. Mardy Grothe
239. Thrift Shop - Think Like a Freak by Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner
240. Amazon - The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman

October
241. Amazon - Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories by Agatha Christie
242. Thrift Shop - A Regency Christmas 6 by Mary Balogh
243. Thrift Shop - Stay Close by Harlan Coben
244. Thrift Shop - The Galapagos by Kurt Vonnegut
245. Kindle - The Psychology of Time Travel by Kate Mascarenhas
246. Kindle - Agatha Christie: Premium Collection by Agatha Christie
247. Kindle - Speedy Death by Gladys Mitchell
248. Kindle - The Saltmarsh Murders by Gladys Mitchell
249. Amazon - The Mandibles: A Family, 2029-2047 by Lionel Shriver
250. Kindle - The Merchant's House by Kate Ellis
251. Amazon - The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding and a Selection of Entrees by Agatha Christie
252. Amazon - The Book of William: How Shakespeare's First Folio Conquered the World by Paul Collins
253. Amazon - State of Terror by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Louise Penny
254. Peggy - Run With the Horsemen by Ferrol Sams
255. Amazon - A Perfectly Good Family by Lionel Shriver
256. Amazon - A Terrible, Horrible, No Good Year edited by Larry Smith
257. Kindle - Death at Whitewater Church by Andrea Carter
258. Amazon - Better Off Dead by Lee Child and Andrew Child
259. Preacher in Pittsboro - Lost Scriptures by Bart Ehrman
260. Preacher in Pittsboro - Archaeology Study Bible: ESV by editors at Crossway
261. Kindle - Politics and the English Language by George Orwell
262. Kindle - 11/22/63 by Stephen King
00. Lev in Glasgow by Harry Bingham - acquired in 2015 but just realized I hadn't added it to my catalog
263. Kindle - Ending by Hilma Wolitzer
264. Kindle - 30+ Classic Philosophy Book Collection: The Art of War, Poetics, The Republic, The Meditations, The Prince and others
265. Amazon - Wait Til Next Year by Doris Kearns Goodwin

November
266. Kindle - Freddy the Pig by Walter R. Brooks
267. FoL - Caste by Isabel Wilkerson
268. FoL - Stardust by Neil Gaiman
268. FoL - The Quaker by Liam McIlvanney
269. Amazon - The Dark Hours by Michael Connelly
270. Friend Rhoda - The Ruin by Dervla McTiernan
271. Friend Rhoda - The Scholar by Dervla McTiernan

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

bye-bye Judith McNaught and Anne Rice!

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
63. The Capture o the Earl of Glencrae by Stephanie Laurens
64. Chocolate Every Day: 85 Plant-based Recipes for Cacao Treats that Support Your Health and Well-being by Bennett Coffey - will never use and my sister is vegan
65. The Eighth Detective by Alex Pavesi - I don't have an overwhelming need to keep it
66. Almost a Crime by Penny Vincenzi
67. The Cabinet of Curiosities by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child - too ratty to read, borrowed e-copy from Library
68. For the second time: Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance
69. Swann's Way by Marcel Proust - lovely old copy, just too hard to read
70. The Enchanted April by Elizabeth Von Arnim
71. Forget Me Not and Beautiful Dreamer by Elizabeth Lowell
72. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of American Cooking - I was only keeping it to find disgusting recipes

Statistics Through October 31

97 books read
26 of them on my shelves before 01/01/2021 and not rereads
18 books abandoned, 1301 pages abandoned
29950 pages read
47 audiobook hours
Avg pages read per day, YTD = 99
Avg pages read per book, YTD = 309

Book of the month: The Mandibles: A Family 2029-2047 by Lionel Shriver

Books By Month
January 6 books, 1665 pages
February 10 books, 3790 pages
March 13 books, 3609 pages
April 10 books, 2426 pages
May 10 books, 2894 pages
June 15 books, 3379 pages
July 7 books, 2165 pages
August 9 books, 2982 pages
September 9 books, 2942 pages
October 8 books, 2797 pages - 7 books recorded as abandoned, 327 pages

Author
Male 60%
Female 40%

Living 61%
Dead 39%

US Born 65%
Foreign Born 35%

Platform
Hardcover 45%
Trade Pback 20%
Mass Market 23%
Audiobook 2%
e-Book 10%

Source
My Library 85%
Library 11%
Other 4%

Misc
ARC/ER 1%
Re-read 19%
Series 59%

Fiction 90%
NonFiction 10%

New to Me Authors 36

Author Birth Country
England 21%
Germany 1%
Ireland 2%
Jordan 1%
Scotland 7%
Spain 1%
US 65%
Wales 2%

Original Decade Published
1890s 1%
1910s 1%
1920s 2%
1930s 2%
1950s 6%
1960s 18%
1970s 3%
1980s 4%
1990s 7%
2000s 14%
2010s 22%
2020s 20%

Category
Adventure 2%
Biography 0%
Chrestomathy 0%
Contemporary Fiction 7%
Fantasy 10%
Historical Fiction 4%
Humor 1%
Informational Nonfiction 9%
Memoir 1%
Mystery 37%
Poetry 1%
Science Fiction 0%
Suspense 0%
Thriller 27%


Book Acquisition Date
2007 - Joined LT, added 1853 books 15
2008 1
2009 1
2010 1
2012 2
2016 4
2017 2
2018 8
2019 2
2020 6
2021 41
borrowed from friends 3
Library 11

Rating
2.5 - Average 1
3 - Good 6
3.5 - Very Good 25
4 - Excellent 48
4.5 - Stunning 17

3.88 - YTD Average

October’s Lightning Round

The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman 9/29/21 10/3/21

Such a fun book. All the accolades are true, it is in turn a story about our intrepid Thursday Murder Club – Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron, and Ibrahim – and two separate crimes that must be solved, bad guys dealt with, and justice done. Pretty much flawless, with consistent characters, witty dialog, and deep truths about love, aging, and life in general screaming off each page.

Dance of Death by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child 10/3/21 10/6/21

This is a solid entry in the series with strong action, intricate and tight plotlines, and good characterization.

The Book of the Dead by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child 10/6/21 10/10/21

The third in the Diogenes trilogy. Diogenes is Pendergast’s brother, who has sworn to destroy him for reasons unknown. Pendergast is in a high security prison awaiting trial, his allies work on breaking him out – excellent action there – and the story ends shockingly, thousands of miles away from New York.

The Mandibles: 2027 - 2049 by Lionel Shriver 10/11/21 10/17/22

Shriver identifies this as ‘acid satire’. I consider contemporary fiction to be plausible, and since this presents such a horrific future I originally thought it science fiction. Being incurably optimistic, I don’t want to consider the future Shriver writes so convincingly about - that everything Bill and I ever worked for would be wiped out in an instant and we’d probably become homeless to a band of marauding house thieves. This is an amazingly scary and marvelous book, full of loving and vicious characterizations, with unflinching takes on truth and human nature. If even one-tenth of what happens to the Mandibles happens here in the US in my lifetime… well, I shudder to think about that kind of future.

The Merchant's House by Kate Ellis 10/17/21 10/23/21 img src=http://static.librarything.com/pics/s8.gif>

Excellent start to a promising series. An archaeological dig’s discoveries reveal a murder that helps solve a present day crime. Well-wrought and vivid characters, a finely paced plot, and a great police procedural.

Death at Whitewater Church by Andrea Carter 10/26/21 10/28/21 img src=http://static.librarything.com/pics/s7.gif>

A very good start to a new series for me, with Benedicta “Ben” O’Keefe living in a very small town in Ireland after fleeing a family tragedy 6 years earlier. She’s a solicitor and the surveying of a property for sale leads to the discovery of a skeleton. A local family’s eldest son’s disappearance on his wedding years earlier, the erratic behavior of his younger brother, and various and sundry interesting characters and small town situations make this quite enjoyable. Thank goodness I like P.D. James – Amazon tells me Perfect for fans of Louise Penny, PD James, and Donna Leon, otherwise I’d have to boycott it.

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

…

And welcome one and all!

Happy new thread, Karen!

>1 karenmarie: Your cats look all content at the pictures.

Morning, Karen! Happy new one! You are so right about that pumpkin in the photo. YIKES!

Happy new thread, Karen. I see you read the first Wesley Peterson book; I have enjoyed the few that I've read.

I got faked out by the linky-wink, but here I am.

*smooch*

>10 FAMeulstee: Thank you, Anita. Our kitties are all pretty happy kitties. Bill says that if he were to be reincarnated, he wants to come back as one of our kitties.

>11 Crazymamie: ‘Morning, Mamie, and thank you. Glad to get the confirmation…

>12 BLBera: Thank you, Beth! And yes, I really liked it and will work on reading more of the series.

>13 richardderus: I was distraught at the duplicated post, RD, but between Anita pointing out the right thread on the wrong thread and me putting the correct link at the bottom of the 12th thread, I hope everybody can find their way here. How's that for convoluted? *smooch*

Happy number 13, Karen.

>14 karenmarie: The double new thread occasionally happens, at least double of you is something to be treasured. x

Happy new one, Karen!

>15 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul, and you're sweet to say that double of me is to be treasured.

>16 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie!

Happy new one Karen!

Happy new one! Wish I could delete the dupe thread. Can't, but I can change the title to something like "Ignore" or "Not Here".

Happy new thread, Karen! I hope today is a great one for you!

Hi Karen my dear, Happy new thread and hopefully i will be a regular visitor to this one. I love the photos of Inara, Zoe and Wash and a lovely photo of you all a few years ago. Hope all is well with you all, we are both fine and send love and hugs to you all from both of us dear friend.

Happy new one, Karen. Love those topper pics.

I just wrote this but I guess I forgot to hit *post* ;-)

Happy new thread!

Happy lucky number 13!

Morning, Karen. Happy New Thread! Yah for #13! I took a fall yesterday so I am bit battered. Details on my thread. Looks like I will be getting some extra reading time in. Oh yeah- I also snagged the Davis translation form the library. I had bought the same free edition from Amazon too but this looks much better.

Morning, Karen! I am ready for my second cup of coffee and also to see what today brings. Hoping your Wednesday is full of happy.

Yoo, as the saying goes, hoo. How's Aunt Ann doing?

You are the woman, Karen! I love that you keep up everything, including new threads when it's time. I also love the '96 picture. You look exactly like yourself! Keep on keeping on.

>6 karenmarie: I giggled at your last comment about *Whitewater Church*. I'm with you entirely.

Well, pshaw. I thought I'd left you a spirited message yesterday. Sorry.

By buying a copy of Lydia Davis' translation of Proust, I do believe I have committed myself to the Swann's Way group read. Are you one of us?

Kind of weird that after finishing a novel of the racist South I picked up a collection of Auschwitz stories by a Polish survivor of that complex of camps. This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen by Tadeusz Borowski.

Thanks for keeping my thread warm – I was staying with Aunt Ann after her second kyphoplasty surgery (performed last Friday) last night. I got home at noon and was so exhausted from a poor night’s sleep in a strange house that was kept warmer than my house that I took a 1.5 hour nap ‘til Jenna called.

>18 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks, Reba!

>19 drneutron: Thanks, Jim! I thought about asking you to change the title, thought there was a time limit, and didn’t bother. If you could change it to something like Do Not Use, that would be great.

>20 alcottacre: Thanks, Stasia! I was busy getting ready to go to Aunt Ann’s, running some errands in town, then actually going there. We had a wonderful time chatting over the course of the almost 24 hours I was there, quite a bit of it in the middle of the night when neither of us could sleep.

>21 johnsimpson: Hi John, and thank you. We’re all fine and I’m glad you and Karen are both fine. Sending love and hugs to you both and kitty skritches to Felix, of course!

>22 jessibud2: Thanks Shelley. I’m glad you like my topper pics. I always have fun picking out the family one and creating the three-kitty pic.

>23 quondame: Thanks, Susan!

>24 streamsong: Thanks re lucky #13, Janet.

>25 msf59: ‘Afternoon, Mark, and thank you. Oh no! You’re not supposed to fall. I’ll visit your thread when I’m finished commenting here. I will pick up the Davis translation tomorrow. I was just too whupped on the way home to stop at the Library. I will also mail a birthday card to a 100-year old and do some Friends business while in town.

>26 Crazymamie: Hiya, Mamie! I love Aunt Ann and was glad to help out, but oh my! I’m beyond whupped. And you know how it is when you’re cooking in a kitchen that’s not your own? Different pans and utensils? Stressful. My Wednesday is coming along after the nap and chatting with Jenna and feeling almost human again. Bill will be home in a while, which will be nice, too.

>27 richardderus: Hi RD! Aunt Ann is coming along. From yesterday to today I noticed an improvement in her movement, although she’s on 5 ml liquid oxy every 6 hours and dozes about an hour after she’s taken the dose. She can’t walk without the walker. I just heard that she’s going into a convalescent home tomorrow – one of her sons/wives is coming out tonight and will help her get packed and take her over tomorrow. I hope they keep her long enough for her to get her strength back so she can take care of herself at home.

>28 LizzieD: Hi Peggy, and thank you. Along about 250 messages I start looking for a new photo and start compiling the 3-kitty photo. I then review the last thread and revise as appropriate and set aside to cut-and-paste in when needed. Ah yes, Donna Leon and Louise Penny.

I bought State of Terror, the Clinton/Penny book, and started it but have (temporarily?) abandoned it. All I can think about is seeing Penny’s style and grinding my teeth.

>29 weird_O: Hi Bill! Well, after about 12:30 p.m. I wasn’t here to see it, so no harm, no foul. I am one of the Swannies – or Swanners – and will pick up the book at the Library tomorrow. Kinda weird – racist South followed by Auschwitz. I hope it’s a good read. I'm still enjoying A Perfectly Good Family. Didn't get any reading yesterday after about 11 a.m. and only picked it up a few minutes today before deciding a nap was a better idea.

…
So. Jammies, gritty eyes, not cooking tonight, looking forward to going to bed in only … 7 hours. When I can just relax at home after a bad night I recover much more quickly than after feeding the neighborhood feral kitties including Cinderfella (they’re all named, but I only saw and gave him kitty skritches), cooking breakfast, stripping the bed and washing the sheets, and washing the breakfast dishes. All in a good cause, of course, because Aunt Ann is a dear. She has the same political, religious, and vaccine opinions as we do, and has a sharp wit. We had some fine conversations.

The kitties missed me - here's a pic of Wash on the bed. He was outside when I got home, but upstairs when i woke up.

>31 karenmarie: - Aww, cute pose, he looks so relaxed. My Theo is something of a contortionist when he sleeps, or *rests*. Either totally stretched to his full length or paws all over the place, sometimes in places you wouldn't think would work.

Thanks, Shelley! He was purring and glad to see me.

...
So I ordered sweet paprika and hot paprika, same brand, from Amazon. The package arrived today with two tins of sweet paprika. She refunded the money for the hot paprika and said I did not need to return the second tin of sweet paprika. How in heaven's name am I going to be able to use a total of 8 oz of paprika before the second tin goes stale?

>33 karenmarie: Time to re-gift that sucka! (Here, for example.)

>30 karenmarie: Done! For regular users, the time limit is 10 minutes. As group admin, I can change it any time.

Morning, Karen. Sweet Thursday. My convalesce continues...I probably won't be able to hit the trails again until next week. Sad face. Getting better, though. Can you believe I am almost out of bird feed? That is how fast these greedy little piggies have gone through it and since I can't wrestle a bag of seed right now, it may have to wait. Another sad face...

>34 richardderus: it turns out that if kept in a dark, cool-ish place, in the tin it came in (don't put it in glass or tupperware!) it will last 3-4 years. I didn't break the seal on the sift-pour lids, so it's safely tucked away in the pantry. *smooch*

>35 drneutron: Thank you, Jim! For future reference, are there instructions anywhere to do this myself? If so where, if not, can you tell me how to change the topic title? I did a quick look around but couldn't find anything.

>36 msf59: 'Morning, Mark! Wow, you must really be hurting to keep you from the trails. I'm so sorry. And the poor birdies. I've got one lone female Cardinal at the sunflower seeder.

However, I just had a magnificent white-tailed deer, Odocoileus virginianus visit our yard. I was making coffee, saw him through the kitchen window crossing the concrete to the yard, got my cell phone, and took a few snaps. Then I got my coffee, came into the sunroom, went to turn on the propane heater, looked up, and there he was again at the edge of the concrete. Bill says he's an 8-pointer if you count the nubs.



...
Coffee, reading, two small errands in town this morning to pick up Swann's Way and Inara's meloxicam, then more reading and puttering.

Morning, Karen! That deer is full of gorgeous - great photo! We used to get deer in our Indiana yard all the time, but here not so much. We do see them in the pecan orchard behind our house from time to time.

'Morning, Mamie! Thank you. We see does all the time, and of course mommies and fawns seasonally. I can't remember the last time we had a buck here.

Wow, what a beautiful deer. I like them even though they can be hell on the garden. I haven't seen a buck, though.

I hope you get some rest, Karen! I know how tired I am when I get back from my mother's and she did not even have a recent medical procedure! Glad to hear that your Aunt Ann is doing well.

>37 karenmarie: Eight points and a boatload of sausage on the cloven hoof. A bit of backstrap, too! *yum*

Happy Thor's Day, Horrible. *smooch*

>40 lauralkeet: He is, isn't he? Very healthy looking, too. We don't have anything close enough to the house that we'd be upset with getting eaten by deer, fortunately. When I do have a vegetable garden, it's enclosed by 6' tall fencing. I hope you get to see a buck this season.

>41 alcottacre: Thanks, Stasia. I woke up remarkably rested this morning, thank goodness. And thanks re Aunt Ann.

>42 richardderus: No hunting allowed in the subdivision, RD. *smile* We're also not telling our friend Carl, who's such a serious hunter that he put off knee replacement surgery late summer because the PT would have taken him into hunting season. *smooch* back at'cha.

...
Swann's Way, Lydia Davis translation, acquired from the Library, Inara's meloxicam acquired from the vet. Home again home again, jiggity jig. Egg salad sandwich for lunch, and now I'm going to go do a bit more reading after having a nice conversation with Jenna. She's on her way to Charlotte to spend some time with a friend and sounded happy.

I don't know when hunting season is, but I do hope that handsome fellow continues to survive it!

I waded through both Swann and Guermantes with Scott Moncrieff and bought more of them. Those were the days when I was fearless.

Glad you're in and that Jenna is happy. I know that makes you happy too.

I've been seeing deer up close in the last day. Wednesday night, as I was leaving a friend's house in a large-lot subdivision, she said to me, "Drive carefully. Watch out for deer." I drove up her drive, paused at the street, turned and stopped. A small buck in her front yard, at the curb. We looked at each other, and the deer slowly turned away.

Then this evening, I approached a curve in the road and saw a deer on the edge of a recently harvested farm field, to my left. As I slowed down, I saw a second deer, this one on my right. I stopped and we stared at each other, and she started to fade away from the road, so I took off.

I have close friend who refers to Pennsylvania as "The Dead Deer State".

>44 LizzieD: Hi Peggy!

It's Black Powder Hunting Season here in central NC - October 30 - November 12. Our friend Carl hunts from the beginning of archery season through the end of gun season, so he's happy September 11 - January 1. Looks like your county switched to gun on October 16th. I hope our buck survives, too.

I'm not necessarily fearless, but I will attempt Swann's Way. I picked up the Lydia Davis translation from the Library yesterday. It gave me a chance to chat with the Librarians. The Library is soooo quiet. Too quiet. They know why, obviously, but don't know why, given that masking and hand-sanitizing and vaccines are available to 12-100+. And now Pfizer is available to 6-11. Perhaps that will increase the traffic. I admire our county. They haven't cut Library staff or resources and have actually added an Assistant Childrens' Librarian at our branch.

Haven't heard a peep from Jenna, which is a good sign.

>45 weird_O: Hi Bill. Going slow when the deer are on the move is very important, glad that you were doing so. I hadn’t heard that about Pennsylvania, but our friend Carl, he who hunts all three ways (archery, black powder, gun), is also happy if any one of his numerous friends calls him when they spot fresh road kill or create it themselves. Then he’s proud to say he got his deer 4 ways. A bit macabre, but eminently practical.

...
Each morning is different. This morning, even with tylenol and ibuprophen, I had aches and pains that demanded I get up. So up I am, starting my coffee.

Katie mentioned sausage, potato, and corn soup - but TW doesn't like corn. Here's another option.

Hungarian Potato and Sausage Soup
Recipe By: Chef John

"When the going gets tough, the tough make soup! There are certain recipes that comfort the body and soul in a profound way and this hearty potato and sausage soup is in that class. I think you'll agree it's one of the best things you've had in a long time. The savory flavor from smoked sausage and the earthy sweetness from onions and cabbage are balanced perfectly with a splash of vinegar and a bit of sour cream, all brought together by soft and tender potatoes--the only way this gets better is serving it with a nice hunk of buttered, crusty bread."

Ingredients
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 6 ounces smoked Hungarian sausage, sliced into rounds
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons Hungarian paprika
• 5 cups chicken broth, or more to taste
• 2 cups chopped green cabbage
• 1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
• 1/2 cup sour cream, or to taste
• 2 tablespoons sliced green onion, or to taste (optional)
Directions
1. Melt butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Add sausage and cook and stir until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove sausage to a bowl, leaving behind any butter in the pot.
2. Toss onion into the pot with 1 teaspoon salt. Cook and stir until onion just starts to turn translucent and picks up a brown color from the meat juices in the pan, 4 to 5 minutes. Add flour; cook and stir for 2 to 3 minutes. Add garlic and paprika; cook and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute, being careful not to burn the paprika.
3. Stir in 5 cups chicken broth. Increase heat to high and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally so flour does not stick to the bottom of the pot. Stir in cabbage and cook until it just loses its stiffness, about 2 minutes. Stir in potatoes and bring back to a simmer. Add black pepper, cayenne pepper, and bay leaf, plus a splash of chicken broth if desired. Bring back to a simmer.
4. Stir soup and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are very soft and tender, about 30 minutes. Add sausage and vinegar and simmer for 10 minutes. Taste and adjust for salt.
5. Remove from heat and ladle into bowls. Garnish with sour cream, green onions, and cayenne pepper.

I found this recipe because one of the few things I could find during the early days of the pandemic was sausage - I use andouille or kielbasa, but prefer the andouille.

A double post again, drat it!! New rule - if it's on my threads I'll post something that makes me feel good.



Jenna and Bill got this www.giantmicrobes.com Book Worm for Christmas many years ago. He's on my shelf or Sentimental things.

Morning, Karen. Happy Friday. I love the young buck up there. What a nice sighting. I am feeling a little better every day. At least the sharp pain has mostly subsided, when I turn a certain way. I am heading over to Bree's to sit with Jackson for a few hours. She has returned to work this week, starting with 5 hours, but can do it all from home. She has had help from other family members too, at least for this first week.

I hope you can squeeze in a nap later on.

>49 msf59: 'Morning Mark, and happy Friday to you, too! Thanks re the buck. I was chuffed to get that pic. Got a few others, too, of him in the yard. I'm glad you're getting better every day, but sorry that you still have ANY sharp pain. Yay for the Jackson sititng today.

Good luck to Bree returning to work.

We'll see about the nap. Right now I'm coffee-d up, but I can feel that my eyes are a bit gritty and strained. Thank goodness that I'm in the position where I can Nap During the Day!!

I've acquired the Lydia Davis translation of Swann's Way. I've promised Stasia that I'll read Girl Waits with Gun and started it last night. We'll see if I can juggle four books:

The Code Breaker
Girl Waits With Gun
Swann's Way
Run with the Horsemen

Should not be a problem, but I need the morning time pretty much uninterrupted - that's when I get my best reading in.

So now we both have our Penguin edition of Swann's Way. Yah! I loved Girl Waits with Gun. I hope you feel the same.

Morning, Karen!

Your deer story reminded me that Charlie and I saw one this week on our way to the dermatologist, and it was in a strange place - right in the middle of a heavily commercial and residential area, just trotting down the sidewalk! Very strange. I wonder if it's mating season and they're out and about more? Hunting season hasn't started yet, I think?

>48 karenmarie: - Thanks for sharing that recipe, Karen. I've saved it in my recipes folder. I appreciate the note about using andouille or kielbasa, since my first reaction was, WTF is Hungarian sausage :)

>51 msf59: 🤗

>52 scaifea: 'Morning, Amber! Our hunting season started in September with archery, and now we're in black powder season til November 12th. Gun season starts November 13 and ends January 1. There are 4 locations in NC with different dates, we're in the central location. Ohio will be different, of course. Vastly different than NC. And there's the little bit about county limits - and your city as on your profile page is in 3 counties, so I'll leave it to you to research more if you want to. 😀



>53 katiekrug: You're welcome, Katie! Bill and I love it - I've probably made it 4 or 5 times. Andouille is a firmer sausage, at least what I can get out here, and we appreciate that consistency.

>48 karenmarie: The Bookworm is...creepy, but cute in a tardigrade sort-of way. ...it's that eye...

I was absolutely charmed when I got that Bookworm, RD, and still love him. Yes, it's a him.

Check out Giant Microbes.

Lots of fun, some are way more creepy than my dear sweet, tardigrade-ish book worm.

>56 karenmarie: I might have to have "Plagues from History"....

>50 karenmarie: Karen, if you will let me know how far you get with Girl Waits with Gun, I will endeavor to keep pace. I always let my reading partners set the pace and I just catch up. It seems to work well that way :)

Happy Friday!

>57 richardderus: Aren't they a hoot?



>58 alcottacre: Hi Stasia! I'm on page 17... too many interruptions today so far. I love it. I'll try to get some good reading in after the probably-going-to-be-awful lemon bars come out of the oven. Too thin a crust, I followed the directions and poured the fllling over the not-firmed up-but-not-my-fault crust. Might taste good, but oh my goodness. What a waste of good flour, sugar, butter, eggs, lemons, powdered sugar, and vanilla. I'll probably have to spatula it out and put it in a tupperware to scoop out. *sad face* because I don't have very many Failures In The Kitchen.

Hi Karen. Guess I'm behind again and was soldiering away on your previous thread.
Never mind. It was all good.

I'm slowly getting some book reviews posted ~ only the ones worth chattering about (imho). The good-the bad-the ugly, as I said elsewhere!

(Edited because I can't spell when I've tried to rush....)

Thank you for that soup recipe, Karen. My cabbage soup is a favorite, and I'm tickled to try it with sausage and potatoes...... I might have to cook that cabbage down in butter/olive oil a bit first; makes it buttery and not cabbagey.

I wish I could start *Girl/Gun* when I finish my wonderful fantasy, but I've sort of promised myself the *Va. Woolf in Manhattan*. I'll have to see how I feel. (You'll notice that I assume I would be welcome to join you~)

>46 karenmarie: Getting roadkill by creating it yourself can be pretty expensive and inconvenient. And we didn't even get steaks from when we did it!

>59 karenmarie: And Covid will be coming soon!

>60 SandyAMcPherson: Hi Sandy! Nice to see you out and about after your wonderful trip. There’s no rule about having to post any reviews at all, you know. Do what you want to do for yourself or, if you really want us to know how marvelous a book is, you can write a few sentences and leave it at that.

>61 LizzieD: You’re welcome, Peggy. For quite a while I was following Chef John from FoodWishes.com on YouTube, but lately I haven’t liked any of his recipes and have pretty much stopped. But this is a very good recipe. In fact, I just wrote down andouille sausage for the next time I go grocery shopping. Good idea about cooking the cabbage first in butter.

Of course you’d be welcome to join us! I’m on page 75. It’s a good, fun, breezy sort of read, even with the serious subject matter. The three sisters are easily differentiated, and I love Constance’s voice as written by Stewart.

>62 quondame: Hi Susan. I had a meeting with a deer when Jenna was about 6 or so… we were fine because we were in a Volvo but the deer didn’t make it. I saw her grazing by the side of the road, slowed down as fast as I could safely, told her to stay on the side of the road, but of course she darted in front of us, hit the right front grill/headlight, bounced off the windshield (thank goodness her hoof didn't come through - I've heard of accidents where that killed the driver) and flew to the other side of the road. I was so shook up I didn’t even think to call Carl. I got a new car out of it, though.

Soon?



edited to add:

From our local newspaper, one of the ugliest cakes I've ever seen. I'd be ashamed to claim that cake. And really, dreamsicle?

>61 LizzieD: Even if Karen would not let you join (which I know she will), I would let you join, Peggy!

>63 karenmarie: Page 75?! I better start reading!!

>63 karenmarie: Well, I was thinking in that particular set. But yeah, they're out there. Oh, and that is ugly. Accent color is important!

>63 karenmarie: OMG

That is embarrassingly awful-looking. The glurbles of frosting on top, the randomly spaced nekkid bits at the bottom, the messy sleep-in-the-wet-spot sploodges on the plate...! Hideous presentation, shouldn't've been photographed. But if it tasted good, which it actually sounds like it would, who cares en famille. Just...not in the paper!

>8 karenmarie: Oh, that is so good

>48 karenmarie: Oh, I am not so sure about that one :)

>64 alcottacre: Stasia, you’ll be way ahead of me in the blink of an eye. I do plan on reading some more tonight.

>65 quondame: Yup. The thing I find ugly about it is the ham-handed icing effort, on top of the flavor.

>66 richardderus: Glurbles is a good word. I have never liked dreamsicle. I like vanilla ice cream. I like orange sherbet. But the two together have never appealed to me. Y’all can like it and we can ATD, of course. I think they could have made a second attempt and at least gotten the icing right.

>67 LovingLit: Hi Megan. Those are my two favorites right now. One of these days something else will appeal to me more, but they both make me smile.

But… but... he’s soft and cute and hangs out on my shelf of sentimental things. I can’t remember which disease Bill has, but Jenna has Mad Cow Disease for her plush microbe and we can’t find or remember what Bill’s is.

>68 karenmarie: No, I will not. Unless I hear otherwise, I am stopping at page 80.

>68 karenmarie: I think they could have made a second attempt and at least gotten the icing right.

How do you know the cake shown is not a second attempt? Or third? Maybe compared to the first, this one looks great.

Morning, Karen. Happy Saturday. I had been toying with going on a guided walk this AM with my birding buddies but I am still a bit stiff and sore. I would have loved to have gone but I think I will try to hold out until early next week. I enjoyed my visit my Jackson yesterday but he did sleep a big chunk of it.

>69 alcottacre: Ah, you're going to pace me, Stasia! Got it. When you're ready, here are my opening thoughts: Anachronisms usually scream out at me and so far none have. The sense of place is well established, the history of the family deftly set out with the mother's death a year ago and brother pressuring them to move in and become household drudges. Constance resists, even to the point of selling off land, but that option seems played out. The sisters have divided up the responsibilities of the house, although it doesn't seem that Constance is pleased with her role. Is there a mystery of Fleurette? Or is she just a very much younger sister, 20 years or so, who has been pampered and babied? No mention of a gun or rifle after the first time Henry and his thugs drive by and throw a brick through the window. I love the writing, as I wrote above. It immediately appealed to me, something that doesn't always happen with first person narration.

>70 weird_O: Well, Bill, you may be right. Perhaps they got so tired of making dreamsicle cakes that they said "This is as good as it gets and screw it!" Interesting point.

>71 msf59: 'Morning, Mark! Happy Saturday to you, too. Probably a good idea to continue resting up. The birding buddies and the birds will still be there for you next week.

Random thought about sleeping babies: Terms of Endearment, where Shirley MacLaine, as Aurora Greenway, goes in to the baby's bedroom and pinches her to wake her up so that she'd cry and need her mother. I'm glad you let Jackson sleep even though you were probably fretting about it.

..
Up late, just on my first cup of coffee. I'll be running errands with Bill this a.m. in order to pick up a Thank You card for our FoL Publicity Chair, who has resigned after 13 years. He's 80 or so and realizes we need someone younger to manage social media, but right now's a hard time to recruit. On the other hand, there's not much to recruit for, what with no book sales. Dale resigned a while back but we had to collect money by folks mailing it and that just got done and books from a local Indie just arranged for. TMI, I suppose...

Happy Saturday's tootlings, Horrible my dear.

Go tear up over this eldercat's sweet ride.

>69 alcottacre: Yes, I am going to pace you. I agree with everything you said in your spoiler :)

Happy Saturday, Karen!

>73 richardderus: H S T to you, too, RD!

You must really like me a lot to send me a cute video of a you-know-what!!! Thank you. Lucky Frodo. I subscribed to Liam Thompson's youtube video channel and forwarded that video to my sister and my daughter.

>74 alcottacre: Happy Saturday to you, too, Stasia!

>75 karenmarie: Well, Inara's not gettin' any younger...an idea there...I loathe them not you.

*smooch*

>76 richardderus: The idea of an elevator for Inara brings a smile to my face. The stairs to the bedrooms have a landing, so it would be quite an engineering feat to get her up and down. She's smart, though, and if we put something in place for her, she'd probably be able to get into it herself, push the button, and go up- or downstairs as she pleased. Of course, I wouldn't put it past Zoe to wait 'til Inara got upstairs, then took it back downstairs so Inara would be stuck.

In the meantime, I made the mistake of looking at my digital orders on Amazon and seeing how many of them have actually made it to LT. Heck. Some of them haven't even made it to Kindle 2.0, so I should probably go back and deliver to the second device. I need to get rid of Kindle 1.0 since it doesn't even work anymore.

Happy newish thread. I did not see this until I read the last message and saw the link. The whole time all I saw was the Do not use part.

Enjoy the weekend.

>77 karenmarie: Oh, the eternal cataloging issue! I'd probably turn off any automatic purchase-into-catalog function anyone invented so I wouldn't have to face my biblio-concupiscence directly.

>78 figsfromthistle: Thanks, Anita! The dratted double post, on my new thread post. It has caused problems.

>79 richardderus: I'm cleaning up the Kindle content on my Amazon account and then will add books. I won't count them against this year's totals, though. I've cleaned 175 of 260 entries. I'll work on it again tomorrow.

Morning, Karen. Happy Sunday. I also loved that scene in Terms of Endearment. It is such a great film. I can still only sleep on my left side but I felt pretty good when I woke up this AM. I am meeting up with Joe today, in the city for lunch and a couple of beers. It has been a few months and we are overdue. Looks to be a beautiful fall day here in the Midwest. I am on target to start Swann's Way next weekend.

'Morning, Mark! I just posted again on your thread. Boo hiss to the switch back to EST. I'd prefer it be EST all year long. I'm glad you felt pretty good this morning. And tell Joe hi from me.

...
First cup of coffee partially consumed. The feeders are quiet, but I've had a Carolina Chickadee visit both the suet and wild bird seed feeders. The sunflower feeder needs attention.

Panthers play at 1, as do Bill's Cowboys. The 'Boys are running away with their division. My Panthers are either tied for last or in 3rd depending on what the Falcons do next.

Here's to hoping y'all all get your football wishes. My football wish is for Aaron Rodgers to go get his vaccine on national TV.

Sunday orisons, Horrible.

Sunday orisons to you, too, RDear.

Rodgers is a whack job and is a dangerous role model. I read that he said he was taking ivermectin.

...
Bill and I had Neese's hot sausage for brekkie, yum. I'll have it again tomorrow - the 1-lb package cuts nicely into 12 pieces because of the nice lines on the package, and we each had four.

I'm reading on how to make yogurt in my non-yogurt-button Instant Pot. Seems easy enough. I need to get a gallon of whole milk and a small container of plain yogurt.

Happy Sunday, Karen! I hope your Panthers play well today.

Have a good day, Karen, whatever you choose to do. I'm still reading On Writing Well and Will You Please Be Quiet, Please, both carry-overs from the 1976 read of last month. Waiting for the Amazon emissary to bring my Albert Murray books.

>85 alcottacre: Thanks, Stasia! Game time is 1 p.m. I forget your team or teams - please remind me. *smile*

Bill and I just spent some time finalizing his decision on Social Security. He can start taking it January 1 (he could have started at 62, but has wanted to get closer to maximizing his benefit). Unless he waits 'til he's 70, waiting for full payout June of 2022 isn't worth it. Those extra 5 months of benefit would take 17 years to recoup by waiting. One decision done. Whew. I understand his level of detail, but wish he'd just say "Karen, I'm doing this" instead of me having to help decide and bless it.

>86 weird_O: Thanks, Bill! I've read, played on LT, made Laura's Bon Appetit pizza sauce, and will be watching foosball at 1 p.m. Jenna will call about 1:25 or so, which will take me away from whichever game we're watching at the time, but I'll return to foosball til the 1 p.m. game is over.

Dinner will be hamburgers and french fries. Homemade brioche hamburger buns with poppy seeds and crinkle cut french fries in the air fryer.

>87 karenmarie: So Bill is going to retire in January, Karen?

Morning, Karen. We had a perfect Meet Up yesterday and even got to sit outside for a couple of beers. I see that your Panthers won. Nice! I hope my Bears bring their A-game tonight against the Steelers. I sure do not want to see another loss. I skipped another guided walk for this AM but I am leaning toward taking a short solo stroll.

>88 FAMeulstee: Hi Anita! No. Bill can keep working and not pay penalties on Social Security starting in January. We still pay taxes on his working income and Social Security. He doesn't know when he wants to retire yet - still says that he likes working and doesn't know what he'd do if he was just home all day. This is unlike me. I retired almost 6 years ago and have never once missed work. I've missed some of the people I worked with, but never being there 40-60 hours a week and driving 1.5 hours each day. Had the company kept using the hardware/software I loved and our Italian parent left us alone, the last 12 years wouldn't have been as awful as they were.

>89 msf59: 'Morning, Mark. So glad you and Joe got to meet up. Nope, my dratted Panthers lost 24-6 to the Patriots. We had a chance of being only one point down until Sam Darnold threw an interception at 14-6 and that's all she wrote. Good luck to your Steelers. A short solo stroll sounds like a good way to get going again after your fall.

...
Just got up and have started the first glorious cup of coffee. It's 33F out, going to a high of 68F later today. Bill's home - he cracked or chipped a tooth yesterday and is going to try to get into his dentist today. It's easier to get there from home and less hours on the road.

>87 karenmarie: Oh, retirement decisions! Wow. That came up fast, didn't it.

Happy new week. Savor the remaining solitude....

Oh no, no, no, RD - Bill's been talking about retiring at 66 years and 4 months for years and years. It's just that 66 years and 4 months will be June of 2022 instead of some vague distant future. He's obsessive in a good way about planning and getting things laid out way in advance of when they need to be finalized. He did that with Medicare last year, too. It's just his nature. I envision him working some into 2022, just don't know if loving his work and getting a huge chunk in SS (which will help us pay off his new car) will override his desire to NOT work. He can't do much physically although he isn't technically disabled and has no interests or hobbies to keep him busy except staying in touch with various and sundry friends and the one group he's in - a Submariners group. He only ever went to a couple of meetings and refused to take up his weekends driving too and fro when they marched in parades, and wouldn't be able to march in parades now, even if parades were being held. Sigh.

I have reading and LT and the Friends of the Library and of course family.

Frankly, I dread his retirement. I love him and he sucks the air out of the room when he's home. Introvert me needs recharge time completely alone. He nominally works 3 days a week at the office during these Covid times. Last week he did work all 3 days at the office, but came home early on Friday.

>92 karenmarie: Post-retirement career options? Staying home doesn't sound like it would suit either one of you.

Well. You're sorted, aren't you!

Sorry I must have read the scores wrong. Aw, bummer for the Panthers. Go Bears! We could really use a win.

>93 richardderus: I've been married 30 years, with lots of ups and downs, and will survive the ultimate upheaval that full retirement for Mr. Bill will cause. I made a promise, he made a promise, and it's mostly good.

>94 msf59: Yes! Go Bears!

My favorite cornbread recipe. When I moved to NC I realized I needed to make good cornbread. Unfortunately most of the cornbread recipes from Southern cookbooks were not what appealed to me. What I ended up with is from a book I brought to NC, Better Homes and Gardens Homemade Bread Cook Book. It's sweetish and not flat.

Corn Bread
(Better Homes and Gardens Homemade Bread Cook Book 1973)

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
¼ cup sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
¼ cup cooking oil

Preheat oven to 425F. Stir to combine thoroughly the first 5 ingredients. Add eggs, milk, and oil. Beat with electric or rotary beater just till smooth, about 1 minute. (Don’t overbeat.) Bake in greased 9 x 9 x 2 inch baking pan for 20-25 minutes. Makes 8 to 9 servings.

What I do differently: I combine the eggs, milk, and oil together in a Tupperware shaker, shake very well, then add to dry ingredients. I don’t bother with a mixer – just stir things well by hand, not even a minute. I also usually make it in a 6" x 10" glass Pyrex dish. A bit higher rise, and we get 8 good pieces.

edited to add: I use skim milk, but any milk would do. This recipe was written when milk meant whole milk.

I watched the entire Sunday night game between Rams and Titans. I'm sure it's a season's first. Good game it was.

Still chugging the books—Carver and Zinsser, but I got Albert Murray books for the AAC. Dipped into one of the three I got. Also got grabbed by Stephen Crane by way of a view of a Paul Auster bio of him. Four of Crane's short stories/novellas compose a slim volume on my shelves/stacks. Want to do it all by the 15th, so I can begin M. Proust.

ETA: My 7- and 10-year-old granddaughters have appointments for first Covid vax. The youngest, Annie, is but 3 so not yet eligible.

Hi Bill! Yay for an entire Sunday night football game. I think Bill watched some of it, but I didn't. Had enough when my Panthers lost earlier in the day. I'm glad it was a good game. I think I like good games when I don't care which team wins, otherwise I want my team to score early, score often, and shut the other team down.

Glad you've got things scheduled before the M. Proust shared read. I've got the Lydia Davis translation sitting right here. I grabbed it from the Library, perhaps a tad early, but will probably be able to renew it.

I'm so glad to hear that your granddaughters are getting the first Covid vax. I hope my niece and her wife get it for their 6-year old son. She said they probably would. Of course, when that happens, I'll hear his screams and fit pitching all the way from California to North Carolina because he does not do well with shots and terrorizes his mommies and doctors and nurses. They'll probably have to put him in a straight jacket and muzzle. Spoiled much?

I meant to tell you about my most recent deer encounter. Coming home from the north, up a steep hill with an S-curve—right then left—at the crest. I naturally slow at topping the hill, and in this case, I was rewarded by not hitting a couple of deer bounding from woods on the left into woods on the right. We both stopped and eyed each other. One deer was twitchy, signaling that it might bound back. Then they both bounded into the woods, down the hill I'd just driven up.

I slid my eyes to the left then, to see three more deer, intending to cross the road, but twitching, judging whether they should follow the others, whether I would give them a free pass. I just touched the accelerator, triggering a retreat. And when the three launched themselves into that high-arcing leap that's so characteristic, I saw at least four or five other deer, taking the cue and also retreating.

Close to a dozen, urm, just passing through.

So glad you slowed. Wow, a dozen deer. Unpredictable creatures, bet they were beautiful to see. At least here in NC they tend to be on the move this time of year, especially around here as they realize it's not a hunting area.

>96 karenmarie: that looks like a great recipe, Karen. I'll give it a try, and consider whirring the corn grits in the food processor beforehand.

Happy Monday, Karen!

BTW - Kerry is talking of retiring in January 2023. I dread it too mainly because after 2 days at home he gets bored. He has no hobbies - other than watching TV - and I have no idea what he is going to do with himself!

Hi Laura! I hope you like it. I just thought that if the grits were a bit too gritty, a quick whir might make them smaller. Let me know how it comes out.

>102 alcottacre: Hi Stasia, and thanks. Happy Monday to you, too. I'm going to be heading off to the grocery store in a bit.

When Bill's bored, I get a lot of visits in the Sunroom to show me cute cat videos, or submariner stuff. No visits so far today - he's content watching TV, working (not too many bid requests at the moment for my estimator husband), and playing on his cell phone.

I feel for you, for sure. Bill used to be in Kiwanis, and was always gone 2 nights a week, but there was a kerfuffle with Kiwanian politics several years after we got married and he quit. No other group has caught his attention since then except the submariners, and that only for the online camraderie, not the in-person kind.

>102 alcottacre: and >103 karenmarie: - Your concerns sound exactly like my Aunt Liz's when Uncle Bill started talking about retirement. He had no hobbies and mostly watched TV when he was home. But once he retired, he got bored pretty quickly and found activities and things to keep him at least somewhat busy. Sometimes the lack of hobby and excessive TV watching is just due to fatigue after work. Without work in the mix, I think interests develop. Uncle Bill now has a regular routine out of the house that includes pinochle and tai chi. And Aunt Liz is very happy :)

The marriage of two introverts is a blessed thing! My DH and I were both happy to discover early in our relationship that we could occupy ourselves by ourselves with no pressing need to go into details if the other had no primary interest in the objects of our occupation. You have a place big enough to need attention all the time, so maybe Bill will enjoy taking care of things. I'd hate it; DH thrives on it. Good luck, but you don't need it. You're right; you'll work it out. I also agree with Katie. All kinds of things open when you aren't tired all the time.

>104 katiekrug: That's good news to hear, Katie! Bill's more of an extrovert than I am, and when he retires and WHEN the immediate dangers of Covid socializing have either been reduced or gone away, I can see him finding an outside activity that interests him.

>105 LizzieD: You and your DH are two peas in a pod, for sure. Bill will probably pay more attention to things around here once he retires. In the meantime, when there's something 'house-y' that needs his expertise, he steps up to it, witness the roof, gutters, and hot water heater. Our interests are vastly different except for watching a few sports and interesting TV series and documentaries. Opposites attracted, for sure. One of our primary common interests is Jenna, of course, who now, at 28, is definitely on her own. Another is the cat children, who are endlessly amusing.

>104 katiekrug: >105 LizzieD: Thanks for the words of wisdom, Katie and Peggy. I am sure that things will work out - both Kerry and I are introverts - and hope that he finds something to keep himself occupied!

>106 karenmarie: Both Mike and I agree that we need the dogs as a mutual interest and topic of conversation. We do read some of the same authors but he's mostly comic books and comic book movies and TV, while I'm into the occasional GN. But in the SCA he does archery and I do crafts, so there were and may be events we both want to go to. He's already agitating to go to something in March that so far requires proof of vaccination, so that might be worth considering.

Joining the retired couple discussion ...

Whenever I've taken a Myers-Briggs survey or similar, I land just barely on the "extrovert" side. I hate parties and often prefer staying home to recharge my batteries. But I'm just enough of an extrovert to feel twitchy if I don't have places to go, things to do, people to see. Hence my library volunteering, and membership in a Fiber Guild.

It wasn't until retirement that I fully understood Chris is noticeably more introverted than me. He is perfectly happy puttering around the house and not going anywhere ... until he's not, and then we have to go DO SOMETHING. He's not a joiner and yet will occasionally lament our lack of social life, but then get stuck as to what to do about it.

Thank goodness we have the dogs to keep us entertained, and I have places to go once in a while!

Morning, Karen!

You know, last year when Tomm's office shut down and sent everyone to work from home and Charlie was in online school, I assumed I would slowly lose my mind with them both home all day every day. But as it turns out I absolutely loved it. Tomm is still working from home and now I think I'll be a little sad if he does return to the office full time (there actually doesn't seem to be any danger of that - his company seems to be leaning heavily toward mostly WFH for most of their people). And Charlie, bless him, has said multiple times that he loved being home with us last year.

>107 alcottacre: Does Kerry worry about having nothing to do when he retires? Sometimes Bill says something along the lines of he’s worried about being bored, but his extrovert side will eventually come out and I’m sure he’ll do something outside of the house.

>108 quondame: I’m glad you and Mike have the dogs, Susan, like Bill and I have the kitties. Our kitties are endlessly amusing and affectionate and there are laugh-out-loud moments almost daily. I hope the SCA event still requires proof of vaccination so that you can go.

>109 lauralkeet: Ah, Myers-Briggs. I’m an INTJ. I forget what Bill is – I’ll have to ask him when he gets up. I think he’s E**P, but am not sure. *** He said he's INTJ, but that's absolutely not right, because I would have remembered if we were the same, so he says he might be ENTJ. I still think he's E**P, but we'll never know unless he takes it again.

You and I sound similar – don’t like parties, need to recharge my batteries, extrovert with volunteering.

Sounds like Chris feels he’s on the outside looking in. And yes to the dogs and places for you to go!

>110 scaifea: ‘Morning, Amber! I’m glad you didn’t slowly lose your mind with Tomm and Charlie home. Does Tomm prefer working from home or going to the office? Charlie’s a sweetie, no two ways about it.

…
Coffee is being consumed. I broke down and bought a pack of 6 Krispy Kreme donuts at the grocery store yesterday. 2 with chocolate frosting, 2 plain, 2 with chocolate frosting and sprinkles. I told Bill he had to eat the plain ones because as a rule I do not like Krispy Kreme but needed a donut this morning. I’ll have it a bit later.

Morning, Karen. You were watching the Bears/Steelers game, right? It turned out to be a very good game, despite the horrible officiating. The penalties lost the game for us. I do think we have a bona-fide QB, though. Fields was excellent.

Chiming in on the retired couple conversation- Sue is still working. I do feel bad about that. I wish I made enough to support us both but as long as we hold a mortgage, (just a few more years), she will have to work. My original plan was to downsize and possibly move out of state but with the new baby and Sue's ailing father and aunt, that isn't going to happen for awhile.

'Morning, Mark! I watched what I thought were the worst bits - first quarter through 14-0 Steelers. Bears didn't look good at all, frankly. Bill told me that I must really like you a lot to watch a non-Panthers game, and on a Monday night, too. However, it was time to visit LT one more time before heading off to bed. I see that it was 29-27 Steelers. I'm sorry. I go crazy when there is horrible officiating - there are 7 officials on the field (I had to look it up) and whoever reviews touchdowns and other challenged calls and yet there are STILL clearly-biased and/or simply bad calls. And those damned towels.

I'm sorry Sue's still working - does she chafe at it? Ah, you were thinking of moving out of state? Interesting. Where did you think you'd retire to? You're right, though - Jackson and ailing relatives are powerful reasons to stay in Chicagoland.

I love living here in central NC although I think my back, hips, and knees would benefit from a drier climate. I don't see us moving, though. I honestly don't see us downsizing, either. We have a mortgage that goes on for quite a few years, but we can cover it with our incomes and the occasional dip into our investments and will be in better shape when Bill starts collecting SS in January while still working.

Sue is handling it very well, but I am sure it chafes now and then, especially with some of our friends that are fully retired. She shouldn't have married an older mail-carrier. LOL.

If you recall, my first choice for moving away was North Carolina, near my brother. It is still on the table but that could be awhile.

Oh yes, I forgot about your brother living in the western part of the state. I'm glad she's handling it well, but of course she must chafe at it a bit now and again, especially with the arrival of Jackson.

I didn't marry a younger man on purpose, but Bill's three years younger than I am and he was happy when I was able to retire at 62 and 7 months. I started collecting SS some time after that, forget when.

Bird report - a male Cardinal on the wild bird seed feeder and a Carolina Chickadee having a fine time on the suet feeder. I still need to fill the sunflower seed feeder. Bad bird mommy.

Yoo, as the saying goes, hoo.

*smooch*

Yoo-hoo back at'cha, RDear.

I just finished a late brekkie of 3 hard-boiled eggs and a donut. Blue skies, coffee, and a good book. It's all good.

*smooch*

It is a lovely day in my neighborhood, so I must venture outdoors. I can ride around on the lawn tractor. But I also want to attend to prunings that are on the ground, not the burn pile. And reading to do. Maybe on the deck. With a cuppa.

>111 karenmarie: Yes, he worries about it and has mentioned that he might look for a part time job to keep himself occupied. We will see what happens!

Oh, Karen! I was about to coo about our both being INTJs (Tui's one also) and then I read that you don't like Krispy Kreme! Heresy! I haven't had one in years, but I can still feel a hot glazed one melting on my tongue. *sigh* You clearly aren't from around here, but I love you anyway. Besides, you're reading Run with the Horsemen. You've probably passed Mama and me by now, and we need to get back to it. (Porter has just broken an unspoken rule and is at a Black church in order to eat their dinner on the grounds after the service.)

>118 weird_O: Hi Bill! Yay for a lovely day, fresh air, and a bit of work. And reading, and a cuppa on the deck.

>119 alcottacre: A part time job might ease his way into full retirement. I'll stay tuned for the retirement news bulletin!

>120 LizzieD: Keep cooing - let's see how I can retrieve the situation. I'll eat plain Krispy Kreme donuts but they're not my favorites, and I've never had one hot at the store. Perhaps that would change my mind. But I really do like donuts with a bit more substance to them - my favorites are fritters and chocolate cake donuts - and even Dunkin' Donuts and the Sanford-favorite Sandra's Bakery's plain glazed donuts don't do much for me. Jenna brought a box of Krispy Kreme donuts one time, a variety that included cake donuts, and I was thrilled, charmed, and fought for every one I could get my hands on. Except the plain ones, which Bill and Jenna cooed over. There are currently 52 donuts on their website - including favorites glazed chocolate cake and maple iced glazed.

You need a hot glazed Krispy Kreme donut stat. Put your DH on it for you.

And we're in such a minority - women INTJs. I'm glad to have one more thing to have in common with you.

I have not passed you, I'm afraid - I've been power reading Girl Waits With Gun.

>121 karenmarie: glazed chocolate cake doughnuts -- YES! *high fives Karen*
I haven't had one in ages, but they are my absolutely favorite.

Sour cream cake donuts from Ken's Donuts, back in Austin. Best donuts I've ever eaten. I'll take Dunkin's french crullers, though. A cronut is a good thing, too. Chouxnuts I'm pretty ~meh~ about.

>123 richardderus: My local donut place does buttermilk cake, bars mostly, but some actual toroids. I still go for apple fritters, or cinnamon rolls or maple frosted anything, but qualitatively the buttermilk ones really are the best.

Catching up on your thread and glancing at the recipes. I'm not sure I'd like the vinegar in that soup. I think I want a "taste of it" before I make a pot. I don't like sugar in my cornbread, and like most Southerners, I prefer white cornmeal. I'm glad you found something you like though.

Morning, Karen. Happy Wednesday. I had a great walk with my birding buddies yesterday. We were out there over 2 hours and I felt just fine. I did not carry my camera with my though. Not a lot of birds seen, the highlight being a pair of Northern Harriers hunting in the prairie. It was just nice to be out. The feeders have been quiet though. It is interesting how the activity ebbs and flows.

Delurking, so you know I dropped by to see what's on your reading and reviewing schedule these days. You've been busy in the kitchen department!

Morning, Karen!

So it sounds like you just don't care for yeast doughnuts, then? I'm an equal opportunity doughnut fan and love all kinds, but I get that some people like cake ones better than yeast ones.

My mom used to make yeast doughnuts every time I had a snow day off from school, and honestly, that's the only real way to enjoy them: hot and fresh from the deep frying. I try to make them at least once a year, too, once it gets good and cold outside.

>124 quondame: Totally with you on fritters, though I don't choose them often because I usually can't finish one. They're too big for my not-sugar palate.

Happy Wednesday! I reviewed not only a story collect, but a Chinese-translation SF story anthology, today, so it's safe to skip it.

*smooch*

>122 lauralkeet: *high five* back, Laura.

>132 karenmarie: RD, I was excited as I started scrolling down Ken’s menu and saw “Kolaches and Samosa”, but they only had savory kolaches, not the sweet ones I grew up with. And they misspell cinnamon as “cinamon” and apple as appel – unless they are German or Czech or another nationality along those lines. But I’ll grant you a sour cream donut would taste mighty fine. French crullers, yes. And live and learn – cronuts and chouxnuts. Cronuts sound like they'd be greasy, and chouxnuts don’t look like much more than strange creampuffs without enough space for lots of filling. *smooch*

>124 quondame: I love every donut you mentioned, Susan, but what are toroids? Ya got me. And although I said fritters above, my true favorite are Dunkin’ apple fritters.

>125 thornton37814: Hi Lori! Nice to see you here. It’s added at the very end, so you could certainly leave it out. I’ll have to cook’s-taste it next time just before adding the vinegar and see if leaving it out makes a difference for the time after. Interesting about white vs yellow cornmeal. Is there a taste or texture difference? I need more cornmeal, might try white. Would you share your recipe here? I’m curious. Just in case your recipe calls for cast iron skillets or corn dodger pans, I've got both.

>126 msf59: ‘Morning, Mark! Happy Wednesday. I’m glad you were recovered enough to have a good birding adventure. No surprise about no camera, though. *smile* Like yesterday I’ve got a Carolina Chickadee having a good time on the suet feeder, and has now gone over to the wild bird seed feeder. A male Cardinal was just on the wild bird seed feeder.

>127 SandyAMcPherson: Hi Sandy! Yup, when I try new things, I usually mention them. My new toy, the air fryer, is quite a marvelous-totally-unnecessary-but-fun appliance.

>128 scaifea: Hi Amber! I love yeast donuts, just not plain glazed yeast donuts, although I'll eat them if that's the only thing available. Cream cheese frosting donuts, on the other hand I WILL NOT eat. *shudder*

Fritters, maple or chocolate glazed, and raspberry-filled glazed (which I forgot to mention above) are all on my YES list. And I’m going to go get today’s donut in a minute or two – chocolate or chocolate with sprinkles. I’m envious about your mom making yeast donuts for snow days. Hot and fresh from deep frying reminded me - decades ago (we’re talking the ‘70s), called malasadas. Wikipedia says they’re Portuguese, but we got them from our Filipina neighbor Florence Parangao. Round, two-bite fried dough, basically, rolled in sugar is the way we had them. We’d stand in the kitchen waiting for a batch to come out of the oil, get drained, and rolled in sugar. Yum. I wonder if I can find the recipe amongst my mom’s stuff?

…
Just had my first glorious sip of coffee – I poured it a few minutes ago then got busy answering messages and forgot about it. It’s just a tad cooler than I like for first sips, but still wonderful.

Bill stayed home today with dangerously low blood sugar. He’s been taking an increased dose of tramadol for his knees and we think that has caused his lower-than-normal morning blood sugars. Today’s was almost go-to-the-emergency-ward. The endocrinologist told him to reduce one of his two diabetes medicines, which has mostly been successful. This morning was scary.

I finished Girl Waits With Gun last night, and it was wonderful. I’m debating whether to write a review or put it in the Lightning round.

Lone Star Kolaches is the acknowledged market leader in kolaches. Their fruit selections are delish, but it's their egg kolaches...basically TexaCzech breakfast tacos...that I truly miss: http://www.lonestarkolaches.com/website/menu/

That menu looks wonderful, RD! I'll have to open my mind up to savory kolaches, since my great-grandmother only made sweet ones, and every Czech bakery I ever went to in Cedar Rapids had only sweet ones. One of my favorites was poppy-seed kolaches, although my absolute fav was g-grandmother's cherry kolaches. Come to think of it, though, she made cottage cheese kolaches, which I still shudder at the idea of. I guess those are savory, right?

>130 karenmarie: Recipe? It's something I eyeball. I do use cast iron. Let me see if I can come up with approximate measurements for you. I'd guess 2 cups of white corn meal. (The yellow is courser. Most Southerners don't like what the yellow and call it "Yankee" cornmeal.) About 1/2 cup of flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt, an egg, and buttermilk until it is the right texture. It looks pretty runny. I use lots of shortening (Crisco sticks) in the cast iron skillet or pan (I have a cast iron oval pan that I usually use) and pre-heat it. Pour in the skillet and then bake at 400 F until the inserted toothpick comes out clean.

>132 karenmarie: That's funny! I never had a fruit kolache until I was a grown-up. They were always sausage or sausage and cheese. The fruit ones took some gettin' used to...and then when I went back to Austin in 2000 the egg ones captured my tiny little heart completely. I even stopped eating breakfast tacos for a month! (After most of a lifetime spent eating two a day.)

>133 thornton37814: Ah, eyeball recipes. That's how I make my biscuits, among other things. Thank you! Interesting about white being a finer texture and yellow being "Yankee". I've added white corn meal to my grocery list. I've got enough cast iron skillets here to figure out volume when I get ready to pre-heat it. Strange question - how tall is the cornbread when it's finished baking? Flat-ish or high-rise-ish? That will help determine the skillet, of course.

>134 richardderus: I guess you're not 5-generation 1/2 Czech-American with bohemie relatives who came to the US in the 1860s and settled in Iowa? *smile* I haven't made kolaches in forever, and even then have only made them twice. Heh - just looked online and sausage kolaches look like pigs-in-blankets. I was envisioning what my g-grandmother made, flat, with a place for the filling in the center. Crumbled, cooked sausage instead of sweet filling. Now those would be heavenly, with Neese's Hot Sausage.

>135 karenmarie: So far as I'm aware, I'm Bohemian-free in ancestry terms. Russians, Poles, Scots, Bavarians.

Happy Wednesday, Karen!

I am married to a southern boy and he loves his cornbread - and I do not. It is OK at best for me. Maybe it is because I am a northerner? No idea.

Entenmann's cinnamon or nothing...thank you :)

>136 richardderus: Close but not identical. On my dad's side I'm English, Scots, Irish, Welsh, and even French Huguenot if you go back to 1678, when my French Huguenot x-th great-grandfather married Elizabeth Sheffield in Piscataway NJ.

>137 alcottacre: Yay for the southern boys, Stasia. I didn't grow up with cornbread, but like it as much as Bill does. I'm a Westerner, by the way, as opposed to a Northerner. Coworkers in 1991 asked me quite seriously where I was from since I didn't have a southern accent. When I said California, they said "Ah, a Westerner."

>138 RebaRelishesReading: Ooh, I do love Entenmann's donuts - my fav is their coconut crunch donuts. I haven't had them in forever, but oh my. Yum. Doesn't look like I can get them locally any more, more's the pity

Back from my mammogram appointment. In and out in 25 minutes, and that included 10 minutes of check-in and waiting for the tech to call me back.

I then stopped at Louise's to visit. We had a nice time on her front porch for an hour, and I loaned Girl Waits With Gun and gave her a Penny Vincenzi book I found at the thrift shop a while back.

Lunch time!

>90 karenmarie: Just got up and have started the first glorious cup of coffee
That is so me :)
I love getting up for my first cup, it is a serious joy.

>130 karenmarie: re: the malasadas and yeast doughnuts...I had some Shanghai fried bread this week with my neighbour. We had a cheeky lunch out to celebrate that we were both free from our kids/study/jobs to have a quick lunch out :) It is apparently a breakfast food, and was so light and crispy and super delicious!

>135 karenmarie: BTW, I use plain flour, and I should have said baking POWDER instead of soda, so I'm going to fix that above. Mine rises pretty normal--about 1.5 to 2 inches.

>139 karenmarie: Westerners have trouble finding white cornmeal too. We used to mail white cornmeal to my brother and sister-in-law when they lived in Wyoming.

>140 LovingLit: Hi Megan! Yes, a truly serious joy.

So nice to hear that you were out to a cheeky lunch out. Free from kids/study/jobs. Shanghai fried bread sounds wonderful. Yum.

>141 thornton37814: and >142 thornton37814: Thanks for the updates, Lori! I've updated the word document. I wondered about the soda instead of powder, and am glad my instincts were right and you came back to update. I'm pretty sure Food Lion has white corn meal...

When ya gotta have white cornmeal, ya gotta have cornmeal. Lucky brother/sister-in-law.

Not exactly the same, but 30 years ago you simply could not get American Red Vines here in central NC, only Twizzlers. My mother would always send some at Christmas, and Red Vines brand black licorice, too.

>129 richardderus: I've made a fritter last 3 days. A cinnamon roll, donut or baked doesn't last 20 min.

>130 karenmarie: Toroid is just the shape of a donut, but the buttermilk bars aren't strictly donuts, just deep fried cake.

>131 richardderus: >132 karenmarie: So a kolach is yeast dough around a filling? Open ended and baked like a sausage roll it looks like. What were called piereshki in my birth home were cooked ground meat and onions folded into a round of yeast bread to form a half circle and deep fried. Sort of an ultimate comfort food. I guess it was a family or regional version of Pierogi, which have always been boiled noodle dough in my experience, or kolach, maybe a confusion of the two.

>143 karenmarie: Not sure why I typed baking soda instead of powder. I was picturing the can instead of the box! I just typed it wrong.

>144 quondame: Ah, toroid is a shape. Got it.

These are kolaches as I was raised to think of them:



Not a roll, just a flat roll, with an indentation in the middle to hold filling. Here's my great-grandmother's recipe:

Kolache

1 pint milk, lukewarm
2/3 cup butter (scant)
2 eggs or 3 egg yolks, beaten
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 cakes yeast
5 cups + 1 tablespoon flour

Put yeast and sugar into lukewarm milk, let stand until yeast is dissolved. Add eggs, salt, and melted butter. Beat, then add flour. Beat dough til very fine and smooth. Let rise 1 1/4 hours in warm place, no draft. Beat down, let rise 3/4 hour. Turn dough onto floured board, cut little pieces and mould into little round biscuits. Put on shallow, greased pan, 2 inches apart. Grease each biscuit with melted lard. When rised nicely, hollow center and put in filling. Rise again. Bake quickly in a hot (425-475) oven, til golden brown. Brush with melted butter.

Apricot filling. Cook 1 lb apricots until soft. Mash, add sugar to taste. (nuts optional).
Prune filling. Cook prunes until soft. Pit, chop fine. Add juice of 1/2 lemon, cinnamon, mace, nutmeg, sugar, nuts. (yes, the recipe calls for both mace and nutmeg)

Great Aunt Lillian's nut filling. 2 eggs, 3/4 C sugar, 1/4 C butter, 2 C ground nuts, 1/2 t vanilla.
Beat egg yolks and half of the sugar. Beat in the butter until quite stiff, add remaining sugar a little at a time. Fold in beaten egg whites. Add vanilla and nuts.

1 cake yeast = 2 1/4 teaspoons dry yeast = 1 packet dry yeast. I haven't seen cake yeast at grocery stores in forever, although I see that you can get Red Star, Fleischmann's, and probably others.

>145 thornton37814: Your fingers followed your vision of the can...

OMIGAWD the Great Aunt Lillian filling!!! GIMME

>146 karenmarie: Ah, fold them closed and deep fry instead of bake and they'd be, well sweet fried dough, ah um, dessert piereshki!

I've never had a sweet kolache. I only know them as savory. When driving from Dallas to Austin, it was required to get off the highway in West, TX and pick up a few at The Czech Stop.

>149 katiekrug: It is The Law.

(Though I have a sneaking fondness for the poppy-seed ones.)

>146 karenmarie: Those kolaches look nothing like the way my Grandmother made them. Hers had a filling that was put on top of flat squares of dough that was then folded over when the filling was added. She made a walnut filling and an apricot filling, similar to what you listed above.

Morning, Karen. Sweet Thursday. Those kolaches sure look tasty. I went on a short solo walk yesterday, taking advantage of another lovely fall day. It was pretty quiet on the trail along the river, but I did see a pair of bald eagles and a kingfisher. Our weather gets much cooler and damp starting later today. Hoping to see Jackson today or tomorrow or both.

Getting geared up for Swann's Way? I may be able to dip into on Saturday.

Happy Thursday!

Oh man all of this talk of doughnuts and kolaches is making my mouth water. My mom always makes yeast doughnuts and after deep-frying, fills them with homemade jam and sometimes even nutella.
I'm going to try that recipe of yours for the kolaches. Perfect bite size for when guests come over.

Sadly, waking up with a kolache craving that cannot be satisfied is not a way to burn either calories or karma.

Isn't it annoying when suffering serves no purpose?

Wow! Lots of food talk! Some of which looks yum! I am trying to switch to a Mediterranean diet and start cooking more. But it's so expensive. 😑 Should I put recipes on my thread? Is that what we do here? 🙂

...Horrible...?

Yoo hoo, aaallleee-aaaalllleeee out's home free!

Dear Karen's friends, I got a text from her a little bit ago, and she asked me to let you know her situation. I'll just quote the text:

"I'm at UNC CHapel Hill hospital. I had a pretty bad heart attack Wednesday night 9ish, but they put in a Stent and I'm probably going home tomorrow. I think I'm lucky to be alive, it's what they call a STEMI heart attack. Quick thinking ENTs and a great team at UNC pulled me through.

The prognosis is good.

My ego tells me that my LT friends might be wondering why I'm not posting.......I hope to be back posting on Sunday, possibly Monday."

Love to her and Bill and Jenna. What a scare! And prayers of gratitude and care if you're a praying person. (No ego involved. I'll guarantee that the friends have been uneasy.)

>157 LizzieD: Peggy, thank you so much for letting us all know! This is good-bad news. Awful that it happened, excellent that it's been handled!

*flinging smooches widely NC-ward!*

>157 LizzieD: - Thanks for sharing that news, Peggy. While I hate to hear it, I am glad she is in good hands.

Sending all good thoughts/mojo to North Carolina!

Oh no! I hope your recovery is quick, Karen.

Thrilled to read that you are in good hands, Karen. No point in asking questions now. I'm so happy you are basically OK, have had appropriate care, and will be back home soon.

I hope all continues to improve for you Karen. What a shock. This group has had its rough and tumbles that's for sure.

OK people, stay healthy and upright!

>157 LizzieD: Thank you so much for the update, Peggy. Our thoughts and prayers are with Karen. Hoping she will bounce back as strong as ever.

Yikes! Karen, so glad that this message came essentially from you! (thanks, Peggy, for being the messenger). Hoping the worst is behind you now and that you are truly on the mend. Grateful for the care you have received!

Wishing you all the best Karen.

Oh, wow! Sorry to hear about the heart attack but glad to hear that steps were taken and you are on the mend, Karen!

Thank you, Peggy, for the update!

I just hung up from talking to Karen. Her voice is strong and she sounds 100% Karen. GOOD NEWS!!!!!

>167 LizzieD: Thank GOODNESS! Thanks, Peggy.

Thanks Peggy for posting that. So glad to hear you're doing well, Karen!! What a fright!

Woot!!

What a scare, Karen, glad to read you are doing well.

Wow! Glad you’re doing well!

Oh my, this is a shock. Thank you Peggy for sharing Karen's email and your update after speaking with her.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery, Karen.

Hi Horrible! You'll see this when you get back, I know, but it feels weird not to come wish you a happy weekend's reads, so here I am doing it anyway.

Oooof, such a scare, Karen! I'm so glad to hear that you were in such capable hands and that you're already on the mend! We'll be here when you're ready.

Wow Karen. That must have been a bad scare for you. I'm glad you are doing better, and wishing you a speedy recovery.

I hope you have a speedy recovery, Karen. How scary. Take care.

Thanks for the updates, Peggy.

Wishing you a speedy recovery, Karen, and hope you get to go home soon!

>157 LizzieD: woah! I wasn't expecting that. I am so sorry to hear that....and glad that you were able to get good health care so speedily.
Rest up! Take care!

Happy Sunday, Karen. I sure hope you are busy getting back up to full strength. I certainly miss our morning chats and I am hoping to resume those this week. Gentle hugs to my pal.



-Common Grackle. An infrequent visitor.

Karen Update: We chatted for a little this morning. She's still in the hospital - her low blood pressure was a concern for the doctor yesterday. She pointed out that they had been giving her high bp meds even though she doesn't have high bp, so they stopped. She hopes to come home today. She sounds good and strong and Karen-positive.

>181 LizzieD: That's a relief! Keeping her BP low while she's initially recovering makes sense but LOW BP isn't great either. *sigh* We're all called on to participate in our own medical care, but wow...

>181 LizzieD: - Thank you for the update. And I agree with Richard; it's shudder-worthy that a patient should have to monitor her own medical care while in hospital. Makes being in the hospital almost scary, quite frankly. I hope Karen gets home soon so she can truly begin her recovery!

Thanks for the update, Peggy. I'm sure Karen is looking forward to being home again. I know we're looking forward to having her back with us as soon as she feels up to it.

Thanks for the update, Peggy. Good to know that Karen is doing well.

Thank you for the update, Peggy!

Karen, we hope to see you back where you belong soon!

And she came home this afternoon!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We'll look forward to Karen posts when she's settled.

>157 LizzieD: thanks for sharing the news.

>187 LizzieD: So glad Karen is home safe and sound.

Sending fast healing vibes your way.

Glad to read you are home from the hospital, Karen. Good news. Huzzah!

>187 LizzieD: Great news! Welcome home, Karen.

Welcome home, Karen!

So glad you're home at last, Horrible! *smooch*

Welcome home, Karen! I was so sorry to read about your heart attack, and so very thankful to read that you are recovering and home again. We will be keeping you in our thoughts and prayers. And in our hearts. Please know that all of us here at the Pecan Paradisio send our love.

Hello, dear ones!

Thanks to Peggy for letting you all know what’s been going on and to all of you for your kind wishes and thoughts.

Heart attacks run in my mother’s family, but for some reason I thought I wouldn’t fall victim to one. Hubris. I am now humbled. I’m happy to be alive and happy to be here on LT.

I won’t respond individually and know you’ll understand. I’ll most likely get back into the LT saddle on Wednesday – catching up on threads or, depending on how long they are, I might just draw a line in the sand and move forward. Jenna’s coming home today and will head back to Asheville tomorrow. She needs to see her mommy and her mommy needs to see her, as you can imagine. I’m doing a muted happy dance. She should be here noonish.

I feel weak, of course, but good. I’ve already had two cups of REAL coffee, lots of pills, and some good protein.



Thank you again, my LT family.

>194 karenmarie: So good to see a message from you, Karen!
Enjoy your time with Jenna and ((((big hugs))))

>194 karenmarie: - SO happy to see a message from you, Karen, and your smiling face. And I'm so glad you'll be seeing Jenna. Take care!!

What Katie said, Karen. It's lovely to see your smiling face. Enjoy Jenna's visit and know we are thinking of you.

Welcome home. I bet that is the best medicine! (after seeing Jenna, of course)

Go at whatever pace feels good. We aren't going anywhere.

Welcome back!

It's good to see you here, Karen! And yay for Jenna coming home for the day!

I'm so happy to see you here, Karen! I was thinking about Jenna, too. I'm really glad she's able to come and visit.

Welcome home, my friend

Goddess walk with you as you recover.

>194 karenmarie: That looks like some nice pink color in those cheeks :) Glad you're home and wishing you well with your recovery process.

>194 karenmarie: I feel *so*much*better* seeing you! You look excellent for someone who's just had a heart event. (Which makes it sound like you set up tents and sold goodies, though there's not really a better term..."attack" is so martial...like you got issued a uniform and a weapon...)

>194 karenmarie: Great to see you back, Karen. You survived a very tough ordeal. Now take your time, heal and enjoy your time with Jenna.

❤❤

Yay for being back home and feeling better! I can bet Jenna will be as happy to see you as you are to see her. Stay well!

Welcome home, Karen! A visit from Jenna will certainly help to heal your heart.

Oh yes! Oh Yes!! OH YES!!! OH YES!!!!

I couldn't be happier all around and am gladder than I can say that Jenna was able to come now.

Welcome home!

A happier Tuesday was had by all here, knowing you're home, safe, and visiting with Jenna. *smooch*

Hi again!

Jenna just left for Asheville, having decided to stay over again last night. 😊

>195 FAMeulstee: Thank you, Anita!

>196 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie! Seeing Jenna was quite wonderful.

>197 Crazymamie: The time with Jenna was relaxing, Mamie, and it was fun to see the kitties remember her and not hide.

>198 jessibud2: Thanks, Shelley! I can’t begin to tell you how distressing it was to have them tell me I was coming home Saturday then take it back. They kept giving me blood pressure medicine because that’s what they do with heart patients assuming that they have high blood pressure, but I don’t, so the meds kept dropping my blood pressure. We’re talking 80/60, 87/56, those kinds of numbers. Bill said he’d come and tell them to cut it out but he knew I was scarier than he was. I told them there seemed to be a bit of cause and effect and why were they giving me 2 blood pressure meds? They cut back to one, which got me up to 109/66.

>199 drneutron: Thanks, Jim! Hi to Judy from me.

>209 The_Hibernator: Thank you, Laura. We had a fun, low key time. She’s got 3+ hours travel back to Asheville ahead of her then about an hour turn around before she heads off to work. But she’s young. I remember days like that and you’re tired but not exhausted.

>202 magicians_nephew: Thank you, Jim.

>203 RebaRelishesReading: It’s strange, Reba, that I don’t look like I just nearly died. I’m very tired and don’t feel like doing anything, which is NOT LIKE ME AT ALL, and I’m trying to remember when I had a paralyzed vocal cord in 2014 and the doctor told me to do nothing for a week. Do nothing. Recover. Sigh.

>204 richardderus: Hi RD! I know, heart event. Heart attack does sound so martial. A street fair or battle… either way it was not pleasant and I’m just grateful to be home and not have to do anything except stay in my jammies.

>205 msf59: Thanks, Mark. I’ve followed your advice so far. Jenna’s left, but I’m working on the healing and recovering my strength. 🖤🖤 back’atcha!

>207 Copperskye: Thanks, Joanne. It was perfect.

>208 LizzieD: Hi Peggy! I have a very thoughtful child, no doubt about it.

>209 The_Hibernator: Thanks, Rachel!

>210 richardderus: 'Morning, RDear! Wednesday’s coffee is starting to be consumed. Yesterday I got 2 books mailed from the local indie from my dear friend Rhoda, The Ruin and The Scholar, a series I haven’t read, which just might tempt me to do some reading. *smooch*

Good to see you up and posting again, Karen. And yay for Jenna for the extra time together. Just remember to pace yourself and give yourself permission to be lazy, and the recovery should take care of itself. Welcome back!

>211 karenmarie: *happy dance*

Wednesday's much brighter now! *smooch*

My goodness, the Irish-mystery-binge trend is in full force...the Inishowen ones just got their fourth pubbed.

Morning, Karen! So awesome to see you posting here. I read The Ruin last year and gave it 4 stars, so a good read for me. I also listened to some kind of prequel to that series - you are reminding me I need to get back to it.

>212 jessibud2: Thanks, Shelley. Pacing, laziness, and calmness are my watchwords.

>213 richardderus: Thanks, RD! *smooch*

>214 Crazymamie: Thanks, Mamie. I see the two prequels - .5 and .7.

Still not feeling I want to get out and about and visit threads, but I know everybody understands. Going dark for a while!

>194 karenmarie: I am so happy to see you back in the saddle with coffee in hand, Karen!

Happy, happy Wednesday!

Happy return from hospital! Hope you're up to be up and doing soon, very soon, but not too soon.

Great to see you back here and smiling Karen. Wishing you a good recovery, and take it easy!

Morning, Karen. Sweet Thursday. Looking forward to getting back into our little AM routine. How are you feeling? I did do some volunteer work yesterday and I plan on getting out for a solo stroll a bit later. Nothing to report on my feeders. Always hoping something special drops by.

>216 alcottacre: Thanks, Stasia! I didn’t wake up ‘til 9 this morning, so just took my first sip. I’m having trouble sleeping because of my legs and knees – not a new problem – so was up quite a bit in the night. I finally got 4 hours straight from 5 – 9.

>217 quondame: Thanks, Susan. I’m moving around a bit during the day puttering, but not doing anything strenuous.

>218 EllaTim: Thanks, Ella, I appreciate it!

>219 msf59: 'Morning, Mark, and happy Thursday to you! And here we are, back in the normal routine! Just a bit late because I slept in, but back at it. I’m feeling okay right now, just tired – my normal ‘glorious coffee start to the day’. Yay for volunteer work yesterday and solo jaunt today. Let’s see – not a single bird to be seen even though the feeders aren’t empty. Ah well, they’ll come by later today, I’m sure. I did have a few Downy sightings yesterday.

…
Bill’s taking me to a follow-up appointment with my GP, or PCP as they call them these days. The appt’s at 11, so we’ll leave at 10:30. In the meantime, coffee, brekkie so I can take morning meds, already half an hour late, and then using some Goo Gone to remove traces of adhesive I keep missing in the shower. *smile*

I always think of Pneumocystis carinii, the pneumonia that carried off so many AIDS guys I helped, or the drug PCP/angel dust when I see that on paperwork. Makes me flinch just a bit as a result.

Goo Gone! I never thought of that! I use a special adhesive-removing wipe, Uni-Solve, to clean up the inevitable gooey leftovers from the patches I wear. They cost The Earth, but they work and they don't abrade my skin.

Time to get some Goo Gone.

*smooch*

>194 karenmarie: Yay! Hi Karen.
What a fright ~ what a relief you are home again and on the mend from all I am reading here.

I got way behind on your thread (OK, eveyone's thread, TBH). Lost my reading mojo, yadda yadda yadda. Won't go into details.

So scary about the staff giving you BP meds. I'd be dead. I have naturally low BP (normal for me is around 105/60). So hope you got that sorted.
Sending lots of ❤️💙💜💖

Good for Bill! Y'all are well matched in the taking care of each other department, and I'm glad.

We'll be looking for a good report from your doctor, PCP or otherwise. (I refer to mine as my PCD, which I guess might bring up some other horror for somebody. Don't know.)

>221 richardderus: Hiya, RD! Yes, PCP has other, less pleasant, reminders. I think I’ll just continue calling him my GP.

There is medical goo-gone, but my sister said since I already had regular goo-gone in the house (to remove adhesive from books, of course!) to just use it. Worked like a charm. I used it with a washcloth, but only because I was lazy and didn’t look for the cotton balls, which would have been a bit softer. No rash, no smell after I washed with soap after using it. *smooch*

>222 SandyAMcPherson: Hi Sandy! Thank you. It was scary while it was happening, but once they got me into ICU I felt confident that I’d pull through. Sorry you’re reading mojo-less, hope you’re doing okay. I’m not jumping back into the threads, but will get around eventually.

My BP this morning was 101/67. It’s all sorted, although I’m still on one BP med for reasons I understand. Thanks for the 💗💙💜💖 Back’atcha!

>223 LizzieD: Yes, we make a pretty good team.

My doctor is pleased with my progress, understands the tiredness and says that will be the new norm for a while. We found out that the hospital 10 minutes from our house – the one they didn’t take me to for my heart attack because the cardiac unit was better at Chapel Hill – has a cardiac rehab unit, so instead of driving 40 minutes each way for cardio rehab (when it gets scheduled, probably after Thanksgiving), I’ll be driving 10-15 minutes each way. My GP and I confirmed the meds, and he suggested a slight change in the timing for one to help me sleep better and even said I could take two instead of one! Plus I can take up to 4 tramadol in a 24-hour period and that might help keep on top of the back/hips/knee/calves pain, too.

Time to go away for a while, again and read/possibly nap.

Y'all are the best!

>221 richardderus: >224 karenmarie: I thought Goo Gone was toxic. It smells toxic.

Just checking in on you today, Karen. I hope you are getting all of the rest you need and taking care of yourself!

So glad to see you're back home Karen!

Great to see such positive and chipper updates, Karen.

>225 quondame: To inhale large quantities is dangerous. I applied a little to my skin and immediately washed it off with soap and water. I probably get more on my hands when I'm getting adhesive off books, but thank you questioning it. I don't feel bad having done what I did with it, Susan. It does smell toxic. So does retsina, as far as that goes... *smile*

>227 SandDune: Thanks, Rhian! I'm very happy to be home with Bill and the kitties.

>28 LizzieD: Thanks, Laura. I'm trying to not wallow in the depths of despair. I'm grateful to be alive, realize that it will take a while to get back to where I was. Frankly, that was not as good as it could have been, because I now realize that the shortness of breath and tiredness were most likely symptoms of heart failure. Bill just said that last night this time I was much more exhausted, so even with a busy day at the doctor's and only a one hour nap, I have more energy right now.

Inara kept company with me when I went upstairs to nap.

>225 quondame: Wading in to talk about the Goo Gone in comments, >221 richardderus: richardderus: >224 karenmarie: karenmarie:
According to the MSDS**, the adhesive-removing compound is "Distillates (petroleum), hydrotreated light".

Translation: a kerosene-type of compound in the same 'light' category as methyl ethers, so very good at dissolving sticky adhesives. Ethers are very unhealthy to breathe, so Susan is correct, products like Goo Gone can be very toxic to be breathing. Also, takes all the oils out of your skin, which can cause a long time of cracking, flaking and ages the skin over time.

Best used out of doors if applying it over a large area or working for more that 5 minutes to clean the sticky goo off something.

Hint: buy waterless hand cleaner (at any hardware store). Totally non-toxic; excellent to remove the adhesive from adhesives, especially on human skin. This product is made from reprocessed fats plus additives to then make it soap and water soluble.

No toxic hydrocarbons! No poisonous vapours. Great to get oily messes out of clothing, tablecloths, napkins, etc.
I also found that it is excellent if your kid used masking tape to hold up a poster and then after a couple years, you can't get the tape off the wall!

Re the goo on books from price tags: Ronsonol. The best goo remover but very volatile (it *is* lighter fluid). Not at all as toxic as Goo Gone, a very different product of petroleum fractionation: very light (low molecular weight), so evaporates very fast.
This particular product is unlike any of the other lighter fluids. Obviously, don't use around open flame or if you are smoking! It leaves no residues to make a mess of your book cover, either.

** Material Safety Data Sheet, look on line for the MSDS (if you want to read this specific info)

Some people get on a roll and forget not everyone was delighted to find out all the fine details about adhesive removals. Sorry Karen, back to book talk now.

>229 karenmarie: >230 SandyAMcPherson: I feel less like a scare monger now. For some reason I find GG frighting stuff.

Glad to hear good and rational update from your doc, Karen. Off to bed myself after what turned into a wearing day.

Morning, Karen. Happy Friday. Glad the doctor's visit went well and that your rehab trip will be shortened. Good luck with everything. Very cold here at the moment. Mid-20s. I am on Jackson duty this AM, so I will be warm and snug with the little guy.

>230 SandyAMcPherson: Thanks for the info, Sandy! We probably have some lighter fluid around here somewhere, but I'm less inclined to use it than Goo Gone. However, at this time, I don't foresee a future need for removing adhesive from my skin using either or anything else. 🤞

>231 quondame: Not a scare monger. You brought up a valid point.

>232 LizzieD: Hi Peggy! My doctor is nothing if not practical and low key. I'm sorry you had such a wearing day and hope today's better.

>233 msf59: Hi Mark, and happy Friday to you. Thanks re the doctor visit and shortened rehab trips, when they start. It got down to 30F earlier this morning, but is now 46F going to a high of 52F. Tonight will be pretty cold for us - mid-20s.

Have fun with the little guy.

Morning, Karen! I'm glad the Goo Gone didn't kill you overnight ;-)

Morning, Karen! Happy Friday! Love the photo - cats are very good with the company keeping. Good girl, Inara.

>235 katiekrug: Hi Katie, and thanks. And it was all for naught - he only listened to my heart through my shirt. I was envisioning a gown and total embarrassment if the adhesive was still there. Ah well.

>236 Crazymamie: Hi Mamie! Thank you. Oh yes, Inara is a snuggle bunny. We love our kitties. Although one of the gingers brought in a mouse yesterday and both were eyeing it avidly. I do not know where it ended up - alive or dead - but so far there's no essence of dead mouse in the breakfast room. We live in the country, have a kitty door, and although we don't like critters brought in, accept them as gifts and get rid of them as soon as possible.

*smooch*

Nothing new to add...I get the goo-removal wipes as a gift, apparently, on a subscription. (Found that out when I got a delivery of them this morning!) And now I know to get Ronsonol! ...I wonder where...

Oh my. Catching up on the whole drama at once. I'm so glad you were treated promptly and got back home. Also that the cardiac rehab place is so convenient - much less stress getting there. Rest seems to be the order, so find something fun to read, and take it easy.

>238 richardderus: *smooch*, RDear. Good luck getting safer adhesive-removal products.



>239 ffortsa: Thanks, Judy. Rest is good. I just had a bit of breakfast. I finally read the discharge instructions about low sodium diets and officially know what 'low sodium diet' means. I was well within parameters for one of three meals.

I am spending a bit of time reassuring friends who've just heard the news that I'm okay, and will be on the phone a bit this afternoon and weekend. It's all from a place of love, so I'm happy. 💗

>238 richardderus: "And now I know to get Ronsonol! ...I wonder where..."

At the tobacconist's dear fellow!

>241 SandyAMcPherson: "Tobacconist"? What's that when it's at home?

Seriously, the New York tobacco laws are draconian, and the only lighters sold are butane single-use ones in the huge majority of places, so permaybehaps Ace hardware or Amazon.

>241 SandyAMcPherson: and >242 richardderus: I don't have the mental wherewithal to compare price per ounce of ronsonol and medical goo gone... I'll leave that to you guys.

I just spoke with @someguyinvirginia. I hadn't seen him around so texted him to let him know what was going on with me. He was glad to hear from me and happy that he didn't just see the news willy-nilly on my thread. He and Parker D will be eating ice cream and watching zombie movies on Thanksgiving.

Bill and I are the recipients of a meal from a local restaurant for Thanksgiving. My sister called around to see if she could get something delivered, remembered the name of a restaurant we'd taken her to many times, and they told her they were happy to give us a meal. Bill will pick up or they'll deliver Wednesday or even early on tday. Now I don't have to worry about NOT having a Thanksgiving meal since there was no way I was even going to consider cooking. Anything.

>243 karenmarie: - That's a lovely gesture on the part of the restaurant. And also thoughtful of your sister!

>243 karenmarie: - What Katie said, Karen. A lovely gesture and really nice of the restaurant, too, to be so accommodating. Will Jenna come home to partake with you?

>243 karenmarie: Yay for delivery! That's just lovely of them all.

I'm glad Larry's not dead on the back porch, locked in/out by that stupid door.

OMG! I have been MIA on LT lately and had no idea what you've been going through. Thank you for dropping me a note on my thread. Sooooo glad you received quick, medically correct attention and that you got the stent and you are now safely back home. It's wonderful that Jenna could come visit and that you are having Thanksgiving delivered. Take it easy and pamper yourself. I am THANKFUL you are still here!!

>242 richardderus: Hmmm. How dictatorial... well, it is tricky buying lighter fluid because of its inflanmmable properties. As a haz mat item, only special shipping is permitted.

Older style hardware stores sells it here (not that such a remedy helps you). I also believe Wal*Mart and similar businesses with broad categories of merchandise sell it.

Maybe you could try asking in department stores because (at least in our part of Canada), I've seen the salesclerks remove price tags with Ronsonol when packaging a gift.

Happy weekend, Karen! I hope you sleep all the way through it :)

>243 karenmarie: Sounds like a restaurant with lovely staff. Glad you have one less thing to worry about!

Have a lovely rest filled weekend :)

Morning, Karen. Happy Saturday. Sounds like you have chilly temps there too. It is supposed to climb to 50F today. I had a good time with Jackson yesterday morning. He sure cheers up a room. I am steadily making my way through Swann's Way. It is a slow go at times but I am hanging in there. I should finish it on Monday.

>243 karenmarie: hurray for sisters and restaurants! I'm so glad you're being taken care of nay, dare I say pampered, on Thanksgiving. That's fabulous.

>244 katiekrug: Hi Katie! My sister is going crazy being 2600 miles away. She’s sent me a fun coffee mug, an Ekouaer hooded sweatshirt robe, and some organic dark chocolate mint mini bars. And Virlie’s, the restaurant, is a downtown landmark owned by the woman who was the receptionist at Jenna’s elementary school. Jenna’s first-grade teacher’s assistant is a waitress there and asks after Jenna every time Bill and I used to go in (pre Covid).

>245 jessibud2: Shelley, we’re not sure when Jenna will be able to come home. Probably not for T-day itself, but maybe sometime during the week. And if not, she just came home and we completely understand if her schedule won’t allow it, especially since I'm on the mend.

>246 richardderus: Oh yes, RD, Virlie’s is the best. Unlike Larry, I’d have broken that door down for sure, to get to my coffee, coffeemill, and coffeemaker.

>247 Berly: Thank you, Kim. I’m glad to be here, too. It’s hard to NOT do things – The Friends took up a donation and sent flowers to me (we’re careful about no monetary benefits accruing to members of the Board). I have several vases on top of the hutch in the dining room and had gotten out the stepladder (lightweight aluminum), but Bill put his foot down and said “You are NOT getting up on a ladder.” So we used a crystal water pitcher that was on a shelf in the kitchen, and I had Bill get it down.

>248 SandyAMcPherson: Amazon sells Ronsonol lighter fluid. I know you don't use Amazon, Shelley, but RD sure does. I just remembered – we still have Bill’s Mama’s cigarette case with attached lighter. She stopped smoking when Jenna was quite young, and I never let her smoke in our house. I don't know why I still have this.



>249 alcottacre: Hi Stasia! Happy weekend to you, too. Thank you, but alas! Last night was rough. It’s my hips/knees/calves. I may have slept well for 4 hours total, dozed a lot, and either just thought my way through the night or played on my cell phone. And that was with pain meds, which are obviously not always working. We’ll see how the next two nights go. If there are still problems, my doctor and I have already discussed it and he said there were next steps up on the pain management scale.

>250 figsfromthistle: Thanks, Anita. My weekend is well laid out – sleep, reading, putzing without doing anything, and re-watching Longmire with Bill. We’re up to season 4.

>251 msf59: ‘Morning, Mark, and happy Saturday to you, too. It got down to 23F, according to Bill’s weather station. Yay for grandpa/Jackson time. I’m proud of you for reading Swann’s Way. It’s amazing what some people will do in order to get out of reading it. *smile*

>252 lauralkeet: Oh yes, Laura, hurray for sisters (also named Laura), and restaurants. Much pampering and love, all very welcome as I work on NOT undoing the hospital’s good work in keeping me alive. Do nothing is very hard. (I admit I'm doing a small load of my clothes – if I left it to Bill, everything would go into the dryer, which shouldn’t happen).

…
Bill will run errands today, including the grocery shopping. I feel bad for him, because his knees are as bad as or worse than mine, but I’ll pretend I’m shopping online, fill the on-line cart with the things I want, and print it out for him so he can SEE what I want. I really want to go, but it’s not a good idea under any circumstances.

Morning, Karen! So sorry about your hips/knees/calves making things rough on you. And right - it's not a good idea for you to go to the market, so let Bill do it. Graciously receiving help is just as important as graciously giving it. We have had this conversation with Abby because she really hates having to ask for help - she wants to do it herself and feels like she is putting us out, when in reality we want and need to do what we can to help her. We cannot fix her health issues, but we can make each day a little easier for her. In reality, it is SO much harder to receive than to give, but it is also very important to acknowledge that in life the exchange adds a depth and a richness to what it is to be human. Let yourself be taken care of and know that it is a gift to yourself and to all those who love you and want so much to do what they can to life you up.

>244 katiekrug: What Katie said. This is full of fabulous.

>253 karenmarie:, >248 SandyAMcPherson: Ammy does indeed sell Ronsonol and even ships it to my address. Problem solved!

I'm sorry about Bill's ongoing knee icks. Time to figure out a schedule for those replacements.

I'm really, really, really going to be Thankful this Thanksgiving because you're still here and you're well enough to do some of your usual activities. That makes the whole idea of giving thanks meaningful!

*smooch*

>253 karenmarie: Hubby and I really enjoyed the Longmire TV series (and me the books). Glad you have a vase for your flowers (without climbing the ladder). Enjoy! And I hope the pain goes away soon. And everything Crazy said so eloquently. xoxo

Gojo. That's what DH uses.

GOOD for Bill for stopping attempts at ladder climbs, however low!

I'm sorry that you're not sleeping well. I hope you're already changing that tonight.

HOORAY for Laura for thinking of your Thanksgiving meal. In my little mind TG is sometime NOT next week. I guess I need to get busy Monday.

>253 karenmarie: Glad to hear that you and your doctor are being proactive. I hope you can get the pain managed!

"I’m proud of you for reading Swann’s Way. It’s amazing what some people will do in order to get out of reading it." That was my first smile of the morning.

Happy Sunday, Karen. I am looking forward to a quiet day with the books & football. I should be able to finish up Swann's Way. We babysat Jackson last night while Bree & Sean had a date night. He continues to be a joy.

Morning, Karen!Hoping Sunday treats you well and that Bill's trip to the market was successful.

Sunday. Hm. Well, I suppose it was inevitable, wasn't it.

*smooch*

>254 Crazymamie: Hi Mamie, a day late! Yes, the hips/knees/calves pain is insult to injury. I feel no pain/pressure/twinges from my heart, just debilitating pain at night. I think I need to send my doctor a message about moving up one level of pain meds – he mentioned Tylenol codeine – for the nights.

Accepting help is hard to do and necessary to do. People do want to help and giving them that happiness and satisfaction are part of it.

>255 richardderus: When Bill had his open heart surgery in 2002, I was in great shape and it was physically easy for me to help him. He is not physically fit and he is struggling with the additional burden on his knees of visiting me at the hospital three times (big hospital, ramps, long corridors – depending on the time of day there were trams and he could get a wheelchair) and the grocery shopping, which I usually do. Sigh.

Thanks that one of your reasons for being thankful this Thanksgiving is having your old Horrible around. *smile*

>256 Berly: Thanks, Kim. I’ve read the first Longmire book and have the first 13 in the series, plus Wait for Signs, a book of short stories.

>257 LizzieD: Hi Peggy! I had a couple of rough hours from about 9 – 11 p.m., but ended up sleeping pretty well and woke up about 8:30. I completely lost track of when Thanksgiving was, too.

>258 alcottacre: Hi Stasia. I love having this online charting system because I can see test results right away (although sometimes I shouldn’t look because the results are stressful!) and I can get a message to my doctor directly, without having to try to get through to his assistant. Leaving a message with an assistant only guarantees 24-hour turnaround, and during the week my doctor usually gets back sooner than that.

>259 msf59: Happy Sunday to you, too! Two Bs – or, rather, three, with beer? – are a great way to spend the day. Yay for being so close to finishing up Swann’s Way. I need to get my copy back to the Library. I’ve read a total of 106 pages of one mystery since getting back home a week ago. My numbers are going to suck this month. Yay for babysitting Jackson last night.

Go Bears! Go Panthers! They both play at 1 p.m. my time, 12 p.m. your time.

>260 Crazymamie: Hi Mamie! The trip to the market was successful. Bill bought himself way too many ‘treats’, none of which I plan on eating, except perhaps an Oreo. Thank goodness the donuts he bought don't taste good to me - half a bite and NOPE. I’m considering a trip to the grocery store if Bill goes to work tomorrow or Wednesday, because even I, Mrs. Introvert of 2021, am getting a bit of cabin fever.

>261 richardderus: But… but… RD... today’s FOOTBALL. We’re anxious to watch the strangest comeback story in Panther history, with Cam starting. He ran for a TD and threw to Anderson for a TD in last week’s game, and I hope the energy he gave the team will continue today. *smooch*

…
Coffee, juice, a butt ton of new meds, possibly a bit of brekkie in a while.

>262 karenmarie: *snooooooooooooooooore*snorp*smack* hm? Uhh hemhem mmm of course dear whatever you say

>263 richardderus: *smooch*

...
Bill took this pic last night when I was studying the backs of my eyelids. He calls it "Up scope". Wash was keeping me company.

>264 karenmarie: Too funny!

>264 karenmarie: That's so cute!

I'm glad you're doing okay, Karen, and that you have such easy access to your doc for matters like ramping up your nighttime pain meds. Here's to more, better, uninterrupted sleep very soon.

>253 karenmarie: >259 msf59: Oh, is that what I'm doing. Yes, it appears I am.

>264 karenmarie: Good on Wash for surreptiously keeping his eye on you!

Happy Sunday, Karen!

>265 Crazymamie: It is, isn’t it? Wash never sits this close to me on the couch, so this is all new after my heart attack.

>266 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura. We’ll see how I do tonight and if I have another rough one, then I’ll send him a message tomorrow morning. I’m taking so many new pills that I’m still a bit freaked out, frankly. I guess if I get a new pain pill we can get rid of one.

>267 quondame: I’m sorry, Susan – my brain isn’t working right. I don’t get your reference.

>268 alcottacre: Tonight Wash was on the blanket and Zoe was in my lap. Good stuff, not seen since we got them from the shelter in December of 2019. Thanks re Sunday.

…
Well, the Panthers lost AND the Cowboys lost. But I was happy for Mahomes and the Chiefs.

Heading upstairs to chat with my sissie for a bit, then hopefully get a good night’s sleep. Funny – I haven’t been able to read at night since I got home from the hospital. I hope I can get back to it eventually.

>269 karenmarie: I'm finding excuses for not reading Swann's Way. I've got 2 books due tomorrow that I want to read and 3 more due on Thursday, though I really only am motivated to get one of those read.

Gotcha.

...
First sip of coffee taken. It's overcast and raining. The rain is making me happy.

Morning, Karen. Lousy football day. My Bears continue to be awful, dropping 5 straight. They started out well in the first half and as usual fell apart in the 2nd. Sorry about your Panthers. Misery loves company, right?

Cold & sunny here today. I think I will just stay in and chill with the books and watch the feeders.

'Morning, Mark. Inside with the books is a good idea. My feeders are visitorless right now. I did see a female Downy at the suet feeder yesterday, along with a few, but not too many, of the usual suspects.

Hi Horrible! Rob was here briefly this morning because we won't see each other again until 2022. A good, solid smooching was had...and as soon as Old Stuff buggers off to eat, the beard's comin' off. He's run his fingers through it, had his farewell, and now it's my turn! No more hair in my ears!! YAY!!!

And such are the Days of Our Lives....

>264 karenmarie: I love the two men in your life keeping close watch on you!!!!!!!

We finally got a very little rain - enough to make it too wet to walk. I'm off to the exercycle and wish you a restorative rest of the day!

>194 karenmarie: you look fit and healthy! I'm glad you are back home and well. Having been away most of last week I missed out on your homecoming entirely!

Onwards and upwards :)

Just looking in to see you are OK.

NO LADDAR CLIMBING!

>274 richardderus: Hiya, RD! Yay for Rob visiting and getting snuggles in for the last time in 2021.

Reminds me of These Are The Days of Our Lives by Freddie:

These Are The Days of Our Lives

>275 LizzieD: Bill and Wash are working hard to keep me low key and sane. Yay for rain, even if just a bit.

I was doing fine today until the pharmacist called on behalf of the drug manufacturer of one of the drugs to say I should be taking it at a different time than they told me to at the hospital. Panic ensued, but I sent a message to my GP, who just replied “That is why pharmacists don't have an MD after their name. 9 am and 6 pm is fine.” And then Briana, my “care manager” called to see how I was doing and I said I was doing fine except for confusion about drug timing and that of course she couldn’t help me with that (from a question I had the last time she called me). I think she thought I was snippy. I was snippy, and perhaps it came through in my voice.

>276 LovingLit: Hi Megan! Thank you. Yes, onwards and upwards.

>277 magicians_nephew: I’m just a tad tweeked, Jim, to tell the truth, but will be fine. I just wish they’d all leave me alone except for my GP, the cardiac rehab folks who I'll meet tomorrow, and the cardiologist, who I'll see in December. All this other shit is just overwhelming.

And I didn’t climb any ladders, promise! And I won’t climb any ladders for the foreseeable future, promise.

Bill says it will settle down and I'll be fine... he's right.

>278 karenmarie: So poignant. He's a great, great performer, and was until the very last moments of his life.

Sleep well tonight!! Love that your kitties are checking up on you. So cute. : )

Checking in on you, Karen. I hope you have a great day tomorrow. Take care of yourself and get plenty of rest!

>278 karenmarie: Sorry the pharmacist got you in panic, Karen, I would have the same reaction. Glad your GP could reassure you. Your care manager was just unlucky, with you being snippy from the panic before.

Wishing you a nice and quiet day.

Morning, Karen. My feeders were hopping yesterday, plus I heard and saw my first flock of sandhill cranes flying overhead, the first sighting of the season. We are planning to take a hike with Jackson later this AM. Looking forward to it.

>279 richardderus: ‘Morning, RD! Oh yes, he absolutely was. I know you don’t like cats, but I love, love his vest. I’ve been watching some videos of Queen on YouTube in the last week or so again, and that one was top of stack when you wrote what you wrote above.

>280 Berly: Thanks Kim – I actually did sleep pretty well. At one point, I got about 6 hours straight! Very unusual. Ah yes, the kitties are still out-of-norm affectionate.

>281 alcottacre: Hi Stasia! Thanks.

>282 FAMeulstee: Hi Anita. Yes, poor Brianna was the victim of bad timing mostly. Thanks.

>283 msf59: ‘Morning, Mark! Happy Tuesday to you. I’m envious of the Sandhill Cranes – we’re not in their range down here, not even migration. Enjoy your hike with Jackson.

…
Cardio rehab orientation this afternoon. They’ll show me the gym, explain the program, answer questions, and hopefully schedule me starting next week. Do I want to do this? No. Will I do this? Yes.

Coffeewhile (to steal from Stephen Colbert), I’ve had my first sips. We’re running on borrowed conical burr coffee mill time, so are on the hunt for a new one. Any suggestions? One important thing is a large capacity bean container.

Morning, Karen! Thinking of you today and wishing you happy. Hoping today is kind to you with no unasked for interruptions or hassles.

Coffee mill? I'm surprised you're not just going to replace it with another KitchenAid one.

>284 karenmarie: Judy is not the biggest fan of Colbert ( we both prefer James Cordon) But we both LOVE Colbert's "Meanwhile" segments

>285 Crazymamie: 'Morning, Mamie, and thank you! Yes, all I want is to be left alone today except for Bill, the kitties, and the cardio rehab people. I hope they aren't rah-rah excessively cheerful types.

>286 Crazymamie: I mentioned KitchenAid this morning, and Bill countered with Oxo. I'd like another of what we have, but, like buying a used car, am not necessarily willing to buy someone else's problem. We'll figure it out and both be happy - we're pretty good on these types of decisions.

>287 magicians_nephew: Hi Jim! Oh yes, Meanwhile, Quarantinewhile, and his sub -while segments always crack me up.

Coffeewhile, I saw this piece on LitHub and think you should explore human sorrow with it:
https://lithub.com/in-search-of-words-for-the-most-obscure-sorrows

I'm glad you sound so chipper, and that you're starting rehab soon. It's a lot easier to do the right thing when someone else is watching, I have found. Otherwise it's 'oh, maybe tomorrow'. Having a rehab plan should make it less of an internal struggle.

And yeah, I would have pulled out the ladder too. Especially if the procedure doesn't cut one open, it might not look like much recovery is needed. But you've been through a lot, and it will take some time to get back to a more blithe state.

>289 richardderus: Thanks, RD! I'll read it in the morning, with my first cuppa.

>290 ffortsa: Thanks, Judy. Yup, start date is 12/7. It won't be an internal struggle at all - you're right.

The deceptive thing about this heart attack is that I have a stent, quite a few interestingly-colored bruises, and an almost-completely-healed incision in my femoral artery. Nothing else. I don't look sickly, I am NOT debilitated, only a bit more tired than usual. I have to remember that I've been through a lot. The things that remind me: No cooking for Thanksgiving, 5 new sets of meds and carrying around nitroglycerin, having my very own cardiologist, and 36 visits to get hooked up to telemetry, exercise in public, and have everybody and their brother look at what's happening with me. They weren't overly rah-rah cheerful, fortunately, just practical. I answered 4 pages of questions about various and sundry, but wouldn't answer the questions about God, though - told them it was none of their business.

Here's a pic Bill took as we were leaving for the cardio rehab orientation meeting today. And don't you love our 1930s-style kitty clock?

>291 karenmarie: One would never know what's just happened to you! I'm glad, in so many ways.

*smooch*

Well, you are looking good, Karen. I swear, when you said earlier that you really hoped they wouldn't be rah-rah chirpy, I laughed because I feel that way about most people! All that said, it sounds like it went well. And why on earth were they asking you about God?!

>291 karenmarie: Many years ago a colleague I worked with closely had a heart attack, and his recovery sounds very similar to yours. I covered some of his duties while he was off work, which proved to be a much shorter time than I had expected. And he looked totally normal, as you do! But he had all those other things like cardiologists and rehab and stuff to deal with. I'm glad you liked your rehab place.

Morning, Karen. Happy Wednesday. I spent some quality time with Jackson yesterday, both on the trail and right here at the house. Yep, it was sweet. I have Trail Watch duties this AM. First time since my tumble. Book time this PM. Still semi-dark out in the yard but I did spot a pair of juncos, a cardinal and a dove. All feeding on the ground.

>291 karenmarie: Looking good! Love the smile!

>292 richardderus: Hiya RD! My heart attack is definitely not discernible from the outside. We’ll see how things go with and after cardio rehab. *smooch* from your own Horrible

>293 jessibud2: Thanks, Shelley. We’re definitely the same in that respect – anti- rah-rah chirpy. It did go well. I think she said that there is a correlation between a spiritual life and better results in rehab. I do hope so, because I am a liberal theist. It’s just none of their business. I wonder if those questions are on questionnaires in oh, say, California?

>294 lauralkeet: Hi Laura! Thanks for sharing that about your colleague. The rehab place is part of the UNC Health system, in a nice building, on the first floor, with a good check-in arrangement and quite a few chairs in a reasonable waiting area. It’s not a brand-new building, because I went there in 2014 to cataract surgery evaluation, but it’s well-maintained. It’s also just down the road from the Chatham Hospital itself.

>295 msf59: ‘Morning, Mark, and happy Wednesday to you. Yay for quality Jackson time. Enjoy your Trail Watch duties. I hope you’re fully recovered from your tumble – my troubles got in the way of my asking. Sorry.

No birds on the feeders right now, but the sunflower feeder is empty. I’ll probably fill it later – I have no restrictions on how much I can lift but I’m not going to be stupid about it. If it feels heavy in the garage fully loaded, I'll empty half back into the metal trash can. Yay for the juncos, cardinal, and dove. I did have a pair of Carolina Chickadees on the suet and wild bird seed feeders together yesterday, and a female Downy on the suet feeder.

It got down to 21F last night. Bill took an excellent pic from the front porch:



Our new OXO Brew Conical Burr Coffee Grinder is arriving today, just in time. The old one, even with frequently running rice through it as per Kitchenaid's suggestion, sounds terrible.



Bill likes that it’s stainless steel, I don’t particularly, but that’s okay. It does hold ¾ lb. of beans, though, which means less filling. Marriages thrive and survive on some compromises. *smile*

Coffee, brekkie soon, puttering today. Our T-day meal is being delivered about 5 p.m. today. I’m grateful and stress-free over Thanksgiving now! And I love their desserts and will shamelessly indulge in whatever sweet comes with.

>296 karenmarie: That is one sexy new grinder. Absolutely lovely in stainless finish. (Honestly, who cares which finish it is if it produces the required quantity and texture of bean?)

Am not sure if it's really Turkey Holocaust 2021 tomorrow or if I'm just dreaming it from the safety of 1995.

Hiya, RD! Sexy is as sexy does. Depending on what time it arrives, we may test it out today.

I'm sorry you will be traumatized by The Dread T-Day. Think ham, beef, etc.

*smooch*

setting up thread 14... give me a few