RebaRelishesReading 2022 #6

For all of my librarian friends (and others too, of course)

I joined LT in 2007 because I wanted to catalog my library but didn't truly appreciate the full wonder of the place until I found the 75'ers in 2012 (I think that's the year). It's a favorite part of my morning now. I also love meeting other members in person when possible.

For those of you I don't know, I'll introduce my self a bit. I'm a Californian by birth and have lived there much of my life but late in 2020 Hubby and I decided it was time to leave our condo in the Uptown district of San Diego and move to some place quieter and, most importantly, nearer our youngest grandchild. We have two older grandchildren who we adore but Ally is away at college and Kyle is a high school junior so they probably won't be living near us anymore even if we had stayed in San Diego. Quinn will turn four in January so we will have many years enjoying him growing up as we did the other two. So I've added Washington State to the list of places I've lived at various times in my life (California, Arizona, Connecticut, the Netherlands, England, the Netherlands, California, Ireland, California) and I'm enjoying becoming a north-westerner.

I'm a retired city planner who travels a lot (or did pre-Covid). We spent 11 summers at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York but among our recent changes we have sold our place there and will probably not attend the season any more. I will miss it but it's time to move on.

I read mostly fiction with a helping of biography or history thrown in. A couple of years ago I finished a personal challenge to read all of the Pulitzer Prize winning fiction. I've also challenged myself to read the Pulitzer wining biographies but I don't seem to be making much progress on that score.

I recently joined a real-life book club, Women with Spines, and am excited to see what reading adventures this brings.

READ IN 2022

January
1. The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris****
2. Rachel Maddow by Lisa Rogak*** (audio)
3. The Flight of the Maidens by Jane Gardam***
4. The Spy and the Traitor by Ban Macintyre****
5. The Coldest Case by Martin Walker****(audio)
6. My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayer****1/2 (audio)
7. Letters fromBath: Or, A Friend in Exile by Meredith Allay**1/2

February
8. The Shop on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber***1/2
9. A Good Yarn by Debbie Macomber ***
10. Susannah's Garden by Debbie Macomber**1/2
11. Mark Twain in Hawaii: Roughing It in the Sandwich Islands***1/2
12. Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson***1/2
13. The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa****
14. A Concise History of the Hawaiian Islands by Phil Barnes***
15. Next to Love by Ellen Feldman****1/2
16. Eleven by Mark Watson ****1/2

March
17. The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and /victoria Christopher Murray ****
18. The Fortnight in September by R. C. Sherriff****
19. Tidelands by Philippa Gregory****
20. Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars by Col. Eileen Collins **** (audio)
21. Golden Days by Carolyn See ****
22. The Dearly Beloved by Cara Wall ****1/2
23. If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin *****(audio)
24. My Italian Bulldozer by Alexander McCall Smith ***1/2 (audio)
25. The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy ***1/2

April
26. I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai ****
27. The Magician by Colm Toibin ****
28. Mathilda's Geheim by Corina Bomann **** (audio)
29. In Five Years by Rebecca Serve ****1/2
30. Agneta's Erfinis by Corina Bomann**** (audio)
31. The Lincoln Highway***
32. Love & Saffron by Kimi Fay*****
33. The Chancellor: The Remarkable Odyssey of Angela Merkel by Kati Marton**** (audio)
34. Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf ***
35. Solveigs Beloved by Corina Bomann****(audio)

May
36. Emily, Alone by Stewart O'Nan****1/2
37. The Man in the Wooden Hat by Jane Gardam ****
38. Last Friends by Jane Gardam ***1/2
39. Tales of a Female Nomad by Rita Golden Gelman ****1/2(audio)
40. "B" is for Burglar by Sue Grafton ***1/2 (audio)
41. How To Give Up Plastic by Will McCallum ****
42. De verre horizon by Santa Montefiore **** (audio)
43. Henry, Himself by Stewart O'Nan****1/2
44. She's Not There by Jennifer Finney Boylan****1/2
45. Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury (audio)
46. Stuck in the Middle With You by Jennifer Finney Boylan****

June
47. Marrow, by Elizabeth Lesser ****1/2
48. The Book Charmer by Karen Hawkins ****1/2
49. The Exiles by Christina Baker Kline****1/2
50. The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict (audio)****
51. In the Woods by Tana French (ebook) ****
52. Home by Toni Morrison (ebook) ****
53. The Truths We Hold by Kamala Harris (audio)***1/2

July
54. After This by Alice McDermott****
55. Evans Above by Rhys Bowen ***1/2 (audio)
56. A Drop in the Ocean by Jenni Ogden *****(audio)
57. The Moon is Down by John Steinbeck****
58. Mary Anne by Daphne du Maurier****
59. The Man Who Had Everything by Louis Bromfield****
60. Magnificent Obsession by Lloyd C. Douglas****
61. The Daughters of Yalta by Catherine Grace Katz ***1/2 (audio)
62. In Dubious Battle by John Steinbeck****

August
63. Getting In by James Finney Boylan ***
64. The Planter of Modern Life by Stephen Heyman***
65. A Code to Keep by Ernest C. Brace ****
66. The Joy and Light Bus Company by Alexander McCall Smith
(audio)***1/2
67. The Likeness by Tana French (audio) ****
68. The Plateau by Maggie Paxson****

September
69. Faithful Place by Tana French**** (audio)
70. The Netanyahus by Joshua Cohen****
71. Goodbye, Columbus by Philip Roth****
72. "C" is for Corpse by Sue Grafton ***1/2 (audio)
73. The News From Paraguay by Lily Tuck ****1/2
74. The Girl from the Channel Islands by Jenny Lecoat ****(audio)

October
75. Hell of a Book by Jason Mott ****1/2
76. D is for Deadbeat by Sue Grafton *** (audio)
77. Americanah by Chimamandaa Ngozi Adichie ****1/2
78. Lucy by the Sea by by Elizabeth Strout *****
79. All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy ***1/2
80. Sacagawea's Child by Susan M. Colby ****
81. Trains and Lovers by Alexander McCall Smith *** (audible)
82. Did Ye Hear Mammy Died? by Seamas O'Reilly ****(audible)
83. Unquiet Dead by Ausma Kahn ***** (audible)

November
84. Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward*****
85. E is for Evidence by Sue Grafton *** (audio)
86. Trust Exercise by Susan Choi **
87. Cathedral on Fire by Brooks Berndt
88. The Plantagenets by DanBrown ****1/2 (audio)
89. Crazy in Love at the Lonely Hearts Bookshop by Annie Darling **** (audio)
90. The Wish by Nicholas Sparks *** (audio)

December
91. The Place of Wonder by Barbara O'Neal (audio)****
92. The Messy Lives of Book People by Phaedra Patrick***1/2
93. Exploring Fort Vancouver by Douglas C. Wilson & Theresa E. Langford****
94. The Library of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick***(audio)
95. Christmas at Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan***(audio)
96. Christmas by the Book by Anne Marie Ryan ***1/2
97. Christmas at the Island Hotel by Jenny Colgan *** (audio)
98. A Handful of Dust by Evelyn Waugh ***1/2
99. Chances Are... by Richard Russo *****
100. The Pavilion in the Clouds by Alexander McCall Smith ***1/2 (audio)
101. "F" is for Fugitive by Sue Grafton ***1/2 (audio)

My ranking system:
Superb *****
Excellent ****1/2
Very good ****
Good ***1/2
Average ***
Don't bother **
Terrible *

I try to keep this in mind when I'm assigning stars but I know I'm also influenced by my current mood, etc. so don't take it too very, very seriously.

BOOKS READ IN 2024

JANUARY
1. Old God's Time by Sebastian Barry****
2. A Song of Comfortable Chairs by Alexander McCall Smith***1/2 Audio
3. The Elephants of Thula Thula} by Francoise Malby-Anthony ****Audio
4. Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus*****+
5. Lessons by Ian McEwan**
6. The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman***1/2

FEBRUARY
7. A Future We Can Love by Susan Bauer-Wu***** (reread)
8. An Immense World by Ed Yong*****
9. Day by Michael Cunningham****1/2 (audio)
10. A Chateau Under Siege by Martin Walker***1/2 (audio)
11. These Precious Days by Ann Patchett ***** (audio)

A rainy fall day seems a good time to start (what will probably be) my last thread for 2022. Welcome to hall who visit. I love sharing lives and reading with the wonderful people who are "75'ers".

Happy new thread, Reba!

Happy new thread Reba!

Happy new one!

Happy new thread, Reba!

Thank you Jim, Susan, Anita and Anita! Always nice to have company :)

Happy new thread, Reba.

Oh! A new thread. Glad I looked. And it gave me another chance to look at your excellent reading list.

Welcome Paul and thank you so much, Judy -- what a nice thing to say :)

Wordle 493 4/6
⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜
⬜⬜🟨⬜🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
pure dumb luck train, cloud, peony, foggy

Happy new thread, Reba! I love the book fairy costume.

Happy new thread Reba. The book fairy costume is so cute.

Thank you Meg and Adrienne -- The photo is a Facebook post by a friend but I thought it was too cute and appropriate for this month and this group :)

Wordle 494 3/6
🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜
⬜🟩🟩🟩⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
That's better :) train, cloud, flout

Voting in Washington is all by mail. If you're registered to vote you receive a ballot a few weeks before election day and you fill it out and either mail it back or drop it in a drop-box (we have one at a school a block away so that's what we do). This morning we filled out our ballots so we're all done and now I would like to hear no more political ads please...what? it doesn't work that way? .... well damn :(

Here's Hubby submitting our ballots

Last year when we put our Christmas tree up for the first time in this house we discovered that it was too tall for where we want it to be so after the holiday was over we donated it to a local charity store. Yesterday we bought a new one that will fit the space. Now I'm excited to put it up (I will wait until a more appropriate time of year, however).

>22 RebaRelishesReading:
There have been some good sales on trees around here. If I put one up at home I would be tempted to purchase one - the prices are that good.

I wish there was vote-by-mail in this godforsaken state. But there isn't.

We have vote-by-mail, but also early voting, which I do now that it's available. There's something about going to the voting site, even though it's not the old fashioned machines of my youth, that makes me feel I've really voted.

I'll be working at the poll site on Election Day for those who haven't taken advantage of the other modes. In the past few years the traffic on Election Day has been way down, making it a lot less of a madhouse. Still a long, long day, alas.

Happy new thread, Reba. I'm still on my 3rd Quarter thread and would be happy if it can last through December as I detest making new threads. Lazy me!

It is interesting that you can only vote by mail in Washington. We can do that or do early voting or do it the old-fashioned way. Personally, I like casting my vote on Election Day. We stood in line for hours in 2020 wearing masks. That may have been a little excessive.

I LOVE the Book Fairy topper!

>23 benitastrnad:, >24 ffortsa:, >25 Donna828: Hi Benita, Judy and Donna. It's a good start to the day when I find visitors here :)

In California vote-by-mail is an option but you can still vote early in person or at the poll on election day. We've voted by mail for years by choice so having no other option works just fine for us :)

Wordle 495 5/6
⬜🟨🟨⬜⬜
🟩⬜⬜⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

I debated between choices four and five and then put them in the wrong order :( train, cloud, cards, carve, carry

Interior Chinatown by Charles You***1/2

2020 National Book Award winner

This is the story of Asian American immigrants to the U. S. and the stereotyping they find here. The main character, Willis Wu, is a second generation Chinese who has so internalized this stereotype that his highest ambition in life is to play "Kung Fu Man" in the movies. Much of the book is written as a television script with characters such as "background Oriental Male", "Dead Asian Man", "Generic Asian Man Number Three/Delivery Guy", Generic Asian Man Number Two/Waiter", etc. It's clever and original but, for me, it tried a bit too hard.

Wordle 496 5/6

⬜⬜🟨⬜🟨
⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
🟩⬜⬜🟨🟨
🟩🟩🟨🟨🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
train, cloud, spine, snake, sneak

Wordle 497 4/6

⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜
⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜
🟩🟩⬜⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
train, cloud, livid, libelM/spoiler>

Hi Reba!

That is all :)

>28 RebaRelishesReading:
I felt the same way about How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe so decided to pass on Interior Chinatown. I know that critics loved it, but after the previous book I knew it wasn't for me.

Unquiet Dead by Ausma Khan***** (audio)

IMO this book is an excellent combination of mystery and history written in a way that makes it hard to put down. The mystery is set in coastal Canada where a man has fallen to his death down a steep cliff. Did he just fall or was he pushed? The history is about the 1990's war in Bosnia and the atrocities against the muslims by the Serbs. I found it well-written, interesting, and engaging. Highly recommended.

>33 RebaRelishesReading:
I would have said that was a BB, but I have that book on my TBR list. Maybe I should move it up the queue?

>34 benitastrnad: I'd had it on my phone for a fairly long time and kept choosing newer things to listen to but my cache was running low so I went ahead with it the other day and, as you saw, I loved it. I would definitely encourage you to bump it up the queue and I look forward to seeing what you think of it.

Another fall picture I couldn't resist. According to the Face Book post it came in, it was made by the staff of the Truro Library in Massachusetts.

>36 RebaRelishesReading: That is adorable!

Karen O

>36 RebaRelishesReading:. So cute!

Wordle 498 5/6
🟨⬜🟨⬜⬜
⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜
🟨🟩⬜🟩⬜
⬜🟩🟩🟩⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
train, cloud, latte, salty, waltz

Hi Karen and Rhonda -- thanks for stopping by, glad you enjoyed the pumpkin :)

>39 RebaRelishesReading: I think that "z" caught a lot of us by surprise. It took me 5 as well.

>41 thornton37814: It surely didn't help, Lori :) Better day today, though.

Wordle 499 3/6

🟨⬜🟨⬜⬜
🟨⬜⬜⬜🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
train, peony, aptly(/spoiler)

Wordle 500 3/6
⬜⬜⬜🟨🟨
🟩🟨⬜🟨🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
With these two starters it just solved itself :)
train, peony, piney

I know some of you are tired of Three Pines and its residents but I'm still a Louise Penny fan and I subscribe to her newsletter. The 18th Gemache novel A World of Curiosities will be released at the end of this month and a film series called "Three Pines" will be released on Prime 2 episodes per week for 4 weeks starting on December 2. She has some interesting things to say about it (some concerns, some compromises, basically satisfied) and I'm looking forward to watching it.

I'm still getting a feel for this neighborhood and for Trick or Treating in general. In San Diego we lived in a mid-rise condo for 10 years and never had Trick or Treaters. Last year we had to turn the nights off a bit earlier than I would have liked. This year we have a ton of candy left over. I must say the 40 or so kids who did came by were just delightful -- full of "Happy Halloween's" and "thank yous", a couple of them tossing in a "ma'am". The winner was a tiny little fire fighter (looked to be about 2) who managed a clearly spoken "trick or treat" at his Dad's "what do you say?" reminder, timidly took the candy and said thank you (without prompting). He was so cute I almost asked if I could keep him :)

Hope you all had a fun Halloween.

>44 RebaRelishesReading: Louise Penny is still at the top of my list, and I’m looking forward to the new book and the TV series. Thanks for the info about the where and when of the show!

Karen O

>46 klobrien2: Glad to be helpful to a fellow fan, Karen :)

>44 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks for the info on the Three Pines TV series, Reba. I'm glad Penny is basically satisfied with it -- that's what I needed to hear.

My library made book #18 available for hold requests some time ago, so I'm on the list!

>48 lauralkeet: Hi Laura. Mine is pre-ordered and due to arrive November 29. I'm really looking forward to my next visit to Tree Pines. I'm also looking forward to the TV series even though she says it's a bit darker than she intends. We visited her home town a few years ago (on which Tree Pines is supposed to be based) and it was nothing like the Three Pines in my mind but I've been able to keep my own image in spite of reality lol.

Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward*****
2017 National Book Award winner

Wow, this is one powerful book!! It's about family, and character, and racism, and struggle and I found it totally engrossing.

I would call Jojo, a 13 year-old bi-racial boy, the main character. His white father (Michael) is in jail for cooking meth and is estranged from his bigoted ex-Sheriff father and weak mother. Jojo lives with his African-American grandparents (Pop and Mam), his mother (Leonie) and his toddler sister (Kayla) on a farm on the Mississippi coast. Mam is dying of cancer and plays little role in daily life. Pop is a kind, solid man who is trying his best to keep things together and raise Jojo to be a good man. Leonie is drug-addicted and doesn't have much skill as a parent. Jojo is a loving, involved parent-substitute to Kayla. The "unburied" in the title refers to some ghosts who represent the idea that family history is carried along inside each of us and serve to provide background in the story.

Much of the story takes place when Leonie takes a friend and the two children on a trip to pick up Michael who is being released from Parchment Prison in northern Mississippi. Quite a road trip !!

I'm really not capable of doing this book justice so I will quote a piece of the introduction in the hope it does better

Sing, Unburied, Sing grapples with the ugly truths at the heart of the American story and the power, and limitations, of the bonds of family. Rich with Ward's distinctive, musical language, Sing, Unburied, Sing is a majestic work that belongs in the canon of American literature.

Very highly recommended

I loved that one, too, Reba, though a hair less than Ward's Salvage the Bones. Have you read that one?

>36 RebaRelishesReading: Love it!

>51 RebaRelishesReading: Isn't Jesmyn Ward amazing? I attended an author event at the Philadelphia library after Sing, Unburied Sing was published and after the talk I made a beeline to the book signing table. I was practically giddy with excitement. I have a photo of me and my pal Jesmyn somewhere.

>52 katiekrug: Salvage the Bones is also excellent. I'd love to see another novel from her ...

Wordle 501 3/6

🟨⬜⬜🟨🟨
🟨🟨⬜🟨⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
once again my two starters gave me all of the letters -- took a while to get them in order though:train, peony, inept

>51 RebaRelishesReading:, >52 katiekrug:, >53 quondame: Hi Katie, Susan and Laura -- so nice to share the love of a great book!! No, I haven't read Salvage the Bones yet but I will, not only because this one was go great but also because it, too, won the National Book Award which is the list I'm trying to read now :) Plan to order it today!

Wordle 502 4/6

⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜
⬜⬜🟩⬜⬜
⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

I alternate between cloud and peony as my second guess. Could have had this one in three if I'd gone the other way -- train, peony, cloud, aloud

Wordle 503 4/6

🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜
🟩⬜🟩⬜⬜
⬜⬜🟩⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

I should have given it more thought before my third guess -- would have had it in 3 if I had train, peony, cloud, photo

E is for Evidence by Sue Grafton***(audio)

I thought it would be fun to read through the alphabet series by Grafton but after this one I'm having second thoughts. It's a bit different because Kinsy is suspected of a crime herself and, hence, is her own client. Perhaps it was my mood, but it seemed rather formulaic.

>59 RebaRelishesReading: I'm not sure how many I read, but less than 8 when the murder of a character I cared about caused me to quite. That seem so long ago and now almost every mystery involves someone connected to the detective.

>60 quondame: Hi Susan. I definitely think I'll give them a rest. May go back later because they are easy to listen to but, for now, I think I've had enough.

Wordle 504 3/6

⬜🟩🟨⬜⬜
⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
train, peony, dream

Hi Reba...

>33 RebaRelishesReading: I am a fan of The Rachel Getty and Esa Khattak books by Khan. I just requested No. 5 in the series. It is almost 3 years old! That's good, though, because it means I won't have to wait forever to read No. 6. Thanks for mentioning it so I could jump back on the bandwagon.

I'm not a huge fan of Louise Penny's writing, but I do like the characters and setting in Three Pines. I will have to reserve the latest. It may be January before I get it because of her fan base. It will give me something to look forward to after the holidays.

I loved the description of your little firefighter trick-or-treater. Aren't kids wonderful?

>63 Donna828: Hi Donna.

This was the first book by Khan I've read and I thought it was a pretty powerful look at the Bosnian genocide. Perhaps I should seek out some more.

It's really the characters and setting that I love in Penny's work. I know her sentence fragments bug some people but they've never bothered me. I probably tend to write that way too lol.

Thanks for the news on the latest Three Pines book, Reba. I stalled out on reading that series a while back but I have a few books on my shelves. Maybe I should go back to it.

>65 Familyhistorian: Hi Meg -- if you go back I hope you enjoy them. I look forward to her new book every year :)

Wordle 505 4/6

🟨⬜🟩⬜⬜
⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜
🟩🟨🟩🟨🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

train, peony, slate, stale>

It's 1:32 p.m. and 42 degrees outside (5.5 C). Just 2 or 3 weeks ago it was in the low 80's everyday. We seem to have gone straight from summer to winter. What happened to fall?

We're going to the symphony this afternoon to hear Beethoven's 5th. Should be a nice way to keep warm :) Also learned this morning that we have a live theater in town. Must look into that more.

Thee's left-over Halloween candy in a bag in the pantry -- it's calling to me -- must resist...must resist

Can you send us some of that cooler weather, Reba? We're still seeing temps around 70 here although I'm sure that will change eventually.

I'm sure you enjoyed the Symphony concert. I love Beethoven. What else was on the program?

It is going to be in the mid 80's down here in Alabama - until sometime Wednesday. Then it is going to start cooling off. That is actually good for me, as I want to make pesto with my basil and didn't have time to do it last weekend. I hope the basil lasts until this coming Saturday.

Wordle 506 3/6

⬜⬜⬜🟩🟩
⬜🟩⬜🟨⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
train, peony, begin

>69 lauralkeet: I'd love to share some of our weather with you, Laura but I'm not quite sure how to ship it :) We really do seem to have skipped over fall completely this year, though, which I'm sorry about because it's my favorite season.

Concert was great. We have a really decent symphony orchestra here in Vancouver and they play in a beautiful hall about 10 minutes from our house.

The rest of the program was:
Overture to "Egmont" by Beethoven
Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra by Haydn
Concertino for Trumpet and Orchestra by Penderecki
Craig Morris was the guest soloist.

>70 benitastrnad: Hope your basil makes it, Benita :)

Egmont! That's another favorite of mine. I'd have to listen to the Haydn to see if it's familiar. These guys really could have done a better job with names! Penderecki is new to me, but thanks to Google I see he was a 20th century Polish composer. I love programs that include newer compositions as well as the traditional works.

>73 lauralkeet: According to the concert notes, Mr. Morris specializes in contemporary music. Penderecki just died in 2020, so very contemporary.

Sounds like a fantastic concert especially the Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra by Haydn.

Happy week ahead.

Hi Reba!

Skippety-skip-skip from your last thread to this one. I hope you're doing well.

BTW, how is D2 doing with her new knee? I've got a consult with an ortho surgeon on January 5th and if the stars align properly will have knee replacement surgery early in 2023.

>70 benitastrnad: I can't wait for the cooler weather to stay.

>75 figsfromthistle: Hi Anita -- It was a good one. Actually, we've been pleased with everything the group has done in our two years of subscription and especially like the no-hassle of going.

>76 karenmarie: D2 is struggling with her knee. Still using one crutch. The doctor blames it on this being her third surgery on that knee in the past 12 months. (I silently wonder if she's really doing all of the PT she should be doing but, as step-mother, I'm keeping my mouth firmly shut.

>77 thornton37814: Ours seems to be serious about staying, Lori, which is fine with me :)

Wordle 507 5/6

⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
🟨🟨⬜⬜⬜
🟩⬜⬜⬜🟨
🟩🟨🟩⬜🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Whew!! train, peony, smoke, sleep, spell

Wordle 508 3/6
⬜🟨🟨🟨🟨
⬜🟩🟩🟨🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
train, bairn, rainy The first word that came to mind when I got the first result was actually the right one -- why didn't I just try it?!

Wordle 508 3/6
⬜🟨🟨🟨🟨
⬜🟩🟩🟨🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
train, night, spite, unite

Wordle 510 5/6
⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜
⬜🟩⬜⬜⬜
⬜🟨🟨🟨🟨
🟩🟩🟨⬜🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
Well, at least I finally got there :)
train, peony, blame, melba, medal

I'm again buying more books than I'm getting read. On the reading side I'm working on Trust Exercise in print and The Plantagenets: Kingship at Last audio. But somehow this week I've managed to buy three new books that I'm most anxious to get started on:

New ones:
The Winners by Frederik Backman (happened to fall into my cart while I was doing some Christmas shopping on-line :>)
Salvage the Bones bu Jesmyn Ward (for my National Book Award challenge)
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver (because I haven't had a new one by her for a long time)

Meanwhile I need to finish up here because I have a massage appointment in just over an hour :)

>83 RebaRelishesReading:
I am working on the Beartown series myself. I was totally engrossed in Beartown and so am about half done with Us Against You and am liking it as well. I just put Beartown on my Best of the Year list for 2022.

>84 benitastrnad: Hi Benita. I loved those two and A Man Called Ove. I've liked the others too, just not as much. Anxious People was my least favorite. I was a bit shocked to see what a tome this latest one is but I'm looking forward to getting into it when I see a stretch of time available.

The new Gemache is due by the end of the month and that will take precedence when it comes :)

Wordle 511 5/6
🟨⬜🟨⬜⬜
⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜
⬜⬜🟨🟨🟩
🟨⬜⬜🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

I had to get out my letter tiles and play with them to finally get this one :( train, peony, cheat, asset, valet

You have letter tiles?!! That's a good idea. Do you just use Scrabble tiles and the little rack? I use a paper-&-pencil method when I need play around with the options, it looks a little bit like hangman.

>87 lauralkeet: Mornin' Laura. I use paper & pencil sometimes but when I look at what I have and just don't know where to go with it I get out the "tiles" (little squares of paper with letters written on them lol). I would use Scrabble tiles but not sure I have the game anymore.

Ugh. Knee surgery. I am still feeling mine. But hoping I will be good to go in January. I miss TKD. : ) Although I think this is the last one I can have before I face total knee replacement surgery. I am going to try and milk this one for as long as I can.

I haven't heard of The Winners by Backman. I love his stuff, so I will have to check it out.

Happy weekend!

>88 RebaRelishesReading: little squares of paper! great idea, Reba.

Mornin' Kim and Laura - How nice to be visited by two of my favorite people first thing in the morning :)

>89 Berly: This was a total knee replacement for her (even though she's awfully young for that). It was related to an accident 15 years ago when she was hit broad side on by an SUV while biking home in her east Portland neighborhood. Thank heaven's she was wearing a helmet but, even so, she was in hospital for a long time afterward and has been carrying a lot of hardware since.

>90 lauralkeet: Didn't have to resort to the paper square today :)

Wordle 512 3/6
⬜⬜🟩🟨🟨
⬜🟩🟩🟨⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
train, snail, inane

Trust Exercise by Susan Choi**
National Book Award Winner

Every time I got comfortable with this book it totally changed the story and perspective and never brought the parts back together again. After thinking about it and reading reviews I still don't understand the point of the disjointed three parts of this book. I'm totally unsure why it won the National Book Award. Not really recommended.

Wordle 513 3/6

⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜
🟨🟨⬜⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
Trying to learn more about the placement of the letters I knew and maybe find the missing ones and I totally stumbled onto the word
train, peony, maple

Really strange. I solved today's puzzle in 4 (see spoiler below) but when I try to bring up the visual it will only give me yesterday's puzzle and "in 3" solution. I do not understand!

Wordle 513 3/6
⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜
🟨🟨⬜⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
train, prank, snare, snarl

Yesterday my (fairly new) RL bookclub met for the first time since April. It was fun getting to know members better and talking about life and, of course, books. I had taken along some notes about books I planned to mention and used that paper to take notes on ones of interest mentioned by others...then apparently recycled that paper when I got home because it is no where to be found this morning :( (or maybe the same goblin that messed with my Wordle got it). Oh well, it's not like I'm about to run out of books.

Wordle 515 4/6
⬜🟨🟨⬜⬜
⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜
⬜🟩⬜🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
train, peony, eager, baker

Wordle is working fine this morning AND the recycling had not been taken out yet so I have my list of books recommended by my RL book club friends. Here are the new ones on my wish list:

Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell
Guest Book by Sarah Blake
Harry's Trees by Jon Cohen
A Secret Kept by Tatiana de Rosnay

I knit, not nearly at the level of many other LTer's, but adequately for simple, utilitarian things (like baby blankets) which I donate to a local charity. This week, however, I was struck by a bolt of courage/insanity and decided to make some tiny baby socks to complete a blanket and sleep sack set I had made and I'm happy to report that, even though they are not perfect, they look as though they would actually fit a baby and keep the little toes snug and warm. I'm rather excited and may do this again (although knitting in the round on 5 size 1 needles wasn't exactly fun).

>98 RebaRelishesReading: Woo hoo! Well done, Reba. Knitting teensy things is hard!!

>98 RebaRelishesReading: That's awesome, Reba! Way to go!!

>92 RebaRelishesReading: I think the structure of the book is the 'meta' of the idea of trust exercises. Each narrator reveals contradictory information about the other narrators, so there is no reliable story, unless you decide that the third person narration of the last section is more reliable than the monologues. I liked it a lot, but then I like ambiguities like these - they keep me on my toes.

>98 RebaRelishesReading:
I am knitting a pair of socks for myself on size 2 needles, so I feel your pain. I am enjoying it, and hope to wear my socks this christmas. I already have yarn for another pair.

Thanks for the support Laura, Amber and Benita. They're not bad for a first try :)

>101 ffortsa: Nice to see you Judy and thanks for your thoughts. I think you're probably in the majority (liking it) since it won a major prize but I still don't think I really understand it or like it.

Wordle 516 3/6

🟩🟨⬜⬜⬜
⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Sometimes I wonder where thoughts come from but as I was pondering the results of my first two tries I thought the third word came to mind and I thought it would give me some useful information and, bingo! train, peony, there

Wordle 517 4/6

⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
🟨⬜⬜⬜🟨
⬜🟩⬜⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
Actually I didn't get this word at all. After three of my "starter words" I still had no idea so went to a word search where there was only one possibility, a word I had never heard before...train, peony, cloud, glyph...really???glyph????

Wordle 518 6/6

🟨🟨🟨⬜⬜
⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜
🟨🟨🟨🟨⬜
⬜🟨🟩🟨🟨
🟩⬜🟩🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Whew!! train, peony, rated, star, alert, avert

Wordle 519 X/6

⬜🟩🟩⬜⬜
⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜
⬜🟩🟩⬜🟩
⬜🟩🟩⬜🟩
⬜🟩🟩⬜🟩
⬜🟩🟩⬜🟩

Oh well :( train, peony, erase, frame, grace, drake

>107 RebaRelishesReading: oh no! That's a bummer, Reba. I could easily have followed in your footsteps, having reached a similar point with the 3 greens.

Better luck tomorrow!

Hi Reba, I like the idea of manipulating the paper letters for Wordle. Even better, I have lots of real letter tiles from two Scrabble games. I got tired of playing Wordle every day (I know...blasphemy!) and put it on hold for a while until I have more free time. I will definitely enjoy playing with tiles because no one will play Scrabble with me anymore. ;-(

I hope you like The Winners. I thought it could have been shorter, but really loved the Beartown Series as a whole. I also agree with you on Anxious People being down on the list of Backman books. My book group loved it, and I was in the minority for merely liking it.

>108 lauralkeet: Thanks Laura. I hope it gets better tomorrow too.

>109 Donna828: Hi Donna. I'm not sure we even have a Scrabble game which is why I made my own "tiles" in desperation one day. I don't think it would have helped today though since I had the order of three of the letters pretty early own. I just couldn't think of the right two to put with them :(

The Winners has been added to Mt. TBR and I'm not sure when I'll get to it but I like knowing it's there waiting for me, along with a hundred or so other books. I also bought Demon Copperhead which is getting a lot of love around here but it's also in the stack waiting a turn. Then there's the new Louise Penny pre-ordered and due next week. I'm focusing on making some progress on my self-imposted challenge to read the National Book Award winners and have a stack of those on the table next to my reading chair. Sooner or later I'm sure I'll head for Backman, Kingsolver and Penny though. We're going on a cruise in February -- maybe then...although they're all three hard-bound copies so would take up a lot of space. Oh, well, we'll see.

I, too, loved A Man Called One and the Bear Town Books and I'm hoping Winners is equally good.

I'm reading Demon Copperhead right now Reba, and am absolutely loving it. It's the sort of book where I keep wishing there were more reading hours in the day.

And a cruise in February! That's exciting. If I remember correctly you've already braved covid-era cruising once. It's a good sign that you're ready to do it again.

Hi Reba.

>78 RebaRelishesReading: We have a friend who did not do the PT he was supposed to do after his knee replacement surgery, and the outcome hasn’t been good. He should have had the other one done but he was scared off it by the bad result, never acknowledging that he didn’t do the proper work after the surgery to insure its success. I hope D2 is doing better.

>85 RebaRelishesReading: Heh. I’m amused by our different takes on Backman. I loved Anxious People and haven’t been at all interested in the Beartown series.

>92 RebaRelishesReading: I bought this one but am still going down the black hole of romances, so hope to get to it next year. I’m a quirky enough reader that what tends to work for other people doesn’t work for me, and vice versa.

>111 lauralkeet: Hi Laura. You're tempting me...may have to get that one out of Mt. TBR ("out of" because my Mt. TBR is two large plastic boxes of books in the garage). I know I'll dive right into the Louise Penny when it comes. Might as well dig out The Winners while I'm at it. Sounds like the National Book Award winners will be waiting a while.

>113 karenmarie: Good morning, Karen. She only needed the one knee replaced because its was injured 15 years ago when she was slammed into by an SUV doing 40 mph while riding her bicycle. She has a stationary bike now and is (reportedly) riding it several times a day. Her surgeon said that would be the best exercise she could do. I do know, from my own experience, that knee replacement recovery is painful and time consuming and she has a 4 year-old in the house which limits her time. I worry that she just isn't willing to take the pain to really do what's necessary but she's a full-adult ... I hope it all works out in the end.

Judy liked Trust Exercise much better than I did not to mention the prize it won so it's clearly possible you will like it too.

Wordle 520 4/6

⬜⬜🟨🟨⬜
⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜
🟩⬜⬜🟨🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
train, peony, audio, axiom

We're expecting both daughters, their partners and the little grandson for Thanksgiving day. They're bringing pies and a mashed carrot dish. I'm doing Turkey breast, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, cranberry/raspberry sauce and providing Brussel's Sprouts that Partner 2 will roast once they're here. Everything looks like it's shaping up great except little grandson is sick and his dad was sick yesterday although better today I understand.

I'm off to Target (or "tar-jee" as an old boss used to say) this morning to buy some Christmas wrapping paper and family cards. I'm pleased to say that I've nearly finished the shopping that has to be mailed and hope to do that next week. I'm feeling rather smug because it occurred to me that I could have Amazon items delivered to d-i-l since son's family will be there for Christmas this year. Big grandson will be off to college next fall and his wish list was mainly for dorm-room things, including a foam topped mattress cover. I called d-i-l and asked if she would be willing to wrap their presents if I had the order sent to her and included wrapping paper. She's a sweetie and readily agreed so that takes care of some of it. I still have things to wrap and mail for her, son and granddaughter but they're not as big as that mattress cover!

And now I will stop rambling on...

>111 lauralkeet: >114 RebaRelishesReading: Hi Reba and Laura, I'm listening to the audio of Demon Copperhead right now and the narration is outstanding. I love the book and making the connections to the Dickens book. I got away from reading Kingsolver the last few years for some reason but this book is really compelling.

Stop reminding me that I haven't bought one single Christmas gift Reba!

Hi Reba, sounds like you will have a lovely Thanksgiving! We are on the fence about postponing it because Callia and I are still hacking away, but today felt like a good day. For the first time we have ordered a smoked turkey to try to simplify things - I'm excited to try it!

You got me twice: with >33 RebaRelishesReading: Unquiet Dead and Sing, Unburied, Sing.

And I'm horrified to hear about your daughter's bike accident, though it was so long ago. I'm more fearful than I should be when Stelios goes out, but I just can't help it!

You sound so organized for the holiday season, Reba. I haven’t done anything yet.

>117 brenzi: LOL, Bonnie, sorry about the gift reminders. I have to mail more than half of mine and there are December birthday gifts to include in those packages so I really need to get going early.

As far as I know Kingsolver's last book was poetry which I've never learned to enjoy so I haven't read anything of hers for a long time either.

>118 AMQS: Hi Anne. I think we may end up doing Thanksgiving later because the little grandson is quite sick with some virus. If he doesn't have a quick recovery (which for a four year-old is possible) we may look for a different day. I tasted a smoked turkey from Honey Baked a couple of years ago and, even though I'm not usually big on smoked meat, it was wonderful. Hope you enjoy yours as much.

I hear you about bike worry. Please make sure Stellos always wears a helmut. That's what saved D2's life in that accident.

>119 Familyhistorian: I'm doing my best, Meg :)

Wordle 521 4/6

⬜🟩⬜🟨⬜
🟩🟨⬜⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩⬜🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

train, peony, pride, prime -- right now I think "pride" should have been the solution

We went to Costco yesterday because Hubby had an appointment in the hearing aid department (I may not have to shout at him all of the time soon). While he was busy there I did some shopping for D2 and for us including a beautiful fresh wreath for the front door. It was the busiest I have ever seen it but, in usual Costco form, we were checked out in a jiffy. Dodging carts while trying to move about in the store was definitely challenging though.

I'm going out to look for some smallish poinsettias today. We have a half-wine-barrell by the front door which had tulips in it last spring (and will again this year I hope) but has been bare since. I want to set three poinsettias in pots on top of the soil (which still has the tulip bulbs in it). Should be a nice bright spot.

The NY Times published it's "100 Notable Books of 2022" today. I have read one, Lucy by the Sea and just bought another Demon Copperhead...period. What have I been doing?

>123 RebaRelishesReading: I've read Joan Is Okay and Olga Dies Dreaming so I should try Lucy by the Sea and Kiki Man Ray to get all those starting with a woman's name.

Hi Susan! The only one of those I'm familiar with is Lucy but I do recommend you read it.

Wordle 522 4/6

⬜🟩⬜🟨⬜
⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜
⬜🟩🟩🟨⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
train, peony, brief, drive

I really thought I had my act together for Thanksgiving. The daughters were bring pies and a mashed carrot dish D2 makes (which is a staple for holiday meals with us) and everything else was in-house and ready for prep...and then, little grandson got sick :( (just little kid virus thing I believe but still sad for him and inconvenient for the rest of us). I've left it to the daughters to work out when, or if, we should postpone (we're free all weekend) but haven't heard yet what is going on. Only real problem I see is that I bought a fresh turkey breast and Saturday is the "use by" date for it!

The Plantagenets by Dan Brown****1/2 (audio)

While I have long had a middling knowledge of English history after about 1500 I knew zip-o about anything before then so when I spotted this book on Audible I thought I probably should "read" it. It turned out to be a good read in addition to stretching my middling knowledge back a few centuries. It's an interesting well written and well read book.

Sorry for the disruption to your holiday plans, Reba. I hope you're able to come up with a new schedule soon, preferably one that doesn't poison everyone (just kidding).

Thank you as always for books, thank you for this group and thanks for you. Have a lovely day, Reba.

>129 lauralkeet: Thank you, Laura. I hope to avoid that too. We've settled on Sunday so we decided to put the turkey in the freezer for the interim. Little guy started a fever yesterday, though, so I'm none to sure about Sunday either :(

>130 PaulCranswick: Thank you for friends, family, health, shelter, food, kindness, books, LT and thank you Paul!

Wordle 523 5/6
🟨⬜🟩⬜⬜
⬜🟩⬜⬜⬜
⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩
⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
With Thanksgiving rescheduled in our house, it took me wa-a-a-y too long to get this. Train, peony, least, beast..."oh Yeah"...FEAST!

Wordle 524 4/6

🟨⬜⬜🟨⬜
⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩
⬜🟨🟨⬜🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

train, peony, witty, itchy :)

We postponed Thanksgiving to Sunday because little grandson is sick. This morning I woke up with a scratchy throat and both of grandson's parents are sick. I'm beginning to think we'll just forget about Thanksgiving for this year and move on toward Christmas :(

>135 RebaRelishesReading: - Aw, I'm sorry to hear that, Reba. Take care of yourself!

>136 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie. Sympathy helps :)

Sorry to hear about your missed Thanksgiving. Hope everyone is well soon!

I bet your grandson is going to love the mattress topper! We got one for Banjo, jr, recommended by the nice Bed Bath and Beyond salesperson, and she LOVED it. And I think the better sleep probably improved her grades.

>138 banjo123: Hi Rhonda. I like the positive words about the mattress topper and grades :) He won't be trying it out until coming fall (he's a high school senior now) but I like the idea that he is thinking ahead to college next year.

Thanks for good wishes re health. D2, partner and son went out to Burgerking today, eating while in the car but wanting to get out of the house. I guess that means they're feeling better. My throat still feels a bit funny but hope it will be gone by tomorrow.

Crazy in Love at the Lonely Hearts Bookshop by Annie Darling**** (audio)

Thanks Katie for putting me onto this lovely, fun, romantic romp! I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Oh no, I hope you haven't come down with something too, Reba! That just will not do. Hoping for better news tomorrow.

>141 lauralkeet: We're both fine, thank you, Laura. Just got morning report from D2 -- she's still congested, etc. Her partner is busy getting Q into a bath to try to open him up some and hasn't reported on himself yet. I'm thinking we may skip Thanksgiving with them and just have D1 and partner over tomorrow. :(

Wordle 525 3/6

⬜⬜🟨⬜🟩
⬜🟨⬜🟨⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

train, peony, clean

I had planned to start decorating the house for Christmas yesterday but didn't because we haven't had Thanksgiving yet. I'm not sure what's going to happen on that score but I may unpack the new tree Monday no matter. I did buy (and install) a wreath and some poinsettias for outside the front door the other day so the outside of the house is done (except the tree will be visible through the front windows).

I hope your Thanksgiving plans work out soon, Reba.

Thanks Meg. We're going to go ahead and have the "feast" with D1 and partner today. We plan to ask them to take a share to D2 and family on there way home, and we're hoping for a better outcome at Christmas.

Wordle 526 3/6

⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜
🟨⬜⬜⬜🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

train, peony, happy

Wordle 527 3/6

🟩⬜⬜🟩⬜
🟨🟩⬜⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Thank you starter words for leading me right to it :)
train, peony, tepid

Book club is meeting here next Monday so I'm hoping to have all of the Christmas decorations up by then. I got a fresh wreath and three poinsettias for the front door area last week but nothing has happened inside yet. First step, as soon as I finish here, is to wash the little boy hand prints off of the inside of the front windows before we put the tree there. I'm excited about this because we haven't had the Christmas stuff out since 2019 and there are many memories involved.

Have fun decorating! I've pulled out our stuff but haven't put anything up yet, other than a tree in the living room. The Wayne wants to wait until his mom gets here to decorate it, so it's just lights for now...

Ooh that sounds fun Reba. We put up our tree and decorated it the day after Thanksgiving, timing that our daughters originally dictated when they were home from college and has since become a regular tradition.

And "little boy hand prints" are all part of the charm! Says the person with dog nose prints on various doors & windows ...

Good morning Katie and Laura -- makes my morning to find you here :)

Status update: tree is up and half the ornaments are on it. This is a new artificial tree purchased because the lights on the old one went last year (ever see a tree have a nervous breakdown?). I picked one with a bit of flocking and glitter on it because I thought it was pretty -- it is. However, we now have glitter enhanced floors throughout the house :( Once all the ornaments are in place I will vacuum and hope that will take care of it...until we take it down of course.

I'm realizing how much Christmas "stuff" I have now that it tis coming out of the boxes for the first time since 2019! There are eleven stockings hanging from the mantel, fifteen nutcrackers on the sofa table, a German Christmas "tower" on the dining room table, a nativity on the cabinet in the entry and a Christmas tree at the front window in the living room. Still to come: a village on the buffet in the dining room. I love it all but am also feeling a bit like Crazy Christmas Lady 😵‍💫

Wordle 528 6/6

⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨
⬜🟨⬜🟨⬜
⬜⬜⬜🟩🟨
⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩
⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Is that even a word?! Aside from that, it's evidence of my morning that I tried the same word twice in a row!! train, peony, cloud, endue, endue, undue

And just to underscore the condition of this household this morning: my calendar says that Hubby has a dentist appointment at 2 this afternoon. At 9 he came wandering into the study in his bathrobe saying "what time is my dentist appointment?" then added I think it's at 9". Much scrambling on my part to find telephone number for dentist while he checks his email and confirms it is indeed at 9. He runs to throw on clothes, I call dentist/get answering machine/then text them meanwhile providing him with directions and close the garage door behind him so he doesn't have to hesitate. In all of this he/we can't find his phone. So, Hubby who isn't sure where the dentist office is exactly has gone out on a cold morning late for his appointment and without his phone -- which I still haven't found in the house.

It may be going to be one of "those days"

Wow, lots going on at your house, Reba. I'm glad you managed to fit a belated Thanksgiving dinner in with part of the family. It is good to be flexible when illness interferes with plans.

Excuse me for laughing out loud at your DH's antics. I hope he found the dental office and can cross the appointment of his list.

Isn't Christmas decorating fun? I know what you mean about unpacking the memories. We decided to have our kiddos in town over the Sunday before Thanksgiving for a meal as we were leaving the next day for Denver. For the first time ever, I put up the tree early so Haley and Molly could decorate it. I am (or used to be) very particular about it and told them if they did a good job, they could each take home two of their favorite ornaments for their personal trees. They did a super job...and I am glad the tree is up, although none of the other boxes were opened for the extra decorations.

>152 RebaRelishesReading: My daughter Becky and her friends call glitter "fairy herpes". Pretty but almost impossible to cure.

I had to laugh at the DH story too. That could so easily happen to us too! I hope it all turned out okay in the end. I also enjoyed reading about your Christmas decorating. You are indeed a Crazy Christmas Lady! But I bet it's fun to be reunited with stuff that's been in storage.

Wordle 529 4/6

🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜
⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩
⬜⬜⬜🟨🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

train, peony, cloud, study

Good morning Donna, Susan and Laura. Thanks for sharing my laughter :) Turned out Hubby made it to the dentist's office without incident. His teeth got a full cleaning and there was even time for the dentist to do his consult at the end. The telephone was found in a drawer of his desk (I didn't ask why it was in a drawer). I finished decorating the Christmas tree and got most of the glitter off off the floor in the living room. Today I hope to (1) put the village up, (2) do the laundry and (3) vacuum the rest of the house. I have a massage booked for tomorrow morning :)

The new Louise Penny was delivered to my doorstep yesterday. I thought it was a book I had ordered for Hubby for Christmas so didn't open the box until this morning -- lovely surprise :) I'm going to wait to start it, however. We're driving to San Diego in early January to pet/house-sit for my son and d-i-l while they finally take their covid-delayed honeymoon (they married in June 2019) and I've decided to take my new hard-back books along for the trip (Penny, Backman, Kingsolver) plus other hardcover books from Mt. TBR. Since it's a road trip weight won't matter so it's a good time to take hardcovers along :)

Dropping in to say hello! It does sound like you have been quite busy. The decorations must look wonderful.

>159 RebaRelishesReading: Oooh! Lucky you to have the new Louise Penny! I have been enjoying the three pines/Gamache series and can't wait until it's my turn in the library queue.

Hi Anita. Thanks for your kind words and for your visit! For you, and all Penny readers: Three Pines debuts on Prime tomorrow night. There were be two episodes per week for four weeks. Each couplet of episodes covers one book. This week's release is based on her second book, A Fatal Grace/Dead Cold (U.S. and Canada had a separate names -- never understood why).

Wordle 530 5/6

🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜
⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜
🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜
⬜⬜⬜🟨🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
Hard one for me!! train, peony, cloud, spite, eject

My back has been killing me the past two days so I'm off for a massage in a bit. I doubt it will cure the problem but hope it speeds recovery -- I still have to put the finishing touches on the village and then clean the house!!

Wordle 531 5/6

⬜⬜🟩⬜⬜
⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜
🟩⬜⬜⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩⬜🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
train, peony, cloud, chase, chafe

The Wish by Nicholas Sparks*** (audio)

Maggie Dawes is a successful photographer specializing in travel photography. She has final stage melanoma and has hired a young man to work in the gallery to help current staff now that she is too ill to work a full load. The book alternates between her current story and a story from her past. My only problem with the book was that, in the audio version, the reader alternates between a normal voice for the current parts and moves to a young girl voice when reading parts about the past (when Maggie was 16). The change of voice would be fine except that the text is written in sophisticated language that a 16-year-old poor to average student would never use. Other than that in was good romance novel fare and perfect for listening to while driving/cleaning/etc. plus the current part takes place at Christmas so also perfect for this time of year :)

We watched the first episode of Three Pines tonight and I was very pleased. I thought the characters were really recognizable and the village was just like I have always imagined it!! I don't actually remember the story so far (no surprise, I read it years ago) but the show just felt right!

>166 RebaRelishesReading: I was wondering about that one. I have held off watching because I wasn't sure how it would feel about it compared to the books. I shall watch an episode soon.

Happy weekend :)

>166 RebaRelishesReading: that's good to know, Reba.

Your Christmas decorating sounds charming, Reba. Hope your back feels better soon.

>166 RebaRelishesReading: We watched the first two episodes of Three Pines last night. I have read the books, husband hasn’t. We both really enjoyed them, and I was glad to see that the show is sticking pretty close to the book. Can’t wait for more!

Karen O

Wordle 532 4/6

🟩🟨⬜⬜⬜
⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
train, peony, torch, torso

Hi Anita -- Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Morning Laura -- I forget, are you a Penny fan? If so, I definitely think you should watch.

Thank you Meg -- I hope it does too. So far this morning I'm fine as long as I sit upright and don't move too much. I was also able to sleep comfortable last night, so things are improving :)

I agree completely, Karen. Hubby hasn't read any of the books either and also enjoyed it. I enjoyed it on two levels -- (1)good story well told and (2)whew -- they did it really well.

I'm planning to watch the second episode tonight and then wait anxiously for next weeks release -- I think it will be based on The Cruellest Month. I don't own the early books but would love to reread them before watching.

>172 RebaRelishesReading: Yes, Reba, I'm a fan. I've read all of the Inspector Gamache books and am waiting for a library hold request to read the new one.

Hubby is not familiar with the books or series. I'm going to share some of the reviews to entice him. From reviews I learned they have woven in a contemporary story about indigenous people that runs over all of this season's episodes. I like that, both because of its relevance and because it adds something new for viewers who might remember how each case turns out.

>173 lauralkeet: I like the idea of the woven in story but both reasons too. I'm also willing to forgive them using lines spoken in French :) I read this book shortly after it came out and did not remember anything about the main story, though, so it was all new to me :)

Wordle 533 3/6

⬜🟨🟨⬜⬜
⬜🟨🟩⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

train, peony, adore

It's been snowing all morning, although not sticking. It's supposed to stop by 6, I think although I would appreciate it stopping a bit sooner since we have tickets to a Christmas concert in Portland at 4:00 and plans to have dinner with friends afterwards. Does give a nice Christmassy vibe though.

The Place of Wonder by Barbara O'Neal**** (audio)

Augustus Beauvais, a famous chef, has died of an apparent heart attack but the police have sent his body for autopsy. Meanwhile the many women in his life (ex-wife, girl friend, daughters, casual lovers and colleagues) are mourning. Some of these women have very difficult backgrounds (other than Augustus) and Augustus' death serves as a vehicle to incorporate these various stories into one book. I like a book about strong, surviver women and thought Ms. O'Neal did a fine job.

Wordle 534 6/6

⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩
⬜🟨🟨🟨⬜
⬜🟩⬜🟩🟩
🟩🟩⬜🟩🟩
🟩🟩⬜🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

train, peony, loden, woven, women, woken

We braved the weather and went to the concert and dinner out with friends yesterday afternoon/evening and we had a great time. There was a lot less snow in Portland and in eastern Vancouver than at our slightly higher elevation at home where we still have a beautiful, Chrisitmassy white layer this morning :) I'm feeling a bit wonky this morning, however, and hope it wasn't something I ate.

Not a lot pressing today so I hope to clear my desk of phone calls and then spend some time knitting and listening to an audio book. I bought two pieces of Christmas fluff by Jenny Colgan this morning and still have F is for Fugitive waiting. I also have To Kill a Troubadour by Martin Walker and A Song of Comfortable Chairs by Alexander McCall Smith on my phone but I plan to save those for the January road trip to San Diego.

I put a new ink cartridge in the printer yesterday and the alignment page came out with part garbage and part not-very-good. I stuck it in the scanner assuming that would tell it that it needed help. It didn't -- now it will only print that same messed-up alignment page or total garbage! I've spent the morning trying to figure out what to do with the manual and on-line "help". We've now decided to take it to visit our friends the "Geeks" and see if they think it's worth fooling with. So irritating because it was working just fine until it needed new black :(

Beyond that we have a long list of errands to run so I think I know what my day is going to be like. If we succeed with everything we will pretty much be ready for Christmas though -- so that's a good thing :)

I talked Hubby into running errands with me and 3 1/2 hours later we're home again. Among other things we bought a new printer and went to World Market to shop for stocking stuffers. We're getting close to having Christmas ready to go. Our calendar is getting rather full of fun stuff between now and the big day so I'm glad to be getting done with the work part :) The afternoon will probably be pretty full of installing the printer, though, which will not be fun.

How odd about your printer. I guess I would have expected it to completely stop functioning, not just turn irreparably weird. I hope the new installation went okay. I hate the way these kinds of tasks can derail your day.

>182 lauralkeet: Hi Laura. It seems my day is easily derailed especially by objects that are supposed to be helpful lol. Anyway, installation was amazingly easy and the new one is working fine...at least for now lol. Good news was we selected an HP for $149 but when we paid it turned out it was on sale for $69, including two regular-size ink cartridges. We had also picked up two XP cartridges which were $59 each!! Confirms what I learned many years ago when I did some market research leading to the design of a paper cup dispenser that is still on the market today (I'm happy to report). They told me they would happily give the dispenser away because what they really wanted was the dispenser in the bathroom/kitchen because consumers would keep it filled and the real object was to sell Dixie Cups -- obviously HP just wants to sell ink.

Wordle 537 4/6

⬜🟨⬜🟨🟨
⬜🟨⬜🟨⬜
🟨🟨⬜🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
train, peony, nicer, infer

The Messy Lives of Book People by Phaedra Patrick ***1/2

Liv is a "cleaner" working to help keep her family afloat while her husband's family business, a book bindery, is struggling. One of her clients is an author, the author of a series of books Liv has loved since childhood. When the author makes an unusual request of Liv, it turns her life upside down.

I picked this book for my real-life bookclub to read without knowing much about it and I must admit it wasn't as good as I had hoped. It was, however, an unusual premise and I enjoyed it. Good for a light-read break.

>183 RebaRelishesReading: I totally agree with you about the sale of consumables, Reba. I've also found when my Canon printer alerts me to low ink, I actually can print quite a bit more before it produces crappy output or totally gives up. You can't fool me, Canon. 😠

Exploring Fort Vancouver by Douglas C. Wilson & Theresa E. Langford****

Focusing on the archaeological work done at Fort Vancouver, this book provides a short history of my current home town. Fort Vancouver was established by the Hudson Bay Company in 1825 and became the heart of the company's western operations, controlling the fur business from Alaska (then Russian) to Mexican controlled California. During the 1830's and '40's it was one of the largest settlements in the Northwest, much larger than San Francisco. It was the original western end of the Oregon Trail. Because the fur trade was international the original occupants included people from around the world including many Hawaiians, people from the Shetlands and Orkney islands as well as the original French and English. At one point the village around the fort was known as Kanaka Town, Kanaka meaning "human being" in Hawaiian. When the treaty establishing the Canadian/U.S. border at the 49th parallel was a signed in 1846, the Hudson Bay Company relocated their headquarters north and the U. S. Army moved in. It warms my new Washingtonian heart to know that "my" Vancouver is older than both Vancouver, B.C. and our neighbor across the river to the south :).

Wordle 538 2/6

⬜🟩🟩🟩⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Now that's the way to start a wordle day :)
train, braid

👏 👏 👏
Congrats on your 2, Reba!

The Fort Vancouver book sounds interesting. My ancestors moved west from PA to KS to WA, and in the early 20th century had a lumber business in the Seattle area. Documenting their details made me realize how little I know about the history of the Pacific Northwest. San Francisco gets all the attention!

Wordle 539 4/6

⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨
⬜⬜🟩🟨⬜
🟨⬜🟩⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
train, peony, cloud, knock

>189 lauralkeet: Mornin' Laura! Vancouver is now a suburb just considered part of Portland, or it is mistaken for its larger, younger neighbor to the north. Knowing "we" were once the big deal in the NW is rather cool.

Just came back from an early b'day brunch with D2 and family. They gave me The Guest Book proving (1) they know me well and (2) they can read a wish list :). I've added it to the stack to take on our Feb/March cruise.

Wordle 540 4/6

⬜⬜🟨🟨🟨
⬜🟨⬜🟨⬜
🟨🟨🟩⬜🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
I had two ideas after the first two tries -- tried them in the wrong order -- oh well.
train, peony, anime, naive

Hi Reba! Your holiday decorating sounds lovely, and it sounds like you enjoy it. We are pretty basic with the holidays, but did get a tree yesterday and tonight will decorate it.

Hi Rhonda -- I enjoy having our holiday decorations up because so many of them were gifts or souvenirs and bring back lovely memories -- I don't enjoy putting them up all that much though lol.

Wordle 541 5/6

⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜
🟨⬜⬜⬜🟩
⬜🟨⬜🟩⬜
🟩🟩⬜🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
train, peony, caulk, aptly, apply-- don't ask me why #4 came to mind before #5, I have no idea

The Library of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick *** (audio)

Martha Storm is everyone's doormat. She has totally buried her own life in saying "yes" to every request for help that comes her way...and many do. She grew up with a domineering, mentally abusive father and a meek mother and has totally lost her sense of self-worth. But then her maternal grandmother, who she thought was long dead, comes back into her life.

A pleasant audio book -- except for the narrators hard "guh" at the end of every g -- which nearly drove me crazy.

Went to bed at the usual 11 p.m last night and tossed and turned until I finally got up at 4. Since then I've had a cup of cocoa, typed up an agenda for my 11 am meeting, done Wordle, caught up on LT and now it's 5:26. I think I may go and see if I can catch a couple of hours of actual sleep before starting my rather busy day today :(

>198 RebaRelishesReading: I hope you were able to fit a bit more sleep in - or get a really good night in tonight.

>198 RebaRelishesReading: Oh wow! You certainly had an early day. Hopefully you are able to sleep better tonight!

Happy mid Week

Thank you Susan and Anita!! I went to bed at 11 and slept until 8 this morning - feeling well rested today :)

Wordle 543 4/6

⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜
⬜🟨⬜🟨⬜
⬜⬜🟩🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
train, cloud, equal, usual

There's nothing like catching up with your sleep to start your day out right. Sounds like you're all set for Christmas, Reba. I envy you!

Indeed, Meg, sleep is a big help. Fortunately I slept well again last night so should be good to go for today. I'm doing OK with getting ready for Christmas but I wouldn't say I'm all set. We also have three more family birthdays to celebrate this month ... then two next month ... busy time of year.

Christmas at Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan***(audio)

A fun, standard little Christmas romance.

Wordle 545 3/6

⬜🟩⬜⬜⬜
🟩🟨🟩⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩train, peony, probe

Nice job on the Wordle, Reba. I need to remember your second word, it's a good one.

When do you leave on your holiday travels?

>207 lauralkeet: We start the drive south on Jan 2 but I'll have the lap top with me so you can come along :)

Excellent!

Wordle 546 4/6

⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜
⬜⬜🟩⬜⬜
⬜⬜🟩⬜🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
train, peony, sloth, chord

We took little grandson (and his parents) on a "Santa train" this morning. It was 25 F on the 40 minute drive to the departure place leaving me somewhat nervous of slick roads (although we made it with no problem). We ended up having to sit in an open car (tent top but no solid sides) which was pretty chilly but it was beautiful riding through woods white with frost. Near the turn-around point there was a brass band dressed in Santa suits and playing Christmas carols as we passed by and half way back to the starting point the train stopped so we could disembark for hot drinks and Santa and Mrs. Claus visits. It was all very well done but the stop was a bit over-whelming for our little guy and he had a bit of a melt-down (he wasn't the only one actually) which put a bit of a damper on the event. Nevertheless, it was very Christmassy and fun! (I am really enjoying our centrally-heated house now though).

That sounds like a lot of fun, Reba. Although I can also understand the little ones being overwhelmed by it all.

>212 lauralkeet: Fortunately the folks around us on the train were also sympathetic and understanding -- bless them!

Wordle 547 3/6

🟩🟨🟨⬜⬜
🟨🟨⬜⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
train, peony, taper

My choir sang a Christmas cantata this morning which involved a lot of singing and standing/sitting. Then I did some quick Christmas stocking shopping and now I'm feeling a bit weary and we still have a 75th birthday party to go to at 4:00. I think I'm going to sleep very well tonight.

Your Christmas activity schedule makes me feel like a slacker, Reba. The Christmas Train sounded like fun until the meltdown happened. I'm glad you're able to get some reading done during this busy season. Unfortunately I am struggling with that. I don't have much going on between Christmas and the New Year so I plan to catch up then.

>215 Donna828: Hi Donna. Always so nice to hear from you. As to getting reading done, it's pretty much all audio at the moment -- done while running errands or doing things around the house. I've created two stacks of "real" books for up-coming trips and am very much looking forward to spending time with them. Hope you find a lot of time to read next week!

Wordle 548 3/6

🟨⬜🟩⬜⬜
⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
train, peony, slate -- big smile

The birthday party last night was a lot of fun. A group of our favorite people gathered in a small, pub-like restaurant where a son of the birthday "boy" works. We had the whole place to ourselves and were treated to open bar and a huge array of appetizers, followed by salmon on grits, beef ribs and wonderful pizza. Ending with birthday cake of course. Just lovely!!

This morning I found the perfect birthday present for Hubby, on-line so I don't have to go drive around trying to find what I wanted. Very, very happy-making!

I decided yesterday that I really do need to do some baking for Christmas so must make a shopping list and get supplies in today so I can actually bake either tomorrow or Wednesday.

Christmas by the Book by Anne Marie Ryan***1/2 audio

Nora inherited a book shop in a small Cotswold village and she and her husband, Simon, have operated it for years. On-line sales have hit them hard, however, and they may have to close and sell the property. Then Simon uses the shop's website to ask for nominees of people who need cheering up and they deliver a free gift-wrapped book to the winners. A heart-warming story follows.

>218 RebaRelishesReading: mmm ... what do you plan to bake, Reba? I'll be making a few types of cookies starting on Wednesday. If I make them any sooner they will disappear!

I'm sorry your Christmas train ended in a meltdown Reba. Been there. We did the Polar Express train with Mia and Cole and I don't think we'd do it again. The train itself was fine and they did give us cookies and hot chocolate as we were moving along but their presentation of the story left a lot to be desired because their sound system was terrible and we couldn't hear them reading the book. Disappointing. And very expensive.

Wordle 549 4/6

🟩🟨⬜🟨⬜
⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
🟩⬜🟩🟩⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
train, peony, twirl, third

>220 lauralkeet: Lol -- definitely know what you mean about not baking too early! At this point I'm planning to make Oatmeal Craisen, Spritz, "candy cookie cups" and some salted caramels.

The cookie cups are really easy -- you put a little chopped macadamia nuts into the bottom of mini-muffin tins the add a section of ready-made white chocolate macadamia nut cookie dough on top and bake for 11-13 minutes at 325. Take them out of the oven and immediately push a little peanut butter cup into each one. Let them cool before taking them out of the tin. Only problem is I can't find the white chocolate macadamia nut cookies this year so I'm going to try it with plain chocolate chip cookie dough.

What are you planning on making, Laura?

>221 brenzi: Thanks for the sympathy, Bonnie. It's too bad when something planned as a treat doesn't go well, isn't it?

Actually the organizers did a great job with the whole program. They didn't try to do anything while the train was moving except for the music at the one place as we passed. The problem was just that there so many people and so much going on at the stop that he was just overloaded (happens pretty easily with him). Didn't help that it was noon and he hadn't had anything to eat since breakfast.

>223 RebaRelishesReading: Those sound yummy, Reba.
I am required by law to make three family favorites: Russian Teacakes, Chocolate Crinkle Cookies, and Peanut Butter Blossoms. If the internet is any indication these are pretty common, but here are some pics just in case:



This year I'm also going to try some ginger-molasses cookies just to mix things up a bit.

>217 RebaRelishesReading: The birthday party sounds like it was a lot of fun, Reba. I like parties in pubs like that so that no one has to host.

For some reason I'm now craving cookies.

>225 lauralkeet: I don't know Russian Tea Cakes but the others look wonderful and taste wonderful too (I know from experience). I would likely make the peanut butter blossoms except Hubby won't eat peanut butter in any form (although he loves roasted peanuts and will even eat the disgusting boiled ones). Hope you enjoy the process as well as the product.

We're due to have a serious winter ice storm starting tomorrow afternoon through Saturday morning so I've rescheduled most of my baking to then since I don't plan to leave the house.

>226 Familyhistorian: The party was fun but late morning the next day I got a message that the young woman I spent about 1/2 hour in close-up conversation with had tested positive for Covid. I'm still fine and testing negative but it wasn't the best news I could imagine (for her either I'm sure!)!!

Wordle 550 4/6

⬜🟨🟨⬜🟨
⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜
🟩🟨🟨⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
train, peony, laugh, lunar

Wordle 551 5/6

⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜
🟨🟨⬜⬜⬜
🟨🟨🟨🟨⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
train, peony, cloud, leech, excel

It's 25 degrees F outside and a winter storm warning has been posted starting at 4 p.m. this afternoon and lasting until sometime Saturday so I ran my errands first thing this morning. We discovered last night that Hubby's glaucoma drops were empty so he needs to run to the pharmacy for those and there's a pie to be picked up at 1:00 but then we'll be in for a few days. Sadly, there is no snow expected, just cold, windy and wet. Pity because I would love a white Christmas.

Update on Covid exposure -- I definitely have some kind of a bug because I'm coughing and feeling a bit "blah" but I've done a Covid test four times, including as I was writing this, and they come out negative. This is the 4th day so if these were Covid symptoms I think I would be testing positive by now.

I'd love just some snow, but NOT snow topped off with freezing rain! Buckling down for the storm. Ugh.

I hope you didn't pick up Covid, and I also hope you get over whatever you have quickly!

I'm glad to see your repeated tests have turned up negative, Reba. I hope the storm isn't too bad. It sounds like you are prepared though.

Good morning Kim and Laura -- AND, after coughing and feeling rather "punk" yesterday, I woke up early this morning and took yet another covid test (the 5th since Monday) which was positive! Now I just hope that all of the negative testing leading to a fairly relaxed attitude doesn't result in Hubby coming down with it too :( I've got an e-message in to see about getting Paxlovid. No Christmas Eve at our house as planned even if the roads are passible by then.

It's currently 23 F (15 C) outside. Strong winds and below freezing temperatures are forecast for all day. There is a beautiful layer of frost on everything but I don't plan to go out the door to get any closer, even if my request for Paxlovid is OK'd.

Happy Christmas from my Christmas gnome!

Wordle 552 5/6

🟨🟨🟨⬜⬜
⬜🟨🟨🟨⬜
⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜
⬜🟨🟨🟨🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
train start, peony, gator, aorta

>232 RebaRelishesReading: dammit, Reba! I'm so sorry to see this news. It sounds like your symptoms are quite mild and I hope you sail through the holiday with only minor impact.

I spoke to my cousin Bonnie in Portland yesterday, and she was lamenting the extreme (for Portland) cold. We are expecting a severe drop in temperature today which will freeze all the rain into sheets of ice. NO plans to go anywhere!

Sorry the Covid bug finally materialized. I hope you have a quick, mild journey back to health. And a Merry Christmas anyway.

Sorry to hear about the Covid and hoping you have a quick recovery. We woke up to about two inches of heavy icy snow this morning. It’s suppose to be gone by Saturday.

Have a wonderful Christmas and a New Year filled with health and happiness.

>235 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura. I'm actually feeling very close to fine. An occasional sneeze or brief cough but that's it. I felt worse yesterday so hope this trend will continue and I'll just have a nice, quiet break until I can re-enter the world on Wednesday :) I did, in fact, read an entire book today -- whoopee!!

>236 ffortsa: Hi Judy. It's cold here in suburban Portland too. We woke to a coat of white frost (not ice nor snow best I can tell from inside) which is beautiful but it has been in the 20's all day which is record-setting cold according to news. Beautiful though. We knew it was a coming so hadn't planned to go anywhere now underscored by my Covid result.

>237 Oregonreader: Thanks Jan. I surprised you had that much snow. We have what looks like frost (I haven't been out to check) which has stayed all day. I think we're supposed to get warmer temps and rain tomorrow which should clear it all up.

Christmas at the Island Hotel by Jenny Colgan ***

A OK tale that made for good listening while doing other things -- nothing special.

A Handful of Dust by Evelyn Waugh***1/2

Some references refer to this dark book as "satire" but given the parallels between the plot and Waugh's own life I tend to think of it as a more serious comment on marriage and life in the 1920's and '30's.

Tony Last has inherited a title and a large home in rural England and, in spite of a sizable fortune to go with them, he is struggling to pay the death duties and get a handle on the deferred maintenance of the home he loves. His wife would like a more modern house and prefers spending time in London. Not a cheery story.

>232 RebaRelishesReading: Well, that's no fun. I join you in wishing the Mr. avoids the virus and you get the helpful meds.

As much as possible enjoy the holidays, Reba!

So sorry about the COVID, Reba! Get lots of rest, I hear that's the best way to recover fast.

>241 quondame: Thank you Susan. Doctor has ordered the meds but the roads will have to clear up a lot before I venture out to get it. Meanwhile I don't feel all that bad -- just rather like a cold. Hubby is still testing negative. Holidays remain to be seen lol.

>242 banjo123: Thanks Rhonda. Resting and staring out at the pretty whiteness is about all I'm doing so I should get well fast, right? :)

Wordle 553 3/6

⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜
🟩🟨🟨⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
train, peony, poise

It has been super cold here, but so far Mom and I are doing fine. There have been some rolling blackouts in Nebraska but none here. I am baking and baking - gingerbread cakes for Christmas giving. yesterday the mail carrier and the Post Master got theirs. Tonight the Preacher will get the last one. I am also making pie crust dough for two pies for tomorrow. We are going to have waffles and pear pie. I have never had pear pie, but this recipe looked interesting. I have been staying close to home due to the cold. It sure is Christmasy in feel and looks. Cold and snow! It has been beautiful. Then on Thursday morning there were two Sun Dogs and they stayed in the sky for a long long time. The big sky out here is just amazing.

Merry Christmas - even though you have COVID. I hope that "hubby" doesn't get it, but I am sure that you will handle it if he does.

>244 benitastrnad: Thanks Benita. Sounds like you're having a lovely holiday. Ours is beautiful with a light coating of frost on everything outside but we're staying warm inside.

So far so good for Hubby but I'm sort of operating on the basis that he will get it in a few days. He was on my right and talking to people on his right when I was talking to the woman on my left who gave it to me. That contact was last Sunday so he would have it by now if from her. We've been masking and keeping distance since I tested positive but I may well have been contagious before then. We'll see.

Chances Are... by Richard Russo*****

I've been saving this book for a long time because I wanted it for a treat when I really needed it and I decided both of us down (yep, he tested positive this morning) with Covid at Christmas qualified. I love Richard Russo's books and I've read all of his novels now except Straight Man and, since he doesn't publish much anymore, I am holding on to that one to savor at just the right moment like I did this one.

Three college friends meet again after 44 years for a weekend at a cabin on Martha's Vineyard where they last met right after graduation. Their lives have followed very different paths. One is a commercial real estate executive with a wife, grown children and grandchildren. Another is a pipe-fitter and the third a rock musician. The book moves back and forth between their earlier lives and the present giving the reader a good picture of them and their relationship. As always, Russo's characters are very real and very human and he presents them with their foibles as well as their strengths. A fourth character is the girl they were all in love with in college, who was with them that previous weekend right after graduation and who then disappeared.

Did I mention I love Russo's books?

So, Hubby tested positive this morning. The second line was very faint and I have no idea whether or not that means something about how severe his infection is but it certainly means he has Covid too. I hoping he get no sicker than I am (which isn't all that sick, actually) and that we're both well enough to start on our trip to San Diego a week from tomorrow! It certainly has wiped out our holiday plans.

Wordle 554 4/6

🟨🟨🟨⬜⬜
⬜🟨🟨🟩⬜
⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
train, start, peony, extra

Wishing you all very happy holidays!!

Hi Reba, I'm glad to hear you (and now hubby) are both feeling all right. The silver lining about his positive test is that the sooner you both get it out of your system the better, given your upcoming travel plans.

I love Richard Russo too. Chances Are was a good one!

Here's hoping you are both back in the pink for New Year's celebrations. Mild is good.
And as for Russo, we are reading Nobody's Fool for our first reading group meeting of the year. I've been wanting to read him for a long time, but never got around to it. Here's my chance!

>251 lauralkeet: Hi Laura -- thank you for the silver lining and you're right. We may have timed this perfectly to give us peak immunity for the trip south without delaying it :)

Nice to share the Russo love :)

>252 ffortsa: Thank you Judy. We aren't really planning any New Year's celebrations but it's good to get this over with. It feels like it was bound to happen sometime and we're grateful that neither of us is terribly sick.

I'm glad you're finally reading Russo. He is definitely one of my very favorite authors. There is a bit of an order to some of his books which you might look for. They're great on their own but earlier works introduce characters that reappear and it's nice (not essential at all, but nice) to be familiar with them from before.

Wordle 556 3/6

⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨
🟩⬜🟨⬜🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
train, cloud, condo -- is that a real, entire word?

Day 5 and I had hoped I might test negative by now -- not :( I'm up crazy early because I was awake most of the night coughing and decided to just give up and get up. At least being up has stopped the coughing.

A this point it looks like we won't be getting together with local family to celebrate Christmas since we're still testing positive and we need to leave for So. Cal. next week. I hope to at least drive the presents to them so they can open them. We're thinking maybe a FaceTime present session :) Guess I will start taking down the Christmas decorations and we'll call this "done" and move on.

Hi Reba! I felt the same about today's Wordle solution.

I'm sorry you're still testing positive although not toooo surprised. IRRC, Day 5 is the day the CDC says can end isolation, with masking recommended. This is the guidance we found based on our symptoms so your situation could be different. In any case, I'm glad to hear you both continue to feel pretty much okay.

A FaceTime present session sounds like a good idea, although I'm sure it's also disappointing not to be together.

We did Christmas last year and everyone came and picked up their presents from the garage one by one and then went home and we Zoomed as we opened them. It worked pretty well! I hope you find a solution that works for you and I hope you feel better ASAP so you can at least go on your CA trip.

Hi Kim and Laura. It looks like we're going to Zoom presents.
D2 went to pharmacy and picked up prescription for her Dad and took their presents with her when she dropped it off. She was going to text her sister about them coming for theirs and then we can see about a time to Zoom. It will have to do for this year.

The end (I think) of the storm came through today with very high winds. We had about 2" of rain yesterday so the ground was good and wet and the winds managed to topple trees and utility wires resulting in no power for about 6 hours today. Fortunately it came back in late afternoon so we were able to have something warm to eat around dinner time and some television to chill out with in the evening. Man, what a week this has been!!

Today I spent the afternoon crocheting and listening to The Pavilion in the Clouds, a self-standing novel by Alexander McCall Smith. It's about a girl who is born to a Scottish couple on a tea plantation in Ceylon in the 1930's where she is taught by a governess. The story follows her to early adulthood in Scotland and is a pleasant tale but, imo not as charming as his Ladies' No. 1 Detective series.

And that makes a nice round 100. I think I'll start something more challenging next which will then be #1 for 2023.

Wordle 557 5/6

⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜
⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜
🟨🟨⬜⬜⬜
⬜🟨🟨🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

train, cloud, peony, spiel, impel
definitely needed the paper "tiles" for this one

Wordle 558 4/6

⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜
⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜
🟨⬜🟨⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
train, peony, cloud, havoc

Back to this thread once more to report that D1 and partner are due to stop by in a bit to exchange (physically, not to open) presents with us. Then there will be a Zoom session sometime in the next few days with D1 & D2 and families to open them all. That should finally finish up Christmas and we can move on toward the new year. With that...I'm planning to move over to my 2023 thread now.

Hi Reba!

It's line in the sand time and onward to next year's threads, I'm afraid.

>263 karenmarie: Thank you Karen and happy holiday wishes to you!

I finished one more book today while taking down the Christmas tree and making a trip to the store --

"F" is for Fugitive by Sue Grafton ***1/2 (audible)

All the best for 2023, Reba.

I haven't moved to 2023, I will start my thread later this week.

I came by to tell you I have added a few 4 1/2 star books, not available in English translation to my thread. Maybe you can find (some of) those.

>266 FAMeulstee: Thanks Anita, I'll check it out