Shelley Opens a New Book to... Chapter One

I'm Shelley, retired primary special education teacher. Mum to 2 rescue boys who have finally settled in, 4 years after I adopted them and now own the place: (Hurricane) Theo and (my very) Owen. They will grace my threads from time to time because, well, just because!

My reading plans, such as they are, are the same as they were for last year(s): to read more off my own shelves in order to get them moving, as well as to read more Canadian authors. Also, to read more of the hardcover books on my selves in order to (hopefully) make room for more books. I seem to say this every year but, I meant it this time (I seem to say THAT every year, too!;-)

2024 was personally a very difficult and fraught year and I'm glad to see it in the rear-view mirror. I know a startling number of 75ers felt the same. Here's hoping 2025 brings better days for all of us, even if outside world events are doing their best to prevent that from happening. One of my goals (already in progress) is to insulate myself by focusing on less news (and things I can't control) and more beauty, mostly in the shape of art, music, flowers, puzzles, and of course, books. LT is my *safe room*.

And, because it's still appropriate, I am grabbing this pic from last year's opening thread (just changed the year):

Good riddance, 2024, get outta my yard!

Could be the motto of the 75ers!





(good idea, in theory, but it apparently doesn't work - for me)

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I have decided not to commit to any specific challenges this year but to try instead to stick to my general reading goals, mentioned in >1 jessibud2:. If any of them fit into a particular challenge, great! But my brain is led by whim far more than by structure so we shall see how that goes.

My sweet boys. Which is not to say they are always angels but this - thankfully - is now a daily scene rather than a miracle I never expected to see. Happy mum

And so, with that in mind, here are some more images of the amazing Pacita Abad (if you missed my previous intro to her, see my final thread of last year, at the beginning of the thread)

Banners:

(details of above pic)



(caught at the border)

And, because I am now (happily!) back into puzzling, I bought myself a present: a puzzle of Abad's *L.A. Liberty (LA referring to both Los Angeles and to Latin American; see further explanation on my last thread):



There is no question this is going to be a hard one but I truly had no self-control...

There was also a children's book about Pacita Abad in the Gallery gift shop. It was a hardcover but thin book which I thought had the outrageous price of $42! I took this pic of the cover and went directly to our library's website to request it (I am on a waiting list for the larger 300+ page book of her life and work), but the library system doesn't seem to have this one in its catalogue. Once it reopens after the holiday, I plan to go in and speak to a librarian and ask if they can order it.

and one more, just in case.

I love this intriguing image, my welcome to my first thread. Artist is Barbara Galinska, from Poland. Look at it carefully; there is more there than initially meets the eye. A wish for our planet, and us all:

Happy 2025, Shelley.

Wouldn't be the same here without your caring self dear lady.

Happy new year, Shelley, and happy reading.

It’s nice to see Owen and Theo so cozy together.

Welcome back, Shelley!

Pacita Abad does excellent work. Thanks for the tip-off to her existence!

Let's resolve to do this more.

Thanks, Paul, Ella, Jim, Richard.

Happy New Year, Shelley!

Great to see more Pacita Abad art here. I’m so glad that you introduced us to her work at the end of last year.

Happy New Year, Shelley. I love the art! Good luck with your reading goals and I hope 2025 is good to you.

Love all the images of Abad's work, Shelley. And a puzzle! Where'd you get it?

Right now I'm working on:


and it's way harder than I expected. It's going to take some time. I think it's going to influence how I feel about the Old Bard😧

>17 kac522: - At the Art Gallery gift shop, of course, lol! No visit is complete without a stop there. I also picked up some postcards of her work, as well. And yeah, I don't imagine Will ever thought that maybe he shouldn't write so much, because it might make for a very busy puzzle pic, lol!!

I don't go to movies often but am heading to see *Wicked* tomorrow and perhaps, later in the week, the new film about Bob Dylan, *A Complete Unknown*. Reports later...

Love the cats! Happy new year!

>5 jessibud2: Quite interesting.

As always, I have you starred. Happy new year!

Hi and thanks, Joe, Beth, Kathy, Lori, Anita.

Happy New Year, Shelley! Amazing fabric art!

>2 jessibud2: I am making great strides in following Dr. Seuss' injunction!

>3 jessibud2: Aw, they are so sweet!

>4 jessibud2: I love those! Such a talent.

Happy New Year, Shelley!

Your boys are so cute , Shelley! And yes, that is the perfect motto for those of us in the 75's . Happy New Year! Love the fibre art.

Happy New Year, Shelley. Happy New Thread. Praying for a healthy, less-stressful 2025 for you.

"to read more off my own shelves". I think that has become our mantra. I had a very good year of reading OTS, but it looks like I barely made a dent. Jeesh...

Thanks, Roni, Stasia, Deb and Mark.

I promised myself to ignore politics this year and keep my focus on things I can control. But Andy Borowitz (humour writer for the NYT) just posted something in his Borowitz Report that made me laugh out loud and seems appropriate for the New Year. So here it is (I will keep such politics-related things to my own thread):

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (The Borowitz Report)—In what experts are calling an unprecedented move, on Wednesday the year 2025 was canceled by popular demand.

“There was widespread support for this,” said Harland Dorrinson, who led the movement to dispense with the year. “One day in, it’s clear that 2025 was a terrible idea.”

“Let’s just move on to 2026 and see if that’s any better,” he added.

After the successful cancellation of 2025, there was growing support for scrapping the next four years.

:-)

Happy New Year, Shelley! Love that topper photo! And what a marvel the artwork of Pacita Abad is - just stunning and so full of fabulous. Thanks so much for sharing it.

>27 jessibud2: I LOVE the Borowitz Report--he makes me laugh out loud every time. That just MADE MY DAY!

>29 kac522: - :-)

Our Auntie Rosa - The Family of Rosa Parks Remembers her Life and Lessons

A collection of essays collected by the nieces and nephews of Rosa Parks, often called the mother of the Civil Rights movement.

While I enjoyed learning more about Parks from the inside perspective of her family members, I wish this book would have been better organized. The chapters were named under general headings such as Family, Forgiveness, Strength, Encouragement, and Vision and various members of the next generations contributed memories and anecdotes that fit the headings, many of which would not have been known by the general public. I appreciated that, as well as the many photos and paintings included in the book. Rosa Parks and her husband never had their own children but her only brother, Sylvester, had many (11,12? it was never made clear, exactly) and she played a very big role in helping to raise them, and their children as well. Maybe it's just me but I would have liked to see, perhaps, a family tree, so I could figure out who each of them was, where in the birth order they were (and how old they were in any given anecdote), who their children were, etc. It was not easy to figure any of that out from the photos alone and often, essays were attributed with only first names. Maybe that's truly not important. I just think I would have found it easier to follow. Also, the name of the person writing each piece only appeared at the end of the essay and I sometimes forgot to check before starting it so didn't always know who was writing.

Anyhow, overall I liked this book. And am even more amazed at the strength of personality this small, quiet, unassuming woman had during her very long lifetime and the legacy she left behind.

First book finished this year. I only managed 59 last year and am sure hoping to do better this year!

Hello Shelley! Happy New Year and happy first thread of 2025.

Smart to not commit to specific challenges. I gave up on most challenges years ago, as they seemed to become homework and not joyous.

>3 jessibud2: Such an excellent photo of Owen and Theo. I’m glad they’ve finally settled down and settled in.

Hi Shelley my dear, i have starred you once again and will be more visible this year my dear friend.

Love your kitties, and the art. That image in >9 jessibud2: is very creative...it would make a great bumper sticker, if I were inclined to stick things on my bumper! Happy New Year, Shelley.

Hi Shelley. Happy New Year! I, too, am hoping 2025 is better than the year to which we are waving goodbye. As you said, the world around us is not helping but I am also going to try to insulate myself to a healthy degree -- balancing my need to know what is happening in the world and focusing most on things I can control, reading, and making art. I feel lucky to live in a beautiful part of the world and I plan to enjoy it every single day, even when it's 35F and raining like it has been all day today.

Hang in there and take good care of you!!!

>28 Crazymamie:, >31 karenmarie:, >32 johnsimpson:, >34 laytonwoman3rd: - Thanks, Mamie, Karen, John, Linda. I'm with you, Linda, re bumper stickers. But I do love the creativeness of it. Much more suited to my thread than my car, right?

>35 EBT1002: - Hi, Ellen. Yeah, I think we all need to do that, to whatever degree works for us. I prefer to get my politics via humour, such as The Borowitz Report. Sure, I do need to know what's going on, but headlines may be sufficient. If there is something vitally important that I really need to know, I'm sure I'll find out one way or another. No need to O.D. on *news*, much of which is regurgitated and barely *new* anyhow. I recently took an online course called *What Happened to the Truth*, given by a retired CBC producer. It was an excellent course, and I feel I learned a lot about not only how news is made, but who gets to decide what we see and hear. His basic take-away, when it comes to *truth* is to READ WIDELY in order to separate facts from fiction or opinion. Even if that means watching Fox News and the like. Makes good sense, of course, but my takeaway is, no thanks. I just don't think I have the stomach for that. I will stick to my few trusted sources and hope I am intelligent enough to get it right. (and if not, oh well.... my sanity matters more).

Wordle 1,295 3/6 meaty, feral, relax. I now have a 9 day streak going.

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Also started 2 books yesterday: Why We Read and a bio on Canadian jazz great Oscar Peterson - The Will to Swing.

>38 jessibud2: I read the Peterson bio in 2023. I'll be interested to hear your thoughts on it. After Mel Torme, Peterson was my mother's favorite jazz artist. And she took me to see him play at Orchestra Hall when he came to Chicago, during his last years of touring.

>27 jessibud2: I love it!

>30 jessibud2: For a pretty good short book on Rosa Parks, you might try Douglas Brinkley's Rosa Parks. I read it several years ago and was surprised by how much he packed into a small package.

Have a super Saturday, Shelley!

>38 jessibud2: - I will report back, Kathy. How cool that you got to see him. There was a documentary on him, I think maybe on CBC, that I saw a few years ago.

>40 alcottacre: - Thanks, Stasia, I will see if the library has it. (and just saying, Douglas Brinkley isn't too hard on the eyes, himself...;-)

>41 jessibud2: If I remember correctly, he needed help getting across the stage to the piano. But once at the piano, he was full of energy.

Happy new year, and new thread! Love the art.

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Finished this last night. It was the last of my 500-piece puzzles and was trickier than I anticipated it would be. From the Women in Science series by Rachel Ignotofsky.



Started my first 1000 piece last night after dismantling this one. Yikes, those are small pieces! lol

Well done! All that black in the picture and dark background must have taken a long time to fill in.

>46 kac522: - I also had to use my magnifying glass to read the small blurbs surrounding each scientist. There is a poster included in the box which, thankfully, is somewhat larger than the box cover but still, it was hard to read. Anyhow, it was a fun one.

>9 jessibud2: Love that visual art! And may it be true.

>27 jessibud2: LOL. But personally, I hope 2025 is better than 2024 was.

>45 jessibud2: Nicely done!

I finished an audiobook last night. It was Hamilton the Revolution, read by Mariska Hargitay, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter. Let me just say, so it's clear, I truly can't stand rap or hip hop and would never spend the money to actually see a performance of Hamilton, no matter how popular it is or how talented Miranda is. Still, I have seen enough interviews with him and read enough articles abut this phenomenon that I was interested in this audiobook because, in essence, it is actually about the MAKING of Hamilton, the production. And I actually really love this type of book. In fact, there was no rap in it at all. Just the origin story of how Miranda came to write it, the writing (and endless rewriting!) of it, the way he chose the actors, and some of the backgrounds of each of them, and how the reverberations of the show have come to have a life of their own. I really enjoyed this.

The audiobook is 4 discs long, plus, there is a pdf disc that I will watch on my computer today. There is also a 6th disc which is called *Footnotes for Hamilton Libretto*, read only by Miranda. I'll listen to that later, as I work on my puzzle. But the actual story, read by Hargitay, was on the first 4 discs. This was a nice surprise for me and I'm glad I decided to grab it off a sale table at the bookstore a few years ago. It (and a few other audiobooks) sat on my shelf for the last years until I could listen to them again. And now I can!

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Because I love making lists (even if I don't often follow through), I have decided to have another go at a plan I made last year but didn't complete. I am going to read room by room in my house, each month. So, January, I will choose and read only books from my bedroom. I will try to rotate my own books from my shelves (preferably hardcovers), bookcrossing tbr books, and library books. February will have me move to books in this room, my computer room. March, my small guest room, April, the living room, May, the basement, then start again. I personally like the idea. I also really hope it works for me this time. There are enough books in each room to give me plenty of choice and motivation. Fingers crossed.

We'll see how that works out...;-)

Hi Shelley, I hope 2025 is better for you than last year. Good luck with your reading plan!

Ohh, I love the puzzle, Shelley! I have the problem that I am so busy with dear Muffin , that I am not getting any puzzling time. It will come. I've been working on the same puzzle since November of 2024 and I've not touched it since Dave's car accident and our Muffin's arrival. I'll get there. Good luck with the 1000 piece puzzle.

>50 jessibud2: Sounds like a good plan to me, Shelley. As you move from room to room, you'll probably discover books you completely forgot about (at least I always do) and get interested in them again.

What I did this time was cleared out 4 shelves on my bedroom bookcase, decided on 4 groups of books I wanted to read and pulled them from around the house, and then put them on the 4 shelves in my bedroom, so I'm STARING at them every morning and night. Will this work? Probably not, but hey, it's a plan....

>51 Familyhistorian: - Hi Meg. Thanks!

>52 vancouverdeb: - So, I started my first 1000 piece puzzle the other day (after doing a bunch of 500 piece ones). EEK! The pieces are so small and the picture, while beautiful, is very tricky. I have been working on it for 2 days and don't even have the border done yet. I honestly don't know if I have it in me to keep going.... :-(

>53 kac522: - So far (one week in), I am sticking to my bedroom books. I have 2 on the go so far, one from my shelf and one, a library book. Another library one (an audiobook) is waiting to be picked up at the library. Fingers crossed

For an old folkie like me, this hits hard:

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/entertainment/news/peter-yarrow-of-folk-music-trio-pet...

Paul Stookey is now the only member of the trio still alive. Classics.

>54 jessibud2: Hang in there--I still have a couple pieces "missing" from my border, although I'm into the middle of my 1000 piece Shakespeare. I started New Year's Eve and I have maybe 40% done. It takes a while, that's for sure. Yesterday I took a break. I'll be back at it today.

>55 jessibud2: Yep. Sad one.

>27 jessibud2: Awomen.

>52 vancouverdeb: You can do it , Shelley!:-)

>56 kac522:, >58 vancouverdeb: - Thanks. I will give it more time.
>57 richardderus: - Hehe...

Back to my old inattention ways, it seems. But at least I got it:

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>50 jessibud2: Good luck with your reading plan.

The Rosa Parks book sounds really good.

>60 BLBera: - As I said, I thought it could have been better organized but that's probably more on me and my own quirkiness. I did enjoy it.

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So, in the ongoing saga of Theo's *plumbing* issues, my vet suggested that maybe I should try a cat water fountain, on the theory that cats are drawn to moving water and it may encourage him to drink more. I already have 2 water bowls, one in the kitchen and one in my bedroom. They both use both of them but heck, it seems like a reasonable idea so why not. It was suggested to me to get a stainless steel bowl (which both of the other two are) but after exhaustive research, only PetSmart carried one. The most expensive one, of course. It was also suggested to me to try to get a cordless fountain (battery operated) because, in my house, a new cord has a higher chance of being attractive than a new bowl ... Anyhow, not one of the several pet supply places I checked out had cordless fountains. Of course not.

So, PetSmart also had the advantage of allowing me 60 days to return the fountains if the boys refused to use them so that was my deciding factor. I brought 2 different ones home and set up the first one last night. There has been, shall I say, occasional mild curiosity but no drinking. Yet. I will leave it running for a week or so then reassess. Sigh...

>27 jessibud2: Time to go out searching for a 2028 Calendar!

>62 jessibud2: Did you check online like amazon for a battery operated water fountain?

Pet smart usually has special things but like you said, expensive.

Hope the water fountain idea helps with the "plumbing" issues.

My cats aren't into the fountain thing either, but they do like their hand-thrown pottery bowls of water, fortunately.

I found the photo of me with Peter Yarrow in 2011 and posted it in the In Memoriam thread, FYI.

Thanks for that photo, Roni.
I have 2 stainless steel water bowls in the house and both cats use them. I am hoping the fountain will suddenly appeal to them, hopefully sooner rather than later. Stranger things have happened.

meaty, windy, dingy
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>67 jessibud2: Nice. I had a five on that one yesterday. I did get today's in three.
Happy Sunday, my friend!

Oh, and my cats never took to the water fountain idea. We haven't tried it with Carson but since he drinks from his stainless steel water bowl just fine, I see no need to make a change. He has an automatic feeder and a Litter Robot. ;-)

What beautiful images that grace the first messages of this thread! And, I love the image of your acrobatic cat!

>68 EBT1002: - Hi Ellen. I never had a need to try a fountain before and so far, (not quite a week), it's not had more than a passing glance from my boys. "Is that thing still here?" and they move on. I haven't removed their regular water bowls and I know they are using them. Oh, well, we'll see. I'm in no rush (as long as it's within the 60 days I have to return the fountain, lol)

>69 Whisper1: - Thanks, Linda. Hope you are feeling better soon. I caught a cold this weekend and spent an entire day sneezing, something that rarely happens to me. I have to say, NyQuil works! I was able to sleep just fine and only sneezed a few times yesterday, and so far today, not at all. But some kind of stomach bug, likely NoroVirus, is going around and even made it to the news as it has hit a college here, with over 200 students down with it. I sure hope that's not what you have!

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Your description of your boys walking by the water bowl with a sideways glance cracked me up. I'll be interested to hear how it goes.

>72 EBT1002: - Yeah, so far, no go. Theo will sometimes stop and stare at it but that's about it. Mostly, it is ignored. I will give it another week or so then return it. I will try the other one but I wonder if maybe just adding another cheap, low tech stainless steel water bowl like the 2 we already have, and they use, might encourage more drinking without costing me an arm and a leg. These have been not only the most challenging cats I've ever had but also, the most expensive!

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>41 jessibud2: I never paid attention to how Brinkley looks, only how he writes, lol.

>45 jessibud2: Nice!

>49 jessibud2: I love Hamilton (the musical version despite, like you, my aversion to rap, etc) and read the hardcover version of that book, which was very well done. I am glad to hear that you liked it, Shelley!

>55 jessibud2: I have always loved Peter, Paul, and Mary. I sat yesterday and listened to a bunch of their classics. *sigh*

>62 jessibud2: My cats have always enjoyed their fountain. I hope it works out for you and Theo!

Have a fantastic Friday and a wonderful weekend, Shelley! Off to check out your gallery before I forget :)

>75 alcottacre: - I only know what he looks like, Stasia, because he sometimes does commentary on CBS Sunday Morning or other shows. I noticed because he looks like my friend's husband!

So far, it looks like I will be returning this fountain. I caught Theo staring at it the other day but that's as close as he got. I knelt down, put my finger in the water and then invited him to come lick my finger. He looked at me as if to say, do I have to spell it out for you? I don't want this thing in my house.

I will return it, and try the second one I brought home. What fountain do you use, Stasia? (well, your cats, I mean, lol)

I hope that the fountain will appeal to your cats soon too, Shelley! All that money - they better appreciate it! Oh, I just read you think you will be returning the fountain. I hope the second fountain appeals. Those are some fussy cats.

Happy Saturday, Shelley. I forgot to mention that I bought Hamilton Revolution for Birdy, who is a huge fan, and she went crazy for it, so thanks for the head's up.

Mayhem drank out of the cat fountain right away, but the girls pretty much avoided it for the first month and then suddenly started using it - they are much more suspicious than Mayhem.

>77 vancouverdeb: - Some fussy cats. Ha! You can say that again but in fact, they are just being cats, Deb. Lol.

>78 Crazymamie: - Well, it's only been 10 days since I put out the first fountain, Mamie. I suppose I should have a little more patience before returning it.

Today's Borowitz Report cracked me right up (pardon the profanity; his words, not mine, but I happen to agree...;-)

The Borowitz Report

Bernie Blasts Trump For Moving Inauguration Inside: “Wear Some Fucking Mittens”
Jan 17, 2025

Brendan Smialowski/AFP
WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—Blasting Donald J. Trump’s decision to move the Inauguration indoors, Senator Bernie Sanders issued a post on Friday declaring, “Wear some fucking mittens.”

Sanders offered to lend Trump a crocheted pair from his extensive mitten collection, but added, “Won’t you keep warm with all those oligarchs hugging your ass?”

The Vermonter, who seemed incredulous at Trump’s low tolerance for cold, ended his tirade by asking, “What do you think the temperatures are like in Greenland, moron?”

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It doesn't come through here but the piece was topped by that famous pic of Bernie Sanders hunched in his chair, arms folded, wearing those big woolen mittens. That pic went viral at the time.

Personally, I think the change of venue is because trump doesn't want to get shot, though I haven't seen anyone mention THAT....;-)

"Personally, I think the change of venue is because trump doesn't want to get shot," Maybe...but also, I think he doesn't want people noting how small the crowd would be compared to that at Carter's inauguration, when it was also terribly cold in Washington.

>81 laytonwoman3rd: - Yeah, that too, of course,. LOL

Just de lurking to say hello and wish you a wonderful Sunday.

Hi Anita! Stay warm, it's a bitter one out there today! Currently -18C with the windchill. At least it isn't very windy here, at the moment, but still...!

Here is another thoughtful piece by Margaret Renkl, appropriate for the day:

On a Cold, Dark Inauguration Day, a Message From the Birds

By Margaret Renkl
Just before dark on New Year’s Eve, I filled all the bird feeders, and I didn’t skimp on the good stuff: black nyjer thistle for the finches, two kinds of suet for the woodpeckers, whole peanuts for the crows and the blue jays, a high-protein woodland mix dense with shelled peanuts and sunflower hearts for everybody. The birds would wake to a New Year’s feast. I thought of it as the avian equivalent of black-eyed peas and greens, which the humans in the house would be eating for good luck later in the day. In 2025 we will be needing all the luck we can get.

I confess I wasn’t thinking only of the birds when I set out that banquet. According to birding tradition, the first bird you see on New Year’s morning is your theme bird for the year. It’s a game, really, not a true tradition, but it can be instructive to ponder what that first bird’s traits might teach us about the world or ourselves, and I was seeding the field for a fine first bird. A crow for wit and wile, perhaps? A wren for curiosity? A house finch for sociability or a goldfinch for renewal?
There is so much natural food in our yard — drupes and berries and grubs and the like — that I don’t hang out bird feeders except during winter. Even then, visits to our feeders are scant, except in the early mornings. If I took care to put my glasses on before I pulled the curtains open, I would see my first bird well enough to identify it. Some years I forget, and my first bird is a blur of wings and a departing rump.

On the very coldest mornings, birds tend to be both still and quiet, conserving energy to keep warm. Last year I looked for an hour before I saw my first bird. This New Year’s Day dawned very cold, too, and the wind, though light, was bitter. I saw no birds when I opened the bedroom curtains, but I had better luck peering through the glass of the back door: Two northern cardinals — a male and a female — were sheltering in a dead sapling beside our deck.

The tree died two years ago in a sudden drop in temperature after a long warm spell that had sent sap rising as in springtime. We leave the snag standing because our wild neighbors have so many uses for it. For squirrels and opossums, it’s a ladder onto the deck, where there is often spilled birdseed. That morning the redbirds were using its trunk as a windbreak. In any ecosystem, wild creatures always have as many uses for death as for life.

Male cardinals’ vibrant red color, black mask and jaunty crest are beloved among even those who have little interest in birds, but I prefer the more muted colors of the females. This one was impossible to photograph among the drab branches of the dead tree, but her mate was keeping watch over her, and she was likewise keeping watch over him.

Cardinals have many symbolic associations that make them especially resonant first birds on New Year’s Day. For Christians, they represent the blood of Christ and therefore sacrifice and redemption. The persistence of their pair bond across seasons and the male’s courtship ritual of feeding the female have made them symbols of devotion. The bereaved often believe the appearance of a cardinal means a loved one is sending a message of reassurance from the beyond, a reminder in grief that those we love have not left us entirely. That we are not alone in a cold, lonely world.

But as I watched these cardinals on New Year’s morning, I didn’t think first of symbols. At the dawn of a year that seems almost certain to make this country into an unrecognizable place, to make this world even less hospitable to birds and everybody else, it turns out I am less interested in symbolic associations than in practicalities.

The new administration, led by a felon who tried to overturn the results of a fair election, has pledged to deport 11 million undocumented immigrants, using military force if necessary, and end constitutionally protected birthright citizenship. He intends to permit more drilling on federal lands and to roll back regulations designed to limit environmental toxins and greenhouse gasses. And all of that is only the beginning.

Seeing those cardinals watching over each other, I wondered: What can I, too, do to be more watchful? To take more care?

A heavy snow 10 days ago brought birds out in huge numbers, often in whole flocks — bluebirds, robins, cedar waxwings, house finches, dark-eyed juncos and Carolina wrens, plus the usual mockingbirds and blue jays, tufted titmice and Carolina chickadees, every kind of sparrow and every kind of woodpecker. I kept the feeders filled. My husband spread a sheet on top of the snow and set out a mix of seeds and nuts and mealworms for the ground foragers.

This bounty also brought the mixed flock of black birds I always look for in snow — starlings and grackles and red-winged blackbirds — who compete for resources during the breeding seasons but band together in the cold. In such weather, they waste little energy in squabbling.
Their cooperation wasn’t symbolic any more than the cardinals on New Year’s Day were merely a symbol. Most songbirds are less territorial in winter because the hormones responsible for breeding behavior have not yet begun to rise. They cooperate as compensation for leafless trees and cold temperatures, working together to find food sources and evade predators, staying warm by flocking up.

Birds don’t exist to serve as symbols, and yet they can’t help but mean something to the symbol-making species watching them through a window or a storm door. On this Inauguration Day that brings no hope for help from elected officials to address climate change or to protect vulnerable species, including our own, the living world is showing us what to do: In the dark days already gathering, we will need to do our best to look out for one another and for the creatures we love.

Belated happy New Year’s greetings, Shelley, and thanks for stopping by my last thread of 2024. I’m hoping to get a new thread for 2025 up today.

>55 jessibud2: So sad. I still love to listen to this group’s songs.

>85 Storeetllr: - Hi Mary! I just starred your new thread!

Ok, here's a little distraction for a day that is screaming for distraction.

He is not of my country (though he would like to think otherwise) but he affects all of us. Still, my stomach isn't strong enough to have watched this morning. You could not have paid me enough money to watch, even if I didn't have anything else to do. Which I did, as it happens.

Dr. Mike Daley is a musicologist and I have taken many courses offered by him over the years, both in person and online. He is knowledgeable, fun and I love the music and the backstories. This current course I am in is all about music from the 70s (not a favourite musical decade of mine, true, but what the heck).

Here is his promo pic for it. Cracks me up every time I see it. Where would YOU have rather been at 10 a.m. this morning? :-D

Hi Shelley, Thank you for a very entertaining thread today! I don't know why I've missed you so far this year, only that my LT time has been limited.

Your kitties are beautiful!

And those puzzles look fun. I just finished a bookish one I should post on my thread.

We've been cat-sitting my son's cat and he has a fountain due to earlier bladder issues. He does drink from it, thank goodness. I tried a fountain with my girl several years ago when she was diagnosed with crystals. She had no interest in it and I wound up donating it to the local shelter.

Borowitz is a welcome distraction. And thanks for sharing the Margaret Renkl. She's a joy. Sorry we are such awful neighbors...

>88 Copperskye: - Hi Joanne. YOU are not a bad neighbour. If I thought for one minute that any 75ers were trump supporters, I would be much more circumspect in voicing my opinions. As it is, I try to avoid that route when I can. But I do believe we (here) are all of one mind and heart and I believe we need the humour of a Borowitz and the wisdom of a Renkl to survive. My country is in a mess at the moment as well and our next federal election is almost certain to dump us with a new prime minister who is more right-leaning than we have seen in a very long time. He is also, despite his bloated ego, likely to be chewed up and spit out by trump in a heartbeat.

Anyhow, I have made zero progress on my 1000 piece puzzle so maybe it's time to get back to it. Audiobook/puzzle night!

Oh, man. I thought we were cold this morning. Yikes. It will be -8F when I pick up the "kids" tomorrow, if the school doesn't close.

Thanks so much for the Renkl piece. It was perfect. I might share it over on my thread if you don't mind.

>89 jessibud2: For my distraction today, I

1) spent the afternoon on my William Morris design 500piece puzzle while listening to a re-read on audiobook (Lady Susan)
2) baked a batch of Irish soda bread, to go with....
3) Irish lamb stew, which I made for dinner.
Also the baking & cooking kept the place extra warm, as it's dang cold here, and even colder tomorrow as Mark points out.

I couldn't even watch the regular evening Network national (or local) news because it was live in Washington following the garbage. But thankfully, the evening PBS Newshour was its regular broadcast and programming. Some semblance of sanity.

We've got to take it one day at a time, Shelley--that's all we can do. My husband plans to go to a demonstration at trump tower on Saturday--originally scheduled for today, but postponed because of the temps.

>91 kac522: - I only watched enough of the local news broadcast tonight to get the weather report. Other than that, *he* is not allowed in my house.

I should have come to your house for dinner, Kathy! Sounds better than the sushi I had.

I watched Jeopardy and a local current affairs program, The Agenda, and then turned off my tv altogether. I am going to go read now and hope to finish my book tonight, before I nod off so I can write a review and post it tomorrow.

>87 jessibud2: LOL!

Our cats were frightened by the "water fountain". I am not sure where those cats are who like it.

I am taking the Mike Daley course on Monday mornings! but online!

>94 torontoc: - Yep, online for me too. I start a new *Speakers Series* course in person tomorrow, downtown. This was formerly *Curious Minds* through Hot Docs but the curator of this program was let go during their financial fiasco last year and has branched out on his own. It's at the JCC and though I really prefer online, especially in THIS weather, I signed up anyhow.

>81 laytonwoman3rd: A big part of the scum's self-image is tied to being Bigger! Better! Large and In Charge!

No one else thinks he's as good as he thinks he is so there's no tolerance for challenges.

Fun Times ahead.

>95 jessibud2: Such a common issue, no? Money's short so fire people...then they go somewhere else, do the same thing, and your sorry butt gets no benefit from the expertise. *sigh*

>97 richardderus: - I don't think it was just him, Richard. The Hot Docs Cinema was in dire straits, financially, and many were let go, and the theatre shuttered for months while they reorganized and figured things out. It's open again but it's just not the same. Anyhow, I am happy to follow Will DiNovi to his new iteration of speakers series as they are always great.

Newsflash: Theo is weird. (Owen is entirely absent because he just doesn't care) but Theo, well, he is just such a cat!

It's been almost 2 weeks since I brought in and set up the fountain. Theo checks it out regularly, just getting so close and not an inch closer. Maybe he thinks it will do something or go away. Something.





So, last night, I disassembled it, cleaned it and repacked it, ready to return to PetSmart if this arctic vortex ever goes away.

This morning, I found Theo, asking me, hey! Where is my fountain?!



I will wait a few days before bringing out model #2.

>99 jessibud2: LOL! You took away his entertainment! Bad human.

>99 jessibud2: LOL. Theo is s read card!

>100 laytonwoman3rd: - I love him but am not willing to spend what that thing cost, just for his entertainment viewing. Tough love, I call it... ;-)

>101 Storeetllr: - He is that, Mary, for sure!

>76 jessibud2: This is the fountain my cats use: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C8MHHVPC?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

Mallory loves drinking out of the spigot part, which Chalfont ignores because she prefers drinking from the basin part.

>84 jessibud2: I am very much enjoying the Renkl essays that you post, Shelley. Thank you for continuing to do so!

>99 jessibud2: I love that! So like cats, isn't it?

Have a terrific Tuesday, Shelley!

>103 alcottacre: - Thanks, Stasia. I will see how the next one goes. I don't do amazon but my cat sitter does and she will gladly order something for me if I ask her. Yours looks a lot like this one I just packed away but at a fraction of the cost. Stay tuned....

I finished read Shannon Reed's Why We Read - On Bookworms, Libraries and Just One More Page before Lights Out..

I really enjoyed this book. She writes as if you were in the room having a chat with her. Very relaxed, really funny, but also, because she teaches writing, is quite insightful about a wide variety of books and how we read them (and how she teaches them). There were many quotes I could have copied here but I will stick with these 2:

- Lincoln in the Bardo - I closed the book, having made it all of 3 chapters in, and stared at the cover. The title contained the word Bardo, of course, and I sat there and contemplated teaching a novel I did not understand how to read to my students...and I realized that I did not even know what a bardo was. I am a good reader, an idea this entire book is premised upon. But somehow, I'd ended up in a place where, as a reader, I felt lost and confused. I have never felt less empowered as a teacher, having no idea what I could do. I eventually decided that there was only one way I could approach teaching Lincoln in the Bardo, short of cancelling it. On A cold February day in 2018, I stood in front of the class, clutching my beautiful hardbound copy of the book and admitted that I didn't get it. I told them that we would have to figure out what we could together.
...After 15 minutes of conversation on this topic alone, I felt I had to move us forward to discussing the citations in the next chapter, so I said, "Well, we'll just have to ask George Saunders about why he set up the dialogue that way, someday, if we can!" and changed the topic.... Later that week, I got an email from a student in the class...She hadn't let go of the question around dialogue and its attribution, it turned out, and had taken me at my word to ask George Saunders. She had emailed him. And he had kindly replied. Before I go any further with this story, I want to strongly emphasize that you should not email George Saunders, or for that matter, any other author with your random questions. Authors are busy, and so are professors, and he is both. A lot of what you want to know is googleable. Please do not take from this story that I am encouraging you to email George Saunders! (As a joke, one of my students once listed Do not email George Saunders as one of the important lessons learned in an end-of-term survey. Correct!). Anyway, his email was wonderful. I felt such joy in reading it, so happy for my student that she had been rewarded for being brave.... I have to laugh at myself now, at my hubris, really, in believing that there would be no problems in teaching a book I knew almost nothing about - really, could I have not read a review? The New York Times called L in the B a *weird folk-art diorama* set in a *bizarre purgatory*. Was that not a heads-up that it would prove more of a challenge than Go, Dog, Go? But while I've mostly forgiven myself, I do often wish I could go back in time and share some of what I've learned about L in the B with the first students to read it with me....Alas, as Cher reminds us, we cannot turn back time. I taught what I taught. I did the best I could and so did my students, I feel certain.

Gawande and mortality - As I read Being Mortal...I felt weighed down by the grim future I sensed for myself. I felt a real sadness, and real fear, about the inevitable decline that Gawande foresaw. I honestly don't think I'd ever really understood the truth before, that I was going to die, in some specific way, at some specific point in the future. I had to walk away from the book, turn on lights, turn on the tv, and find some high-quality chocolate to eat. Someone else's mortality, even that of a person you dearly love, is one thing; the realization of your own is a different beast entirely. And yet, several weeks on, having finished Being Mortal again, I'm ultimately glad I reread it. The book is far too complex and clear-eyed to boil down to one aphorism. In fact, to be fair, I don't think it really has aphorisms at all. But I'm left thinking about one sentence in particular: "Our ultimate goal, after all, is not a good death but a good life to the very end." I trust Gawande's wisdom, as he has seen so many lives and so many deaths, and I'm grateful that he found the time, somehow, to share these experiences in his book.

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

I will return in to the library tomorrow. I never did read Lincoln in the Bardo. I tried but probably never got more than a chapter in. Oh well. She talks about that too. *meaning to * read something. Even owning a book, but *maybe someday*. She is a funny writer. Recommended!

Also, when she mentioned her student being brave about emailing George Saunders, I decided to do something I have never done. I emailed her! There were 2 things that jumped out at me while reading that I felt were typos that should be corrected, one at the beginning and one at the end. I suggested that perhaps in future editions/printings, they could be fixed. I still feel a bit weird about doing this but what the heck. Worst thing that can happen: she ignores me. For sure, this did not detract from my enjoyment of the book!

Your cats are so funny, Shelley! I hope they like fountain number 2. I did not watch any Trump stuff or any news at all yesterday. Why ruin a day ?

Hello, Shelley!

>99 jessibud2: Thanks so much for sharing - Theo is too funny! And what an expressive face he has.

>106 vancouverdeb: - Exactly, Deb! I cannot tolerate his face or his voice so I think my news intake for the next few years is going to be sparse, at best. I may just READ news to know what's going on in the world. Polievre gives me much the same reaction though not quite to the same degree.

>107 Crazymamie: - Hi, Mamie. Yes, Theo is very expressive. He is also very vocal and talks to me all the time and his vocalizations are quite varied! Sometimes I think he's human. He is also very naughty and you should see his *I'm innocent!* face! ;-)

I would love to see Theo's *I'm innocent!* face! Mercy is also very expressive with her meowing.

>105 jessibud2: Great review! I’m definitely reading this one!

>105 jessibud2: I love the honesty of that quote from Shannon Reed. I have e-mailed an author or two from time to time, (usually requesting permission to post a photo on their author page here) and if I got an answer at all, it was always pleasant, and sometimes downright chatty. I understand the advice to leave authors alone, but if there is a readily available e-mail address, I'd say they expect to hear from readers once in a while.

Woohoo, a two today!

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>109 Crazymamie: - I have the perfect pic for that face, Mamie. Just have to locate it in my phone! (not an easy task. Those boys are photogenic and I have no self-control ;-)

>110 Storeetllr:, >111 laytonwoman3rd: - Thanks, Mary and Linda. I won't say what those typos were because I don't want to spoil it for anyone else. I really did enjoy her honesty, humour and knowledge. A worthwhile read for an LTer, that's for sure! And yeah, who knows, Linda, maybe she will reply. There was contact info as well as an actual email addy, on her website...

>112 jessibud2: Ill probably not twig to the typos because I borrowed the audiobook. I’ll let you know how that goes.

>105 jessibud2: Wonderful stories, and while I read Lincoln in the Bardo clear on what the Bardo is, I found I did not like being taken there. This book sounds delighful, however!

>114 richardderus: - It is!

>113 Storeetllr: - You actually might, for the first one. For sure not the second one, though. Let me know who the narrator is. I wonder if she narrates it herself!

>109 Crazymamie: - Here ya go, Mamie. A face is worth a thousand words, or something like that.

"What did you say? I can't hear you. I'm not allowed where?..."


Sorry for the darkness of this next one. Theo was just recently put on a special diet. He feels he is not getting enough. Look at him. Does this boy look like he's starving? (that tray he's sitting beside contains his cans and kibbles)

"You forgot to feed me, mum"

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I started a book yesterday, The Red Daughter, that is, I suppose, historical fiction. It is a fictionalized version of the events surrounding the defection of Svetlana Alliluyeva, Stalin's daughter, to the USA. Right at the get-go, the author says that he has drawn on private papers and years of research but that the story is a work of fiction. "All incidents and dialogue, and all characters with the exception of some well-known historical figures, are products of the author's imagination and are not to be construed as real". As well, the blurb on the back cover says that the novelist's father was, in fact, the real young lawyer who accompanied Alliluyeva to the USA.

I am generally a big fan of historical fiction so I am hoping this will be a good one. I am only 30 pages in and already I have been googling up a storm because I actually know very little of this actual story, and the main characters. Has anyone read this? It seems to have very good reviews here on LT.

>105 jessibud2: I need to seek out a copy of that one. Hopefully either my local library or Hoopla has it. BTW - I enjoyed Lincoln in the Bardo :)

>116 jessibud2: Theo has wonderful facial expressions! Lol

>118 jessibud2: I have not read it so I will be curious to see what you think of it in the end. I love good historical fiction.

>116 jessibud2: Oh. My. Word. Too funny, Shelley. Thanks so much for taking the time to find and post the photos.

>116 jessibud2: Oh poor Theo. Yes, you definitely did wrong, Shelley! (Does he need a special diet for his kidneys? I don’t think any cat likes that).

>99 jessibud2: Ha! It does take a while for a cat to get used to something like that. My cat thought the water was a toy and kept hacking at it and I ended up with water drops all beside the fountain. Good luck with the second model. Maybe it will look less intimidating.

On a side note, I happened to glance at the news and it looks like Ford is calling an election and Ontario voters will be heading to the polls at the end of February *sigh*

>120 Crazymamie: - Yep. It's all about him, lol.

>121 EllaTim: - Yes, Ella, one food is for his bowels (called gastro-Fibre food) and the other is for his urinary issues. He rebels at times but when he gets hungry enough, he eats and eats well. So far, the food is doing what it is intended to do and things are *moving* well, so I told him to just stop complaining and we will all be happy. I reminded him of the *fun* at the vet's office all those times I had to take him. I think I won this round, lol.

>122 figsfromthistle: - I will set up the second fountain tomorrow or on the weekend and we'll see how that goes. And yeah, I heard that news. What an idiot. He keeps saying it's because he needs a strong mandate. The man has a majority govt and another year and a half of his current *mandate*. What is his problem? I agree with those who are saying that he just wants to distract voters from his legal problems and all the stupid things he said he'd do that he hasn't done. *Sigh* indeed....

Yes , like you Shelley, I am no fan of Polievre. This is not very nice, but I am surprised he was able to find a wife, I dislike him so much. Now Trump, he has money. I'm sure Melania is paid to remain married to him for his public image. Great pictures of Theo!

>123 jessibud2: Sounds like you had an excellent heart to heart with Theo, Shelley. Made me laugh - glad I'm not the only one who does that.

Happy Friday to you!

>125 Crazymamie: - And to you too, Mamie. Yes, I believe in *open communication*. It's hard work staying the *alpha* around here, let me tell you!

In other news, I just read that there will soon be a new US stamp: of Good Night Moon!

And also, that there will be a movie (or is it a tv adaptation? I can't remember) of Erik Larson's Devil in the White City, with Leonardo DiCaprio, and that Scorsese is involved. I read that book by Larson and it was excellent, though sufficiently creepy (for me) that I have no desire to see it played out before my eyes. So no, I won't be watching.

Rae loved Good Night Moon - one of her favorite books from childhood.

I agree with you that Devil in the White City was excellent but creepy. I would probably watch an adaptation. What I loved about the book was all the stuff about the Chicago World's Fair.

>127 Crazymamie: - You might remember that the end of the book took place in Toronto, where they caught the killer. I was so obsessed at the time, that I went down to the Toronto Reference Library downtown, and looked at the microfiche newspapers of the day (remember, this was a true story). The street where the house was (where they found the bodies of those children) no longer exists but the newspaper articles were fascinating. And the advertisements in the papers of the day were hilarious: straw mattresses for 10 cents, or some such thing. I have my review somewhere, where I included quotes from the papers and ads.

I am still not going to watch it. Not if I want to sleep at night, lol!

The stamps: https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2025/0113-goodnight-moon-and-s...

Have a fantastic Friday and a wonderful weekend, Shelley!

>126 jessibud2:, >127 Crazymamie: So creepy that I've never read it, and as a Chicagoan I feel like I *should* read it, but I know I never will.

>130 kac522: - I love Larson's ability to tell a story of true history but he can be gritty. I've only read 3 or 4 of his and tried but couldn't get into others. I am a first-class wimp when it comes to scary or creepy and especially since I read in bed every night before sleep, if something scares me, I know I won't sleep well (if at all), so I generally steer clear. The historic parts, as Mamie mentioned, about the history of the Chicago World's Fair, how it almost didn't happen due to the logistics, all that was truly fascinating. But the serial killer part was something I didn't need to read about in the detail he provided. I think most people aren't as wimpy as I am, though.

>131 jessibud2: I'm with you in the wimpy camp, Shelley.

The only book of his that I have read is Dead Wake about the Lusitania, and I was underwhelmed. I think I was colored by an in-person talk I heard him give about the book. He prefers to use primary sources (like letters, memoirs, autobiographies), so his account of people's experiences on the Lusitania was solely from the point of view of people who kept such documents. The experience of the steerage passengers, for example, is almost non-existent, because no one from steerage who survived was educated enough to keep such written accounts. So I took everything he wrote in this book as from a particular viewpoint, and not attempting to tell the entire story.

In his talk he also said he doesn't include photos in his books because he thinks they distract from his prose. I think most authors would consider that archival photographs would enhance their book, not take away from it. It felt arrogant, although perhaps he didn't mean it that way.

Shelley, you've probably seen & read way too much on the Holocaust, but there was a very moving piece on the PBS Newshour tonight. In honor of the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the piece is about the daughter of a Holocaust survivor from Canada who recently visited the camp. It is 12 minutes long, but I understand if you choose not to view it:
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/holocaust-survivors-daughters-search-for-answe...

>132 kac522: - The 2 other titles of Larson's that I remember really liking a lot were Isaac's Storm (there was a Jeopardy clue about this one I think last week. No one got it right except me, lol) and Thunderstruck.

>133 kac522: - Thanks for that, Kathy. It was, indeed, moving. And yes, I have seen and read a lot on this topic but it never fails to astound me that anyone survived at all. I most certainly would not have.

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There has been a massive recall here lately of eggs. I don't eat eggs, as a rule, and use them mainly for baking, so it barely registered with me. I usually only buy a 6-pack carton. So, some friends are coming over tomorrow and I decided that I will make cookies. Got out all the ingredients, set them on the counter and realized I have no eggs. So, I am getting dressed to run over to the grocery store to get some. I sure hope they have them!! If not, I will be knocking on neighbours' doors!

Yes, I've read about the massive egg recall. And then there was / is a shortage of eggs due to Avian flu. I don't eat eggs either, but Dave has a couple of hard boiled eggs every day. Oh, no eggs for the cookies! Best of luck!

Hi Shelley! Good luck with the cookies! They sure won’t be as tasty without the eggs.

>137 vancouverdeb:, >138 EllaTim: - In the end, I ran out to the closest supermarket and bought eggs. They only had them by the dozen, though (I usually buy the smaller half-dozen cartons). I wasn't about to start going to other places looking for them. The recipe only called for one egg, so I was left with 11! Lucky for me, though, I sent my friends home with most of them, keeping only a few for myself. So, it was all good. The cookies turned out great! :-)

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When I find myself with extra eggs, I hard boil several. They keep in the fridge for a week in the shell, and make a great addition to a salad. We also love deviled eggs, and egg salad made from the hard cooked ones. AND, you can always freeze the uncooked eggs (OUT of the shell) for that next batch of cookies. This has been a public service announcement from your local home economist!

>131 jessibud2: I am a first-class wimp when it comes to scary or creepy You and me both, Shelley!

>133 kac522: Thank you for that post, Kathy. I will be checking it out too.

>139 jessibud2: Yay for good cookies! I do not eat eggs at all either - being both vegan and allergic to them - but I am happy things worked out for you in the end.

Have a marvelous Monday!

>141 laytonwoman3rd: - LOL! Thanks! In truth, I rarely eat eggs. Not an allergy issue, I just never liked them, even as a child. Once in a blue moon, I will get a craving for an omelette when I am in a restaurant but have only rarely made them at home. I do use eggs for baking and I simply haven't been baking much lately.

But I will keep your advice in mind. ;-)

>142 alcottacre: - Hi Stasia. Hmm, so maybe I am not so alone in the wimpy camp? lol!

There was interview on the radio this morning with Lara Brady, daughter of Holocaust survivor, George Brady. Lara is now an adult (40 years old) and goes into schools to teach about the Holocaust to young kids. Many years ago, there was an amazing documentary called Hana's Suitcase, about her father's childhood and his younger sister, Hana. He was the only survivor. The documentary became a book, which became a stage play for children. Both were excellent and very sensitively done. As a teacher then, I got to go to a teacher's preview of the stage play before it opened. Both Lara and her father George (now deceased) were there to answer questions, along side the playwright.

I can't find the link to the interview this morning, but here is another link I found from 2009 that tells a bit about it:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/docu-drama-tells-story-of-hana-s-suitcase-...

I can't seem to find the link to the original full documentary. If I find it, I'll edit it in.

>142 alcottacre: >143 jessibud2:

My vegan daughter uses ground flax seed in place of eggs for baking - works well!

Shelley, I can't explain to myself why I have neglected to check your threads. Now that I have, I will be as constant a visitor as I can manage.
Pacita Abad! I had never heard of her, but what amazing work! Thank you!
Margaret Renkl! I had never heard of her, but how insightful! Thank you!
Also thank you for that open letter to Jimmie Carter that you quoted on your last thread. I've always regretted that I never wrote him an appreciation.

I followed you because of your suggestion for a puzzle keeper-from-cats. We have 7! They just sort of happened.... a 15 year-old brother-sister pair whose mother brought them into our yard; a 10 year-old pair, ditto; my deceased SiL's cat because none of her children could take her; a 2 year-old wild thing that my DH socialized because he was so eager to get in; and a feral mother, who had a second litter in our yard, and who has come a long way toward socialization but isn't there yet. (A rescue friend took her 5 babies and will socialize them for adoption or keep them if they're not adoptable.) Your boys are handsome, and Theo will be happier if he drops a bit of fat. That's true for our Batman/Brat and Molly Mama too.

I'm not much of a video viewer. I can read horror or violence, but I can't watch it. While I read a Larson each year, I won't be looking for *Devil* on screen.

>146 LizzieD: - Hi Peggy, welcome!

Pacita Abad was a revelation to me and probably to everyone who visited the Gallery. As obsessed as I was about photographing her work as best I could, I just couldn't do justice to the actual work. Certainly what the word *amazing* was intended to convey.

As for Theo, I beg to differ. He won't be happier but his mama (me) and his vet certainly will e. The vet warned me about trying to prevent diabetes in him now, while he is young (he just turned 5) and apparently ginger tabbies are generally big and can lean in that direction. But yes, I am trying hard and he will stick to that diet unless I keel over and die. As it is, I worry he will break a rib (mine) one of these days as he lands on me for cuddles. He is nothing if not affectionate.

Warning: rant coming.

So, this afternoon I went to return the first fountain to PetSmart. They had told me I had 60 days to return them if the cats won't use them. I thought this was a wonderful policy and who better than PetSmart to know how finicky pets can be. So, when I was at the cash register, the cashier had to get a supervisor to sign off on the return. She - supervisor - asked me if it was used. I said only in so much as I filled it with water and plugged it in. The cats themselves never got within a few feet of it. At all. She said that's considered used and therefore, not resaleable. I asked what she meant. She said it goes to the garbage. I was horrified. I didn't say anything further other than to repeat that it wasn't used and is in pristine condition. Policy, she said. I would never have bought 2 if I thought that was going to happen. Well, then, they should just make these fountains are not returnable and make sure the customer knows that before wasting all that money.

But the more I think about it, the angrier I am. I should have asked why they aren't at least donating the fountain to a shelter, at the very least. Why the garbage? I think I will phone tomorrow and ask that. And regardless of whether or not my boys change their minds about the second fountain, I will not return that. I would have thought PetSmart was a bit more environmentally conscious. I am really disappointed and want to make this public knowledge, this *policy* of adding to landfill, perfectly good brand new items. I find it outrageous. I may stop shopping there at all....

/rant

>148 jessibud2: Waste makes me blindingly mad, too, Shelley. Hoping you're finally down off the ceiling with the nail-marks all filled in already.

>149 richardderus: - Yeah, well....whatever. I guess I should know better than to think *business* might have a social conscience...stupid me.

Not bad for 7 am:

Wordle 1,319 3/6 meaty, wench, fever

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>148 jessibud2: I am surprised by that policy. I know a lot of stores sell used to liquidation centres or they are sold as refurbished. Your fountain just needed to be inspected and put in the paper packaging and tape the box.

I had to take back a flannel duvet set at Linen chest because I accidentally bought the duvet cover instead of the sheets. I took it out of the packaging and put it on the bed and found out my error. I brought it back and the lady/store supervisor working there just folded it back up and put it it in the packaging all neat and ready for the next customer.

I think it also depends on the supervisor/staff that a store has. Another pet smart location may have more astute staff and realize that your fountain is completely resellable as new.

Anyhow, I hope you have a great Tuesday!

Happy Tuesday, Shelley. Just checking in. I loved your comments and quotes on Why We Read. I did not like the Petsmart story. WTH? I hope the "boys" get used to the 2nd fountain.

>148 jessibud2: Even Amazon has a huge Reclaimable warehouse for all their returned stuff.

Wordle 1,320 5/6 meaty, quire, enure, under, udder

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I have bailed on The Red Daughter. I wanted to like it but it just isn't holding my interest and I want something that will pull me in and keep me in! It's not that it isn't good, just not for me at this moment.

I am reading the Oscar Peterson book in bed at night because it's a tad heavy to lug around on the subway but I think I will start The Bookbinder, the new one by Pip Williams (the touchstone says The Bookbinder of Jericho but Jericho appears nowhere on the cover of the book I have). I loved her previous book, The Dictionary of Lost Words so I have high hopes for this one.

I also started a new puzzle (back to 500 pieces; I took the 1000-piece one apart). So, am about to start listening to the audiobook of The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store

>155 jessibud2: I have all of your current books (both Pip Williams & McBride, but not Peterson, which I read last year) on my TBR and really want to get to soon. Good to hear that you loved The Dictionary of Lost Words--I've had it for a couple of years now and MUST get to it soon! (Puzzles are on hold because we have to move stuff around for some work being done in our apartment. But I did finish the William Morris puzzle, which turned out to be easy and a delight to look at.)

ETA: maybe the title difference is the UK/Australian title vs. US/Canadian title?

ETA2: Just saw on the publication page of my copy: "Originally published in Australia as The Bookbinder of Jericho"

>156 kac522: - Thanks for that clarification, Kathy. Yeah, titles often differ in different countries. Why? Who the heck knows. The puzzle I started last night is a round one! Cool and it's a pretty pic. I will try to get a pic of it uploaded soon. I bought another one today, of a bookstore! They will keep me going for awhile. I think I was too ambitious with my thousand-piece ones. Clearly (both in puzzles and in reading), my patience seems to be dwindling as I age. ;-p

>148 jessibud2: I hate to bring this up again, Shelley, because it seems as though you've moved on. I'm confused and furious even before we get to the point of trashing a perfectly good piece of equipment. You wrote, They had told me I had 60 to return them if the cats won't use them. What am I missing here. How are you supposed to know that the cats won't use them if you don't fill them, plug them in, and try them??????? Show the cats the picture on the box, maybe????? I am a really, really tired consumer.

Never mind me. Sleep well and enjoy your Thursday.

Fingers crossed that the next cat fountain will be used, Shelley. Maybe Theo will miss the first one so much he will use the second. Did you finish the 1000 piece puzzle?

>123 jessibud2: Maybe Ford wants to capitalize on the publicity he received for wearing the "Canada isn't for sale" hat and for appearing to stand up to Trump.

>158 LizzieD: -Hi Peggy. I just corrected my typo. I had been told I had 60 DAYS to return the fountains. So, I let it go for a couple of days, to calm down a bit, but have decided that, rather than try to phone and speak to one person, for all the good that would do (nada, and I know it), I am going to try to write a letter to their head office, if I can find a contact link somewhere. That probably won't get read or acknowledged either, I am guessing, but I deal better in writing than in person or on the phone. Anyhow, I feel I need to do something and not nothing, otherwise it's like saying it wasn't a big deal, when in my mind, it was. At least I will feel that I've done something. And no, fountain #2 is getting the same treatment as #1 did. Theo treats it as Fountain TV. He sits and watches it but won't go near the water. Owen ignores it altogether. And they both continue to drink form their usual non-tech water bowls.

>159 Familyhistorian: - Hi Meg. No, I dismantled the 1000 piece puzzle. I have 2 new 500 piece ones and I started one yesterday. It's round and quite a lovely picture. Very vibrant colours. I started in last night as I listened to disc one of The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store on audio. I have yoga then going to visit a friend this afternoon but will try to upload pics of the 2 new puzzles later this afternoon.

As for Ford, he is an ass. Baby trump, as I have always called him. In his little mind, he thinks of himself as *Captain Canada* (I think he actually said those words, at one point recently). He believes that he can negotiate with trump on tariffs. He seems to forget that he is ONLY a premier, not a prime minister and even if he wins this unnecessary election, it will never be HIM negotiating with the president. Meantime, there are thousands of Ontarians who have no family doctor, something he had promised to *fix*. He started his campaign yesterday and never once mentioned that. And the sad thing? He, like trump, has his millions of ignorant minions who will vote him back in. Such a waste of time, money and effort. If anyone even shows up to vote. In February, in the cold. *big eyeroll here*

We have had some very windy days here lately. Two days in a row, my bird feeder has blown off its hook. Thankfully, the feeder itself sustained no damage and is still functional but the baffle got bent. I haven't put it out yet this morning and I feel guilty because I can see the birds out there, waiting. There is probably enough of the spilled seed on the ground for them for now but I may put it out before I leave for yoga later.

Sweet Thursday, Shelley. Sorry about the winds and feeder damage. I hope you can put it back out.

I know you like a good documentary- I just watched "Sugarcane", it was recently nominated for best doc. Have you seen or heard of it? It is a heart-rending story of the Native schools and the horrific damage done.

No, I have not heard of that one, Mark. Thanks for the heads-up.

A bit guessy today but no bomb so it's all good:

Wordle 1,321 5/6 meaty, break, waxen, salve, false

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>160 jessibud2: It is hard to understand why elections are held in Winter rather than Fall: November in USA and yours in February.

40 mph winds in Wisconsin.

>160 jessibud2: The only way humane change has even a possibility is for little people like you and me to keep at the BIG ones. I believe that and then don't often do it. Kudos to you for making the effort!

The whole world has gone crazy. If I were a conspiracy theorist, I'd believe that somebody had put something in the water or air planet-wide. As it is, I go back to the pendulum theory except it didn't feel as though it had swung very far in our direction six years ago.

Enjoy your day and stay warm!

>164 m.belljackson: - My province hasn't had a winter election in over 40 years, I think they said. He still has a year and a half left in his majority govt mandate before he HAS TO have an election, so no real reason to do this now. But he has convinced himself that he is the answer to trump's bullying and he is campaigning on that. Not only does he not have a role at all in facing or even talking to trump, but according to all the experts I have listened to over the last few days, the last election we had had the worst-ever voter turnout. They think he is counting on the same thing this time, because they say low voter turnout usually favours the incumbent. He also buys votes from his cronies and his ignorant flock of sheep who believe they will get something for nothing (or, in exchange for their votes). Same old story. Ford isn't as bad as trump - I don't think anyone could be - but he styles himself after him, that's for sure. My hope is that he loses this election. That will serve him right. Sadly, the options in the opposition parties aren't all that strong. Such a waste of time, money and a lot of hot air. Yeah, Feb. 27 in Canada. How many people do you think will line up to vote. To the extent that he thinks at all, he thinks this is a good idea.

>165 LizzieD: - Thanks, Peggy. I may not get to sit down and compose my letter till later this afternoon. I am just home for a quick bite of lunch then heading out again. But I am determined to do it. Not that I believe for a minute that it will make any difference but at the very least, it will allow me to move on. I have decided that I am now officially a FORMER PetSmart customer.

This is the 1000 piece puzzle that I bailed on. Maybe another time. It's a beautiful pic but the pieces are really small and it's just more than I can do right now.



However, I found 2 more 500-piece puzzles and am currently working on this round one. Very vibrant colours and fun. Found at Homesense.



Here is the other one. Can't wait to get to this baby! (bought at the bookstore, of course!)

>168 jessibud2: Yeah, I can see how you bailed. But the other 2 are lovely!

Wordle 1,322 3/6 meaty, trail, toast

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Last night, I watched a documentary. I purchased my ticket to watch it at our JCC but in the end, I opted for an online viewing, from the comfort of home. It was a 2022 production and is called The Conspiracy. It was mostly done through animation (which was stark black and white and exceptionally well done) and interspersed with archival photos and some clips of live action historic footage. Narrated by Mayim Bialik, and voiced (in part) by Jason Alexander, Liev Schreiber - those were the names I recognized; there were others listed who I did not know - it mainly followed the history of Jewish persecution and anti-Semitism throughout history, focussing on 3 families in the modern era: the Warbergs, Dreyfus and Trotsky. I learned a lot that I had not known, although I thought I knew a lot as I have read extensively on this topic. What I found most disturbing, of course, was how eerily and consistently history seems to repeat itself, to this very day. How little we humans seem to have evolved to become better people. And how physically cold I felt throughout. The film ended with the pending sentencing of the killer responsible for the Tree of Life Synagogue mass murder in 2023.

Wordle 1,323 4/6 meaty, twice, bidet, rivet

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Looks like fun, your new puzzles! I am quite sure I have done the round Eebboo puzzle. They are a lot of fun! The Peter Pauper Puzzle looks great too! I just ordered new eeboo 1000 piece puzzle, which I linked on my thread. Can't wait to get my paws on it.

>173 vancouverdeb: - The round one is so pretty but more challenging than I expected. Still, I think I will stick to 500 pieces for now. Not ready to *graduate* just yet, lol.

Wordle 1,324 4/6 meaty, spice, choke, chore

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Love your jigsaw puzzles, especially the round one! Have fun.

News is consistently not good, with ultra right wing parties taking part in governments. What has got into peoples heads? Fear?

>175 EllaTim: - Hi, Ella. I think it's more a question of what has gone OUT of people's heads, or what was never there at all? Namely, common sense, kindness and decency. Not to mention, intelligence. Normally, my philosophy is that what a person thinks or believes is their business and not a concern of mine. Until it is and the consequences of politics right now affect us all and so, is very concerning. I spent 2 hours today listening to a cross country call-in show on the radio and the question was, how are the new tariffs imposed on us by trump going to impact your life. In addition to callers (asking really intelligent questions and sharing real concerns), there were also some experts from the fields of finance, economics and politics, explaining a lot of the confusion - to the extent that they could, since a lot of it still makes no sense and is still very unclear. Reading between the lines, it seems to me that trump himself doesn't really understand a lot of what he does, but that shouldn't surprise anyone. Anyhow, it's very scary, to be honest.

At least, while I was listening to the radio, I was also trying to work on my puzzle. It's more complex than I thought and I am nowhere near finished but it's fun.

Whew. Just made it!

Wordle 1,325 6/6 meaty, perch, rejig, reels, renew, revue

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Love the puzzles, especially the round one.

>176 jessibud2: I read a piece by Timothy Snyder that you might find interesting. https://snyder.substack.com/p/the-logic-of-destruction

>178 Storeetllr: - Thanks for that link, Mary. I think I am about to subscribe to this newsletter. Some friends and I are actively trying to put together some lists of products, food, etc, that are made, manufactured or grown here in Canada, to cut down or cut back altogether, what we buy that doesn't come from the States. Truly a shockingly difficult task. It's our small way to *act*. Needless to say, the news of this past weekend and what's sure to follow this week, is awful. Selfishly, I wish Snyder was Canadian but in fact, the US needs him more than we do, especially right now. He is smart, articulate and focussed. I didn't agree with (or, frankly, understand) everything he said in this article but he is still someone who needs to be read. I truly hope more Americans will read and heed his wise and timely counsel. Lives depend on it.

Edited to add: eek. When I scrolled down after the article, right above the *subscribe* button, my credit card info was already there, autofilled, asterisks and then the last 4 digits, as well as my email addy, autofilled. How on earth do they have this info? When I went back to my email, there was already a *welcome* email from them, I suppose from when I clicked the link to read the article. I quickly fired back a reply, asking how my private info was in their possession. And saying that although I think Snyder is an important voice to follow, I am most uncomfortable and feel as if some of my privacy has already been breached. I had not yet subscribed or clicked anything yet they have my email addy and my credit card number?

Sigh. I guess I won't be subscribing after all.

NOT a happy camper right now. >:-(

Yikes! I can’t imagine how that happened! I didn’t see my info when I subscribed for free. I’m going back to check. Scary!

As for buying Canadian, I saw this chart on FB. I haven’t vetted it, so I don’t know how accurate it is or if any of the Canadian companies are subsidiaries of US companies.

Thanks for that chart, Mary. One of my friends is on facebook and this may be what she sent me this morning. I haven't looked at it yet. We have homework to do!

I also need to renew my passport this year (I have to check when, exactly). I did not step foot in the States during his first go-round and sadly, that will happen again this time so the urgency isn't there. But it makes sense to renew it anyhow, before it expires. A couple of friends and I did a quick weekend road trip to Buffalo last October and it was great. We were hoping to go back in the spring, but to a different spot, to visit the Lucille Ball museum. But that will have to wait...

I can remember when, as a kid, we used to go to Plattsburgh, NY (only an hour or so drive from Montreal) for the day, to go to the beach or to visit my uncle, who lived there. No passports were needed to drive across the border then. Those days are long gone....

>179 jessibud2: Hi Shelley. That must feel scary, them having your email etc. Good for you for immediately reacting.

Timothy Snyder’s article still is a good one. It reminds me of what happened in Russia after the USSR broke doen. Russia became a mob-ruled country.

>180 Storeetllr: - Just checked and yes, this is the same chart my friend sent me this morning. I need to figure out how to enlarge it enough to read, before I print it. And - am I surprised? - no reply yet from the Timothy Snyder website...

Yes, Ella, it was a very good article which was why I thought to subscribe. We need to follow trustworthy voices, especially now, in the days of so much fake news garbage being passed off as *news* or *truth*. Snyder is one of those voices. So this autofill of my private info really threw me. I probably won't get a reply from them. It's probably just some sort of bot or whatever it's called.

After reading the article, did you scroll down to see the *subscribe* button? Is your info there too? I am simply not tech savvy enough to know how this sort of thing happens but I guess I know enough to run away from it and not fall into that trap.

I just made another connection. The *welcome* newsletter from Timothy Snyder came from a *substack* email address. The only other thing I subscribe to at substack is The Borowitz Report. So, I just sent them a letter, explaining the situation and asking, point blank (but politely) if they share or sell private info of their subscribers. I asked for them to please respond and to be honest. I truly don't expect them to reply at all but if I find out that they did, I will cancel my subscription to Borowitz. I may also ask my friend on facebook to warn others about this breach of privacy. I am not on facebook and never would be, but people need to know and be aware. I know tons of places sell private info but this is just so wrong. I swear, if I had a blood pressure problem, it would be off the charts right now. I don't (yet) so that's good but still.

I will continue to read Snyder's books, and will continue to read Borowitz when it appears in other publications but I will not give my money to companies who do this sort of thing.

As best we can, Dave and I are trying to buy Canadian or non -American food and goods. Not that easy. Our local Tisols has red stickers on it , for Canadian items. And we've been looking through the foods we have for where they are made. I've wondered if I might make my own peanut butter as the brand I buy is from the USA, and no equivalent in Canada - it's Adams Natural Peanut Butter.

>185 vancouverdeb: - I like that idea of the red stickers for Cdn products! Did your stores do that just recently, for this *buy Canadian* thing or have they always done that? I might suggest it at our stores! I heard trump in a news clip today say that Canada doesn't have any food from the States. Or cars. What a dimwit. He either truly doesn't know or just doesn't care and says whatever he wants. He opens his mouth and whatever comes out, comes out. He truly doesn't care if what he says has any validity. He just likes the sound of his own voice.

>183 jessibud2: I see several empty boxes where you can write an email address, if you want to subscribe. No mail address or credit card info filled in. Could it be this substack address? Is it something like wordpress, where anyone can publish a weblog?

>187 EllaTim: - I don't know the answers to your questions, Ella. All I know is that when I scrolled down, after reading the article, there was an option to subscribe and 4 types of subscriptions. They automatically have the second option (annual) clicked but you could also select free subscription, with fewer *perks* as such. I never clicked on any of them and did not proceed past that at all once I saw my info autofilled. The more I think about it, the more convinced I am that it had to come from substack (I don't even know how to describe what that is. A platform, maybe, for newsletters? Yes, I guess like wordpress). I did do a paid subscription to The Borowitz Report and I am pretty sure that is how my info is in their database. I wrote to ask them and of course, have had no reply. But if I don't get one tomorrow, I will cancel my subscription there and inform them that I plan to warn everyone I know that they are not respecting my privacy.

>188 jessibud2: The People there, at the Borowitz report should know more, and at least they should know that your privacy was invaded.

>186 jessibud2: Tisol's and Bosley's too, just started putting red sticker on Canadian products, Shelly. Dave was out yesterday getting some treats for Muffin and a brand we already have purchased for Muffin had a red sticker on it. Apparently, a big grocery chain that I think is BC owned, Save On Foods , is working on putting out signs for Canadian made/ sourced food as well. It's encouraging. I've not been in the stores today or yesterday as we have snow! and I don't have snow tires. Dave has all wheel drive so he has been out driving.

>190 vancouverdeb: - We don't have Tisol's or Bosley's here in Ont, as far as I know but I plan to mention it at the places I shop. I like the idea a lot.

And you will love this, Deb. I had to go to the post office earlier this afternoon and so, to console myself, I stopped at Purdy's, because, well, chocolate is always a cure for what ails me. And Purdy's is proudly Canadian, lol! ;-)

>189 EllaTim: - I expect they do, Ella. And maybe that is the precise reason they aren't responding. I'll wait till tomorrow and see. I will have to try to find another way to contact them if they won't reply to email.

>176 jessibud2: Oh neat! A round puzzle. You don't see those too ofter.

Just catching up Shelley and I am updating my stats on books read in January and maybe I am missing something but I cannot figure out what you have read in January. Are you able to help me, dear lady.

>191 jessibud2: Purdy's is definitely Canadian. I've been on one of the factory tours in Vancouver. They used to have them around Easter time. I'm not sure if they still do.

When I searched online the info I got on Substack is that it's an American online platform to support subscription newsletters, so it takes care of publishing, payment etc. My take on it is that the autofill probably came from the platform.

>116 jessibud2: Shelly, I laughed right out loud regarding your question of Theo's looks and that there doesn't seem to be need for food.

We had a power outage a few nights ago. We were warned by the electical company about this. The power went off and then back on for about ten minues, finally resulting in an hour's lack of power. When the electricity return, Meow, Meow followed me from room to room the rest of the evening. She obviously wa traumatized by the process. I laughed because she usually is very indepenent, bordering on haughty.

Hello, and happy Tuesday to you as the world continues to disintegrate! Have a lovely crisis!

Well,Shelly, I had to get out of the house after being snowed in for a couple of days. One of the places I hit was Purdy's and I just got a small peanut butter heart, which was delicious! I also had to stop into Indigo, and purchased just one book, Isola. I also went to McDonald's for a coke and just to get out of the house! I was going to read my book at McDonald's but ended up heading to the mall. I think of myself as a homebody, but not so much after being home for two days, other than walking the dog in the am.

And, I am sorry to tell that Bosley's and Tisol's used to be independent chains , but have been purchased by the dreaded PetValu! Argh!

The marking of groceries etc is a new thing in response to Trump's tariffs.

Sorry, you had to bail on the Backyard Banquet puzzle. Looks like a very cool one. Do you listen to audiobooks while "puzzling", like many others do?

Day 2 of this nasty migraine so I am only now getting around to the threads.

>193 figsfromthistle: - I haven't seen any round ones before, either, Anita. It's a beauty, though. I hope to get back to it later today or tomorrow, once my migraine meds kick in and I can see straight!

>195 Familyhistorian: - A factory tour! Did they give out samples? I once worked at a specialty chocolate shop. You quickly learn things like not to go to work hungry....

I did a bit of homework re substack, too, Meg. So, apparently, I seem to have got on their *free* subscriber list, which is just as well. I never did hear back from them, which doesn't surprise me at all. *They* are probably just a bot anyhow, no humans involved.

>196 Whisper1: - Hi Linda. In my house, it's Theo who is mostly independent and casual and Owen who is the scaredy cat. Except for thunder. For whatever reason, Owen is not bothered by it at all but Theo cowers and often runs downstairs and hangs out by the basement door. Go figure.

>197 richardderus: - Things are getting crazier by the day, Richard. trump's attempts to take over the world are insane. As insane as he is. I wish someone would scoop him, Netanyahu, Musk, Putin and probably RFK, for good measure, and airlift and deposit them into the nearest active volcano.

>198 vancouverdeb: - ONE? You bought and ate just ONE piece of Purdy's? You have a will of steel, Deb! Their prices have gone up in the last year so I usually only buy 6 and ration them as a treat over the course of a week, but I don't think I could ever buy just one, lol!

As for PetValu, I just googled and at least, for the moment, they are still a Canadian business.

>199 msf59: - I hope to get back to the Backyard Banquet puzzle one of these days, Mark. It is a gorgeous picture but just too challenging for me at the moment. As for audiobooks, absolutely yes! I am not happy to report that I bailed on one that I hoped and expected to love, McBride's The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store. I made it through 2 complete discs (out of 11, I think it was). For some reason, it just wasn't grabbing me. I absolutely adored his The Colour of Water, that one narrated by the late great Andre Braugher. This one was a different narrator and I don't think he was bad, just nothing to write home about. Oh well. Sadly, I have DNF'd a few books so far this year. I am currently listening to one of the Irish Country Doctor books (there are many in this series). It's kind of my secret indulgence. They are well-written and the narrator, John Keating, is beyond outstanding. Gentle, funny, pure story-telling, just fun. I also have a few other audiobooks waiting: Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee, and I forget the second one... Anyhow, yes, puzzling definitely = audiobook time!

One of the books I am currently reading is The Bookbinder by Pip Williams. She wrote The Dictionary of Lost Words which I really enjoyed a year or so ago. Well, to my surprise, Esme Nicholl, the protagonist from that first novel, has popped up in this one. I wasn't expecting the crossover but I am loving it. I stopped by the Toronto Reference Library's used bookshop today to see if they had a copy of Dictionary (they sell books for $1, and I have donated a lot of books to them over the years), but they didn't. I will actively look for it now at a couple of other used bookstores because I have a feeling I may want to look back at it as I make my way through this one. Fun!

Yes, Shelley, just one Purdys' peanut butter heart. But, you reminded me that I also bought a bag of small milk chocolate hears from Purdy's for my grandchildren. So far, so good! :-) The more I buy, the more I am likely to eat! And fast!

>202 vancouverdeb: - Good for you.

Wordle 1,328 5/6 meaty, group, pluck, pugil, pupil. I didn't know that guess #4 was actually a word. I only know its other form but what the heck.

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>144 jessibud2: I read Hana's Suitcase several years ago, so I appreciate the link, Shelley! I will definitely be checking it out.

>145 m.belljackson: I do that too, Marianne. There are also vegan egg replacers available as well for baking. Ener-G makes one that I have used for years.

>148 jessibud2: I had a similar thing happen to me with a grocery store a few years back. I had asked for 3 pounds of ham for Kerry for a holiday and they sent me 3 entire hams. I told them I did not need 3 hams and she told me to throw them away. Even though I do not eat meat, I was horrified by this suggestion. We ended up freezing ham and then I gave one to my mother and the other to my sister. Geez Louise.

>155 jessibud2: I have high hopes for the Pip Williams book too. It is sitting in my room waiting for me to pick it up and read it!

BTW - I love the puzzle pictures. I am constantly on the lookout for ones for my mother, who loves doing them, but these days she does not tackle anything over 500 pieces.

>204 alcottacre: - That's awful, about the ham, Stasia. What the hell is wrong with people anyhow. I am so happy that you were able to *re-home* them. Geez Louise indeed!

Also, see my note in >201 jessibud2:. So far, so good and I am only around 60 pages or so in. I think this is just the read I needed now as I have been floundering and flitting a bit lately. Well, my audiobook is great but I only listen when I work on a puzzle and today is my third day of a migraine so I haven't touched the puzzle since Monday.

Just a note on the Substack conversation. I subscribe to several newsletters on that platform, and do not pay for any of them. A paid subscription usually gets you slightly more content, and benefits the author of the particular newsletter. Like any responsible service, (like LT, for example) they have a privacy policy, and terms of use. Substack's can be found here. It is possible your e-mail and credit card information were plugged in by your own device, which often stores that stuff for auto-filling forms.

>206 laytonwoman3rd: - After getting the Borowitz Report for awhile I decided to pay for a subscription and I think that must be how my personal info was autofilled. I wasn't necessarily going to pay for another subscription with Snyder but I guess I must have clicked on the *subscribe* button, though I don't remember doing that. That's when the 4 subscription options popped up, only the last being free. But the button for the annual subscription was the default and that's when my info appeared. Instead of manually switching and clicking on the free option, I have to assume that it automatically registered me as a free subscriber. I Clicked off quickly and never did select any of the options but I am now getting Snyder's newsletter in my inbox anyhow. Which is fine but still. I am not comfortable and do not like knowing that my personal info is where I don't want it. And of course, no one ever did reply to my email, which I did not expect anyhow. I did spend a fair amount of time researching substack and their privacy policy. In this insane world of non-human technology, it just would have been nice to be able to speak to or connect with an actual person. Sigh. I really should know better. If this makes me a luddite, so be it. There are many advantages of technology (LT being just one), but I just don't like the direction technology is going these days.

Whatever.

Wordle 1,329 3/6 meaty, wrath, swath

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" I just don't like the direction technology is going these days." Very hard to argue with that. Whenever I have that thought I wonder, is this me getting old? But I truly believe we've gone too far down the road, and there may be no backing out.

Sorry for the migraine, Shelley. Hope it passes soon.

>209 laytonwoman3rd: I quite agree. And there are lots of people who really can’t handle it, for several reasons.

>200 jessibud2: >197 richardderus: I’m right there with you on that. I’d contribute to the cost of having it done. Can we add Vance and Johnson to the group?

>209 laytonwoman3rd: - Exactly.

>210 EllaTim: - Thanks Ella. Headache is back though not as bad as the last 3 days. I blame it on the crazy weather. Bright sun (about which I won't complain) but strong winds and quite cold. Wind is a big trigger for me.

>211 Storeetllr: - I initially thought about using a helicopter for my fantastic one-way *excursion* for them, Mary, but maybe we are going to need a jumbo jet, to hold them all.

From today's Canadian Geographic Magazine's online newsletter. I was there (The Ice Hotel) with a friend in 2008! Magical memories:

https://canadiangeographic.ca/articles/what-it-takes-to-build-an-ice-hotel/

https://canadiangeographic.ca/articles/spending-the-night-in-north-americas-only... (and believe me, we paid nowhere near what they are quoting in this article for one night in the basic room. I can't remember exactly what we paid but we were both working girls at the time and it felt pricey even then but it was a once-in-a-lifetime adventure and yes, we slept in the ice room! And it was worth every penny)

Edited to upload some photos from our trip there:


an example of a bed and room in the Ice Hotel, Quebec City (from a trip in 2008). This one was pretty elaborate; we had a *low-end* room, as per our budget, lol. But each bedroom was unique, no 2 the same.


pelt on benches, feathers and art in ice, right inside entryway, everywhere you turned.


Stairs and slide. No, I didn't slide down. But I saw others doing so. Not sure why this pic is so small.


Entry to the chapel


The N'Ice bar, lit at night. There were pelts for the benches, in case you wanted to sit down.


From inside the entryway, looking out, with the other *backup* resort behind me.

Interesting pictures of the Ice Room, Shelley.

>200 jessibud2: No free samples on the Purdy factory tour. It did end in the gift shop though.

So, I picked up the big book of Pacita Abad's art from the library yesterday, Pacita Abad. It weighs in at 347 pages and I don't know the weight on the scale but it's heavy! I couldn't help myself and sat down right away, looking at all the photos and reprints, many of which I had seen when the exhibit was here. But there are also many articles and interviews, histories, etc with friends, family, colleagues, and other archival info that I am eager to read. Some of it, again, was at the exhibit here but it goes more in-depth into her life. The pictures on the flat page don't do justice to her work that seeing them in real life would, obviously. In fact, if I do say so myself, I think the photos I took and posted here did more justice to the depth and textures of each piece. That said, I am happy that my library had this in the system and I intend to spend time reading through it.

Also spent a couple of hours working on my puzzle today (almost done!) and listening to my audiobook.

>213 jessibud2: Beautiful pictures, Shelley. The chapel looks very special. So wasn’t it cold to sleep in an ice room?

>216 EllaTim: - Thanks, Ella. Yes, it was cold but the walls are blocks of ice several feet thick so there was no wind at all around us. There was an instruction session after we checked in where they gave us each thermal sleeping bags and showed us how to get in and close it up. We were sent via email, a list of the appropriate clothing to wear (long underwear, hat, mittens, warm socks, etc) and before bed, there was an outdoor hot tub (my first time in a hot tub!) that warmed us up. If you click on the second link in my post >213 jessibud2:, the journalist who wrote that article wrote about his experience spending the night there and it is quite accurate. I was truly surprised that I enjoyed it as much as I did, given how much I don't like the cold, in general, but it was truly a wonderful experience, and although the cost of the room comes with a room in the real hotel on the same property, we did not wimp out and sleep there; we stayed at the Ice Hotel for the full night. We only used the hotel room in the morning to shower. We also stored our suitcase there overnight so our clothes wouldn't be frozen in the morning, lol!

I love the pictures of Theo. He does remind me so much of Carson. Have you seen the silly YouTube videos of Penny the Talking Cat? There are a lot of them (watching them is one of P's primary stress management activities) and they vary a lot in quality but there is one where Penny goes to therapy because her mom has her on a diet. "She loves to see me miserable!" It's very cute.

>218 EBT1002: - Hi Ellen. No, I have not heard of Penny the talking cat but I bet she could rival my boy any day. I will check it out, thanks! ;-)

Just finished my round puzzle and it's a beauty. 500 pieces but it was tricky:

That ice hotel is so cool, Shelley! I have done that beautiful round puzzle too. It is gorgeous! Shh- I just ordered a couple of round puzzles from Puzzles Canada, as well as a 1000 piece Eeboo and then I read that at 7pm your time, Puzzles Canada is going to have new Ravens-burger Puzzles up for sale. I hope none appeals to me . Or not. :-)

>220 vancouverdeb: - I have never ordered a puzzle online, Deb. I do very little online shopping. But a friend who I have been lending my puzzles to just told me she has 2 to lend me next time we get together. And after I took the round one apart this afternoon, I started the bookstore one (in >168 jessibud2:). I almost have the border done but put it away for the evening as I want to go read my book. I did get through 2 more discs of my audiobook this afternoon, though!

Let me know what puzzles you order. Do they have reasonable shipping charges? Canada Post rates are truly over the top, if you ask me, and just getting worse. It's almost cheaper to mail a paperback book, for example, to the States than it is to anywhere in Canada. How crazy is that.

>213 jessibud2: Excellent photos! Must have been quite a unique experience.

>222 figsfromthistle: - It really was. The talent that goes into creating it, from scratch, every year, and the art sculptures in each room and corridor, is amazing.

Wordle 1,332 4/6 meaty, rowdy, foody, goody

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Margaret Renkl today, on Tenderness as an act of Resistance:

By Margaret Renkl

Ms. Renkl is a contributing Opinion writer who writes from Nashville on flora, fauna, politics and culture in the American South.

The first time I interviewed the internationally renowned children’s author Kate DiCamillo, a teenager in Uvalde, Tex., had just killed 19 elementary school students and two of their teachers. I called Ms. DiCamillo because a post she wrote on Facebook told me she was grieving. I was grieving too. Surely, I thought, we were all grieving.

In our conversation, she told me about talking with some schoolchildren earlier that day. “They were all about the same age as the kids would’ve been in Texas, and I thought, ‘I am so heartbroken,’” she said. “And then I thought, ‘That’s my job: to stay heartbroken, to stay heartbroken about this.’”

Her words have been echoing in my mind for the last three weeks. This time it’s not because of a school shooting — although there was just another one in my own city — but because nearly every hour of every day now, another cause for keening grief has erupted from a presidency built entirely for destruction.

What kind of president dismantles and threatens to shut down an agency that feeds hungry children? Or appoints as health secretary a crackpot vaccine skeptic at a time when avian influenza may be on the verge of human-to-human transmission? Or abandons efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, even those that are more cost-effective than fossil fuels, just as climate-driven weather disasters are worsening?

What kind of president targets religious groups urging compassion toward immigrants and working to resettle refugees? Or rounds up people who came here to find work and puts them in a prison camp built for terrorists? All while blocking pathways to legal migration?

Until 2016, we lived in a democracy governed mostly by elected officials who loved this country and wanted to do right by it, even if they held sharply divergent views of “right.” Now we live in a country governed by a party of cruelty, and often it feels like the only thing left to do is rage against the dying of the light. We have to stay heartbroken about this.

Fury is a powerful motivator of resistance, but there is only so much rage a person can harbor without nurturing something cold and still and hard in the place where a warm, living heart once beat. Already I am exhausted by my own fury, and the second Trump presidency is only three weeks old.

This is, of course, their plan.

Tuning out can feel like the only way to survive. But too many people are in immediate danger and can’t afford to look away. They are counting on the rest of us to stand beside them, to flood our senators and representatives with emails and phone calls, to write letters to the editor, to march in public squares. Paying too little attention is what got us into this mess. We can’t change what’s already done, but we can let the anarchists know we’re watching now.

But in these days of fury, I am also trying to keep my own heart soft, to follow Kate DiCamillo’s lead and let it be broken. I am trying to set anger aside and give myself over to the simplicity of grief. The oligarchs are trying to kill my country and scavenge its bones, and if I can do nothing to stop them, at least I can bear witness. I can grieve.

The question is how a heart can be broken again and again and again and not fall into a fruitless desolation. How is it possible to protect a tender heart when it’s dangerous to turn away from what is breaking it?

The party of rogues and reprobates is counting on us to look away. They need us to go along with our lives — signing permission slips for school, planning a summer trip, wondering what Bitcoin is — as though our democracy is not in mortal danger. As though so many of the people we live and work among, whose children sit next to our children in school, are not in mortal danger.

In truth, not one of us is safe. Depending on how much Congress and the courts let the Trump administration get away with, we are all just a mismanaged pandemic — or an ectopic pregnancy, or a pre-existing condition, or a chemical spill, or a natural disaster, or a brewing world war — away from calamity. No one voted for an administration that will leave them to fend for themselves in a disaster, much less one that threw the door open wide to it, but that’s what we are getting.

In the time since I spoke with Ms. DiCamillo about the tragedy in Uvalde, nothing has been done to keep children safe from guns, and more children will suffer and die because of this administration’s indifference to human anguish. So I emailed Ms. DiCamillo to ask if she had figured out yet how to keep letting herself be heartbroken without becoming broken forever.

“I fall into the mineshaft of despair over and over again, and over and over again something (the moon, an eagle, the snow) or someone (a kid who tells me that Despereaux makes them feel brave, a stranger who looks me in the eye and smiles, a grandparent who tells me about reading aloud to their grandchild) will reach down to pull me out,” she wrote. “I’ve learned to not resist these hand-holds. I’ve learned to let the beauty of the world and the bravery of other people pull me up and out of the despair.”

I thought of Ms. DiCamillo when I read about the Democrats’ Senate sit-in and the countrywide protests held last week. I thought of her when the F.B.I.’s acting director, Brian Driscoll, stood up to the bullies demanding the names of agents who worked on Jan. 6 cases; when security officials at the U.S. Agency for International Development refused to give Elon Musk access to internal systems; and again when Ellen L. Weintraub, the chairwoman of the Federal Election Commission, refused to step down after President Trump fired her on social media. All around us, brave people are fighting. Even if some of those fights prove to be doomed, they remind us that we know how to fight, and how to keep fighting.

All around us, too, is beauty — art and music and stories, like the brave mouse in “The Tale of Desperaux,” that make us feel brave, too; evergreens that shelter singing birds and hardwoods trembling on the verge of green; lighted planets lined up in a parade across the night sky; glowworms hiding deep in the leaf litter, waiting for warmth to turn them into fireflies; ponds with clouds scudding across their shining surface, and turtles sleeping deep in their soft mud.

Anger lets in too little beauty, but heartbreak? A tender heart feels the fury and the fear, the sorrow and suffering, the beauty and the bravery alike. In the years ahead, we will need them all.

A bit darker, perhaps, than her usual but I think she articulates well what most of us simply can't, or don't want to. And she ends with that nudge in the direction that we are all feeling: to find beauty where we can.

>225 jessibud2: Tuning out can feel like the only way to survive. But too many people are in immediate danger and can’t afford to look away. They are counting on the rest of us to stand beside them, to flood our senators and representatives with emails and phone calls, to write letters to the editor, to march in public squares. Paying too little attention is what got us into this mess. We can’t change what’s already done, but we can let the anarchists know we’re watching now.

I wish this message was more widely distributed.

Regarding Canada Puzzle, Shelley, they are very reasonable with shipping prices, I think. It is an $8 dollar flat rate , no matter if you purchase one puzzle or 10. If you purchase over $69 Cdn, then shipping is free. It usually come UPS to me, and within 5 - 7 days , and it is located in Ontario, so it would be quicker for you. I do find they ask for a signature for a UPS package, but I sign for mine online, so I don't have to worry about being home. They also ship Canada Post, or used to do, and then you don't have to sign. But they chose which way they ship. For every $100 dollar you spend on puzzles, you get a $10 online coupon to subtract from your total, so I think it's a good place to shop. A lot of selection, which I don't find in physical stores in my area.

I will give it a look, Deb. $8 shipping doesn't sound bad, considering what just about anything via Canada Post costs.

Wordle 1,333 3/6 meaty, slice, score

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Cool pics of The Ice Hotel. It looks...chilly. Glad you had such a good time.

Thanks for sharing the Renkl piece. She is such a deep, thoughtful writer:

"Anger lets in too little beauty, but heartbreak? A tender heart feels the fury and the fear, the sorrow and suffering, the beauty and the bravery alike. In the years ahead, we will need them all."

>229 msf59: - It was a real treat and I loved it in spite of not generally being a fan of the cold, lol!

And yes, Renkl is so thoughtful and articulate.

Wordle 1,334 4/6 meaty, audio, vapid, rapid

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It doesn't take much to confuse me, with new technology. I am not liking the new @ thing. I find it a useless change for the sake of change. It looks cluttered to me. But whatever. So be it. If it doesn't affect or change anything, I will learn to get used to it and ignore it and one day, I won't even notice it, right?

Then I read about the new notifications every time my name is mentioned anywhere. So I decided to disable that, because it seemed that option was there. Then I went away from the computer for awhile. I came back now and when I click on *talk* my entire thread is not there. I can only find my thread by going through *groups*. I went into another thread and tried *talk* again. And again, no thread, except through groups.

I like getting book recommendations in notifications. But I don't need a notification every time I am replied to somewhere. I will see that when I visit those threads. This is another thing that is superfluous and unnecessary. What I clicked on to disable (or what I thought was disabling it) was *dismiss new mentions*. So that's why I turned it off. And THAT causes my thread to disappear from talk?

Call me when this mess is fixed.

>231 jessibud2: My Talk hasn't changed

When you click on Talk, what option in the left column is highlighted?

>232 kac522: - Under Your World, this is what is listed:

Your World
Groups and Posts
Your Groups
Your Posts
Started by You
Starred Topics
@Mentions
Book Discussions
More

The last 2 are in bold, if that's what you mean by highlighted. If I click on More, the drop-down has only 2 items: Ignored Topics and Favourited Messages.

When I click on talk, all I get is a white screen and a box with @ Mentions on the top left. Beneath that are boxes with New Mentions, All Mentions, Dismiss New Mentions. That's what I thought I was doing as I didn't feel it was necessary to inform me of new mentions. I will see responses when I visit threads I regularly post in.
Then, under that row of 3 boxes is the word Group

Weird. My message got cut off. Here is what I see in edit mode but did not appear in the post:

It happened again, cut off.

The word group with a *less than* sign and a hyphen and the word Topic. For some reason, LT doesn't seem to want me to post that.

Group

Obviously, I understand nothing and did something I shouldn't have and can't figure out how to undo it. If this is what happens when I want to dismiss (or disable) new mentions, why offer that as an option if it causes my thread to disappear.

Not a happy camper right now.

>233 jessibud2: Click on Started by You.
Do you see your thread?

I mean "Started by You" in the left column. It should turn red

>236 kac522: - Holy cow. It lists every thread I ever started. What happened to the way it was, where I click on Talk and all the threads I've starred appear. And for all my effort to disable those stupid notifications, the little bell is still highlighted in yellow after every time you are responding. That would be easy enough to ignore if the rest was working. But it isn't.

>237 kac522: Now Click on Starred Topics, which is just below Started by you

Ok, I just clicked on Your Groups and suddenly it's back to normal. But I'd like to know what the heck happened because I never clicked on that before, not today and not ever.

Just plain weird. I think I will shut down now and try tomorrow to see if things are ok.

Thanks for trying to sort it out for me, Kathy.

Nope. Actually, not back to normal. It takes me to the entire list in Groups. All threads, not only the ones I starred. I give up for tonight.

Whatever.

And on my phone now, when I click Talk, the entire group of 75ers still appears, even threads I haven't starred. If I haven't starred them, why am I seeing them? What's the point of starring threads then?

Too much technology for my little pea brain to understand. Nothing in technology is intuitive to me. Maybe this whole exercise is a site improvement for someone but for me, it was never broken, and the *fix* seems to have broken it for me.

Frustrating and disappointing.

On the Talk page you have to click on "Starred Topics" on the left in order to see your starred topics. Sometimes if I make a change some place else, this mysteriously gets changed.

>243 kac522: - I did that, too, last night and nothing changed. Still messed up. I clicked on Starred by me just now and it seems ok now. Whew.

I would just like to know what happened and how and why, so I can avoid doing whatever it was that I perhaps did to cause this mess. And I would really like to get rid of those excessive and useless notifications. Bad idea.

>244 jessibud2: It sounds like a glitch to me. Meaning it may be nothing you did, just a temporary malfunction that might have been related to some site tweaking going on at that moment. Although I'm using a PC, where things do behave differently from mobile devices, I have opted out of the notifications, with no other consequences.

>245 laytonwoman3rd: - Thanks, Linda. I still have no idea what happened or how but for now, at least, things seem back to normal and that's really all I care about. I just get so frustrated when technology plays with me. I try to be logical and try to fix things by myself but that rarely, if ever, works. I have a wonderful computer guy for when things happen at home on my laptop and even then, I always try to see if I can figure things out before calling him. Once, he told me: just call me. Hehe...

Anyhow, I am just happy things are back to the way they were before this mess started. I honestly was not prepared to give up LT but trying to navigate it the way it was last night - nope, no way.

>246 jessibud2: I'm sure he told you to just call him right away! But you're probably learning a little something every time you try to fix things yourself, and that's a good thing.

>247 laytonwoman3rd: - I'd like to hope so. Mostly, I operate on the *cover-my-ears-and-lalalala- I-can't-hear-you* principle. ;-)

>244 jessibud2: Glad it's back to normal, Shelley. If you open LT on your phone, be sure that the "Starred" option is selected on Talk there, too. Since I don't use LT on a phone, I don't know if that setting carries over from your computer to your phone.

>246 jessibud2: I'm sorry you had so much trouble with the change. There's an LT thread about the issue at https://www.librarything.com/topic/368384. The main thing I want to point out from that thread is that Tim said, if you want to turn off the notifications, do this:

"Like other notifications, you have control over this. If you want to turn off all such @-mentions notifications, go to https://www.librarything.com/settings/notifications."

I hope that helps. I was able to use it successfully.

I think all the "Dismiss new mentions" does is dismiss any new mentions that have popped up since the last time you dismissed your mentions (or reviewed them). It doesn't actually turn the feature off.

It is a hassle, the notifications, Shelley. I think I am getting used to it now. If you turn off the notifications it seems to me that I can't see Talk at all, so , I'll be okay with it all. I hope it will be okay for you too.

>249 kac522: - Thanks, Kathy. I never tried to do anything with LT on my phone except read and post - I have no idea how to even get into any settings and can't see any of the stuff across the top, on my phone. But I never tried to figure that out because I didn't feel the need. In any case, it seems back to normal today and I actually haven't been online much today as I spent a lot of time working on my puzzle and listening to my audiobook.

>250 atozgrl: - Hi Irene. Welcome to my thread. I see you on many other threads but haven't seen you here before! In fact, I did go to that thread and had a few backs and forths with Tim Spaulding. He did explain that to me. I hope he doesn't think I'm an idiot (or worse) but I was truly a bit freaked out by what was going on (or not going on) in my thread yesterday. In any case, today seems better and I am just crossing my fingers that it stays that way!

>251 vancouverdeb: - As I said above, Deb, today seems better, for now so I am just treading lightly and keeping my fingers crossed. I still think it's all change for the sake of change, with no actual *improvement* to the site, except maybe for those techies who happen to enjoy playing with tech. I can't see any other reason for this.

Almost finished my current puzzle. It's a Peter Pauper one (the third one in >168 jessibud2:). It's a great pic, challenging but fun. My only complaint is that the pieces don't stick together that well. But still, a cool one. I listened to 3 discs of my current audiobook and have only 2 discs left to finish.

I have a cute but tough puzzle on the go, Shelley. My sister gave it to me for Christmas. It's a 1000 pieces, and it's a bunch of dogs with a dog walker, which is just up my alley. But the pieces are random cut , and I can't even figure out what all of the edge pieces are. That is a cute Peter Pauper Puzzle. One of the puzzles I ordered from Puzzles Canada is called The Book Club, or something. Can you believe I ordered 6 puzzles from Puzzles Canada! In 3 different orders over a couple of days. Talk about crazy!

>253 vancouverdeb: - Deb, lol. I know. Puzzles can be almost as irresistible as books, right?

I am getting together with friends tonight for dinner and one of them is the friend I exchange puzzles with (well, and books too!). She has 2 to give me and I have one for her. Two, if I can finish this one today.

Well, this was a surprise!

Wordle 1,336 2/6 meaty, ditty

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Here you go, Shelley...sounds good to me...O, Canada....



(...showed up on my husband's Facebook feed today....)

>256 kac522: - I LOVE it, Kathy! lol! Thanks! What does it say in the little box on the bottom right? I can't make it out. Otherwise, it looks just fine to me! ;-)

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Hmmm. More *changes* to the LT look, I see. Before today, I am sure I remember that when you visited a thread, it would automatically jump down to the last post read and there would be a little black bar next to the first new (unread) one so if there were several posts since you last visited, the little bar would indicate where to start reading new ones. My own posts would have the bar in red but all other unread ones would be black. This morning, no more black bar, just my red ones. So now, if I go to someone's thread and there are, say, 6 or more new posts since I last visited, I have no idea where to begin reading unless I look at dates, or guess, or reread previous posts until I hit a new one.

What is the point of this change, I wonder? How does that *improve* the site? Were those little bars using up too much space or memory? Is anyone else noticing this?

Ok, edited to add that I just looked again and now I see that the entire bar that contains the post # and the poster's name is a slightly darker shade of blue than previous posts. Whatever. I still wonder, why bother but, just, whatever.

>256 kac522: ...makes as much sense as "Gulf of America"....

>259 jessibud2: Why bother indeed, Shelley. Well, we just figure it out as we go.

>257 jessibud2: The bottom one is "Canada Canal".

Shelley, tell Trudeau to get his act together and invade. I am so embarrassed to be a citizen of the United States.

>262 kac522: - The little box on the left, bottom.

Listen, we are rather embarrassed by Trudeau, who hung on far past his best before date, before he realized he was toast. Now he has left our country in a mess. An election coming far too soon, and our premier, Baby Trump, leading all the premiers to Washington, pretending that he alone can fix this. As if. They are home, claiming the trip a *success*. They didn't even get to see or speak to trump, and therefore, nothing changes re the tariffs. What our *esteemed* premiers fail to recognize - that even I, a nobody, non-politician citizen can see for what it is - is that trump's *mind*, such as it is, if there is one, will not be changed. With trump, everything is a game and unless he can see himself as a winner and everyone else as losers, there is nothing to talk about. He thrives and lives for this and always has. That is not going to change.

What a messed up world we live in.

Deep breaths.

>263 jessibud2: The little box is from the original map, with the boundary lines, legend of miles, etc.:

>264 kac522: - Oh, ok. Thanks

>263 jessibud2: Yeah, well, yesterday in Munich we told our long-time allies in Europe that we couldn't care less about them and they're on their own. And our stupid Vice President scolded them, saying they have way more problems internally than to be concerned about Russia or China. So, so embarrassing. Any country that didn't hate us before, has got to hate us now (except Russia, of course).

I am way behind on your thread, Shelley, and just stopping by to check in on you! Have a wonderful weekend!

>254 jessibud2: Hope you had a nice dinner with your friend and got some interesting puzzles.

There are quite a few changes on LT. It used to be that when I would look up a book I could see mentions in talk about it. Now I only see reviews.

I hope you are able to stay warm and be safe shovelling the snow tomorrow. Toronto looks to be getting a lot of snow!

>268 figsfromthistle: It took me a while to find it, but you can still see when a book is mentioned in Talk.

When you go to the book's page, click on "Community" in the left hand column.
On the "Community" page, if you scroll down a bit, you will find the section "Mentions (Touchstones)". If the book has been mentioned in Talk, you'll see the listings of threads where it has appeared and be able to click on the thread from there.

>266 kac522: - Sigh. I know. It's like the proverbial train wreck. No one wants to see what is going on but it's hard to look away.

>267 alcottacre: - Hi Stasia. Thanks for the drive-by, ;-) Hope you are also having a good weekend. By the way, last night I watched a really good documentary on the week (in 1968, I think) that Harry Belafonte hosted The Tonight Show for one week, and chose his own guests. Really a good profile of him, too.

>268 figsfromthistle: - We got quite a lot of snow on Thursday, Anita, then Friday, it was clear and they managed to clear the roads, etc. I ran out for a few errands yesterday morning but it had already started again by the time I got home around noon. Right now, it is coming down lightly but steadily. I will probably go out to shovel later this afternoon, if it stops. No point exerting myself if it fills up again as I do it! You take care out there too!

>266 kac522: He basically scolded us for not allowing the ultra right and the fascists to do and say what they want, or catch them when they are lying. It went down well with a certain part of the population.

We’re having a bit of a cold spell right now, and some sun to go with it! I hope your snow won’t be much.

Hi Shelley, I'm stopping by to say hello. I've taken a break from news this past week. It's been too depressing. But, it is good to get a snipet of what is happening by the discussions here on your thread.

I wonder how those who voted for him are feeling, or what they are thinking.

I feel like we are all on a train track headed for disaser and the person driving the train has no idea how to stop us from a very nasty accident.

>271 EllaTim: - All I can do is shake my had. It was on our news, too, Ella.

>272 Whisper1: - Linda, in all honesty, I think those who voted for him don't think and don't feel. Period. If they had half a brain, we wouldn't be in this position right now. I also think trump's only agenda is to do harm.

So, I just came in from an hour plus of shovelling the driveway (mine and my neighbour's side; we share a double driveway). Our landscapers, who we pay to do this, are nowhere to be seen. No matter, as I like shovelling but it's heavy today and was hard work. Just as I came inside, and took off my coat, Theo somehow managed to slip by me and zoom out. I ran out after him, sans coat (but I was sweating anyhow and it isn't really cold out, which is why the snow is so heavy). I bet his little orange feet never touched snow before and I think he was stunned. He was just standing in front of the garage door, not moving. I couldn't stop laughing!

I wish I could have snapped a pic but I didn't have my phone with me. I am hoping he won't be inclined to try that again! But it was funny!

>269 kac522: Oh thanks! I thought that feature was lost. Glad it is still there.

Happy family day!

>275 figsfromthistle: You're welcome. Just this morning I was looking for the list of characters, which took me some time to find, because now it's a horizontal list, when it used to be a vertical list. I'm not happy with this minor change, as I find it harder to read through a horizontal list; it's so much easier to scan up and down a vertical list looking for what you want.

>269 kac522:, >276 kac522: - Those are not things I ever used so thanks, Anita, for clarifying but again, it seems to me that LT is going the route of change for the sake of change. Sigh..

I am not on instagram or any other social media but a friend sent me this link this morning and it cracked me up. I just wish it would not have been cut off. I want to hear it ALL:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DGF7XBaSBuq/?igsh=MWFqOTg0cWc0NW1oZQ%3D%3D

Shelley, last night on our local PBS station they aired two early Ken Burns' films: "The Statue of Liberty" (1985) and "The Congress" (1988). They've both been digitized in 2024, so they looked great. I just love listening to David McCullough, who is featured in both. I didn't get to see the full "The Congress" because it conflicted with this week's episode of All Creatures Great and Small.

>278 kac522: - Ooo, good to know, thanks, Kathy.. I will look for them. I think all local PBS stations must have their own programming schedules because I know that what I am watching at any given time, is not what a friend of mine in Mass is watching on her PBS. I love Ken Burns and a few years ago, I had this goal to watch as many of his films as I could get my hands on. Our library system didn't have them all but I did succeed in seeing many. I should go dig out that list....

>278 kac522:, >279 jessibud2: A subscription to PBS gives you access to their streaming service, PBS Passport, so you never have to worry about cross-scheduling issues anymore....and it's only a matter of time until those stations start losing funding, once the Current Occupants turn their attention in that direction. I shudder to say it, but it wouldn't surprise me if they decide to pull their FCC licenses. NPR and PBS have been conservatives' targets in the past, so this crowd is unlikely to leave them alone.

> 280- I have been thinking about a subscription. I should just go to the website but I keep thinking I will wait till a pledge break of some show where there are *perks* I might like. ;-) I certainly have been watching PBS a lot more than I ever did before. Whenever I visited my mum in Montreal, I was usually there over a weekend and there were often musical shows on from artists of her generation which she loved. As did I, since that was the musical soundtrack I grew up listening to in our house.

>279 jessibud2: Our Chicago PBS affiliate, WTTW, has 5 stations, so Ken Burns was on one and All Creatures was on another (one of them has 24-hour kids' programs). But I did find both films online at PBS:

https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/statue-of-liberty/
https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/the-congress/

I notice that both of these have the "Passport" logo, so I hope they work for you.

I'd say airing Ken Burns' films is worth a pledge 😉

>280 laytonwoman3rd: Right, I have Passport. I did hear on a NYTimes podcast last week, the commentators noted that PBS and the PBS NewsHour in particular, is in jeopardy.

Well, that plane crash at Pearson , Shelley. What a thing, the plane ending up upside down , but as far as I know right now , every one has survived. I wonder what happened ?

>282 kac522: - Thanks, Kathy. My instinct right now, as you know, is to *buy Canadian*, in other words, my money stays here, locally. But I know that PBS, as you mentioned, is almost a voice in the wilderness, as far as *sanity and reason* goes in the States and I could see myself making an exception for that, especially since I am a consumer of much of what PBS offers. I will have to check it out and see if I can do this.

>283 vancouverdeb: - Yes, Deb, it was a shock to see that plane on the ground, upside down. They are saying that probably the reason there were no casualties is that, seeing that it was coming in to land, everyone had seatbelts on so although when the plane came to a full stop and they were literally hanging from the ceiling, so to speak, they were belted in place. There were 80 people on board, 18 were injured enough to be taken to hospital and the rest walked away. If I had to guess - and no one is even speculating yet - I'd guess that the weather had something to do with the crash. Maybe the runway had iced up again (we have had a ton of snow here over the last several days, by Toronto standards) and yesterday in particular, was exceptionally windy. One of the wings was sheared right off. Whether that happened on impact or before, is to be determined.

It's -14C here at the moment with a wind chill of -22C. Brrrrr

My city is not used to the amounts of snow we've had this past week. It's fine if you can stay home but not everyone can. Still, this funny cracks me up:

I should probably start a new thread. Maybe later today... feeling lazy at the moment.