karenmarie: a new normal with lots of books - XIV

Welcome to my fourteenth thread of Twenty Twenty-one.

Life-altering events since the start of my thirteen thread, with me cheating death on November 10th. Thank goodness for prompt EMTs who knew how to diagnose my heart attack, our good WIFI for their immediately being able to connect with UNC Hospital in Chapel Hill and let them prepare for my arrival, and the best ambulance driver ever although I don’t remember much of the crazy-fast drive up there.

The Good: Family, friends, kitties, books, in constantly-rotating order. Modern medicine, too. A quiet Thanksgiving with Bill, stress-free because of my sister arranging for a meal to be delivered to us today for tomorrow.

The Bad and the Sad: The unvaccinated still ruining it for everybody who’s a responsible person and citizen. Crybaby Covid riots in Rotterdam and elsewhere in the world. What I would have thought an oxymoron: anti-vaxxer US medical personnel.

The Ugly: The Gang of Psychos. The Rittenhouse verdict – unbelievable. 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 met without me in November due to my heart attack.

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 TWO not-planned for new hot water heaters – needing the second one on an emergency basis is what triggered my heart attack.

We have three kitties. Current pictures of all three. L to R: Inara - 14, Zoe - 3, Wash – 2. Inara with me (just home from the hospital), Zoe Rose guarding my new pill regimen, and our derp-boy Wash protecting a sleeping mommy.



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No theme for pictures although I do like posting ones of family members. Jenna’s two favorite cousins, Jordan, and Cassidy Jo, hamming it up with Jenna on Thanksgiving. Undated, but probably 2013 or so.



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. I’m not reading much right now, but I’ve read 99 books so far so should be able to attain the goal and perhaps several more.

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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. Not feeling the love for this challenge right now – perhaps because the next book is short stories, not one of my favorite styles of fiction writing.

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. This year is the last year. We’ve had a good run, and it is time to end gracefully.

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 two quotes. For 2022, however, I’m also going to include this new poem, first seen on Joe Welch’s thread. I’m not fond of prose poems as a rule, but this one speaks to me.

Good bones

by Maggie Smith

Life is short, though I keep this from my children.
Life is short, and I’ve shortened mine
in a thousand delicious, ill-advised ways,
a thousand deliciously ill-advised ways
I’ll keep from my children. The world is at least
fifty percent terrible, and that’s a conservative
estimate, though I keep this from my children.
For every bird there is a stone thrown at a bird.
For every loved child, a child broken, bagged,
sunk in a lake. Life is short and the world
is at least half terrible, and for every kind
stranger, there is one who would break you,
though I keep this from my children. I am trying
to sell them the world. Any decent realtor,
walking you through a real shithole, chirps on
about good bones: This place could be beautiful,
right? You could make this place beautiful.

2021 – changed dramatically yet again in November.

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
100. The Ruin by Dervla McTiernan 11/17/21 11/27/21 375 pages trade paperback

December
101. Shattered by Dick Francis 11/28/21 12/4/21 289 pages hardcover
102. 56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard 12/5/21 12/11/21 312 pages hardcover, Kindle
103. If You Exist: In Search of a Reader Deep in the Future by Lillian Moats 12/11/21 12/13/21 96 pages trade paperback

Currently Reading:

The Guncle by Steven Rowley 12/19/21 326 pages hardcover 2021
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
272. Friend Rhoda - The Good Turn by Dervla McTiernan
273. U of Chicago Press - The Legendary Detective by John Walton
274. Amazon - Go Tell The Bees That I Am Gone by Diana Gabaldon

December
275. Kindle - 56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard
276. Kindle - Rewind by Catherine Ryan Howard
277. Amazon - The Guncle by Steven Rowley
278. Kindle - No Gods, No Monsters by Cadwell Turnbull
279. Friends donation - The Ex by Alafair Burke
280. Friends donation - The Wife by Alafair Burke
281. Friends donation - The Better Sister by Alafair Burke
282. Friends donation - The Honourable Schoolboy by John Le Carré
283. Friends donation - The Devil's Share by Wallace Stroby
284. Friends donation - Cold Shot to the Heart by Wallace Stroby
285. Friends donation - Kings of Midnight by Wallace Stroby
286. Friends donation - The Heartbreak Lounge by Wallace Stroby
287. Friends donation - Some Die Nameless by Wallace Stroby
288. Friends donation - Gone 'til November by Wallace Stroby
289. Friends donation - Faces of the Gone by Brad Parks
290. Friends donation - The Good Cop by Brad Parks
291. Friends donation - Say Nothing by Brad Parks
292. Friends donation - Eyes of the Innocent by Brad Parks
293. Friends donation - The Last Act by Brad Parks
294. Friends donation - Closer Than You Know by Brad Parks
295. Friends donation - The Fraud by Brad Parks
296. Friends donation - The Player by Brad Parks
297. Friends donation - Regeneration through Violence: The Mythology of the American Frontier, 1600–1860 by Richard Slotkin
298. Friends donation - Buddhist Art and Ritual from Nepal and Tibet by Barbara C. Matilsky
299. Friends donation - Rogue Lawyer by John Grisham
300. Friends donation - Lanterns Across the Snow by Susan Hill
301. Friends donation - Sons by Evan Hunter
302. Friends donation - Just Watch Me by Jeffry P. Lindsay
303. Friends donation - Buffalo Girls by Larry McMurtry
304. Friends donation - Pretty Boy Floyd by Larry McMurtry
305. Friends donation - Parlor Politics : In Which the Ladies of Washington Help Build a City and a Government by Catherine Allgor
306. Friends donation - The growth of natural history in Stuart England from Gerard to the Royal Society by F. David and J.F.M Hoeniger
307. Friends donation - Schools in Tudor England by Craig R. Thompson
308. Friends donation - The Art of War and Renaissance England by J.R. Hale
309. Friends donation - The Yeoman in Tudor and Stuart England by Albert J. Schmidt
310. Friends donation - Elizabeth I and the Puritans by William Haller
311. Friends donation - Dutch influences on English culture, 1558-1625 by David W. Davies
312. Amazon - Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O'Nan
313. Amazon - The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
314. Friends donation - Fables from Old French translated by Norman R. Shapiro
315. Friends donation - The Ghost by Robert Harris

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

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

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

Still crack me up...

…

Welcome to my new thread!

Happy new thread, Karen! May it glide easily and without drama toward year's end!

What >10 jessibud2: said.

*smooch*

Happy new one!

Happy Thanksgiving, Karen. So glad you are weathering the storms.

Happy new thread, Karen! I hope you and Bill enjoy a stress-free holiday, and the catered eats are good!

Happy New Thread Karen!

The Merchant's House sounds intriguing.

I've never been able to read Lincoln Childs and Douglas whatever his name is

Happy new thread and Happy Thanksgiving.

Happy new thread, Karen!

Wishing you a lot of stress free Good.
Worry with you about Bad, Sad, and Ugly.
Extremely happy you cheated death on the 10th.

>10 jessibud2: Thanks, Shelley! Amen to that.

>11 richardderus: Thanks, RD!

>12 drneutron: Thank you, Jim! Ongoing thanks for your efforts for our wonderful group.

>13 weird_O: Thanks, Bill. Happy Thanksgiving to you, too. Storm weathering, aye.

>14 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie! I’m feeling pretty good about Thanksgiving, so it’s stress free. We like Virlie’s food, so I have high hopes.

>15 magicians_nephew: Thanks, Jim! I enjoyed it and will continue with the series. Ah. Childs & Preston. I like the Agent Pendergast series as long as I’m willing to be scared. Very atmospheric, always a perfect depiction of evil and mystery.

>16 RebaRelishesReading: Thank you, Reba! Happy Thanksgiving to you, too.

>17 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita. Wishing you lots of good, too, and I’m sorry that we all have to cope with the Bad, Sad, and Ugly.

Happy new thread, Karen and please continue to take good care of yourself. No stressing with meds, plenty of relaxation and good books.
Whatever our political views, the outside world is crazy at the moment - shut it out and concentrate on Karen. xx

Happy new thread!

I wish you a calm, joyous, delicious Thanksgiving!

Happy new thread, Karen, and Happy Thanksgiving. Take care.

A new thread just in time for Thanksgiving!!!!! I wish you a happy one. I am thankful for you!

Happy new thread, Karen, and Happy Thanksgiving!

A Thanksgiving to Friends (Lighting the Way)

In difficult times
a friend is there to light the way
to lighten the load,
to show the path,
to smooth the road

At the darkest hour
a friend, with a word of truth
points to light
and the encroaching dawn
is in the plainest sight.

Karen, to a friend in books and more this Thanksgiving

Happy New Thread, Karen! Happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy your day. We are going over to my cousins for dinner. We don't see that side of the family often and my cousin's wife is a wonderful cook and host.

About the only time I can catch my three cats all together is when they are sleeping. From the separate photos you have, I assume you may have the same problem! Happy Thanksgiving.

>19 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul! I’m working hard at doing lots of nothing – relaxing, books, and Longmire with Bill.

>20 quondame: Thanks, Susan. Happy Thanksgiving to you, too. Our dinner arrived last night. I think the biggest issue will be keeping Bill to our usual schedule of 4 p.m. *smile*

>21 BLBera: Thanks, Beth, and a very Happy Thanksgiving to you.

>22 LizzieD: Hi Peggy! Perfect timing on the thread. A Happy Thanksgiving to you, your dear mama, and your DH. I’m thankful for you and can’t wait until sometime next year when I can come visit again.

>23 alcottacre: Thank you Stasia, and Happy Thanksgiving to you, too.

>24 PaulCranswick: Beautiful, Paul. Your choice is perfect.

>25 msf59: ‘Morning, Mark! Thank you, and a very Happy Thanksgiving to you, too. Enjoy the time with that side of the family. It always helps when there’s a good cook preparing the meal.

>26 thornton37814: Hi Lori, and Happy Thanksgiving to you, too. The best we usually do is two of three – the gingers, mother and son – but here’s a photo that I titled “Three Kitty Pileup in the Retreat 8-25-2020.” L-R Wash, Zoe, Inara. This is about the closest you’ll see them together, although sometimes both Wash and Inara are on the bed when I wake up. One on one side, one on the other, with no sign of Zoe.



The new coffee grinder works well. We’re having to figure out timing and grind. This batch is a bit too strong, but I can adjust for tomorrow. Bill wimped out and used the old grinder, then put all the beans in the new grinder for me to be the guinea pig.

>27 karenmarie: Most sensible, your Bill. Most.

*smooch*

Even wimping out on the new coffee mill he's a keeper...

Karen, I am so very grateful for you, my wonderful friend here on LT, especially since you almost left! Your comeback seems to be going so well (I can't believe how long your hair is back in the photo on the last thread!). Please continue to take care of yourself and hit me up with books.

I wish you happiness and HEALTH on this day of Thanksgiving. And cookies. Fat-free, low sodium, of course. : )

Hi Karen my dear, so sorry to find out that you had a Heart attack on the 10th, i have been a bit hit and miss on here for the last two weeks or so with RL getting in the way and now i am back on i have been speed reading threads and missed this.

I do hope that you are OK and taking things nice and steady dear lady and that Bill, Jenna and the Kitties are looking after you. We both send very special healing love and hugs to you.

I will explain more about what i have been up to when i post again and it is all being posted on my thread, slowly, lol.

We wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving Day my dear friend.

Happy Thanksgiving, Karen, and a grateful one it is! Continue on your road back to good health!

Happy new thread and happy Thanksgiving!

>1 karenmarie: What a great Thanksgiving photo. Looks like everyone was having fun

Happy Friday, Karen! Continue to take care of yourself!

Morning, Karen. Happy Friday. I hope you had a fine holiday. It was a long day yesterday but it was a very nice. I just wish we could have shared it with our kids. Hopefully next year. And the Bears won! Yah!

I am joining some friends for a quick over night trip to Milwaukee, today. We will be doing some serious brewery hopping. I will really have to pace myself.

>30 Berly: Thank you, Kim. I am doing well, well enough that I’m chaffing a bit when I want to do something and realize I shouldn’t. I’m being sensible, darn it.

My hair hasn’t been cut since March 17, 2020. I am liking it long, to tell the truth, although I don’t do anything with it except put up the 'bangs' with hair combs if I’m going out and mostly keeping it pulled back in a scrunchie when home. My reading is still slow but I’m not worried. It might be the book, The Ruin, which, although good, is not un-put-downable. Happy Thanksgiving to you a day late.

Surprisingly, I’m only on a low sodium diet, but I’m not very hungry these days so am not eating too many fatty things.

>31 johnsimpson: Hi John, thank you. I am OK. Right now, as a matter of fact, I feel pretty good. Later in the day and at night are the worst times – but not from my heart. My calves and knees, lower back, and hips have been acting up for almost a year. I was supposed to start PT for my lower back on Monday, but cancelled because 1) I wasn’t sure doing that at the same time as cardio rehab was good and didn’t want to have to deal with checking with the doctors and 2) too overwhelming.

I have been curious about what’s been going on – you said something earlier this year but I’m not a Facebook person and if anything was said there I didn’t see it. I’ll visit today. Sending love and hugs to you and Karen and special kitty skritches for Felix.

>32 jessibud2: Thank you, Shelley. Oh yes, I have all sorts of brand new things to be thankful for. I’m looking forward to where I’ll be health-wise and weight-wise and energy-wise in a year.

>33 figsfromthistle: Hi Anita! Thank you. The cousins always had fun when they got together. Things have changed, though – Jordan is being posted to South Korea for a year this month (Air Force), Cassidy is on the edge of getting engaged to a minister, and my daughter is in a serious romantic relationship.

>34 alcottacre: Hi Stasia! Happy Friday to you, too. I’m working on it – I even got my scale out and may start using it. *smile*

>35 msf59: ‘Morning, Mark, and happy Friday to you. Yay for the Bears – last second field goal, right? Bill’s Cowboys lost in overtime because of the fourth pass interference call against Anthony Brown. Blech.

Sorry you didn’t get to spend T-day with your kids. Yes, hopefully next year. I hope to have Thanksgiving with Jenna and other family members next year here at the house, too.

Brewery hopping. Oh my. Yes, pace yourself. Have fun!

…
I must write a thank you to Virlie’s for the excellent dinner. Real turkey, tasty dressing, yummy sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce for me, (icky overcooked) green beans for Bill. The meal was surprisingly unsalty, yay. I made instant mashed potatoes with jar gravy to add the final touch, and we had Dutch Apple Pie later on for dessert. I only ate half of what the sent for me, so will have leftovers today. Bill ate the full portion.

Morning, Karen! Looks like your Thanksgiving was lovely and low-key. How nice that dinner being delivered meant you did not have to do all the work. I am sorry Jenna could not share it with you in person - I bet you were missing her. Ours was delightful but also slightly exhausting, so I am thankful that it is done and dusted, and today we can just enjoy the leftovers without all of the effort.

New grinder - did I miss it, what kind did you decide upon?

Whoopie for a low-key Thanksgiving. My daughter's been staying with me all week, but is leaving today. I actually moved clutter from here and there to a couple of isolated and not-to-public spots.

One holiday highlight was redeeming rain checks I gave Helen and Claire on their birthday in June. Little connivance with their dad revealed that they'd be pleased to get classy editions of favorite books. So Helen got a boxed set of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings book, including The Hobbit. I got Claire boxed sets of the Percy Jackson books. My daughter continued a tradition my wife started of giving each of the grands an ornament for their Christmas tree. Judi always looked for wildlife ornaments. Becky gave them a likeness of Bernie, seated with his heavy gloves and festooned with garlands.

>36 karenmarie: A lovely dinner for two, indeed. Virlie's gets big ups!

Happy weekend-ahead's reads, with a side of *smooch*

>37 Crazymamie: ‘Morning, Mamie, a day late! We had a good Thanksgiving. Yours sounds like mine usually are – delightful but also slightly exhausting. I hope your Friday was relaxing and leftover yummy.

We decided on the OXO Brew Conical Burr Coffee Grinder. The coffee tastes wonderful, I think we’re using fewer beans because we’re grinding it on a finer grind, and it’s quieter. One thing I don’t like about it is that you set the number of seconds for it to grind the coffee and Bill and I are settling into different grind times, so the knob has to be moved back and forth. Like the old one, it’s a bit static-y, but on this one you have to remove the little plastic lid, get the grounds off it, then get the grounds out of the aluminum receptacle. With the old grinder the glass receptacle just stood in front of the coffee mill and you didn’t have to pull it out, just tip it over the filter and smack it a couple of times. Minor points, because overall we're pleased.



>38 weird_O: Hi Bill! So nice your daughter stayed with you. Yay for the classy editions of favorites, and Bernie ornaments for the grands.

>39 richardderus: Hiya, RD. It was lovely on Thursday and yesterday for my leftovers. I’m hoping to finish The Ruin today, and perhaps even read a chapter or two of The Code Breaker and/or Run with the Horsemen.

…
Slowly waking up, enjoying the first cup of coffee. It was cold here this morning – 25F – and 62F in my Sunroom. Bill gets up early and puts the propane stove on in the living room, which confuses the thermostat, keeping it cold in other rooms downstairs. It’s okay, though, because I have the little propane heater in the Sunroom, which is heating up the room nicely.

Plastic and static do go together, don't they. And shortly the new routine will just be the routine.

It's cold here, too! And windy. We've got Winter!

Oh yes, the new routine will be just the routine. It's all cool.

Yay for winter. We're still fall-ish during the days, and the leaves have not fallen off the last of the oaks.

Bill just headed out on an errand run - pharmacy, dump, pick up lunch.

Not sure if you follow Caroline's thread, Karen, but she posted this today, in memory of the 30th anniversary of Freddie Mercury's death. It's lovely:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUJkCXE4sAA

Morning, Karen. Happy Sunday. I got home around noon yesterday. We had a great time. Such good friends. I then tried to catch up on some reading in the afternoon. I am joining my birding buddies for an owl hunt this AM. This is owl season- both migrants and breeding locals. I have not seen one in months. I plan to go and visit Jackson this afternoon. Yah!

Feeders very quiet at the moment- just a lone junco kicking along on the ground.

>43 jessibud2: Thank you, Shelley! It's one of my favorite Queen songs. I don't follow Caroline's thread, but I might pop over for a visit to a fellow Queen lover.

>44 msf59: 'Morning, Mark, and happy Sunday to you. I'm glad you had a good time with your friends.

Today sounds busy for you - all things you love doing. My feeders are quiet, too.

...
Fine tuning the time/amount of coffee from the new grinder, but it may be 23 seconds. It tastes pretty darned good.

Panthers play at 1 today against the Dolphins. I've started the last book in the Dick Francis SHARED Read for November - December, Shattered. Turns out that the copy I have was given to Bill's mama by a dear friend. I didn't realize I had that copy 'til I opened it yesterday.

In other news, Jenna's coming home for her weekend tomorrow about 1 p.m. and will stay through early Wednesday. I hope she can see the improvement in my energy level.

Morning, Karen! Woot for Jenna visiting! That's great news.

>45 karenmarie: Yay for Jenna coming to stay! I'm sure she's got some anxiety about your health, but a visit should allay that.

Sweet Sunday bliss, Horrible! *smooch*

>45 karenmarie: Yay Jenna! Tell her I said howdy. Tomorrow in going to buy wreaths for the winders and front door, and probably a tree. I also have to call that neighbor kid to come over and hang the wreaths because I'M NOT GETTING UP ON A LADDER!!!

I saw Queen play at the Capitol Center in Maryland back in the mid 70s, and AC/DC opened for them. I had no idea at the time that that was the coolest I would ever be. Listening to Queen's music was the first positive reinforcement I ever had about what it meant to be gay. Before then, gays were all lonely people who got murdered by their pickups or Bond villains.

Happy new thread, Karen. I'm just catching up with your health news now. Glad to see that you are doing well - crankiness too much medical stuff is a good sign.

Wonderful that Jenna can spend two or three days with you. Have a great mother-daughter time.

'Twas grand to have Becky here for a few days. She cooked beef stew for me. Having found it sufficiently tolerable, I had two bowls for supper, and there's more for tomorrow. Yah.

I really believe I must give reading another try. Holiday Hiatus is what I'll call it.

>46 scaifea: Hi Amber! I’m really looking forward to her visiting.

>47 richardderus: She’ll see me with more energy than two weeks ago for sure. Thanks, RD! *smooch*

>48 SomeGuyInVirginia: I will tell her, Larry. Yay for wreaths and a tree. You’re smart – NO LADDERS! I haven’t climbed up on one either. Bill and Jenna would NOT be pleased.

Oh, you are so lucky to have seen them play! I must admit that they were not on my radar in the 70s or even the 80s, but I’ve made up for it since then. I’m glad you got positive reinforcement from them, dear one.

>49 Familyhistorian: Hi Meg! Thank you. Yes, I’ve continued as I began in the hospital crankiness wise, after the first couple of days – told them to stop giving me so much high blood pressure medicine because I Do Not Have High Blood Pressure – and they were then concerned when it dropped to oh, like 80/60, 87/56, shit like that. And I also told them to not tell me I was going home until they had discharge papers in hand after the disastrous Saturday broken promise. They were probably glad to get rid of me, although in addition to snarling about overdoing the high blood pressure medicine and not realizing that telling me I could go home and taking it back was not good for my physical or mental health, I also thanked them for every single thing they did for me AND did every single thing they told me to do or not do. Sigh.

>50 weird_O: Thanks, Bill. I’m looking forward to hugging on my daughter again tomorrow. I’m glad Becky was with you for Thanksgiving and that she cooked beef stew for you.

Go for the reading gold! I’ve started another book. November will be a disaster for my stats, with only 3 books completed this month so far and no chance of finishing any others. BUT, I did reach my official goal of 100 books by finishing The Ruin yesterday. Hoorah!

Just checking in on you before I head off to Joplin tomorrow. Take care of yourself while I am gone!

Congratulations on hitting 100 books completed for the year!

Morning, Karen. I had a good time yesterday, although I didn't get the reading in, I would have liked. I am feeling a bit under the weather this AM, so I think I am going to take a chill day.

>52 alcottacre: Hi Stasia. Thank you. I hope you have a wonderful meet up. I'll be well taken care of - Jenna will be here about 1 p.m. and stay through Wednesday morning. Thanks re my meeting my goal.

>53 msf59: 'Morning, Mark! I'm sorry you're feeling a bit under the weather. A chill day is a good idea.

...
Coffee, puttering, reading, then Jenna. Bill went to work today, the first time since I had my heart attack. It's nice to have a bit of alone time.

Morning, Karen! How full of fabulous that Jenna will be stopping in for a visit. That's the best medicine. Hoping that your time together is everything you want it to be. And Bill even let you have the house all to yourself for a bit before she arrives - a bonus! Soak it up!

Adding a *smooch* to indicate broad approval of the proceedings.

>55 Crazymamie: 'Morning, Mamie! Oh yes, I'm thrilled she's on the road - should get here in about an hour. Speaking of which, I think I'll take a bit of a nap now. I may have puttered a teensy bit too much...

And the quiet house has been wonderful.

>56 richardderus: *smooch* back at'cha, RDear.

It was a kick to take Judy to the 'Bohemian Rhapsody" movie a few years ago. She claimed not to know who Queen was or know any of their music.

But of course she knew every song in the movie, just didn't connect them to this act called "Queen" and this guy called Freddy Mercury.

She's learning.

Hi Karen! I just wanted to stop by and say thanks for the cornbread recipe you posted a while back. You may recall I'd received cornmeal grits in my CSA share and we talked about whirring them in the food processor. While you were ... erm ... indisposed, I tried that method. The result was a sort of weird crunchiness but still tasty and I could tell the recipe was a winner. I bought plain old cornmeal a couple weeks ago and finally made some cornbread today. Delicious!

>58 magicians_nephew: Hi Jim. That's a riot - she didn't know Queen but knew all their songs. I must admit to some of the same - I knew alot of songs were by Queen when I started obsessing about them in ... 2017? ... and figured out the rest later. I'm glad you're educating her...

>59 lauralkeet: Hi Laura! Wow, so good to hear that you persevered first with the weird crunchiness but then bought plain old cornmeal and made the recipe today. Thanks for letting me know, and I'm glad you liked it.

...
I'm tired, but a good tired. Jenna and I made dinner - her mostly - and we watched a couple of Longmires. Getting to the end of the series, alas.

My doctor has sent off a prescription for something a tad stronger for my back/hips/knees/calves to help me sleep, but we can't pick it up 'til tomorrow. Will struggle through tonight but be more diligent with taking the meds I can take in a timely manner.

>60 karenmarie: I am very good at either remembering or anticipating lyrics as I can sing along with most songs and Queen are especially great to sing with. "We are the Champions" has been sung all to infrequently at Elland Road which is the home ground of my beloved soccer club Leeds United. We didn't win the title since 1992.

>60 karenmarie: I hope your night wasn't too bad, Karen, and hope the new prescription works better for you.
Enjoy Jenna's company.

Morning, Karen. Still feeling a bit yucky so after running a couple of quick errands I will just hang out with the books. I did see a female red-wing blackbird yesterday at the feeders. I normally never get them at the feeders even in season but for the end of November that is rare.

I need to get in ship-shape, I am leading a guided walk tomorrow.

Happy Tuesday, Karen, from Joplin!

I do hope the new pain meds help!

>61 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul! I sing out loud to Queen songs all the time – even upstairs in the middle of the night while listening on my cell phone!

>62 FAMeulstee: Hi Anita! Last night was not horrible, not wonderful… Bill and Jenna are going out today to run a few errands and will bring me the new prescription for tonight. Thanks – Jenna’s always a joy.

>63 msf59: ‘Morning, Mark! I’m sorry you’re still feeling yucky. Another day indoors sounds like a good idea, especially since you are leading a guided walk tomorrow. No birds on my feeders, alas.

>64 alcottacre: Hi Stasia! Thank you! I hope you’re having a wonderful time.

…
Poor Jenna’s on the phone with the NC Covid Registry – she can’t find her vaccination card and I called the 888 number and they wanted to talk with her directly. I got the stink eye, but she’s on the phone with them.

Well, no joy. Since she didn't remember the EXACT email address she used - it was her college email address which she can't get to any more - even though they can see it and can confirm all her other info, they can't help her. Useless. Like the 24/7 Nursing Hotline I was given when I left the hospital - I called them twice and both times it was questions about meds and they couldn't help me.

Hi Karen. I skimmed through the previous thread and here I am, at the bottom of an ever-lengthening saga, with a lot going on. Good to see you are thriving, albeit with poor sleeps.
I sure got a laugh out of the "Up Scope" photo of your cat, Wash.
I'm going to post a November books-read round up soon. Hope to see you again over at "my place".

>51 karenmarie: So much about the medical system is hard on patients' and advocates' mental health, but it's a good thing they are there!

Good to see that you are enjoying time with Jenna.

I'm happy that Jenna is there and sorry that "help" contacts can't be helpful. It's endemic. (I had a similar experience for months on end with a prepaid debit card that I couldn't register correctly; DH likewise; also every single person we talked to until finally I lucked into a blessed woman who said, "I can do that for you," and she did. The DH was about to burn it for the satisfaction of seeing it gone.)

Morning, Karen. Happy Wednesday. Still struggling a bit. I normally shake off a cold pretty quickly. I plan on doing the walk this AM but I will mask up just to be sure. Very mild today, nearing 50F, so I picked a good day.

Oh, that stinks about Jenna and her vaccination card! I hope she can get it sorted - or find the missing card!

>66 SandyAMcPherson: Hi Sandy! Thanks for visiting – Jenna’s here and I’m spending time with her and Bill and not here in the Sunroom. I’m glad you liked the photo of Wash.

>67 Familyhistorian: Hi Meg! Oh yes, glad they are there for sure. Jenna’s staying through tonight, but will go out today and spend time with her new romantic interest, who lives closer to us here than when Jenna’s in Asheville.

>68 LizzieD: Hi Peggy! Don’t you love it when you get the right person who can say “I can do that for you!”?

>69 msf59: ‘Morning, Mark! Happy Wednesday to you. I’m sorry that you’re not able to shake this cold quickly. I hope the walk goes well.

>70 scaifea: Hi Amber! Jenna’s going to have to figure it out herself – I always want to fix things for her, of course, but this one she’ll have to do by calling the county she used to live in.

Just a little speak for after Jenna is away and you're back here. I'm really glad that she sneaked a visit in!

Morning, Karen. Sweet Thursday. I am hoping this is a rebound day for me. I have Jackson duties tomorrow and want to be ship-shape. I will probably mask up anyway. Sue is watching him for a few hours this AM before she goes to work. My guided walk went surprisingly well, despite a slow, damp start. More juicy details on my thread.

How have you been feeling?

>72 LizzieD: Hi Peggy! Jenna left about half an hour ago. Her visit was a much-needed tonic for this mom. I know she'll be home at least one more time this year, although I think she'd like to work Christmas Day to get the double time!

>73 msf59: 'Morning, Mark, and sweet Thursday to you, too. I hope you rebound today, too. I'm surprised that the cold has lingered as long as it has. Good idea to mask up, though. It's amazing that something that seemed so strange or paranoid two years ago seems so normal now - masking up.

Bill and I went grocery shopping yesterday and I was masked up for sure.

I'm more tired than I'd like to be, frankly, but think that getting the back/hips/knee/calves pain more under control helped last night. My doctor gave me a prescription for tylenol/cod - we're now calling it my fish med - and two nights ago I only took one even though the prescription said to take 1-2 as needed for pain. Last night I took two, which lasted about 5 hours, then took two more and am still feeling pretty good. I'll switch to something else if I'm in any amount of pain this afternoon and save the fish med for the nights.

Yesterday's grocery store jaunt was tiring and I took a nap after I got home, but I have bounced back pretty quickly today.

>74 karenmarie: Glad to read the new pain meds do help, Karen. You need your sleep.

Morning, Karen. Happy Friday. I hope these pain levels start diminishing for you. Fingers crossed. More birdy news over on my thread. Off to spent the AM with Jackson. I miss this kid.

>75 FAMeulstee: Hi Anita! Yes, they are helping.

>76 msf59: 'Morning, Mark! Happy Friday to you, too. Thanks. Enjoy your time with Jackson. And I'll head over to see your latest birdy news...

...
A book club friend is coming for a short visit this afternoon. First in person visit. Puttering and reading in the meantime. Coffee of course...

Morning, Karen! Happy Friday! Sounds like your visit with Jenna was the best medicine. Have fun with your book club friend today.

Hi Mamie! Happy Friday to you, too. I always love it when my kidlet visits. We do lots of nothing, including but not limited to Yahtzee and kitty watching.

This visit we had an exciting Mouse Adventure. The three of us were in the living room just hanging out, when Jenna leapt to her feet, ran into the kitchen, and grabbed two paper towels. I saw that Zoe had brought a mouse in - a pretty sizable mouse at about 4" plus tail - and was batting it around in the kitchen. All of a sudden Jenna, Zoe, and the mouse were gone. About 10 minutes later Jenna emerged from the utility room carrying a gallon jug that I use to fill the birdbath. The mouse was in the jug, Zoe was at Jenna's feet, and Jenna was ecstatic. She released the mouse into the pasture. The house rule is whoever sees The Problem deals with The Problem, so both Bill and I were relieved that Jenna saw it first.

Lots of nothing is full of fabulous! And look at Jenna dealing with the uninvited guest! Awesomesauce, and that photo made ma laugh out loud - she looks gleeful.

Karen! I’m catching up on threads, and now I’ve caught up with yours, and omg! I’m so glad you’re recovering, but what a scare! I so enjoy reading about what’s up with you, and what you’re reading! You have my best wishes for your ongoing health and happiness!

Karen O

>79 karenmarie: Amusing story. I loved the "house rule is whoever sees The Problem deals with The Problem" rule. Gonna remember that one. Heh.

I'm doing lots of *nothing* today as I recover from my booster-jab. I wish more folks here (in SK) were at least double jabbed. We are staying in our own home for the season and all meet ups are zoom and video chats. Hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving despite mouse visits.

Edited to say that my booster was #3. Did you see this from the news in the UK?

This is the THIRD time I've been here today trying to read the story of Jenna, Zoe, and the Mouse. I love the picture, and I note an exasperated Zoe slinking off at the right of the pic.

Off to bed! Sleep very well yourself. You need to build a sleep account back.

OMG that mouse story. Good for Jenna, capturing the little devil.

>79 karenmarie: Great mouse story! Go Jenna!

Morning, Karen. Happy Saturday. I was in my glory yesterday, with our little Jackson. I watched him for over 4 hours, while Bree worked and then Bree brought him to our place around 4 and we kept him until 830, while she went to the barn. Sue and I did split duty here. An angel, of course. He is getting a mighty appetite and is slugging down that breast milk, like no tomorrow.

>80 Crazymamie: Hi Mamie! Yes, Jenna was quite proud of herself.

>81 klobrien2: Hi Karen. Yes, the last 3+ weeks have been quite different than I’d have predicted. Thank you.

>82 SandyAMcPherson: Hi Sandy. I hope you’re recovering nicely from your booster shot. Smart to stay in and zoom/video chat. Yes, we had a good and quiet Thanksgiving. I had not seen that study. Thanks for sharing.

>83 LizzieD: Hi Peggy. Actually, that’s Wash – he doesn’t have white on his paws. I didn’t sleep as well last night as I would have wished. Sigh. Instead of building my sleep account back, I depleted it a bit more.

>84 lauralkeet: Hi Laura. Jenna is patient and stubborn. Mousie rescue was a foregone conclusion.

>85 msf59: Hi Mark, and happy Saturday to you, too. I’m glad you got LOTS of time with Jackson yesterday. Glad to hear he’s got a good appetite.

Lots of bird activity – Cardinals, Carolina Chickadees, finches, and a pair of Red-Breasted Woodpeckers. I think most of the natural food’s getting scarce.

Sorry about the sleep, Karen. I fancy that you don't nap. (?)

I wish we'd see "breasts", but even they are rare these past few years. The last "head" that we saw was dead. I miss them. I miss wood thrushes. I miss butterflies. We do enjoy the birds we still have except for the purple finches.

Did I say to you that I'm loving Troubled Blood? I'm excited to be back with Strike and Robin without pages and pages of their mooning over each other. This is much more satisfying, and I'm glad that it's long!

Hi Peggy!

I do nap, perhaps that's part of the problem.

Finches are not my favorite birds either.

I'm glad you're loving Troubled Blood. I didn't mind the mooning, actually, but agree that when they are partners without worrying about the romance, the story crackles more. If she can write book 6 as quickly as she wrote book 5, we might get to see it in a couple of years. 🤞

I just finished Shattered, the last book of the Dick Francis SHARED Read of 2021. Weaker than many others of the last three years, but the glass blowing info was fascinating.

I've got the newest Lee/Andrew Child book and the newest Outlander book just waiting for the right time.

I've decided to not post November stats. I only read three books, so will simply post stats at the end of December. I have met my goal of 100 books, though, so there is that.

Morning, Karen. Happy Sunday. I managed to get out to go out birding with my buddies yesterday. Not a lot seen but it was a nice AM. The highlights were 3 red-breasted nuthatches. In the evening, I hung out with some high school buddies, a few I had not seen in many years. Today we are having a small birthday dinner for my FIL. He turned 79 on the 1st. Bree and the family will be coming over too. More Jackson time. Yah!

Of course, I will be watching football too. My Bears have an extremely slim chance of beating the mighty Cardinals today. Enjoy your day, my friend.

'Morning, Mark! Happy Sunday to you, too. Glad you had a good bird-buddy adventure yesterday. Yay for HS buddy adventure, too. Congrats to your FiL. Remember to share Jackson with other people!

Panthers have a bye, and the Cowboys played Thursday, so we are football-less today. Chiefs play at 8:20 but I'm not even sure we can see that game. Go Bears!

Speaking of Cardinals, I have half a dozen or more hanging out in the Crepe Myrtle.

'Morning, Mark! Happy Sunday to you, too. Glad you had a good bird-buddy adventure yesterday. Yay for HS buddy adventure, too. Congrats to your FiL. Remember to share Jackson with other people!

Panthers have a bye, and the Cowboys played Thursday, so we are football-less today. Chiefs play at 8:20 but I'm not even sure we can see that game.

Speaking of Cardinals, I have half a dozen or more hanging out in the Crepe Myrtle.

Hi Karen. Just being a nosy parker, checking in to make sure you're not planning a hike up Mt. Everest or maybe, Mount Mitchell.

I wrote up a corrected November book round up myself. It is quite time-consuming, being all obsessed with details, like book covers and all, so I understand (the effort right now isn't worth it, huh?).

Your reading objective of 100+ books being met is awesome. Good going. I'm reading #92 ATM. I didn't set an objective this year and that was a blessing. I'm very prone to feeling nagged by such goals!

Hi Sandy! Checking in is good - no hikes planned today. Mount Mitchell reference noted. *smile*

I'm not doing any strenuous anything 'til I go to cardio rehab on Tuesday and see what they tell me. In the meantime, puttering around the house, occasionally putting out fresh bird seed, and, like just now, fresh water in the bird bath.

Thanks re my 100, and congrats on reading your 92nd. I remember your not setting a goal and am glad that it's helped.

...
I obsess over the covers of the books in my catalog. I still need to do a lot of updating of old covers, but whenever I add a book now, I make sure to find an accurate user-uploaded cover or scan and add my own.

>79 karenmarie: Excellent house rule! glad you had a great uplifting visit with Jenna!

Just checking in to see how you are doing. Glad to see that the new meds are helping! Have a great week!

>93 karenmarie: Good that you are taking things a bit steady, Karen. Don't overstretch yourself.

Congrats on reaching 100 books! Not that the number should be the thing. Enjoyment should. : ) Wishing you good luck on your cardio rehab on Tuesday and no hikes tomorrow! LOL.

>79 karenmarie: Jenna takes after you, you can really see it in this picture. Boo hiss to indoor mice! Your kitchen looks huge! And what's that color you painted the trim? I had the wallpaper put up in the dining room last week, pic on the 9th circle. I like it, but it's busy and I'm not sure how artwork's going to look on the walls. Guess I'll find out.

Imma put Christmas wreathes in the windows today. I can't get the guy out here to hang the big one in the gable until next week.

Christmas shopping - done! Christmas cards - not done! I was going to get them out yesterday but but a fire in the basement den and finished Billy Summers instead. I had the fire going for about five hours and toward the end the room was so hot it seemed my knees. I guess being mostly underground provides natural insulation and the heat built up. Parker loved it. At one point the fire was spitting embers so I picked him up to move them to his perch along the wall and he was so loosey goosey it was like moving a sack of beans. Poor little guy, it's not my fault if I keep the house cold during winter! Okay, it's totally my fault but I'm still not going to jack the thermostat up.

Morning, Karen. We nice little get-together with my FIL. Sue, as usual made a great dinner. We did share Jackson, as well, even my FIL got a solid turn or two. Of course, the Bears lost but there were some interesting moments. They were just out-matched. Sue is off this week. We will be taking turns watching Jackson and hope to do a few other things together. I am going to try and get my booster today.

>94 figsfromthistle: Hi Anita. Thanks!

>95 alcottacre: Hello Stasia. Last night went a bit better, thanks.

>96 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul, and thank you for the reminder. No ladders, no heavy lifting… *smile*

>97 Berly: Hi Kim. Numbers are just fun – I’ve read seventeen books that I’ve rated 4.5. Since I only have 7 books out of 5,177 with a 5-star rating, I think I’ve done pretty well this year. I’m very stingy with 5 stars. Thanks re the rehab – I’m stressing over it a bit, to tell the truth.

>98 SomeGuyInVirginia: The kitchen is pretty big. I don’t remember the name of the color, but it’s a green that is in the same family as the breakfast room chair covers. The walls in the living room are Downy Duckling. When Bill’s Mama and I told Bill the color, he said Downy Duckling? I told him if the name bothered him he could call it Yellow Macho Stud.

We have busy wallpaper in our dining room, too, with chair rail AND a solid color below, just like you. We only have a few things on the walls and WE think they look fine. Don’t stress it – you’ll make things perfect, you know you will.

Yay for Christmas wreathes. Also yay for no Larry on a ladder.

I’m impressed that your Christmas shopping is done. Frankly, I can’t bear the thought of writing my Christmas letter or Christmas shopping. We’ll see how much gets done this week. Your cozy basement fire sounds wonderful. Kitties are heat whores, of course.

>100 msf59: ‘Morning, Mark! Glad you had a good birthday get together with your FiL. Enjoy your time with Sue and Jackson this week, and good luck getting your booster today.

…
Today’s major plans include a bit of grocery shopping – haven’t told Bill yet – and getting some workout clothes together for rehab. Wish I could wear my jammies.

Morning, Karen! Downy Duckling made me laugh. You gotta love paint color names.

Hi Mamie! I wonder who has the job of naming paint colors? We still have the Duron paint chip palette upstairs in a dresser somewhere - I could probably find the green we have for the kitchen trim. I do know that the color in the dining room/home office/hallway is Tobacco Road.

I was just thinking that Bill's Mama and step-mother tried to ... guide... us towards their style. Bill's Mama won because we love traditional Southern stuff and not the primary colors and pastels that Kay loved. The only color choices remorse I have are the master bedroom - the blue carpet, which Bill loves, and the white walls.

>103 karenmarie: We were just talking about that - wondering who makes up the names. I think I would be most excellent at that job, but I might would probably get fired for insubordination. Also, there would have to be an adult section or perhaps ratings like for the movies.

I love warm shades. Our house is almost entirely painted a warm yellow color which I love but did not choose. It's just how the house was painted when we moved in. We are going to need to repaint soonish, so we have been talking colors, and I can't decide if I want to change things up or just try to match what's already here.

Our house is mostly Downy Duckling. We love the warm shades, too.

You would be perfect at naming paint colors - smart, sassy, and irreverent. I still have ownership of Yellow Macho Stud, however.

Oh my! on your heart attack! I just haven't been on LT much so I am soooo late in hearing of it. I'm glad things are going well and fingers and toes crossed that your cardio rehab also goes well. Hugs and double hugs.

I loved the story of Jenna and the mouse. I'm so glad she got to spend some time with you. What a great picture!

>88 karenmarie: I'm also in a book slump, although I did manage six in November. Hurray for reading 100! I should reach that, but I don't think I'll make the goal of 110 that I posted as my challenge on Good Reads.

I'm so sorry that you are having such pain in your joints. I hope the new medicine eventually kicks in and you are able to get some sleep. Being sleepless is miserable.

Morning, Karen. Yesterday, got my booster, a haircut and finalized the details for our Costa Rica trip, in February. The afternoon was reserved for the books and I got some quality reading time in. This AM is all Jackson time. Pure torture, right?

How have you been feeling lately? Getting back to your old self?

Morning, Karen!

>105 karenmarie: Noted.

Hi Karen! I've been lurking but realized I should at least say "hi" :)

>106 streamsong: Hi Janet! I know – heart attack – ridiculous. But I’m here to tell the tale, cranky at starting rehab today – “assessment and paperwork” – so I’ll just wear my now-very-loose-jeans and a pull-over long-sleeved top ‘cuz it was freezing in there two weeks ago when I had the “orientation”.

Hugs back to you, my dear.

Since Jenna and the Mouse there have been Karen and the female Cardinal, 😥 and Karen and the small, dead mouse 🙂. Bill noticed it first, but I was in the kitchen anyway, so now, per the house rule, the next one I find he gets to deal with.

I’m sorry about the book slump. Only 6 for you is definitely on the low side, and only 3 for me is ridiculously low but I had a good reason.

The last couple of nights haven’t been quite as bad since I’m working on timing the pain meds.

>107 msf59: ‘Morning, Mark, and happy Tuesday to you. Yay for your booster, haircut, and finalizing trip plans. Quality book time yesterday and Jackson time this AM are the icing on the cake, of course.

Nobody on the feeders, but two female Cardinals and a Chickadee lurking in the Crepe Myrtle.
Thanks for asking – every day I go longer into the day before feeling really whupped and/or needing a nap. Yesterday I definitely did Too Much – shower, errands, AND cooking dinner meant a 2.5 hour nap from about 6:30 – 9 p.m. It didn’t prevent me from sleeping pretty well, though. I got about 8 hours of interrupted sleep.

>108 Crazymamie: ‘Morning, Mamie! I’m sure you’ll be able to come up with a fabulous name for pale yellow…

>109 katiekrug: Hi back, Katie! Thanks for delurking.

…
Rehab assessment and paperwork at 11 a.m. My friend Karen told me to figure what would be appropriate ‘gym clothes’ and then treat myself, since I don’t really have anything appropriate.

Good luck with your rehab assessment, Karen. I like your friend's suggestion about treating yourself. Fun!

We've had some mouse issues since the weather turned colder and have resorted to traps. Fortunately Chris is willing to be the one who deals with the traps. Blech.

Hi Horrible...your House Rule about The Problem is foreign to me. I'm always the one to Deal With It, no matter what It is.

Probably for the best. I actually do deal with things.

Anyway, I'm going to remind heart-patient lady that pain is very, very stressful and not treating it is a Bad Thing for someone whose recent past includes a STEMI.

Two at night...one during the day, if you please. Your presence is not optional. *smooch*

Happy Tuesday, Karen! I hope your rehab assessment went well.

>111 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura. It went well. I was on the treadmill for 6 minutes, did some balance, flexibility, and core assessment, answered a bunch of damned questions, still refused to talk about my religion but admitted that I did have a set of spiritual beliefs. My blood pressure when I went in was 142/84, when I left it was 110/68.

I don’t like dealing with critters, but personally refuse to bow out of the responsibility. If I’m willing to have kitties and willing to have indoor/outdoor kitties, I have to be willing to cope with all aspects of that. Different sharing of duties in a marriage is always fair within that marriage, so by all means let Chris deal with the traps. *smile*

>112 richardderus: Hi RDear! Nice to see you out and about. Bill and I have compromised on quite a few things in our marriage, critters/poop/urp being just one of many. He was especially kind today, taking me, waiting for me, and being upbeat without being nauseating about it. He knows me well.

I am working pretty hard on figuring out pain minimalization. I took one Tramadol at 5 p.m., which should wear off about 11. I’ll probably overlap an hour with two Tylenol/codeine ~ tenish, then two more after 4 a.m. The last two nights have not been hideous. Tramadol again when I wake up. I haven’t tried the Tylenol/codeine during the day yet, haven’t needed to. But I will if I need to - promise.

*smooch*

>113 alcottacre: Hi Stasia, and thank you. The unknown is almost always worse than the known, and now I know what to expect and feel much, much better about it. I actually feel pretty good tonight. I was encouraged by the fact that my honest answers to their mental health questions didn’t cause them to put me in a straight jacket or immediately refer me to counseling.

…
Well, my 6-year old great-nephew has Covid and my 40-year old nephew probably has Covid. The 6-year old has had his first dose of vaccine and was supposed to get his second this week. His symptoms are mild. The family is quarantined, of course. The 2-year old has a cough and runny nose but tested negative for Covid.

My nephew is fully vaccinated, has symptoms of Covid (and other things) and is waiting for the results of a PCR test.

I’m convinced that it’s because the niece mommies/boys, nephew/girlfriend went to Santa’s Village two weekends ago. Stupid, but at least my vaccinated sister and her asswipe unvaccinated husband didn’t go.

Confirmation that at least for Bill and me continuing to not socialize and put ourselves at risk makes sense.

Morning, Karen. Happy Wednesday. I am glad to hear you are showing improvement day to day. Keep up with the exercise. Of course, I enjoyed my time with Jackson yesterday. Over 5 hours. Yah! I have Trail Watch duties this AM, which is good, because I NEED the exercise too.

'Morning, Mark! Happy Wednesday to you, too. Bill keeps telling me that I'm improving, too - at least I'm on the right side of this thing for now!

Of course you enjoyed your time with Jackson. I hope you enjoy the Trail Watch duties.

...
I had to wake up to an alarm today - sometimes my sleep schedule pushes me to get better sleep later but I need to take my new meds at certain times so the alarm blared at 9 a.m.

Ah, first sip of coffee. That sorta makes up for the alarm icks.

My Aunt Joyce and I are going to chat this morning - first time since my heart attack. I unintentionally dropped the ball a couple of times, I think, but today's the day. We've been communicating via cell phone texts and an email here and there. I think the best thing I did to relieve her mind was take selfies and send them to her, like I did once I returned here in mid-November.

Hi Karen. I'm with you on that first coffee of the day. Nothing like it and so satisfying.

I'm up really late (for me) this morning. I think this is partly because the day length in the week or two just prior to the Winter Solstice is so short. The sun doesn't climb very high above the horizon so its arc is always low. Just getting light now.

I'm reading A Master of Djinn ATM. It's quite an "up and down" narrative for me. Some parts I'm enjoying, the main characters are interesting but the action feels choppy and in place rather boring/repetitive. Still, I am not planning to abandon the read.

Wishing you continued improvement and a comment to "go easy on yourself".

'Morning Sandy, and happy Wednesday to you.

I always forget that different parts of the world don't have the same relationship with the sun that I do - wow, just getting light now. When does the sun set? Here the sun rose about 7:15 a.m. and will set about 5 p.m.

Sorry your current read is so up and down. Mine is pretty good, 56 Days, but I'm not dedicating hours and hours to reading right now. Guilt-free reading!

Yesterday one of the questions at the rehab assessment was "Do you feel angry?" I answered yes. Another was "Do you feel guilty?" I also said yes.

I'm trying to mentally turn both of those into NOs. Going easy on myself has always been hard. In this case, there are some things that I absolutely have to go easy on myself. I'm trying to figure out what those are and to accept them and to actually embrace them without babying myself too much and not pushing where I need to.

In the meantime, my aunt's calling in half an hour. I need some breakfast before then and will do a bit of reading.

Wandering through. Nothing new. Just *smooch*

Well, my dear, I'm happy to see that improvement in BP after your first rehab session. They and you did something right! Continue!!!!! (Anger and guilt sound totally rational. Give yourself some time with a good deal of slack during it, please.)

Just checking in, I've been away from the threads for too long.

I love your house rule about whoever sees it deals with it. Maybe I'd hear "Jo, the cat threw up a hairball on the stairs" a little less often. But I guess I'd rather deal with that then the rabbit remains on the lawn. Lol.

Be kind to yourself as you recover!!

>119 richardderus: Hiya, RDear! *smooch* back'atcha.

>120 LizzieD: Hi Peggy! Yes, it all went well yesterday. I'm taking good care of myself, not beating myself up too much or very often.

>121 Copperskye: Hi Joanne! At our house, if there are rabbit remains outside they remain there until scavenged by raccoons or possums or ...whatever. Glad you're willing to do the inside stuff so you don't have to do the outside stuff.

I'm working on the being kind to myself. Some times it's easy, sometimes it's hard. Like this afternoon I could not figure out why I was so tired and fought against taking a nap, but finally felt so miserable that I succumbed. Naps are not evil! Naps are good! Right?

Naps are The Best.

:)

House rule. Sounds fair, I guess, but around here it's ALWAYS me.

Morning, Karen. Sweet Thursday. I enjoyed being on the Trail Watch yesterday, despite the chill. I ended up seeing 14 species. I had a Northern Flicker show up yesterday at my suet feeder. It had not been by in awhile and I have not seen any on my walks either. Love seeing these big beauties.

>123 katiekrug: Hi Katie!

>124 weird_O: Hello Bill. I've lost track - do you have any dogs or cats or other pet-like critters?

>125 msf59: 'Morning, Mark, and a sweet Thursday to you, too. Yay for the good Trail Watch experience and 14 species. I love Flickers, but haven't seen one in a year or more.

...
Coffee, reading, then rehab at 11 a.m.

Oh, Dear Karen...I've been out of touch, and check your thread to discover you had a heart attack at the end of November!

Your comment about working on being kind to yourself jumped out at me. This is a lesson we continually try to apply, and alas sometimes we succeed, others we fail. From experience, I know recovery from major surgery is very difficult. For me, it was a wake up call that my body is older and requires naps, peace and healing. And, I've learned how to say NO to those who are negative and take too much energy, and YES to those who are loving and kind and give sunshine and comfort.

Please take good care of yourself, remember healing takes time and lots of energy. It is difficult for me to lean on others, one of the best things of illness and surgery is that those who love you and help you, remind you of all the times you did the same for them.

I wish you many things, mainly the ability to rest and lean on those that love you and want to be there for you.

I send much love.

Thank you, Linda, for the wonderful and inspiring words.

And yes, it is hard to accept help. I was talking with the Branch Librarian last night - we work together because of my involvement in the Friends of the Library but have become friends - and she will probably be coming over on Saturday to visit. She asked if we were getting a Christmas tree and I said no, it doesn't seem feasible this year without Jenna here and we don't know when she'll be home for Christmas.

Rita asked if I'd like for her to bring a little tree over and my immediate answer was No, but then I realized that she wants to do that for me - I offered to pay for it and she said No. And as I got to thinking about it, I realized that a little tree would be perfect this year.

I love "I Wish You This"

Accepting is so so so much harder than giving. Accepting graciously and with real gratitude is, anyway, and don't I just know it.

It really helped me when, a couple years ago, Rob said, "you enjoy giving me your wisdom, don't you? I enjoy getting it. Now let me give you these Kindlebooks." And do I ever enjoy getting them! He reads them too, so I don't feel quite so guilty and selfish for my covetous tsundoku-spreadin' book-Golluming.

Morning, Karen! I am so happy you changed you mind and said yes to that tree. It is so important to let people help - there are so many things we cannot fix, but we can be gracious is both giving and in receiving. I think you are right that she wants to do that for you - she will get just as much joy out of that tree as you will.

Hoping today is kind to you, my friend.

It's good to hear you are starting rehab and didn't find it too burdensome. But I'm sorry you are in so much pain in your body. Do you know why you're hurting? Arthritis, or something else? Pain is miserable and occasionally the pain meds are just as annoying. Be good to yourself, and get well.

>129 richardderus: Hiya, RD! Yes, accepting graciously takes conscious effort. *smooch*

>130 Crazymamie: 'Morning, Mamie! I'm glad, too. Automatic responses to offers of help are always NO, but I need to not say the word before thinking it through. I'm hoping today will be a good one. I'm pretty sure I'm going to go to rehab alone - Bill offered, of course, but I am feeling a tad independent today.

>131 ffortsa: Hi Judy. The pain is mostly arthritis, with, now that I'm on a statin, a bit of side effects from that, I think. Last night was actually not bad at all - I'm trying to time different pain meds and only woke up twice and NOT in excruciating pain. Thank you.

...
As I said to RD, I think I'll go it alone this morning. I'll also get us take out on the way back - a grilled chicken salad for me and either a steak or chicken sub for Bill.

I'll report back... *smile*

>128 karenmarie: aw, that's a nice story about the little tree. I tend toward those automatic responses, too. I'm glad the little voice stopped you in time. I bet you'll enjoy having that tree.

From Richard Lederer

Each Christmas I'm now so perplexed
I wonder just what's coming next
Yule Letters so sweet
Are now obsolete
You're lucky to get a group text!

Good to see that you are doing better, Karen. How often do you have to go to rehab?

>118 karenmarie: You get much more sun at this time of year than we do here in BC. Our sun comes up at 7:55 am and sets at 4:12 pm but we make up for that in the summer.

Friday orisons, Horrible. Caffeinate before responding.

*smooch*

Morning, Karen. Happy Friday. I had a nice walk with my birding buddies yesterday and then had an unexpected visit by Jackson later in the afternoon and we watched him for a couple of hours. Yep, pure torture.

We are going to Grand Rapids MI for the weekend, with a big group of friends. For a concert and extensive brewery hopping. I won't be around much, until later on Sunday. Have a great weekend.

Happy Friday, Karen.

I am longing for the weekend, as workman are working around our house. The road and sidewalks are renewed and upped. The constant noise raises my stresslevel. Our garden is now 6 inches below the sidewalk, instead of the same level. So early next year the garden has to be done, wich means workers around again :-(

>133 lauralkeet: Hi Laura! Yes, the little voice. I am looking forward to the little tree.

>134 magicians_nephew: Thanks, Jim, I like that. I was thinking about working on the letter this morning. We’ll see.

>135 Familyhistorian: Hi Meg! Thanks – I’m coming along. Rehab is 3x a week for 12 weeks, total of 36 visits, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday. I think after that I’ll look into a local gym – my Medicare Advantage Program has the Silver Sneakers program. I just have to find one in my county.

Our summer sun sets between 8:30 and 9 p.m.

>136 richardderus: Does three sips of coffee count, RDear? Good morning to you, too. *smooch*

>137 msf59: ‘Morning, Mark, and happy Friday to you, too. Glad you had a good BBA yesterday. I’m so sorry you HAD to spend time with Jackson yesterday afternoon. What a burden that boy is! Enjoy your concert and brewery hopping.

>138 FAMeulstee: Hi Anita, and happy Friday to you, too. I’m sorry you’ve got workers around – that kind of activity stresses me out, too. How irritating that you’ll now have to get the garden done to match the sidewalk.

…
So yesterday’s first real rehab adventure went pretty well. They wanted me to eventually get up to 30 minutes on the exercise bike treadmill. I took that as a challenge, and since they preferred more time to ‘load’, I strolled along on a speed of 8, up from the default of 5. After that it was stretches, some of which were impossible because of my knees. I tried everything, though, and felt pretty good afterwards. Got take out for lunch, then ate half my salad. About half an hour later I needed a nap, and then woke up with my knees in pretty bad pain. Took pain meds, moved around, and did fine. I am surprised at how well last night went, although I did take an extra set of pain meds around 2-ish. I don’t go back ‘til next Wednesday since I have the cardiologist’s appointment on Monday at the exact same time as I would be doing rehab.

Today I should process some Friends checks – we sent out an email for Giving Tuesday and got good online response and, as it turns, out 15 checks at our PO box.

Also, the local food pantry wants egg cartons, and I always save egg cartons just on principle – so have 11 12-egg, 8 18-egg, and 4 24-egg cartons to take to them.

In the meantime, glorious coffee, a bit of reading, and looking out at the overcast skies.

Karen, I'm so glad to hear your first rehab appointment went well.

Great about the rehab! I don't need rehab but I sure could benefit from a regimen of exercise. Especially if someone is making me do it, and watching. Seems that's the only way it's gonna happen!

Keep up the good work!

>140 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie!

>141 jessibud2: Hi Shelley! I understand about a regular regimen of exercise. Being required to - although theoretically I could refuse rehab - is a great way to make it work for Ms. Sedentary here. Thanks.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend, Karen, and continue to improve.

Hi Stasia, and thank you! I hope you have a wonderful weekend, too.

>139 karenmarie: 12 weeks of rehab should set you up to be ready to get into the habit of exercising. Must be part of the plan. You go girl!

In the summer the latest the sun sets here is 9:20, it rises just after 5:00 am but there probably aren't that many people around to see it!

Saturday's shrouded in fog here, Horrible, so it's me for a second pot of coffee...the GOOD stuff this time...and a few more frivolous, pointless books. *aaahhh*

Good Morning Karen.

I am thinking of you and sending thoughts of healing and peace.

>145 Familyhistorian: Hi Meg! You’re right, and I really should be in the habit of going somewhere to exercise by the end of the 12 weeks. I only see 5 a.m. when I have insomnia.

>146 richardderus: Coffee and frivolous, pointless books are a good thing. I’m 70% through 56 Days and it’s got me flummoxed – in a good way.

>147 Whisper1: Thank you Linda. I love the Hafiz.

…
Ah, first sip of coffee. For some reason my back is acting up today, boo hiss. Thank goodness for pain meds.

My goodness. I was surprised by TWO reads today. They weren't frivolous or pointless but they were quite good.

Isn't that the best way to be surprised?

Wow, RD, congrats on 2 reads today. Absolutely the right kind of surprise.

I just finished 56 Days. What an amazing ending! I'll include it in my November/December Lightning Round.

Hi Karen! Good for you, rehab, and it going so well. But sorry for that joint pain. Do tell your therapist that your knees were giving you so much pain, they should be able to help with that!

>150 karenmarie: My local library has 56 Days so now I am going to have to read it just to find out how it ends! Thanks, Karen (I think).

Have a super Sunday!

>150 karenmarie: *confetti toss*

That is so true. It was...unexpected, to put it mildly!

>150 karenmarie: I just finished 56 Days.
I finished that two nights ago and I'm still recovering. I had massive confusion quite near the end. Can't ask about it because it is all spoiler-ish. Review is in the works (in my private comments section, where I jot down thoughts) but not turning out quite how I meant to convey the novel. I think Catherine Howard is a very talented author for sure.

>151 EllaTim: Hi Ella. Thanks. I can’t say that I look forward to going, but I’ve been real proud of myself when I get back in the car to come home.

>152 alcottacre: Ultimately you’ll have to blame or give kudos to @RichardDerus. It was a BB from him. Thanks re our Sunday. Same to you.

>153 richardderus: All along I was thinking that Ciara was Paul’s sister, NOT Shane’s. I’m sure that’s where the author was taking me. And Oliver’s confession at the end? My and double oh my.

>154 SandyAMcPherson: Spoilers are fine, Sandy, as long as you embed them within the spoiler html code:



...
Panthers play at one. Bill's friend Ronnie usually comes over for a game or two during the season, and we've been putting him off since my heart attack. Well, today's the day, but now Ronnie's making noises like his wife Becky is coming. Becky does not like football, and I'm really irritated that she might expect me to chat with her instead of watch the game. Harrumph.

And in other disappointing news, Rita wasn't able to come over yesterday. I was really looking forward to seeing her and, yes, getting a little Christmas tree. We might just get one anyway, now that the idea's floating out there.

Last night had a few painful moments, but not many. I did have three kitties on the bed at one point, and it was hard to find enough room for me!

>155 karenmarie: re: spoiler, yes, that is exactly what made a good book a memorable story. Quite the feat!

Part two of the spoiler was less to my taste. Not ruinously so, but I could've done without.

All these spoiler tags are killing me! I really have to read the book now just so I know what is going on!

Happy Sunday, Karen! I hope you get to watch the game and not have to entertain Becky.

>157 karenmarie: Hm. Maybe that's so. If so, well...yeah.

>155 karenmarie: Yeah, I do know about spoilers, but sometimes I just don't want to make a whole post spoiler tagged.

And exactly! This is what I thought, too. TBH, the deception annoyed hell out of me because I went back and re-read it to be sure. Why did the author deliberately mislead the reader? Like you said, Karen, "All along I was thinking that Ciara was Paul’s sister, NOT Shane’s.".

I think reviews will have to be careful so that the story isn't ruined for those planning to read 56 Days.

>158 alcottacre: Hi Stasia! Sorry for teasing you. We watched the game, and it was a gab fest. The Panthers lost. They were here for 3 hours, which was Too Much. I've already taken a one hour nap.

>159 richardderus: It's fun to discuss a book, even if it's in spoilers, isn't it?

>160 SandyAMcPherson: Authors don't always play fair, and I don't expect them to, mostly. My biggest upset with an author was
Cold Mountain's Frazier, who killed off Inman near the end of the book, after letting him survive for 90% of it.

I'm now reading If You Exist by Lillian Moats. I didn't make a note of who I got the BB from, but it's a stunning book so far. I just looked to see who else on LT has it - one person I don't know, and the other is, once again, the BB man himself, @RichardDerus. I think I must have gotten it from you, RD...?

>161 karenmarie: Au contraire, I believe good writers do play fair.

It is a flawed piece if the author relies on artificially concealing an important piece of information. I don't mean all the info has to hang out waving a sign, but there has to be something logical and not a lie (or a blatant lack of detail) to hide where the plot is heading.
I think it is still fine if the logic (to the twist or the reveal) flows in which you had to take a later insight and connect it back to an earlier scenario.

Diana Wynne Jones wrote about this aspect of respecting your readers in her memoir (Reflections on the Magic of Writing). I'll look for this piece to remind myself how it was expressed.

When JK Rowling needlessly (IMO) killed off one of the students early in the Harry Potter series, she really lost me. I was intensely disgusted. I only ever enjoyed her first book, although I did read the next 2 or 3. Thereafter abandoned the series.

Edited to say I certainly agree with you at >157 karenmarie:

Morning, Karen. We had a great time with our friends in Grand Rapids but overindulgence was rampant, so I am laying low for awhile. Back to healthy ways. I am on Jackson duty this AM and then book time in the PM.

It looks like both the Bears & Panthers are on the same trajectory- backwards. Ugh!

Hi Sandy!

In the case of quite a few mysteries and thrillers that I read, All Is Revealed by the end (unless the book is part of a series and the mystery carries forward), but certainly not before all actions taken by the characters play out. You could argue that in 56 Days Every sentence about Ciara and her family and their discussions of the disaster that befell their family were straightforward truth - it's just that the assumption by most readers based on what the author said and didn't say would have been that it was the family of Paul, the victim, and not of Shane.

So timing of revelations and information can be put anywhere in a book the author wants them to be put. I also don't mind if some come out by implication, because being fed everything like I was a baby in a highchair isn't much fun, either. Lying to the reader is not acceptable, I agree, but lack of detail is what makes a mystery a mystery and a thriller a thriller. Otherwise Howard could have written paragraph in an article somewhere that says Hey guess what guys? I had this great idea for a book, but not wanting to keep all the juicy details from you as the novel progressed, here's the idea: Two boys kill a third, Paul. The one who was given the majority of the blame and the longest jail sentence, Shane, was NOT the one who initiated the action and killed himself in priston. The other one, Oliver, tried to redeem himself after he got out of prison. In the meantime, Shane's sister, Ciara, tracked down Oliver, but this is where my idea gets good: I'll let you all think that she's Paul's sister. What a great twist, eh? And then when Oliver finally admits to Ciara that it was HIS idea to kill Paul and let Shane take the majority of the blame, Ciara lets him die as a result of a fall he takes although she doesn't kill him. What a clever author I am!

This type of author manipulation of a reader is completely different from an author upsetting readers with a particular action - death, miscommunication, coincidence - that the author feels requires a particular action - in J.K. Rowling's case the killing of Cedric Diggory by Wormtail at Voldemort's command in book 4. Cedric died as a reminder that things aren't always fair and that you can be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Simple bad luck. The Harry Potter books do not sugar-coat the truth, and I've always respected that.

I think that respecting your readers can be done cleverly, with the judicious use of obfuscation and misdirection. The Detection Club, founded in 1930, had the following as part of its original oath:

Do you promise that your detectives shall well and truly detect the crimes presented to them, using those wits which it may please you to bestow upon them and not placing reliance on, nor making use of Divine Revelation, Feminine Intuition, Mumbo-Jumbo, Jiggery-Pokery, Coincidence or the Act of God?

I do.

Do you solemnly swear never to conceal a vital clue from the reader?

I do.

Do you promise to observe a seemly moderation in the use of Gangs, Conspiracies, Death-Rays, Ghosts, Hypnotism, Trap-Doors, Chinamen, Super-Criminals and Lunatics; and utterly and forever to forswear Mysterious Poisons unknown to Science?

I do.

Will you honour the King’s English?

I will.

Some very well-known folks were and are President of the Detection Club:

G. K. Chesterton (1930–1936)
E. C. Bentley (1936–1949)
Dorothy L. Sayers (1949–1957)
Agatha Christie (1957–1976)
Lord Gorell (1957–1963)
Julian Symons (1976–1985)
H. R. F. Keating (1985–2000)
Simon Brett (2000–2015)
Martin Edwards (2015–)

And now I'll get off my soapbox.

>163 msf59: 'Morning, Mark! Too much beer, eh? I hope you drink lots of water and are feeling better as the day progresses. Yay for Jackson duty. Ah yes, our Panthers and Bears are not doing well. The Panthers are still theoretically in the hunt, but barely.

...
Off to see the cardiologist this morning, lists of medications and questions in hand. After that I'll make a deposit at the Friends bank and stop off at the grocery store and the Library to say hi to Rita. I want chili, but will need to buy low-or-no-sodium petite cut tomatoes. I'll also pick up some low-or-no-sodium tomato sauce to have here at the house and a few other low-sodium items. Even if the cardiologist says the low-sodium diet doesn't have to be followed rigidly, less sodium and more creative ways of making things flavorful might not be a bad idea at all.

Ok, I just bought a Kindle copy of 56 Days. I won't read it until next year because I'm trying to cram as many short books as possible into the next two weeks. I gotta make those numbers!

Oh my, yes, take excellent care of yourself. Practice fearless self-care. But I do hear you about naps - I hate taking them and I almost always wake up in the fowlest mood imaginable. That being said, there have been times when I realized that my body was just tired and telling me to get some daytime sleep so I got out of my own way and did that.

I bought a rotary saw to cut some scrap lumber up into kindling. Basically, a rotary saw is a hand removal tool. Seriously, it's scary as hell. It's screechy loud, is apt to buck and kick, and occasionally catches on fire. I haven't personally experienced the fire catching part myself, but it does smoke a lot. That being said, I do now have a lovely huge pile of highly flammable pine kindling. Plus, both hands so it's win-win.

>164 karenmarie: I love your speech on the soap box. Thank you.
I'm not sure that I'm reconciled about the way 56 Days played out, but your 'rewrite' was an amusing précis.

Here's hoping the cardio visit is supportive and reassuring.

>164 karenmarie: Well said, Horrible, and I for one agree 100%.

Have a good rest and rest of the day.

I hope your cardiologist appointment went well - all systems go, thumbs up.

Rehab and getting into the exercise habit is very hard. I have been very lax with my exercise bike, even knowing how much more stable my knee felt when I did it regularly.

I loved your discussion of mysteries. With 12(!) library books home right now, I won't commit to reading 56 Days, but do have other mysteries on my list, so I'll keep your points in mind with those.

>164 karenmarie: Yahoo! You read 56 Days, summarized it for me, and now I need not bother reading it. Thanks for that.

My plate is stacked with YAs and Christmas stories. On the sideboard are gifts for family and wrapping paper to conceal each and every one. I'm flummoxed for gifts for only two: my own sons. Shouldn't be so, but...

I am reassured to read you are talking care of yourself. Keep up the good work, the good attitude. I want to see you in a meetup in the not too distant future.

>165 SomeGuyInVirginia: I thought that was the use as description of a chain saw. I stay away from those, also the hot pewter and molten glass that my crafty friends play with.

Hope it was a good day with a great deal of help from the cardiologist! Also hope that you get a taste for lower sodium products!

Morning, Karen. How did it go with the cardiologist? Hopefully all good news. I had a good time with Jackson yesterday. He seems to have found his voice and spends a lot of time cooing and calling out. Pretty darn cute.
I am hoping to get a walk in today. A nice day in the Midwest.

Tuesday, Tuesday...can't trust that day...

Gotta get the Mmmday-Revilers off track, so maybe we can start running down Tuesday instead?

I'm afraid I'm wordy again this morning...

>165 SomeGuyInVirginia: Go Larry! I know you like thrillers, so this should be right up your alley.

Fearless self-care. I tend to be co-dependent and that directly conflicts with self-care. However, I’m trying. Bill’s helping – he’s keeping people away, mostly.

I don’t have a bad reaction to naps at all. Occasionally they interrupt night sleep, but with being retired I don’t panic if I don’t get 8 hours in bed at night. I’m really slipping into a more evenly-spaced amount of sleep over 24 hours schedule. Good, bad, or whatever, it’s okay with me.

Yikes. Rotary saw? I’m glad you didn’t hurt yourself AND have good pine kindling. When we still had the wood-burning stove in the living room, we always bought a bucket of fatwood from LL Bean each winter.

>166 SandyAMcPherson: You’re welcome, Sandy. I had fun engaging my brain yesterday morning. Some books irritate us more than others. 56 Days worked very well for me and will be a (hopefully) small thorn in your side. See below for results of the cardio visit.

>167 richardderus: Thanks, RD! Yesterday was rather rough, actually, although not physically. See below.

>168 streamsong: Hi Janet! All systems are go, but see below. Aack, poetry!

I’m dreading rehab tomorrow, frankly, simply because my knees protested so much after last Thursday. However, my heart is more important than my knees. Rather, getting my heart strong again is more important than temporary arthritic pain from my knees. Bill actually made noises about a treadmill – something we can both use. He’s also cut back on soda – is drinking a powdered drink for diabetics that’s helping his blood sugars and eliminating a soda each time he drinks it with a meal. This is a huge start for him.

Twelve library books. Major stress for me, many folks here on LT thrive on the variety and choice it gives them.

>169 weird_O: Ah, Bill, you read the spoilers. But you’ve been buying so many books lately at the book sales and Salvation Army that I'm pretty sure you’re not hurting for mysteries/thrillers. You’re very organized for Christmas. Good for you. I know this one will be particularly tough.

Thanks. I am trying to take care of myself. Bill – well – without Bill here first of all I probably wouldn’t be alive, and he’s doing everything he can to make things stress-free for me. I’d love to attend a meetup – sometime in 2022 when things are Covid-manageable again sounds good to me.

>170 quondame: Hi Susan. Right now I’m staying away from ladders, although I did get on the Bottom Step of the stepping stool the other day to reach all the egg cartons I’d been saving. Our local food pantry put out a call for egg cartons (bulk eggs -> family-sized cartons) so my pantry has more room again and the food pantry can distribute eggs. Yes. Hot pewter and molten glass, chain saws, etc. need to be treated with high levels of respect.

>171 LizzieD: Hi Peggy! See below. It’s funny – I’ve already done a lot to reduce sodium over the years. I/ve been using Morton Lite Salt instead of regular sodium chloride (half sodium chloride, half potassium chloride) for 40 years or more, prefer unsalted tortilla chips and lightly salted potato chips. The only thing I ever salt at the table is baked potatoes and non-hamburger red meat. Never salt vegetables, etc. However, it’s a challenge to find any processed foods without tons of sodium. We’re working on it and I’m glad to see that Bill’s interested in looking at nutrition labels now. My goal is to be able to make chili after the next shopping trip with low/no sodium tomatoes and dried/not canned kidney beans to reduce sodium. I also won’t put cheddar cheese on it (sob). Hmmm. Does sour cream have lots of sodium? If not, then I’ll go back to my pre-North Carolina habit of sour cream on chili. Fun stuff to think about!

>172 msf59: ‘Morning, Mark, and happy Tuesday to you. See below re the cardiologist. Yay for Jackson time. Cooing and calling out – sweet boy. I’m glad to hear you’re going for a walk.

…
So. The cardiologist’s visit. I hasten to add that it went well, it’s just that nobody at the hospital thought to tell me that my heart’s only functioning at 40%. Or, if they did, I don’t remember. So I was absolutely gobsmacked yesterday and got chills when she said that. It was extremely depressing news to hear. On the other hand, she said that she was confident that I’d get back to a much better level of heart health/function by the spring. Not 100%, but definitely better. She also gave me another drug, Entresto, whose use is “…to treat heart failure (weak heart.) It is used to lower the risk of death and having to go to the hospital because of heart failure.” This is the drug they tried me on in the hospital that caused my blood pressure to drop so dangerously, but she said that we should check my bp at home every day (we have a bp cuff for Bill) and if it drops below 100 to stop taking the drug. Encouraging? NOT. However, I’m doing what they’re telling me to do. I’m afraid I was rather bitchy about getting another drug, especially the one they unsuccessfully tried in the hospital. Blergh.

I see her again in a month, and then sometime after rehab in the spring will have an echocardiogram and/or other heart tests to see how the old ticker is doing. I had some questions and yes I can go to the chiropractor, can start acupuncture in the new year (insurance now covers it with a copay), use my TENS machine on my lower back, have a glass or two of wine per week, preferably red, which is my preference anyway, and get the 2-shot shingles vaccine whenever I want to.

No more visits like Sunday's football fiasco for a while. I simply cannot NOT be a hostess, and cannot say I need a nap instead of staying downstairs and socializing. Becky's clear lack of interest in football prevented the three of us from really enjoying the game, although the Panthers lost. Becky brought snacks. I did have one cupcake, but box mix! Red velvet! Not my favorite, and Bill gets the leftovers.

Book club friend Sarah is coming over around lunchtime and will bring an interesting salad. I’ll keep the visit short because the Sunday football visit was so exhausting. And Bill put off some friends from visiting on Friday because I need one day this week without an activity.

Hiya, RD! Thank you, NOT, for the ear worm...

Until the very last few years of my work career I never minded MONDAYs (there, I said the day), since I was mostly able to enjoy my work career.

*smooch*

Richard's having problems liking a book of short stories by an author he otherwise likes. That reminded me of an author whose first book, Midwife of the Blue Ridge, I loved, but whose second book, Tory Widow, an ER Book, I abhorred. Here's the review that had her dropping me as an online friend:

I have to say right out front that I didn’t read past page 114 of The Tory Widow by Christine Blevins. The story seemed disjointed and only touched on the surface of the lives being written about. I found the word choices puzzling and the phrasing awkward . Here’s an example: “Anne propped her hands akimbo and took stock of all the printing accoutrement piled upon and around the press.” Akimbo is properly used but obscure and accoutrement is a poor choice in my opinion. Here’s another: “Wood squawked against wood, and stacks of treenware plates tottered on the shelves, clacking in alarm as Anne and Sally wrested the unwieldy cabinet away from the wall.”

Anne Merrick, the Tory Widow, is erratically written. She’s kissed by a stranger on her wedding day – Jack Hampton - who turns up years later as part of a gang that destroys her press and ruins her books. Yet she ends up printing the ultimate traitorous document, The Declaration of Independence, for him. She’s supposedly a virtuous woman who only hesitates for a second before hoisting her skirts and mooning the British ships in New York Harbor with a bunch of prostitutes. She seems a shallow overlay on a dramatic point in the history of the United States, not an integral part of it. I couldn’t understand this woman at all.

There’s no depth or flow to the story. The actions, behavior, and language of the characters just didn’t seem to fit the times being written about. I finally gave it up because I didn’t care about Anne or Jack.

I really wanted to like this book. I thought the author's first book, Midwife of the Blue Ridge was beautifully written. This book surprised me with it's different style, shallowness, and poor characterizations.

Good luck with the rehab and new meds, Karen. Sorry the news wasn't what you had hoped.

>174 karenmarie: Just a word of encouragement -- Hubby had heart failure a few years ago (also in the 40% range) but he followed doctor's instructions and started walking every day for 30 minutes and reduced his salt intake. A couple of years later he tested at 90+% and is still healthy and fine at almost 81 years of age. It's a very scary diagnosis but you can recover.

>176 karenmarie: Well, it has the virtue of honesty if a touch of harshness that would definitely wound the recipient thereof.

I'm not hatin' the read I'm having trouble figuring out how to review. I'm having trouble caring enough to keep reading. This is a collection to dip into not slurp down greedily.

...

...

...I just wrote my first line. Thank you, Horrible! *smooch*

>174 karenmarie: FORTY PERCENT!! Holy mother of Satan. Yes indeed, Miss Lady ma'am, you need to get your backside onto that treadmill STAT!

Initializing worry circuits in 3...2...1...

>178 RebaRelishesReading: That's really encouraging.

Go Karen!!

>174 karenmarie: Sorry you only found out about your low heart function so late, Karen. Completely understandable you were shocked. Good luck with the next try with Entresto.

>161 karenmarie: My local library has 56 Days and I have put it on hold to see what all the spoilers are about!

>174 karenmarie: I hope that the physical therapy and the new drug help with the low heart function rate, Karen. You keep doing what the pros keep telling you to do!

>177 BLBera: Thanks, Beth! Not the news I wanted for sure, but I’m here to tell the tale and will do everything I can to improve.

>178 RebaRelishesReading: Thank you Reba, for your words of encouragement. They make me feel like there’s true hope for me. I will have to figure out how to do the 30 minutes a day – right now I’ll be happy to do 30 minutes 3x a week with the cardio rehab, although I’ll ask them about exercising outside of rehab – can I start, should I wait? 90+% is good news indeed.

>179 richardderus: It was harsh, but the book was god-awful. I could have been nicer, I suppose, and perhaps now I might soften things a bit, but oh well. Good for starting the review!

Tomorrow it’s on the treadmill, and as I wrote above, I’ll ask about what, if anything, I should be doing outside of rehab. Please do not worry too much. Please. Really.

>180 lauralkeet: It is, isn’t it Laura? Thanks!

>181 FAMeulstee: Thank you, Anita! Onward and upward.

…
Sarah came over for lunch, brought me a very tasty and NOT high sodium sandwich – they didn’t have salads. However, I will be especially restrictive with sodium for the rest of the day just in case.

Sarah works for an indie in Raleigh – QuailRidge Books – and she and I happily chatted about books for an hour and a half, with side trips into my health and her sister-in-law’s dementia. We agreed that although it might not be with everybody, we want to start book club back up. She’s going to draft an email to send out to the group and I’ll work on it and I know friend Stephanie, who came over 2 weeks ago to visit, is also interested in getting book club going again, even if it’s only a book every other month and not everybody feels comfortable participating.

And now I’m officially whupped again. Time to find another book to read. I just finished If You Exist by Lillian Moats, a very interesting and challenging book. Now for something rather mindless, I think…

Hi Stasia!

I do hope you like 56 Days. If you like it, then brava to me. If you don’t like it, then you can blame Richard. *smile*

I am doing everything the pros are telling me to do, and even with up and down emotional blips, think I’m doing pretty well for such a major event. I’m trying to not blame myself and not be hard on myself, sometimes easier said than done.

>174 karenmarie: You might consider an elliptical trainer rather than a treadmill. Mike and Becky love the one he got and his knees held out pretty well on it for quite a while.

Thank you for that suggestion, Susan! I'll definitely check it out.

Well, I share your shock and outrage at the news that the cardiologist delivered but also, the fact that there is work to do and that you are willing to do it! You are an inspiration and I am learning from you. I am also trying to reduce the bad from my diet and increase (well, re-start, would be more accurate) some semblance of exercise on a regular basis. May this be the year a *resolution* sticks!

Baby steps but just keep stepping!

>184 karenmarie: A. HEM.

>183 karenmarie: Too late, I'm already worrying.

>174 karenmarie: Hugs, Karen! I would be totally gobsmacked by 40% number, too, although I really don't know what it means or what the implications are. My parents were both in and out of heart failure for over ten years, but I don't think I ever heard a specific percent number.

>178 RebaRelishesReading: Yay for Reba's encouraging news about her husband! If anyone has the determination to do this, Karen, I know it's you.

Talk to your physical therapist (and maybe a bone doctor) about your knees. I know my problem is different than yours (two torn ligaments, not so much arthritis), but I was told to skip the treadmill, because the vibration could further the pain in my knees. I used to come home from therapy, ice them for hours and even sit on the couch crying. That's why I have my bicycle that also can include arm movements.

Hi Karen, sorry it has taken me so long to visit your thread, after your peep round the door of mine, in search of Freddie. I saw another fine documentary about him a couple of weeks ago. I have been a fan since the beginning, and never tire of that extraordinary voice.

I've only had a quick graze of your abode, and am sorry to hear about the heart attack and the 40% statistic learned in >174 karenmarie:, not surprised it was a shock. Glad you are able to comply with the advice though, and the positive response to the questions about activities you had. Wishing you continued recovery. And glad you have family, friends, LT and books to support you.

That up and down emotional response is very typical of people whose life has been in jeopardy. Karen, I am so sorry you're going through this and I just want you to know that I love you and I want you to be well. And do all the right things because sure as sunshine one of these days my behind is going to be in a sling, and my go-to response to any challenge is to by my weight in ice cream and Doritos, and spend a week in Las Vegas.

That's tough news to hear about your heart, Karen. Good to see that you're already thinking of how to improve your fitness and get around your problems with your knees when doing so. Starting up the book club again on a reduced basis sounds like it will give you all a boost.

>187 jessibud2: Thanks, Shelley, I’m glad to be an inspiration and hope that your diet goals and exercise goals will help you avoid what I’ve gone through. New year’s resolutions are notoriously difficult to keep, so good luck (to both of us). Yes, baby steps.

>188 richardderus: RD, you didn’t think I’d be willing to take the hit if Stasia doesn’t like it, did you? *smile*

I appreciate the worry, believe me. I’m worried, too, but can only just keep taking one step forward.

>189 streamsong: Hi Janet. I don’t exactly know what the number means except that with rehab and a low-sodium diet I should be able to increase that number. Thank you for your confidence in my ability do ‘do this’. I thrive on positive encouragement.

I’ll be talking tomorrow with the rehab folks about my knees – treadmills, elliptical trainers, etc. and write to the cardiologist if I need additional guidance or ideas.

I am NOT a cryer, as a rule – I usually cry when I’m mad – but I admit that I’ve shed tears three times so far since my heart attack. Growing up in the family I grew up in, one did NOT cry, so it takes a lot for me to cry from upset or sadness.

>190 Caroline_McElwee: Hi Caroline. Ah, yes, my peep around your LT door… just thinking about Freddie makes me happy, much less listening to his/Queen’s music and watching videos. I, too, never tire of that extraordinary voice.

Thank you re my recovery. I’m very grateful to my family, friends, LT, books, and etc.

>191 SomeGuyInVirginia: Thank you, Larry, I love you too, and your constant love and support always bring happy tears to my eyes. My usual response is ice cream and have had ice cream perhaps 5 times in the last month, but I gagged on Doritos when I was pregnant with Jenna and have never been able to smell them, much less eat them, ever since. Hmmm. Las Vegas. I was there once, when I turned 21, but it was with my parents, so how much fun was that? None, actually.

>192 Familyhistorian: It was staggering, Meg. Today I’ve been working hard at putting it in perspective.

Getting book club going again will be a boost, definitely. Those who want to participate can, but those who are reluctant will just have to miss a modified version of book club until Covid goes away (NOT), or Covid is much more under control.

>184 karenmarie: >188 richardderus: I will take your advice under advisement, Karen!

>194 alcottacre: *beady, suspicious gaze*

>193 karenmarie: You're doing all the right things! The issue is reversible! And still, when someone essential to the proper functioning of my world is ill, I worry.

Sue me.

>194 alcottacre: Hi Stasia! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that you like it - I should re-phrase what I wrote in >184 karenmarie:. If you like it, kudos to Richard AND me, but still blame RD if you don't like it. My guess is that you'll like it.

>195 richardderus: Thanks, RD! Yes, it's reversible. And still, when someone essential to the proper functioning of my world is ill, I worry. Teary-eyed response... thank you.

...
So, off to rehab this morning. My knees totally betrayed me last night and even with tylenol/codeine and then after 6 hours a tramadol, I was in a misery. Up and about, right now, they're just irritating, but this a.m. they were in the 6-7 pain range.

Bill showed me how to use his blood pressure monitor. 115/74, pulse 79.

>195 richardderus: Exactly, RD.

I'm a bit shattered here but don't really know why I didn't expect you to have been more affected than you were claiming. Do take care of yourself. And DO think more about that treadmill before you invest in it. We have beautiful weather right now anyway, and you have a gorgeous outdoors. Walk your driveway, and don't overdo. And do take care of yourself. And don't make yourself do stressful things that you really don't want to. And do listen to your Aunt PA who loves you.

>197 LizzieD: I'm shattered, too, Aunt PA, but it's only a number and I'm doing everything I can to get stronger and improve my heart function. I'm taking care of myself. Bill's taking care of me. Jenna calls every day and will be home sometime over the holidays.

Treadmill vs elliptical trainer vs outdoors vs ___? Especially with winter coming Bill and I might get something to use indoors. It would be easier than going somewhere, and as I get stronger I can walk some outside.

I'm being more ... selfish isn't the right word ... prioritize-Karen-care-and-eliminate-stressors is closer. For someone who's always been co-dependent and almost always puts other people first, it's tough to put myself first, but I'm trying.

No more Ronnie and Becky visits for a while. No David and Terri visits for a while.

Christmas cards, check, but very few presents. No Christmas decorating. No feeling bad about no presents and no Christmas decorating. And I'll let Bill be the gate-keeper about keeping folks away.

And now for a nap. The plumber left - clogged toilet - and once again we're back to neutral. The roof and gutters were improvements, but two new hot water heaters and a clogged toilet within the last three months are stressful and irritating and only get us back to where we were once we spend money and get new/fixed.

Don't get a stationary bike because they're bad for knees.

I really don't know what I'm going to do to get back in shape, but I know I've got to do something. In the past I just went to the gym and took aerobics classes or spin classes (God spin classes are dumb and boring.). But I've blown my left knee out pretty bad, I can just barely lift my leg up to put on pants. And I learned the hard way that the public expects you to wear pants when you're out among them. So picky. I do take two extra strength Tylenol in the morning and that takes care of the arthritis in my left hip pretty nicely. But that knee...

I haven't sent my Christmas cards out yet. I'm a bad southern f****.

I've got no advice, Karen. Get that from your professional health advisors. But I am rooting for you. Do you have any light reading you're doing? I just started Marley by Jon Clinch, which I got at a book sale in Scranton. Linda had hidden it in her garage for me. * tee hee * In the first quarter of the book, which is where I am, Clinch is providing a life and work for both Marley and Scrooge. Dickens showed Scrooge's malevolent character, and Clinch is doing the same for Marley. It's Christmas, you know?

Morning, Karen. Sweet Thursday. I hope you are doing better today and the pain levels are more moderate. I sure don't like to see you "shattered". I am meeting my birding buddies but with these gusty winds, I don't think we will see much. I will then take my FIL to a doctor's appt. Books in the PM.

>199 SomeGuyInVirginia: Hi Larry! Bill and I want to get some kind of exercise-at-home equipment, but we're not rushing into it. I will probably use the sit-down-and-pedal equipment today - if it hurts after 10 minutes or so I'll switch back to the treadmill.

Please do something to get back in shape - I got out of shape and combined with excess avoirdupois, too much LDL ('lousy' cholesterol) and a family history of heart problems on my mother's father's side that I was ignoring, here I am, recovering from a heart attack.

Your left knee problem sounds like mine, although mine's definitely arthritis. Is yours? And ugh to hip problems. We're in the same boat. I took two Arthritis-Strength tylenol this morning. That and a hot shower have me feeling pretty good right now.

And yes, wearing pants out in public is a good idea. *smile*

I have finalized my Christmas letter, including pics of the three of us:



>200 weird_O: Thanks, Bill! I am glad you're rooting for me - I need all the positive energy i can get. I just started reading the newest Bosch/Ballard thriller, The Dark Hours. It's holding my interest. Yay for Marley. It is Christmas. My goal is to get Christmas cards out tomorrow. We'll see how well I do!

>201 msf59: 'Morning, Mark, and happy Thursday to you, too. Yay for a blustery birding adventure. You're a good son-in-law to take your FiL out for an appointment, and have fun with the books this afternoon.

After the initial shock of Monday's news, I'm sorta back to where I was - rehab, new drug regimen, tired, working on the low-sodium diet. I'm doing what's necessary and trying to keep the stress levels down.

Rehab this morning, working on Christmas cards this afternoon.

Afternoon, Karen! I have finally caught up here, and the 40% took my breath away. Reba's post made me feel better, and you have an excellent attitude. Weighing in on the home exercise equipment - back in Indiana we had an elliptical, and I really loved it. Easier on the knees than a treadmill, and no vibration. We gifted it to a teenage patient of Craig's when we moved because her family could not afford one, and she was so excited to get it. I'm hoping one day we will replace it because the Georgia heat is a force to be reckoned with.

I loved your soapbox post, and I agree with your comments. I recently read 56 Days, and I was thrilled that I did so that I could read all the spoilers.

Excellent choice of photos for the Christmas letter!

Hoping rehab went well for you. Please know we are keeping you in our thoughts and in our hearts.

Are we all sure that it isn't time to unmask as the Illuminati we clearly all are and get into the cloned 25yr old bodies awaiting us?

...I just woke up, that might've been one of my dreams...

Well, now you know the way forward! *smooch*

Great pics, Karen! For several years now, I've felt that I can't do one more thing, and that includes Christmas cards. I'm sorry.
Hope your rehab wasn't too wearing.
(I can't imagine that the world could take all of us in 25yr old bodies!)

>203 Crazymamie: ‘Afternoon, Mamie! Thanks for the info on the elliptical. So glad that you read 56 Days so could read the spoilers.

Thanks re the photos. Rehab was a bitch today – I think I got overtired from showering, waited ‘til the last minute to eat something, and was then on the treadmill. No more showers the mornings of rehab, and eating a bit earlier. Live and learn.

And I’m grateful for your keeping me in your thoughts and hearts.

>204 richardderus: I’d love to have the body of a 25-year old again, but that’s serious water under the bridge. Good dream, though.

*smooch*

>205 LizzieD: Thanks, Peggy! I think if I hadn’t already started the Christmas card process, I might have blown it off, but the list was updated in October and cards bought in October, so all I needed to do was write the letter although I’ll also need to buy more Christmas stamps – drat - the PO line will probably be long.

Rehab was wearing today, see above, but I have steps to make it less wearing on Monday.

…
Seriously whupped. I was going to take a nap but came back in the Sunroom instead.

Hi Karen my dear, what a shock it must have been to be told your heart was only functioning at 40%. I hope that your rehab hasn't been too wearing for you and having the added problem of bad knees is not good but i am sure that with steady exercise, the knee pain will ease a bit although arthritis is not good.

I understand the issue with the drug they gave you and she seems very confident about getting back to a very healthy functioning percentage by the spring. I must admit that you are doing everything that needs to be done and hopefully nothing will crop up to raise your stress levels.

We are both thinking about you in your rehab and rooting for you and send special Yorkshire healing love and hugs dear friend.

>206 karenmarie: I hope that you got the nap in after being "seriously whupped" and that you got some good rest!

>132 karenmarie: When my brother began to have pain associated with a statin, his doctor lowered his prescription. If that hadn't worked, the doc would have tried another statin. Have you checked with your doctor about the muscle pain? I think it can do real damage.

Hi Karen- I seem to have lost your whole thread til now! What have I been doing?!?! Glad to hear you are up and attem and getting some home exercise equipment...my exercise is limited to walks (aided by audiobook listening!).

I'm going to drive to Charlottesville tomorrow and hit a couple of the used bookstores, there are several in town. Not surprising since it's the home of UVA. I'm also going to go by Costco and buy one of those ginormous chocolate cakes they make.

Have you thought of attending an online discussion group of people who are dealing with serious diagnoses? Or even online group therapy for grief survivors.

Morning, Karen. Happy Friday. I love the Christmas letter pics. Good looking trio. I had a nice walk with my birding buddies yesterday, despite the cool breeze. Today, I get to spend the AM with Jackson. I miss this kid.

Morning, Karen! Sounds like a solid plan for your next rehab. Believe it or not, I have been taking a break from coffee and alcohol - the stomach flu got me off to a great start, Heh. I decided to keep going for at least 30 days. We really want to eat healthier in the New Year, so I am giving it a jump start.

Hoping today is kind to you.

>207 johnsimpson: Hi John! Oh yes, major gobsmacking, shattering shock. However, I could curl up into a largish ball and not do anything about it or do the things I need to do in order to increase that %. The knee pain at night on rehab days seems to be worse than non-rehab days, but I’m not 100% sure it’s that and not the statin (I see Judy’s message below about statins).

Thank you for the special Yorkshire healing love and hugs, and I’m sending love and hugs to you and Karen and special kitty skritches for Felix.

>208 alcottacre: Hello Stasia. I did take a short nap. Wash hung on out on me for a while. At one point last night I got 4 hours of sleep.

>209 ffortsa: Hi Judy. Thank you. I am in the process of getting the cardiologist added to my online healthcare organization’s provider list – don’t know why she wasn’t added before. That may take up to another day or two. After that I’m going to be in touch with her to see what she thinks about the increased pain at night. At my meeting with her I mentioned the pain. She didn’t think it was the statin, but my sister’s history with statins and all my new drugs are probably causing it. It may not be the statin – I need to look at the detail of all the prescriptions again.

>210 LovingLit: Hi Megan! I could walk, although winter isn’t the best time to do it outdoors, here, on a regular basis. However, I know myself and I know Bill, and we’d both do better with something in the house.

>211 SomeGuyInVirginia: Yay for used bookstores and Costco. Good luck at the bookstores, and I hope you enjoy the chocolate cake.

Haven’t thought of participating in any online groups. I tend to NOT like doing that kind of thing, having tried co-dependency groups in my 30s; however, it might not be a bad idea.

>212 msf59: ‘Morning, Mark! Happy Friday to you. Thanks re the pics. I’m glad you had a good walk yesterday and get to spend time with Jackson this morning.

I filled my feeders late yesterday although the wild bird seed metal trash can seems to have gotten moisture inside. Not much wasted, fortunately, so I filled both feeders with sunflower seeds. I also filled the suet feeder. I’ve got Titmice, Carolina Chickadees, Cardinals, and Downy and Red-Bellied woodpeckers enjoying a late breakfast. It’s nice to NOT see finches.. Yesterday I had 3 Blue Jays on the bird bath.

>213 Crazymamie: 'Morning, Mamie! I can see why horrible stomach flu would have you off coffee and alcohol. A 30-day break sounds like a good idea.

I have high hopes for today: Coffee, brekkie, then Christmas cards. If I get enough of them done, I want to go to the Post Office and then do a bit of grocery shopping.

I met with the nutritionist after Wednesday's rehab and the best thing she told me was to start using frozen vegetables - I'd looked at the canned ones we had and shuddered. I should probably take them to the food pantry.

Morning, Karen! Your list for today sounds ambitious. Be sure to take it easy, too!

Interesting about the frozen vegetables. That's all we use, if we can't get fresh. Canned veggies are nasty, except for corn. And I love the ease of steam-in-bag veg nuked in the microwave.

>213 Crazymamie: - The Wayne and I have also talked about getting back on track with our eating. I've resolved to do Meatless Mondays and to prep healthy stuff for a few days once a week so it will be less onerous to put something good-for-us together on the fly.

I hope we can keep sharing tips and recipes!

Frozen veg is the way forward. Except, of course, sodiumy scrummy Glory Greens. (Oh, and corn, I suppose, though why one would eat it...?) My Yule feed will be hammy Glory Greens and rice tarted up with my dote sour cream.

Then I will engage in a serious bout of hydration to keep that sodium movin' on out. Holly jolly Yuletide!

>216 katiekrug: Yep - we are wanting to cut down on meat, too. I just got a cookbook where she does vegetarian on the weekdays and meat on the weekends - I'm looking for a compromise somewhere in between that.

I love sharing tips and recipes - that's been so fun!

Has anyone suggested aquasize, water aerobics, aqua fitness? I believe it is supposed to ease stress on joints. Several rehab places in this area have pools and programs for it. Diet and exercise, oh my. But see, you CAN do it.

>215 katiekrug: ‘Afternoon, Katie! I feel good about – I just finished ALL my Christmas cards – just need to put return address labels on all of them, stamps on the ones I have Christmas stamps for, go to the post office, and get more stamps and mail them all. I’m a bit tired, but I’ll feel FANTASTIC when it’s all done.

Yup. Mental shift to frozen vegetables. I’ll get some today.

>216 katiekrug: Yay for getting back on track!!

>217 richardderus: We’re going to have to disagree on collards, turnip, and other greens, my dear. Canned corn is wonderful, but now off the radar. Sigh. And no pork with greens… ATD once more.

>218 Crazymamie: What I want to do is increase our fish consumption – it’s hard to get good, fresh finned- and sea-food here in central NC.

>219 weird_O: I’m not sure there’s a Silver Sneakers pool available in my county – there wasn’t the last time I looked 2 years ago. I’d have to have a women-only situation… vanity rears it’s ugly head!!!

>220 karenmarie: People disliking my favorite foods always strikes me as "more for me!" not "how darest thou, filthy peasant, question My Word!" One of my mother's really good teachings: Food and friends...try it, see if it's for you, and if not shrug and move on.

Except corn on the cob. Humans should not eat silage.

Hi Karen- I'm also enjoying your cooking and nutritional tips.

I know I'm eating far too many processed foods. Somehow I've gotten out of the habit of cooking.

Part of this is that I am also trying to eat less meat - and so cooking has become somewhat more of a challenge.

I did pool exercises with my PT - if your PT does not have a pool, I'm sure you can find one that does. When I ended PT, I planned to go to a gym with a lap pool that was shallow enough that I could walk laps in the water. At that time, though, vaccines weren't available and no one in the gym was wearing a mask - not that I would expect it in the lap pool, but *No One* was wearing a mask anywhere. Also I hate showering in gyms - even individual stalls, and even if my hair is not wet and doesn't need to be washed. It *is* so much more convenient to find something that will work at home, so I wish you the best.

Do you have a Fitbit? There was (and may still be) a Fitbit group made up of 75'ers. That was fun and more encouraging than walking 'by myself' as it were.

>220 karenmarie: Vanity shmanity! Water exercise is great, very easy on the joints, and I'm surprised it wasn't suggested as part of your rehab. You probably wouldn't find many skinny, flat-bellied ladies in an aquasize class anyway- I never did when I was going. Everyone was on the plus size, or with bad knees, or both. The only reason I don't go now is that the pool I went to is gone, alas. Have to find a new and convenient venue.

>222 streamsong: My nutritionist (doesn't that sound grand?) has just suggested that I look into FreshDirect, which has begun a program of ready-to-eat meals she thinks is pretty good. I haven't had the experience yet, but their ingredients would be fresh, and they seem to be rather low-cal meals (at least the ones she pointed me to). You heat them up in the microwave, or the oven, I guess. I don't think they are frozen, so you would just refrigerate them until you eat them. It's one way to get out of the processed-food habit, and reward yourself with more reading time as well!

>223 ffortsa: et al. When I was swimming, there were people with arthritis in the pool all the time. To a person they said, "This is the only time I don't hurt." If and when you can, I strongly urge you to get into some kind of water exercise. I guess that's the part of pre-COVID I miss the most. I won't go both because of the danger of infection in the locker room and because I can no longer be away from my mama for the 2 hours that it used to take me to get there and back, swim my laps, shower, and pick us up some lunch. Someday!

Happy Weekend, dear Karen!

Happy Saturday, Karen! I hope you are doing what you are supposed to be doing!

Morning, Karen. Happy Saturday. I am getting ready to head out on the Christmas Bird Count. Details over on my thread. We are just doing a general count, but I always hope to see something special. We did get a blue jay at the feeder yesterday. They love peanuts in the shell, which I put out all the time but rarely get them to visit, or at least when I am in attendance.

>221 richardderus: *blinks* Well, of course. More for me. I like your mother’s teaching.

Funny corn on the cob story: In West Germany in 1979, visiting born-in-Germany-but-I-knew-her-from-growing-up-in-SoCal friend Haika, we decided to have an American dinner – grilled chicken, American Potato Salad, corn on the cob, apple crisp. The fruit/vegetable market had any kind of vegetable you could imagine except corn-on-the-cob. We got funny looks – the silage look I’m going to think of it is, now – but we eventually went somewhere else, don’t remember, and got corn on the cob.

>222 streamsong: Hi Janet! It’s the LT food village – I love it when friends chime in and we can have a great discussion. I haven’t hardly cooked at all since my heart attack. The processed foods that I’m eating are power bowls and healthy choice meals – frozen, 580-600 mg of sodium each. I look at the labels on EVERYTHING right now. I hope you’re getting enough protein with the decreased meat intake. I, personally, do not do well without quite a bit of protein, although my morning go to, bacon, is completely eliminated for the time being and eggs, per the cardiologist, should be perhaps twice a week. Grilled chicken salads from a local pizza place are filling in the protein gap, although they’re later in the day, of course. Not breakfast material.

I don’t know about joining a gym in the new year – so far there’s only one I can find with a pool, 02 Fitness. It gets mixed reviews and I don’t know if it’s Silver Sneakers or not. I’ll get serious about how to continue exercising after my rehab ends in the new year – home equipment or gym. Having a Fitbit would stress me out for two reasons – it would require me to think about my steps every minute of every day and I do not want another entity to know about me. Irrational or not, no and no.

>223 ffortsa: Hello Judy! I think it wasn’t suggested because there are so few pool options in my county, for some strange reason. Good luck finding a new venue!

>224 ffortsa: My my, your own nutritionist! How wonderful. FreshDirect does not deliver to my zip code. There are quite a few advantages to living in NYC...

>225 LizzieD: I remember that you swam pre-Covid, Aunt PA! And now with a centenarian in the mix who needs you to be there, I can see it’s not feasible for the nonce. Happy weekend to you, too, my dear.

>226 alcottacre: Hi Stasia! I am being a good girl. I was very careful with sodium yesterday so that I could have a hamburger patty, air-fried French fries, and 4T of catsup for dinner. Even with that meal, I was still right around 2000 mg. My blood pressure was 114/69 this morning, pulse 84, so no harm no foul. This is only the second time I’ve cooked beef since mid-November, so don’t feel too bad about it. And air-fried French fries only have 150 mg of sodium per 3 oz (at least the brand I bought), so I had 6 oz. Normally, I’d have had more French fries, put the hamburger in a bun with catsup and dill pickle chips, and used 8-10 T catsup just for the french fries. French fries, onion rings, and roasted potatoes are only an excuse for catsup, after all. But catsup is wicked evil for sodium…

>227 msf59: ‘Morning, Mark, and happy Saturday to you, too! Ah yes, the Christmas Bird Count. Good luck, and have fun.

Do you have the wreath feeder? I don't remember. Some one else on LT, can’t remember who, has one. I don’t have a place to put one.

This morning I’ve got female Cardinals, a male House Finch, a pair of Carolina Chickadees, and a Carolina Wren visiting. We saw Louise out yesterday on the way home from the PO/grocery store, and she had just seen an"ear-full" or a "museum" of Cedar Waxwings. (had to look that up!)

…
Mailed 58 cards yesterday. 4 had to come home because brain-dead here forgot to put the name/address on them – had to slit them open, pull out the cards, and use new envelopes for them. Fortunately, I had left-over envelopes. They’ll go out this morning.

And, nothing else is scheduled for today. Huzzah!

Karen, I don't have an air fryer but sweet potato fries may be tastier and replace the need for salt. I personally love to smother my fries (all fries) with vinegar but that might be a Canadian thing. I have no idea where vinegar fits into the *food watch*. Anyhow, I so rarely have fries, that I *allow* myself the indulgence.

Have you heard of the Leslie Sansone *Walk at Home* program? I bought several of her dvds years ago and go through phases of doing them religiously every day, until I don't. It's now been months since I did but I like them because you can do a really good workout right in your living room, at your own pace. She is a bit *chirpier* in personality than I care for but I am used to it now. She is also good at reminding you that you don't have to do everything, you can modify what you need to modify, and each dvd has at least 3 or 4 or 5 different workouts, at varying levels, so you can pick and choose. I sometimes do the same ones over and over for a week if I am not feeling up to pushing myself. I have vowed to get back to them SOON. You can google her to try them out, in fact. I think I borrowed my first one from the library then decided to buy some.

The main point is to find something that works for you, whatever it is.

Hi Shelley!

I like sweet potato fries, have just added sweet potatoes to the grocery list. I'll also look at frozen sweet potatoes to see what the sodium content is. Bill doesn't like them, so they'd be a Karen thing although he mentioned last night that he'd be interested in any of the low-sodium things I'm doing.

Well, you just sent me on Vinegar Patrol. I have 5 kinds of vinegar in the pantry: Red Wine, Balsamic, White, Apple Cider, and Rice. All have 0 mg sodium. However, I made the mistake of looking at my favorite Italian dressing, unopened in the pantry and now forevermore unopened, and 1T is 300 mg of sodium. Damn. I like wet salads. 1 T is a paltry amount.

On the Salsa quest, Bill ordered and we just received 2 jars of low-sodium salsa. 15 mg sodium per 2 T salsa. I'll try it alone, we'll see if I can tolerate it, and if not, then I can mix it with my favorite Herdez Salsa Casera, 270 mg sodium per 2 T. Averaged out 143 mg sodium per 2 T...

Leslie Sansone or other DVDs are now on the 'let's review in February' checklist for continuing to exercise after rehab ends. Thank you.

>230 karenmarie: my soul sibling Bill and I share a lack of enthusiasm (active revulsion in my case) for "sweet" "potatoes" but, and I say this in my most blankly astonished voice, air-fried "sweet" "potato" sticks are not stringy, revoltingly texture-of-a-squished-maggot wodges of rankness.

"The silage look" is priceless! *smooch*

'Morning, RDear! Happy Saturday to you.

I've had coffee, some OJ to chase my meds down with, and am now having a 160 mg of sodium Nature Valley Protein Peanut Butter and Dark Chocolate bar. Yummy, sweet, and the only thing that sounded good this morning.

I'm encouraged that you don't think of air-fried sweet potato sticks as " stringy, revoltingly texture-of-a-squished-maggot wodges of rankness."

While figuring out what take out was on the menu for today, Bill surprised me by saying that with what I've been going through he's re-thinking a lot of his eating habits. He will still probably get a philly and fries for lunch and bring me home a grilled chicken salad, but I've got a feeling that because I am now off Bojangles and Hwy 55, Bill will be, too. I think he's going to start changing up more of his snacky foods and get less processed canned stews/soups. I went through the pantry this morning and have put some of 'my' and 'our' stuff out to go to the food pantry. I won't nag or push Bill to get rid of 'his' stuff, though.

Morning, Karen! That would be lovely if Bill joins you in eating healthier. Most of us probably need to do that. Our family is making that one of our New Year projects, and I am looking forward to it.

Hi Mamie! It would make it easier on our grocery budget and on cooking, for sure. I'm glad your family's making eating healthier a New Year's Project.

...
Good news! One of the couples on the book sort team has a trailer that they can store in the hangar where they keep their plane and have offered to take all ~700 books taking up space in my Library this coming week. Yay! I get my Library back.

Morning, Karen. Happy Sunday. The CBC went very well, despite the light rain and chill. Our small group had 32 species, (I had 25) which is pretty good for late December. Seeing a large flock, over 20, bluebirds was a rarity for all of us. Today, I have food shopping, a few chores and then books and football. Enjoy your day.

'Morning, Mark! Happy Sunday to you, too. Yay for the CBC and your 25 species. I don't think I've ever seen a flock of bluebirds, but that's because we have them year round and you get them migrating in, breeding, and then migrating out. I'm confused - looks like the Bears play tomorrow night. Is it a football day anyway?

I've got perhaps half a dozen Cardinals in the Crepe Myrtle, along with a few Finches and a Carolina Chickadee.

...
Coffee, getting the books organized for their exodus this week. Football, Death in Paradise. A nice Sunday, I think.

This is bulk trash week in Lynchburg, at least for my neighborhood, so today is going to be super busy. I've got to haul a bunch of stuff to the curb by sundown because I have no idea which day of the week they'll be by. Sneaky devils, I think they do that on purpose.

I mailed my Christmas cards yesterday and because I got to the post office at 12:45 p.m. it had already been closed. So I walked next door to CVS and picked up stamps, came back and was checking the envelopes before I put them in the mailbox and noticed that I misspelled your last name. Yes, I am an idiot. In my defense I addressed the envelope sitting in my easy chair with my feet propped up and front of the fire, using a book on interior design as a writing space and without my glasses.

>237 SomeGuyInVirginia: It's the poor people's Xmas bazaar, Larry.

>236 karenmarie: *smooch* for what sounds to me like a lovely day.

>237 SomeGuyInVirginia: We have all sorts of bulk trash in our garage, Larry, because we don't have trash pickup out here, or at least it's more expense and trouble than it's worth. We'd have to put the trash in the car to take to the top of the drive, so might as well take it for free to the recycling centers. Good luck getting all the stuff out to the curb.

Name, schmame. I'm looking forward to getting your card!

>238 richardderus: Hiya, RD! I really need to get off LT RIGHT NOW and start doing the book thing. It took a while to catch up with someone I was 12 days and 294 messages behind on... *smooch*

I went to our local Post Office Substation Friday to mail off cards and such and was informed that they were OUT! OF! STAMPS!

Amazing.

Happily they were able to postage meter my few packages so all was well.

Having the Post Office run out of stamps is like having the Smith Brothers run out of cough drops

Karen, I admit that when I read about your heart function at 40%, it caused a moment of pause and prayer. Let's all hope that 2022 brings renewed strength and healing. I send love and all good wishes!

>239 karenmarie: But we like it when you're on LT.

>240 magicians_nephew: Hiya, Jim! Having the PO run out of stamps is a direct result of idiot DeJoy, appointed by Mar-a-Lardo, pursuing his goal of ruining the PO so as to privatize it.

I was fortunate on Friday – they had actually gotten some holiday stamps in that morning. I would have been able to buy other stamps, but wanted holiday stamps. I was actually surprised that they were pleased to have gotten holiday stamps in. I bought one book of 20 Christmas-themed stamps and two books of 20 each otter stamps.

I’m glad you were able to get your packages metered.

>241 Whisper1: Hi Linda, and thank you.

>242 quondame: Why, thank you, Susan! I love being on LT. I only have perhaps 25 more bags of books to go through, but between watching the Panthers lose and moving 40 bags of books, I’m whupped.

In fact, it may be nap time.

>229 jessibud2: My nutritionist (I'll stop saying that soon) recommended the Sansone videos, but one look and the 'chirp' got to me. I may take another look anyway, just to keep moving this winter.

>244 ffortsa: - Judy, Leslie Sansone has 4 basic core moves and then she adds or changes them up throughout the workout. Once you know those, you can mute the dvd if you want. You really don't need to hear her chatter incessently but the beat of the background music does help to keep moving, I find. I like her routines, though, because she attacks all areas of the body, from cardio, to the various other muscle groups, she can go from higher intensity to lower and slower, etc. Each workout is approximately 30 minutes and because it is on a dvd, in your own living room, you can take breaks as you need to by just pausing the dvd. I started slowly, doing one a day, then worked up to 2, back to back. Of course I wanted to do 2 twice a day but realistically, that never happened. I prefer walking outside in fresh air but I am a weather wimp and don't enjoy walking outside in lousy weather, whether it's too cold, or, as is happening more frequently, in too hot weather in summer (which, by the way, is the only reason I don't have a dog). So, really, with this, there is no excuse (except my own laziness, which seems pretty common ;-).

>240 magicians_nephew:, >243 karenmarie: I bought my holiday stamps early enough, I guess. But later I stopped in the PO to get stamps for international cards and they were out of those (not even a holiday theme -- just international postage). They did the meter thing, which looks ugly but what can you do?

Morning, Karen. To answer your question, I usually watch football, I am a fan, even if the Bears are not playing. Yesterday, I did not turn the TV on until later and I keep the sound off, unless it gets exciting. Sorry about your Panthers. What a dismal season for them.

Jackson duty this AM. Yah! It looks like a mild Christmas week, so I hope to hit the trails a few times.

>244 ffortsa: You may mention your nutritionist as often as you like, Judy. ‘Chirp’ wouldn’t appeal to me, and I was afraid that the women (so far haven’t run into any men) who work at rehab would be ‘chirpy’ and bubbly, but they are not. They did congratulate me when I did 30 minutes the first day, but it was just the right level of enthusiasm.

>245 jessibud2: Dogs do require walking unless you have a contained yard large enough to let them run around in, which I seem to recall you do not.

>246 lauralkeet: Hi Laura. I bought 2 holiday international forever stamps – they have a lovely poinsettia on them this year. I was glad they had them, because I would have had to go back out to the car to get the one international letter and stand in line again…

>247 msf59: ‘Morning, Mark. I get it – Bill watched the Ravens Packers game with the revolting Aaron Rodgers. I was sorry to see that they won, simply because Rodgers is such a poor role model, liar, and stupid person. I’m not sure he watched the late game. We’ll probably watch the game tonight, if we can get it in our region. I guess we can – I keep forgetting how that works, but I seem to remember that we watch Monday and Thursday night football regardless of who’s playing. Yay for Jackson duty and mild weather in Chicagoland this week.

…
I worked hard on getting the books a bit more organized yesterday, have some more to do today. I hope Lindy and Richard don’t want to come today, but if they do, it is what it is. Rehab at 11 a.m.

>248 karenmarie: I hope they don't either. *smooch* for one busy day!

Hi RDear!

Back from rehab, and no word from Richard and Lindy, so I'm good to go this afternoon to do a bit more book organizing. Rehab went well after they steered me away from a treadmill that was harder on the knees and I steered myself away from a treadmill under a ceiling fan - ugh, I can't stand moving air on me from ceiling fans. Under any circumstances. Third time was a charm and I unhappily plugged along for 30 minutes. I did increase the pace by two ticks so that was good. Cool down stretches, then home again!

*smooch*

>250 karenmarie: Success! No news is, as usual, good news. And now for the wind-down reward of Organizing.

>250 karenmarie: Yay!

I will say that I love my air fryer. I bake potatoes, cool them, then cut them into steak fries and air fry them. My favoritest (yes, that is a word because I say so!) fries ever!

>248 karenmarie: I once consulted a nutritionist who was in private practice who was useful to my goals and seemed quite sensible, but the ones at my previous HMO were all dingbats who each had different pet diets and clung to bizarre food myths. I just figured they were the bottom scrapings of the athletic scholarship students - the ones whose parents bribed the admission deans and then got their Dr. friends in the group to give them jobs.

That group's physical therapists weren't much better - I lost one to a skying accident, but Kaisers physical therapists are the real thing and have instantly freed up locked muscles or given me great stretches that allow me to keep moving, though I'm not the best testament to their skills.

I'll circle around and reply in a while, but of course Lindy called around 2 and said they could come today. I don't look a gift horse in the mouth, so after getting the last of the books into handled brown-paper bags, getting dressed again, getting the car onto the grass in case it's easier to bring the books out through the garage, in addition to hearing Bill tell me I am doing too much, I am ready for the 75 bags of books to be gone.

My brother went to a physical rehab facility called Sheltering Arms in Short Pump, just west of Richmond. He was there for about 3 weeks and the level of care that he got was astonishing. I don't think I would describe any of the physical therapists as being chirpy, either, but they were encouraging. I gather it's a really tough gig because most of the people they work with are in severe pain and can be combative. I remember hating the name the first time I heard it, but it really is top notch.

Flip, I know what I wanted to write- I'm wearing socks! First time since last winter! I got one of those sock contraptions where I don't have to bend my knee.

>251 richardderus: Well, no more organizing. I am reconciled to not getting to take any more books as rental fees. *smile* Richard, Lindy, and their friend John came and took out 75 bags of books.



Now all I have to do is vacuum and put the linens that are on the sofa into the closet and it will actually look like a Library again!

>252 alcottacre: Ooh, Stasia, that sounds wonderful. Excellent idea.

>253 quondame: Heh. Dingbats. I’m coming to realize that anything in excess is what’s bad for you. I’ll continue to eat red meat, drink red wine, and etc. The only thing I’ll stop doing is having high-sodium processed foods in the pantry. Lots of stuff’s getting staged to take to the local food pantry, and Louise wants the beef broth and chicken broth.

I’m glad Kaiser’s PTs are the real thing and have helped you. Kaiser, on the whole, has not done right by my sister and she’s leaving them in January.

>255 SomeGuyInVirginia: Hi Larry. I know that I was quite angry at my whole situation the first time I went to rehab for orientation, and have expressed some anger since then. However, I have never been rude or snarky to the rehab folks, just unhappy at my situation. I know they know that. Very strange name for a rehab, for sure.

>256 SomeGuyInVirginia: Well, it only took you to December to start wearing socks? I wear socks pretty much year round, always when I go out in public, and most of the time here at home. Yay for the sock contraption so you can get socks on without killing your knee.

>257 karenmarie: I know Kaiser in general doesn't have the top of the line physicians, and I've known people who have had real issues with them. I have the same issues with their primary care Drs. as with my prior practice, but their urgent care is very navigable, and the PT are a class above.

Karen, thanks to the discussion on this thread I've been paying much more attention to sodium content in the supermarket. It's sneaky sodium that gets me -- like in canned goods. I don't use canned veg, except for tomatoes. But don't get me started on soups, what a minefield that is! In any case I'm now reading labels and looking specifically for low-sodium varieties.

And I made "your" cornbread again today, to go with a hearty soup (homemade, not that canned s**t) that we are going to consume in just a few minutes.

>257 karenmarie: I hope you give them a try sometime, Karen!

>259 lauralkeet: I'm so glad you're reading more labels and checking out the sneaky sodium, Laura.

Canned soups are beyond ridiculous... and I'm glad you're making my corn bread. So what kind of soup did you pair it with?

>260 alcottacre: I have two russets here at the house, Stasia, and if I can remember, I will bake them tomorrow so we can have fries tomorrow night or Wednesday night.

>261 karenmarie: It was a sausage-lentil soup, with andouille sausage and a bottle of cider to flavor the broth. A New York Times recipe, and perfect for a wintry afternoon. The cornbread went well with it. It also went well with some turkey chili not too long ago. And it's not bad for breakfast either!

Another thought on reading labels. I also saw a nutritionist a few years ago. I asked specifically about labels, what exactly I should be looking at and looking for. Here is a small guideline that she gave me (not carved in stone, just a guideline). I keep this in my wallet and to be honest, I consulted it religiously for awhile. The sad truth is, it is really hard (at least, I found that) to find foods that meet these guidelines. Anyhow, here it is:

Fats - (10-20 grams - total fats per serving)

Sodium: 4 grams (cereal)
>2 karenmarie: grams per slice (bread)

Sugar: 10 grams (protein bars)
~ 30-40 grams (meal)


I do try to make my own soups especially in winter. That way, I can control how much salt, for example, goes into it. I love my soups in winter and have a few good recipes that I make over and over.

>257 karenmarie: Good to see your library is accessible again, Karen, it looks lovely.

Morning, Karen. Yep, my lowly Bears lost again and in ugly fashion too, despite some brilliant flashes of talent from Justin Fields. 4-10. How pathetic. On a much better note, I enjoyed my time with Jack yesterday morning. Bree doesn't work again until after the holidays, so I will just have to visit here and there. I have Trail Watch Duties this AM.

>258 quondame: Sorry I forgot you up there, Susan! I think every health care system has strengths and weaknesses, mine included definitely. However, my recent experience and survival makes me respect UNC Health Care more than I ever have. My sister has never utilized PT, and the urgent care at Fontana is less than stellar. On top of her current doctor causing her more stress than she needed to go through, I'm glad she's going elsewhere in January.

>262 lauralkeet: Yum to sausage-lentil soup. I have a potato and sausage recipe that we really like, although I haven’t looked at the salt content of andouille sausage. I need to get some salt-free beef broth for it, too. I’m glad you’re getting some mileage out of the corn bread recipe. We like it toasted for breakfast.

>263 jessibud2: Good stuff, Shelley. I’m just beginning to get the energy to start cooking again, and am working on a reduced-sodium pantry right now. Since processed soups are among the worst sodium offenders, I’m glad you make your own. I need to get the energy up to make low-sodium chili. I bought salt-free canned tomatoes and will use dried beans instead of canned beans. I think I’ll cook the beans in the Instant Pot first, although the chili will get cooked on the stove.

>264 FAMeulstee: Hi Anita, and thank you very much.

>265 msf59: ‘Mornin, Mark! I didn’t stay downstairs to watch football. Sorry your Bears lost. I just looked at the highlights on YouTube. A couple of bad calls and one gorgeous interception… Yay for Jackson time. I’m glad Bree has the holidays off. What about Sean? What’s his holiday schedule? And poor Grandpa, having to visit here and there. Your Trail Watch duties will be cold, according to weather.gov. Stay warm!

…
My poor Bill’s off to get crown work, anticipates 3 hours in the chair. He will come home grumpy and not feeling well – totally understandable. In the meantime, I have a few hours here alone in the house, which are quite enjoyable so far. And tomorrow Bill’s actually going to go into the office.

We got a Christmas present from a set of cousins but, unfortunately, I can’t eat any of it – a variety pack of specialty chips from Carolina Kettle Chips. We’re simple folks, and Cream Cheese and Chive, Rosemary and Garlic, Crab Boil, Jalapeno Queso, Salt & Balsamic Vinegar, Dill Pickle, and Honey Sriracha just don’t appeal. Bill’s taking them to work tomorrow. We’re keeping the russet, sea salt, and bbq for Bill, although he should not be having all the salt either. I'd normally take one package of each of the three we keep.

>257 karenmarie: I love your library, Karen, especially after the bags were cleared out. Inspirational. Aspirational, too.

Hi Bill, and thank you! My Bill designed the bookshelves 23 1/2 years ago, and although the shelves are adjustable, I've kept them the same way for about 20 years now. I'll take a pic when I get the whole room back under control - there are linens on the couch and books that need to get shelved and books that need to get set aside for a friend.

>266 karenmarie: *heavy heavy sigh* I wish I lived closer, as I am not a simple folk and would *adore* all those flavors of chips. I simply won't buy them. If they turn up, I eat 'em, however.

Lucky me, I get good EKGs and because chronic pain raises blood pressure I already have a pill for that. Bring on that hidden sodium!

Yule blessings, Horrible dear.

>266 karenmarie: That's a very good point about the sodium content in sausage. I should know better on that, and I just didn't look. But also as you said elsewhere upthread, moderation is important.

I like @jessibud2's idea in >263 jessibud2:, of finding a few soup recipes to make over & over. I think I'll look into that once the holidays are behind us. I love soup for lunch and could probably come up with a rotation of healthier-than-store-bought soups.

>269 richardderus: I'd share them in a heartbeat, you know I would! Yule blessings to you, too, RDear!

>270 lauralkeet: Any processed meats, Laura - and if you ever make chipped beef at home Do Not Look at the sodium content of Armour Dried Beef. It's going to break Bill's heart when I get rid of the 2-8oz jars and 1-4oz jar.

I have a few soups I rely on, but now of course will have to revisit them for sodium content.

...
Netflix recommendation: Clickbait, an 8-part series. We are going to watch the last episode this afternoon. It's fantastic and keeps you guessing.

Morning, Karen. Happy Wednesday. I received your lovely Christmas card. Thank you very much. For the first time in many years, I didn't send out cards. I think I am fine with that. As Sue was having in AM coffee, before heading out to work, she mentioned that she thinks she heard an owl outside. I stepped out the front door and sure enough I heard the faint hooting of a Great Horned somewhere down the street. B.A.G.

You asked me, up there, about Sean's work plans. I am pretty sure he works through Thursday.

'Morning, Mark! Happy Wednesday to you. You're very welcome. Yay for the GHO and of course a B.A.G.

It's strange - we haven't decorated for Christmas, Jenna won't be home until next Monday but will be here for 4 days! One will be spent with her romantic interest, but the rest is with us. I envision a lot of Yahtzee and we might even try to get her dad to play with us, movies, and some cooking and perhaps baking. A much stranger Christmas than last year. No visits with extended family again either.

Everybody gets their turn eventually, and Bree and Sean are at such a wonderful time in their marriage, with Jackson, and their work, but I'm so glad I'm retired.

...
Coffee now, rehab at 11. Gonna brave the PO to mail a book to Stasia if I have enough energy after the work out. Bill went to work today, so I'm not listening to the TV in the background. I may actually try to make the low-sodium chili this afternoon. Meat's defrosting in the refrigerator.

I'm really enjoying The Guncle.

Yay for The Guncle pleasure, yum for the chili manufacture, and W00t for Jenna spending good time with y'all!

*smooch*

Just spreading the news on some of the more active threads...

There's this new thing I made... https://www.librarything.com/ngroups/23588/75-Books-Challenge-for-2022

Happy holidays!

I always wanted to be a guncle! I'm not sure how good a parent I would be, but I'm sure I would have been a great uncle. Oh well, another life.

Okay you know what Lynchburg is famous for? Nails in the road! Guess how many nails I've picked up since I've been here? Three! I had to get the car serviced and the low air pressure light was on, but since I just got in a tire patched because of a nail I figured it was just low on air. Well, it was low on air because there was a nail sticking out of it. How those tires don't blow I have no idea.

Going to a huge gathering of people Christmas Day, my aunt Martha is hosting at least 30 people. I'm both looking forward to it and dreading it, as well, in part because of omicron and another part because, as I get older, I like crowds less and less.

>274 richardderus: Thanks, RD. I know - all good stuff. AND, today on the treadmill I actually didn't hate it for all 30 minutes. The first 10 or so went by quickly and I even bumped the pace up another .1 and my heart rate got to the desired 20 above starting several times. Then they had us do some stretches with resistance bands which went well, but I think I'm allergic to the material because it's the only thing I touched then probably touched my face and my eyes got watery and itchy on the way home. I immediately flushed them with water and they're okay again. Note to self: Do not touch face when using resistance bands.

>275 drneutron: Yay, Jim! I joined the group, and will create my first thread on the first. I will also have to spend a lot of time catching up with everybody who starts early. It will be fun to see how many messages I'm behind right off the bat.

>276 SomeGuyInVirginia: You'd be a super guncle, Larry! Yup, another life. Same as me being a grandma unless things change dramatically - another life.

What's the deal with Lynchburg and nails? I thought it was Sanford NC - at one point at my job I had nails in my tires about every third month or so. Got expensive.

I hope the party is a blast and everybody's vaccinated, boostered, AND masked. At a minimum you'll get good food and see a few people you're willing to be around, right?

I like crowds less and less, too. The last time I really liked crowds was when my boyfriend Michael's Ugandan roommate and friends would host a party - never formal invitations, but about 3 months before the party the word would spread. The party would usually start 1 p.m.-ish. People would come and go although most would come and stay, and the party would break up in the wee hours of the morning. At any given time there might be a hundred people dancing and another 30 or so milling around in various rooms. It was glorious, but now... *shudder*

Home, proud of myself, back in my jammies, going to relax the rest of the day.

Morning, Karen. Sweet Thursday. We didn't decorate this year either, since no one is coming over. It was Sue's decision. Me and a birding buddy hit a few spots yesterday, despite the bitter chill. Not big numbers but 3 bald eagles and four trumpeter swans were major highlights. I did get photos of the latter. We also saw 3 tufted titmouse, which we do not see regularly. Oh yeah, I got to watch Jack for a couple of hours too, while Bree did some last-minute food shopping.

Morning, Karen! Hooray for not hating the treadmill for the full 30 minutes, and for bumping up the pace!

>278 figsfromthistle: Hi Anita, and thank you!

>279 msf59: 'Morning, Mark, and a very sweet Thursday to you, too. The decorating bit is very time consuming even though there's a lot of joy in it. Then there's the take down/put away, which is always a bit deflating, at least for me.

Congrats on your BBA - birding buddy adventure. I've never seen Trumpeter Swans, lucky you. Tufted Titmice are here regularly, saw one yesterday. Just had a male Doiwny and a few Cardinals just zoomed away. Nobody on the feeders right now.

>280 Crazymamie: Good morning, Mamie! Baby steps, right? Hooray for sure.

...
Coffee, some brekkie in a bit, some reading, then off to the 3rd and final rehab of the week.

Got the first hospital bill - thank goodness for Medicare.

Thursday? Wait...what? How'd that happen? Who authorized this?! *sigh* Tiresome, repetitive calendar. Same plodding rounds done at quick-march time.

'Morning, Curmudgeonly RD! It's amazing how that works, isn't it? In a normal year I'd be having fun looking at our Christmas decorations, baking, and anticipating Jenna coming home. She will be home next week from Monday mid-day through Friday 9 a.m.-ish.

*smooch*

>273 karenmarie: Glad to see you are enjoying The Guncle, Karen.

Did you try the potatoes?

Hi Stasia!

Yes, The Guncle is coming along along nicely.

Haven't tried the potatoes yet, and it's too late to start baking them now before I leave for rehab. However, I'll put them in to bake this afternoon and we can probably have them as fries tonight or tomorrow night. I just set an alarm on my cell phone to remind myself.

Yay for The Guncle! I very much enjoyed it.

Looking forward to seeing what you think of the potatoes when you have tried them.

Or in other words: Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year!

https://pics.cdn.librarything.com//picsizes/d5/a2/d5a2ada47f63cf66369376c7a674368422f7345_v5.jpg 3x">

Smoochling! The Book of General Ignorance, by the QI team, is only $1.99 on Kindle! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000URWYUW

Hi Karen. I stop by to see how you are doing. I pray your recovery is moving in a forward direction.

I send all good wishes for a wonderful holiday.

Morning, Karen. Have a great holiday with the family, my friend. I sure enjoy our daily chats. Absolutely nothing at the feeders...yet.

Morning, Karen! I am in shock that it is actually Christmas Eve. This has been the most relaxing Christmas season ever for me since we had the gifts and stockings taken care of early. We're doing our traditional Mexican takeaway for lunch, so I'm looking forward to that.

Hoping your day is full of fabulous, my friend.

>286 alcottacre: Hi Stasia!

>287 SandDune: Thank you, Rhian! I just went to YouTube to hear your Christmas wish, too.

>288 johnsimpson: Thank you, John! I especially love the reindeer.

>289 richardderus: Whew! Still on Kindle for $1.99 instead of the $24.00 list price. Snagged! Thank you, RD.

>290 Whisper1: Hi Linda! My cardio rehab is going well, my BP is good. My knees are f*****. Yesterday’s workout, which was great for my heart, gave my knees reason for serious revenge last night. Sigh. I’ll be over in a bit to say hi with Christmas greetings.

>291 msf59: ‘Morning, Mark, and thank you. I love the owl, of course. It will be quiet with just Bill and me today and tomorrow, but Jenna will be home next week for an extended stay, something to really look forward to.

I enjoy our daily chats, too. Hmm. I’ve got one Cardinal on the mostly-empty sunflower feeder and 5 cardinals in the Crepe Mytrtle. Hungry birds!

…
Not much on tap for today. Coffee, as always, is lovely, and I’ll be reading and getting the Library ready for Miss J’s visit. Vacuuming, dusting, and putting up the last load of books liberated from the January donation. Rental fee, as Board member Rhoda suggests. *smile*

>293 karenmarie: Yay for sales lasting! I mean, could you resist? *I* couldn't. (Not that I gave it any serious effort, mind you.)

Absolutely not - couldn't resist. I wish they had come later on in the week, but was afraid that if I put them off it would be after Christmas that they could come. Books gone! Library available for Miss J!

I am very late in learning the news of your heart attack! But glad to hear your heart, at least, is healing. Sorry about the knees.

Best wishes to you and yours for now and the new year!

Whoopie. It's Xmas. Almost. One gift to wrap (delivered just yesterday), but that can wait. Got an invite for a ham dinner tonight. Costa Rican dinner for Christmas (don't ask; I don't know). It'll be family.

I'm glad to read that you are taking it easy, that Jenna is coming and staying a few days. Enjoy, my Friend.

Happy Holidays Karen!

Have a lovely holiday, Karen.

>296 witchyrichy: Hi Karen, and thank you.

>297 weird_O: Hiya, Bill. You’re certainly on top of things. I hope you enjoyed your ham dinner last night. Yes, I’m taking it easy, and Jenna will be here on Monday. It’s all good.

>298 ronincats: Hi Roni, and thank you.

>299 quondame: Hi Susan, and thank you.

>300 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul. I love the mug warmer…

…
Counting today, there are 7 days left in 2021. Some folks are already well-established on the 2022 threads. However, stubborn one that I am, I’ll be visiting over there on January 1. So, because I don’t want my final thread to become too unwieldy, I'm starting a new one.

Off I go.

Morning, Karen. Merry Christmas! So far, we just have a squirrel fest at the feeders. Sighs...

'Morning, Mark! Merry Christmas to you, too!

My feeders are empty - I guess I should give the birds a Christmas present.