Shelley Starts Again in 2024 - chapter three

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 for this year, such as they are, 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!;-)

It is pouring buckets, as I type, and while I'm sure the garden (and the mushrooms!) love it, I haven't had to water much, myself. We had a few hot days over the last week or so but today is much cooler. I wish I could bottle these cool temps and save them for the heat I know is coming....!

My clematis in the front of my house has come back. I wasn't sure it would as I cut it right down to the ground last fall. It was so straggly and pathetic and I figured it had simply come to the end of its life. I thought if it didn't come back, I'd buy another or try something else in that spot. Not nearly as many flowers as in past years but it's still spring so who knows:



And, in the back of the house, against the fence I share with my neighbour, where it is mostly shady, I bought a little shelving unit that looks like a staircase. I like the look! The other plants are sitting on the lid of the storage bin.

As I mentioned in my last thread, my sweet little Owen had major surgery a week ago. 9 teeth and 2 masses removed. The biopsy results were good: no cancer at all in either mass and no more doggy breath or drooling! This may be the first time in his short life (he is only 6 years old) that he has been pain-free! Cats don't show pain the way dogs (or humans) do so who knows. He has bounced back to his playful self and has forgiven me for forcing him to go to the vet for 3 appointments in a row!

One of the meds I had to give him was codeine, administered as a cream, rubbed into the inner ear flap. That was supposed to happen twice a day for one week. I succeeded for exactly one and a half tries before deciding that maybe it wasn't worth losing my fingers over. And then, I realized this: Theo grooms Owen every day and it is likely that if I hadn't stopped, Theo would be getting the hit of drugs instead of Owen! Besides, being groomed by his brother was probably better medicine for him anyhow:

The other day, I went into a card shop to look for a graduation card for my cousin's son. I did find one but also saw this and cracked right up. In the thank you card section. Very clever!

Wordle 1,084 3/6 ocean, lemon, melon

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reserved

Welcome!

HI! Love clematis. I've never been able to grow it. My soil is so poor around the house. Deer would probably chomp it off anyway.

>8 laytonwoman3rd: - Hi Linda. It's not so much that my soil is bad (it's not great, mostly clay-like though I amend it regularly) but I have filtered sun, at best, in the front. I face west so should, in theory have full sun all afternoon but there is a tree on my front lawn so there is never full sun. What actually ruined the clematis and my grass and some other plants is the over-salting done by our so-called landscape company, every winter. I have complained about this (and not just me, by the way). When they come around, they scatter the salt across the driveway like chicken feed and much of it ends up on the lawn and garden. The salt they use doesn't seem to melt so it remains. Because our townhouse is a condo corporation, we need permission for every bloody thing. I wrote a letter to the board, complete with photos of the damage done, and asked that I be allowed to be exempt from their services. I said I would do my own shovelling in the winter and even my own salting, to prevent potential slip and fall liability because I would salt only where actual feet might walk, which excluded my lawn and garden. The board wanted me to pay for a lawyer to draw up a document to sign saying I'd assume responsibility. I said no, I would not pay a penny to prevent the *landscapers* from ruining my lawn and garden. And so, despite being told not to speak directly to the landscapers, I do just that. I shovel before they arrive and I tell them I will do my own salting. It's an ongoing battle, winter after winter, but the bottom line is, I have reseeded my lawn and my garden, including the clematis, is coming back.

Aren't you glad you commented, lol?

Happy new thread, Shelley.

Lovely flowers in >2 jessibud2:

>2 jessibud2: Beautiful pictures of your flowers. The clematis will have more blooms on it next year once it gets over the shock of it's haircut ;)

>3 jessibud2: Glad Owen is doing well!

Happy new thread

>9 jessibud2: I am glad I commented! My MIL was a great gardener up until she went into an assisted living facility two years ago. At her apartment, she had the loveliest flower beds, and a glorious purple clematis. One year I gave her a small potted hydrangea for Easter, and she planted it outside...it grew to unbelievable proportions and flowered profusely. She even grew roses. She fought the same battle over sidewalk salt with the apartment management, but she had a good relationship with the maintenance man and persuaded him to be respectful of her flowers. She also pointed out to the mgmt. that they had used a photograph showing the outside of her apt. with all the flowers in full bloom on their website, and no other building in the complex had anything to compare because THEY did nothing in the way of landscaping other than cutting the grass. It always amazed me what she could do--into her 90s--to keep up her mini garden.

Happy new thread, Shelley! I love seeing the picture of your boys.

Happy Saturday, Shelley. Happy New Thread. I love the garden & kitty pics.

>12 laytonwoman3rd: - Thanks for that, Linda. And kudos to your MIL!

>13 alcottacre:, >14 msf59: - Hi and thanks, Stasia and Mark.

Wordle 1,085 3/6 ocean, wince, hence

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Happy new one, Shelley!

Happy Saturday! It is sunny. I'm going to paint my deck. It isn't a large space. My outside flower projects are near finished. I have a neighbor who worked for a large floral business. I brought a cone flower from the front of the house (they were taking over,) and I moved it to the back yard space of flowers. Yesterday, I noted that even though I blocked the plant in the hope it would root before the deer got it, and alas, they started chomping on it last night. My neighbor told me that if I place a bar of soap in the plant, the deer will leave it alone...Here's hoping.

I hope your day is a good one Shelley. Thinking of you!

Happy new thread, Shelley. I enjoyed the lovely pictures of your garden but even better where the shots of Owen checking out the carrier in your previous thread. When pigs fly, indeed!

>10 PaulCranswick:, >11 figsfromthistle:- Sorry I missed you up there, Paul and Anita!

>16 drneutron:- Thanks, Jim.

>27 jessibud2:- Hi, Linda. I haven't had deer problems though we do get bunnies. I keep my lettuce in pots, not on the ground. So far, so good... Good luck with your painting project

>18 Familyhistorian:- Hi, Meg. Yeah, that was pretty funny. Hopefully, I won't have to test his curiosity any time soon! Lol

Happy new thread!

Happy New Thread, Shelley! I love the graduation card! It made me chuckle too. Your deck looks great! Dave has said that as our wooden one is not doing well - I think it is rotting, he is going to cover it with some sort of plastic tiles. But so far, that is just talk on his part. I'm glad Owen is recovering well from his surgery and looks like the brothers get along really well.

>21 banjo123: - Hi and thanks for visiting, Rhonda!

>22 vancouverdeb: - Hi Deb. What I have is not a deck at all, just a patio. There was grass on either side but I dug it up and replaced it with soil (it's taken years to get it how I want it) so that I could plant stuff. The ground is uneven and before the massive tree came out a few years back, the roots were causing the patio tiles to shift and move. Once they took out the tree and ground down the stump, and excavated my entire backyard, they also raised the ground level when putting it all back (to prevent further flooding). The roots are still underground, obviously, but no longer alive and other than the gift of mushrooms they send me as they decompose, aren't causing any problems (that I know of!). Being in a townhouse yourself, you know that the space is actually quite small so I try to make my garden bigger by utilizing the fence and the arbour I bought, to hang things on. That way, I can trick myself into believing that I have a bigger garden than I actually do, lol!

(that card I posted was actually a thank you card; I went in looking for a graduation card but when I saw that one, I had to take a photo of it, it was so funny)

Tricky today:

Wordle 1,086 5/6 meaty, pious, clock, croon, crowd

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Hi Shelley my dear, Happy New Thread dear friend.

Aw, poor little Owen having medical issues but so glad that he's feeling better and has a friend to help! My little Boomer kitty was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism a couple months ago and I give her transdermal meds in her ear twice a day. Luckily, she's pretty good about it, especially if I catch her when she's sleeping (which really isn't hard, frankly!).

Your flowers are lovely! My clematis are having their best year ever, probably because we had a very wet early spring and no hail, so far. Knock wood.

>25 johnsimpson: - Thank you, John. Hope you are doing well.

>26 Copperskye: - Thanks, Joanne. In over 40 years of being a cat mom, I have never had problems giving any meds, transdermal, even pills. I did need help when one of my cats developed kidney disease near the end of his life and needed hydration via injection. I tried but couldn't so a friend did it for me, a few times a week. But Owen is in a class by himself. Everything is on his terms and I have come to accept that. I have employed every special ed trick in the book (I used to be a special ed teacher and have learned how to adapt to meet the needs, so to speak) but he is doing well now and that's what matters. I keep reminding him that I have to live to see this through or he will be in even bigger trouble so he needs to try to be a bit more cooperative. Maybe he got the message.

I thought I caught wordle in a big mistake. But no, it was just me who forgot this was actually a real word.

Wordle 1,087 6/6 ocean, plant, mangy, mangi, mango, manga

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Happy new thread, Shelley!

I was as surprised as you were, about Owen in the carrier in the previous thread. Maybe he now associates the carrier with less pain?
Your flowers are beautiful. The clematis will probably grow back, mine usually do, until they don't ;-)

>29 FAMeulstee: - Thanks, Anita.

Phew, indeed:

Wordle 1,089 6/6 ocean, write, utter, meter, peter, deter

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Third guess seems to be my bugaboo. I always mess up there, mostly by inattention. Today was no different. By the 4th guess, though I messed up again, I realized I had all 5 letters. Just to get them in the right order! This game really taxes my brain, but that's a good thing, right?

Wordle 1,090 5/6 quote, thank, train, slang, angst

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I finished Ann Patchett's Tom Lake and quite liked it. I love a story where the layers are peeled back a bit at a time to reveal the underbelly and core of the story. I also like when the author trusts that the reader is intelligent enough to read between the lines, without always having to spell everything out. This novel gave me all of that. Highly recommended. I don't even think you need to have read or know Our Town though it surely helps.

I also read a new one by Roz Chast, called I Must Be Dreaming. I have to say, I generally like Chast's weird humour but this one nearly got DNF'd. I just didn't find any of it funny, not even a little bit. It was just weird. And yes, perhaps that was the point. Dreams ARE weird, under any circumstances. But somehow, it just did nothing for me. Oh well.

Yet again, I seem to be having trouble settling on my next book. I have begun 3 and will see what sticks. A memoir by Julie Andrews, Home Work, a biography of Bessie Smith, Bessie Smith A Poet's Biography of a Blues Legend and a book about the *emotional calendar*, which I think will be interesting, as long as it doesn't get too boring, The Emotional Calendar. We shall see...

Love the photos, and the T.Hanks card Shelley.

A little late, but happy new thread--love the garden pics, they make me do a happy sigh.

>32 jessibud2: Glad to hear Tom Lake is a good one; I picked it up at a library sale.

I enjoyed Julie Andrews' Home: A Memoir of My Early Years , but I haven't read Home Work so will be interested to hear your thoughts.

Glad Owen is feeling better and love how your back patio is coming along -- it looks great! Tom Lake was a good one. Hope you settle in to your next one today. : )

>33 Caroline_McElwee: - T.Hanks, Caroline, ;-). I may go buy that card next time I am downtown. It still makes me chuckle.

>34 kac522: -I own that first memoir, Kathy but haven't read it yet. I borrowed this from a friend so decided to give it a go now. I don't think it matters, in the grand scheme of things, that I haven't read her first one. Today the heat arrived and I put out a trellis as my gaura is growing quickly and will sure need to be trellised very soon. I love sitting out in the back, in my little oasis, reading, as I did yesterday but not today and not for the foreseeable future as the temps are only said to be going up over the next week. No fun if you can't breath out there!

>35 Berly: - Hi Kim. Owen will take the last hit of his antibiotic tonight at dinner. He is a happy (and cuddly) boy these days and I feel a tad guilty that I waited so long (not by choice, I might add; he didn't make it easy) to get his mouth fixed. But I think he is pain-free and maybe for the first time, for him, so it's all good now.

Wordle 1,091 5/6 meaty, karat, jabot, fault, vault

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Wordle 1,092 3/6 meaty, shirt, proud Better today

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Wordle 1,093 4/6 ocean, fling, briny, grind

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Wordle 1,094 3/6 ocean, pious, prior

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I am still trying to wrap my head around the news of Anita's passing. Maybe in some way, it was good that it was sudden and fast. Hopefully, she didn't suffer. But still, she was only 61 and that is just far too young. She still had so many plans (not to mention, books!) ahead of her. I know how much she was looking forward, with Frank, to his retirement and the time that lay ahead of them. It was incredibly thoughtful, given the circumstances, for him to post here, to let us know. I can only hope he has a good support system of friends and family around him. And I hope he comes back to at least read the outpouring of love from her LT family.

Which brings me to some thoughts. I am pretty sure there was a conversation about this some years ago, here or maybe it was just me, on another site or just with friends. I can't remember. But in this day and age, especially as most of us here are *of that age* when we are thinking about or actually doing things to plan for our future, ie, wills, powers of attorney, etc - it seems a no-brainer to also have a digital power of attorney or digital executor. Our lives are online these days, everything is online. I have (and am in the process of updating) a little notebook of websites I belong to, passwords, etc. Also, online subscriptions, whether they be newsletters, news services, anything, really, that might have to be cancelled, or people informed, in the case of my death.

For those of us, like me, who live alone, it's important to designate someone you trust and let them know where to find the notebook. It should also likely include local (not online) people to inform, such as doctors, etc. You know, when you sit down and start, it's a daunting task. I try to remember, though, that it will be far worse without this information.

Has anyone here done this already? Even, thought about it? It's kind of scary but so very necessary. I have online friends - not only here on LT but in other places - who I have never met in person. How would any of us know if something had happened to them or me? Do we just disappear into the ether of cyberspace like a click of the delete button? :-(

In keeping with the spirit of a memorial for Anita that Paul suggested, I have chosen 2 books from Anita's top favourites that I happen to have on my shelves to read in her memory. I will try to get to them sooner rather than later. They are: Americanah and The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay

Wordle 1,095 5/6 music, chart, clone, cored, cover

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Morning, Shelley. I think we are all still stunned about Anita's sudden passing. It is like losing a family member. I like the idea of reading one of Anita's favorite books. A perfect tribute.

>32 jessibud2: I am glad to hear that you enjoyed Tom Lake! I went ahead and read Our Town again after having read the Patchett book, but it really was not necessary. Ann Patchett is one of my LT discoveries :)

>41 jessibud2: What a great post, Shelley. Thank you.

Have a terrific Tuesday!

>41 jessibud2: Yes, I have named my nieces and nephew as my executors. Every once in a while I send them an email with information on my financial details. I also told them where to find important papers in my house.( and the too many passwords for organizations that I use!)

>44 alcottacre: - Stasia, if you haven't yet viewed the film of Our Town, starring Paul Newman as the Stage Manager, see if your library has a copy of the dvd. I did that last year and it was great. It was the first time I had revisited the story since we did in when I was in high school, a million years ago!

>43 msf59: - You are right, Mark. Our LT group IS family.

>45 torontoc: - Too many, indeed, Cyrel! I certainly never realized how many I had until I started to do this. In truth, there is not a chance in hell I'd remember any of them if they weren't catalogued somewhere!

>41 jessibud2: Having had to deal, unexpectedly, with the auto-related death and disability of an aunt and uncle who had named me as their Attorney-in-Fact in such an eventuality, I know how hard it can be to cover all the bases. So I have given this a LOT of thought for myself and my husband. Of course, my aunt and uncle had no internet presence whatsoever. I have a list of sites and sign-ins for my daughter, who would probably be stuck with the task. I also have this book designed for recording all essential information, which I haven't finished filling in. It has pages for all sorts of accounts, passwords, medical contacts, funeral wishes, etc. A great organizer, readily available from Amazon and other places.

>41 jessibud2: I created a little notebook called my 'Life after Death book' which is all the information my sibs would need. I try to remember to update it every year Shelley. Its a lovely little notebook with a Cezanne painting on.

What I'm not yet achieving is getting rid of loads of stuff.

***

So sad about AnitaF.

>48 laytonwoman3rd: - Interesting book, Linda. I may have to check it out. Sounds like it would work.

>49 Caroline_McElwee: - I love your notebook title, Caroline. And hmmm, I can relate to your *dilemma*. I have been trying for years, myself...

Well, this was a surprise!

Wordle 1,096 2/6 meaty, terse

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Happy new thread, Shelley, Great photos.

Like you and I think everyone in the 75's, I am shocked and saddened by the loss of Anita. She just seemed to young and healthy. It was indeed kind of Frank to think of coming into the group and letting us know. I do have a book of password written down, but it so disorganized I have to search for passwords myself. I joke that if someone broke in the password book would be of no use to them. I'm glad you got wordle in two, Shelley!

Hi Beth, and Deb.

Well, my standard inattention mistake didn't occur until guess #4 but it still happened. I had to walk away and come back to this before I *saw* it:

Wordle 1,097 5/6 meaty, truce, civet, octet, scent

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Sweet Thursday, Shelley. I just listened to the Cowboy Junkies. I had forgot this band was from Canada. I am always astounded how many quality musical artists have come out of your country. Their version of "Sweet Jane" is one of my favorite cover songs.

Shelley, I can confirm after my recent phone conversation with Frank that she didn't suffer. She lost consciousness almost immediately after her heart attack and could not be resuscitated. Frank was grateful for that, knowing that she did not want to suffer or to spend her last days in a hospital.

>56 kidzdoc: - Truly, a small blessing, if one can say such a thing in the face of this tragedy. Still, I am happy to hear this, for both their sakes. Thank you, Darryl.

Hi Shelley, I had lost my star on your thread. Restarred.

>41 jessibud2: Your post made me think. I’m trying to deal with the mess in my home, moving is a good moment for that. But there’s the digital stuff as well. I have some accounts written down in a small address book, a loose-leafed booklet, so I can add pages when necessary. It’s a small start.

>58 EllaTim: - A small start is the first step, Ella. Better than not starting at all!

No mess-ups or inattention mistakes today! :-)
Wordle 1,098 4/6 meaty, bloat, audit, paint

Happy Friday, Shelley. Did you miss me up there? 😀

>60 msf59: - OOPS! Yes, I did. Sorry about that. I do like The Cowboy Junkies but I don't know a lot of their work. I should do something about that! And yes, we do have a very good music base here! Are you familiar with The Barenaked Ladies? I am not so current with the current incarnation of the group but loved their old stuff. Lots of fun!

I like the Cowboy Junkies too, and yes, The Bare Naked Ladies. We have a lot of good music in Canada, I agree. Thanks for the heads up regarding the puzzle sale at Indigo, which is across Canada. Did you find anything you liked today? I have 3 puzzles arriving via UPS today, 2 1000 piece puzzles and a 500 piece puzzle, so I may have to restrain myself.

Yes, Deb, I did make it to Indigo today. I purchased one puzzle and it looks like a good one! And my discount was not the 20% off advertised but 30% because of my Plum card.



Some books may also have found their way into my bag. In the interest of full disclosure, I didn't spend as much as you might think. I always head to their sale section. I found 5 hardcovers whose total cost was probably less than that of one brand new hardcover. I almost never buy hardcovers and rarely new ones but it was hard to resist these because of the prices! (none of these are *new* publications, I don't think)



Also, I had to snap a photo of this game. I didn't buy it but was intrigued that it was in a box game format. I know there are a lot of Wordlers here. First pic is the front of the box, then the back of it:

>63 jessibud2: Welcome back to the world of puzzlers! That looks like a fun one! Not only do Jose and I do our own puzzles, but we subscribe to a puzzle rental service (completingthepuzzle.com) and buy used puzzles frequently from our local friends of the library bookstore for about $3-4 per puzzle. Surprisingly, they are almost always complete, or maybe missing just one piece. I post pictures of puzzles we complete that do not have missing pieces on Instagram (where I am squeakychusssssss).

Interesting that Wordle was made into a party games!

To be perfectly honest, Madeline, I think I am crazy. I haven't attempted to do a puzzle since 2020, when the boys arrived. I have my hands full with their behaviours as it is. But they seem to be maturing and settling down, especially Theo and my fingers are itching to get back to puzzles. Awhile ago, I did buy one of those mats that you can fold the puzzle into. I haven't tried it yet but I will. I should probably also start with a much smaller one, maybe a 500 piece one, just to see if the mat works well and if the boys can leave it alone. Maybe next time the heat dome returns and I am not going out much. The weather seems to have lifted a bit for the moment. It's *cooler* today (relatively speaking) and if the rain holds off, I am going to a bluesfest this afternoon with a friend.

And yes, I was also surprised to see Wordle as a box game. But why not, I suppose.

Still half awake and made my usual inattention mistake(s). Still, no bomb

Wordle 1,099 5/6 meaty, trope, quits, flint, edict

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Wordle 1,100 5/6 ocean, prime, flute, bulge, bugle

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Wordle 1,101 5/6 meaty, crony, folly, golly, dolly

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Nice haul, Shelley! I love the puzzle, great choice. I restrained myself since I received 2 thousand piece puzzles and a 500 piece puzzle that I ordered from Puzzles Canada. They have a great selection. I'm currently working on a 500 piece puzzle that I purchased from Facebook market place for $10. I also have Plum Plus. I've seen that Wordle game, but never played it , nor do I know how it works. A great idea for Wordle enthusiasts.

Very nice looking puzzle Shelley!

I hope you got to that bluesfest. Sounds like fun.

>63 jessibud2: I saw that same puzzle on the catalog for our puzzle rental company (completingthepuzzle.com). I put it on our wishlist. I'll let you know when we receive it (which may not be for months as they send items on our wishlist at random...which acutally makes it more fun).

Are the cats allowing you to do your puzzle?

>70 EllaTim: - Hi Ella. No, in the end we did not go to the Bluesfest. It was raining, the show was outside and we didn't feel like sitting in the rain. I hope they cancelled or postponed it to some other time but I have no idea.

>71 SqueakyChu: - I haven't dared to try yet, Madeline..... I'll let you know ;-)

Wordle 1,103 3/6 ocean, sneak, knead

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>63 jessibud2: Nice puzzle, Shelley. I looked but the Indigo puzzle sale is over. I was too busy to catch it in time. Not that I need more puzzles and, if I went into the store, there would be the temptation of books and I kind of went overboard this month already.

I did go into Indigo yesterday, and they had just one puzzle on sale in my local Indigo Spirit Store, and fortunately it was one I had already done. But I did purchase James as it was 20 % off, plus the extra 10% since I have plum plus, plus I had $5.00 in Plum Points. I have to rationalize it somehow, Shelley :-)

>74 Familyhistorian: - I know that feeling of temptation, Meg. And, as you can see, I was not able to resist it this time. The only thing that seems to work for me is to just not go!

>75 vancouverdeb: - Rationalize away, Deb. I have become good at that too!

In a couple of weeks (July 10), I am having myself a mini vacation, the first since I started the 7 years of commuting to Montreal and back for my mum. I just never had the physical or emotional energy for much more than that. But a good friend moved to Stratford (Ontario) 3 years ago and I have yet to visit her there. She also volunteers for the annual Stratford Festival and can get great prices on tickets. So, I will be going for 5 days, seeing 4 plays and having a relaxing visit. (I met Cyrel - torontoc- for lunch the other day and she mentioned that Stratford has a lovely bookshop, so, bonus! lol.

It's literally been decades since I was last in Stratford and my fingers are crossed that the weather stays good. Yesterday and today were lovely spring days, sunshine and temps in the high teens, low 20s C. Perfect! I am off to the art gallery today to catch an exhibit that closes on Monday. Will report back later.

Wordle 1,105 5/6 meaty, piece, louse, grove, drove

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>78 jessibud2: Looking at your Wordle: boy, we started at such different points, but somehow worked around to the answer.

Your upcoming vacation sounds like such fun!

Karen O

>77 jessibud2: I love that you get to go on a mini-vacation. It sounds delightful. So great that you got to meet up with Cyrel. Zoe and Mark are coming to visit me on Monday…with their baby Brandon! Too bad you and Cyrel won’t be joining us.

>77 jessibud2: That sounds like a great break Shelley. Enjoy.

Enjoy your vacation!

Stratford sounds like just the thing Shelley! Enjoy.

Have a fantastic vacation!

>79 klobrien2: - I am really looking forward to it, Karen. A week from Wed.

>80 SqueakyChu: - I read on your thread about Zoe's visit. I didn't know they had a baby, please extend my congrats to them!

>81 Caroline_McElwee:, >82 banjo123:, >83 EllaTim:, >84 figsfromthistle: - Thanks, Caroline, Rhonda, Ella, Anita. Looking forward to it.

Wordle 1,107 5/6 ocean, chimp, furry, tubby, buddy
I should have got t his considering that Buddy was the name of my first cat!

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Here's your chuckle for the day, aka, does this couch make my ass look big?

>87 jessibud2: I love it! What a pretty kitty!

Karen O

>87 jessibud2: Funny.

>88 klobrien2:, >89 Caroline_McElwee: - No doubt about it, he is a BIG boy but to be fair, it's not the most flattering angle. I was actually sitting next to him on the couch and looked over at him, and I couldn't stop laughing. Good thing he takes no offense.

>90 jessibud2: I chuckle over this picture and your comments every time I see them! Thanks for the grins.

Karen O.

>87 jessibud2: LOL, Shelley! He looks really cute!

Karen and Deb, me too! He is hilarious!

Bomb day:
Wordle 1,108 X/6 meaty, shape, quare, inane, weave, glace. Oh well. New month, new streak...

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Audubon photos (though I am not sure why it's from 2020):

https://www.audubon.org/news/our-favorite-fascinating-bird-behaviors-2020-audubo...

I had to walk away from this this morning as I just could not see where it was going. I thought I had exhausted all possibilities. But I just went back now and bingo, I saw it. Good thing or I'd have had a 2-day bomb streak going!! Phew!

Wordle 1,109 6/6 meaty, sadly, relay, allay, splay, inlay. Seriously, were there any other options left? I don't know and I don't care. I got it.

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It's been ages since I played Canuckle but I thought I'd give it another go. Just squeaked through today:

Canuckle 780 6/6 maple, grant, quack, aquas, squaw, squad

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🔥 streak: 1

www.canucklegame.ca

Fun fact:
Cold Squad is a Canadian police television series that premiered on CTV on January 23, 1998, and ran for seven seasons. Known for its gripping stories and compelling characters, Cold Squad follows a team of homicide detectives from the Vancouver Police Department that reopen long-unsolved, or "cold" cases, using present-day forensic technology and psychological profiling to help crack them. Cold Squad was the first prime time national series produced out of Vancouver. With a total of 98 episodes, it became the longest-running prime time drama series on Canadian television and won several Gemini awards, Canada's highest television honours.

Whew!

Wordle 1,110 6/6 meaty, print, stiff, twill, thick, thigh

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>87 jessibud2: Or, kitty could be saying, does my ass make this couch look small? 😂 Sweet baby!

>77 jessibud2: Sounds wonderful!

>98 Storeetllr: - LOL, Mary! I guess that's one way of looking at it. Truth is, Theo is just a Big Boy, :-) But definitely a sweet one.

I will post a list of the 4 shows I will be seeing and will give reviews after I see them. I am looking forward to going.

Cymbeline: https://www.stratfordfestival.ca/WhatsOn/PlaysAndEvents/Production/Cymbeline

Hedda Gabler: https://www.stratfordfestival.ca/WhatsOn/PlaysAndEvents/Production/Hedda-Gabler

Something Rotten: https://www.stratfordfestival.ca/WhatsOn/PlaysAndEvents/Production/Something-Rot...

Twelfth Night: https://www.stratfordfestival.ca/WhatsOn/PlaysAndEvents/Production/Twelfth-Night

Finally, back to my more regular 4 guesses!

Wordle 1,111 4/6 ocean, drive, duped, debut

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>46 jessibud2: I do not think I have seen the Paul Newman version of Our Town yet. I am pretty sure that I looked for it after I read Tom Lake but could not find it. I will have to check again. Thanks for the reminder!

>56 kidzdoc: I am so glad to hear that Anita did not suffer. Her suffering on top of her sudden death would have just made it that much worse (at least to me.)

>63 jessibud2: Nice!

>77 jessibud2: I hope you have a wonderful vacation and some much-needed downtime.

>87 jessibud2: He looks so terribly worried about that issue, doesn't he? I love it!

>101 alcottacre: - Thanks, Stasia. And yes, Theo is a boy with no worries and no fears, except perhaps, thunder. Not that he'd let anyone know... :-)

Happy 4th of July to all my American LT friends. Stay safe, have fun.

>102 jessibud2: Mallory is my boy who has no worries and no fears. His sister, Chalfont, is my clever one.

Have a fantastic Friday!

Merry Saturday, Shelley!

Have a nice weekend, Shelley.

Thank you, Stasia, Richard, Ella.

This will without a doubt be one of my worst reading years ever. I just can't concentrate. I read and finished exactly 2 books in the last month although I also started and DNF'd several others that just did not hold my attention.

One was a children's book, The Poet's Dog by Patricia MacLachlan. I think I heard about it from Ella, and I think it may be on one of Anita's lists of favourites. It was a lovely and heart-warming story.

The other book I just finished was a biography of the American blues singer Bessie Smith, simply called Bessie Smith. I knew her name, of course, but not much else about her, much less her back story. What I found interesting was that this was, in a way, almost a dual biography, as author Jackie Kay is part of the story here, too. I did a lot of googling of both women and found both quite fascinating. I did not know much about Bessie Smith other than who she was. Kay has a fascinating backstory, herself, and relates how Bessie Smith helped her, as a young girl, understand her own identity, in the obsessive ways that only young teens can obsess over their idols.

There was some repetition in the book but overall, it was an honest and candid bio. As I tend to do, I did a lot of googling as I was reading, to learn more than Kay tells in the book (though she didn't leave much out, to be honest), as well as to listen to Bessie sing. This is probably her most famous song, Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out:

https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=bessie+smith&mid=75AD27...

Kay does some speculating, some interpreting and tries to understand Bessie's psyche, in order to understand why she did some of the things she did. There is, of course, no way to know another person's mind, but I found this narrative made for an interesting read, rather than straight bio information. In fact, it made me want to learn and read more of Jackie Kay.

I pulled another book off my shelf that had been there a long time, and started it today: The People in the Photo by Helene Gestern, an author I never heard of before. Already, I am hooked. Much of the books seems to be epistolary in style, something I quite enjoy. I'm not far in yet but I think this is one I will finish quickly. I'm also still trying to decide what books come with me when I leave on Wednesday.

You've had a tough year with your mom's passing , Shelley. No wonder it you are having difficulty concentrating on reading. Take care.

>107 vancouverdeb: - Thanks, Deb. I know I shouldn't use that as an excuse but I think there is something to it. I have been going through old files and recycling paper and shredding all things that have identifying personal info. A full time job, for sure. Seven years worth of her files that I have not touched till now. Never mind the massive decluttering (mostly of paper stuff) of my own that is calling for attention. Not much energy left after that. Still, I would really like to get my reading mojo back one of these days!

This worked out better than planned!

Wordle 1,115 3/6 meaty, phase, shape

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>109 jessibud2: Wow! You did really well with Wordle, Shelley! It took me 6 tries. I am very relieved my tummy is better. Oh, I don't think the passing of your mom is an "excuse" at all. It takes a long time to grieve and recover, and de-cluttering and paper and files are a lot of work to sort out. I hope your reading mojo returns soon.

Thanks, Deb.

Maybe I am making up for my lousy wordling last week!

Wordle 1,116 3/6 meaty, chase, blare

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Hi, Shelley. I have been absent from your thread, so I missed your last reply. I have heard of Barenaked Ladies and I definitely like their early stuff. Hard not to. I never saw them in concert.

How are the feeders doing? I am getting much more activity, now that the cicadas have passed on.

No feeder, Mark. I have taken it in for the summer. Thanks to those rats with wings, aka, pigeons. I still put out fresh water in the birdbath every day but I really miss my songbirds! I won't use anything chemical to deter them and my aim throwing pinecones at them is lousy. They don't care. So, no feeder. At least I know they can find food elsewhere in the summer. I will, of course, put it out in winter. Sad.

Glad you had a great vaca. I am heading out tomorrow for 5 days.

>111 jessibud2: Hi! Just wanted to alert you that your spoiler coding isn’t all there! Oops!

Karen O

>114 klobrien2: - YIKES! Thanks, fixed now. I hope I didn't ruin it for everyone! Thanks for the heads up, Karen.

Your vacation plans sound wonderful, Shelley. Maybe browsing new to you book stores will bring your reading mojo back!

Reading mojo is not to be commanded, Shelley, summer rules our physiology and it's not supporting that level of focus. It does get wearing being a baldish ape.

I finished a lovely book but have ZERO ability to say anything about it. I put some quotes up. That'll have to do. Several pleasant enough reads that I decline to write about because, well, I can do what I want. They'll maybe get Burgoined on the 28th.

Hi Shelley. I’m glad you liked The Poet’s Dog.

Your reading mojo will return, just take it easy.

This afternoon I saw a wonderful musical called *Something Rotten *. It was absolutely brilliant, clever, funny and very energetic. One of the best shows I've seen in quite a while. Basically, 2 brothers are trying to write a play that will be a hit but their rival is William Shakespeare. What ensues is sheer hilarity. A send-up and mishmash of just about every stage musical you can imagine. The lyrics are brilliant and fun, and the cast are excellent and have more stamina than I thought possible. Google the show and if you ever get a chance to see it, grab that chance. You certainly don't need to be familiar with all things Shakespeare to enjoy this. I wasn't.

I'm glad you enjoyed the musical so much, Shelley! I'm happy to read you are on a holiday. Where have you gone ?

I am on Stratford Ontario. 4 plays in 5 days. First was yesterday's, next one is tomorrow (Twelfth Night) then 2 on Saturday. It rained hard yesterday and was actually chilly but today was gorgeous, 22C, sunny and hardly any humidity. No complaints at all.
I found a fantastic ice cream place and bought one book at the local bookstore. Such restraint! ;-)

>121 jessibud2: Sounds wonderful....and you still have a few more days to buy books and eat ice cream, two of my most favorite things. (Our apartment is overflowing with books and our freezer is stuffed with various ice cream choices--chocolate varieties for me, butter pecan for him.)

Kathy, the flavors I had today were smores and maple crunch and they were great together. That was my lunch plus I did around 2 hours of walking, so my justification is firm.;-)

The book I bought is Dispersals by Jessica J. Lee. She is an interesting author. I have her first book as well and saw a great interview with her when that one came out.

I'm sure I did this once - share my wordle from my phone to my thread - but for the life of me, I can't figure out how to do it now. Anyhow, I've been playing daily and haven't bombed but I was surprised to get it in 3 today. So, without the visual, here it is. Given how I began, I was so sure if have it in 2, but I'm still pleased with 3.

ocean, dance, enact

Well, not a moment too soon, I am home. The weather was really good while I was away, not much rain at all, except for the first day. Today, however, is another story. TONS of rain, hard and fast and non-stop. They are saying that it has been over 10 years since the city has had such a downpour of so much rain in so short a time. Highways, roads, subway stations, flooded and closer. They say a month's worth of rain just today. My next door neighbour's basement is flooding as well, though so far, mine remains dry. Thank goodness. Hers is the end unit and mine, second and we have a history of basement floods. Lots of people in the west end of the city have also lost power. Thankfully, not in my area but I can't imagine how awful it must be for those without a/c, seniors homes, etc. Just a mess.

I may never have to water again. Ever. I did lose a few plants. I spent a good hour last evening, emptying water from plant pots, etc. I will have to repeat today. It could be worse, I know...

I have finished 2 books in the past week.

The People in the Photo - Helene Gestern -

I was bound to like this book from the get-go given my affinity for epistolary style novels. I wasn't disappointed. This is the story of Helene (I am still confused about why a novelist would give her main protagonist her own real first name if this is fiction, but that's about the only quibble I had). Helene's mother died when Helene was only 4 and she was raised by her father and step-mother. She knew little to nothing about her birth mother. When she finds a photo of her mother and 2 unknown men, she posts it as an ad, asking if anyone recognizes the people in the photo and can shed some light for her. Stephane responds, identifying one of them as his own father and the other as his godfather. And thus begin a tale of search and discover.

Each chapter opens with a detailed description of a photo, which the following section of correspondence between Helene and Stephane will shed some light on. My only wish was that the chapter and description would have been accompanied by the photo. I have seen photos and/or sketches included in novels and they have added greatly to the story. Jack Finney's Time and Again (a long-time favourite of mine) comes to mind. I think the inclusion of the photos described in this book would have not only enhanced the story but added tremendously to the reader's enjoyment.

I loved the peeling back of the layers, as the story is revealed, slowly but surely. It is a sad and sometimes suspenseful tale but ultimately satisfying. A quick read, for me.

Maureen - Rachel Joyce

Oddly, my copy of the book has only her first name as its title, but it is the same book that LT pulls up.

This is the third in the Harold Fry trilogy but as the author herself says in the intro, it can easily stand alone. Which is good since, though I read the first, I have not yet read the second.

This is the story of Maureen Fry, Harold's wife and what she does in the aftermath of Harold's *pilgrimage* some ten years earlier. She is a quirky woman and though she knows it, she tries hard to overcome her issues and get on with what she feels she must do. Don't want to say more (spoilers) so I'll leave it at that. Also a quick read. I do like the writing of Rachel Joyce.

I am about to begin Naomi Klein's Doppelganger, picked up from the library.

I read about the flooding in Toronto, Shelley. I'm very glad you aren't flooded. Glad you got home just in time.

Thanks, Deb. Yes, a big sigh of relief though so many were affected.

Sunny and cloudy today but no sign of rain for at least a few more days. I am going to a Music in the Park event tomorrow evening, part of their summer series at the Botanical Gardens. Tomorrow's performers are a trio of women singing blues and songs from the 60s. We bring lawn chairs and it's all outside. Lovely venue.

Wordle 1,124 3/6 meaty, trite, quite

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Glad you’re safe from the flooding! I’m prone to flooding too, which is why I have two water pumps set up for when it pours here. Have fun at the concert in the park! It sounds like it will be wonderful!

Shelley, We also had a terrific storm this evening, but it doesn't sound like it was as wicked as yours.

I hope you enjoy the concert in the park. Years ago, Will and I went to a concert every Sunday evening led by a local classical band. Reading about your planned venture brought back so many good memories. I miss Will terribly when I remember all the wonderful things we did together.

>77 jessibud2: sounds like a wonderful time! Which bookstore did you go to?

>129 Storeetllr: - Having had 3 rather major basement floods in the past, Mary, I was bracing myself for the worst. I actually went downstairs and moved some thing up, just in case. My neighbour is the end unit of our town house and I am the second to end. Usually, it's both our units that get it when flooding happens but this time, it was just hers and it wasn't all that bad. Mine remains dry, which is a miracle! My cousin in Alabama even emailed to tell me he heard about it on his news down there!!

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/rainfall-flood-toronto-record-1.7266064

>130 Whisper1: - The botanical gardens has this music in the park series every summer, Linda. I went to a few last year and am looking forward to this evening. Even the weather is cooperating as it is actually cool here and the humidity is gone! Last week was the first one but I missed it due to being out of town. Tonight's looks like it will be a good one, classic R&B Soul:

https://torontobotanicalgarden.ca/enjoy/special-events/edwards-summer-music-seri...

I am happy that you have so many wonderful memories with Will, Linda. I can only imagine how difficult it is for you that he is gone but to have such a wealth of good memories must feel very comforting.

>131 figsfromthistle: - The bookstore was Fanfare Books on Ontario Street. Lovely little shop! See my notes in >119 jessibud2: and >121 jessibud2:. If you can grab a chance to see Something Rotten when you get home, Anita, do so. I can't stop raving about it! I was really such a great production.

Ha! (also, back to my inattention mistakes)

Wordle 1,125 5/6 pilot, ocean, nurse, nerve, nerdy

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Wordle 1,128 4/6 ocean, crepe, piece, speck

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Wordle 1,129 3/6 meaty, cheat, cadet

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Currently reading Doppelganger by Naomi Klein and The Summer Book by Tove Jansson, the first a doorstopper and the second a light, short one. Good balance.

>135 jessibud2: Oh, The Summer Book! A delightful read in my experience.

Happy week-ahead's reads, Shelley!

Thanks, Richard. Now, if I could only sit still for awhile and actually read! Just lots of nonsense stress still going on here, all related to my mother's stuff, legal and otherwise. Can I just say, your govt is not the only govt with *issues*. The Quebec government is about as incompetent, inefficient and just plain stooopid as it gets. In my gut, I truly believe that it is in their contract for employment that they must make things as difficult, as convoluted, as aggravating as possible for *Anglos*. Well, as far as I can see, they are succeeding in that, if nothing else. Believe it or not, we still do not have an official (or any) death certificate. My mother died at the beginning of March. Nothing can move forward without that certificate. Not the settling of her estate, not even opening an estate account at the bank. Nada. And while I like my lawyer well enough, he is not helping much. He tells me he is as frustrated with the bureaucracy as I am. I doubt that but there isn't much I can do except keep after him.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg. I hate Quebec. I wish they'd separate and get the hell out of my country. Right now, I feel angry at everyone and everything. I thought I had actually moved past that by now but apparently not.

It's too hot and humid to read outside so I will stay in and read. I hope.

/rant ....

>137 jessibud2: Sounds like a well-warranted rant to me! I hope you get to stay in and read too.

Thanks, Stasia. Sometimes, ya just have to let off steam. Or, at least, I do.

Wordle 1,130 3/6 meaty, pious, prong

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>137 jessibud2: No death certificate, since March. OMG!!

I'm so sad that this is your experience of their horrible bureaucracy. *sympathetic hugs*

Just for you, Shelley:

https://store.usps.com/store/product/alex-trebek-stamps-S_485304

>140 richardderus: - Yep, *Quebec sait faire*, Richard. That was a slogan when I was growing up of, I don't even know how to say this, Quebec know-how, whatever. It was intended to promote the province. Now, amongst most, if not many, of us, it is a joke of jokes, as if, only Quebec can screw things up like no one else. And this *backlog* is the norm. We were told that by the funeral home, by a friend who's mother died a few months before mine and also had to wait months for the certificate. I will miss my 2 favourite little indie bookstores but truthfully, if I never set foot in that province again, that would be just fine with me.

>141 kac522: - You beat me to it, Kathy. I was just about to post this (it has a lovely video tribute): https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/alex-trebek-wife-reveals-just-042517909.html

A friend in the States is sending me some.

>142 jessibud2: That's a lovely tribute.

I know a lot of places got behind with death certificates during COVID, but now??? Sheesh, that's really unpardonable. That piece of paper is so important; there are so many things that need to be done, and can only be done, with it.

Good to see you dodged a bullet when the rains came, Shelley. My brother and his wife were concerned about possible flooding while they were away. They live in London so I guess the storm issues were wide spread. I told them that they got our weather. We haven't had any appreciable rain in a long time although there have been lightning strikes in the areas that least need them - they had to evacuate Jasper at short notice.

Best of luck dealing with the bureaucracy of la belle province.

We had 2 rounds of heavy rain here today too. I haven't gone downstairs yet to check but I don't think there is anything. Sun is out now. Go figure

Yeah, la belle province is still causing my blood pressure to rise (so to speak; I don't think I have a BP problem. Or, I didn't till now). I just told the lawyer this afternoon that this is beginning to feel like harrassment because we are not French. I hope he gets the message. I will also not be pleased as he is sure to be billing us for all this back and forth and time wasted on this nonsense. I am thinking about trying to write an op-ed piece for the newspaper to expose this garbage. For all the good that would do, I know, but in any case, if I do, it won't happen till we are well and truly finished with it all. If that day ever comes, which I am doubting more and more every day this drags on.

Sorry about all the paper work hassle. I don't know how long it should take to get a death certificate , but almost 4 months sounds ridiculous. I don't know if your issues are due to not speaking French, but I know about 20 some years ago my sister in law was doing her practicum as a pediatrician in Montreal, and she worked ina supposedly English speaking hospital in Emergency and she said it was so frustrating to have parents come in and only be able to speak French. She fairly quickly, and I guess out of necessity, learned to speak French on the job. I hope things get sorted out soon.

>145 jessibud2: This sounds really frustrating Shelley! Four months is ridiculous. Bureaucracy has become a real disaster.

It's almost 5 months, Deb. I actually asked my lawyer if Francophones have to wait this long for death certificates. He would not reply to that. But I can read between the lines and I have no doubt, to be honest. And on it drags.

Ella, you are right, disaster is the appropriate word for this mess.

Wordle 1,134 4/6 meaty, piece, slice, juice

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Wordle 1,137 3/6 meaty, petal, feral

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>149 jessibud2: Ooh, nice Wordle-ing!

Karen O

Shelley, I had a difficult time working through all the paper work when Will died, and I had an excellent estage lawyer.

I am sad for you. You've had such a tough year, and now with this nonsense added on, there really isn't a word for it. Would "Weird" suffice?

Seriously, this is all stupid nonsense that wears you down.

Rant away all you want! By now you know how kind and considerate this group is. We listen, and we care, so please let us know what is happening and how you feel about it.

> 151 - The level of incompetence and just plain lack of courtesy, is astounding. The level of government bureaucracy for absolutely NO reason, is insane. The, pardon me, but the only word I can think of is pandering, that the lawyer has to do just to get through to and deal with the govt, is infuriating. Not all of it is his (the lawyer's) fault , I know that, but though I like him as a person, I have very little respect left for the fact that he is/was unable to put OUR needs first. And every single email and every little thing, we will be billed for. I am not naive. And don't even get me started on the notary, who is completely incompetent. I chewed her out today, not for the first time, because of something stupid and inconsiderate that she has done, not once but twice this week already, and it's only Tuesday!. There are 2 separate but related issues for which I need both the notary and the lawyer. I can't wait to get her bill, too, because I intend to contest a few items I know she will bill me for that I will absolutely refuse to pay because of her stupidity. But of course, not until I have the paperwork I need IN MY HANDS.

I am sorry. I am just feeling so strung out right now. I'm sure it's similar everywhere but in case there is even one person who ever remotely considered moving to Quebec, I have only one word for you: DON'T.
Once all this is finished, if it ever is, I hope to never set foot in that province again. Ever.

And my brother is not much of a help either. But I won't go there now either...

Wordle 1,138 4/6 meaty, price, phone, penne

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This is about as much concentration as I've been able to muster lately. Just can't focus to read. I have bookmarks in no fewer than 4 books at the moment. Maybe if the air outside was breathable and not thick as hot soup, I'd be able to sit outside and relax enough to read. Oh well, someday...

Oh, dear, the heat does not help. Have you any sort of air conditioning? We just have a couple of portable air conditioning units in the upstairs of our town house, but they work quite well.

>132 jessibud2: Glad the basement remained dry. We had a lot or rain a few days ago. apparently July was the rainiest on record.

Happy long weekend ahead and hopefully you can stay cool!

>154 vancouverdeb: - Hi Deb. I'd be long dead for sure without air conditioning! In truth, I don't have it going 24/7. I find that uncomfortable. I turn it on when I wake up (if the outside air is not cool enough for me to open windows), keep it on for a couple of hours, till the house is comfortable, then turn it off until I need it again. I never have in on overnight when I sleep. Once this heat wave breaks, I much prefer open windows. But not these days. It was (with humidex factored in) nearly 30C at 7 am here this morning....

>155 figsfromthistle: - Hi Anita. Yes, I heard that about July as well. Doesn't surprise me and I think this is the *new normal*...:-(

Well, will you look at this? This is a rare thing for me!

Wordle 1,139 2/6 meaty, chalk

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Just checked my stats and apparently, I have got wordle in 2, 29 times! Could have fooled me! My average and most frequent is 4, never got it in one. But this 29 times for two was a surprise!

>152 jessibud2: I am sorry to hear that you are still struggling with the bureaucracy, Shelley. I thought dealing with my father's estate was a nightmare, but it sounds like yours has been doubly (maybe triply) so! I certainly hope it is resolved very soon.

There was a good article on the slowdown in issuing death certificates in Quebec -hmm was it in the Toronto Star or the Globe and Mail.

>158 alcottacre: - Thanks Stasia. But NOTHING can match Quebec for needless and idiotic bureaucracy. Yesterday, I received the death certificate (totally in French, which may or may not be an issue here in Ontario). Also e-signed the paperwork and waiting for the actual paper copy of the documents proving I am the sole executor of my mother's estate. But wait - Ontario deals with wills differently than Quebec (and the rest of Canada). So, I had a long chat this morning with the bank manager here. I gave him all the required documents needed to open an estate account and he sent the documents (via email) to my mum's banker/financial advisor in Montreal. It's a long weekend here so that means: delays. Hopefully he will hear back from her by next week. He was very sympathetic and as bewildered as I am about the infinite numbers of ways Quebec makes up its own rules. I made it clear that the bank needs to deal with this appropriately as I will NOT go back to Montreal to go to the bank there to sort things out. This bank has branches across the country and unless and until Quebec legally and officially separates from the rest of Canada, it needs to comply and deal with things appropriately.

Do you think this will ever actually come to an end? I don't.

Grrr.

>159 torontoc: - Cyrel, when did you see that article? I would love to read it. If you can remember approximately when, I can try to find it online.
I could write a book on this. But who the hell would want to read such garbage?

>160 jessibud2: I saw it last week- sorry that I can't remember which paper! I'll try to find it .

oh- it was on the CBC three days ago
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/wait-times-for-death-certificates-in-que...

>162 torontoc:- Thank you so much for this, Cyrel. I have been trying to write something myself, to expose this idiocy but am happy to see it getting print mention already. And now I have a name to contact about the piece I wrote but never submitted about the frustration we experienced at the long care home my mother was in for 2 years. Now that she is gone, I still think people need to be warned. Without exposure of bad practices nothing changes and there is no incentive to change.

>163 jessibud2: I hope that it gets easier for you, Shelly! So frustrating, at a time when frustration is so uncalled for.

It may be small consolation, but if what you are able to do makes the situation better for others, what a great thing that would be! Like a memorial to your mother.

Hugs to you, Shelly.

Karen O

>164 klobrien2: - Thanks, Karen.

I love this quote from today's AWAD (A Word A Day), a sort of environmental Golden Rule:

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
Do unto those downstream as you would have those upstream do unto you. -Wendell Berry, farmer and author (b. 5 Aug 1934)

I have never read anything by Berry. Has anyone here read him? Any suggestions as to a good place to begin? He seems to be quite prolific, according to my google search.

Hi Shelley. Yes, I've read some Wendell Berry essays, and have a more recent volume by my reading chair. The volume I read and really enjoyed was The World-Ending Fire: The Essential Wendell Berry which I gave 5*s. I also loved his Wendell Berry: New Collected Poems which I gave 4.5*s.

I have his fiction, letters and conversations to read, as well as the recent essays mentioned, so I guess you'd call me a fan.

Thanks, Caroline. Good to know. I will see what's available from my library.

>165 jessibud2: That's the farmer in him coming out, and a very succinct summation of the golden rule it is.

Berry's authorial output is largely, if not exclusively, poetry. I have read some and predictably hated it. Permaybehaps some fanciers will happen along to offer guidance.

I doubt I'd pick up the poetry, myself, Richard but essays, fiction and letters are more up my alley.

For the August celebration of James Baldwin, I have chosen a book off my shelf called Vintage Baldwin. It is a collection of essays, letters, a civil rights manifesto, a short story, letters and excerpts from a novel and a play of his. Should be a good mix and suits my limited focus at the moment as I can dip in and out easily.

I am also still reading Elderhood and will likely renew it from the library as I doubt I will finish it by the due date.

How frustrating for you, Shelley, that you are still dealing with the first step of wrapping up your mother's estate. Looks like my family should be thankful our parents moved to Ontario from Quebec at the time of the English exodus.

>168 richardderus: "Berry's authorial output is largely, if not exclusively, poetry." Oh, no.....not at all. He wrote extensively---fiction, non-fiction and, yes, poetry. At least 9 novels in the Port William cycle, plus a slew of short stories. Library of America has published two volumes of his essays. START ANYWHERE.

>170 Familyhistorian: - Yep, you come from smarter stock than I do, clearly. I will never understand my family's digging in their heels and refusing to leave. C'est la vie.

Fun pattern today (despite the seemingly requisite inattention error):

Wordle 1,145 4/6 meaty, march, macho, macaw

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>165 jessibud2: For Wendell Berry reading:

4 Stars for = Why I am Not going to Buy a Computer

Part A: Poems

That Distant Land

The Selected Poems of Wendell Berry

3 Stars for A Place in Time

>174 m.belljackson: - Thanks, Marianne.

A bit trickier today:

Wordle 1,146 5/6 meaty, pansy, savvy, sally, saucy

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>175 jessibud2: I almost used sauce as my starter word today. That would have been something, eh?

I don't think I've ever read anything by Wendell Berry but I also loved today's quote.

Hi Ellen. Good to see you around. My reading this year has been dismal but I will give Wendell Berry a try once I see what's available at my library.

Today's wordle was a bit easier:

Wordle 1,147 3/6 meaty, price, ounce

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I hope you have a wonderful weekend, Shelley!

>171 laytonwoman3rd: ...just not with the poetry...I've got an essay collection, The World-Ending Fire: The Essential Wendell Berry requested to introduce me to M. Wendell Berry.

>178 alcottacre: ^^^what she said

Sorry to hear that you are still struggling with all the red tape and language barriers with your mothers estate. Quite frustrating!

Just stopping by to say hi and wishing you some good reads ahead, Shelley.

Hi and thanks for stopping by, Stasia, Richard, Anita and Deb.

The good news is that last Friday, I finally received the death certificate for my mum, a full 5 months after her death. I also received the other essential documents proving that I am the executor - all necessary to open an estate account at the bank. But - and of course there is a *but* - this too may be a problem. My lawyer warned me that because Quebec does not probate wills (I had to look up the word to make sure I understood what that even meant), and Ontario does, this could present an issue. But of course. I went into the bank, had a long conversation with the manager who is looking into it. He is going ahead to start the procedure to open the estate account and says if there are issues, he will deal with them if they come up. Opening an estate account for an out-of-province will is not something he deals with often (ever?) so he is checking with his supervisor. I told him that I am not willing to go back to Montreal to open the account. This is a bank that has branches across the country and honestly, they need to be able to deal with this here. He understands and is (so far) really nice and eager to help. We'll see. Honestly, I am having a difficult time believing this will ever be done and finished.

Wordle 1,152 3/6 meaty, choke, shore

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Still awful on the reading front. I went to the bookstore and ordered my own copy of Elderhood because there were simply too many passages that I felt the need to mark and I can't do that in a library book. So that copy will go back to the library today. Am also loving the writing of James Baldwin but seem to be able to only read it in smaller bites. Good that the volume I have is a collection of his writings.

I am enjoying a lighter book at the moment, called Pomegranate Soup, about 3 sisters who fled the revolution in Iran and ended up in a small town in Ireland, and opened a cafe. Each chapter also opens with a recipe. It's a fun read. You can practically smell the intoxicating aromas coming from their kitchen!

I am also trying to balance a couple of other books at the same time, maybe not the best idea for me these days. I am flitting....

Morning, Shelley. Sorry to hear you are still hassling with these issues. It took nearly 6 months to get my sister's death certificate. They were seriously backlogged on the toxicology report. So it took that long before my niece could get any insurance money and she needed it.

Good luck, my friend.

>185 msf59: - Wow, I am surprised to hear that, Mark and so sorry for your niece. It's such a helpless feeling. In >162 torontoc:, Cyrel posted a link to an article done by a reporter for the CBC not too long ago, about the so-called backlog in Quebec. It's all so complicated, much more than it truly needs to be. I also reminded the lawyer and the notary that I am unable to pay them until this is all settled and the money is actually in the estate account. I refuse to dip into my own personal bank account (and repay myself later). It just feels like a never-ending battle. When my brother's mother-in-law passed away a couple of months ago (in the States), they had the death certificate in under a week.

>186 jessibud2: The death certificate issue and the issue regarding the probate sound like a nightmare. I hope all proceeds well from here on out.

>187 SqueakyChu: - Thanks, Madeline. I hope so too but I have learned not to expect much. It will be done when it's done. If it ever is.

From the New Yorker archives. So interesting! Eek, I hope this enormous link works!

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2000/02/14/abstract-thought-is-a-warm-puppy?u...

>172 jessibud2: Probably not smarter stock, Shelley, just less rooted in Quebec, or anywhere really.

I hope everything goes smoothly now that you've received the necessary death certificate.

Thanks, Meg. Still waiting on the bank now, to open the estate account. Nothing moves forward till then. No idea how long that will take. Spoke to the banker yesterday and he is awaiting a response from his supervisor. Can we spell *limbo*....

Wordle 1,153 4/6 meaty, radar, arrow, acorn

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Too many options today but I managed to avoid a bomb. Whew:

meaty, flare, grave, drape, crane, brace

Wordle 1,155 3/6 meaty, tumor, storm

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Not sure how I managed to NOT post the grid yesterday. Oh well.

Finished 3 books recently. Still slogging along and will likely not reach 75, or even close.

Hank Greenberg - I learned more about a famous baseball player who played long before my time. Interesting and though the author of this bio was Mark Kurlansky, an author I like, I didn't find it to be his best.

A Tulip in Winter - This is the story of Canadian folk artist Maud Lewis. I think this is intended to be a children's book as it gives a very short overview of her life without touching on the real hardships she endured in her lifetime. A wonderful film was made several years ago, called Maudi, starring Sally Hawkins and Ethan Hawke. I'd highly recommend the film, to fill out the backstory. Her art lives on though, sadly, she didn't live to see just how successfully.

Pomegranate Soup. This story was bittersweet: a lovely, sometimes funny and uplifting story about 3 sisters displaced from their native Iran just after the revolution, and end up in a small village in Ireland, opening a cafe and dealing with small-town prejudices, yet it was interspersed with a darker underside as their experiences in their not-so-distant past revealed just how dangerous and disturbing it was and how the past never really leaves you.

I also loved how the recipes and descriptions made this book a very sensuous experience. I could practically inhale the aromas as I read. (I am also tempted to try try the migraine remedy... who knows)

I looked up other books by this author and have requested the sequel to this one from my library. But in googling author Marsha Mehran, I was so sad to learn of her own death at such a young age (in her 30s). I believe she has written 4 books in all and I will seek them all out.

>183 jessibud2: Oh fffff... Keeping my fingers crossed your bank guy is resolute and continues helpful Shelley.

>194 jessibud2: I loved 'Maudi' too.

Sorry about all those probate issues, Shelley. I can't imagine---I had my dad's death certificate the next week.

>194 jessibud2: Shelley, did you ever see the film "The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg"? A really wonderful documentary: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Life_and_Times_of_Hank_Greenberg

How was the weather today, Shelley ? I read about flooding and thunderstorms on your neck of the woods. My sister in law and one of her daughter is stuck overnight in Toronto due to the thunderstorms - and perhaps a tornado warning ?

>195 Caroline_McElwee: - He is, Caroline. On Friday, I got the estate account opened! Now, all we have to do is wait for the investments to be transferred into the account so we can start to pay bills and settle the estate once and for all. I still feel very much in limbo but the progress made in the last week alone is hopeful. And yes, Maudi was wonderful.

>196 banjo123: - Don't ask, Rhonda. Quebec, and its government and bureaucracy, is its own definition of hell. My brother's wife (they live in Vermont) also had her mum's death certificate in a matter of days. Not weeks or months. Days.

>197 kac522: - Hi Kathy. Thanks for this. No, I haven't seen it but I will check the library to see if they have it.

>198 vancouverdeb: - Hi Deb. It rained most of yesterday. I did check my basement more than once, and thankfully, it stayed dry. Poor Theo spent his day alternately on my lap burying his face in my shirt, or on the bottom basement step. He does NOT like thunder.

I will post some pics of my impromptu rain gage to show you how much we got. I will also post a couple of pic my friend sent me from Montreal's record flooding last week. Eek. Have to get them from my laptop onto LT first before I can post them.

Ok, here are a few shots of my plants, right before I emptied the pots last night. I use this as my impromptu rain gauge. Let's just say, lotsa water! One of my beautiful upright plants that's in the ground, not a pot, and that the bees loved, was flattened but I am hoping it will right itself once the rain is past us and gone (starting tomorrow we should have at least 5 days of sun and no rain):

Last week, Montreal had the most rain ever recorded in one day. They will be cleaning up for months, it's fair to say. Here are 2 pics one of my friends sent me. Can we say EEEK!

>201 jessibud2: I saved the photo, cropped it and blanked out the face. If you want to delete yours, I can post it here.

>202 laytonwoman3rd: - Yes please! Thanks. You are my tech saviour! ;-)

There you go.

Thanks, Linda!!

Wordle 1,156 5/6 meaty, fancy, sandy, hanky, lanky. I really wanted to put *panky* after *hanky* but didn't think the NYT had that kind of sense of humour

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>201 jessibud2: >204 laytonwoman3rd: Wow!! That's a lot of rain.

Hi, Shelley! Hope you’re having a good weekend and that the coming week is full of sunshine and warm breezes.

So much rain! I’ve had some flooding too this summer, but just in my kitchen. I hate it, but my outdoor plants are loving it.

>208 Storeetllr: - The forecast for the rest of the next week shows sunshine, no rain. Of course, I always take the *forecast* with a grain of salt. Weather forecasters are about the only ones I know of who can get it wrong so often and still keep their jobs, lol. But I hope they are right.

I just requested James on hold at the library. I am number 563 for a total of 75 copies in our library system, system-wide. It will be awhile but that's fine.

>199 jessibud2: I hope you can find the Hank Greenberg film. He was a real class act and the film does him justice.

>209 jessibud2: Similar hold lists at my library. Really, it's a wonderful sign that so many people are inspired to read a great book. But I can wait--maybe next year after a re-read of Huck Finn.

Good goddle mitey! That is some serious flooding. Thank goodness it's not your place but awful it has to be anyone's.

>210 kac522: - Kathy, I just did a search on my library website and it doesn't appear to be there. I did, however, request a few other dvds that came up (different topics altogether: 2 others on baseball, one on Vermeer and one on the 60s, narrated by Tom Hanks!). I will go into the branch in person this week and see if they can do better than I did, finding it.

>211 richardderus: - No kidding! I have had 3 major basement floods since living in this house and that is more than enough. My heart goes out to the people who have this mess ahead of them. I saw on the news one person saying that what he dreads most is dealing with the insurance company. Ain't that the truth!

From today's AWAD quote of the day:

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
Read to children. Vote. And never buy anything from a man who's selling fear. -Mary Doria Russell, science-fiction writer (b. 19 Aug 1950)

Yikes! For half a heartbeat, I almost thought I was going to get it in one today! but I'll take the two, thanks!

Wordle 1,157 2/6 meaty, meter - Even though we Canadians don't spell it that way

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Your plants look wonderfully healthy Shelley.

Eeek indeed re the flooding.

>214 jessibud2: Yay! A Wordle-in-two! Good job, especially considering the linguistic difference.

Took me three, and I was thrilled with that!

Karen O

>214 jessibud2: Two'll do just fine! Great result.

>213 jessibud2: Ma Russell's got her pithy-saying generator in high gear on that one!

Oh my goodness! two days in a row, for 2! Could a ONE be far behind? It has never happened but who knows? I won't change my starter word, just in case that's it...;-)

Wordle 1,158 2/6 meaty, delay

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Well, THAT streak is over:

Wordle 1,159 5/6 meaty, moron, mimic, mucus, mulch

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I stayed up way past my bedtime to watch the Obamas last night. Of course, they were at the very end and the first 3 hours or so of watching was (to me, a non-American who understands none of the point of the *roll call*) seemed a bit of a waste of time. But the speeches by Doug Emhoff's son, Doug himself, and of course, the Obamas, were well worth staying up for. They reminded us that this is going to be a close race. It seems insane to me how ANYONE would vote for trump after this but I only hope they are wrong. If it is close, he will drag out his tired old *it was stolen* routine. Truth is, he will do that anyhow, as we all know, but an overwhelming majority win for Harris will just feel so much better, like such a vindication. I am not even American but I am nervous already. But hopeful. Much more hopeful than I have been since the Obamas were in the White House.

I was also very interested and surprised to see some diehard Republicans making speeches about why they will be voting for Harris. What I was shocked and frankly, disgusted, to see, however, both Monday and last night, were the occasional anti-Harris commercials. Why on earth would they air such crap on such an occasion? Not that I would ever consider watching the republican convention, but would they air anti-trump ads then? Did they? So weird...

Ads of any kind are aired in the slot they pay for...far be it from a network to turn down $$$ in favor of sanity. I didn't watch any of either convention's coverage, but I wouldn't be surprised if there were Harris ads during the Republican Convention telecasts.
Thanks for sharing the angst, btw...it's nice to know people outside the US feel they have a stake in this. Because they do.

>220 laytonwoman3rd: - I haven't tuned in to any coverage today, except what pops up on my computer screen. An American friend told me that trump is telling his magats that Walz will *release hell on earth*. What would poor trump be with his empty superlatives? lol

trump is running scared. I was very impressed with Melania's former whatever she was (advisor?), who spoke last night and explained why she will be voting for Harris. If anyone needs any more proof of how deranged, demented and disfunctional that family is, her speech spelled it out rather clearly. It was reassuring to see how many other republicans were brave (and sane) enough to speak last night, explaining why the Harris ticket has their vote.

>194 jessibud2: will likely not reach 75, or even close. Does not make a difference here, Shelley. You have more important things on your plate right now. I do hope the red tape gets untangled at some point!

I am going to see if I can find a copy of Pomegranate Soup. It is already in the BlackHole. Thanks for the reminder.

>200 jessibud2: >201 jessibud2: Yikes! Could you send some rain down here? Maybe it would help temper the heat. We could exchange weather for a day or two. . .

I hope you have a wonderful Wednesday, Shelley!

>219 jessibud2: The speeches by the Obamas were so good--how I miss them! What a class act. I watched the coverage on PBS, so fortunately there are never any political ads. The beginning stuff is just boring for me, except for maybe something local to Chicago that's interesting. Of course, we're staying far away from downtown or anything touristy this week.

The scariest thing for me is that there's some real devious planning going on by some Republican operatives. They have "vote deniers" elected throughout the country, so when it's time to "certify" the votes at the local level (counties), they have plans to refuse to certify. States have some recourse, depending on the laws of the state, but there are even some deniers at the state level. It could be real chaos again, with a lot of court battles.

The whole circus seems like a titanic waste of money to me. Engaging low-information voters with spectacle won't make 'em show up to vote. At best it's a bonding ritual for the decided. But golly is it tacky.

Harris will, I suspect, surprise the punditry...and me...by her performance over the next few months. I badly want her to win.

Good to see that you didn't get flooded this time, Shelley. I caught some of the Obama's speeches at the DNC. My fingers are crossed that the voting will go the way of sanity but there is still a long way to go.

Wow! Lots of water in Toronto as well as Montreal, Shelley! Glad you didn't have any flooding. Pomegranate Soup sounds good.

>222 alcottacre:- Hi Stasia. The red tape is coming along but still far too slowly for my taste. It seem *wait* is the name of the game here. Unbelievable but true.

We have had a mostly rain-free week with deliciously cool temps and a fair bit of sun. Like a lovely autumn and I am loving it. The temps are rising though and the humidity will be back by the weekend. But so far. I am drinking it in. The windows have been open and I haven't had the a/c on in about a whole week!

>223 kac522: - Kathy, I truly don't *get* the American system but that doesn't matter as long as trump gets squashed. I am increasingly impressed by the republicans, especially those who worked in the White House, who are revealing what we all knew, that it is a most toxic place to be and that he is just a poor excuse for a human being who can't get past *Himself*. It's all about him and screw everyone else. Not leadership qualities, for sure. I honestly can't understand how ANYONE would vote for him but we all know the magats are out there salivating to do his bidding. Idiots. And scary.

I was very impressed with Oprah last night. I will admit that I can't stand Bill Clinton and had him on mute the whole time. Amanda Gorman is a force, isn't she? I expect she will blow everyone away at the inauguration, too...!

>224 richardderus: - I agree with you, Richard but it's part of the game, isn't it? I thank goodness for the mute button and I either watch the ball game or read my book until someone I want to hear comes on to speak. If I was even a tad more techy and knew how to record it, I'd be able to just zip past the bulk of it and only watch what I want, without having to try so hard to stay awake. ;-)

>225 Familyhistorian: - Yes, Meg, I was indeed luck.

>226 vancouverdeb: - It was, Deb and I will seek out the sequel.

Wordle 1,160 3/6 meaty, write, brute

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Wordle 1,161 4/6 meaty, below, level, leech

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Making MLB history:
https://www.npr.org/2024/08/24/nx-s1-5088645/baseball-red-sox-blue-jays-danny-ja...

>230 kac522:- I know, Kathy. I read about it and they're talking a lot about it today, as I watch the game. Pretty cool, if a tad weird. I'm sure it will be fun. We miss Jansen. He was a great player. Injured a lot but played hard, always. I was watching the day he was pulled out mid-game on that trade. I thought it was odd and maybe even kind of disrespectful, not even giving him a chance to say his goodbyes to his team mates. Oh well, that's the game, I guess.

>231 jessibud2: Wow, that's really bad--to be pulled out mid-game! Hope his new team appreciates him.

>232 kac522: - They will. He's a good guy and a very good player.

Hi Shelley: I've been absent from LT most of the summer and am reading about your probate woes. It seems really unfair that during a stressful time after the death of a loved one, you are made to jump through a lot of bureaucratic hoops. I hope it is all resolved soon.

>234 BLBera: - Hi Beth. Thanks. Oh yes, absolutely but this is the way things are in Quebec. It angers me almost more than it stresses me. But we are inching closer to the end, though I'll only believe it when it actually comes. There is really nothing to do but wait. I have done absolutely everything (and more) that was asked of me as it pertains to paperwork, documents, etc, and the petty bureaucrats just take their sweet time ... because they can. I don't buy their excuses of *backlog*. But no one asked me.

>200 jessibud2: Great plants, no water shortage there ;) Ontario has been the wettest on record for July but apparently for August it is below rainfall levels ( go figure)

>201 jessibud2: Oh man! there have been flash flooding all over lately.

I am glad that things are beginning to progress with the estate. Sounds quite frustrating

Hope your Monday goes the way you want it to :)

Checking in on you today, Shelley. I hope you have a marvelous Monday!

Hi, Shelley. Just checking in. Sorry to hear about all the flooding issues. Hopefully most of that is cleared up by now. Are August weather has been pretty kind but the next couple of days will be record-breaking HOT. Hope you are staying cool and enjoying those books.

>236 figsfromthistle: - I think Montreal got the worst of the flooding, Anita. I was very lucky this time. The heat is back, though, making the cool temps of last week just a distant delightful memory! I can't wait for autumn! I have been pruning back straggly plants for the summer and am thinking about sprucing up a bit with fall plants.

>237 alcottacre: - Hi Stasia. Hope you are having a good vacation! Stay cool!

>238 msf59: - Hi Mark. No flooding for me. Luckily, the worst I had to do was empty those overflowing pots. Last week's autumn-like weather was paradise! It's hot again now though. Are you all ready for your getaway this week?

Once again, Margaret Renkl hits it out of the park. I hope this will work. I am putting the entire article behind a spoiler thing since I know not everyone subscribes to the NYT and wouldn't be able to open and read her article. This is Renkl on books, titled *In Praise of Overstuffed Bookshelves*:

My husband, Haywood, reached retirement age this summer, but instead of actually retiring, he decided to stay on and teach part time. I work from home, alone in a silent house, and I am thrilled to have more time with the person I like best in all the world. The only downside was his stuff. When it’s time to give up his classroom, what does a veteran English teacher do with 37 years’ worth of posters and three-ring binders and author photos and various bringing-literature-to-life aids? What does he do with all the books?
Whatever teaching materials his colleagues couldn’t use, Haywood brought home, along with all the books, to a house already piled to the rafters with the belongings we inherited when our parents died. It was no big deal to hang the pictures in my husband’s home office, to lean the “Moby Dick”-era harpoon in a corner, but the books stymied us. Every bookcase in the house — and there are a lot of bookcases in this house — was already stuffed beyond budging.
One son and his sweetheart carried off three large cartons, mostly duplicates of books we already owned. The rest of the classroom books sat in boxes while we tried to figure out what to do with them.
People have been arguing that print is dead, or about to be dead, for at least half my husband’s teaching career. It is not dead in this house. We write in books. We dogear pages and underline passages and draw little stars in the margins. To read a book after my husband has read it is to have a window into his curious and wide-ranging mind.
Before the objections commence, let me say that I am 100 percent in favor of every kind of reading there is: e-books, audiobooks, Braille books, graphic books, you name it. I’m for it all.
My husband and all three of our children borrow audiobooks and e-books by the hundreds from our public library. They read on various electronic devices, moving seamlessly from laptop to e-reader to phone app. It’s much more convenient than what I do, which is carry books around in my bag, from which they sometimes leave and do not return. How many books have I lost in airports? I once lost two copies of Richard Powers’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, “The Overstory,” one right after another, on the same book tour. Thank heaven for airport bookshops.
I’m aware that a novel is not a thing. A poem is not a thing. Whether a story or a poem or an essay or an argument comes in through your ears or your eyes or your fingertips doesn’t change the alchemy that happens in reading: the melding of writer and reader, one human heart in communion with another, and with all the others, past, present, and future, who have read the same book. That magic is unrelated to the delivery system of a text. It happens whenever and however a person reads.
Nevertheless.
I will always prefer a book I can hold in my hand, the kind that smells of paper and glue, the kind whose unfolding I control, no button or touchscreen involved, by flipping backward and forward with pages ruffling between my fingers. The physicality of it pleases me. I listen to audiobooks on solo road trips, but I always switch back to the physical book as soon as I unpack. Reading a book on paper feels slower — calmer, stiller — than encountering any digital text.
For me, a book made of paper will always be a beautiful object that warms a room even as it expands (or entertains, or challenges, or informs, or comforts) a mind, and a bookcase will always represent time itself. I walk past one of our bookcases, and I can tell you exactly why a particular book is still there, never culled as space grew limited, even if there is no chance I’ll ever read it again.
When I reread a book from my own shelves, I meet my own younger self. Sometimes my younger self underlined a passage that I would have reached for my pencil to underline now. Other times she read right past a line that stuns me with its beauty today. I am what I have read far more surely than I am what I have eaten.
By looking at our bookshelves, I can tell you who my husband was, too — the hardly-more-than-a-boy who read “A Brief History of Time” on our honeymoon, the young teacher who learned he was about to be a father by reading the inscription I wrote inside a copy of “The Oxford Book of Children’s Verse in America,” the doting son who memorized Irish toasts to please his aging father, who still had cousins back in the old country. To walk past our bookcases is to make a different study of the history of time.
So when the schoolbooks came home from Haywood’s classroom, all we could do was build more bookcases and shoehorn them into his home office. They are likely to be the last bookshelves we will ever build. There is no room in this house for more, and the next house will be smaller. Too small for all these books. Almost certainly too small for sentimentality in any form.
In the meantime, our books ensure that I am still surrounded by all the selves I have ever been, and all the selves my mate has been, and the selves our children were when we held them in our laps and read aloud from the poetry collection I gave my husband when our oldest son was on the way. In that book are some of the same poems my father read aloud to me as a child.
Just as she did then, just as she did again when our sons were young and again whenever anyone opens that book now, Emily Dickinson is right there explaining how a book is a chariot “That bears the human soul.”
However capacious her own inimitable soul, Emily Dickinson could not have conceived of a book that exists in paperback, much less as an mp3 or digital download. Even recognizing them as books, I will always have trouble warming to such forms myself. I prefer the messy shelves, the dogeared pages, the notes inscribed in a familiar hand. Someday, long from now, a child may open a book of poems and find the note I wrote to her grandfather on the flyleaf: “For Haywood, to read aloud (beginning in about nine months).” Maybe she will save it, too.

>240 jessibud2: Lovely essay (I do subscribe). I believe you can get an “unlocked” version of ten articles per month, so that they can be shared. I’ll check on that…

Karen O

>240 jessibud2: Thanks so much for sharing that Shelley. I'm with MR, paper books. I read the occasional book on an e-reader, and like the hundreds of books in my pocket it provides on holiday should the books I take away get gobbled up or were not for the mood I was in.

I enjoyed the volume of Renkl I read a few years back. Should see if there's a new one.

ETA: I see there is.

>240 jessibud2: Lovely meditative piece. Thank you for sharing it here. I'd love to be able to keep paper books!

>242 Caroline_McElwee: - She has written 3 books so far, Caroline: Late Migrations, Graceland, At Last and The Comfort of Crows. I own all three but have so far only read the first. I do save some of her essays from the NYT, as well.

Thanks, Karen and Richard. I felt today's essay would speak to LTers. I myself don't read on devices, only paper books. I understand the convenience of reading devices but given the luck I seem to somehow always (well, often) encounter with *devices*, I prefer paper so my experience of reading doesn't get mucked up with my fighting with technology. But I'm weird that way...;-)

And speaking of paper books... I went to pick up a book I had ordered from my local indie store (Elderhood) today. While there, well, you know the drill. It was only a mini haul but still good. I think the one on notebooks may have been a BB from Caroline:



And I readily admit there is no sane reason I am doing this but I bought yet another puzzle, to prepare for autumn and cool, rainy indoor days:



I fully expect to clear my table top by then and perhaps even *train* the boys to stay off! Stranger things have happened.

>240 jessibud2: Great essay, Shelley.

>244 jessibud2: Yup, you are going to love The Notebook: A History of thinking on Paper Shelley.

Perfect seasonal puzzle too.

Wordle 1,165 4/6 meaty, wings, brown, crown

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Lovely article, Shelley, thanks for sharing. And that puzzle looks good enough for framing! I've got this Shakespeare puzzle waiting for me:



But right now it's insufferably hot--supposed to hit close to 100F (~38C?) today. I hope it doesn't come your way. I'm having a hard time even reading.

>248 kac522: - The shop I was in had a whole series of those puzzles, Kathy: Jane Austen, Shakespeare, etc. Such a clever idea and looks fun and challenging enough too!

It's hot and soupy here too. It's already 22C with a humidex making it feel like 31C and it's barely 7:30 am. I can't wait for autumn!

I had an inattention mistake in my second guess but at least my 67 day streak lives:

Wordle 1,166 4/6 meaty, white, tithe, lithe

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After reading the article on Joe's thread by his daughter-in-law, and reading Linda's (whisper) thoughts on her own thread, about the current state of politics (and trump), I wanted to add my own two cents here, too. The US is not my country but everyone knows that what happens there affects us all. In the current situation, when everything changed a few short weeks ago, it became glaringly clear what a stark contrast there was between trump and Kamala Harris, not so much as politicians but as human beings, which of course, informs their politics. I have never watched a convention in my life but I watched a fair bit of the DNC last week. A few years ago, I also read Mary Trump's book about her uncle (I refuse to read any of the other books about him; too many books and not enough time in my life to waste on him).

What seems to bubble to the surface of my mind lately is a poem my grandmother had on her wall as a wall hanging. Or maybe it was in my own house, growing up, but I always seem to think of my grandmother when I think of it so maybe it was in her house or maybe she gave it to my mother. Doesn't matter. I remember looking at it and reading it over and over, as a kid:

If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn.
If children live with hostility, they learn to fight.
If children live with fear, they learn to be apprehensive.
If children live with pity, they learn to feel sorry for themselves.
If children live with ridicule, they learn to feel shy.
If children live with jealousy, they learn to feel envy.
If children live with shame, they learn to feel guilty.
If children live with encouragement, they learn confidence.
If children live with tolerance, they learn patience.
If children live with praise, they learn appreciation.
If children live with acceptance, they learn to love.
If children live with approval, they learn to like themselves.
If children live with recognition, they learn it is good to have a goal.
If children live with sharing, they learn generosity.
If children live with honesty, they learn truthfulness.
If children live with fairness, they learn justice.
If children live with kindness and consideration, they learn respect.
If children live with security, they learn to have faith in themselves and in those about them.
If children live with friendliness, they learn the world is a nice place in which to live.

Copyright © 1972 by Dorothy Law Nolte

It is very clear that trump didn't grow up in a loving home, and didn't learn values (or, good values) from his parents. I could almost feel sorry for him as his growing up years were not his fault. He can't be blamed for the mistakes of his parents. But there is ample proof in the world that people can make their own decisions and better themselves and rise above their circumstances. People can, if they want to, decide for themselves who they want to be and strive to achieve their goals (without trampling on everyone else in their paths). Look at the humble beginnings of the Obamas, Harris and Walz, both. The list is endless, really.

If trump had not chosen to be the despicable and disgraceful and disrespectful person he is, one could almost feel pity for him. But there are people, and circumstances, that are unforgiveable and he is one of them. Actions speak louder than words and his words have ALWAYS been nothing more than nonsense. That he has the kind of *power* (for lack of a better word) that he does, the influence over so many who are simply too ignorant to see him for what he is, that's the tragedy. If the stakes - and the consequences - weren't so high, it could be easy to dismiss him for the fool he really is. If he was in any other job where he had an actual *boss*, he would have been fired ages ago for his unacceptable language and behaviours.

In my gut, I do believe there are enough intelligent people in the States to elect Harris. But trump created January 6 and I worry about next January. His mental and emotional development is stuck in the terrible twos tantrum stage, which is tolerable (barely) if you are two years old, but certainly not beyond.

Ok, those are my thoughts. Didn't want to clutter the threads of others with all this. Time to get back to my books!! ;-)

>244 jessibud2: Hurray! A Galison Puzzle. I'm doing one of those now! This is what it looks like:
https://www.galison.com/products/book-haven-1000-piece-puzzle-in-square-box?srsl...

Jose and I have been working on it for three days and have it about one third done. It's just the right amount of difficulty...challenging, but not impossible. I hope your boys allow you to do your puzzle undisturbed! Your puzzle looks like fun. i wish you were nearby so we could swap puzzles when we're done. Anyway, see if any of your Bookcrossing buddies do jigsaw puzzling. We have started to swap jigsaw puzzles at our Bookcrossing meetups down here. Beside myself, my BookCrossing meetup group has three other avid puzzlers (6of8, bluemosaic, and KateKintail).

Beside using our puzzle rental company (completingthepuzzle.com), I also buy used puzzles at our local Friends of the Library used book store for about three or four dollars each. Surprisingly, most of the puzzles are not missing pieces.

>250 jessibud2: My thoughts exactly! And I also read Mary Trump's book. I'm releasing it into my Little Free Library a few weeks ahead of our elections. May democracy prevail!

Great puzzle choice, Shelley! I do Galison puzzles as well, they have so many great images.

I did one puzzle from the series @248. My sister in law gave it to me for a birthday gift - it was Dickens World, I think, and it was a bit challenging but a great image.

Wordle 1,167 4/6 meaty, plink, flank, flunk

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>251 SqueakyChu:, >252 vancouverdeb: - I don't really know anything about the brands of puzzles. I just go by the picture, lol!

>244 jessibud2: Hi Shelley, a very nice puzzle there.

Thanks for visiting my thread while I was away.

I quite agree with you regarding Trump. We have our own clowns I am afraid, and will have to get rid of them somehow. People vote for them hoping for rescue, but of course it doesn’t work.

>250 jessibud2: Dear Friend! I want to thank you, someone who will not have the ability to vote in the US election, for caring enough about this country to take the time to express yourself so very clearly and beautifully.

I didn't watch the republican convention, but I'm told the audience was filled with people wearing bandages over their ears as a show of support for Mr. Vincent Van Gogh wannabe. I'm not sure why this country has so many who are readily going to vote for him. As mentioned, I know four friends who are happily voting for him. These friends are highly intelligent, yet it makes me sick to think they are swayed by him.

I won't go on and on, I simply want to thank you for caring more about the "United" States than many citizens of this country.

>255 EllaTim: - Hi Ella. Glad to read on your thread that the move is done. Now you can take your time to settle in. Congrats! Yes, politics can be maddening sometimes but that man takes things to such an extreme level that he is truly dangerous.

>256 Whisper1: - Hi Linda. I am not even sure I can watch the upcoming *debate* between trump and Harris. I just can't tolerate watching or listening to his garbage. And that is what he spews, plain and simple. He is already making demands, I hear, about how he wants it to be conducted. Political *debates*, in my experience, are never real *debates*. At least, not the sort of debating that have rules, that we learned in school. I don't understand why this one isn't just cancelled. We already know he will rant and tantrum and then, after, complain and whine till he's blue in the face. What is the point? True, he makes himself look worse (if that's possible) but his base doesn't care. What a bloody waste of time and energy.

Wordle 1,168 3/6 meaty, flake, knave

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>257 jessibud2: I agree with you, Shelley. Nothing worthwhile will come of this “debate”. We already know what both will say, but moreso how they will say it. No one should be subject to engage with TFG in any way.

>259 SqueakyChu: - Madeline, what's *TFG*? Should I know this?

Wordle 1,169 4/6 meaty, trick, stoop, spout

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>260 jessibud2: the former guy
Yeah. TFG is used a lot these days.

>261 SqueakyChu: - Oh, thanks. I don't think I've heard that before.

>262 jessibud2: Don't feel bad--it's new to me, too. And (unfortunately) I follow this stuff.

Lovely article about books and other forms of reading and stuffed bookcases. I have enough dead-tree books to fill two large bookcases, even though I no longer read printed books due to my old eyes but instead listen to audiobooks 99% of the time. As the writer said, they are snapshots of who I’ve been over the years, as well as who I’ve striven to be, and who my parents and grandparents were too. I love my print books and will keep them as long as possible, even if I can’t read them.

>250 jessibud2: Well said. I think I read that TFG came from something President Biden said soon after taking office when referring to his predecessor. It made it crystal clear that Biden too loathed TFG so much he didn’t even want to say his name. I use it because I can’t bear to say or type his name.

Happy weekend!

Wordle 1,170 3/6 meaty, milky, mushy

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Two illustrated children's books recently came my way. The first, The Gardener is a Caldicott winner. The illustrations had that same quality as the Madeline books. In fact, the illustrations are a big part of the story, revealing much, visually, that the text does not. The entire text is in the form of letters from the little girl who narrates the story. Times are tough in 1935 and she is sent to temporarily live with an uncle in the big city while her parents look for work. But this girl has such a positive attitude and a gift and love for planting. I won't reveal more but the ending is delightful!

Strange Trees is also, I believe, meant to be a book for kids but I am no kid and I found it fascinating. Each double page spread has an imaginative illustration of the tree on one side and its description and history on the other. The pages have beautiful borders around them. The inside of the front and back covers have an illustrated map of the continents on which these trees grow.

Also, finished yesterday, Root, Petal, Thorn. This debut novel "traces the stories of five fascinating women who inhabit the same historic home over the course of a century - braided stories of love, heartbreak and courage connect the women, even across centuries."

I enjoyed this novel because I love multiple timeline stories, but I wish there had more about each one of them. In one sense, it felt almost like short stories (which I am not a fan of) but connected in that there was some overlap and progression through the years. But I wanted more.

>267 jessibud2: Ooh, you got me with a BB for Strange Trees—looks just like my cup o’ coffee!

Karen O

>269 klobrien2:- I think you'd like The Gardener, too, Karen

>270 jessibud2: I zipped right past The Gardener on my first trip through! Oops! Yes, that certainly is a book I need to read—thanks!

Karen O

>271 klobrien2: - Yay! I'm sure you will love it.

>197 kac522: - Kathy, I did search my library system and they don't seem to have it. I may ask in person next time I go. BUT... while searching the system online, I did find 4 dvds that I brought home with me! (gotta love it!): a PBS American Masters episode, called Wyeth: The Life of Andrew Wyeth in Bold Strokes (I watched this one this evening and it was excellent), Long Time Coming - A 1955 Baseball Story. Let Freedom Sing - How Music Inspired the Civil Rights Movement, and The Sixties - The Decade That Changed the World (this only brought up one touchstone and it isn't the right one. This one is executive-produced by Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman and is a CNN production.

I have some good watching ahead of me!

Another 2!! I can't believe it!

Wordle 1,172 2/6 meaty, faint

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>273 jessibud2: Congratulations, Shelley! Twosday orisons!

>272 jessibud2: You know, Shelley, I searched my library system and they don't have it either. I'm thinking I must have rented it from Blockbuster soon after it came out. Which is too bad, because I would like to watch it again.

But I'm glad you found some other good ones--they all sound fantastic.

Strange Trees and The Gardener both look lovely, Shelley. I will look for those.

>275 kac522: -I will watch another one tonight, Kathy. Probably the baseball one.
>276 BLBera: - Hope you enjoy them, Beth.

Wordle 1,173 5/6 meaty, quiet, stove, steel, stern

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CBC radio has had a few different book programs over the years, My 2 favourites, The Next Chapter, and Writers & Company, have ended in the last year. Well, that's not entirely accurate. The original hosts of those shows both retired. The Next Chapter continues, with a new host. and Writers & Co has continued with original host Eleanor Wachtel digging into the archives over the past year to replay some of her best author interviews. I was listening yesterday to the final show of this program. Author Madeleine Thien was interviewing Wachtel about the 33 year run of this wonderful program. I missed the very beginning of the show (I was in my car) but I did catch a bit of an old interview with Oliver Sacks. Then, at the end of the program, Wachtel announced that this was to be the very last show and the new replacement show would begin next week. It will be called Bookends and the new host will be none other than Mattea Roach, of Jeopardy fame! I had read about her new radio show but never realized it was going to replace Writers & Co. I will be listening!

Wachtel also ended on a high note by announcing that she has succeeded in getting the powers that be, to transfer the entire Writers & Company archive to an online archive that will be available in its entirety for free so we can go back and listen to every interview (over 1000) from the 33-year run of the show. That's kind-of already on the website but I don't know if all of it is there. In any case, here is the link to the website for anyone who wants to hear yesterday's show. What a gem of radio!

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/writersandcompany

And here is the announcement of Mattea's new show (which doesn't sound all that different from the premise of Writers & Co, if I'm honest):

https://www.cbc.ca/books/bookends-with-mattea-roach-cbc-s-new-author-interview-s...

Wordle 1,174 5/6 meaty, price, fiend, dined, widen

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Wordle 1,175 4/6 meaty, weird, refer, rerun

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>278 jessibud2: That is outstanding news about the archiving of Wachtel's show!

Happy Friday, Shelley.

>281 richardderus:- Thanks, and to you too, Richard

>266 jessibud2: Oh wow! that looks like a great one to get for my colleagues girl. Beautiful pictures.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

>240 jessibud2: Thank you for posting that essay, Shelley. Given a choice, I will take a physical copy of a book over a digital one every single time.

>267 jessibud2: I love the look of Strange Trees and am going to have to see if I can find a copy. Thanks, Shelley!

>283 figsfromthistle: - Thanks, Anita. I really enjoyed that book. It's just a lovely story.

>284 alcottacre: - There was another beautiful article in The Guardian yesterday about reading aloud, Stasia. I will see if I can find the link to post here. I may have deleted it already. Should have thought of it at the time.

I watched the dvd of Let Freedom Sing - How Music Inspired the Civil Rights Movement yesterday. It was very good. It occurred to me that I think I have seen it before (probably on tv, likely PBS) but that didn't matter. Some scenes were, of course, difficult to watch but the music and the history of how it developed and informed the civil rights movement, remains fascinating. I also tried to watch the baseball dvd but it didn't seem to load. I worried that maybe my dvd player was on the fritz but I watched the music one right after and that worked fine. I will try again today and if still won't play, I will ask the library if they have another copy, and to mark this one as faulty.

Wordle 1,178 4/6 meaty, terse, begot, debit

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>278 jessibud2: I know a lot of people who listen to CBC radio and really like it. I never caught the bug but a show hosted by Mattea Roach sounds interesting. Thanks for bringing it to my attention, Shelley.

>287 Familyhistorian: - I was in my car when her new show came on, Meg and I was only able to catch the first 10 minutes or so. I should go back to the website and listen to the whole thing.

Wordle 1,183 4/6

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Wordle 1,185 3/6 meaty, enjoy, honey

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I have finished 2 books in the last week:

The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict. It is about the life of actress/inventor Hedy Lamarr. I saw an excellent documentary about her several years ago, Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story which would be a great companion piece to this book. Lamarr was a very smart and exceptionally brave woman in Austria around the time of WWII. I won't go into more details in case someone wants to read it but I found it to be a very good read.

Also just finished a memoir by the wonderful Linda Ronstadt, called Simple Dreams: A Musical Memoir. I have always loved her voice and the sheer range of her talent in many genres of music. I really enjoyed this memoir. A lot of name-dropping but that was her life, with so many famous and fabulous collaborators so it never felt gratuitous at all. I recognized many of them and spent a lot of time googling while reading, to hear some of those famous songs. I thought I owned more of her records but I can only find one cd on my shelf, her lullaby one, one of her last ones. Maybe I have more in my vinyl collection but I haven't checked there yet. One thing is for sure, I want more! Again, there was a wonderful documentary about her not long ago, The Sound of My Voice which rounds out the picture of her remarkable life. She can no longer sing due to illness (originally diagnosed as Parkinson's but later said to be a different neurological disorder often mistaken for Parkinson's) but she can write and she doesn't seem bitter at all.

I just started another book off my shelf but I am barely into it and am not sure I will continue. Has anyone read Charming Billy by Alice McDermott? I have heard good things about it but only a few pages in, I noticed 2 phrases repeated 3 times in a space of 2 pages. I wonder if this book is going to have more of this. It's the kind of thing that tends to annoy me and I am not sure I have the patience to plow on. So many books on my shelves....! I may just move it along and choose another one.

>290 jessibud2: I read Charming Billy a long time ago and remember not liking it at all and wondering why others thought it was such a good book! I remember that it was about Billy’s friends after Billy’s death.

>291 SqueakyChu: - Thanks for the input, Madeline. I have already moved it to my *meetup* bag, lol!

>290 jessibud2:, >291 SqueakyChu: My notes say I didn't like Charming Billy, either. I read it in 1999. From my notes: "Lilting prose with no purpose" and "overly sentimental." I did finish the book back then, something I wouldn't do these days.

>292 jessibud2: I'm home and back on my desktop now so I found my old review of Charming Billy. Those were pre-LT days and pre-BookCrossing days! Ha! I kept book reviews then on my desktop because I could access CapAccess, a dial-up (Remember those?) internet service provider based in Washington, DC, that provided access to email and the World Wide Web (Remember that term?). CapAccess was funded by George Washington University and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. It was shut down in 2009 as broadband internet became more accessible. I'd joined a listserv at that time whose members urged me to keep a record of what I read and to write short reviews. I'm so glad I still have them! That was 25 years ago!

I wrote in 1999:

Charming Billy is a simple story which took too long to tell in a cadence I found uncomfortable to read. It felt like being at a party too long when you know it's time to go, but the party never seems to end. There were good characters in this story but by the end of the book, I simply grew weary of them. Why did it win the National Book Award? What made it so special?

I gave it three stars. :)

Thanks, Kathy and Madeline. Once upon a time, I forced myself to finish whatever book I had started. It felt like I was a *quitter* if I didn't. I was young and foolish then. I long ago abandoned that practice; simply too many books and not enough time left in my life to get to the good ones! Glad I went with my gut instinct in this one. True, sometimes it takes awhile to get into a story, but it's worth the patience. Not this time. When I first joined bookcrossing, I made a rule for myself: one week or 50 pages. If a story hasn't grabbed me by then, it moves on and out of my life. These days, I rarely wait that long.

I just started another book a friend lent me when I visited her last week. I see it was published just this year, 2024. The premise absolutely grabbed me. So, what exactly is *speculative fiction*? Is it a *what if* type of story, an alternate version of history? If so, then this is what I am reading. So far, I am loving it. It's called Reunion by Gary Burr. No touchstone for it here yet. Here's the premise: In a freak car accident on a rainy night in Hawaii on December 6, 1980, a passenger in a taxi on the way to the airport dies. The name on the dead man's driver's license is Mark David Chapman. In case there is anyone out there who doesn't recognize that name, in our world, he was the murderer of John Lennon.....

>296 SqueakyChu: I never worry about bailing on books. Some of those books, I'll save to try again later; others I'll release.

My biggest problem for managing my reads is that I try to read too many at once. I plan not to do that...but it always happens. Now I'm reading three books simultaneously. One is the memoir I've had for years My Losing Season by Pat Conroy. The second is a humorous novel Bookish People by local author Susan Coll which was handed to me at a BookCrossing meetup. The third is Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson which I spotted yesterday at my local library's new nonfiction shelf. I hate Elon Musk, but I am in awe of the talent of biographer Walter Isaacson after having read Steve Jobs a few years ago. My downfall is that once I browse a book, I'm hooked. :(

On a happier note, I am trying to cull my backlog of about 400 books on my TBR list by not saving them any more and (with a heavy heart, of course) starting to release them. They go back to the beginning of my Bookcrossing days (back in 2003). I figure if I haven't read a book in the past 20 years, it might otherwise languish on my bookshelf another 20 years (at which point I'll be well into my 90s if I'm still around!).

>290 jessibud2: I'm glad to know that the Hedy Lamarr book made a good impression on you, Shelley. I admire her as a flawed-but-fascinating character whose importance as a thinker and inventor is unjustly underknown.

Happy week-ahead's reads, absent the McDermott...if that's how it shakes out.

Thanks, Richard.

ARGH. 78-day streak has come to an end. Sheesh:

Wordle 1,187 X/6 meaty, porky, whiny, curvy, buggy, fuzzy. The word was fully

Oh well, as Scarlett used to say, tomorrow is another day!

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>298 jessibud2: Sorry about Wordle. I squeaked by with a six. It was a tough word!

And Scarlet was right! Now, the pressure is off!

Karen O

>290 jessibud2: The Only Woman in the Room sounds like one that I need to get to. Hedy Lamar was one smart lady!

On the other hand, I can safely give Charming Billy a miss!

>299 klobrien2: - New streak begins today, Karen. I got it in 4, my usual:

Wordle 1,188 4/6 meaty, piece, poems, press

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>300 alcottacre: - Right, Stasia. I have read 2 other titles by Marie Benedict, one about Albert Einstein's first wife, The Other Einstein, which infuriated me (his behaviour toward her, not unusual, I suppose, for their time but still! It was a very good read, though), and one about Winston Churchill's wife, Lady Clementine (no touchstone for this one, for some reason). I also own 3 other titles by her but haven't yet read them.

And yes, give that McDermott a pass! ;-)

I will probably start a new thread later today.

All-purpose huggings to you, Shelley.

Stopping by to say hi, Shelley. I have Charming Billy somewhere, it says here on LT. I've enjoyed other books by Alice McDermott but it sounds safe to skip Charming Billy.