Shelley Starts Again in 2024 - chapter one

I'm Shelley, retired primary special education teacher. Mum to 2 rescue boys who are finally settling in and now own the place: Hurricane Theo and (my very) Owen. They will grace my threads from time to time because, well, just because!

My reading plans, such as they are, for this year is to read more off my own shelves in order to get them moving, as well as to read more Canadian authors. I seem to say this every year but, I meant it this time (I seem to say THAT every year, too!;-)

2023 was a horrible year and I'm glad to see it in the rear-view mirror. Here's hoping 2024 brings better days for me and everyone. I know a lot of 75ers are feeling the same!

Good riddance, 2023, get outta my yard!

Bringing these over from the last thread because I just love them: the talk and the response:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Found these 2 probably from someone in the 75ers. Can't remember who but thank you! They speak to my soul!

and

A recent purchase, textile art by the amazingly talented Lorraine Roy. This is the third piece by her that I own. Also brought over from last thread but it deserves to be seen again.

And, just because:

Hello, come on in:





Hmmm. Not sure why the pics look so fuzzy. On my computer screen they look clear and sharp. Oh well...welcome anyhow!

>7 jessibud2: It's probably the size. Putting width=400 after the " but before the ">" will likely sharpen them up for LT.

Happy 2024! *smooch*

>8 richardderus: - You know you are talking Martian to me, Richard. But thanks anyhow and welcome. I have no crowns for being the first in the door but as a consolation, I won't post any more pics of my boys for awhile! ;-) smooch!

Wordle 926 4/6 meaty, moola, malts, mural

🟩⬜🟨⬜⬜
🟩⬜⬜🟨🟨
🟩🟨🟨⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Currently reading:

In Praise of Difficult Women
We Interrupt This Program
The Certainties

Happy New Reading Year, Shelley!

Love >3 jessibud2: and that mug in >4 jessibud2: is 100% me.

Hi and thanks, Kathy!

Bringing this over from my last post of my last thread:

We had a lovely dusting of snow overnight so everything looks clean and pretty this morning. Nice way to start the new year.

As a brief summary, I was surprised to discover that I read a total of 87 books in 2023. It sure felt like I was hardly reading at all. A good number of them were smaller children's books and I turn to those when I just can't concentrate on anything else. At least it keeps me reading. Half of me feels I shouldn't count those but in truth, they are books and I read them, so of course they count! There were not many standouts for me last year among regular books but a few of the better ones include:

My Russian Grandmother and Her American Vacuum Cleaner
The Red Leather Diary
Lessons in Chemistry

The last book I finished was Women of the Post by Joshunda Sanders. It was about the first and only Black female unit to serve overseas during WWII. It was a part of history I knew nothing about and for that reason alone I wanted to read it. I also wanted to like it more than I did. The author is supposed to be an award-winning journalist but in truth, I found the narrative sometimes clunky, sometimes a bit contrived. The author's note at the end was interesting and shed more light on the story itself. It was based on true events and even 2 real people, though the way Sanders changed facts to suit her narrative seemed odd, to me. Also, once again, I found what I think are anachronisms, words that are commonplace today but wouldn't have been in 1943/44, when this story took place. I tried to source first usages on my own for a few of them and one, *database* I only found from the early 1960s. Things like that stick in my craw. Still, it was worth reading.

I am hoping for more good reads in 2024. I really need stories to pull me in and not let go! No more slogs! ;-)

Happy New Year Shelley. Love the photos of those mischievous housemates of yours.

Looking forward to following your reading. I'm currently reading one I found on your thread about 18 months ago, a purchase rather than one you have read I think: House on Endless Water by Israeli author
Emuna Elon. A writer new to me. 70 pages in and hooked.

I agree with you--no more slogs! Happy reading in 2024!

Happy new year, Shelley! May 2024 be your best year ever! And, yes, no more slogs!

>15 Caroline_McElwee: - Hi Caroline, thanks for stopping by. I will be interested to hear what you think of that book. I was very hooked at the beginning but less so near the end. I won't repost my review here (don't want to give spoilers) but I know one other person who read it and had a very different reaction than I did so I'm eager to see what you make of it.

>16 Tess_W:, >17 Storeetllr: - Thanks, Tess and Mary. Nice to see you both here!

Welcome back, Shelley!

Happy New Year, Shelley. Hoping for a safe & healthy 2024!

Happy new year! I hope it is a more peaceful one for you.

Thanks, Jim, Mark, Anita! Happy new year to you all, too.

And Happy New Year!!

Hi Shelley and Happy New Year to you, Theo, and Owen. I hope it's a better year all around.

Dropping off my star.

Happy new year, and love the kitty pictures!

Your cats are very cute, Shelley. You jigsaw puzzling days will return as Theo and Owen get a little older. We didn't get a dusting of snow here - thank goodness, but I was out walking Poppy for a couple of days and it was sunny but damp. It smelled great out, not unlike Hawaii - I'm not sure what is in bloom here. Dave said - it was probably someone's dryer I passed! Seriously!

Gorgeous new fibre art picture you purchased.

Happy reading in 2024, Shelley!

>1 jessibud2: LOVE that first picture! And the others too, of course :-)

Hi and thanks, Kim, Ellen, Rhonda, Deb and Anita.

Wordle 927 4/6 ocean, fanny, paint, aging. A little inattention hiccup on my third guess

⬜⬜⬜🟨🟨
⬜🟨⬜🟩⬜
⬜🟨🟩🟩⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Connections
Puzzle #205
🟨🟨🟨🟨BLT ingredients: bread, bacon, lettuce, tomato
🟩🟩🟩🟩obstruct: block, clog, jam, stop
🟦🟦🟦🟦baseball stats: double, hit, run, walk
🟪🟪🟪🟪small__: fry, talk, wonder, world

Hi Shelley! Happy New Year to you.

>1 jessibud2: Yay for the boys, and good luck with your 2024 reading goals.

>2 jessibud2: Sweet pics – I’m glad they’ve settled down and get along now.

>14 jessibud2: Congrats on reading 87 books last year and surprising yourself. All books count.

Great photos of the cats! Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, Shelley. I hope 2024 is a better one for you.

>14 jessibud2: You read 87 books in 2023?! That feels like a miracle, given the intense emotional expenditures of your year.

I, too, am popped out of the narrative flow when something is *obviously* (to me, anyway) just wrong...extra points off if it's something Google would've corrected easily. I must say that rearranging stuff in time, reordering events that actually happened, isn't one of those things for me. The Universe is completely random so things aren't preordained to happen in only one way. But things like slang, or neologisms tied to particular events (eg, someone in WWII calling a scandal "Something-gate" caused me to toss a book into the trash) cause disgust.

Hi and thanks, Karen, Cyrel and Beth.

>32 richardderus: - I know and yes, I agree. I WAS surprised at that number, too.

All indications at this point seem to promise that the issues with my mother and the place where she lives will only deteriorate this year. In brief, I have requested from the social worker who arranges such things, that she try to expedite a move to another facility. I won't go into details here but suffice it to say, enough is enough where she is. I have written numerous letters, so everything is documented. I never in a million years imagined I would, or could, be so assertive/aggressive and while I will stop only at having our names in the media, I have let them know that I won't back down. I have hinted at going public in an attempt to scare them a bit and it may be working but in truth, it is wearing me out. I HATE the position I am in. I hate that I HAVE TO be this way. And on that note, I will say no more. I don't want to start the year on a negative note. If I never had a blood pressure issue before (and I haven't), I most certainly will by the time all this is over.

I am hoping to have my first book of the year finished by the weekend.

Wordle 928 3/6 meaty, third, twirl

⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜
🟩⬜🟩🟩⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

The last 2 in Connections were total guesses for me. I wouldn't have gotten the last ones at all even if the category was given to me. Pfft

Connections
Puzzle #206
🟨🟨🟨🟨move through the air: float, fly, glide, soar
🟦🟦🟦🟩
🟦🟦🟦🟦select, as a box on a form: check, mark, tick, x
🟩🟩🟩🟩hidden listening devices: bug, mike, tap, wire
🟪🟪🟪🟪40, cole, pain, tip

I'm a bit sluggish and overworked, Shelley but I have made it at last.

Happy new year and you'll have my company for the duration as always.

Sorry to hear about the situation with your mother. Keep well!

>5 jessibud2: Lovely!

I love seeing the pictures of your boys up top! Happy New Year, Happy New Thread, and I certainly hope 2024 is much better than 2023 proved to be.

>3 jessibud2: The first one made me laugh out loud and the second struck me as just too true.

Love the pictures of the boys.

Happy New Year, Shelley! If you want to join us in the new decluttering thread, it is here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/356425#n8341978

>33 jessibud2: So sorry it got this bad, Shelley. I hope the social worker finds a better place for your mother soon.
(((hugs)))

>35 PaulCranswick: - Thanks, Paul, and welcome, as always.
>36 torontoc: - Thanks, Cyrel.
>37 alcottacre:, >38 Familyhistorian: - Thanks, Stasia and Meg. Those boys are my sanity, such as it is.
>39 ronincats: - Thanks, Roni. I think I already have!
>40 FAMeulstee: - Thanks, Anita. I spent a good chunk of yesterday on the phone and things seem to be moving in the right direction, so that is something. I honestly think that navigating such a broken system is the cause of more of my stress than my mother herself.

Wordle 929 3/6 meaty, chant, scant

⬜⬜🟩🟨⬜
🟨⬜🟩🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Tech question. Does anyone here know of or have heard of or used LastPass?

Yesterday, I got a lengthy email from them warning me that I will soon need to change my *master password* (whatever that is) to a more secure one.*New master password requirements* is how they phrased it. On the one hand, it didn't feel like the generic spam that I automatically mark as spam and immediately delete because it was a detailed email, no grammar mistakes and no nonsense or suspicious messages. On the other hand, they never used my name and I never heard of Last Pass and I wonder how they got my personal email (don't have to think hard about that, probably bought it from somewhere). Also, there are detailed instructions, and links to click on which, of course, I did not click on.

This was not a password message from yahoo, which is my email.

I contacted my computer guy right away, asking what to do. First he said: Do not use LastPass and don't install it. But then he said to look it up and see if it's safe and to read articles about it. I may need to phone him later to clarify. Meantime, I am hovering above the *mark as spam* button.

Does anyone here have any experience with this?

>5 jessibud2: Dropping by to say I love the artwork. Happy New Year Shelley.

>44 Oberon: - Hi Erik, thanks. And happy new year to you, too!

If you’ve never used Last Pass or signed up for it , it’s spam or phishing for certain . Delete it without clicking on anything , Shelley .

>46 vancouverdeb: - That was my instinct, too, Deb.

Wordle 930 5/6 - Inattention again
ocean, nurse, quite, purge, lunge

⬜⬜🟨⬜🟨
🟨🟩⬜⬜🟩
⬜🟩⬜⬜🟩
⬜🟩⬜🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

>28 jessibud2: I hate when I do those little inattention hiccups!

I hope you have a good weekend, Shelley.

Oh, and I have no idea what LastPass is but I am VERY suspicious of unexpected emails. My advice: do not click on any links.

Hi Shelley, Happy 2024!

Your two kitties are beautiful! I'm sure they keep you on your toes.

LastPass is a password manager, but if you didn't sign up for it, it's probably a phishing email.

Thanks Ellen. Welcome, Joanne, nice to see you here.

As for LastPass, it has gone to spam heaven. I did not click on anything. I am the biggest skeptic and I usually distrust anything I don't know, specifically when it comes to tech. I also don't answer my phone if there is no caller ID or if it's a number I don't recognize. That probably accounts for 98% of the calls that I get, lol

Wordle 931 5/6 meaty, break, abode, fable, cable

⬜🟨🟨⬜⬜
🟨⬜🟨🟨⬜
🟨🟨⬜⬜🟩
⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Hi Shelley my dear, starred you once again and A belated Happy New Year. We got your card my dear, it was lovely, i will be visiting throughout 2024.

Hi John, happy new year to you too.

Wordle 932 4/6 meaty, tipsy, story, stony

⬜⬜⬜🟨🟩
🟨⬜⬜🟨🟩
🟩🟩🟩⬜🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Connections - Mostly guessy-guessy

Puzzle #210
🟨🟩🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩kinds of exams: bar, final ,oral, physical
🟨🟦🟨🟨
🟪🟪🟪🟪__tooth: baby, eye, sweet, wisdom
🟦🟨🟨🟨
🟨🟨🟨🟨tech companies: alphabet, amazon, apple, meta
🟦🟦🟦🟦something exemplary: beauty, gem, marvel, peach

Well, my reading year is starting off pretty much where my last one left off: scattered and unfocussed. I currently have - count 'em - 6 books open and at various stages of being read. They are all books I want to finish (except for the 2 library books which may just get returned as they are). Why do I do this to myself? I just find myself with too much on the plate at the moment and by the time I get into bed to read, my eyelids just don't want to cooperate. Oh well. We'll see how long it takes me to sort this out and get organized... First world problem, I know.

Oh, Breaking news: Last night, I picked Owen up! Sort of. He was on the window perch and I put my hand under his belly and lifted him down and onto the floor. It took him by surprise and he wasn't happy but he did not make a sound or rip my arm or face off so I am taking this as a sign of progress. I may try again today, and try to get him used to it. I just don't want to freak him out, so I have to be careful not to overdo it.

Only 3 plus years in the making.....

I have been working up to this for awhile. Every time I put his food bowl down, I stroke him from head to tail. For the past several months, I have also gently rubbed his belly as he eats (just for a few seconds). My mother always told us when we were kids to never touch an animal when he is eating. But in truth, I have always done this, and deliberately with Owen so he would learn to associate my hands and my touch with something good, ie, food. That has been totally successful so I started on the belly. He has to prioritize what's most important in the moment, that pesky human or eating. He always makes the right choice, ;-)

If I never come back here, you will know that he changed his mind and ripped my hand off...

Sorry to hear about the bout of scattered and unfocused reading. Hope that ends soon. Hooray for Owen. May we see more progress. 🤞

>57 jessibud2: Funny about Owen and his belly touching. On one of our feral cats, Lord Bravery, who lived to age 16 years...I tried to pick her up once...and she never let me try again...ever! Owen can't leave your home to hide, though, so you have an advantage! :D

Yay for Owen!

When I am having a hard time focussing on reading, sometimes I switch to comfort reads.

Hi Mark, Madeline, Rhonda. I am still intact and he slept on the bed, as usual, last night so I guess I am forgiven. I may try again later today... (sucker for punishment? Time will tell). He is very fast though, so if he has had enough he can just take off and he knows I will never catch him. I may be slow but I am not entirely dumb...

As for my reading, I also pulled a pile of older magazines out that I want to get rid of. I turn to those when the book reading is not working. I've made my way through 2 complete magazines so far this week. At least I am still reading...

Wordle 933 3/6 ocean, lunar, final

⬜⬜⬜🟩🟨
🟨⬜🟩🟩⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Hi Shelley!

>57 jessibud2: Wow, progress on the Owen front. Congrats on being patient.

>61 jessibud2: Our semi-feral Zoe and her son, the derp boy Wash, are both skittish about being held. They’ll sit in laps and sleep with us, though. We’ve had them 4 years now, and just accept that they’re not kitties that like being held.

>62 karenmarie: - I have accepted that, too, about Owen. It was a bit hard (for me) as he is the first and only cat I have ever had (I've had 7, over the last many years) who won't allow me to pick him up. Not all have been lap cats or cuddlers, for sure, but none before him have downright refused. I mostly want to be able to do this in case I ever have to take him to the vet. I managed it once and that's when he got micro-chipped, but he has not been back since and therefore, has not had any shots since his first ones. Being an indoor cat, I am not overly concerned about that (though the vets have been. I made and cancelled many appointments because I simply could not get him into the carrier. Gabapentin did not a thing to calm him down). And I would rather have him get used to my picking him up just at home, for no reason. If he thinks the only reason I pick him up is to get him into a carrier, it will certainly never happen. But if he can accept it for no reason, and see nothing bad comes of it, then maybe he will relax.

Or maybe not, lol

Lovely piece today in the New York Times by Margaret Renkl, on birds, nature and and dealing with anxiety about the upcoming US election later this year. I will post it here and hope it isn't too long. It's worth the read:

Taking a Cue From the Squirrels in My Birdhouse
Jan. 8, 2024, 5:02 a.m.

By Margaret Renkl

Ms. Renkl is a contributing Opinion writer who covers flora, fauna, politics and culture in the American South.

Just before 2023 gave way to 2024, my husband and I drove down a mountain, talking about how to manage election-year anxiety. Specifically, my election-year anxiety. We had just spent a few days in a cottage in the woods, and we were jazzed on silence and stillness and the obligation to do nothing but walk together among the trees. To listen to the wind in the trees.

We weren’t making New Year’s resolutions, exactly. We were feeling for ways to carry those days of calm into a troubling new year. I was proposing things like eating by candlelight every night or reading only poems after 5 p.m. My husband was proposing things like hiding my phone.

For most of 2023 I managed to avoid poll-related panic by reminding myself that the election was still more than a year away. There were plenty of other calamities to worry about in the meantime — climate, biodiversity, war, gun violence, racism, health care access and the persecution of my L.G.B.T.Q. neighbors, just for starters. But lurking beneath it all was an understanding of how very much worse such troubles would get if autocrats took control of the American presidency in 2024.

My husband is not very worried about the election. He trusts that American voters aren’t fools. He is able to check the news at night and only a moment later fall into the sleep of winter bears. I, on the other hand, will lie awake if I so much as glance at the headlines after dark.

I found I didn’t worry so much while I was out on book tour last fall. There is really nothing like spending time in libraries and bookstores to give a person faith in humanity. I am profoundly direction-impaired, and solo travel can be disorienting for me, every street bewildering in the dark. But inside those little lighted spaces, people were nodding and smiling. People were reaching out for my hands.

They would go home with a book, or sometimes a whole stack of books, and I was reminded yet again of how this commonplace miracle of connection — between writers and readers, between readers and one another — persists across distances. Every time I left a bookshop or a library last fall, I was filled with love for the sweetness in people.

But it’s January now, and there is nothing to distract me from a looming election during which a shocking number of Americans hope to see an aspiring dictator reinstalled in the White House.

My husband and I saw the New Year in as we always do, with our closest friends, and the next morning I woke up smiling. But when I went to the bedroom window to look for my first bird of the year, there were no birds to be seen. A squirrel peered at me from our largest birdhouse but quickly ducked back into the shelter of the leafy nest she’d built inside the box. She raised a litter of babies there last summer, and I’m pretty sure at least one of those youngsters, now grown, was inside with her on that cold New Year’s morning.

When I stepped outside my own house, all was silence. No towhee scratching in the leaf litter. No winter-drab goldfinch picking through seedcrowns in the pollinator garden. No thirsty bluebird at the heated birdbath. No robin harvesting the last of the pokeberries. Not even any crows stalking across the churned soil where our late neighbor’s house so recently stood.

According to birding tradition, the first bird you see on New Year’s Day sets a theme for your year. A robin can be a sign of renewal. A starling suggests adaptability. A crow might mean a year of wit and problem-solving and maybe even a little mischief. What did it mean for the new year to dawn entirely bereft of birds?

I know that songbirds are quiet in cold weather, conserving their energy for warmth. I know they take shelter on gray days when hawks are on the wing, hunting while they can fly without casting a warning shadow. But my first thought on that silent New Year’s morning was not a realistic recognition of the cold or the drear. My first thought was an atavistic, apocalyptic fear: This what it will be like when all the birds are gone.

After an hour of scanning the trees, I finally heard a blue jay, and then the returning call of another, and a moment later the first bird of 2024 appeared. Its colors were muted on that gray day — in birds, the color blue is created not by pigment but by the interaction of light and feather — but the blue jay’s impossible beauty was as clear to me in that instant as it has ever been in all my life of loving blue jays.

The birds weren’t gone, of course. Like the squirrel in the nest box outside our bedroom window and the opossum tucked between the floor joists under our family room, they were only keeping still in the dense protection of pine and cedar, or roosting in the boxes they nested in last spring. In bad weather they always shelter together, sharing warmth — bluebirds in the nest box in our front yard, chickadees in the box under the climbing rose, Carolina wrens in the clothespin bag by the back door.

The natural world does not exist to teach us how to live, much less to match our purposes, and the first-bird game is only a bit of whimsy. But in that moment of whooshing relief, after a blue jay finally flew from a pine, I found my lesson for the coming year. And it had nothing to do with where I keep the phone or how often I check for news, and very little to do with silence or candlelight or even poetry.

To make it through the gathering disquiet, I will need embodied connection. As my wild neighbors did in the uncheery newness of an inhospitable morning, as I did myself in all the lovely places I visited on book tour, and in the company of dear friends on New Year’s Eve, I will need to seek comfort in the warmth of others this year. Whenever the cold creeps in, wherever the dark night pools, I will need to look for others. I will need not pixels but voices. Not distances but reaching hands.

Well progress with Owen is a great start to the year Shelley.

I've had much reading time so far, though several books on the go.

>64 jessibud2: Thanks for sharing the article! It was calming and insightful!

Karen O

>64 jessibud2: I will need to seek comfort in the warmth of others this year.

I so agree with this. Not only the looming U.S. elections, but the situation in Israel has made me focus on anxiety-reduction strategies for 2024. I try to keep in touch with family and friends, mostly because we can always offer to support each other. Remember the last time I was terrified of the Dumpster? I made it to Canada to meet you! Like those hidden birds, know that danger lurks, but use strategies for self-preservation.

>66 klobrien2:, >67 SqueakyChu: - Yes. And Renkl is a wonderful writer, if you haven't read her before. I own all 3 of her books (have read only the first one so far but I am hoping to get to both of the others this year.)

>64 jessibud2: I just read the whole thing. I love it. Thank you for posting.

Happy that you liked it, Ellen. I love her writing, her way of thinking and articulating the way she can bring seemingly unrelated things together with clarity and emotion.

Meh:

Wordle 934 5/6 meaty, piece, liked, liver, liner

⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜
⬜🟩🟨⬜⬜
🟩🟩⬜🟩⬜
🟩🟩⬜🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Better:

Connections
Puzzle #212
🟦🟨🟨🟨
🟨🟨🟨🟨cleaning supplies: broom,mop, rag, sponge
🟩🟩🟩🟩elements of cooking, per Samin Nosrat: salt, fat, acid, heat
🟦🟦🟦🟦things that make you sneeze: dust, pepper, pollen, smoke
🟪🟪🟪🟪titular fictional detectives: Magnum, Monk, Shaft, Tracy

drive-by *smooch*

Hi Richard!

Wordle 935 5/6 ocean, prime, queer, shred, threw

⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜
⬜🟨⬜⬜🟨
⬜⬜⬜🟩🟨
⬜🟩🟩🟩⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

>57 jessibud2: Hooray! On the progress with Owen.

Congrats on the new level of bonding with Owen! And I wish you and your mom the best -- tough situation. Good luck with the reading, but don't stress over it -- its supposed to be fun!

Thanks, Anita and Kim. My mum is now considered palliative though it's anyone's guess how long this stage will last. She has managed to bounce back from so much over the last 6 years or so, I wouldn't venture to guess. It's been a stressful few months, these last ones.

It snowed all morning and rained much of the early afternoon. Add to that, my storm door window was dirty so the following pics are not clear and sharp at all. But I was so happy to see the goldfinches back! One even had a very clear patch of yellow feathers on his neck. It seems a bit early for that but then, the weather has been rather confusing for everyone, hasn't it? So, today, I had the goldfinches, a red-breasted nuthatch, a female cardinal and the only ones I couldn't manage to get a photo of were the juncos skittering around on the lawn.

Goldfinches:


Nuthatch and cardinal:


Cardinal again:


Sorry for the poor quality of the images.

Love the birds! I have two big round bushes in front of my house that are" all season foliage".
There are a number of small birds who use these bushes as their winter condo.

>77 jessibud2: Your pictures are amazing! Don’t apologize for anything!

Karen

I love your pictures, Shelley.

Thanks Cyrel, Karen, Beth. The reason the pics look like I put an artsy fartsy filter on is not because of any intent but rather because the zoom on my phone camera is crappy. The zoom on my digital camera (Canon Powershot) was great but I so rarely use that camera any more. Maybe I should get back to toting it around again.

Wordle 938 5/6 meaty, peace, learn, fears, heard

⬜🟩🟩⬜⬜
⬜🟩🟩⬜⬜
⬜🟩🟩🟩⬜
⬜🟩🟩🟩⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

>77 jessibud2: Happy to see the feeders unpigeoned.

*smooch*

>77 jessibud2: Lovely to see your visitors Shelley.

Great bird pictures!

>77 jessibud2: Great pictures, Shelley! We don't get cardinals around here, or red breasted nuthatches, so it is fun to see them. I'm sorry to read that your mom is palliative , Shelley. I can only imagine how stressful it has been. My mom turned 83 today and though she is very healthy, I find she is very needy in terms of wanting company , and that is sometimes hard . I'm grateful to have 4 siblings, but I've been there twice this week and I'll be there again several times again this week. She is severely hard of hearing, and as much as I know that is very hard for her, it can sometimes be challenging for me too.

Hi Shelley!

>63 jessibud2: Ah, yes, your unsuccessful get-Owen-to-the-vet visits. I’ve had cats that I’ve had to cram in carriers, and the newbies both require medication the night before and 2 hours before. My kitties are indoor/outdoor so I really stay no top of vaccinations, as you can imagine. But indoor Owen, perhaps not so much.

>77 jessibud2: Nice pics, even if a tad blurry.

Thanks, Richard, Caroline, Rhonda, Deb, Karen. Richard, please do not say that word, lest you jinx the luck I am currently having with them!

Karen, if I could catch the little rascal, I might be able to stuff him into the carrier. But the second he realizes my intention, forget it. He is fast as lightning!

Deb, I am hoping to make it through January without having to make another trip to Montreal but we'll see. Hard to make any plans. I have already twice had movie tickets that I have had to give to friends because of having to go to Mtl and not being able to be here for them. I have tickets to 2 more this week and those should be ok but there is a film I want to see in Feb that I am hesitating to buy a ticket for right now. Probably best to wait till closer to the date.

I have been starting books and setting them aside with alarming regularity lately. Maybe 6 or 7. Just can't concentrate. I did manage to blitz through a huge backlog of magazines, though, this past weekend and consign most to the recycle bin, so at least that's something. A few books also made it into the donation box.

Now, this doesn't happen very often!

Wordle 940 2/6 ocean, lunch

⬜🟨⬜⬜🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Not so easy today:

Connections
Puzzle #218
🟨🟨🟨🟨list of candidates: ballot, roster, slate, ticket
🟩🟩🟩🟩protective barrier: buffer, cushion, pad, shield
🟦🟪🟦🟪
🟦🟪🟦🟪
🟪🟪🟪🟪pea__: coat, green, pod, soup
🟦🟦🟦🟦medicine formats: capsule, cream, syrup, tablet

>77 jessibud2: Nice job with your feeder photos, Shelley. Glad you get to see so many goldfinches and nice shot of the red-breasted nuthatch. They are tough to photograph, since they are so quick.

We woke up up to -10F...again and we may not see zero today. It has not stopped the birds at the feeders though. Currently getting a few juncos, cardinals and downy woodpeckers. I need to top off the feeders too.

>90 msf59: - Thanks, Mark. I had a downy at my feeder yesterday for quite awhile. Today, so far, just goldfinches and nuthatches and juncos on the ground. I may have missed the cardinals as they tend to come early in the morning and later in the evening. The goldies were waiting for me in the tree and were chirping at me to hurry up with that feeder!

Wordle 941 4/6 meaty, pious, flood, blond

⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
⬜⬜🟩⬜⬜
⬜🟩🟩⬜🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Shelley, have you seen the transparent window feeder that has an opening too small for pigeons to get into? I would drop a link if I had one, but as I never clicked on the item I do not. It is all over Facebook, though, so permaybehaps you can visit some birdie stuff there and it will jump out at you.

Hi Richard. I have seen them but they wouldn't work for me, for many reasons. For one thing, the pigeons don't go to the feeder. And if they did, they wouldn't have success because it's a tube feeder inside a wire cage that closes down over the food ports if anything heavier than a song bird lands on a perch. Think, squirrel-proof, and it works. The pigeons mostly hang around on the lawn under the feeder, waiting for seeds to drop. For that purpose, my squirrels do their job and I'd rather have them than pigeons.

As for those transparent feeders that suction to the windows, I always worry that in the cold like we are having, the suction would be ineffective and I'd just end up with a big mess below.

Plus, I don't do facebook, though I have seen them in the stores where I buy bird seed. Anyhow, evil woman that I am, I keep a small container next to my front door in which I collect pine cones which have fallen from the tree, as well as small pebbles. This is my ammo and when those damned pigeons decide to settle in, I throw stuff at them. Not to hurt them (my aim pretty much ensures that would never happen) but rather to scare them and make them want to go elsewhere, somewhere safer. I know, I know, I am presuming they think and reason at all. Not really, but it makes me feel I am doing something. Pity I can't let Theo out. He'd probably accomplish in one good chase what I have wasted years trying without success. But if I let him out, he might enjoy the freedom a bit too much and not come back in!

Wordle 942 4/6 ocean, chomp, color, court

🟨🟨⬜⬜⬜
🟩⬜🟨⬜⬜
🟩🟩⬜⬜🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Could have had it in 3 if it were not for the guessing game. There was still one more option and if I had chosen it, my 20 day streak would have been broken. But thankfully, I chose the right one in the end.

Wordle 943 6/6 meaty, trope, stone, store, stove, stole. The last option could have been *stoke*

⬜🟨⬜🟨⬜
🟨⬜🟩⬜🟩
🟩🟩🟩⬜🟩
🟩🟩🟩⬜🟩
🟩🟩🟩⬜🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Connections
Puzzle #221
🟦🟦🟪🟦
🟦🟦🟦🟦colours in Brazil's flag: blue, green, white, yellow
🟨🟨🟨🟨show off: grandstand, peacock, posture, strut
🟩🟩🟩🟩foremost: main, paramount, prime, supreme
🟪🟪🟪🟪__letter: chain, cover, love, scarlet

>96 jessibud2: One of my local friends had the same thing happen. One of those guessing bunny trails.

Did you know those were the colors in Brazil's flag, per se, or just a set of colors?

Hi Shelley!

>94 jessibud2: Even cold aside, I tried those feeders with the suction cups a couple times and found they didn't stick any time at all. Maybe it was user error but it didn't seem worth the trouble to figure it out.

>97 EBT1002: - Oddly, I am familiar with Brazil's flag but that was not what was in my mind when I was playing Connections. I just chose those because they fit *colours*. I said to my self, Ha! ok, when I saw the actual category

I feel very guilty about my bird feeder because I am leaving tomorrow to go to Montreal and I don't leave the feeder out when I am away. They have been waiting for me every morning as I come outside to hang it up. I just hope they will return by the time I get home at the end of the month.

Safe travels and hope all goes well on this trip to Montreal.

>99 SqueakyChu: - Thanks, Madeline. It's going to be a more difficult trip this time, I know. I am not sure I am ready for this even though I know it's coming. I am both wrung out and angry at the world. I have not finished a single book so far in January. I am taking 5 with me, 2 that I am in the middle of and 3 others that are lighter and might possibly take me away from my own world. I will be happy and surprised if I manage to finish even one.

I hope I sleep for all 5 hours on the train because I know for the next 10 days, I won't sleep well on my mother's sofa.;-p

My heart is with you and your mom. Take one day at a time. Light reading might be best. Short stories, maybe? {{{Hugs}}}

Dear Shelley.

I know 2023 was a very difficult year for you. I pray tht 2024 will be so much better. It is cold, with snow slated to begin in the morning.
I'll read tomorrow and forget the household items that need to be accomplished. There are books to read and too often I've worked on the house to the detriment of reading.

I'm not sleeping well and thus am very tired. Infact, I did not sleep at all last night. I'm hading for bed shortly.

I agree with Madeline..one day at a time is how to deal with the situation with your mom. I think of you and send lots of love.

>77 jessibud2: Those photos look like paintings, Shelley.

Getting through magazines is a plus, I have plenty of those around too. Sorry to see that you are going to Montreal. I hope all goes well while you are there.

Just planting {{{hugs}}} Shelley.

Thanks Madeline, Linda, Meg, Caroline.
On the train now

I don't know you and don't know why your trip is daunting, but I wish you find unexpected beauty and joy to sustain you.

Thank you. I don't know you either though I have begun to see your name recently on the threads. I thank you for your kind words and thoughts. My mother lives in Montreal and I live in Toronto. She has been disappearing into the bog of dementia these last few years, and has a number of other major health issues as well. She was recently declared palliative and if that was all, it would be more than enough. But negotiating the broken health care system, the totally incompetent management of the care residence where she lives (public service announcement here: Never go to a private residence. Their only objective is profit, not care. Save your money and use it to pay for care at home where you actually have oversight and a say) and family issues that are complicated at best, all of that has just about done me in. I do the best I can but when literally everything is a fight, day after day, it gets to be a bit much.

Sorry, end of rant. Again, I thank you for your kind words. Truly appreciated.

>107 jessibud2: Thinking of you, Shelley. Hope you're now safely in Montreal and that days ahead are kind to you.

I'm skipping tomorrow's Bookcrossing meetup in Virginia as I hate cold weather, and it snowed here yesterday. On the other hand, my younger son and his ten-year-old son went snow-boarding today. They LOVE this weather!

I think I'll just stay home, read, and drink hot chocolate. Hope you have some good reads with you.

Thinking of you, Shelley, and hope that your travels are safe, and easier than anticipated.

I'm sorry that your mother's condition has significantly worsened, Shelley. My heart and prayers go out to you, and her.

Thank you, Madeline, Rhonda and Darryl. I truly appreciate your kindness. I guess we're all of that age when we either have gone through this, will go through it or are going through this now. The cycle of life.

I hate it.

>111 jessibud2: I understand. I wish there were something I could do to make it easier. It's hard.

I am sorry that you are having a difficult time with all the issues you have to deal with for your mother.

I hate that the same issues regarding your mother are in place again this yaer.

Thank you again, Madeline, Cyrel, Linda. One day at a time..,

In other news, not a single wrong letter but it still somehow took me 5 turns! Sheesh

Wordle 946 5/6 meaty, filth, south, worth, north

⬜⬜⬜🟩⬜
⬜⬜⬜🟩🟩
⬜🟩⬜🟩🟩
⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Happy Sunday, Shelley! How have you been doing? Hanging in there?

Morning, Shelley! May the Montreal visit be both fruitful and as low stress as it can be. *smooch*

>107 jessibud2: That is a lot to deal with all at once. As my parents age I am considering a move to WA because I can't help from San Antonio, so I understand the prospect if not the actuality.
I hope the trip is a satisfying one and you take a few moments to yourself. Don't forget to breathe!
Rant anytime and apologies unnecessary.
P.S.
Hi! I'm Robyn. I have been on LT for a few years but only just discovered the forums in December (I was super excited when I found the 75ers!) and I hope to stick around. Nice to meet you.

Hi Shelley.

>107 jessibud2: Ah, crap. Sorry you’ve had to go to Montreal again, and although I knew most of what’s going with your mother. Your summary for Robin, @elorin, is a good reminder to all of us who have parents/spouses/self in need of good care.

I never think of the Canadian Health Care system as being broken, frankly; I mean universal health care and all that, but do realize that things get allocated in a way that doesn’t necessarily consider what you or your love done really needs and that there are delays and paperwork and etc.

Here health care is expensive and a crap shoot. So many people don’t have it. Bill and I are fortunate to be on Medicare with a good supplemental program. Care was iffy during the worst of the Covid times and still catching up, but for us, at least, things are mostly back to normal, although there's now a new normal.

Good luck with your visit, and as Robin says, take time to breathe and to give yourself a few moments.

Thanks all.
The only real self care I can do here is go for a walk. And as you know because I know I've said it before, all walks lead to Bonder Bookstore. A half hour walk. Its still in the minus teens but i have appropriate clothing so no worries there. I surely don't *need* more books but as a friend reminded me, I could do a lot worse in my *drug* of choice, right?

Karen, I am sorry to break the myth but Canadian health care is not what it once was. And some provinces (mine included) seem to be racing toward privatization. I am fortunate and grateful that I have good insurance as well but the overall system is well and truly broken. Since my mother got sick, I never knew just how much.

Thanks again for your recommendation of Travelers to Unimaginable Lands, Shelley. I picked up a copy from the library last weekend, and started reading it yesterday morning, but I quickly realized that this was going to be too important a book to not have a print copy of. I've ordered it, and I'll start reading it later this week, so that I can discuss it with my dementia support group in 10 days from now.

ETA: That's absolutely horrible that the Canadian health system in such bad shape.

>122 kidzdoc:- I hope you and the group find it helpful, Darryl. It resonated for me on several levels although I will admit to just skimming on one or 2 of the case studies. I have been seeking caregiver support for awhile, but ran into a few glitches and, if I am honest, simply didn't have the energy to persevere. I am not a *group* sort of person and was really looking for one on one. But I got side-tracked by a number of other things and just did not follow through. Maybe when I get home at the end of the month.

As a funny addendum to my post at >120 jessibud2:, another friend (they know me well, ya think.😉) just sent me this:

"The thing nobody tells you about adulthood is you can literally cancel your plans and read under a blanket fort all day and no one can stop you."

I may adopt this as my new motto

>124 jessibud2: That sure sounds good to me!

Reading under a blanket fort all day sounds delightful!

I’m so sorry you’re having to go through these difficult times with your mom and that the health care system is so awful. I hope this visit goes better and your mom is doing by better now that you’re there.

Thanks Madeline and Mary. I am not sure how much better she is going to be, Mary, but I feel somewhat better being here, if for no other reason than I can be on top of things, live and in person. It's really a pain in the ass trying to get anything done long distance. There are so many small, insignificant but still important things, day to day, that I can do that no one here thinks to do or deal with. Anyhow, I have the rest of this week plus next weekend before I go home.

Hi Shelley, I'm so sorry to hear that your mother's condition is worsening and you're so far away. At least being there this week, you'll have more control over the little things you need to do. And often times, those little things are really big things and accomplishing them will make you feel better.

I hope you find a book to settle in with! I know that helps with stress, too.

Loved your bird feeder photos! I did think, at first, that you used a filter to make them art work! :)

Hi Joanne. Thanks for your kind words.

Today was a beautiful day for a walk. I made it to the bookstore and came home with 3 new books. There were others that I wanted more but they are still in hard cover and no way was I going to lug those back in my suitcase. Here's the haul:

After Anne - Logan Steiner
The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post - Allison Pataki
The Unsettled - Ayana Mathis

I also have another book by Mathis at home, as yet unread. I would like to try to finish at least one of the 3 I am currently reading before diving into these but the truth is, none are calling to me loudly enough. I may set them aside and see if any of the new ones can hold my attention any better. Another truth is that I am not sleeping well, for a number of reasons and even now, I am feeling like nodding off. We shall see.

>121 jessibud2: It is interesting how when you need healthcare, you just realize how inadequate it can be. I think it also depends on a multitude of factors. Some places are phenomenal with care and compassion even if massively short staffed. Other places have a general air of indifference towards patients. It is sad and many things need to change.

I am glad that you are able to be there with your mom and fight for what she needs. ((hugs))

Hi Shelley. Thinking of you in the midst of this visit to Montreal. I am glad you got a walk in a couple days ago including a stop in the bookstore. I know nothing about any of the three books you purchased but I know that a small book purchase like that can be self-soothing.

I'm going to ask my sister whether she has heard of Travelers to Unimaginable Lands as she is coping with her wife's steady decline into dementia due to Alzheimer's. So hard to watch someone you love -- and my sister's relationship with her wife of 50 years is less complicated than yours with your mother (and indeed less complicated than mine or hers would have been with our own mother), but it's all just hard.

Sending you so many positive vibes for self-care and sustenance.

I am so sorry that you have to be back with your mom and that her care is so inadequate. I'm glad you got a walk in and found some books at the bookstore. ((( hugs)))

>124 jessibud2: That saying is just perfect, Shelley.

I hope the situation in Montreal has some ease to it this time.

Thanks, Anita, Ellen, Deb, and Meg.

I am heading home tomorrow and I can't even begin to tell you how much I am looking forward to sleeping in my own bed. I don't think I slept longer than 3 hour spurts for any night of the 10 days I've been here. I may just sleep for a week.

It's been a rough 10 days, the last couple especially. I don't know how much longer I can do this. I think I reached my limit this time. But really, I have no choice.

I did finish a book and I wrote a review that I will post when I get home since I don't know how to copy and paste from this tablet. What else is new. The book is Birds in Fall by Brad Kessler. I liked it very much.

If I don't sleep all the way home on the train, I may finish a second book that I started last night, No Cure for Being Human.

I hope that you had a uneventful journey home and are able to relax and regroup at home, Shelley.

>135 Familyhistorian: - Hi Meg. Thanks. It was quite a rough 10 days on many levels but I won't go into details. Suffice it to say I am very happy to be home and I hope I can get through at least a month without needing a return visit.

Very odd. I posted the review for the book I read, last night. I was sure I hit *post* but I must have only thought it as it is not here. So I will retry now.

Birds in Fall by Brad Kessler

This is such a quiet but powerful story. Told in 3 parts, it is the story of tragedy, grief, coming together and moving forward. That's the simple description; it's a lot deeper than that. The writing is elegant, clear and compelling.

An airplane crashes into the ocean, off the coast of Nova Scotia. The first chapter of the book opens in that airplane, and is told from the point of view of some of the passengers, just prior to the crash. I found opening the novel that way to be surprising, terrifying, unusual. The main section deals with the families coming to the crash site from far and wide, and all that that involves. The reader gets to know some of them, layer by layer, and through them, their lost loved ones (those who we first encountered on the plane). The main protagonist, Ana, and her lost husband, Russell, are ornithologists. Another survivor is a musician, as was his wife. Those 2 themes of birds and music are woven through the story in subtle but lovely ways and pull the threads together. The final section finds us revisiting the survivors and the site a few years later.

Author Brad Kessler has an understated but elegant style of writing. Here are a few passages that I loved:

- For five days, consciously or not, they'd wanted to get to the water. For five days they'd lived with the torment of not knowing, and then finding out, that their daughters or husbands or sons were somewhere lost in that sea. And seeing the orange moon lift from the sea now, like a spotlight luminating acres of open water, they found themselves disheartened all over again. So vast was the sea. So appallingly cold, so indifferent the metronome of the tide.

- All of them were drawn into the night like metal filings attracted to a much larger magnet. They passed one another in the dark, each in his or her own orbit but unaware of the others.

- What was it about violent mass death that brought everyone out of the woodwork? Hundreds died each hour, each day, in hospitals, on freeways, and no one showed up to witness or weep. Why had all these people come now?

- Mounties stood stationed every few yards to keep people from the edge of the rocks. The water itself was cordoned off with yellow police tape. The entire Atlantic, Ana thought, was a crime scene.

- At her lab, there was the unavoidable parade of colleagues. They stopped her in the hall, knocked meekly on her door, offered her what words they could (inadequate, fumbling) or slipped small notes in her box (kind, a bit cowardly). She had to endure all that. A second death -- of words.

- The pathologist talked for awhile longer, but his words no longer cohered; they seemed to Ana like tiny black beads falling out of the receiver and spilling over the floor - pearls on a necklace, bouncing out the door.

~~~~~~~~~~~

What I also found intriguing were a few quiet, very subtle, back stories that were hinted at but not expanded upon, of some of the other characters, like the 2 innkeepers, a police constable and one of the victims of the crash. I liked that tease, and appreciated the author's assumption that the reader is smart enough to recognize and figure them out. I started and finished this book in 2 days. Which is more than I can say for any other book I have started this month (and haven't finished). Published in 2006, it's been on my shelf at home for years. I am going to seek out more by this author.

Good review of Birds in Fall, Shelley. I will add it to my obese TBR.

>137 jessibud2: Lovely review, Shelley; and even better to see that you finished a book you loved in 2 days! Hope it is a sign of more good reading to come.

>136 jessibud2: Yes you did post, Shelley, but it was on your last 2023 thread.

Glad you are back home, and I will cross my fingers for at least a month at home.

Thanks, Mark and Kathy.

>140 FAMeulstee: - Holy cow! I must be more sleep deprived than I thought! Thanks for pointing that out to me, Anita. I don't know how I did that! lol

Wordle 957 4/6 meaty, plead, algae, alive

⬜🟨🟨⬜⬜
⬜🟩🟨🟨⬜
🟩🟩⬜⬜🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

>137 jessibud2: Birds in Fall looks good, Shelley. Apparently the author teaches creative writing so, from your reviews, it seems he knows what he teaches.

No Cure for Being Human by Kate Bowler.

I did not realize when I started this book that the author is Canadian, not that it matters in any way but just as a fun fact (she is currently living and working in the States). I was also a tad worried, given that she is a professor of the history of Christianity, that there might be a bit too much religion and God for my taste and that would cause me to DNF the book at any point, but I needn't have worried at all. Kate Bowler is a very smart, very funny, very wise and very strong writer and this book was a pleasure to read, if that is the right word in light of the fact that it is about her journey through stage 4 colon and liver cancer, at age 34! After chemo, surgeries, and other treatments, she became a part of a clinical trial of immunotherapy drugs and was one of the lucky ones for whom it worked. This book was published in 2021, after her 40th birthday.

There are so many passages I want to quote. It will be tough to narrow down my selections but here goes, and apologies if this is a bit long:

- (these were the opening words of the book): "I am a professor of history, so I know this in my bones: nothing is inevitable. History is made by people who stared, blinking, into the uncertain future. Their paths were not lit before them by sacred meteors. For most of us, this sounds like good news. We choose and choose and choose again.
Before the baby, before the diagnosis, before the pandemic. Before. Before when I was earnest and clever and ignorant, I thought, life is a series of choices. I curated my own life until, one day, I couldn't. I had accepted the burden of limitless choices only to find that I had few to make. I was stuck in this body, this house, this life.

- The young doctor stood there for a minute, raking his hands through his hair, whatever plans he had for this conversation deteriorating. He lowered himself onto the chair beside the bed but remained bolt upright as if to remind us both that he could leave at any time....A silence folded over us, giving me a moment to look at him more carefully now, his mussy hair and anxious expression, wrinkled coat and brand new sneakers. He is too young for this. God, we are both too young for this.

- A friend came back from Australia with a year's worth of adventures to tell and ended with a breathless, "You have to go there sometime!". Then he lapsed into silence, seeming to remember suddenly that, at that very moment, I was in the hospital. And I didn't know how to say that the future was like a language that I didn't speak anymore.

- The ancient Stoics knew this. They knew that life is as fragile as a soap bubble. They lived in a world of invasions and sieges, cholera and smallpox. Husbands buried wives, and mothers buried children and only prophets dared to speak about the future with a measure of certainty. In their world, it made sense to live each day as if it was their last. But the world I thought I knew before the diagnosis was hygienic, predictable and safe - kids got vaccines, people grew old, and everything else just required anesthetic, antiseptics, or whatever else my mom kept in the cardboard box under the bathroom sink.

- At heart, professors are petty romantics. We have fallen in love with the smell of old books and the thrill of discovering a nugget of gold in a pile of intellectual excrement. We teach and write and ruin family holidays with the hope that sound scholarship helps bear up the weight of civilization; but, in practice, we spend most of our intellectual lives chasing gainful employment, trying to sell more than 500 copies of a book that took us eight years to write, and protesting the promotion of our colleagues on the grounds that they did not give enough praise to our last book. We will love this career long after it breaks our hearts.

- "I've heard people say that life is like a roll of toilet paper; the closer you get to the end, the faster it goes. That seems truer now...," says my father, before sharply returning to a historical lesson about the deficiencies of the French.

- Hadn't I become a little smug? A little too sure that the drama of the world's end was always more important than groceries and hanging photos and paying taxes? There must be a time for everything,

- "Are we mourning our youth?" I ask Chelsea finally. "I'm constantly confused because aging isn't the enemy. I am really hoping to age."

- "I want to say that I am happy for a body that works," I say to her, embarrassed. "And I am happy. I am deeply grateful. But I'm trying to figure out how to feel more like sunshine again and less like a well-functioning sewer system."

- While I always knew that my medical treatment could be harsh, painful, and potentially deadly, I never realized that I was not a patient and did not have a doctor. I was a *study participant* assigned to a scientist.

- It became clearer than ever that life is not a series of choices. So often the experiences that define us are the ones we didn't pick. Cancer. Betrayal. Miscarriage. Job loss. Mental illness. A novel coronavirus.

- The truth of the pandemic is the truth of all suffering: that it is unjustly distributed. Who bears the brunt? The homeless and the prisoners. The elderly and the children. The sick and the uninsured. Immigrants and people needing social services. People of colour and LGBTQ people. The burdens of ordinary evils - discrimination, brutality, predatory lending, illegal evictions, and medical exploitation - roll back on the vulnerable like a heavy stone.

- Time is really a circle; I can see that now. We are trapped between a past we can't return to and a future that is uncertain. And it takes guts to live here, in the hard space between anticipation and realization.

Bowler ends her book with an appendix, titled Cliches We Hear and Truths We Need. It's in the form of a chart, left side heading: Things People Say, right side heading: A More Complicated truth.

There are 11 listed. Here are 3:

Carpe Diem! ..... I mean, yes, unless you need a nap.
Everyone is doing their best ......The jury is still out on that.
You are invincible ... There's no cure for being human.

Theo has an adventure.
I put my bird feeder out on Wednesday morning, around 7 am, as I do every day. It was still dark. About 15, 20 minutes later, I went looking for Theo because it was just a tad too quiet in here, though, in truth, after breakfast, he usually goes to nap on his perch by the back window in the living room.

I did a total search of the house, in every possible place he likes to hang out. All his perches, caves, chairs in the dining room under the table, stairs down to the basement, even on top of the fridge or credenza where he used to test my patience but hasn't been in ages.

I shook the crunchy food tin figuring that would surely get him awake and running. Nada.

Out of sheer desperation, not because I actually thought for a moment that he'd be there, I opened the front door. I didn't see him but what the heck, I called him (not that he ever responds when I call him when he is inside). Nothing. Suddenly, as I was about to shut the door, he appears! Apologizing loudly to me and asking where the heck I was, don't I know it's cold out there? He just walked right in, meowing the whole way in. I picked him up and he was a bit cold (good thing this wasn't last week!). I was sure he'd have a nibble then go hibernate in his cave for the rest of the day.

I never saw him sneak past me that morning. It means he was outside for a little over 3 hours. There was a small tractor doing road repair in the cul-de-sac and maybe he was just watching. Thank goodness he didn't go exploring near the main road! Maybe he will learn and not do this again. Or maybe not, but one thing is for sure. I will be more careful.

Sheesh

(he was a bit sucky and clingy after that for awhile...)

>144 jessibud2: That sounds like a fabulous book, Shelley. I've been there with my own breast cancer diagnosis (many years ago) when I thought I'd die (then didn't). So many ups and downs in life; so many uncertainties. Aging scares me a bit, but I'll take that over the other option. I recently discovered the philosophy of the Stoics through the contemporary writing of Ryan Holiday. One of his books, Stillness is the Key was a godsend to me during the pandemic. The ideas of the Stoics appealed to me so much that I even read Meditations by Marcus Aurelius.

Lovely review of No Cure for Being Human, Shelley. My dad died of cancer at the relatively young age of 65, and his was non- hodgkins Lymphoma. My mom also had a cervical cancer at the age of 33 or so, but she had radiation treatment and did just fine. Emotionally it was very hard on her though, and I as the eldest was about 13 or so. It was a bit scary for me, and I imagine my siblings. It was quite a bit of work for me, since I ended up taking up quite a few of my mom's chores, like dinner, hanging out the washing , getting my kindergarten aged brother off to school etc for several months. Luckily my grade 8 year was a shift thing, as they were building a new high school, so I went to school from 12:30 to 4:30 , I think it was .

Ha re Theo's adventure Shelley. Glad he's safely tucked up indoors now.

>144 jessibud2: I’ve requested No Cure for Being Human—it sounds great. I was recently in the hospital, and started really feeling my mortality! 😏 I’d like to feel more comfortable with the whole concept!
Thanks, also, to SqueakyChu for the Stillness is the Key reccie.

Karen O

>146 SqueakyChu: - I think I knew about your cancer, all those years ago, Madeline, but had forgotten. I think you would enjoy this book. She is really a good writer with an amazing attitude.

>147 vancouverdeb: - My dad also died at 65, Deb, but of heart-related illness. I can only imagine how difficult and scary your mum's time with her cancer must have been for you, at such a young age! And I also spent 2 years in high school doing shifts as well as being bused to other schools on a daily basis. Ours was an over-crowding issue while a new, second high school was being built. It actually worked in my favour, as well, as I was able to devote my mornings to volunteering in the elementary school I had attended and I'm sure that influenced my career choice when the time came.

>148 Caroline_McElwee: - Yes, Caroline, he is one adventurous boy! I just don't want him to develop a taste for the outdoors as I live not far from a busy street. I told him if he let me put a harness on him, I'd take him out regularly but he refuses, so, tough luck.

>149 klobrien2: - Hi Karen. I think you would enjoy this book. Grim as a stage 4 cancer diagnosis would be for anyone, at any time, let alone at age 34, this book is really quite upbeat while being realistic (and funny) at the same time. Apparently, she also has a podcast.

These are great!!

https://www.cakewrecks.com/home/10-classic-kids-book-cakes-2024

>151 jessibud2: Great cakes. Hope they taste as good as they look Shelley.

>150 jessibud2: I just added it to my wishlist. :)

>137 jessibud2: This sounds great, Shelley.

>121 jessibud2: Is Home Hospice care available now?

>155 m.belljackson: - Probably. If she had a home. I now have legal custody because we had to remove her from her disgraceful husband, who was negligent and abusive (not physically but in every other way). I am not in the same city and I cannot bring her to my city. Long ugly story that I would prefer not to go into. I am doing the best I can. In fact, after being there for 10 days and getting home just last Monday, I am now, as I type, back on a train, heading back to Mtl today. Long story...

Sorry to see that you are on your way back to Montreal, Shelley. Hope all goes well while you are there.

>156 jessibud2: Oh, no! Sorry you are having to go back. I know how glad you were to be home. I hope this trip isn’t too stressful for you.

>144 jessibud2: I’ve got this on my wishlist, but I’m not sure this is the best time for me to read it. Maybe after my surgery. Good review!

Ugh, Shelley, take care.

>156 jessibud2: Grrr. Sorry to hear that Shelley.

>156 jessibud2: Safe travels, Shelley. Hope all goes as well as can be expected (although things seem to be a bit rougher these days based on your frequent trips up north).

Oh, wow, back on the train. I wish you the best with your mom and the staff. I'll be thinking of you both. (((hugs)))

>156 jessibud2: Ugh.

Try to take care of yourself, too, Shelley. This whole thing is just so very difficult.....

>156 jessibud2: So sorry to read you are back on your way to Montreal, Shelley. (((hugs)))

Take care, Shelley.

Thanks, Meg, Mary, Kathy, Caroline, Madeline, Deb, Ellen, Anita, Beth.

Got home yesterday and I slept in my own bed last night. Slept like the proverbial log. I am up now but I predict a nap (or two) in my future today... It's been a very long week. My mum is as settled as she can be, I guess. She doesn't seem as scared or distressed as she did in previous moves, she mostly sleeps. I guess I should take this as a small blessing of her condition. What she isn't aware of doesn't bother her. Maybe that's a good thing.

Wordle 969 3/6 meaty, lamps, scram

🟨⬜🟨⬜⬜
⬜🟨🟨⬜🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

I will try connections maybe later. Right now: shower!

>166 jessibud2: You are very wise to be grateful for the lack of distress and upset in her current move. The blessing of unawareness is a big one. You made it! Congratulations!

Thanks, Richard. I have to count those blessings where I can find them. There aren't many around these days.

Right now, there are big fat snowflakes coming straight down vertically (no wind). It's very pretty but probably won't last long. I don't have to go out in it as I have a day of laundry and phone calls ahead of me, so it's all good.

Wordle 970 3/6 meaty, paint, talon

⬜⬜🟨🟨⬜
⬜🟩⬜🟨🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

I am going to DNF a book today. The Roaring Days of Zora Lily just isn't holding my attention at all. It's over 400 pages and I am only at page 161. Sigh...After two 5-hour train rides and a week of practically no reading at all, it's enough. The premise sounded interesting enough but as seems to be my default these days (and weeks and months), I just can't concentrate. Unless a book really pulls me in right away, it just isn't working for me. I have only completed 4 books so far this year and unless I add some kids books to the pile to plump up my numbers, I can see it's going to be a poor reading year for me.

Whatever...

I learned to stop reading if the book wasn't going to interest me. It is hard but ... do it. There are so many great books waiting for you!

>171 torontoc: - So true, Cyrel. So many books and less and less time, as we age!!

Wordle 971 4/6 meaty, trial, about, ascot

⬜⬜🟨🟨⬜
🟨⬜⬜🟨⬜
🟩⬜🟨⬜🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Wordle 972 3/6 meaty, thank, stash

⬜⬜🟩🟨⬜
🟨🟨🟩⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Good for you with Wordle today , Shelley. I think a lot of people here on LT were skunked . I managed to get it in 4, but three - Bravo!

Thanks, Deb. Today's, on the other hand, was tougher. I made one silly mistake on guess 3, but I doubt it would have made it easier if I hadn't. At least I didn't bomb.

Wordle 973 6/6 ocean, stair, shawl, luaus, flask, psalm

⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜
🟨⬜🟩⬜⬜
🟨⬜🟩⬜🟨
🟨⬜🟩⬜🟨
⬜🟨🟩🟨⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

I am still not reading much and moving slowly through the week. I think I pulled something in my back, which is slowing me down a bit but who knows, it could just be the stress catching up to me. I have been napping sometimes in the daytime. Monday is a holiday here (Family Day; not sure if it's Canada-wide or just Ontario) but I may go to the Art Gallery on Tuesday, after kids are back at school. There is a Keith Haring exhibit I want to see, among others and I haven't been in awhile.

Good Morning. I looked out the window to see beauty. The snow is pretty. It will be gone by day's end, but for now, it is coating the bushes, the yard, my car, and the trees. It looks lovely on a Satirday morning, ripe for reading. The house work will wait. I pray each day that what you want for your mother will occur.

Ouch, you pulled something in your back? I've don the same, I remember that pain. I hope you can go to the art gallery despite the pain. You are one tough cookie! Please know I am thinking of you. I find art healing. I hope you do as well. Please keep us posted regarding if you saw the Keith Haring exhibit.

Much Love

>176 jessibud2: Kudos on not bombing at Wordle! Although, when we do bomb, it sure takes the pressure off for keeping a streak going. I’ve matched my previous streak (95) today, so I’ll be a little anxious tomorrow, I bet.

I hope your back feels better soon! I’m sure you’re right about the stress being part of the problem. I remember the tension and worry when my Mom was in decline, and she was only a half-hour drive away for me. And I had siblings not-too-far away. I feel so for you!

Hope you find some good reading to comfort you until you can get to the Art Gallery. The art will be such a balm to your soul.

I’ll be thinking of you and wishing you well!

Karen O

Found you again!! Congrats on the Wordle today. I can't get it to load for some reason...maybe later. Hope your back feels better and have fun on Monday's holiday!

Just catching up and wanting to wish you a glorious Sunday, Shelley.

Please rest your back and I must say that I do like the idea of celebrating a "Family Day"

>177 Whisper1: - Hi Linda. I plan on going to the art gallery on Tuesday. I bought an annual pass for only $35, a much better deal than a full subscription, in my opinion. It allow me unlimited visits through the year. A subscription would give me more perks but the gallery is downtown and I don't go down there often enough to make use of those extras. I don't like to travel on the subway at night any more (never gave it a thought when I was younger and the city was safer) and I never drive my car downtown due to traffic and the insane cost of parking. So this suits me fine. There is a lovely little bistro right across the street from the gallery where we often have lunch. I may go by myself this time instead of with a friend.

>178 klobrien2: - Hi Karen. For some reason, my wordle streaks disappear when I toggle between my laptop at home and my phone or tablet when I am on the road, so even though I haven't bombed in awhile, the streak numbers don't reflect that. Oh well. *I* know!. As for reading, I just finished a very short book that I enjoyed, a pictoral history of Toronto. The author has done a whole series of these, with archival photos from the 1800s and right through the 20th century. I really like them and I enjoy seeing how the city has grown and changed over time. Last night I started a book that I think will draw me right in. It's called Life From Scratch: A Memoir of Food, Family and Forgiveness.

>179 Berly: - Hi Kim! Did you get wordle to load yesterday? I got it in 5 today but made my (apparently obligatory) one careless mistake so perhaps if I had paid better attention, I could have had it in 4.

>180 PaulCranswick: - Nice to see you, Paul. Even without family close by, when I was still working, it was always a pleasure to have a day off! ;-). Hope you are doing well.

Wordle 974 5/6 meaty, prize, niche, dirge, ridge

My third guess always seems to be where I mess up by not paying closer attention. Perhaps one day I will learn. Stranger things have happened, ;-)

⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜
⬜🟨🟨⬜🟩
⬜🟩⬜⬜🟩
🟨🟩🟨🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Guessy guessy today.

Wordle 975 5/6 meaty, pious, prize, pride, price

⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜
🟩🟨⬜⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩⬜🟩
🟩🟩🟩⬜🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Connections
Puzzle #253
🟨🟨🟨🟩
🟨🟨🟨🟨used in building a fire
🟦🟦🟦🟦workshop tools
🟩🟩🟩🟩mess up
🟪🟪🟪🟪parts of a door

Wordle 976 3/6 meaty, maths, match

🟩⬜🟨🟨⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟨⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

I woke up with a migraine this morning. I ate breakfast (sometimes that's all it takes to get rid of it; not this time), took my drugs and went back to bed for an hour. I am confident I will feel functional enough pretty soon to be able to head out in a little while. I am heading to the AGO (Art Gallery of Ontario) to see the Keith Haring exhibit before it disappears in early March. I have been wanting to see this for awhile but my (far too many) trips to Montreal have prevented me from going until now, so it's now or never.

https://ago.ca/exhibitions/keith-haring-art-everybody

It's a bright sunny day here, if still a tad chilly but that's not a bad thing, at all.

Wordle 977 4/6 ocean, chimp, quilt, build
Made my (seemingly) requisite careless mistake but at least I got it.

⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
⬜⬜🟩⬜⬜
⬜🟩🟩🟩⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Wordle 978 3/6 meaty, pearl, heavy Another careless mistake...

⬜🟩🟩⬜🟩
⬜🟩🟩⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

The streak lives another day. Phew, indeed.

Wordle 979 6/6 meaty, trail, chart, quart, start, apart

⬜⬜🟩🟨⬜
🟨🟨🟩⬜⬜
⬜⬜🟩🟩🟩
⬜⬜🟩🟩🟩
⬜⬜🟩🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

>187 jessibud2: I did it in five, but it did seem a little tricky.

Karen O.

>188 klobrien2: - If I had made the right choice earlier, I could have had it in 3. C'est la vie.

Yes, I am home but that does not mean it was a stress-free week. It was not. So, today, I gave myself a day of retail therapy. The day started off warm and sunny, almost felt like spring. I had to go to Home Depot to purchase a new ceiling fixture for the one I have that broke. Though their garden centre isn't open yet, I did find something I couldn't resist: tabletop tomatoes - in February!



Then, because it's a few streets over, I went to Home Sense. Always dangerous....I bought - on a whim - one of those large puzzle mats that you can fold up and put the puzzle away if you are not finished. I miss doing my puzzles. Haven't done one since I got the current boys. Will this new puzzle mat be Theo-proof? Only time will tell. And certainly not if he has his way.



I also bought a cute new birdbath but it's still in the car so, no pic yet.

And earlier, I had a delightful visit by Mr. C, in full sunlight:

I also saw 3 robins this morning! That was a treat. I hope they do ok. It's been nice and warm but is supposed to go down to well below 0 tonight.

>190 jessibud2: Great pics, Shelley. I do a puzzle or two every winter. This year it was The Brontes, with little scenes from their novels:



Yep, get ready for the cold--yesterday almost 60F here; tonight we got snow that stuck! Per the TV weather-guy tonight, we haven't had snow for 36 days until today.

>191 kac522: - Hi Kathy. Nice puzzle! I saw one just yesterday at Home Sense, of Van Gogh, with that same idea, several of his paintings pictures around the centre, or something like that. It appealed to me but resisted.

It was quite cold when I went out to put the feeder up this morning. But it is supposed to warm up through the day and into the next week. I hadn't even got my step stool back into the house when there were 4 birds on it! Male and female cardinal, nuthatch and a house finch. I apologized for being so late! ;-)

I finished a book yesterday, Life From Scratch. It is a memoir, with recipes, of a woman who decided to cook food from 195 countries, and blog about it. It takes her 4 years and is mostly successful. The first half of the book is her own back story, growing up with an unconventional single mum, then living in a series of foster homes, on 2 continents, experiencing tragedy, then finally finding herself through cooking. It was a good read, and though I doubt I will try many of the recipes she includes, there were one or two that I copied....just in case!

I picked up 2 library books this week so they are next up. First, Ann Patchett's These Precious Days. I'll start that one today.

Happy Saturday, Shelley. Hooray for the new birdbath, Mr. Cardinal and the robins. I loved These Precious Days. I hope you feel the same.

Wordle 980 4/6 ocean, prime, piker, piper

⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜
🟩🟨🟨⬜🟨
🟩🟩⬜🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

>190 jessibud2: The roll for puzzles looks interesting. I'm tempted to get one. Please tell me if it works for you.
>181 jessibud2: I'm glad you are doing something for yourself. You give so much to others, that I fear it wears you down. Congratulations on taking care of yourself and doing something you enjoy!

Another Precious Days fan, I hope you like it.

How was the Haring eshibit, did you get there?

>196 Whisper1: - I will give it a try soon, I hope, Linda and will definitely let you know. Theo is probably salivating: oh boy, a new thing to wreck...!

>197 banjo123: - Hi Rhonda. Yes, I went. It was ok, and I did take photos, just have to get them off the phone. But there was another exhibit on that I liked even better and I took lots of photos of that one. An Indian (from India) artist who worked in multi-media and her work was stunning. I will try to get those pics off the phone and onto LT in the next couple of days.

There is another outdoor art installation on now here in Toronto. It's every year at this time, and they are sculptures, installed down at the Beach (on the shore of Lake Ontario). I had hoped to make it there this past week but just never did. It is supposed to get warm again this coming week so I will make a plan to go. Always interesting. Remember in 2016, the *pussy hat*? That year (it may have been the first year of it), there was a giant pussy hat that you could walk into. It was actually *knitted* and was very cool. Anyhow, thanks for the nudge for the art. I will make that a priority this week.

edited to add, here is an article I found from several years ago. It show the pussy hat. I can't seem to find anything on this year's installation. I know there is one on weather that is getting a bit of buzz

https://justinpluslauren.com/winter-stations-toronto-outdoor-art-installations/

this year: https://spacing.ca/toronto/2024/02/16/ten-years-of-winter-stations/

>190 jessibud2: That is such a great idea, the roll-uP for your jigsaws!

-smooch-

>190 jessibud2: Glad you were able to have a retail therapy day. Those tomatoes look great! What a treat at this time of the year.

A robin sighting, already? I have been on the lookout for them but have yet to spot one. Spring must be just around the corner!

Thanks, Richard, and Anita.

Harder today. Not a word you hear much in everyday language these days.

Wordle 981 5/6 ocean, quilt, third, hairy, smith

⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
⬜⬜🟩⬜🟨
🟨🟨🟩⬜⬜
🟨⬜🟩⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

>201 jessibud2: I thought that too, Shelley. I'm quite sure it also took me 5 tries. Great idea with the roll up puzzle thing. They do work and we used to have one . We may still have it, I'd have to ask Dave . But now I have a really great puzzle board, that I can tilt upwards so it's not so hard on my neck and back. I really love it. I've been seeing Robins around here for quite a few months, or at least January. I'm not sure if robins ever leave the area, as it's is relatively warm here. I'll have to check.

>190 jessibud2: That is a gorgeous picture of the cardinal. It’s framable, I think. So glad you had a good retail day. Sounds like you bought some fun stuff. I love the idea of the rollup puzzle pad. If I did puzzles, I’d use it.

>202 vancouverdeb: - I was surprised to learn that robins can over-winter but in truth, I have never seen them here in winter. They have always been the first sign of spring, as far as I know. I saw a few more yesterday. The weather is crazy, though. Get this - it's going to be a high of 13C today, 14 tomorrow, and only minus -1C on Thursday with snow. But right back up again on Friday and into the weekend. Poor animals and birds. It must be so confusing for them! And the plants - I see some shoots already popping through the soil!

>203 Storeetllr: - So good to see you back up and posting, Mary! I hope the bounce back from surgery will get better each day. I don't think I will try the puzzle mat just yet. I have a lot of paperwork to get through for my mother and for my own taxes that will require spreading out over my dining table but maybe I will reward myself after that with cracking open a puzzle and the new mat!

Wordle 983 4/6 meaty, price, shone, sense

⬜🟩⬜⬜⬜
⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩
🟩⬜⬜🟨🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Last week, I went to the art gallery. Ostensibly to see the Keith Haring exhibit. There was a lot of his work I had never seen, some I didn't *get*, some I didn't care for but also good to see how prolific he was in his too-short life. I can only imagine what more he could have accomplished had he lived.

What surprised and delighted me much more, I will admit, was the vast collection of multi-media art by a woman named Sarinder Dhaliwal (born in India, based in Toronto). https://ago.ca/exhibitions/sarindar-dhaliwal-when-i-grow-i-want-be-namer-paint-c...

Her works are colourful, vibrant and, to me, just beautiful. She uses paint, paper, fabric, solid objects and a lot of imagination. A lot to see, to take in and I could have stayed in the exhibit rooms all day, inhaling it all.

I will post photos over the next few threads.

Keith Haring:




Tree of Life:

Sarinder Dhaliwal:

The Banana Forest:


I forget the name of this one:


And possibly my favourite of all, because I just love paper crafts:



(read this one left to right, across the first lines, then the second lines, etc)

I am also still enjoying Ann Patchett's These Precious Days.

The Sarinder Dhaliwal is interesting Shelley. Always good to make a new discovery.

I really enjoyed that Patchett collection.

Thanks, Caroline, that's precisely one of the reasons I like going to the AGO.

When I was there last week, I made sure to go look at one of my favourite pieces in their permanent collections again. I have posted this one by Christi Belcourt before but am continually mesmerized by it. It's called *The Wisdom of the Universe*:



the details:

By pure chance, I saw a short documentary on this very piece last night on tv. It's 10 minutes long and well worth the watch:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gktriwbs2x4

Wordle 984 3/6 meaty, weird, devil

⬜🟩⬜⬜⬜
⬜🟩🟨⬜🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

>206 jessibud2: What a great trip to the art gallery. I saw some of Haring's work somewhere before but can't remember where.

>212 jessibud2: Great job on wordle. I found it much easier than yesterday's.

Mother Nature has lost it. The climate, the weather, it's all crazy. It's February but it has basically been spring here for what feels like weeks. Until yesterday, when I woke up to +10C in the morning, then by afternoon, it had fallen by 20 degrees. Freezing, windy, snow.

Tuesday:


Wednesday:


Thursday (today):


Spring will apparently be back by tomorrow. Poor Mother Nature. And birds, and plants....

Near miss, lots of guessy-guessy

Wordle 985 6/6 ocean, brave, whale, spade, flame, image

⬜⬜🟨🟨⬜
⬜⬜🟩⬜🟩
⬜⬜🟩⬜🟩
⬜⬜🟩⬜🟩
⬜⬜🟩🟨🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

>207 jessibud2:, >208 jessibud2: I had not heard of her before this, but I *LOVE* the work you have highlighted.

Thursday *smooch*

Hi Richard. And smooch back atcha.

Here are a few more from Dhaliwal that I forgot to post. It was fun, on a large scale!





A closer look:

Love the art Shelley.

Thanks, Caroline. I did, too.

Wordle 986 3/6 meaty, lofty, forty

⬜⬜⬜🟩🟩
⬜🟩🟨🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Thank for sharing the art, Shelly, some lovely pieces by Dhaliwal.

Hi, Anita, thanks. I found her work really creative.

Wordle 987 4/6 meaty, ardor, prima, urban

⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜
🟨🟩⬜⬜⬜
⬜🟩⬜⬜🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Connections
Puzzle #265
🟩🟩🟩🟩units in poetry: foot, line, meter, verse
🟦🟦🟦🟦express indirectly: couch, imply, intimate, suggest
🟨🟨🟨🟨intelligence operative: asset, agent, mole, sleeper
🟪🟪🟪🟪what *k* might mean: kelvin, okay, potassium, thousand

Just a quick hello. Love the signs of spring in >214 jessibud2:, even if it’s False Spring just before the coming of Second Winter.

Hi Mary. How are you doing? I hope better every day! It's a damp drizzly day here but that's ok. No need to go out in it.

Uh-oh. I just found a new version of wordle. It's totally Canadian and is called Canuckle. All words relate to Canada. A new time suck. After getting the word, there is a fun fact relating to it, at the end.

:-)

Canuckle 658 4/6

⬜🟥🟥⬜⬜
⬜🟥🟥⬜⬜
⬜🟥🟥🟥🟥
🟥🟥🟥🟥🟥

🔥 streak: 1

www.canucklegame.ca

I love the art, Shelley, especially Dhaliwal. I loved These Precious Days; I still think about some of the essays.

>226 BLBera: - Thanks, Beth. She was a fun find, considering I went to see the Haring and found her as well.

I took a short break from the Patchett, to finish up a book borrowed from a friend, but will get back to it tonight. I have 4 more library books I picked up yesterday that I will need to get to so I do want to finish. I am enjoying it so far. It's funny, I have only once tried another book by Patchett and couldn't get into it at all (can't even remember which one it was except that it was years ago). I have not been tempted to try anything else since, despite the love she gets here. So this collection of essays may be the best intro for me. I do like her writing.

Wow, Shelly, such beautiful art. It's hard to pick a favourite, not that I have to do so. The pencil crayons are gorgeous as are the colourful books. We are fortunate to have our daffodils in bloom, and crocuses and snow drops. It's great to see them. Today I headed out to my grand nephews birthday. He's recently been diagnosed with mild autism as well as ADHD, and he just started on medication for ADHD a couple of weeks ago, as well as a medication to help with aggression and angry outbursts. I am happy to see him much calmer today and I'm glad there is so much more they can do for people with those difficulties. He goes 3 afternoons a week to place called REACH , where he and about 3 or 4 other children of the same age ( who also are on the spectrum ) kind of play together, but also get treatment from a SLP, and behaviour therapist , an occupational therapist and couple of other areas of expertise. He likes it more than his regular preschool , so I am so happy for him and his parents and younger sister, since it has a been a challenging time for them. He's recently developed a crush on a girl in his preschool and she for him , so that is so cute.

Hi Deb. Gray and drizzly here today but warm so not complaining. The rest of the week looks warm too, getting up to 15C over the next few days!!

I taught disabled kids for my whole career and several over the years were on the spectrum (most of the other had physical disabilities, as well). It's not an easy road ahead and I really feel for the family but so wonderful that they have found a place like REACH so early in his life. He will learn social skills and strategies there that will serve him well as he gets older and goes through the system. Hopefully, the schools he will go to will have the supports he needs going forward.

The art was fun and I enjoy going to this Art Gallery. By purchasing the annual pass, I can go as often as I like for only the $35 the pass cost. I look on their website to see what exhibits are coming up and I usually go with a friend although last week, I went alone as I just needed to surround myself with the art and wasn't feeling particularly social, lol.

Some of my crocuses have begun to pop up and I expect that if the warm weather continues, I will begin to see more signs of spring in the garden soon.

Wordle 988 4/6 meaty, plate, crate, state. Very guessy-guessy and this could easily have derailed me altogether. I got lucky.

⬜🟨🟩🟩⬜
⬜⬜🟩🟩🟩
⬜⬜🟩🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Canuckle 659 6/6 frost, slush, leash, males, laser, easel

It's way harder than I imagined to come up with strictly Canadian words. Apparently, though, I am seeing that they just have to *relate* to something Canadian, as today's word indicates.

⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜
🟨🟨⬜⬜⬜
🟨🟨🟨🟨⬜
⬜🟥🟨🟥🟨
🟨🟥🟥🟥⬜
🟥🟥🟥🟥🟥

🔥 streak: 2

www.canucklegame.ca

Today's Fun Fact:

Altona, Manitoba is home to the world's largest painting on an easel! Artist and art educator, Cameron Cross, developed the vision of a giant steel easel displaying the likeness of Vincent Van Gogh's 'Sunflowers' painting. This landmark stands 76'6" high and is on a 3-legged steel easel. It is a symbol of international fine art and celebrates Altona’s reputation as the Sunflower Capital of Canada.

Thanks for recommending Canuckle! And if my streak gets long enough, and I learn a lot about Canada, do you think I can cross the border and claim asylum if our Supreme Court decides Trump can do whatever he wants and we're not a democracy any more? I swear, last night I had a dream about the Supreme Court--not too worried, am I....

End of rant. Sorry.

Kathy, you are always welcome here. But maybe I should tell you that our own premier, Doug Ford, is a person I have always referred to as *baby trump*. So, just saying, don't burn your bridges...

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/politics/potential-constitutional-challenge-over-...

Just ICK to politics and the tilt to the right everywhere, it seems...

Yeah, it's true. Back to the books and away from the screen, I guess.

Thanks for reporting about your art gallery visit, very cool!

>235 banjo123: - Thanks, Rhonda. I added a few more pics from the Keith Haring exhibit to my original post in >206 jessibud2:, Rhonda. Glad you liked them.

Wordle 989 4/6 ocean, meaty, blame, flame

⬜⬜🟨🟨⬜
🟨🟨🟩⬜⬜
⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Still working on Canuckle....

Thanks for the personal invite to this place. I like-to-love (it's a sliding, drifting scale that I am thinking of) your visuals. Even the cats. Oh my. But especially the Haring works. Such a coincidence that I'm hearing of this exhibition on the same day that I learned a bio of him has been published.

Like so many of your recent posters, I am really taken with the work of Sarinder Dhaliwal. Are those her actual pencils? (I see the gallery labeled the art as a "chromogenic print") I'm astonished she could accumulate and keep them over the years. I also admire her installation of fairy books. (Talk about deckled edges!) I wanna know more about them! *stamping my feet*

Google seems to be a friend vis-a-vis Dhaliwal; lots to explore. I see she's our contemporary: 71 years old.

Thanks again for the personal invite. I must get out more.

Wordle 990 5/6 meaty, pious, cluck, bunch, hunch

⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜
⬜⬜🟨🟩⬜
⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

My two-day streak in canuckle was broken yesterday as I got stuck then totally forgot to go back and try again. I hope they don't strip me of my citizenship because I am finding it difficult! ;-)

I am heading downtown today to go to a lecture on banned books. It's actually part of the *Curious Minds* series at my local Hot Docs (documentary) cinema. These series are usually 4 to 6 weeks long, once a week, but can be attended individually if we don't want to sign up for the entire series. I actually did want to sign up but honestly, the way things have been going recently with my mother's health, I just can't commit to anything in case I need to head back to Montreal. Just in the past few months, I have purchased and had to give away, tickets to films. So, for today, I will go. If it's good, I will take it one Tuesday at a time and go as I can.

Not sure if this will open here but hope so. This is the series:

https://hotdocs.ca/whats-on/films/cm-banned-books?utm_source=eBull&utm_mediu...

I am redeemed!
Canuckle 661 4/6 plaid, metis, choir, civic I can't figure out how to post the *fun fact* associated with the word. Oh well...

⬜⬜⬜🟥⬜
⬜⬜⬜🟥⬜
🟥⬜⬜🟥⬜
🟥🟥🟥🟥🟥

🔥 streak: 1

www.canucklegame.ca

>225 jessibud2: Oh that looks like fun!

It is nice that you live near the Art Gallery that you can really take full advantage of the yearly pass.

>238 weird_O: - Hi Bill. Good to see you checking out the exhibit(s). As for Dhaliwal's pencils, I imagine, from reading the accompanying text in >217 jessibud2: that they were, at some point. Given how she uses many different mediums (media?), it would not surprise me at all if she kept every coloured pencil she ever owned, from childhood! And yeah, those books! I really wanted to touch them but there were signs warning us off. Of course, I understand, but still! I dabbled a bit in papermaking several years back and the lure of hand-made paper, in such luscious colours and of such a large size, was almost irresistible!

>241 figsfromthistle: - Hi, Anita. Canuckle is harder than I would have expected but I will persevere because, well, it's too soon to quit, lol!

Well, this was unexpected!

Wordle 991 2/6 meaty, teary

⬜🟩🟩🟨🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Canuckle 662 6/6 shore, plane, unite, pence, dense, fence

⬜⬜⬜⬜🟥
⬜⬜⬜🟨🟥
⬜🟨⬜⬜🟥
⬜🟥🟥🟥🟥
⬜🟥🟥⬜🟥
🟥🟥🟥🟥🟥

🔥 streak: 2

Canadian fencing dates back to 1816 when Maitre Girard opened the first fencing school in Montréal. The first Canadian Championships were held in 1902. The Canadian Fencing Federation was incorporated in 1971 with a mandate is to establish, develop and support fencing in Canada and to represent Canada on the international scene.

Sheesh.

>239 jessibud2: Looks like a great series Shelley. Hope you get to see the ones you want.

>243 jessibud2: Excellent Wordle-ing, Shelley. I'm enjoying Canuckle. I play it as if it were Wordle, since I don't know that much about Canada and am enjoying (awesome, eh?) the little trivia bits.

I just ordered from my library In the Upper Country by Kai Thomas (2023). It's on the longlist for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction, and I think it's set in the 19th century and about former slaves in Canada. Have you heard of it?

>242 jessibud2: My mind often abandons cheering the product in favor of questioning the the process. How the hell did they DO that? A few months ago, Ursula posted pix of the books she crafts, and when I asked that process question, she answered. While I am intrigued, I haven't (yet) imagined what the contents would be.

Coincidentally, my home heating system wasn't working as expected, and a pair a technicians came to the house. Both grubby from servicing oil burners choked with carbon. I misjudged them (in my head). One looked at the book at my feet and exclaimed, "Oh, I loved that book." 'Twas The Iron Man, written in the 1960s by Ted Hughes, Britain's poet laureate from 1984 to 1998. Perhaps he was seduced by Chris Mould's illustrations (as I was) more than the story.

Wordle 992 3/6 meaty, slice, clone

⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜
⬜🟩⬜🟨🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Bombed right out in Canuckle. Too many choices.

>246 weird_O: - Apropos to nothing, does that not look to you (as it does to me) like the Little Prince on the Iron Man's shoulder?

If I return to the AGO before the Dhaliwal exhibit leaves, I will see if I can find out what actually *in* those gorgeous handmade books. And will report back!

Drive-by *smooch*

Just a short announcement. My mum passed away last night. The funeral will be Tuesday and I will likely be offline for awhile. A lot to deal with in the coming days.

She was 90 years old and it's been a long difficult journey, these last 7 years. But she is now at peace. And that is good.

Thanks for understanding.

>249 jessibud2: Safe hourney home for your mum.

Stay well amid the stress by remembering it is not indefinite. We are here when you need support.

Oh, Shelley! I’m so sorry for your loss. My deepest condolences to you, and may your mom rest in peace. *hugs*

May her memory be a blessing, Shelley.

>249 jessibud2: I’m so, so sorry for your loss, sweet Shelley. We’ll keep your thread warm for you. (((Hugs)))

Karen O

So sorry for your loss.

>249 jessibud2: I am so sorry for your loss. ((hugs))

I am so sorry for the loss of you mum, Shelley .Take care and I'll be thinking of you. (((hugs)))

>249 jessibud2: My condolences, Shelley.
I have followed you through these seven years, and admire how you kept going for her.
Vale to your mum.

I am so sorry for your loss. Take Care!

>249 jessibud2: Peace to you on this Journey to bring your Mom to rest.

>249 jessibud2: The deepest condolences from me and my family to you, dear Shelley, on the passing of your mother. She was lucky in these last few years especially to have such a caring daughter.

Our deepest condolences, Shelley. You did a wonderful job being by her side and giving her all the help you could. She is at peace and I hope you can find some too.

Adding my condolences Shelley. She got to quite an age. Keeping you in my thoughts.

Thank you all for your kind words and thoughts.
The worst is now behind me. There was perfect weather today for the funeral and for that I am grateful. Still a few loose ends to wrap up here tomorrow and Thursday then I can go home Friday. I can't wait.

Thanks again.

Shelley, I'm so glad that the worst is behind you. I so pleased that the weather was perfect for the funeral today. Thinking of you.

Thank you, Deb

>263 jessibud2: Thnking of you, Shelley. I hope the loose ends wrap up smoothly.
(((hugs)))

Sending healing thoughts. I am glad that you had good weather for the funeral, and that your mother is at peace.

Sorry to hear about your mum, Shelley. Such a long journey for the both of you.

I know you're sad about your mothers passing, but it just occurred to me...your frequent trips to Montreal are over! That has to be something to look forward to...though looking forward to an absence is weird.

Thanks Anita, Rhonda, Meg, Richard. If I never have to pack a suitcase again in my lifetime, it will be too soon. I have had several out-of-town friends, including one in Florida, invite me out to relax for a few weeks or days, whatever I want. I hope they understand when I tell them that what I want is to NOT have to go anywhere for a long time.

Anyhow, winter has returned so it kind of suits my mood. I just want to hibernate. I am still swamped under a pile of paperwork and my reading is as dismal as ever, though I am currently enjoying a book by a favourite author, Hazel Gaynor. It's The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter. She writes historical fiction, always based on true, often not well-known, events. At least this is holding my attention.

Glad you have a good book Shelley. It rings a bell.

I'm sure your friends will understand. You need to catch your breath after the trials and tribulations of recent years. And hopefully it will be some while before you have to have anything to do with health professionals, as well as travel.

Ugh to paperwork. It's best to curl up with a good book and hug the boys if they'll let you.

I really enjoyed The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter, Shelley. I'm glad it's working for you too. Just the thing . Go ahead and hibernate for a while, as much as you can. I think historical fiction and mysteries are my two favourite types of books, though I read a fair amount of " literary fiction" . Yes, ugh to paperwork.

Thanks, Caroline, Meg, Deb.

I still have plenty to do. A lot of people left notes of condolence on the funeral parlour's website, many from childhood who I have not seen or been in touch with in decades. It was a lovely gesture for them to do so.

My mum was also an artist and many years ago, she had one of her paintings made into blank greeting cards. When I first moved her out of her condo and emptied it of her files and things, I found a large bag of these cards. I am using them now as thank you cards to quite a few of the people who have reached out. I feel it's a nice connection between my mum and those friends. I spent a good portion of today writing notes.

Deb, I have read 2 or 3 other titles by Hazel Gaynor and I like her work. She does thorough homework and research and often has links at the end of the books to connect to the real-life events and/or people she writes about. I like that (saves me googling, as I often do, to learn more).

>274 jessibud2: Readers would enjoy seeing your Mother's painting!

Hi Shelley my dear, i am so sorry to read of your mother's passing, from following your thread i have seen that she has been unwell for some time but it is still not easy to lose a parent however old we are. Our thoughts and prayers are with you my dear friend from both of us.

Shelley, I am so sorry for your loss. Take care of yourself. You were a good daughter.

>217 jessibud2: This is beautiful..and so are you. You gave so very much to your mother. As always, I am thinking of you. I hope that when you look back, you will know the fine job you did in helping her.

Much Love to you.

Hope things are settling down for you, Shelley. That's a truly wonderful idea to use your mum's notecards--sharing a little piece of her with her friends and loved ones.

And now we know where you got your love & great eye for art--what a gift she gave you!

>275 m.belljackson: - Marianne, I plan to start a new thread today and maybe I will use her picture in my topper. Thanks for the idea.

>276 johnsimpson: - Thank you, John, Beth, Linda, Kathy. Kathy, I certainly got my appreciation for art from her, but sadly, not a single cell of her talent.

Shelley, I always drop a few threads when the new year changes over, and this year you were among them, I'm sorry to say. Now that I've found you, only a quarter behind, I learn that your mother has passed away. I think I understand what a mix of emotions that has brought on, and I hope you will accept my sincere condolences for your loss. It took me a long time (a couple years at least) to feel I had "got my mother back" after she died--but the good memories eventually began to rise above those of the difficult last stage of her life. I hope that happens sooner rather than later for you. I love that you are sending little pieces of her to friends by using the cards she designed as thank you notes. Those will be treasured, I'm sure.

Thank you, Linda. If her declining health was all I had had to deal with, that would have been tough enough. But there was so much more, from her disgusting husband, to the issues at the place she lived for 2 years, to my brother, right at the end. I think my sleeping much of last week may be my body's way of trying to recover but I believe you that it is likely to take longer than that.

I have started a new thread...