richardderus's second 2023 thread

No new topper yet...not up to it. But the old thread was too long!

Adding a link to my first thread of 2023...the one interrupted by my having three strokes in January.

008 Aunt Bessie Assumes by Diana Xarissa in post 137.

009 Aunt Bessie Believes in post 241.

Happy New Thread, Richard dear!

Happy new one! At last! No worries. Who cares about a topper when YOU are back?
Smooch!

You are back, Richard dear, that is all what is needed.
Thread decoration can come back when you are well again.
*smooches*

Happy new one, RD!

Topper? We don't need no stinkin' topper :) Just glad you are back among us.

Happy new thread Richard! Glad to see you out and about here.

Happy new thread, RD!

*smooch* from your own Horrible

Happy New Thread, Richard! It is so good to have you back. Looking forward to hearing about your current reads.

Morning, Richard! What Katie said. *smooch*

>2 ronincats: Thank you, Roni. I'm very happy to finally feel up to doing something about the megathread!

>3 jessibud2: Thanks, Shelley, I'm sure I'll get inspired again at some point but just now it feels daunting to try for that level of coherence.

>4 FAMeulstee: I'm happy to provide the needed, then, Anita! I'm giddy with happiness to be back here at last.

>5 katiekrug: Heh...we don't, do we? I'm even so far recovered as to be itching to write up two not-good reads soon.

>6 figsfromthistle: I'm glad to be seen, Anita. It's amazing to me that I had strokes a month ago and I'm already this far back.

Congrats and high-fives for the new thread! Although I was kind of interested to see if LT had a limit…

So good to have you back!

Karen O

Happy new thread, Richard. You're a topper, what do we need with another?

Happy new thread, Richard.

Leaving my hello's here and a high-five-fist-bump!

Happy New Thread and JOY for your being able to put it up and nurse it along!

>15 klobrien2: Thank you, Karen O. I'm delighted to be back!

>16 RebaRelishesReading: I'm elozable Reba, so I'll accept that kind compliment despite a lifetime of being discouraged from accepting them.

>17 Kristelh: Thank you, Kristel!

>18 SandyAMcPherson: Hi Sandy, and thanks for the COVID-safe fist-bump.

>1 richardderus: Happy new thread!

Happy new thread, Richard! No topper needed, just glad you're back and feeling up to starting a new one.

>19 LizzieD: It's very satisfying to hear that, Peggy...I'm in the phase of recovery where I'm wanting to get More Done and really, where I am is pretty impressive, and it helps to be reminded of that.

>24 ocgreg34: Thanks, Greg!

Hi Richard, Happy New Thread. Lovely to see you back here my dear friend.

How wonderful it is that we get a new thread, dear fellow. Toppers etc don't really matter so long as you are back and doing a bit better every day.

>29 PaulCranswick: I'm glad to say I feel better almost daily. I get more energy back after each sleep...so it seems recovery is progressing as it ought to

>28 johnsimpson: Thanks, John!

>30 richardderus: How is your foot now, RD. Also improved?

>32 PaulCranswick: As far as the wound is concerned, it's healing beautifully...but I'm still on IV antibiotics so no one's taking a chance on the infection surviving. I fail to love it but I understand and approve of the caution. I hope to be free inside a week from all my prison sentences!

>33 richardderus: That is good to hear. You have had so many things to cope with all coming together like a Japanese karaoke orgy.

Happy new thread. I await news of the great prison break. Cake with file can be prepared if necessary.

>35 Helenliz: Just a cake would be welcome, as well. I'm quite a hungry hungry caterpillar with all this exercise.

Morning, Richard. It sounds like you are moving along nicely. Keep up the good work.

Hiya, RDear, and happy Valentine’s Day to you.

>33 richardderus: Excellent news about the wound healing beautifully. IV antibiotics are a pain but as you point out, a good thing even with the tether.

*smooch* from your own Horrible

Happy Valentine's Day, BigDaddy! I'm with Karena bout the IV antibiotics - better safe than sorry. Although, I also love Helen's idea. Heh.

Hoping today is kind to you. *smooch*

Woot! Richard is in the house!!

((Valentine's Hugs)) and **smooches**

There's a new member of your rehab team:

>37 msf59: Hi Mark, I'm making progress every day and getting more and more confident the remaining hurdles can get overcome...but it does require a lot of effort. I don't grudge that but I'm always ready for the next step to be over, too. Being patient is tough on me.

>39 karenmarie: Hey there Horrible. I'm pleased not to live in a time or place where they're unavailable. I still don't enjoy them, but yay for not dying of something ghastly just because there's no medicine to fight it.

>36 richardderus: well we'll see what we can do about that bit!

>40 Crazymamie: It's been a good day. Mamie. And one in a series of them. Ever since I regained reading and could get back on my computer, I've raised my emotional altitude by double. It's like being 85% of myself after losing more than half.

I'd like to request the cake be a simnel cake if the plan moves forward.

>41 alcottacre: *smooch* Thanks, Stasia!

I had to look up “simnel cake.” How did I not know about before it since marzipan is one of my favorite sweets???

Glad to know you’re doing so well, Richard, even if it means lots of hard work.

Checking in and making sure you're behaving yourself. Sounds like you are - working hard and following orders just as one should. xx

I'm a little slow on the uptake - only just realized you were posting again. Glad to "see" you. Glad your recovery is progressing well. And *hugs* from afar. (And of course no need to respond to me..)

Happy Valentine’s Day, Richard! Happy New Thread!

Wow, a new thread, and your posts even make sense (how are you doing that?). Has covid finally left you alone? Did you say multiple strokes? Congrats that your speech is recovering -we saw
One guy in particular really struggling with that at the Chicago rehab center.

Are there any other problems created by the stroke? How wonderful that you can still read and write! You probably scared the heck out of poor Rob. How is he doing?

Man, Kath sure is a stalwart friend. And I’m glad your sister Val is on the scene. And a whole bunch of LTers are pulling for you. Lots of positive thoughts for your continued improvement. Man, what a personal earthquake to experience.

Hurray! Ricardo himself is back!! I am very glad they are keeping you on the antibiotics until you are COMPLETELY healed. And very happy to hear you have a deadine in sight of moving back to your digs. Wishing you the best as you work to recoup and get back to 100 percent. Being patient sucks, but don't give up. We are all pulling for you! Smooch, smooch, smooch.

Glad to see that sleep continues as a healer RD.

>42 laytonwoman3rd: I love him, Linda3rd!

>45 Helenliz:*happy dance*

>48 Storeetllr: You don't watch #GBBO, then. I saw it there first. Fascinating what I learn from my Netflix habit...like rosace à l'orange, one of which I am determined to make and eat once before I die.

>49 katiekrug: I might be bad at obedience, Katie, but I'm good about doing what I need to do to get what I want.

>50 ArlieS: Thanks, Arlie. I'm so very glad to be seen!

I need practice scanning for information, like unresponded to posts, so I'm making a point of ensuring I do the whole reply thing to be sure I'm getting details as right as I can.

>51 jnwelch: Luck, really, Joe. I've had strokes milder than many. It's one of those worrisome truths of the brain. No way to tell how severe or serious a stroke is or will be until after it's happened. I'm delighted this event was so comparatively mild.

>52 Berly: I hate not being in control of my body, Berly-boo. I'm forced to be patient by circumstances so I'm just not pushing any harder than my limitations are allowing. It' my impulse to push harder, but practical reality pushes back harder than I can.

>53 Caroline_McElwee: It's miraculous, Caro...a nights's good sleep able to breathe normally is life changing.

AboutRob
Before my old LG phone died, I had a long, somewhat incoherent on my side talk with Rob. We agreed we'd push the pause button on our long-distancing while he's finishing school and finding out how to proceed from there so I can focus on my recovery. We stay in touch via email for now (damned phone!) but there are other priorities in our lives...and I'm most emphatic that this wonderful schooling and career boost take precedence over my work to recover. He sees the sense in that, and we get to keep our excellent memories...plus the future hasn't happened and I assured him I wasn't closing any doors, just pulling down the shades while I focus on my body's healing.

For now.

I missed coming here on Valentine's Day, so I hope yours was good. I wish you a happy + 1 also!

>36 richardderus: I had meant to ask how the food is where you are. I hope it's worthy of some enjoyment.

>62 richardderus: You are a dear, dear man. That's what.

*smooch*

>63 LizzieD: I'm a selfish old rotter, Peggy. I didn't work this hard to plant and support this astonishing golden ticket for him to chuck it away on my depressingly simple needs that others get paid to meet. That would be supremely selfish and deeply stupid! It says a lot about him that he got what I was trying to say through my addled, incoherent presentation.Since being able to type & use the computer again I've been clearer & he's felt less like he's being dismissed than cared for. I hope our futures keep matching up.

The food s surprisingly to my taste here. We have had Jamaican beef patties and red beans and rice several times, so it isn't tedious endless rounds of pasta!

>46 richardderus: "It's like being 85% of myself after losing more than half." Hooray for that!! Now that last 15% :)

>65 RebaRelishesReading: More work on my left hand and arm, for sure...and practicing the walking and balancing and suchlike to get endurance up. But it all takes time. Which I grudge mightily having to spend though not the energy.

>62 richardderus:, >64 richardderus:. 👍👍

>66 richardderus:. Ah, I remember it well. Getting my left side working again and the rehab therapist yelling ‘Left hand” every time I tried to use my more coordinated right.

I’m happy to read that you consider the stroke mild, although it sounds pretty challenging to me.

I'm really, really glad that you're doing so well now! My mom works as a CNA and she's astonished that you're doing this good this soon after multiple strokes.

You will love this RD. Two octopuses walking on a Welsh beach:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-wales-60516908

>69 Caroline_McElwee: You're exactly right. Caro, I loved it. What a cool thing to see! Lucky people!

>68 SilverWolf28: My MDs are, to a woman, amazed, too, Silver. I wasn't obviously impaired in the ways they assumed I would be, and was a lot quicker than expected at every milestone except the left hand grasp. Still poor there. I was so so lucky. This could have been a bloody nightmare!

>67 jnwelch: I can talk, think, read and walk. I'm doing a lot better than many if not most multiple-stroke victims after barely a month! A big part of it is not succumbing to the overwhelming desire to to wallow in self-pity. Sadness for the life I've lost..where getting out of bed was automatic; where zipping a zipper wasn't worth noticing...I allow myself, but poor poor pitiful me I won't tolerate. I think that's really what's made the biggest difference in recovering so much so fast. I'm not carrying double my weight in unnecessary, unhelpful , misery.

WHICHEVER ONE OF Y'ALL SENT ME THE "SMALL"BOX OF VIENNESE COOKIES:

This was the strangest thing because Rob sent me the same thing yesterday! I've got to say it was an inspired choice. Who knew Baldwin, NY had such a delight factory in it? https://www.viennacookiecompany.com/products/birthday-cookie-box?variant=3925625...

>72 richardderus: Mom thinks that you're exactly right about mindfulness being the reason you're getting well so fast.

Happy Thursday, Richard dear!

>72 richardderus: It isn't easy to put off self-pity, and mourn about what is lost. Looks like you pulled yourself together rather fast. Admirable!

Just getting caught up on 20+ messages here, RD. I'm so glad to see you doing well. I love the way you and Rob are handling things and your overall attitude is amazing. Keep it up, friend! It's great to have you back posting here again.

>76 lauralkeet: ^^^ What Laura said ^^^
(and I drooled mightily over the box of Viennese cookies)

‘Morning, RDear, and happy, productive-in-rehab Thursday to you.

>62 richardderus: I was wondering but didn’t want to pry. Sounds good, for now. Sweet young man, I wish him all good things.

>72 richardderus: Excellent outlook, hard to attain, but you’re so strong and motivated.

>73 richardderus: Drool. Just effing drool. Chocolate with nonpareils is one of my kryptonites.

*smooch* from your own Horrible

Morning, Richard! What Laura and Sandy and Karen said. I am so impressed by you, but then that is nothing new. Carry On! *smooch and a bear hug*

Hi there, Richard! So glad you're doing so well. I won't be able to check here for a while and expect :) you'll be 100% and setting the world on fire again when I'm back. Keep up the good work and great attitude!

>74 SilverWolf28: She's in the best position to know. I'm confident that mindfulness makes literally everything easierfor me, and the results of things I do much more like what I want.

>75 FAMeulstee: Self-pity is very seductive. It soothes something primal in people. but I burn it out by watching sad, real-life documentaries and crying my damn eyes out. There was a Netflix documentary about the eruption of White Island/Whanganui in 2019 that was so terribly, terribly sad....I sobbed my way through it and left myself purged of the need to be all weepy for my itty-pweshus self. It works for me because it's a story that's true that's so much more awful than my problems, real as they are. Perspective, and a renewed sense of my own very good luck.

>76 lauralkeet: Thank you, Laura, that's a lovely compliment. Rob and I have a secret weapon...we talk about everything and listen to each other. I've never had that with anyone else. I have real hope for our future as friends, and am content to let the details evolve.

>77 SandyAMcPherson: ...as well you might, Sandy. And I got two of them in two days! The box lids are sturdy enough that I'm using them as trays to corral my little-bitty bits and bobs. So the good memories are refreshed daily.

>78 karenmarie: Yesterday's PT was challenging...Noel upped my reps from 20 to 30! I was so tired. But I did all 60 he asked for...2 sets of 30 each.

The linzers are the ones I would eat 3 dozen of in place of all other sweets. When Valerie visits next she's demanded that we go there...I fear for her because the store's got so much delicious pâtisserie that I fear a visit might do filth to her waist. But go we shall.

Rob is extraordinary. I'm grateful we crossed paths. I'm ever so chuffed that he tells me he learns about being a man from me and that I'm a role model for him. What a gift to give me!

*smooch*

>79 Crazymamie: Hi Mamie! Happy to see you and thanks for the kind words of support. *smooch*

>80 RebaRelishesReading: I'm hoping to make your prediction come true, Reba...Enjoy your travels!

Attitude is the one thing I've learned that I alone am responsible for that I can rely on to make my day more pleasant. Applying that insight gets easier the more I do it and see results.

Good morning, Richard! Love to see you posting! So glad to see your spirits are high and PT is pushing you harder each day. It's not fun but it means you're improving.

>88 Copperskye: Thanks, Joanne. I's the reason I'm here, after all, but I know lots of the people here don't put in the work I do, so I do end up getting extra attention. and effort from the folks doing the heavy lifting. They see results and I get better faster than I would otherwise. The best spirits-raiser there is for me!

You did say you wanted cake. Nearest thing to cake I could find in your vicinity from here. Is the small box larger than it looks on t'interweb? No scale, you see; I was worried it'd be tinsy tiny.

>90 Helenliz: One of the joys of things like simnel cakes is they don't need to be big because they're so extremely rich and dense...I'll never not eat it all, though, so permaybehaps small is better!

Too right, Richard! When bad things happen it's not time to wallow in self pity, its time to figure out how to make them better. Keep up the good work.

R--Very loving approach to your relationship with Rob. And I am sure you will remain fast friends if you can share who you are and your thoughts about things openly and honestly. And I also love your reaction to self-pity. I totally get you. It just doesn't help solve anything. So stay strong and positive and get all the people around you excited to help you get better! Smooches.

'Morning, RDear! Happy Friday to you.

Work hard, continue to challenge yourself, have as much fun and joy as you can, and etc.

*smooch* from your own Horrible

Happy Friday, Richard! Hope the PT continues to go well.

Happy Friday, Richard. Great job with the PT. How are you feeling overall? Getting plenty of reading in?

>92 Familyhistorian: The verb "to wallow" is my aversion point. If it's the best descriptor of a behavior, I want nothing to do with that behavior.

>93 Berly: I'm so pleased that I've finally had someone romantically attached to me I could have these things with! It's the very first time for me, and it hasn't been that easy, but I'm delighted to know it CAN happen. I doubted it for decades.

>94 karenmarie: Hi Horrible! Happy Friday to you, too. I'm on the way to nowhere just now. I have hopes for later....

>95 bell7: I am pleased that it's coming to me while I can't come to it. I'm HEALing as obediently as I can. *smooch*

>96 msf59: I'm very slow about reading books still, but I'm getting quicker to finish articles and longer pieces on my various websites, so the skill is returning. *sigh* Nothing's fast enough for me!

>62 richardderus: I am very glad to see the "For now" part of that post.

((Hugs)) and **smooches**

>102 alcottacre: Making lots of long-term plans doesn't feel like a good investment of emotional energy to me. I used the metaphor of setting a course for someplace and trimming sails in that direction but not beig too fussy about which harbor we end up in. Like the 16th-century explorers, not the 21st-century travelers. He liked that one. I'm pretty pleased with it, I must say.

Dropping off Friday smooches and sending all the wishes for continued speedy healing.

Hey RD- so glad to see you're up and at 'em!!!

Even a quick LT visit is better than radio silence from your end (which is concerning!).

>89 richardderus: recovery (from my limited experience of it) is bleurgh. I am glad you can see improvement; that gives one hope, which gives one motivation, which gives one action! (Wow, I kind of sound like a motivational speaker now...sorry.)

>104 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky,I'm all for visits with smooches...returning them with gratitude!

>105 LovingLit: Got a deep well to fill, so motivate away, Megan. I'm not all the way sure where to locate the relevant motivation some days so I'm glad to have the booster shot.

'Morning, RDear. Happy, productive, treats-filled Saturday to you. Oh yes, also therapy and etc. too. I hope all the nasties are going away as quickly as possible.

*smooch*

Dropping in to wish you a great Saturday! Glad you are putting in the work for PT. Have a good session today!

Kath addicted me to a 27-volume cozy mystery series set on the Isle of Man, starting with Aunt Bessie Assumes (Isle of Man #1) by Diana Xarissa and I stayed up until 2am reading it. Involving enough to keep me reading, not tricksy or cutesy, and deeply satisfying reading. Plus cheap on 'Kindle (some in the series are free). Go get one to try the wares!

>107 karenmarie: Hi Horrible! I'm still hooked up to the IV that's empty so I can't wash or change my clothes yet which makes me very irritable...a few seconds to flush the PICC line and we're done...and all I get is "I'm busy" and "you'll have to wait" relayed by CNAs. So irritating.

>108 figsfromthistle: Thank you, Anita! I'm not off to my favorite kind of start.

>109 richardderus: Hey RD, great that you are able to indulge in long story reading. This series sounds intriguing. Tried adding it to the 2023 BB WL list in our library, but only Aunt Bessie Wonders shows up. Strange that a PL would buy only 1 book out of 27! (I don't have a Kindle...)

Edited to commiserate re the "I'm busy" and "you'll have to wait" responses. Is this a Saturday staffing issue or what? How frustrating.

>112 SandyAMcPherson: Annoyingly, the issue's a morning one not a day-of the-week one. the facility director will be hearing from me on Monday.

>109 richardderus: Oo, I will have to give that series a try. Thanks for the recommendation, Richard (and Kath!)

((Hugs)) and **smooches**

>109 richardderus: I'm intrigued.

>109 richardderus: It was definitely addicting in my opinion. The author did a good job coming up with different scenarios for most of the mysteries. The characters were engaging and escape reading took me through every single book in record time.

I have enjoyed reading your posts here and am so glad that you are able to type. You are most definitely not indulging in self-pity. Your posts are wonderfully entertaining and a person who can tell about the most serious events in their life with a degree of humor is NOT indulging in self-pity.

I am going to be entering the penultimate week of my working life in academe. I am doing so with some sense of trepidation. I am cleaning my office out. I have been in the same office for 30 years and I am some personal items. My walls are covered in post cards and I do want to box them up and take them with me. The oldest ones come from 1990. I pulled one off the other day that was sent to me by my sister. She sent it from the Vancouver British Columbia airport just before she took off to spend a year teaching English in Korea. I confess that I teared up when I read it and I had to call her to tell her about it. The post cards have been a "thing" with her and I for many many years. Prior to my moving to Alabama I threw out all of my post cards and I decided that saving the post cards was one of the priorities I would have in any move I made in the future. I do love the written word - and pictures.

I am so glad to hear, and read, that you are doing well. Keep up the good work.

>72 richardderus:. Totally makes sense to me, Richard. Good for you. Accepting the challenge and not wallowing in pity for yourself- I’m sure that’s made a huge difference.

Those little sadnesses: i find it really helpful (no, I don’t) to yell at the misbehaving zipper or shoe or shirt button. I also have long talks with my left hand, reminding it how long I worked on recovering its dexterity, particularly when it drops or knocks over something yet again.

Great to hear about your bounceback. Kudos and plaudits re your hard work.

P.S. I’m hoping you can return to working with Adriana at some point!

>114 alcottacre: There's so much to love about series reading, Stasia, as I know you agree with already. This is one of those "place is a character, too series that I enjoy so much.

>115 laytonwoman3rd: Risk-free investigation for Kindle Unlimited users, Linda3rd....

>116 mckait: I'll know more when I get deeper into the series...but I can feel the confident competence in the writer's handling of the scenarios. You're riding high recommendation-wise! *smooch*

>117 benitastrnad: Thanks for that reassurance, Benita. I tend to be harsher on myself than is entirely productive, so I'm grateful for another perspective.

I've lost or thrown away many tons of stuff over time, and been glad of it so, while I get your desire to connect memories with their sources, I've got the opposite response to the same stimulus. I feel crowded and distracted by Stuff so I don't accumulate much (besides books, of course).

I'm sure the ending of a major phase of your life is bringing up a lot of emotions. I hope with great force that you enjoy the calm after the storm enough to make it into a "why didn't I do this sooner?" situation.

Congratulations at all events on the new beginning you're giving yourself!

>118 jnwelch: I'm glad it's not just me having depersonalization time with my left hand! He's not progressing as fast as I want him to, and doesn't respond well to being forced beyond his limits. Lazy thing.

I fully intend to get to have the pleasure of working with Adriana soonest! I'm still having some issues with writing reviews due to their length, but posting on here and emailing people is really helping me flex those verbal muscles. I haven't by any stretch decided to stop expressing myself!

>100 richardderus: Dropped it on my Kindle RD, will give AuntB a go.

Just keeping current here -- glad you have found a new favorite series and dang your lazy left hand -- the noyve of that fellow! Wishing you a wonderful Saturday with no IV bag and the chance of a shower later today. : )

I'm so glad you're back, Richard. Heal well!

>124 Caroline_McElwee: I hope you'll love the time you spend in Laxey, Caro. Bessie is a good, solid character to spend your spare time with.

>125 Berly: Hry there Berly-boo...I hope you'll give Aunt Bessie s whirl one day, too. The unnerving thing about Lefty not gettin' with the program id that Pancho's getting fatigued more and more.

>126 The_Hibernator: Thank you Rachel...so far so good, thank the stars above.

Good to see you are making progress on the reading and writing fronts, Richard. I think all of us here agree with the importance of those!

‘Morning, RD! I hope today’s a good’un for you.

>109 richardderus: Glad to see you reading again.

>110 richardderus: Sorry about the delays in getting to you. Not happy making at all, especially when you want to get up and go. I hope they got to you quickly and that they’re almost before you want them today.

>120 richardderus: Last December sometime I calculated that I’d saved over $600 by using Kindle last year, and that was AFTER accounting for the monthly $9.99 + tax. I could kick myself for not using it years ago.

>128 richardderus: I get that – my right SI joint is a mess because of compensating for my bone-on-bone left knee with Baker’s Cyst. C’mon, Lefty! Get with the Program!

*smooch*

Happy Sunday, Richard. I am glad rehab is going well. You sound like you are right on track. Sue went to WI to hang with some friends, so I have been holding down the fort with Juno. It will hit 50F today, so we will be going for a long walk.

>131 karenmarie: Sunday orisons, Horrible...Lefty's gettin' his little workouts but I'm thinking about the future...I want to type with both hands again!

KU is a great bargain for many of y'all, and those savings prove it. The range of titles available is jaw-dropping. Plus authors get paid for their books getting read. It's a good bargain, indeed, but no sense standing on your gamy leg to aim a kick into the past. Extra ouchie if you miss!

>132 msf59: Hi Mark...50°! That's April weather, but I admit it sure feels good. I'm sure you and Juno are able to fill the time you're spending together well.

Keep up the good work, Richard. Eeek, if I lost use of *lefty*, I'd be toast. Because I AM a lefty, see, and while arthritis has taken hold of some of those digits, it has succeeded only in making me realize how dependent I am on *lefty*. Just keep working at it, my friend!

>135 jessibud2: Hi Shelley...I long ago lost most of the fine-motor use of my dominant right hand to gout. I havent worn a buttoned garment in a decade or more. so I relate to your dilemma!

008 Aunt Bessie Assumes by Diana Xarissa

The Publisher Says>: Aunt Bessie assumes that she'll have the beach all to herself on a cold, wet, and windy March morning just after sunrise, then she stumbles (almost literally) over a dead body.

Elizabeth (Bessie) Cubbon, aged somewhere between free bus pass (60) and telegram from the Queen (100), has lived her entire adult life in a small cottage on Laxey beach. For most of those years, she's been in the habit of taking a brisk morning walk along the beach. Dead men have never been part of the scenery before.

Aunt Bessie assumes that the dead man died of natural causes, then the police find the knife in his chest.

Try as she might, Bessie just can't find anything to like about the young widow that she provides tea and sympathy to in the immediate aftermath of finding the body. There isn't much to like about the rest of the victim's family either.

Aunt Bessie assumes that the police will have the case wrapped up in no time at all, then she finds a second body.

Can Bessie and her friends find the killer before she ends up as the next victim?

My Review: First in a cozy mystery series set on the gorgeous 1990s Isle of Man, this Kath-recommended story gets my seal of approval. What makes it so enjoyable is the acerbic-spinster heroine/sleuth (both apply to Aunt Bessie in this book). So I'm pleased to present my first post-strokes review of the delight that is Bessie.

If you're a fan of cozies you already know you're not going to be gore-splashed, or challenged to keep up with the pace of a police investigation; and that the cops will treat the amateur sleuth completely unrealistically as a colleague. This is, of course nonsense. But if you can go with the suspension of disbelief that mysteries require it's a trip to make with a quest for a character-driven story about a charming group of small-town friends who, regardless of their ages and genders and jobs, genuinely form a close community of supportive friends. The mystery here is not hugely difficult to work out; but the stakes are personal by the time the solution heaves into view. If it hadn't been so, I would've turned the last page of the book and immediately forgotten the whole thing; shifting from resolving the murders of innocent people to keeping Aunt Bessie safe was a bolt of storytelling inspiration that kept me very invested in the proceedings. The Scooby-group the author's assembled is going to be the make-or-break as the series moves on through its 26 (TWENTY-SIX!!) volumes, as always with cozies. The beginning is promising enough that I've already used part of a gift card to get Aunt Bessie Believes (An Isle of Man Cozy Mystery Book 2) with the rest of that gift card. I'm recommending them based on the ease of investing in the set-up and setting; the pleasures of being entertained by genuinely nice people doing their best and choosing to do the right thing at every turn; and the pleasantly direct yet descriptive prose.

I'm way behind on threads (because life sometimes happens), but I'm glad to see that you are back to posting. I'm glad the rehab has been going well.

>137 richardderus: Wonderful that we have a new review from you dear fellow.

Your progress is as remarkable as it is heartening to all of those of us who so esteem you in this group.

>137 richardderus: ha!

Good review . . . Bessie would approve

>138 thornton37814:
Hi there Lori! Glad that Life's let go of your reins for a moment and you chose to meander into my paddock for a visit.

>139 PaulCranswick: Thanks, PC, you're very kind to say so.

>140 mckait: Thank you, Kath...I'm pleased that I was able to convey the appeal in a way that comes across to you, since you know Bessie better than I do.

Turns out that I got An Isle of Man Ghostly Cozy Collection - ABC Kindle Edition as a freebie in November 2020!

>140 mckait: >143 richardderus: I liked RD's review and wanted to start with the first book.
Well, fiddlesticks, our province-wide system bought only Book 23 (go figure 😳).

Simply to, at the very least, see what the writing and story is like, are the books heavily-dependent on being read somewhat in order? I sense there's a lovely camaraderie that develops amongst a set of wonderfully quirky folk and I would miss that.

I plan on subjecting the PL staff to a barrage of pleas to buy the books (using the Recommend a Title service). Whaddya fink? I have plans to submit each subsequent title starting with Aunt Bessie Assumes... and continue weekly for the next 22 weeks (if necessary). Us on fixed incomes can't be going off to buy mystery books to that extent.

‘Morning, RDear. Happy Monday to you.

>137 richardderus: Congrats on a well-written post-strokes review, the first of many reviews, I’m sure. I’m not a particular fan of cozies except for Miss Marple. However, I just looked, and this book is on Kindle Unlimited. I just downloaded it although I don’t promise to read it. *smile*

*smooch* from your own Horrible

Good Monday morning to you, RD!

Well done with the review.

>144 SandyAMcPherson: I think your plan to barrage the PL with recommend a title requests for a series-order purchase is a good one. Mentioning to them that its 2,333 Amazon reviews are 85% 4-star-plus couldn't hurt. It's also got a total of 302 Goodreads reviews, mostly positive; so it has an audience but isn't a wall-to-wall (therefore unnecessary to purchase) saturation of the market. Cozies are so hugely popular it seems like a safe one to me...your province ought to be persuadable...I hope so for your reading pleasure!

>145 karenmarie: It's risk-free o Unlimited Lady...you never can tell when its voice will summon your eyeballs. I'm confident you won't hate it if you read it, but I won't plant a hand in your back and shove you at it. Cozies aren't fun if you're not on board with the conventions. Aunt Bessie reads Miss Marple, too, JFYI.

*smooch* I'm so pleased you liked my review. I was unimpressed by it when I re-read it this morning. Then I remembered that I'm still in stroke recovery and cheered up.

>146 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie, I'm excited that it even made sense, if I'm honest. Enjoy what promises to be a lovely day! *smooch*

>147 richardderus: Thank you for the encouragement, RD. I may be facing the budgetary cuts syndrome... but can't hurt to recommend.

>150 SandyAMcPherson: You have two big things going for you...you're a regular user, and solidly demographically in their target audience, so your voice is amplified.

I think I'm going to recommend the Aunt Bessie series to Mom. She reads Grisham novels, but likes a mystery cozy if it isn't too ridiculous, always loved Murder She Wrote, so may be a candidate.

But I really stopped by to share some bookroom porn:



With some hobbit-hole ambiance!!

>152 ronincats: How gorgeous!! I love that room and covet it for my very own.

I expect your mother will get a kick out of Aunt Bessie's doings. I know the procedural side won't appeal much to a Grishamist, but it's perfect for the Jessicans among us.

Thanks for visiting! *smooch*

Dear RD, there's your Canon and then there's you. I like you best, that's why I like your fresh stuff.

We both grew up with challenges. Did the young you stumble upon a gem that saved you? I've got one. (That's what she said!). The movie Smile, about the beauty pageant. I swear to God Richard, it saved my life. Probably the song more than the movie. To this day I think that Hallelujah and Smile are modern day hymns. And when I go, I'm going to go with hyms because I want people to cry at my funeral. I'm pretty sure that without the right music that only a few obvious characters would.

It's an odd feeling, no? To be 14 and realize that you're going to live? If I were at the start in my existence and given the choice, I'd still want to be a queen.

>152 ronincats: sweet jumping mama! If I won the lottery and had unloaded millions to spend, I'd buy a yacht that had that room somewhere in it. That is ideal.

Good that you're able to concentrate to read and write reviews again. I had a lovely time on the Isle of Man, no dead bodies for me though. Laxey wheel is huge. You could do someone some damage throwing them off that!

>154 SomeGuyInVirginia: I was formed/saved the same way by The Hundred and one Dalmatians by Dodie Smith...NOT the Disney-fied crap. A rescue fantasy that spoke to my trapped and suffering pre-teen self. Knowing my parents were nasty people who were Off...I didn't know about mental illness back then...and wouldn't take care of me unless it was easy for them was assuaged by reading about the big family of puppies that the parents/owners wanted and rescued from awful fates gave me hope.

I'm pretty sure it was the primary reason I wasn;t a teen suicide statistic.

>155 SomeGuyInVirginia: Totally agree!

>156 Helenliz: I've only seen the Wheel on YouTube, but I can tell it's an impressive structure. No one gets slung off it, at least in the first book, but it looms large in the conversations of the characters. No one commented on the fact that it's bright orange, though. Not my favorite color but impressive nonetheless.

Thanks for stopping in to say encouraging things, Helen!

>137 richardderus: A good review, if not up to your usual standards, Richard. It's kinder and gentler but then it's a kinder and gentler book than you're usually reviewing so it fits. You've sold me on the Bessie series but I don't own a Kindle so my book acquisitiveness fizzled out.

>160 Familyhistorian: Thanks for the honest assessment, Meg. I'm making strides, but not there yet!
I hope your library can be persuaded to get the first few of these fun reads.

>151 richardderus: Thanks for that, Richard. I hadn't seen my "voice" as ever being more than rabble on digital requests.

>152 ronincats: Roni, I have huge lust for that "bookroom". It looks so warm and comfy with that fireplace, a padded window seat and all the wood panelling.

>162 SandyAMcPherson: That room is close to perfection, innit?

Believe me your library system listens to you. They need feedback to prove to politicos their funding isn't a waste!

Hello Richard, i am just today figuring out what has happened to you and want to wish you a full recovery. Amazing and impressive that you are back to posting and back to doing reviews. I can see by reading through your threads how much you are greatly esteemed here.

>152 ronincats: Me like!

Perhaps a slightly more comfy chair!

>164 mdoris: Good morning, Mary, and thank you very much for your kind words. I am very very lucky in what happened to me not being a lot worse than it was, and in my body's willingness to heal. I'm working as hard as I know how to get back whatever I can, and the outpouring of caring and support from the group really helps me stay motivated. I'm grateful for it all. I appreciate your visit!

>165 PaulCranswick: I always want a different chair, no matter what, PC because at my height most chairs are too low/short/dainty for me.

>152 ronincats: beautiful

Glad to see you're continuing to heal and feeling up to reading and reviewing, Richard. Tuesday *smooches*

>168 Kristelh: Isn't it? All the comforts of the perfect book-home!

>169 bell7: I'm glad to see you, Mary. I'm thrilled to be able to do the work of healing so well! I've been astoundingly lucky on how my body's decided to respond to the recovery inputs. I do the work, my body says "okay, that's what you want to do, let's do it," and that's all down to good luck in the genetic lottery. I'm glad I'm still able to communicate, think, and speak since so many don't keep those abilities after a stroke...let alone more than one.

*smooch*

Blessings on you and joy to you as you go about your work this morning, dear Richard!
I'm happy to grins to see that you're book reviewing again!
I visit every day, and before I get to the bottom, Mama calls or the phone rings or I remember something I think I must do right then, but I am in the business of long distance support.

Tuesday happiness to you, Richard! I really loved seeing you post a review - and you already hit me with that book bullet as you mentioned it on my thread. I'm hoping that today is kind to you and that you continue to make progress - you are doing such a great job. All of us here at the Pecan Paradisio send our love. *smooch*

‘Morning, RDear. Happy Tuesday to oyou.

>148 richardderus: I’m glad you are cutting yourself slack on your reviews. Heh to Aunt Bessie reading Miss Marple…

>154 SomeGuyInVirginia: and >157 richardderus: It’s criminal that any child would need to have something like that to not want to harm themselves.

*smooch*

>172 LizzieD: Hiya Peggy! Glad you're on the team Support...I am really working on getting as much as I can done to rehab my left side's lost capabilities. Moral support helps a lot.

I'm reading the second Bessie book just now and wondering if the author's about to commit a mortal story-sin. More to come....

>173 Crazymamie: Bessie will suit That Reading Mood, Mamie...the one where you need a story but can't deal with the convolutions of A Plot. Cozies have a formula more than A Plot. And we know that formula well by now. So it allows the characters to become the focus. These characters appeal to me and the Isle of Man's fascinated me since I saw Time Team dig an intact keeill in 2006.

Sending hugs Southwestward with hopes you stay out of Florida's 100° orbit this week.

>174 karenmarie: I am already way ahead of the majority of recoverees so I need to cut myself some slack about getting it all back Now! Patience with myself is often the toughest thing for me to manifest.

My parents were, without exaggeration, criminally negligent at best when they weren't actually abusive. Lovely people. I wish I'd never met them.

I enjoyed Time Team when it was on Acorn TV and miss it. I've watched Digging for Britain which has similar stuff but not the personalities of that team although they did cover convict burials found on an island near Portsmouth which I found interesting as it might have a link to the history of my family. Fascinating the stuff that can be pulled out of the ground.

Just poking my nose in to make sure you're doing ok. Snowing on and off all day here. Lud sing goddamn.

>178 Familyhistorian: I miss Time Team too. I liked Digging for Britain well enough because Alice Roberts is a very agreeable science explainer with a lot of expertise in archaeology, but no one can fill Phil's hat.

>179 tiffin: So far so good, Tui, thanks for checking in. I'm really tired at this point because I deliberately didn't nap after PT today. *yawn*

Richard-- it's so good to have you here, posting away. What a tough time. I'm just so glad you're recovering, slow as it may feel.

From your prior thread: "...book people are the best kind of people. Indeed!

Rdear, big waves across the pond. I wish you much strength and perseverance for your recovery. As it looks, you are on a very good path. *smooches*

>180 richardderus: Digging for Britain is on my regular record list, I enjoy it too. I'm always a bit surprised that shows like that attract an audience elsewhere, they always feel like they're mostly local interest to me.

Glad you're getting on. Napping can become a habit, so I can understand trying not to, but no over doing it.

>176 richardderus: "... the one where you need a story but can't deal with the convolutions of A Plot".
Perfectly sums up my state of mind these days. My comfort reads at bedtimes a total necessity.

As for you and Mr. Recalcitrant Left-Side, sending you my belief that given the recovery rate so far (which seems unbelievably stellar, based on my knowledge of Mr. SM's acquaintances), indicates you *will* regain capabilities and be able to feel entirely competent again. Just sayin' {{RD}}.

'Morning, RD! Happy Wednesday to you as you continue your impressive recovery.

*smooch* from your own Horrible

Just checking in! There's sun out there!

Happy Wednesday, Richard. Your progress continues to amaze me. Keep it up. Rain and sleet in our area today, which will keep me off the trails but I do get to see Jackson this afternoon. 😁

Morning, BigDaddy! It's Wednesday already. How did this happen? *smooch*

>182 EBT1002: Hi Ellen, thanks for visiting! I'm sure a stroke or even a few of 'em don't constitute the most pleasant way to learn how very much the book-reading and -loving community will rally 'round its fellows, but I can't imagine a more thoroughgoing one. I'm shocked at how lucky I've been. I'm making a recovery that gets me talked about all over this building. It keeps me buoyed up to read y'all's supportive messages.

>183 Ameise1: Hi Barbara! i'm very happy that you visited me today. I'm persevering as hard as I can...sometimes too hard says the staff...rest consolidates my gains, they keep reminding me.

>184 Helenliz: I think the subject of deep history surpasses national borders for lots of us. I'm really sure the huge implications of the digs makes them universally fascinating.

Napping as a habit wouldn't necessarily be a problem for me but I don't think it's so great for our longer-sleep needs. I have to be really unable to keep my eyes open to succumb to napping.

>185 SandyAMcPherson: Thank you Sandy! I'm glad to hear such a really well-grounded perspective on my rate of recovery.

I'm entirely amazed at how lucky I've been. I'm really going to work on that left-side weakness. They'll have to recover if hard work has any influence over it.

>187 katiekrug: Hi Katie...I'm more overcast here, but it started out sunnier. I'm always eager for wintertime so I'll accept the in-and-out sunniness without complaint as long as it stays cold!

>188 msf59: Thank you, Mark...living it day by day makes it feel less rapid than I intellectually know that it is. I'm trying to maintain my perspective as the events unfold. I don't want to get overeager and screw something up by it.

Oh you poor old granddad you. Having to spend your afternoon with The Child! O the psin, the pain! as Doctor Smith used to moan, right? :)

>189 Crazymamie: I went to sleep on Tuesday and all of a sudden here it is Wednesday! It seems unfair that 2023 is moving this quickly. Let's start a petition to slow Time down, what say? *smooch*

>196 richardderus: Agreed. Except for Mondays.

>197 Crazymamie: we could simply redistribute Monday's hours through the weekends, couldn't we?

>198 richardderus: Yes, I like this idea very much. Good thinking!

>199 Crazymamie: ...now we need to get NIST on board...

>177 richardderus: *hug*

>195 richardderus:

>202 laytonwoman3rd: I haven't seen him in years, Linda3rd. Some sights do not improve with age, like the sniveling whining moaning mug of that betrayer.

Happy Thursday, Richard dear!

So glad to see so many messages from you :-)
I am not very talkative at the moment, as words don't come easy.

'Morning, RDear. Happiest of Thursdays to you.

...

...

*blinks*

...

*smooch*

Sweet Thursday, Richard. We had a real soaking yesterday and I am so glad it was just rain and not snow. Whew! I am doing some volunteering work this AM. Back in the 40s today. Yah!

>204 FAMeulstee: Thank you for stopping in to share some words with me, Anita, especially needed since I'm still recovering and get so bored lying in a bed...but rest is recovery, too, I'm reminded. The visits I get are sanity-savrts!

>205 karenmarie: It feels very Thursday, which feels much nicer than Monday ever did. Thursday Orisons, Horrible. I'm still reading the second Aunt Bessie mystery because I keep sleeping my way through the nights I was reading through before. Which is good, but slows my reading! *smooch*

>206 msf59: Got to love the volunteering for animal rehab, Birddude. It's the best way to give back to the birds who've given you so much joy. Yay for the 40s!

Good morning, Richard! I wish you a day when you do everything at just the exact level that boosts your progress. I wish you a day when everything you read touches what you need. I wish you a day when everything you eat is a pleasure. You already have a day when friends care and are cheering you on!

Morning, Richard! I love Peggy's wishes for you, so I will echo them. I am so amazed at how quickly you got back on the threads. Most impressive, but then you always were. *smooch*

>210 LizzieD: Thank you, Peggy! That's a comprehensive run-through of what makes a good day an excellent one. I'm right there with you on them all, with my thanks and a grateful *smooch*

>211 Crazymamie: Thanks, Mamie me lurve. I'm feeling turbocharged from all the support!

Good afternoon Richard! I hope it's going well for you!

>214 The_Hibernator: Greetings, Rachel, I'm making far more of a rapid recovery than I expected, so I'm thrilled say.

I genuinely think my luck in this whole event has been phenomenal.

So with all these positive things happening with your recovery does that mean your foot healed too?

‘Morning, Rdear! Happy Friday.

>208 richardderus: Sleeping through the night is wonderful. Slowed reading is not a bad sacrifice.

>216 Familyhistorian: What Meg asked – I know you were getting good treatment for it at the hospital. I hope that treatment has continued to the point where the gout has been beaten back somewhat.

*smooch*

Happy Friday, Richard. We are taking off to WI for a long weekend with friends. It should be a winter wonderland up there. They just got slammed with a snowstorm. Yep, we are die-hard nutcases. How much longer in rehab?

>216 Familyhistorian:, >217 karenmarie:, >219 msf59: My gouty ulcer is greatly improved but doesn't constitute healed yet. It probably will take a lot longer to heal over than I will be in rehab because of the nature of the underlying process. The podiatrist in the hospital has visiting privileges at my assisted living so he will see me there to use his preferred treatment which he says will eliminate the gout crystals and prevent a recurrence of the issue in that place. Longer-term fix but a real fix at last. It's one reason I'm all about going home as soon as is feasible.

I've got specific goals I need to meet, with stamina and capabilities, that I'm not too worried about; then I've got MY goals for rehabilitating the left side, especially hand, so I can resume my life. If meeting those means a bit longer here that is just fine with me. In any case I don't see myself spending March in here...maybe a little bit of it but not much.

All good news, good Richard! I am more than happy that you are receiving treatment for the gout long-term. Congratulations on finding a medical man who can do that!
I wish you another good day with a *smooch*.

>220 richardderus: Good news! So glad to hear it. Happy Friday! (Why do I still love Fridays with such ferocity when I’ve been retired for 10 years this July? It’s like muscle memory only with my heart, mind and soul.)

>220 richardderus: So glad to hear that your on the mend, Richard.

>220 richardderus: Good to hear you're optimistic of an escape. And glad to hear the foot has a positive future

>221 LizzieD: Thank you Peggy...I'm pretty sure the soaking/scraping cure will hurt, but will get rid of the darn crystals which is always welcome to me.

>222 Storeetllr: Happy Friday, fellow fan! I agree it's a fossilized emotional reality so we're good to stand on that piece of ground.

>223 SandDune: Thanks Rhian! I'm really lucky that I'm able to do the work of recovery.
i do not mind the effort, seeing how many here just can not for physiological reasons.

>224 Helenliz: I'm expecting to escape reasonably soon, Helen!

That sounds like solid progress, buddy. I bet you’d love to have those gout crystals in the rear view mirror - or, better yet, so far back on the road behind you that you can’t see them at all!

Good review of the first Aunt Bessie mystery. Kudos to you and Kath for unearthing this series. Is the first one aka The Adam File?

I'm afraid The Adam File reference leaves me puzzled, Joe. Bessie's not involved in military shenanigans that I can tell....

I'm afraid The Adam File reference leaves me puzzled, Joe. Bessie's not involved in military shenanigans that I can tell....

>229 jnwelch: Aunt Bessie Assumes is the first

Adams file is the next series

:)

>220 richardderus: That steady progress is very reassuring dear fellow. Keep it up!

>232 mckait: OIC...I'd forgotten about the next series.

‘Morning, Rdear, and happy, productive, healing Saturday to you.

>220 richardderus: Ah, thanks for the update. It all makes sense.

*smooch* from your own Horrible

>225 richardderus: One day at a time and all that! Hope this is a good one for you!

*smooch*

Morning Richard!

>235 karenmarie: Hi Horrible, I'm glad it was a satisfying explanation because it's been a real effort for me to put all the pieces together in my mind and get them said all at once. Remarkable as my recovery's been, it's still in process. I was a bit concerned I'd left stuff out!

>236 LizzieD: I slept, mostly. I needed it after the toll the balancing exercises took on me. I felt like I was pole-axed! So good for me today was a dark day in therapy.

>237 The_Hibernator: Howdy Rachel!

009 Aunt Bessie Believes by Diana Xarissa

Rating: 3.5* of five

The Publisher Says: Aunt Bessie believes that Moirrey Teare is just about the most disagreeable woman she's ever had the misfortune to meet.

Elizabeth Cubbon, (Aunt Bessie to nearly everyone), is somewhere past sixty, and old enough to ignore the rude woman that does her best to ruin the first session of the beginning Manx language class they are both taking. Moirrey's sudden death is harder to ignore.

Aunt Bessie believes that Moirrey's death was the result of the heart condition that Moirrey always complained about.

The police investigation, however, suggests that someone switched some of the dead woman's essential medications for something far more deadly.

Aunt Bessie believes that she and her friends can find the killer.

But with Doona suspended from work and spending all of her time with the dead woman's long-lost brother, Hugh caught up in a brand new romance and Inspector Rockwell chasing after a man that might not even exist, Bessie finds herself believing that someone might just get away with murder.

My Review: I didn't care who killed Moirrey, I wanted her dead, and felt as though a wee tiny bit of blind-eye-turning would've improved the story 1000%. I disliked The Twist which wasn't one, and felt completely underwhelmed by The Reveal, which pretty much got telegraphed early on too. A new favorite character gets foregrounded, of course, that's the good bit about cozies, but on the whole I'm glad I've already got 3 & 4 for free or I'd be weighing my options after what I consider to be a lazy piece of plotting marred the many and still fun pleasures of spending Aunt Bessie time.

I will recommend to you that you not read these books while peckish or you'll be the size of a zeppelin before you finish this book. They eat well and often, these characters!

Just checking in on you, RD. ((Hugs)) and **smooches** Have a lovely Sunday!

>241 richardderus: So not a good read in comparison to book 1, then?
I'm unable to borrow the 'Aunt Bessie' books so I feel less disappointed now. Ha!
You were generous with 3½ stars but if it was readable, I can agree the story deserves that. I'm in a parsimonious star-mood when it comes to sloppy twists and reveals, though. Life is too short.

>242 alcottacre: Happy to be checked in on, Stasia! Sunday orisons. *smooch*

Drive-by *SMOOCH*!!!

Glad to hear there may be a long-term solution for the feet. Downloaded the first Aunt Bessie on my Mom's iPad, haven't heard how she likes it yet.

>243 SandyAMcPherson: An average read, let's say, flawed but still cozy-carrying. I wasn't fond of it but in a series one invests more in the series than in the books qua books, if that makes sense. Book 3 is already streets ahead of 2, FYI.

>245 ronincats: Hiya Roni! Skip #2 for Mama, move straight to #3, and the series will ride high! Happy Sunday *smooch*

Satisfaction! It's Sunday morning, and Richard is here making the rounds. I really, really, really like the normal.
As to series, I've said before that I am more often than not disappointed in book #2 unless the author is skillful. Bound to be a semi-stinker now and then.
Flourish!
*smooch*

Checking in to give you happy Sunday *smooches*, Richard. I'm so glad you're reading and reviewing again, though I'm dodging that book bullet for the moment. May be my mood just today, but for whatever reason a cozy mystery doesn't sound all that appealing at the moment.

>248 LizzieD: Hi Peggy! I literally was just at yours telling you that I've picked up Bathan Lowell's Ishmael books on a sci-fi sale and will be joining you on his voyages pretty soon...Sunday *smooch*

‘Morning, RDear, and, as a dear friend of mine says, Sunday orisons to you.

>241 richardderus: Sorry #2 in the hit parade wasn’t as satisfying as #1, but get through #s 3 and 4, then weigh your options, I guess.

*smooch*

>249 bell7: Thanks, Mary! I'm slightly stunned at how much my fluency has recovered. It takes longer to type than it used to, and I need to proofread messages carefully...I should've caught "Bathan" in >248 LizzieD: F/ex...but honestly it's barely two months after I had several strokes, so I'm doing amazingly well. Lucky, lucky me!

Series books are more appealing to me than ever because I feel the need to flex my memory muscles. I need help stretching my name memory muscle particularly. I found my friend Cris's idea that I watch a TV series to learn names and faces faster to be very effective, and am now using series reads in all genres to flex more...so I'm just not invested in the genre too much.

Sunday *smooch*

>251 karenmarie: Horrible my luuuv, I'm here to say that #3 makes up for the longueurs in #2 by setting a cracking good story in the world of historians and archaeologists. So Bessie and I roll on!

Happy to see you as always. *smooch*

>248 LizzieD: Agreed Peggy. I often find book 2 in a series loses my interest. Generally I persevere. >246 richardderus: as RD says, "in a series one invests more in the series than in the "individual" books". My "annotation" inserted in quoting Richard.

>250 richardderus: You should try his book The Wizard's Butler sometime it's really good. I've reread it three times at least. It's on Kindle Unlimited (the rest of his books are also I think).

>255 SilverWolf28: I very much agree, SW.
>250 richardderus: I'll add, Richard, that Lucy enjoyed *Butler* but not the Ishmael books. I have reread it too. Roni, btw, is the other in my Ishmael is comfort reading group of two. I'll be interested to see how you take him, especially since you're not a great scifi fan.

Hiya, RDear! Happy Monday to you.

Glad #3 is better than #2 which was not good compared to #1. Keep on truckin', as @weird_o would say!

*smooch*

>252 richardderus: I've been thinking about how my message may have sounded and want to say, I meant no slight on cozies. I like cozies! I have one out from the library right now. I'm just in a weird reading mood, having just finished two really excellent books, where I'm deciding which one to pick up next and suddenly not in the mood for some.

That's a great idea about TV and book series!

>220 richardderus: Thanks for the treatment update. Good luck with all of that and I hope you get home soon.

Happy Monday, Richard. We came back a day early. Details on my thread. Great weekend, hanging out with friends. This is the same group we go camping with. I indulged a bit too much, especially on Saturday, so I am laying low this week.

>254 SandyAMcPherson: It's common enough for me to bail on book #2 as well, Sandy. Sometimes it's the book, sometimes it's the way the series starts to play out...but Bessie compels my attention in a different way, one that makes me want to invest time and energy into her stories.

>256 LizzieD: Thanks, Sandy. You AND Roni are a double-act I attend to carefully.

>255 SilverWolf28: Thanks for the heads-up, Silver! I'll keep that series on my radar.

>257 karenmarie: Hi Horrible! Monday is upon us...spend it with a glad retiree's heart.

>258 bell7: I didn't "hear" a sniffy dismissal, Mary, I don't think I've ever known you to issue one of those in the 14-plus years we've been friends! Moods should be the motivators for our pleasure reading or else we should be getting paid to do it!

>259 msf59: Well, overindulging is its own punishment after all...and you're retired so...what the heck...need extra recovery time? Take it!

>263 richardderus: Okay, good!

I don't think I've ever known you to issue one of those in the 14-plus years we've been friends! I take that as an immense compliment, Richard. I truly respect anyone's right to read whatever they want and whatever brings them joy, and while I'll be specific about things I like or don't in my personal reviews, I get as much pleasure (maybe more) in recommending books to people that I wouldn't want to read but know they'd love as I do finding a like-minded reader who likes all the same books I do. My job as a librarian has a lot to do with that, I'm sure!

Monday *smooches* and hoping the day behaves itself (may it feel more like a Friday!).

>265 bell7: I get as much pleasure (maybe more) in recommending books to people that I wouldn't want to read but know they'd love as I do finding a like-minded reader who likes all the same books I do. That rings completely true for this old high school English teacher too, Mary. My methods class in 1969 impressed on me for as long as my mind works, "Your main goal is to help students form a permanent reading habit."

Happy Monday, Richard! Here comes a whole new week for you to concentrate on reclaiming your full self! I know you will.

>266 LizzieD:, >265 bell7: Those goals are the ones I think all of us, as intensely passionate readers, share to a greater or lesser degree...there's always a rush associated with someone liking a read we've recommended, isn't there?

Thank you both for visiting me! *smooch*

>220 richardderus: Whoohooo! Longterm solutions for the gout! That's what I'm talking about. And definitely put as much time and effort into rehabbing Lefty and giving Pancho a rest as you can. I cannot tell you how wonderful it is to see you here again on LT. Smooches galore.

Good to see that you are making great progress and will be back to your normal digs soon, Richard. Even better that the doctor who can do something for your gout will be able to follow up with you there.

Hiyah, Richard! I’m late to the party, but am back from our world travels. Happy new thread, glad you’re back with us!

Morning, Richard. I took the day off from my Rehab duties. I thought we would be getting back later from our trip. Our weather continues to be mild, so I will get out to do some solo birding and then hang out with Juno and the books. I hope your current reads are treating you well.

‘Morning, RDear! I hope today is productive and gets you closer to your goal of being back in your own room soon.

>262 richardderus: I retired in January of 2016 and am still thrilled. I am also thrilled when I can say the words “I’m retired.” I spent it well.

*smooch* from your own Madame TVT Horrible

>268 Berly: For the CRYSTALS formed by the gout...to be nitpicky, the gout is forever. But the left foot crystals will be gone and my maintenance meds will slow their inevitable regrowth as much as possible. I'll take that with a big, wide grin!

*smooch*

>269 Familyhistorian: I'm amazed and pleased at my progress since it means I've discovered the many things I still need to focus on, like balance and motor control. My stamina is slowly but surely increasing. That's a huge help since the demands on my body need to be met from a shrunken pool of energy. Recovery's a process is a very accurate truism.

Thanks for visiting, Meg.*smooch*

>270 drneutron: Hey there Rocket Doc! Your meetup photos are wonderful evidence of how much fun you and Danita had. I'm so glad to be back and so grateful I can make sense (well, as much as I ever do) that I smile at small annoyances like how slow I am at typing with one hand. It might come back enough to be a two handed process again. Even if it doesn't I can do it!

>271 msf59: Hi Mark! I'm still reading Aunt Bessie books, so cozying up a storm. Happy dog-and-booking this afternoon!

I admit to avoiding the sick bay, Richard. But I'm inspired by your cheerful approach to rehab.

>272 karenmarie: Hey there Horrible! I'm sure the thrill is still fresh...7 years compared to a working lifetime is but a blink.

I certainly agree you're making the most of this time of your own. since you'e eoing what I'm doing, I suppose that isn't much of a surprise.

Tuesday orisons.

Did you get snow, RD? Ours is very pretty, and the perfect amount!

Morning, Richard! Hoping your Tuesday is full of happy. *smooch and a bear hug*

>220 richardderus:, >235 karenmarie: Echoing Karen's thoughts - that makes complete sense. It's good there is a plan in place.

>241 richardderus: Nice review. I loved this: "I will recommend to you that you not read these books while peckish or you'll be the size of a zeppelin before you finish this book." Making a note that I can safely skip book #2.

>279 katiekrug: We did! It's not a lot but it looked nice on the sunporch's glass roof. I sat there for a while enjoying it. The parking lot right next to the sunporch is never going to look like much of anything special.

>280 Crazymamie: It's been a lovely day of balance exercises and more possibly later this afternoon. I'm game for it. I need to make an effort in order not to feel like I'm just rotting away...even though I do stuff on my own, like walk around the halls at night when there's less traffic, I am impatient (my besetting sin) and want the training!

Plans are good. They keep everyone focused on a goal, and I'm glad for the simple clarity of this one. The fewer moving parts a plan has, the more likely it is to be accomplished.

These characters eat their way through every book! It's phenomenal how much scrummy stuff they eat and never seem to gain an ounce! Of course, it is fiction. But I'm a solid 62% wide-open gnashers at this point anyway. It can be painful to read about their second dessert of sticky toffee pudding aftr making and polishing off a whole shortbread recipe. I keep flinging myselk at my Kindle hoping it'll turn into Platform 9¾ but it refuses to do so.

>282 richardderus: I am also not good with patience. I did 7 miles on the exercise bike today in honor of you - I wanted to stop after 5.

So true about plans and their parts.

Ah. Like Bruno and Montalbano! Love the idea of the Kindle turning into Platform 9¾ - how full of fabulous would that be?! *smooch*

>283 Crazymamie: Like Bruno and Montalbano! Love the idea of the Kindle turning into Platform 9¾ - how full of fabulous would that be?! *smooch* Times ten because they're eating all the bad-for-us stuff that tastes so gorgeously fatty and sweet. Reading about Bruno's bécasses make me drool in happy memory of eating their wild, pungent meat; Aunt Bessie's sticky toffee pudding sends me prowling the corridors for forgotten cookies and leftover meal trays.

Good on you for the extra two miles! I got my second workout today and came back to my room with graham cracker packets rustling in my pockets. I'm a hungry hungry hippo between meals, which isn't ordinary for me.

Unless I'm reading Aunt Bessie.

HM the King's 2010 book Harmony is on Kindlesale for $1.99 today. It's instructive to read his thoughts on the subject of what to do to fix the world for that kind of money.

>282 richardderus: Ohh, a book that makes your mouth water. That could be a recipe for disaster, drooling on the book!
Glad to hear that progress continues.

>274 richardderus: Energy is funny, Richard. The more effort you put in the more energy you get to keep.

It's probably a good thing that I haven't found a source for the Aunt Bessie books if they eat sticky toffee pudding all the time. It's one of my favourites. I had lots of different varieties while in Scotland last year. Definitely one of the reasons I keep going back.

>273 richardderus: Well, less crystals or slower regrowth are both still a step in the right direction and I am happy for you. And I hope you continue to get lots of rehab time. Smooches. : )

‘Morning RDear! Happy Wōdnesdæg to you.

>282 richardderus: Ooh. A Harry Potter reference! I’d love to have access to Platform 9 ¾. Rowling sure knew how to describe yummy food in those books!

>220 richardderus: (yes, I know, ‘way up there) I neglected to comment on the soonish permanent solution of elimination of the gout crystals in your left foot. Another major reason to get home soonest.

*smooch* from your own Horrible

Happy beginning of March!

Checking in to say hello. I am glad that you are making strides in your recovery and that the gout crystals are also getting better.

Nice to see your great reviews as well!

*Hugs*

First of the month *smooch*!

>286 Helenliz: The Bruno, Chief of Police books are written by your fellow Brit and French expat Martin Walker and certainly should be looked into! (but not drooled on, despite his culinary exploits).

>287 Familyhistorian: It does seem to work that way, and it's peculiar indeed Meg...I'm draining the tank daily but getting more and more out of it each time. I am grateful for this phenomenon because it means I'm doing something right!

>288 Berly: Thanks, Berly, it's been so long since I have felt any glimmer of hope for a less painful future that I'm slightly giddy at the prospect! *smooch*

>289 karenmarie: It's been decades since I read the series, but I must say I don't recall a single foodie moment in the books, Horrible. Maybe I was just less interested then?

Woden be praised, it's the middle of the first week of Mars's month! I'm not sure I'm all the way convinced that the time I've lost to stroke-related memory misplacement is actually real. It's well and truly buried but it seems as though something should be able to restore the time to me....

I really hope that Dr. Liao's going to deliver on this possibility. going home's welcome, but with that kind of hope dangled before me....

*smooch*

>290 figsfromthistle: Thank you, Anita! I'm so glad I can participate still/again!

>291 katiekrug: March *smooch* back, Katie!

Hmmm. I now have balance issues in my ripe old age. My doc assures me that I'm steady as a rock because I can correct when I start to lean backwards in his "stand up, hold your arms straight out in front of you, close your eyes" test. I don't have a brain tumor, DG, but I am never exactly sure where my foot's going to land when we walk. All this is a natural part of aging, he says, but it's disconcerting. Actually, you don't need to read this, but I'm often on my mind.
Still reading Ish a bit.

March on, dear Richard! March on! Go with a *smooch*.

Is it a good thing or a bad thing when your doctor says, "your strokes are the most curious ones I've ever encountered"? Apparently I should be much, much further away from functioning on my left side than I am...the pulmonologist who is supposed to evaluate me for a sleep study is getting their hindquarters handed to them by my doc for not seeing me yet.

All of my blood chemistry is normal. No elevated triglycerides or cholesterol. No thyroid problems (since I'm already being medicated for its malfunctions). No sign of diabetes. I am, in short, in good health for a man my age. Yet here came these strokes.... c'mon, pulmo doc! Chop chop! It's disconcerting not to have a cause for an event like this more because I can't then put a plan in place to reduce the chances of a recurrence in future. Even lightning risks can be ameliorated with lightning rods. This, however, appears to be so unusual as to be a curve-breaker...like my tophaceous gout...another thing that can't be guarded against.

>298 LizzieD: Hi Peggy, happy March to you too.

There are these little bastards called "otoliths" that form when we're embryos and never change again that rule our balance and proprioception. If Evolution were embodied somehow I'd go give it a swift sharp kick right on the shinbone wearing my heavy boots for neglecting or deciding to make the otoliths non-self-renewing!

New thread alert: https://www.librarything.com/topic/349012