RebaRelishesReading 2024 - page 2

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

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

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

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

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

BOOKS READ IN 2024

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

FEBRUARY
7. A Future We Can Love by Susan Bauer-Wu***** (reread)
8. An Immense World by Ed Yong*****
9. Day by Michael Cunningham****1/2 (audio)
10. A Chateau Under Siege by Martin Walker***1/2 (audio)
11. These Precious Days by Ann Patchett ***** (audio)
12. The Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett ****1/2 (audio)
13. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin****

MARCH
14. "O" is for Outlaw by Sue Grafton***1/2
15. Work Song by Ivan Doig ****
16. The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig ***

APRIL
17. Q is for Quarry by Sue Grafton
18. An Irish Country Love Story by Patrick Taylor
19. Mannerly Forever: A Biography of Daphne du Maurier by Tatiana de Rosnay
20. The Rules Do Not Apply by Ariel Levy
21. You'll Never Know, Dear by Hallie Ephron
22. Mrs. Osmond by John Banville
23. Georgia by Dawn Tripp
24. Sleep Like the Dead by Alex Gray
25. The Hidden Palace by Dinah Jefferies

MAY
26. Long Island by Colm Toibin
27. R is for Ricochet by Sue Grafton ***1/2 (audio)
28. S is for Silence by Sue Grafton **** (audio)
29. T is for Trespass by Sue Grafton ***(audio)
30. U is for Undertow by Sue Grafton **** (audio)

Happy new thread, Reba!

Happy new thread!

Happy New Thread, Reba! Hear you may have some winter heading your way soon.

Happy new one, Reba!

Happy new thread, Reba.

>1 RebaRelishesReading: Now that looks like a place I could easily spend a day in :)

Happy new thread

Happy new thread Reba!

Hi Katie (you'd get the crown except I'm not Richard), Rhonda, Roni, Jim, Paul, Anita and Susan! It's lovely to have so many visits.

So today took an unwelcome turn this morning when I answered the door to find a young woman and her dog standing there and she told me my husband had fallen on the sidewalk and couldn't get up!! He had gone for his walk without cane or phone and pretty much right in front of our house (on his way home) crashed. Young woman and I couldn't get him up and, besides, he was bleeding and pretty messed up looking (face plant into the concrete while wearing glasses will do that) so we called 911 and very soon both the fire department paramedics in full red truck arrived and then a minute or so later the EMT ambulance. They checked him out and loaded him into the ambulance which I followed to the hospital emergency room. Nine or 10 hours later we were home again. His face looks like you would expect, both arms are banged up and the left one is fractured (fortunately it isn't displaced so only a sling so far) but no concussion or other serious injury. We have to report to orthopedics tomorrow for their assessment of the fracture and, meanwhile, I have to keep him from using that arm...not an easy task!!

Anyway he's now in bed and I will follow soon...

Oh yes, my Powell's book order arrived while we were away :)

>14 RebaRelishesReading: Oh yikes! I'm so sorry about the fall and all the disruption to your life. At least you'll have reading material while you wait on the medical appointments.

Oh no Reba, I'm so sorry to read about your husband's fall. I'm glad he was able to come home and hope today's appointment goes well.

Oh, no, I'm so sorry about your husband's fall, Reba! That must have been scary for both of you.

Oh Reba, I am so sorry to hear about your husband. I hope the arm heals quickly. Take care.

Oh lord. So sorry about your husband's fall. Definitely too much drama. I hope he heals fast and remembers the essentials (cane, phone) the next time he ventures out.

Thank you Susan, Laura, Katie, Beth and Judy! It was/is frightening and upsetting!! But the saga continues...at about 4 a.m. this morning I woke to a soft thud then heard a little voice saying "Reba, can you come and help me". He was getting up to go to the bathroom and fell/slid to the floor and couldn't get up. He isn't allowed to use his left arm at all (broken shoulder) and was pretty much a dead-weight so no matter how I (and he to the extent he was able) tried there was no way to get him off the floor...except call 911 again. Once again big fire truck with 4 EMT's plus an ambulance with 3 arrived at our door. Fire truck had incredibly bright lights they shined on the house totally illuminating our front yard (don't want to trip and drop the patient!!) anyway, they took him off to the emergency room again. A couple of hours later it was decided that he should be transferred to a hospital in Portland where he can be seen by a gastroenterologist so that's where he is now - a different ambulance and different EMT's took him. I came home to take care of some things and then joined him at the other hospital but he is exhausted and really not in the mood for company So it's 4 p.m. now and I'm home...exhausted and looking forward to a quiet evening and a long sleep. Tests are planned for tomorrow morning and I hope he'll be able to come home tomorrow afternoon...but only if he isn't going to fall again!!

Oh my! For both episodes. How terribly frightening for you, and how exhausting! But why a gastroenterologist?

{{{{{{Reba}}}}}}

Oh no! I hope all future updates will be good news!

Oh no! I hope it isn't serious and that all is back to normal soon. Sending healing thoughts your way.

>14 RebaRelishesReading: and >20 RebaRelishesReading: How terrible! I hope your husband is able to recover in the hospital enough to avoid further falls and injury. Take care!

>20 RebaRelishesReading: What a terrible time you have both been having, Reba, I hope your husband recovers as swiftly as possible.

Reba, that's awful news. I hope the hospital stay gets to the bottom of his troubles and that he is able to be home with you again soon.

Oh, so sorry to hear about another fall. I hope the docs at the hospital can find a reason for these falls and a good resolution. If Jim fell and needed help getting up, at least I have a building staff that could be called to help, but it would be very traumatic for us both.

So, after I received some training in physical an occupational therapy Hubby was discharged from the hospital late this afternoon. We have a sofa with recliners in either end so that's where he will be sleeping for a while (easier to get in and out of). He's to have home physical therapy starting soon. Our trip scheduled to start March 26 is still somewhat up in the air. We'll have to see how quickly his should heals and regains strength.

>21 ronincats: Thank you Roni. Gastroenterologist because he was vomiting and there was blood in it plus some numbers (I don't know what) were dropping quickly. Things looked better today and the Gastroenterologist concluded it had been blood from nose bleed and so decided not to intubate him.

>22 quondame: Thanks Susan. I think the update below is more positive.

>23 BLBera: Thank you Beth. Good thoughts especially welcome right now :)

>24 justchris:, >25 CDVicarage: Thank you both, Chris & Kerry I hope so too!!

>26 lauralkeet: Thanks Laura. He's home and installed on the sofa.

>27 ffortsa: and you too Judy. At least we're closer to the same size :) Even so, I had no hope of getting him up off of the floor, especially with one arm of his that couldn't help and had to be protected. I think he now accepts his temporary limitations and will move carefully and use things like the sofa motor to help himself.

I'm glad to see he's home and under your excellent care, Reba.

>29 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura -- we'll just have to see how excellent that care is though lol

Sorry to hear about your husband's falls, Reba. Hopefully he will be more mobile soon. Best of luck dealing with the patient.

>14 RebaRelishesReading: Oh No!! I am so sorry -- two falls!! Yikes. I am glad that the bleeding and GI seem to be a non-issue now and that you are both back home. Sending best wishes to both of you. Take care.

Oh, wow, Reba, I'm so sorry to read about your husband's falls. How scary for all of you. I hope you are doing better, both of you. What a shock. I'm glad he is home and best wishes with your nursing care with him. I hope he soon mobile and feeling much better. Best wishes to both of you.

Thank you Meg and Kim and Deborah. We made it through the night without incident :) I don't think either of us got a lot of sleep but no falls. He's had a light breakfast this morning and is nodding off again I think.

I appreciate all of your supportive comments -- 75'ers are so great!!

I can sympathize with trying to pick somebody up from a fall. And with the face plant as well. My mother did the face plant thing and broke her nose. If a person is unable to help you get them up off the floor it is very hard to get them up by yourself. Even if they only weigh a hundred pounds.

Belated happy new thread, Reba!

>14 RebaRelishesReading: Oh no, so sorry, I hope your husband will recover soon. A fracture can be very painful and takes a lot of time to heal.

>20 RebaRelishesReading: That sounds even worse...

>28 RebaRelishesReading: So now he is back home, I hope you both get a good rest now.

>35 benitastrnad: Indeed, Benita, and Hubby weighs considerably more than 100 pounds. It doesn't help that one shoulder is broken so I can only pull on one side and he can't push with the other one to help either. Together we can get him into and out of the recliner though so today is going much better.

>36 FAMeulstee: Hi Anita. Thanks for your sympathy. He is doing better today -- eating, sleeping in his recliner and keeping his sling on.

Good news, Reba, that your husband is back home. Take it easy, both of you!

>38 BLBera: Thank you, Beth. We just walked a loop in the house -- me holding his pants at the waist in back. First time he's been up since he came home from hospital. Progress...step by step :)

BFF from high school who recently moved here stopped by yesterday with two boxes of amazing treats from a local bakery she learned about from her daughter (who has lived here 6 years or so). One box had delicious sweet things - one of which I ate last night and one, a cinnamon roll, I had for breakfast. The other box has savory things -- two little tarts featuring goat cheese (a fav of mine) mixed with ??? plus two tube-like pastries that will be a total surprise -- I think we'll have the "tubes" for dinner with a salad.

Did you fellow Alexander McCall Smith fans see that he is on King Charles' honors list this year?

This is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett****1/2 (audio)

This is Ms. Patchett's first collection of essays so I listened to them in the wrong order (although it really didn't matter). I feel like I've gotten to know her much better by listening to her essays because they talk about her life and her writing. She reads them herself so they feel very personal...rather like sitting down with her for a nice cuppa.

>39 RebaRelishesReading: This is GREAT news. I hope he has continued to make progress.

>40 RebaRelishesReading: ooh yum. You'll have to tell us what's in the "tubes," Reba.

>42 RebaRelishesReading: I don't know why this hasn't occurred to me before, but wouldn't it be wonderful to have Ann Patchett and Barbara Kingsolver over for coffee, together?

>41 RebaRelishesReading: As he should be!!

>42 RebaRelishesReading: That's a good one indeed. And, like you, I really enjoy her essays.

Glad things are moving forward, step by step!! Hang in there.

>43 lauralkeet: Yes, I would love to have either or both of them any time!! I did hear Ann Patchett with Elizabeth Strout together at Chautauqua one year (I was in the audience...not sharing tea) and they were delightful.

The "tubes" when unwrapped turned out to be tiny little baguette sandwiches. I warmed them in the oven and they were delicious.

Hubby volunteered that he feels "a lot" better today :)

>44 Berly: Thanks Kim. I certainly agree that Alexander McCall Smith deserves to be on the honors list :)

Thanks for the encouragement -- I'm more and more confident that doctor will be pleased when we see him next Friday and that we'll be able to go on our planned trip -- departure March 26. Now if I can just get Hubby to walk while keeping his back straight(er) and focus his eyes a few feet in front of himself instead of on his feet we may keep this from happening again :)

That all sounds quite positive Reba. I'm sure it's helped reduce any anxiety you were feeling about the situation, too.

Oh no, what a scare! So glad your hubby is doing better now.

>20 RebaRelishesReading: What an ordeal! I am glad that he is back home now and starting PT.

Thanks Laura, Rhonda and Anita. I've been up about an hour but haven't heard any noise from the family room. Only news is that a 'home health nurse" will be coming to visit on Tuesday and he/she will organize the home PT for him. I think I'll tiptoe in there now and see if he's awake...I'm ready for some breakfast :)

Hi Reba! I popped in to wish you a happy new thread only to discover all the unfortunate excitement you've had this past week. I'm glad your husband is feeling better and you are hopeful about keeping your planned trip. It's also good that he will be getting home PT soon. I'll keep my fingers crossed for your trip.

>49 RebaRelishesReading:
We had in-home PT for my mother. The physical therapist was great but my mother didn't like doing the exercises when the therapist wasn't present, so overall, I didn't think it was as effective as it was when my mother took the free bus into town to the hospital. However, I realize that all situations are different and I am sure that being in Portland will make it easier. I can certainly see how it is cheaper for Medicare to have the therapist go to the patient rather than the other way around. From my point of view it was a great service.

I'm glad your husband is feeling better, Reba and I hope you can take your trip planned for late March. It's great that your husband is going to get in home physio and that the nurse will come by on Tuesday. I came down with the bladder infection between Friday and Saturday overnight. I wasso pleased to find out that a pharmacist could prescribe me antibiotics and I could by pass waiting for the doctor on Monday. I feel so much better today.

Good to see that your husband is feeling better, Reba. Hopefully he gets a thumbs up from the doctor for your March travel.

The box of pastries your friend dropped off sounded amazing!

>50 atozgrl:, >51 benitastrnad:, >52 vancouverdeb:, >53 Familyhistorian: Thanks for visiting and for your kind thoughts, Irene, Benita, Deborah and Meg.

Home health nurse/case manager came this morning and spent two hours with us taking history and telling us about all of the benefits available. She was a lovely young woman too (loves books and travel so we were ready to adopt her lol) and it was really nice visiting with her. She was optimistic about Hubby being good to go in time for our planned March 26 departure (HOORAY!!) He's really doing very well and it's pretty much just a question of the shoulder healing...then he can sleep in bed and will be more rested which he will appreciate too. We celebrated with chicken sandwiches from a favorite fast food place, watched Wheel and Jeopardy and now he's in there trying to sleep in the recliner.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin****

On the cover Edin Morgenstern describes this book as "..beautifully wrought saga of human connection and the creative process, of love and all of its complicated levels." It's the story of Sadie and Sam and Marx whose complicated lives become intertwined by friendship and love and work and who end up starting a gaming company. The parts about writing and producing games was interesting. The thread of their relationships with each other and others formed a good romance novel. References to various social ills added some grit to the story. All by all I thought this might be a ***** read for me...until I got to the 60 pages or so which I would rate about **. Did the author have a deadline or a minimum number of pages requirement or something else that prompted her to just through some words on a page? Really too bad such a great read ended so badly...but still well worth reading for the first 300 or so pages.

Excellent news from the home health visit! Comments noted about the book. I've thought about reading it but for some reason haven't, and now ... well let's just say I have plenty of reading material.

I'm glad the home health visit was encouraging, Reba, and that you'll likely still be able to make your trip!

>55 RebaRelishesReading: - Zevin has been hit or miss for me, and I'm still undecided on this one.

Hi Reba - Good news about your husband's progress.

I have also been on the fence about the Zevin book, but recently someone else on LT gave it a glowing review, so I will plan to read it, eventually. I think.

Hi Laura, Katie and Beth! Thanks for coming by and for the positive words.

Re Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow please note that I did give it 4 stars -- it was exceptionally good until the last bit and I really think you could just stop reading and be left with a very satisfactory read. I'm not sorry I read it just sorry I kept going when I hit the "what?!? why is this here?" part.

Hi Reba my dear, a belated Happy New Thread. So sorry to hear about your husbands fall and then a second trip to hospital, i do hope that he is recovering nice and steadily my dear friend. Sending love and hugs from both of us dear friend.

>60 johnsimpson: Thank you, John, he is doing pretty well although with an arm still strictly confined to a sling he needs a lot of help. He's also thoroughly sick of sleeping in the recliner but until occupational therapy comes up with a way to protect his shoulder in the bed he's stuck there. Hope you and yours are well.

I started working on our income tax return this morning and discovered that we didn't get anything from the dealer showing the tax credit for the electric car so I guess I'll go and pay them a visit. I wish that, just once in a while, something could be easy :( Visit went well and I'm now in possession of the needed certificate. While out I stopped at Joann's for some needed wool and now I'm back at my desk trying to talk myself into getting back to the taxes.

Oh we are working on taxes also. Such a drag!

But glad you got what you needed, and glad your husband is doing better.

Yikes. It will be soon time for us to do our taxes too, and I always end up doing them , not Dave . A couple of years ago I made mistake, when filling online and what a hassle! I thought I was going to need to see a professional, but I ended up being able to fix it myself, but not before tearing out a fair bit of my hair.

>62 RebaRelishesReading: There's always one little form, isn't there? I'm glad it was fairly easy to get hold of, Reba.

Hi Rhonda, Deborah and Laura -- thanks for the tax filing commiseration :)

We saw the orthopedic surgeon this morning and are cleared to go on the trip -- although Hubby will not be allowed to carry any bags which is going to make things a bit awkward but we'll manage. A month of the trip is on a ship so that part will be easy at least. After that there are trains involved which will be less easy but we'll have friends with us for most of it so that will help. Anyway, the surgeon was a delightful young woman and we're most happy the outcome!!

"O" is for Outlaw by Sue Grafton (audio) ***1/2

Kinsey's first ex-husband is in a coma after having been shot. No one knows who did it or why so, although she has had no contact with him for many years, Kinsey sets out to find out who did it and why. A pleasant listen to accompany knitting.

I had a difficult day on Sunday -- was feeling overwhelmed by everything I need to do but the feeling has passed and I'm back at the desk and making some progress. We decided to simplify our trip a bit by dropping a planned stop in Madrid and going directly to Barcelona where we will board the cruise ship. That necessitated changing flight reservations and hotel bookings but that is all done now. Now, seriously, I need to get back to the taxes and stupid Portland Business License (for our "business" of buying a condo for daughter to rent at an affordable price..grrrr).

Sorry to hear about your difficult Sunday, Reba. I'm really glad you'll be able to go on your trip, but I s'pose it's also a good idea to make some adjustments.

If I had magical powers, I would wave my wand and make the business license issue go away!

What >69 lauralkeet: said!

Very wise to adjust those arrangements, I think.

I wanted to start my taxes today, but I just spent an hour-an-a-half on the phone making returns to Land's End and another company. I am discovering that the old simple ways of putting a return label on the package (that came in the package) doesn't work anymore. Land's End doesn't do their own returns. They have outsourced that to a company called Happy Returns. Happy Returns was just purchased by UPS. Happy Returns does all of its returns electronically. That means that you have to have your own printer or handheld computer/phone. The return labels have to be printed and affixed to the package and then returned to UPS, USPS, or you can schedule a home pick-up with UPS, or you can take your handheld computer/phone to the post office, or UPS, with you and use the QR code. Since I can't do any of those methods both companies will mail me a label via USPS and then I can attach the label and return it to them at the nearest USPS office.

All of this was because I had both packages mailed to my Kansas address and there is no drop-off except USPS, and of course the fact that I don't have a handheld computer/phone or a printer. I thought that going digital was supposed to make life simpler. And whatever happened to the paperless economy?

It is sad that it also points to the huge digital divide in this country. Even the Land's End person was surprised that the nearest drop-off spot using UPS was 80 miles from my zip code in Kansas. I told her that home delivery was so much easier back when it was all USPS. You sent your order off in the mail in an envelope with a stamp and about two weeks later, Uncle Ernie (the rural mail carrier at the time) dropped it off at the end of the driveway by the mailbox. Easy-peasy. Not that way now.

>69 lauralkeet: Thank you Laura!! I'm happy with the adjustments and glad we'll be able to go. I do hope I can get Hubby to build a little strength before we go but once we're on the ship all should be fine...if he's tired/weak he can stay on board and look at port from the deck...as can I because actually my favorite part of a cruise is quiet reading time and not having to clean, cook, etc. :)

Especially thank you for the promise of your magical powers when you find your wand 😉

>70 katiekrug: and Ditto to you Katie!! The moral support means a lot.

>71 benitastrnad: Sympathy for your frustrations, Benita. You're right things that are easier for some/many/most are sometimes much more difficult for others.

Well, I updated my " BC ID " card this morning , a digital way to identify yourself when doing Canada taxes online. I await there verification of that and my husband has yet to get his tax info. Ugh.

My RL bookclub is reading Work Song by Ivan Doig for meeting next Monday. It's the second of a trilogy so I thought I would read the first one The Whistling Season first. Not making much progress though so I think I'm going to switch over next time I have a minute to pick up a book and hope I can get far enough to follow the conversation next Monday -- if I get to the meeting next Monday.

I woke up at 4:30 a.m. with the worst leg cramp ever in my right calf. Working on getting rid of that sparked one in the thigh and getting rid of that moved it all back to my calf. It was horrible!! I went into the kitchen as soon as I could walk to get some salt (sodium) and some milk (calcium) to supplement the magnesium I take every day but I didn't have anything for potassium. Luckily the salt and milk worked and I was able to get back to sleep and made it to the store at 8:00 to buy some bananas.

The rest of the day has gone well. I've even been able to find the info I need for our Swiss railroad reservations so will speak to travel companions this evening and may be able to get a step closer to having our up-coming trip tied down.

Reading: Last night I made it to page 47 of 292 in Work Song for Monday's book club meeting. No progress today. Choir practice tonight so unlikely to make any at all today.

>75 RebaRelishesReading: I sent Mike out to get me some electrolyte tablets after two days of involuntary fasting due to fever. At least one dose seemed to be enough, because my appetite came back like a freight train. And now we have a tube of the ugly fizzies on hand!

Ugh, leg cramps at night are The Worst!. TW gets them occasionally, and I tell him he sounds like a beached whale with his moaning and groaning. I had one a couple of weeks ago and think I probably sounded the same :-P

>75 RebaRelishesReading: >77 katiekrug: Agreed, those nighttime leg cramps are bad! I had a coworker who told me to try a spoon full of mustard when getting a bad cramp, so I tried it, and weirdly, it worked. No idea why.

I've heard that about mustard and leg cramps too. I don't get leg cramps (knock on wood), I get foot cramps.

Good luck getting everything done before your trip, Reba!

>76 quondame: Hi Susan - Hm...a combination of electrolyte's in a pill? I must look into that.

>77 katiekrug: I'm sure I did, Katie. Wouldn't have been surprised if you had heard me all the way in NJ

>78 atozgrl: HI Irene. My BFF swears by the mustard treatment. I read somewhere that the reason it works is the high salt content. Since I hate mustard I prefer to just put some salt in my hand and lick it up :)

>79 Familyhistorian: Thanks Meg. I've got all of the bookings for the trip done (now to get Hubby to work on getting stronger) and I have a bunch of info together for Portland and plan to just send them another letter in a week or so (so that I hopefully won't get a response until after we're back). The taxes should be pretty straight forward and I plan to get to them next week soooooo except for issues related to Hubby's fall we're in pretty good shape now.

I'm on page 145 in Word Song so should have it done by Monday. I may even get back to the The Whistling Season before book club.

Glad to read all went well with the home health nurse and the orthopedic surgeon, Reba.
Skipping Madrid sounds sensible, there will be enough left to enjoy!

And taxes, I have to do them before we leave on the 22nd. I should really do it this week...

Hi Anita. We have friends who keep planning to go to Hawaii and then something gets in the way and they don't go. Madrid is like that for us. Friends, however, finally made it to Hawaii on their 4th "attempt" so perhaps Madrid will happen some day soon.

Hubby slipped and fell on his way to bathroom at 5:00 this morning 😧 He didn't hurt himself but I'm pretty sore from trying to get him up!! In the end we had to call for help again! 🥺

>87 quondame: Damn and blast, Reba! I'm sorry to hear about hubby's fall this morning. I hope he's okay now and that your soreness wears off.

>83 lauralkeet: Thanks Laura. He doesn't seem to have damaged anything this time. I think he must have landed on his posterior and kept his arm safe. My soreness will go away with time. I'm not injured, just strained. He's not a terribly big guy but a "dead weight" of 180 or so pounds isn't easy to life off the floor! I keep thinking "on the ship there will be crew if I need them" lol

Work Song by Ivan Doig****

This is the second book of a trilogy set in early 20th century Montana. The main character, Morris Morgan, arrives in Butte on the run from trouble. He finds a home in a boarding house run by a young widow and a job in the local library. The story paints a vivid picture of life in a tough western mining town with a most appealing main character. A good, uncomplicated read.

I am sore today as well. I asked some friends to come over and help me move the bed from my spare bedroom into the van so I can drive it back to Kansas this week. I brought the bed here in a van and me and one other person moved it into the house and set it up by ourselves. It took three of us to do the same thing this time. Of course, the first time was fifteen years ago and I was a younger person. The problem was that even though it is a big van, the inside has nice round and molded plastic edges that look good but take up inches that I needed to make the mattress slide in easily. The three of us got it into the van and there is even room for my dishes boxes.

I discovered that U-Haul has these wonderful Dish Paks and Glass Paks. They are expensive, $15.00 per pack, but they are really worth it. They made packing my stoneware so much easier. I am taking my dishes and flatware home because my nephew wants my mother's stoneware and my sister wants her flatware. I need the bed for the house in Kansas because my nephew took my mother's bed, which was OK with me, as I didn't want it. Now we will have to move the bedroom chest from Kansas to northern Nebraska as my nephew wants it.

>86 benitastrnad: If you nephew wants it, it should be his responsibility to get it from Kansas to Nebraska. Otherwise, maybe he doesn't really want it. Younger folk should take over the muscle and endurance work at this stage of our lives.

>86 benitastrnad: That's a lot of moving, Benita!! I hear you about things "getting heavier" with time lol and I, too, used the glass and dish paks when we moved here from San Diego. They were great. Good luck with the move. I assume you'll be doing the drive soon since the mattress has been loaded already. Hope it all goes well.

>87 quondame: You have a great point there Susan.

Took Hubby for a ride in the car this afternoon mostly to just get him out of the house for a while but also because I was lusting after a Yumm Bowl and there's only one in Vancouver and it's not near us. It was pleasant and the bowl was wonderful.

I've also been missing having a TJ's any where nearby (the only one in Vancouver is in the same center as the Yumm Bowl place) but we're about to get one just a couple of miles from us. Also learned this week that In and Out will be opening their first store in Washington in Ridgefield which is the next town north of us. Soooooo, maybe Yumm Bowl with take the next step north some day -- hope so.

New-thread orisons, Reba!

I didn’t know what a Yumm Bowl was but now that I do (thanks Google) I’m sad my nearest Cafe Yum is in Oregon. 😃

I had to double check, Vancouver Washington. I thought so. I don't think I've ever been there, but my husband used to belong to stunt kite club and they went down to Kite Festivals in Vancouver WA each summer. Dave never went with the group , but we were close to the area once, was we drove down to Astoria and the Oregon Coast. Astoria is a cute little place. Sorry to read about your husband's fall. Drat! I am glad you got him out of the house. Dave works such long shifts,9 :20 am to 8:30 pm , plus a 30 or so minute commute , that I sometimes feel like I live by myself. I think if that was the case, I would need to get out everyday to visit someone. He is retiring in a week, so we'll see how that goes. Our eldest son has been living at home for several years, but he is off to work and then usually off to the gym afterwards, and he has a girlfriend, so I don't see that much of him . Luckily we have the dog. She is good company.

>89 RebaRelishesReading: I haven't had a Yumm bowl in years - but your post brought the taste of that Yumm sauce back...will have to get one soon....

>84 RebaRelishesReading: I'm sorry to hear your husband fell again, but glad to know he didn't hurt himself. I hope the soreness will go away soon.

>86 benitastrnad: Benita, I'm not sure if I sent you condolences on your mom's passing. I've only seen mentions on other people's threads. It sounds like you will be settling in Kansas permanently. Are you moving into your mom's house? Good luck with the move and everything involved with it! (And my apologies to Reba for taking over her thread!)

>94 atozgrl:
Yes. I will be moving to Kansas. It is rather a long story about the house in Kansas. I am shooting for a September date for the big move. My sister who lives in Montana is a school teacher and she is going to come to Kansas and help me clean out the house. She has promised to stay as long as it takes. (we hope June and July will do it.) When that house is done, I will be moving from Alabama back to my home town.

Since I am single I had options regarding moving. But the house in Munden is bigger and will provide me with a nice office space as well as being close to an airport and major roads. It also is the home of most of my relatives, so it will be a good place in which to grow old due to that support system. These reasons threw the dice into moving to Munden. I will be giving up good friends here in Alabama and I hate that, but I can still travel.

>90 richardderus: Thanks for visiting and for the good wishes, Richard.

>91 lauralkeet: OK, Laura, now there are two reasons to come visit -- Winery at the waterfront and Yumm Bowls. They are so darned good!!

>92 vancouverdeb: Deborah, do you know that "our" Vancouver is older than yours and was the center of the northwest back before the U.S./Canada border was drawn? You should come and visit some time...would make a nice outing once Dave has retired (and WOW that's coming soon).

>93 ChrisG1: Hi Chris. D2 buys the sauce by the quart and makes bowls at home which works out pretty well too. It's a bit of a drive for us (20 min or so) in a direction we don't often go but if they ever come closer I will definitely go more often. We are about to get a TJ's and read this week that In & Out is coming to Ridgefield so maybe the perfect food trifecta will happen in northern Vancouver some day :)

>94 atozgrl:, >95 benitastrnad: Moving back to Kansas sounds like a smart move, Benita. It will be a big job I'm sure but once you're settled I think you'll be happy you did it.

Occupational Therapist was just here and she's still optimistic about our trip -- hooray!! We're supposed to be landing in New York right about now two weeks from today...gasp.

>96 RebaRelishesReading: We used to live a few miles from the Beaverton store, but moved to Hillsboro in 2016, which is why it's been so long for us.

>95 benitastrnad: >96 RebaRelishesReading: I agree with Reba, it sounds like you have definitely made the right decision. I'm glad your sister will be able to help, and hope that you can complete it within two months. It's a lot of work! We sure had a lot to clear out of my mom's house. And I hope you will have plenty of opportunity to visit your friends in Alabama.

>97 RebaRelishesReading: That's great news, Reba! I'm glad you'll be able to take your trip.

>98 ChrisG1: The only two stores I know of are the one in Vancouver and the one at the airport...but I do love them. You should lobby for one in Hillsboro :)

>97 RebaRelishesReading: I hope so too. Last evening I felt like I was crazy to even hope for it -- now I can hear him walking around in the other room and think maybe it can happen. We won't really have all of the info and opinions until Monday the 25th and s-i-l is scheduled to pick us up to go to the airport at 5:00 a.m. on the 26th!!! Cutting it a bit fine maybe ?

Dave's retirement is coming very soon, indeed, Reba. I am thinking it's going to be good , now that he has has been off for a few days and we have talked about a few things. I don't think I knew that your Vancouver was older than ours, no- and I didn't realize that the population was just under 200, 000 people. That's a nice sized place. For some reason I thought it was a smaller place, like 10,000 people or so. Thanks for the kind invitation - I will keep it in mind if we get down there . But neither of us has a passport , believe or not, so it won't be any time soon.

>101 vancouverdeb: I'm glad you're feeling positive about Dave's retirement, Deborah. It can be a big change, that's for sure. Hubby retired a year before I did so it didn't have quite the same impact on me as it will on you. I retired on a Friday and on Sunday we left to spend 18 months full-timing in our RV...a rather extreme but very successful transition to both of us being retired :)

I'll look forward to meeting you if/when you get passports -- or maybe if we venture north someday. We've been to "your" Vancouver several times of the years and like it very much.

Wordle 1,001 2/6

🟩⬜⬜🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 train, toxin

Had to share because this hasn't happened in a very long time!!! Planning to do the tax return next -- hope it goes as well :)

The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig***

Set in early 20th century Montana, The Whistling Season paints a picture of a small rural community and many of the people who live there. The characters are compelling and the description of the one-room-school and its struggle to resist being forced to close and send its pupils to "dormitory schools" in the city is interesting.

My RL bookclub read Doig's Work Song this month and I decided to read the entire trilogy. I started this one (first of the trilogy) before I read Work Song but I had to quit and move on in order to finish in time for our meeting. I'm glad to have read this one for the back-story to the second volume but as a stand alone I find it a weaker story.

On to the third book :)

>104 RebaRelishesReading: I am a big fan of Doig's. I am hoping to finish the McCaskill trilogy this year.

Have a wonderful weekend, Reba!

Hello Wordle Twin! Scoring 2 gets the day off to a nice start, and perhaps it will soften the blow of having to work on your taxes. May that process be smooth and easy ...

>105 alcottacre: Hi Stasia. I had only read two of his before (Last Bus for Wisdom and Bartender's Tale) - I liked them but not enough to make me seek him out I guess (since I never did). I'm liking this trilogy enough to read them all (started the third one last night but was too tired to get far) and I may look into some of his others. What are your favorites?

>106 lauralkeet: Hi back Twin!! I loved it that we not only both got it in 2 but with the same words. I'm going to have to get some help with the taxes but that will probably have to wait until we get back so I'll have to file for an extension this week. We get a tax credit for our new car. I found the schedule I need but can't figure out where to list it on the return -- certainly don't want to risk missing out on it!! Otherwise I think I have it wrapped up --whew--I think--I hope

WhooHoo -- I got a tax appointment for Friday morning :) Now I have hope we can go on vacation without that hanging over our heads!! I have to take Hubby for a blood draw today but otherwise I believe I pretty much have the day free :)

Blood drawn, prescriptions picked up, status of glasses (to replace the ones destroyed in the fall) all accomplished before noon. :)

>109 RebaRelishesReading: everything is marching along to get you out the door and onto the aircraft in fine fettle and on time! YAY!

>108 RebaRelishesReading: excellent! It would definitely be nice to wrap that up before your trip.

>109 RebaRelishesReading: What a productive morning!

I was talking with my sister about her walking trip to Spain and we got to talking about doing one in England. I mentioned to her that I knew a person who had walked along a canal in England and we have gotten interested in doing that same kind of thing. What company did you use for that walking trip?

>110 richardderus:, >111 lauralkeet: Thanks Richard and Laura. Things seem to be coming together. I'm still in a "holding my breath and hoping nothing else goes wrong" sort of mode but I relax a little more each day :)

>112 benitastrnad: Hi Benita. I definitely recommend a walking trip in England. We used Contours (www.contours.co.uk) for our arrangements. They have a lot of different walks to choose from and did a great job for us. I'll be jealous if you go but I'll try to be nice about it 😇

Today's main event is getting a hair cut this afternoon. I'm going to try a new place because (1) I'm not thrilled anyone I've tried here yet, (2) friend just tried this salon and I really like her haircut, and (3) they have a stylist who has curly hair and is reputed to be good with it. I'm not picky I just want hair that always looks professionally done and beautiful with absolutely no effort on my part :0 That's not asking too much is it?

Fingers crossed things continue to go smoothly from now on!

Thanks Katie!!

Good luck with the stylist Reba. I feel like finding a new stylist is one of the more stressful aspects of moving. I put up with one I wasn’t thrilled with, for longer than I should just because of the hassle of finding another.

Thanks for the good wishes regarding Dave's retirement, Reba. And I hope your haircut went well today. I also have curly hair and I know how challenging finding a good stylist can be. Sometimes you have to let them try a cut or two before they catch on, other's never catch on , and sometimes you are lucky and find a good stylist. I try to choose people that have curly hair themselves, because I think they better understand the trials of curly hair, and how it shrinks when it dries.

>117 lauralkeet: Hi Laura and Deborah. I'm very pleased with my haircut. The stylist spent a lot of time talking to be about my likes, dislikes, and goals before she started and I think has given me a cut that will be easy for the trip as well as one I will want to continue with. Basically the same style as I had, just cut better. She also asked how I found them and I told her about my friend referring her at which point she said both friend and I would have a 20% discount (for me this time for friend next week when she has an appointment) because of the referral -- nice surprise!!

So our big trip is getting really close now. I've started getting things that are going with us out and staging them on the guest bed. I'm trying to select carefully because Hubby isn't allowed to participate in the handling of the luggage this trip. We will have laundry facilities for the month on the ship so that helps but I think we also need to pack for a range of possible weather... so it must be done thoughtfully and well!

>119 RebaRelishesReading: Good luck sorting out what goes with you on the trip, Reba.
I am doing the same, as we leave tomorrow. We have to be less careful about taking to much, as we always take more than we need for a week. But then we have the whole car to put everything, and we never could fill it completely ;-)

Hurray for the new stylist! 20% off is a very sweet deal. Good luck with the packing, I always pack more than I need and vow to do better the next time. I think you're wise to think this through given hubby's situation.

Thank you Anita and Laura. I definitely have to be careful with packing this time because Hubby isn't allowed to lift any bags at all. Don't know if I've said already but I'm planning one rolling suitcase plus one back-pack-like one (it a sort of combo soft suitcase/backpack that Rick Steves marketed years ago -- we bought two and don't use them often but have liked them when we did). We have some train trips after the cruise and I have to be sure I can handle what we have with us by myself (although friends will be traveling with us then and have offered to help -- I know they'll have all of their own "stuff" and would prefer not to add ours to their pile).

Today is looking like a fairly quiet one. We plan to go to the bank for some cash. I plan to continue organizing things to take. Occupational therapy may come for her last visit. Plus whatever else arises :)

I'm reading Sweet Thunder which is the third a final volume in a series. I'm really enjoying it and hope to finish it today. If so, I will try to find a quick book in my TBR stack -- one that I can finish before we leave and I move to books on phone and iPad. It's getting really close!!

Turns out the AARP volunteers aren't allowed to do the forms for electric car credit (although he did look up what forms were needed and made me a copy of them). They also kindly pointed out that I had listed all of our social security as taxable when that isn't the case. So...it wasn't a waste of time but I'm not done yet :(

While out we also got Hubby's shoulder X-rayed. His orthopedist will be calling on Monday to discuss the results of that test. It would be truly wonderful if the "immobilizer" were able to come off but I'm not counting on it. Please keep your fingers crossed that this all goes well. I'm most torn between thinking things will be easier (for me at least) on a ship and thinking I'm absolutely insane to even consider going.

1. Taxes were completed and filed yesterday :) And, we're getting a refund for the first time in years :)

2. Wordle -- I had a "good enough" result on my first try and then figured out a second word that I thought would help me get more letters and figure out were the "correct but wrong spot" ones went ... and...

Wordle 1,008 2/6

⬜🟨⬜🟨🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

then on to the next one (that sometimes gives me fits)
Connections
Puzzle #286
🟦🟦🟦🟦
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟪🟪🟪🟪
🟨🟨🟨🟨

Strands #20
“Romeo and Juliet”
🔵🔵🔵🔵
🔵🟡🔵🔵

I'm beginning to think this is going to be a good day 😁

3.
Sweet Thunder by Ivan Doig****

This is the third book in a trilogy set in Butte, Montana. Main character, Morgan Llewellyn (aka Morrie Morgan), is married and returning from a year-long honeymoon. He finds a job as an editorial writer for a new newspaper formed to present an opposite point of view from the Anaconda Mining Company supporting paper. The book is built around the troubles between the Union and Anaconda -- plus, of course, personal troubles in the main characters lives.

I recommend this series for an entertaining and worthwhile read and suggest you read the three books in order.

>125 RebaRelishesReading: Excellent puzzling!

Karen O

>126 klobrien2: What Karen said! Also congratulations on finishing up your taxes.

Thank you Karen and Laura! I'm working my way through the list of things that have to be done before we leave -- it's long (and I'm getting tired) but it's getting shorter and I'm beginning to believe we will actually be ready to leave when s-i-l arrives at 5 a.m. on Tuesday :)

>104 RebaRelishesReading: Another Doig fan here, Reba. I need to read the next two in the trilogy. Loved the McCaskill books! I'm also a fan of his memoirs, especially This House of Sky. You probably can't go wrong on any of his books.

Reba, I'm hoping the taxes and your Hubbie's health cooperates so you can go on your trip as planned. It's too bad that you have to be the baggage handler. Rolling bags are wonderful inventions! Don't forget that most people love to be helpful and that once you get on the ship it will be smooth sailing. :-)

>129 Donna828: You're quite right on all counts, Donna. Nice to see you!!

I hope all is well, Reba, and you are enjoying your trip!

Ah, you're off! Just a note to say we will be in Portland from 5/27 to 6/3, and that includes a concert and art exhibit (from my cousin Bonnie) at the Portland Jewish Museum on 5/29. It sounds like you will be back and recovered by then, and I hope you can join us.

I hope the ship is full of cool readers and fun folks of all sorts...enjoy the trip and get home safe!

Hope you are having fun!!

How do, Reba...hoping all's well with you and yours.

Thank you Anita, Judy, Richard and Kim for stopping by and leaving a note while I was gone. We ended up coming home a week early because Hubby was finding the train/hotel travel at the end of the trip to taxing. He isn't recovering very well from his fall I'm afraid.

The ship travel in April was lovely though. We took it easy and didn't do much on-land exploration partly because for the first three weeks it we were visiting countries and ports we have been to before. Life on a ship is wonderfully relaxing though and much easier for me than trying to care for Hubby along with cleaning/shopping/cooking etc. like is necessary at home.

This was our first time aboard an Azamara ship and I really hope it won't be the last. The ship is small (we had about 680 passengers on each leg of the trip) and the service was lovely. High on my list of things I liked was the absence of a Casino and a wonderful room called "the Drawing Room" which was lined with beautiful wooden bookcases and lots of books. I went with my I-pad loaded with e-books but ended up reading things from the ship-board collection instead.

1 - Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich - a girl of indigenous background is raised by a white couple near the Canadian border. When an epidemic comes leading to a heavy handed government she (and her white parents) seek a new life with her birth tribe. Interesting riff on Covid.

2 - Ann Irish Country Love Story by Patrick Taylor - a warm, fuzzy story of love in all its forms. The 11th in a series that I have read nothing else from but a nice vacation read.

3 - Manderley Forever: a biography of Daphne du Maurier by Tatiana de Rosnay -- very interesting biography of an old favorite of mine

4 - The Rules Do Not Apply by Ariel Levy The story of the career of a Jewish Woman who became U. S. Ambassador to Senegal. Probably not interesting to many but I once thought I wanted a career in the diplomatic corps and found her story interesting as a result.

5 - You'll Never Know, Dear by Hallie Ephron - A young girl disappears from her front yard leaving a slightly older sister feeling guilty for not watching her closely enough. The mother and neighbor woman make portrait dolls as a business and one that had belonged to the missing girl turns up. Fun mystery read.

6 - Mrs. Osmond by John Banville - Mr. Banville tells us what happened to the heroine of Henry James' Portrait of a Lady. I loved James and thoroughly enjoyed this sequel.

7 - Georgia by Dawn Tripp - A novel based on Georgia O'Keeffe's life

On the way home I read two books my friend finished and gave me. Both were pretty good reads. They were:

8 - Sleep Like the Dead by Alex Gray - from the cover: "DCI Lorimer and his team are faced with a string of seemingly unconnected but professional killings. Without witnesses or much conclusive evidence to build a case, the officers are drawing a blank. Criminal psychologist Solly Brightman is off the case due to budget cuts. But Solly is more closely connected to the murders than he could possibly know..." - another good vacations read.

9 - The Hidden Palace by Dinah Jeffries - A woman grieves for her sister who ran-away from home when she was 17 and hasn't been heard from since. She asks her daughter to go try to find the missing girl (now a woman) even though WWII is raging and Malta is dangerous. Yet another good vacation read.

10 - I also finished listening to the audio version of Q is for Quarry by Sue Grafton

Not a bad total for a vacation, eh?

Welcome home Reba! I’m glad you had a good vacation. It sounds like you made a good, if difficult, decision to return early. Best not to push things too far.

I’m impressed with your reading!

Glad you're home safe and (mostly) sound but sorry you had to cut the trip a bit short. Probably for the best.

Did you enjoy the novel based on O'Keeffe's life? I really liked it when I read it, but I did so just after seeing a bunch of her works, so I was probably well disposed towards it at the time :)

You got a lot of books read on your holiday, Reba. I'm sorry your husband is not recovering well from his fall, but let's hope he will be soon.

Welcome back, Reba! It sounds like you had a wonderful trip, and great reading as well. I'm sorry your husband still isn't recovering well and that you had to return early. I hope he will be feeling much better soon.

>136 RebaRelishesReading: That's a terrific total for a vacation! And luckily you enjoyed the reads, too!

Glad you're home safe and sound.

Welcome home, Reba!

>136 RebaRelishesReading: Looks like the ship had a good selection in their library. Glad you had a chance to take a break from domestic and caretaker responsibilities. I hope your husband continues to mend. Sorry recovery is such a slow process.

Nice to be home and greeted each morning by my LT friends!

>137 lauralkeet: Hi Laura. So nice to see you here. The main down side to the early return was the difficulty of changing the arrangements. I was on the phone with Delta for a long time day one only to find they had booked our new return for the wrong day. Called again the next day (don't have the bill for those calls yet but I suspect I'll have palpitations when I get them) and got things changed to the correct day only to find, when we got the to airport to checkin, that Chase Bank had decided to deny the uncharge because they didn't expect us to be in Switzerland...or something. After an hour or so talking to a supervisor at Delta we discovered the problem, I provided a Citibank card which was approved after they texted me to see if it was really me. We made it to the flight only because we had come to the airport way, way early! (end of rant).

>138 katiekrug: Hi Katie. I did enjoy the O'Keefe novel. It is consistent with what I know of her life and was a fun read. I'm a fan so also pre-disposed I think.

>139 vancouverdeb:, >140 atozgrl:, >141 richardderus:, >142 ronincats:, >143 justchris:. Thanks Deborah, Irene, Richard, Roni and Chris. I hope being in a familiar environment and able to rest as much as he likes (which so far is about 16 hours per day!!!) will help him get better. It's been a really dramatic change.

Weird aspect of homecoming was that I have been unable to find my laptop. We've been back since last Thursday and I have searched the house top to bottom, in every drawer and cupboard, in the garage, under the bed, inside stored suitcases
...no laptop to be found. The house alarm did not go off while we were gone nor were there any signs of break-in or disturbance inside...still, no laptop. Finally yesterday I decided to just buy a new one ... thought that might cause the old one to surface but it didn't. Very strange but at least now I can log on to LT :)

>144 RebaRelishesReading: I can't imagine how stressful it must have been Reba, trying to change the arrangements and running into all of those issues up to the last minute. Your rant is completely understandable.

Weird about the laptop. I hope it turns up. Do you have any options to remotely disable it? I think Apple allows that for their devices although I've never had occasion to look into it.

>145 lauralkeet: Thanks for allowing/understanding my rant. It was a hectic couple of days there and I was most relieved when we were actually sitting in the plane on our way home.

I did disable the laptop and used the Apple "find me" function -- walking all around the house listening for the promised music. I was told (by someone who may or may not know what they're talking about) that it doesn't work if the battery is down, however. I reported it missing to the Sheriff's office (and have been visited by three nice deputies so far) . The "find me" not only allows a lock-out but you can post a message to anyone trying to open it. I put "this device is locked. Please return to the Clark County Sheriff's Office if found". I pretty much never take my laptop out of the house (use my I-Pad or phone when away) but in the hectic time of Hubby's injury just before we left maybe I did and just left it somewhere...or maybe I hid is someplace in the house before the trip that is so clever I can't even find it myself...or maybe the aliens took it 😵‍💫. I'm at the "whatever" point now.

>146 RebaRelishesReading: That's a lot of stress both to get home then getting home and missing laptop. Glad you were able to buy a replacement laptop, but what black hole did the old one fall into? I once misplaced a cell phone and ended up replacing it. Months later, it turned up in the pocket of my raincoat, which I hadn't needed again until the change of seasons. Sigh. Laptop doesn't fit into a pocket though.

>146 RebaRelishesReading: I kinda hope it's the aliens theory...be cool if Gort and Klaatu sauce red down onto your lawn, shamefacedly apologizing for forgetting to return it from Neemubulus Alpha sooner.

>136 RebaRelishesReading: I'd say that was a lot of reading while on vacation! well done.

I hope your husband's recovery speeds up now that he is at home.

>144 RebaRelishesReading: Sorry to hear that the return was a little stressful. At least you can rest assured that if some type of suspicious activity were to be detected, your credit card company will notice....

Happy unpacking :)

Glad that you are home safe! But so sorry that your husband is still recovering from the fall. I hope that being at home helps.

And what a bummer about the laptop! I do sometimes put things like that in a "safe place" and that's often a mistake.

Welcome home, Reba. Impressive reading on your vacation! I hope your husband is able to recover now that he's back home. That is weird about your laptop.

I have been losing things for six months. I think I have them in Alabama and then discover that they are in Kansas when I get back there. I think it is caused by doing things in a hurry. It will probably turn up.
Glad to see you back.

>148 richardderus: LOL Richard -- I'm not sure I understand what all of that means but I'd rather not have red-sauce on the lawn, thank you :)

>149 figsfromthistle: Hi Anita -- my favorite thing to do on vacation (or most any time) is read -- plus we were gone for over 5 weeks so... Hubby does seem to be getting a little better now so I'm crossing my fingers things will get back to fairly normal. I have changed the passwords on all things financial so I hope we'll be OK there too.

>150 banjo123:, >151 BLBera: Thanks, Rhonda and Beth. It does seem that being home is helping -- hope so anyway. I may indeed have hidden the old laptop from myself -- if so I did a darned good job of it :). Now that the passwords are changed and I have a new one just like the "old" one I've pretty much stopped stressing about it. IF I find it in some strange spot someday I hope I'll be able to laugh about it.

>152 benitastrnad: We only have one house now so I can't have left it in New York (for example)...it may well remain a mystery OR I will hit myself in the head one of these days when I find it in someplace I didn't think to look.

Hi Reba! It seems like i dont visit your thread that often haha, visiting a bunch of threads is hard now that there are so many.

>154 Owltherian: Indeed it is, Owl. It helps that I'm retired so have a bit more time on my hands than when in school or working.

>155 RebaRelishesReading: School is sucking right now and honestly i am really stressed.

>156 Owltherian: I do remember those days :). Also, I have grandchildren in college now so I'm regularly reminded by them. Just take a deep breath and focus on the important stuff, OK?

>157 RebaRelishesReading: I will try but i need to finish an essay and yeah...

>153 RebaRelishesReading: "sauce red" was meant to be "saucered" and autocorrect got happy. Oh well, not the first joke I've had stepped on.

Thanks for posting all the titles you read on your voyage. I will never run out of recommendations.

Sorry your hubby couldn't improve enough to finish the trip. I hope the feeling of home and the summer will help him regain his strength.

>158 Owltherian: Hope the essay went well and that you have a relaxing weekend. Hope you have a nice weekend Owl.

>159 richardderus: Hi Richard. I'm not sure whether I would be less upset at aliens saucering down onto my lawn or red-sauce on my lawn. I'll hope for neither :)

>160 ffortsa: Really, Judy, I don't think anyone on LT will ever have the problem of not having enough reading recommendations. :). I'm hoping Hubby will recover a lot soon but it's definitely an up and down path right now.

I'm trying to get myself pumped up to go get the deck in order for the warm weather that is arriving/has arrived. Also need to do the laundry (I have already stripped the bed and have the sheets going). I'd really rather spend the day reading (of course). We'll see which side of me wins. Just about finished with my morning computer rounds so the moment of truth is nearly here.

Long Island by Colm Tóibín***1/2

Eilis was born and raised in Ireland but immigrated to the U.S. as a young woman and married a man of Italian descent. They live on Long Island in a house on a cul de sac where their neighbors are the families of her husband's two brothers and his parents. Shortly before she leaves for her first visit to Ireland since she left (for her mother's 80th birthday) she discovered some news that rocks her world.

Not a bad book but it didn't really do much for me either.

>163 RebaRelishesReading: - I didn't know Toibin had a new one out! I loved Brooklyn and Nora Webster.

>164 katiekrug: I haven't read Brooklyn but I remember liking Nora Webster quite a lot -- this one just didn't really do it for me though. Give it a try -- maybe it will resonate with you :)

Computer turned up today. I must have looked right at it 20 times this week without seeing it 😔. Oh well.

>163 RebaRelishesReading: I nearly bought this in a bookshop today, Reba. But I thought hmm I haven’t seen much about it on LT yet, so I held back. Thanks for the review!

>166 RebaRelishesReading: omg too funny.

>166 RebaRelishesReading: - where was it?!?!

>163 RebaRelishesReading: I read one of his, Brooklyn about Irish immigrants to NY. It was just okay, not bad, not really good! I think I can give him a second chance.

>166 RebaRelishesReading: Oh well indeed. There's great peace of mind in having a backup device.

Emjoy Sunday, Reba!

>168 katiekrug: My desk has a hutch top and it was in one of the cupboards there -- one where I have looked for it and other things several times a day all week. It was standing up between two binders and I semi-remember looking right at it several times.

>170 richardderus: I may see if one of our "children" (the youngest of whom is 50) needs a new one -- otherwise, yep a nice backup.

>166 RebaRelishesReading: I'm glad to know it finally turned up! That has to be a relief, knowing that it's safe. If none of your children need one, you do have a good backup.

>172 atozgrl: Indeed Irene -- knowing where it is is a big relief.

RL bookclub is meeting tomorrow to consider suggestions for next year's reading. I'm proposing Chenneville by Paulette Jiles, Mrs. Osmond by John Banville and Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich. We're trying a new procedure where each of us will propose 2-4 books which our leader will then put onto a ballot and send out for voting. The top 7 will be selected for next year. I'm curious to see what we end up with.

>163 RebaRelishesReading: I've just started Long Island Reba. It seems very promising so far, but I am only page 25 or so. I've also read Brooklyn and Nora Webster and liked both of them.

>174 vancouverdeb: Hope you like it Deborah -- I didn't not like it -- just didn't really turn me on either.

Hubby gets an annuity check every month -- same source, same bank, etc. I always deposit them for him using my phone but this month the bank refused claiming it had been deposited before. True, a check just like it (except for the date) was deposited a month ago, two months ago, three months, ago etc. but this one has not been deposited...sooo, trip to the bank in person this morning :(. Afterwards I have my monthly volunteer gig assembling layettes for Babies in Need and then at noon book club is meeting to select books for the coming year (we observe a school year type year). Busy day and probably not much reading going to happen. If I find time I'll try to make more progress on Night Watch.

I am glad that the laptop turned up. It is very frustrating when things like that happen. I am living part time in Alabama and getting ready to move to Kansas so have some things packed and some things not. A few things are already in Kansas and it gets frustrating when I can't find things. My sister is coming July 4 and we are going to be doing lots of cleaning and downsizing in the Kansas house. There are some pieces of furniture that she wants and when that stuff is gone I can move to Kansas. In the meantime I feel like I am neither here nor there and getting really tired of suitcase living.

I have a book recommendation for you (not that you need any). If you like psychological mystery/thrillers try the books by Alex Michaelides. I just read my third book by him and I find them very entertaining. They all use Greek myths, legends, or tragedies as background for the modern day mystery and I love that literary element. It brings an added dimension to the mystery genre.

>176 RebaRelishesReading: Glitch in the matrix, eh Reba? I know how annoying that feels.

>171 RebaRelishesReading: Well, I always blame mischievous spirits for something turning up in the same spot I know I've checked repeatedly.

>176 RebaRelishesReading: How annoying to have to sort out what is already a well established routine at the bank!

I'm still fairly new to book clubs, and none of them have involved member nominations and voting. More like suggestions welcome, but in the end, the moderators make the selections. I hope your picks end up in the lineup.

>177 benitastrnad: Hi Benita.A big relocation like that is never easy and adding the sorting of a house in Kansas and sharing things with sister can't make it easier. I hope you get it all taken care of before long.

Thanks for the book recommendation. I'm looking at a huge stack of "read really soon" that I hope to get to soon so I'll keep it in mind but probably not act on it too soon.

>178 richardderus: I think/hope the matrix is sorted, Richard. The teller wasn't able to get to the image that came to me with the "sorry" message but she was able to deposit the check with no difficulty so I guess it's sorted (for now anyway).

>179 justchris: Hi Chris. Spirits and routines seems quieted for now :). Our book club is trying a new approach this year. We each were invited to nominate 2 to 4 books. We presented these to the group today. These will be put onto a "ballot" without reference to who was the nominator and we will all be invited to vote for our 9 (I think that is how many times we will meet next year) favorites. It is possible that none of your recommendations will be chosen or that more than one will be. This is a new process to us and we'll see how we feel about it at the end of the year. We don't really have moderator(s) just one person who is sort of secretary/clearing house for dates and information.

I spent a little time with Night Watch (Jayne Anne Phillips' Pulitzer Prize winner) last night. It's very good but I will like it more if I find a bigger window to spend some concentrated time with it...maybe not today. After I finish my morning computer rounds I have an appointment for a haircut. I also need to go to the bank to deposit the check the IRS sent in agreement with the 1040 I filed a while back (you may recall the angst that process caused - so nice to have my work confirmed by the experts).

While the cleaners are here this afternoon I may try to set up our new safe...speaking of which, I must brag. The old one had needed to be cut open to extract the contents because the lock broke. The damaged remains were sitting next to the curb in the idle hope the trash haulers would take it...they didn't...so I decided I would have to see if I could take it to the dump. I tentatively lifted and it actually left the ground a bit so I slid the dolly under and took it to the car where I summoned my inner-Amazon and lifted it into the back. Then I drove it to the dump and carried it 10 feet or so from the car to where I was told to deposit it! That and several other strength requiring things this week have left me rather sore but I DID it...all by myself...I DID IT!!

You ARE an Amazon, Reba. Way to go!

>181 RebaRelishesReading: ::impressed::

Wanna come install my a/c?

>136 RebaRelishesReading: Wow! Way to crank out the books on VK!

>166 RebaRelishesReading: Well, sorry the computer took so long to show itself, but at least you know your home wasn't broken into. And now you have a new computer, right?

>181 RebaRelishesReading: Amazon woman you!!

And glad Hubby is feeling better. : ) Happy Wednesday!

Well, I'm very keen on Long Island, Reba. I hope to get to Night Watch soon. At last , my library has it. Way to go with the safe. That sounds very heavy!

>182 lauralkeet: Thank you Laura 💪

>183 richardderus: - no technical brain I'm afraid, Richard

>184 Berly: Thanks Kim. So today I loaded up the new safe and managed to put a code in...hope that problem is over for the next 30 years :)

>185 vancouverdeb: Hi Deborah. I'm glad you're enjoying Long Island -- I didn't dislike it, it just didn't grab me like I thought it might.

R is for Ricochet by Sue Grafton ***1/2 (audio)

This book was a new experience for me. My first name is rather unusual (although Ms. McEntire is making it more common) and I have never encountered a character in the book with my name...except this one. Reba is a young woman with a wealthy, loving father. She has been in love with her boss who is using her to help him steal and illegally move money around. She has spent time in prison and Kinsey is hired, by Reba's father, to pick her up when she is released on parole and try to help her get/stay on the right track. Of course, it can't be that simple or there wouldn't be a book, right?

I very rarely look at Facebook any more but got a couple of messages this morning that my account has be hacked. I would love to just take it down and forget it but I spent nearly an hour going through their help pages and couldn't find a way to do that. Anyone know how to close out an account there?

>188 RebaRelishesReading: You can't. The data they harvest is worth way too much to them. I tried once and, mirabile dictu, it still exists.

Reba, I Googled it and found this page in FB’s help:
https://www.facebook.com/help/224562897555674

And here’s a guide to deleting FB from the New York Times which I saved back in 2018 just in case:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/19/business/delete-facebook-account.html?unlocke...

>189 richardderus: Thanks for your answer Richard but I'm hoping that Laura's links will help.

>190 lauralkeet: Thank you, Laura. It's so nice to have a helpful techie friend :). We have to leave for D1's in a bit but I'm going to check those out and give it a good try when we get back.

Meanwhile I just spent a couple of hours knitting and finishing up my latest Sue Grafton.
S is for Silence by Sue Grafton **** (audio)

This time Kinsey is hired to find a mother who disappeared 30+ years ago leaving her daughter to wonder what happened and why her mother was capable of leaving her daughter behind. I thought I knew who was responsible but turned out I was wrong. In fact, the guilty person played such a small role int he story that I couldn't remember him when the reveal came. If I had a paper copy I might be tempted to thumb through the pages to figure it out but that's not practical with an audio book so I'll just move on to the next one :)

I volunteered to host bookclub next month which includes leading the discussion of the book chosen for that month which is The Women so that will be next up for my reading. Sounds like it may generate some good discussion -- hope so.

What other books did your club end up choosing, Reba?

>193 RebaRelishesReading: How cool! The book club will have A Lot to chew over. Good one to host.

I hope you get out of Zuckerbergland clean. *smooch*

>194 katiekrug: Hi Katie! The choices are:
Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters
Frozen River by Ariel Lahon
James by Percival Everett
Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner
Looking for Jane by Heather Marshall
Paris Daughter by Kristin Harmel
The Women by Kristin Hannah
We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman

I started reading The Women this afternoon and I'm finding it hard to put down. The story has me hooked plus there are all sorts of little gem comments that I'm flagging that I hope will stimulate discussion of the book but also of women's roles in society, war, etc. I may try some other Kristin Hannah books soon.

>195 richardderus: Hi Richard. Indeed I think there is a lot in this one to talk about. I'm glad they left it for me :)

I'm not in Hawaii...???

>193 RebaRelishesReading: Neat! I hope the book will cause animated discussion. When you host a bookclub, do you provide snacks?

>196 RebaRelishesReading: That looks like an excellent book club lineup, Reba. Lucky you!

>197 figsfromthistle: Thanks. I hope so too. Our bookclub meets at noon and each member brings their own lunch. The hostess provides coffee/tea and dessert. After the meal and catch-up conversation we move from the table to the living room for book discussion.

>198 lauralkeet: I hope so Laura :). I am really liking The Women.

>196 RebaRelishesReading: My RL book club read The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah last year. If you haven't read that one, you may like it.

Re >195 richardderus:, I think Richard was referring to Facebook.

>200 atozgrl: Thank you, Irene. Richard's comment went right over my head 🤪

Thank you too for the recommendation. I would like to try some more of Hannah's books so thanks for the recommendation. There's a NW meet-up next Saturday which is bound to include a visit to Powell's and I will take a look at The Nightingale

U is for Undertow} by Sue Grafton**** (audio)

I liked this one better than some other recent books in the alphabet series because we learn more about Kinsey's family background. Kinsey's solving of a 20+ year old murder of a child was also satisfying, especially in the way she wrapped it all up. I'm going to miss these well-read audio mysteries when I finish the series.

>196 RebaRelishesReading: No, if you were in Hawaii I'd be looking to join you...I meant getting rid of FB.

Enjoy the week-ahead's reads!

Hi Reba! It's interesting to read about different book-club book picking processes.

Hope to see you next weekend!