Crazymamie's 75 in 2012 (Page 9)

A thread for august friends to discuss important matters

Currently Reading


July
68. Farewell Summer by Ray Bradbury (4.25 stars)
69. The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson (4.5 stars)
70. Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury (4.75 stars)
71. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie (4.5 stars)
72. A Kiss Before Dying by Ira Levine (4 stars)
73. Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel (4.5 stars)
74. River of Smoke by Amitav Ghosh (4.25 stars)
75. Curse of the Pogo Stick by Colin Cotterill (4 stars)
76. The Terra-Cotta Dog by Andrea Camilleri (4 stars)
77. No Longer At Ease by Chinua Achebe (4 stars)
78. Call For the Dead by John LeCarré (4 stars)
79. Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley (4 stars)

August
80. The Merry Misogynist by Colin Cotterill (4 stars)
81. The Stone Cutter by Camilla Läckberg (3.5 stars)

AUDITIONING for AUGUST

Group Reads
East of Eden by John Steinbeck (#16) GR Thread for East of Eden
The Red Pony by John Steinbeck (#14) GR Thread for The Red Pony
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith (#9) GR Thread for A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Adichie GR Thread for Half of a Yellow Sun

TIOLI Candidates
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett (#1)
Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami (#1)
Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson (#1)
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce (#2)
Boneshaker by Cherie Priest (#3)
The Guards by Ken Bruen (#7)
Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte (#8)
A Murder of Quality by John Le Carré (#9)
The Iliad by Homer (#11)
Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell (#12)
Every Man Dies Alone by Hans Falluda (#13)
The Merry Misogynist by Colin Cotterill (#16) COMPLETED
Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovitch (#17)
Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri (#17)
An Elegy for Easterly by Patina Gappah (#17) Thread for Mark's Short Story Challenge
Istanbul Passage by Joseph Kanon (#17)

Hey, Wait a Minute...This Wasn’t on the List
Issac's Storm by Erik Larson - Added due to popular demand!
The Stonecutter by Camilla Läckberg COMPLETED

An idea stolen from Heather (souloftherose), who borrowed it from Liz (lyzard): ongoing series that I am actively reading. This doesn't include series where I have the first book in my TBR pile (i.e. series I haven't started reading yet aren't included). An asterisk (*) indicates a series where I already have a copy of the next book. A pointing finger (☛) indicates a series where I am waiting for the next book to be released.

1. African Trilogy by Chinua Achebe: Next Up: Arrow of God (3/3)

2. *Charley Davidson by Darynda Jones: Next Up: Third Grave Dead Ahead (3/4)

3. Chief Inspector Armand Gamache by Louise Penny: Next Up: A Fatal Grace (2/8)

4. *Commissario Montalbano by Andrea Camilleri: Next Up: The Snack Thief (3/15)

5. ☛ Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor: Next Up: Days of Blood and Starlight (2/3)

6. *Divergent by Veronica Roth: Next Up: Insurgent (2/3)

7. *Dr. Siri Paiboun by Colin Cotterill: Next up: Love Songs From a Shallow Grave (7/8)

8. Duncan Kincaid/ Gemma James by Deborah Crombie:Next Up: Leave the Grass Green (3/14)

9. ☛ Dust Lands by Moira Young: Next Up: Rebel Heart (2/3)

10. The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan: Next Up: The Dead tossed Waves (2/3)

11. *Green Town by Ray Bradbury: Next Up: Something Wicked This Way Comes (3/3) COMPLETED

12. *Harry Bosch by Michael Connelly: Next Up: The Narrows (10/18)

13. *Harry Hole by Jo Nesbo: Next Up: The Snowman (7/9)

14. ☛ The Ibis Trilogy by Amitav Ghosh: Next Up: ? (3/3)

15. *Inspector Sejer by Karin Fossum: Next Up: He Who Fears the Wolf (2/9)

16. *James Bond by Ian Fleming: Next Up: Live and Let Die (2/14)

17. *Kenzie and Gennaro by Dennis Lehane: Next Up: Sacred (3/6)

18. *Lady Julia Gray by Deanna Raybourn: Next Up: The Dark Enquiry (5/5)

19. *Matched by Ally Condie: Next Up: Crossed (2/3)

20. *Millenium Trilogy by Steig Larrson: Next Up: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest (3/3)

21. *Philip Marlowe by Raymond Chandler: Next Up: The Little Sister (5/8)

22. *Raylan Givens by Elmore Leonard: Next Up: Raylan (3/3)

23. *Sookie Stackhouse by Charlaine Harris: Next Up: Dead in the Family (9/12)

24. Temperance Brennan by Kathy Reichs: Next Up: Grave Secrets (5/15)

25. Vish Puri by Tarquin Hall: Next Up: The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing (2/3)

26. *Walt Longmire by Craig Johnson: Up Next: Death Without Company (2/8)

27. *Wine Country Mysteries by Ellen Crosby: Next Up: The Chardonnay Charade (2/6)

28. ☛Wolf Hall Trilogy by Hilary Mantel: Next up: ? (3/3)

January
1. The Sense of an Ending - Julian Barnes (4 stars)
2. Daughter of Smoke and Bone - Laini Taylor (4 stars)
3. 11/22/63 - Stephen King (5 stars)
4. A Drink Before the War - Dennis Lehane (4 stars)
5. Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card (4 stars)
6. Cannery Row - John Steinbeck (4.5 stars)

February
7. The Fellowship of the Ring - J.R.R. Tolkien (5 stars)
8. The Old Man and the Sea - Ernest Hemingway (audiobook) (4 stars)
9. The Woman in Black - Susan Hill (4.5 stars)
10. City of Bones - Michael Connelly (4 stars)
11. Behind the Beautiful Forevers - Katherine Boo (4.5 stars)
12. Mockingbird - Kathryn Erskine (5 stars)
13. The Wayward Bus - John Steinbeck (4 stars)
14. Pronto - Elmore Leonard (4 stars)
15. The Snow Child - Eowyn Ivey (4 stars)
16. Riding the Rap - Elmore Leonard (3.5 stars)
17. The Two Towers - J. R. R. Tolkien (5 stars)
18. Once There was a War - John Steinbeck (4.5 stars)
19. The Coroner's Lunch - Colin Cotterill (4 stars)
20. Below Stairs - Margaret Powell (3.5 stars)
21. 84, Charing Cross Road - Helene Hanff (5 stars)

March
22. Blood Red Road - Moira Young (4 stars)
23. The Eyre Affair - Jasper Fforde (3.5 stars)
24. Thirty-Three Teeth - Colin Cotterill (4 stars)
25. King Soloman's Mines - Henry Rider Haggard (4 stars)
26. Still Life - Louise Penny (4 stars)
27. By the Iowa Sea - Joe Blair (4 stars)
28. A Share in Death - Deborah Crombie (3.5 stars)
29. A Severed Head - Iris Murdoch (4 stars)
30. The Return of the King - J. R. R. Tolkien (5 stars)
31. The Winter of Our Discontent - John Steinbeck (4 stars)
32. Don't Look Back - Karin Fossum (3.5 stars)
33. I Capture the Castle - Dodie Smith (4.25 stars)
34. Disco for the Departed - Colin Cotterill (3.5 stars)

April
35. The Moon is Down - John Steinbeck (4 stars)
36. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie - Alan Bradley (audiobook) (4 stars)
37. Things Fall Apart - Chinua Achebe (4.5 stars)
38. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase - Joan Aiken (4 stars)
39. Blacklands - Belinda Bauer (4 stars)
40. Chess Story - Stefan Zweig (4.5 stars)
41. Sea of Poppies - Amitav Ghosh (4.5 stars)
42. Julie of the Wolves - Jean Craighead George (3.5 stars)
43. All Shall Be Well - Deborah Crombie (4 stars)
44. The Fault in Our Stars - John Green (4.5 stars)
45. Rules - Cynthia Lord (4 stars)
46. Darkness, Take My Hand - Dennis Lehane (4 stars)
47. The Shape of Water - Andrea Camilleri (4 stars)
48. Cinder - Melissa Meyer (4 stars)
49. Binocular Vision - Edith Pearlman (4.5 stars)
50. The Wrestling Match - Buchi Emecheta (2.5 stars)

May
51. The Redeemer - Jo Nesbo (4.5 stars)
52. Casino Royale - Ian Fleming (3.5 stars)
53. If Death Ever Slept - Rex Stout (4 stars)
54. Persuasion - Jane Austen (4.5 stars)
55. Lost Light - Michael Connelly (4 stars)
56. The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson (4.5 stars)

June
57. In the Heat of the Night by John Ball (4 stars)
58. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (4.5 stars)
59. The Time Machine by H. G. Wells (4 stars)
60. Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury (5 stars)
61. Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie (4 stars)
62. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (4.5 stars)
63. Anarchy and Old Dogs by Colin Cotterill (4.5 stars)
64. The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett (4 stars)
65. Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri (4.5 stars)
66. Train Dreams by Denis Johnson (4 stars)
67. The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan (4.25stars)

This is where I will keep track of the ten books I read from my shelves before purchasing any additional books. I will also list the books that I resisted buying- just for fun.

Ellen's Read Ten Before You Buy Anymore:
1. Farewell Summer by Ray Bradbury
2. The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson
3. Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
4. A Kiss Before Dying by Ira Levine
5. River of Smoke by Amitav Ghosh
6. Curse of the Pogo Stick by Colin Cotterill
7. The Terra-Cotta Dog by Andrea Camilleri
8. No Longer at Ease by Chinua Achebe
9. Call for the Dead by John LeCarré
10. Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley

Books That I Resisited Buying:
1. Death Without Company by Craig Johnson - I am so snagging this as soon as I read my ten books that I already own!
2. The Guards by Ken Bruen - recommended by Mark
3. Blood Ties by Pamela Freeman - recommended by Lucy
4. The Ox Bow Incident by Walter van Tilburg Clark - recommended by Judy
5. The Merry Misogynist by Colin Cotterill
6. The End of the Affair by Graham Greene - the audiobook is read by Colin Firth. COLIN FIRTH!!

First? Loving the conversational frog!

Is that your son having a philosophical discussion with the frog? Love the pic!

Joe - Yep, you're first!

Caro - Excellent guess - that's Daniel down on the waterfront in Savannah having a deep discussion!

Hah! great pic, cool that your son was in for the fun :)
Laplocked here... so just mulling over what to read next...

Kath - Dan has a great sense of humor - I took the photo when I caught him in deep conversation with the frog. He wanted to see how long it would take the girls to notice what he was doing!

I am reading Call for the Dead by John LeCarré, and loving it so far. Waiting for my Kindle to charge - I don't like reading it when it is plugged in - the cord annoys me.

Mamie- Congrats on Number 9! I love the Dan & frog photo too! See you in the A.M.!

Thanks, Mark! Have a good night!

Mamie, when I hear about all you go through to sell your house . . . so different from when we were looking. The house we actually bought and one other one we considered were vacant when we were looking. (The very first time we saw this house, a pilot light on the stove was out and the house was full of gas fumes, so after a quick look and seeing that it looked promising, we scheduled a redo after the matter was corrected and the house was aired out!) Most of the other ones, the owners or current tenants were present. One house we were shown, the tenant asked, agitated, "are we going to have to move?" "Not on our account!" was my reply. (That was the one with 2 feet of water in the basement, and the bathroom ceiling caved in.) The other one we came close to buying, the owners were right there. It was tidied up decently, but didn't seem "staged" like you have to do it now. They had all the electric lights on, and after thinking it over, I insisted on seeing it again in natural daylight, as it seemed the windows were quite small and very close to the houses on either side; I was afraid it would be dark inside, and I was absolutely right!

Hi Mamie! Why am I not surprised that I'm gone a few day and you've started a whole new thread?? :)
Anyways, love the conversations and the books on your thread so you bet I'll be coming back for more!

Putting down my marker on another already engaging thread Mamie. As you probably guess I am particularly enamoured of the lists - "Ellen's list" is a hoot and there are things on your series list which I will take up - how do you do the pointy finger btw.
Finally wasn't it too warm in the frog suit?

Mamie, I'm so honored that my effort to curtail my book-buying has influenced you and made it onto your thread! I, myself, am just halfway there. These darn library books...... :-)

Where is the frog by the sea, by the way?

Mamie - I love the pictures you use to open your thread and the frog pic is no exception.

I also like the tweak you've made to your series list with the pointed finger. I really enjoyed Elegy for Easterly when I read it a couple of years ago and I'm not usually a big short story fan so I hope you enjoy that one. I think I read Petina Gappah was working on a novel next which I can't wait for!

Hi Mamie! Congratulations on your new thread, and also on reaching 75 books in your old thread. I love the photos you use at the top of each one. How long *did* it take the girls to notice the frog conversation?

I am trying to make the beer bread recipe that Kath posted on thread 5, I think it was, but can't find a single can of beer (by which I mean the supermarkets seem to sell multi-packs - there are plenty of those). Humph!

Wow... busy night over here....

oh susan! Buy the multi pack and use it to cook with! Put it in stews and soups and cook pork chops and burgers and even fish with some beer. It is a delicious addition for liquid instead of water for so many things :)

I am making a chicken version of the shrimp today.. I will let you know how it goes :)

Wow! How wonderful to log on and see so many visitors to my thread!! Thanks, guys! We are off to a lazy start today - enjoying the Olympic coverage while catching up on LT over coffee and a banana muffin. Wish I could share - Abby made them yesterday, and they are delicious!

Terri - It's a whole new ballgame with house marketing now. We were surprised, too, by how much things had changed since we last sold a house. We also didn't have any dogs then, so that never came up. The idea is to pretty much make your house look like a hotel - no personal items (this includes pets!), so that people can visualize themselves in the space. And you're right about the lights - our instructions are to turn on every light in the house, it doesn't matter what time of day it is. We don't have a lot of knick knacks or stuff like that, but I miss my books and photos that had to be boxed up. The funny thing is that we still have plenty of books in the house (um...we boxed up cases, literally - I posted a pic of the stacked boxes a few threads back), but we are constantly missing the ones that we boxed up. Rae just got a new book that is the third in a series and now she is upset because she wants to reread the first two, but they are in the Pod. I should not have allowed any of her books in the Pod - I don't know what I was thinking. She has enough of a hard time dealing with change - and we have had a lot of it - that I should have realized that she would want those books eventually. I feel badly that I let her down. It's really hard for her to refocus once she has her attention on a certain thing - she will let it go for a moment after we talk about it, and then she is right back to the original thought. Our library does not have the books, so we have decided to purchase new copies that Rae will read and keep until we move, and then she will donate them to the library.

You house hunting stories are kind of scary! It was cracking me up that you went to look at a house that had left a pilot light on and was full of gas fumes - "so after a quick look..." What?! ANd they call me crazy!

Your story about the house with two feet of water in the basement...wait for it...reminds me of a story! Okay, guys, you know the rules - stop rolling your eyes because I'm going to tell you the story anyway. When we first moved into this house, there was a lot of work that needed to be done. I could write a book about this house. "Fixer Upper" does not even begin to cover it. Birdy was a baby, so that makes the other kids 2, 4, and 6 years of age. To set the stage, I have to remind you that our house is a trilevel - most of the house on one level, but the master suite is upstairs (about 8 steps), and there is a large family room underneath the master bedroom area that is down about 6 steps, so sunken. One morning after an afternoon and evening of heavy rain, I was in the kitchen seated at the desk area working on the computer. The kids had just finished eating breakfast and were still in their jammies; Birdy was in her bouncy seat. I hear the other kids running about the house playing together, and as I take a moment to focus in on their conversation I hear Dan saying, "And then Superman rescues them from the ...OCEAN!" This last word is shouted very excitedly, and I am thinking that he is very proud of himself for thinking up a water rescue story...but then I hear enthusiatic whispering followed by shouts and clapping. The kids rush into the kitchen to ask,"Mom, can we swim in it?" Now I am an experienced aunt (19 nieces and nephews) as well as a mother of four, and so I know not to say, "Sure, kids, have at it." If they are this excited, for sure and for certain there is real water involved. And there was - the entire downstairs room is filled with water...um several feet of water. Needless to say, they did not get to swim in it.

Valerie - You are so very sweet! Thank you!

Paul - Haha!! And I would probably have gotten a nasty rash since it was metal!! Okay, I will try to explain how to do the pointy finger thing - I have a Mac and use a Safari browser, so it might work a bit differently on a different set up. Go under Edit and select Special Characters - there are all kinds of nifty symbols in there, when you find the one you want, you just click on it and drag it to where you want it placed. Easy and fun - even I can do it!!

Ellen - I finished another book early this morning, so now I just have one more to go! It has been really hard because usually when I want a new book I just buy it. It's my big indulgence in life. I'm not trying to curtail my buying of books, but I do need to read more off of my shelves. Also, I wanted to show support for you - it was a worthy challenge, and I have greatly admired your fortitude. I have a few great books from the library sitting ready to be read right now, but I must admit that I purposefully chose books from my shelves first so that I can complete the challenge. I'm so weak!

*Back to add that the frog photo is taken in Savannah Georgia down on the Waterfront area - that's the Savannah River behind Dan.

Heather - Thank you! I am indeed enjoying An Elegy for Easterly - Linda was kind enough to send me her copy to read. I had not heard about her writing a novel, so that is exciting news. I would definitely read that when it comes out.

Susan - Thank you twofold! It took the girls several minutes to notice Dan's antics. Dan and I have the exact same sense of humor - we often say things at the same time, make the same jokes at the same time, finish each other's sentences. It's actually kind of freaky and Abby would always ask why we did that. After much thought on the subject, I have come to the conclusion that I warped him when he was little. When he was really little - like two - he would always ask me, "What makes that funny?" He would ask about commercials, storybooks, cartoons, everything, really. It used to make me a bit crazy because I had never had a kid ask me that before all the time like that. SO I would set about explaining what made it funny - and he would listen and sometimes ask questions or simply say "again" if he didn't get what I was saying. I guess it really is no great mystery why we share the same sense of humor- he learned why I thought things were funny. He has been off and running with it ever since!!

Kath is right about the beer - just buy the pack!

Kath - It did get busy over here, didn't it? Can't wait to hear how the recipe comes out with chicken!

Well my daughter and SIL just bought a new home and there was nothing much staged. There were photos, enormous First Communion photos in one case, all over the walls. The lights were on but then we visited at night so not too unusual. But they did have a candle burning that was supposed to create some kind of ambiance I guess. But you are right Mamie, in that this is a completely different market nowadays---a buyers' market. I'm afraid they have all the cards and with so much to choose from and record low interest rates you would think that home sales would be through the roof. Unfortunately, too many people are out of work or nervous about the future so they are staying put until the economy improves, if that ever happens. I hope you find that elusive buyer soon my friend.

LOVE the frog picture up top. I have a small collection of them around the house. They make me laugh, although not so much in real life. Oceans IN the house are not such a good thing, but I loved the story.

Bonnie - I think I would be afraid to leave a candle burning! You are so right - it is a buyer's market. Which means we could get a great deal on a house down in Georgia - but I don't want to buy unless we sell ours. We could buy - those crazy banks would totally lend us the money, but I would like to own the house, not have the house own us. So we will wait and see. It's all good - whatever happens, happens. I am a firm believer that there is no one right way to do things - flexibility, I have found, is a key component to happiness.

Kim - So true! Oceans IN the house are not a good thing. Luckily that entire room has been rebuilt, and now any water remains firmly on the outside of the house - we like it that way!

Hi Mamie. Happy New Thread! I see it's already thriving, so good think I finally decided to jump in. Love the pic of Dan talking to the frog. Or was he responding to something it had said first? Funny story about the ocean in the house... I don't know if I'd have been as quick as you in detecting the "what's wrong with this sentence" thing when they asked to go swimming. Which is why you're the mom of four and I'm a mom to... animals who can't be too screwed up for their short lives due to bad parenting!

Hi Mamie. Happy New Thread! I see it's already thriving, so good think I finally decided to jump in.

It has been really hard because usually when I want a new book I just buy it.

Same here, more or less, which is why I didn't jump in and join Ellen and you with that challenge. Only, I don't actually buy ALL the books I want right away, because there are at least 3-5 art books at all times in my "must-have" category, and as those tend to be rather pricey, I do try to hold off on those as much as possible, though my average so far is about 1 per month at least. I can't believe you just said you're "weak" though. I mean... didn't you pass that challenge with flying colours? Nothing weak about that! Congrats!

I used to use the pointy finger to indicate TIOLI reads, but I think I'll steal your idea and use it in my series list too, just because I've always really liked that dingbat and try to use it whenever I can.

Hi Ilana! The catching the "what's wrong with this sentence?" is a learned thing. Kind of like learning to actively listen to audiobooks, so trust me, you would pick it up quickly if you needed that skill! I didn't actually pass the challenge yet - one more book to go, and then believe me when I say that my Amazon account will be well fed. I love the pointy finger, and I just figured out how to do it yesterday when I was messing around on the computer. Now I'm so thrilled with my new skills!!

I really should be writing reviews, but my laptop is charging and the deck is calling out to me, so I will go out and read until my laptop is ready to join me.

The chicken.. well.. it was yummy. I added a bit of parmesan cheese to the topping. I added a bit of hot sauce and paprika to the seasonings.. oh, and onion powder. I cooked it a bit longer and it was perfectly delish.

I woke at 5 today. I was going to nap but my cousin called. This makes 9-10 calls in three days. I didn't answer one of them earlier on. grrrr I feel sorry for her though.

Was hoping to stop in after my break and find the house sold.....

HI Mamie! Just here to mark my place on your pretty new thread :)

I loved your swimming room story, Mamie ... ha! at least your kids came and asked you first instead of just leaping into all that water and splashing around as I probably would have done if I'd been in a similar situation at that age.

My mother really does have nerves of steel because despite the fact that I'm a girl, I got into more scrapes than my older brother. When I was 6, I grabbed the corners of a bedsheet, climbed up onto the railing of our 2nd storey balcony and jumped off ... the bedsheet was supposed to have opened up like a parachute and allowed me to land softly and safely. Instead, I crashed into her flowerbed below and broke my right arm. I'm still trying to work out if she was more upset that I was somewhat injured or that I had completely flattened all her flowering plants in one fell landing.

Excellent plan!! : )

Somehow I missed your swimming story last time... it is ROFLMAO funny.....
Kids do keep you on your toes.. and I have nothing to match it.. LOL
Thanks for sharing it :)

Mamie... what are the rectangular red marks on some of the swimmers body's? Do you know?

Caro, that's a very funny story. Heh. You must have driven your poor mum to distraction as a kid.

Kath - The chicken sounds yummy - I will have to try that. 9-10 calls in three days is INSANE! You poor dear!! Glad you liked my swimming story! I have no idea what the rectangular marks are - now I'm going to have to check into it because I am curious my own self. I usually try not to watch swimming because for some strange reason, I hold my breath while the swimmers are in the pool. I have no idea why I do this - perhaps because I am a complete nut?! Anyway, it's exhausting!

Lucy - Thanks for the positive thinking. KEEP IT UP! Have fun?

Chelle - Thanks for stopping in. That wedding sure is getting close now - so excited for you and Nate!!

Caro - Your Jane Bond story had me laughing! Next time have someone else pack your chute!!

*Waves at Kim*

Mamie- I'm glad you are having a great Sunday. And 78 degrees too? Sounds perfect.
"I do need to read more off of my shelves." There is not a day that goes by that I don't think that, but you know what, just like someone with OCD, I'm adding titles continuously.
My name is Marky-Mark and I have a book problem!

Ilana - You snuck in there while I was posting!

Mark - It was 78 when I was posting on your thread. It actually got up to 84, but it didn't feel that warm at all - nice breeze and no humidity. A perfect day. Nice to meet you Marky-Mark! My name is Mamie, and I also have a book problem. I have no intention of seeking help for it.

LOL. This is a contagion we can all live with!

Amen!

Two great stories! Mamie's and Caro's!

I, too, really enjoy buying books and, while I don't think I can say it's my one indulgence (*takes sip of wine*), it's one of my favorites. I look forward to giving myself permission to buy what I want when I want again. And thanking my lucky stars that I'm so privileged to be able to do so ---- (said the woman currently reading Behind the Beautiful Forevers with its poignant depiction of grave poverty...).

Lucy - We aim to please!

Ellen - I didn't say it's my ONE indulgence - really, why would you only have one?! I said it's my BIG indulgence. Books are my very favorite thing to buy. I am also very thankful for the privilege of being able to buy books to my heart's content without having to worry about it.

22 Worth noting, we actually wound up buying the house with the gas fumes . . . after they were taken care of , of course! The thing that amazed me about the marketing of this house is that perhaps its best feature was hidden until after we bought it and moved in. The back upstairs window was covered up by curtains. We took them down to wash them . . . and almost jumped for joy at the view!

Your water in the lower level story . . . oh, dear!

That is such a great story, Terri! Hidden treasure! Aren't we always in search of that?!

And yes, the water thing was so very bad, but we survived, and now we can laugh about it.

That, Terri is a good ending to the story ! What is the view Terri? Maybe you can use a picture from there in your next thread?

As for the swimming pool in your lower level, Mamie.. I can see how it would be a huge YIKES when it happens, but it surely does make a good story :)

Books are my very favorite thing to buy.

I agree completely!!!!!!

stopping by to say how much I enjoy your house stories.

As someone who lived in a house wherein every September the basement flooded, I can relate.

Mamie- I hope your day is going well. Thanks for sharing your bookshelves stories, I especially like you keeping a YA bookshelf by the door. So cool!

Kath - Good idea! I would like to see Terri's view, too. Sometimes those YIKES moments end up making the very best stories!!

Ellen - WahHOO!!

Linda - SO good to see you here! Glad you liked the house stories! Every September - my parents had a house like that. Not fun.

Mark - I did have a good day - busy, but good. And you're welcome - we just took that down when we staged the house. Into the Pod it went, but oh what a busy life those shelves lived while they occupied the foyer! It was great fun and led to some wonderful discussions.

I always like seeing photos of RL lives of LT folks. The kids, the places they live and visit. So
much fun! Not much happening right now. Getting warm here fast, though. We are supposed to
do volunteer work tonight. Stressing over that.

I am happy for you that you are getting things done this week, AND especially that hubby is coming home for a few day. Miss your smiling posts though.. ah well, life does happen .. lol. Hope things go smoothly and that some fun creeps in today .

Morning Kath! Where is your volunteer work happening and what will you be doing? Sorry it is stressing you out.

This week is crazy busy, but that is my own fault for scheduling so much - I would rather have one really busy week and get it all over with at once. Yesterday the dogs got their teeth cleaned - poor Biscotti had to have four teeth removed. She had one cracked tooth and another tooth had the root exposed - poor baby! I had no idea - she must have been in pain, but she had not been acting any differently. Eating a bit less, but she is getting older and I attributed it to that.

Raining a bit this morning, so nice and dark and quiet for now.

Mornin' Mamie!
If your house had sold really quickly, we would be missing all these great stories and lessons in patience. Thanks for those!
But now I think it's time - so feel free to show your house to the perfect buyers this week! I know you are busy, but I believe you can do it ;-)
So glad hubby is coming home for a visit. Must be hard being away from the family. How is he liking his new job?
Happy Day to you!

Hi Mamie, it's good to be moseying through threads again - boy, does it ever feel good to be home again, although I'm so tired I could cry! What a good idea, the YA shelf in the front hall.

Cee - You always say the sweetest things - thanks for that! So great to see you back here - you were missed!

Since you have given me the nod, I will try valiantly to show our house to the perfect buyers this week!! If you believe in me, then I must be up to the task.

We can't wait to see Craig this weekend - it is getting really hard for him to be without all of us - poor dear, after all we are quite fabulous, so I would miss us, too!! Seriously, though, it's so different for him because he is used to coming home to a very lively house where Birdy starts talking a mile a minute as soon as he sets foot in the door, to letting himself into a quiet mother-in-law suite at someone else's house. No back yard to putter in, no dogs to demand his attention, no dinner until he makes it. The good news is that he absolutely loves his new job. He is settled in and starting to get his own patients, getting a feel for how the office flows. So that part is a good match - after one year, he will be able to buy into the practice, and then he will finally have his dream of owning his own practice. Already he is able to practice medicine the way that he wants without someone looking over his shoulders and telling him that he needs to see more patients in a day or that he has to charge for certain things - it's still a business, but the focus is the care, not the money. A much better fit for Craig.

Wishing for you a wonderful day filled with delightful things!

Lucy! So happy you are back! There should be some kind of limit to how many fabulous LTers can be gone at the same time! You were missed, my friend! Sorry you are exhausted - it's probably a good tired, though, huh? Can't wait to hear all about it. Our YA bookcase in the foyer in its heyday saw more action than the school library on some days - it was such a fun time!

Welcome home, Lucy and Cee!!

Oh, I forgot to mention - drumroll, please - last night I finished my tenth owned book read for Ellen's challenge. WahHOO!! So, later today I will be listing my new acquisitions - now I'm off to Amazon!

*Okay, I'm back! Didn't take long since I had that handy list up top of books that I resisted buying during Ellen's Challenge. Here's a list of the spoils:

1. Death Without Company by Craig Johnson - the second book in the Walt Longmire series
2. The Guards by Ken Bruen - recommended by Mark
3. The Castings Trilogy by Pamela Freeman - recommended by Lucy
4. The Ox Bow Incident by Walter van Tilburg Clark - recommended by Judy
5. The Merry Misogynist by Colin Cotterill - the next Dr. Siri book
6. The End of the Affair by Graham Greene - the audiobook is read by Colin Firth. COLIN FIRTH!! Ilana tipped me about this one.
7. The Witch's Grave by Phillip DePoy - recommended by Terri and Kath

*Gleefully rubs hands together* Precious...my Precious...

Hah! Those are some precious books all right, Mamie. I have to get back to our Dr. Siri; I'll look forward to hearing what you think of The Merry Misogynist.

I'm sure Craig greatly misses the fabulous all of you, but it does sound like it's a big, positive career move for him toward what he wants it to be.

Hi Joe! Where are you at with Dr. Siri?

Craig will be here Thursday evening - did I mention that already? He misses us, but it is so great to see him excited about work again. His old job was really stressing him out on a daily basis because of all the business crap, so it's wonderful to see him with that weight lifted from his shoulders. Nice to see that every once in a while the Almighty Dollar loses.

Some JULY Stats

Total Books Read for JULY:
* a total of 12 books
* a total of 11 authors, 4 of them were new to me
* original publication dates ranged from 1917 (Parnassus on Wheels) – 2012 (Bring Up the Bodies)
* NO ABANDONED BOOKS
* 12 books were fiction, 0 was non-fiction

Author gender:
male: 11
female: 1

Author Nationality:
American: 5
English: 3
Nigerian: 1
Indian: 1
Italian: 1

Medium:
Hardcover: 4
Paperback: 2
ebook: 6
Audiobook:0

Source:
Purchased in 2012: 9
Off My Shelf (Purchased prior to 2012): 1
Library Book: 2

Multiple Books Read by Same Author:
Ray Bradbury: 2

Genre:
Mystery/Thriller: 5
Historical fiction/Literature: 6
Science Fiction:0
Short Story Collection: 0
Juvenile/YA: 1
Non-fiction: 0

*what you should know about my library - I am not trying to decrease the number of books that I purchase in a calendar year, I am simply aiming to also make a significant dent in the piles of books already sitting on my shelves that are unread.

2012 STATS (Through the end of July)

79 Books Read
* 45 new to me authors
* 54 male/ 25 female
* 73 fiction/ 6 non-fiction

FORMAT
* audio: 2
* Kindle: 39
* Real Books: 38

SOURCE
* Off My Shelves: 19
* Purchased and read in 2012: 50 (+1 free download)
* Library Books: 9

Multiple Books Read by Same Author
* John Steinbeck: 6
* J. R. R. Tolkien: 3
* Colin Cotterill: 5
* Deborah Crombie: 2
* Dennis Lehane: 2
* Michael Connelly: 2
* Ray Bradbury: 3
* Amitav Ghosh: 2
* Andrea Camilleri: 2
* Chinua Achebe: 2
* Hilary Mantel: 2

Five Star Reads
* 11/22/63 by Stephen King
* The Lord of the Rings by J .R. R. Tolkien
* Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine
* 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff
* Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury

Best Discovery
* Dr. Siri!!

I'm on Pogo Stick, Mamie. I've got it, I just have to get to it.

Yes, we spend so much time at work, the Almighty Dollar can't be the be-all, end-all. Good for Craig.

Interesting stats! I just read Mockingbird and thought it was a good one, although the drive toward a YA happy ending foozled the realism of Caitlyn's plight a bit for me.

CONGRATS on finishing "my" challenge! You were much faster at that than I.....
and I love the list of books you bought to celebrate.
I have The Guards sitting on my bedside table (thanks to Mark, as you say) --- it's a library book.....
I'm never gonna make it to my ten....................

How do you remember who recommended a book? Do you put them in your WL and include that info?

SO glad you liked Mockingbird, Joe! You make a very good point about the ending. What I really liked about the book was that it gave an accurate picture about how someone that age with Aspergers Syndrome processes information and thinks about things. It is a very tough struggle with what is comforting to them and what is socially acceptable. The main character in that book was so very similar to my own daughter, Rae, at that age that it made me cry because someone "got" it.

It's interesting to me that you seem to comment a lot on realism when you talk about YA books - I think that an unlikely chain of events or an unlikely ending are sometimes comforting for young teenagers who too often cannot control the outcome of things in their own lives. Books like Mockingbird and The Wednesday Wars have realistic settings and well drawn characters, but that doesn't mean that they also have to have realistic endings. There are plenty of books out there that offer that - most of the Newberry winners, for instance. I know that you enjoy books by authors such as Colin Cotterill and Sarah Addison Allen which contain magical realism and mysticism, so I am curious as to why you want YA books to be realistic. I think sometimes the issue is perhaps that the ending comes together too quickly or too easily - so maybe the talking point is how we arrive at the happy ending, not so much that the ending is happy? Maybe everything is wrapped up a bit too neatly?

Ellen - Thanks! I put the book in my WL, and then I edit the book and in the private comments section I document who recommended it or whose thread it was being talked about on if the person (such as Benita) recommending the book doesn't have a thread.

And you ARE going to make it to ten. Ellen, I BELIEVE in you! (But I think you should count library books because you read a lot from the library OR not read any books from the library until you read ten from your shelves.) Okay, that would totally kill you, so just disregard that very bad advice!

*Back to add that I was thrilled to see your entries so far on the TIOLI because a lot of the books you listed are sitting on my shelves - so I might be joining you in some of those reads.

Oh good, I would love to have you join me in some of my August tioli reads, Mamie. I won't get to them all -- I never do -- but I enjoy trying.
:-)

I never get to them all either. I think of them more as possibilities.

>66 Crazymamie: Yes, everything wrapped up too neatly is the problem for me with some YAs, Mamie. I like happy endings fine, as in Sarah Addison Allen's books. With Caitlyn, I was quite caught up in her character, and then it seemed to me that she made some developmental leaps that felt too sped up, so that the author to some extent broke my connection to her.

One comparison might be Marcelo in the Real World. He progresses hugely in the book, but it never felt sped up and unrealistic to me. For me it breaks the connection I have with the character when it happens. It feels like the author has somewhere he/she wants to get, and that the way there isn't true to the character. Another example (non-Asperger's) is Catherine Gilbert Murdock's D.J. series starting with Dairy Queen. Some of the things the main character D.J. does stretch belief, but her character and its development are consistent throughout. That works for me.

I think of them more as possibilities.

Amen.

That's what I thought you meant, but I didn't want to assume. I always find it interesting to hear what people like or don't like about a book, what they think works and what doesn't. Thanks for elaborating, Joe. I have Marcelo in the Real World on my WL - I have heard good things about that book. The other one you mentioned I will have to look into as have not heard of it before.

Author Maeve Binchy passed away yesterday at the young age of 72. She will be missed.

*I had not heard this.

Mamie- I love your book haul! Mighty impressive. I might join you for a couple titles for September S & S. I know you were planning on starting the Berlin Noir series. I have the 1st one saved on audio, it's a reread for me, but it's been to long since I've read it.
I would also tag along with you on the 2nd Longmire.
Happy to hear Craig is coming in. Yah!

Mark - I am assuming that September S & S has something to do with books that are in a series? September sounds great for both of those - excellent memory about the Berlin Noir!! You'll be happy to know that I plan on dipping into The Guards in August.

Last year, Judy set up a September Series & Sequels thread. Another good reason to catch up with a few different titles. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on the Guards. I just lent my copy to a co-worker/friend's son. That copy has sure made the rounds over the years.
BTW- keep a pen & paper handy, he references a lot of good books.

Mamie - not surprisingly I love the stats - makes my own so much easier to do!

Mamie/Mark - also not surprisingly I will be up for series and sequels in September.

Mark - Series and sequels - so excellent! Also good to know about the pen and paper.

Paul - I am happy to help you in any way that I can!

I think you'll enjoy Marcelo in the Real World, Mamie. Another thought-provoking one dealing with autism and "normality" in a more sci-fi way is Elizabeth Moon's The Speed of Dark. She has an autistic son. It's an award winner that I wish were better known.

Morning Joe! I have never heard of that second one - thanks for putting it on my radar! I'll look into it.

Good! That's one of my favorite things about LT - Ex Libris, The Uncommon Reader - the list goes on and on for me of ones I never heard of that I found out about here and loved.

What? July is done already? Wow, this month has flown by. Had to skim to catch up on all the messages Mamie. Will come back next week to settle down when I have a chance to catch my breath! Hope things are going well in your part of the world. :)

Agree, Marcelo is pretty good. I liked it. Along those lines, I just received one from Vine, Me, Who Dove Into the Heart of The World

Heading off for a little trip. Have a great few days, Mamie!!
I expect to come back and find out that I'm about two threads behind with you....... heh.

For me, too, Joe! I have discovered so many new authors and new books that I never would have found on my own. It's so great!

Valerie - I thought that the month flew by, too! I know things are busy with you right now, so thanks for taking the time to stop by.

Kath - Another one I have not heard of - I'll check it out. Love the title!

Ellen - Going away? Hope you have a great time! Two threads behind?! I don't think so unless we sell the house or something big happens - but I appreciate your confidence in me!

Great lists - especially your round-ups. I think I've gotten a bit sloppy of late.

Thanks, Lucy! I love reading through your lists - I don't think you've been sloppy.

AUDITIONING for AUGUST

Group Reads
East of Eden by John Steinbeck (#16) GR Thread for East of Eden
The Red Pony by John Steinbeck (#14)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith (#9) GR Thread for A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Adichie GR Thread for Half of a Yellow Sun

TIOLI Candidates
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett (#1)
Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami (#1)
Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson (#1)
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce (#2)
Boneshaker by Cherie Priest (#3)
The Guards by Ken Bruen (#7)
Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte (#8)
A Murder of Quality by John Le Carré (#9)
The Iliad by Homer (#11)
Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell (#12)
Every Man Dies Alone by Hans Falluda (#13)
The Merry Misogynist by Colin Cotterill (#16)
Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovitch (#17)
Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri (#17)
An Elegy for Easterly by Patina Gappah (#17) Thread for Mark's Short Story Challenge
Istanbul Passage by Joseph Kanon (#17)

Hey, Wait a Minute...This Wasn’t on the List
Issac's Storm by Erik Larson - added due to popular demand!

Mamie- That's a very impressive list you have there! A lot of fantastic titles. I've been meaning to get to Boneshaker forever. I should try to join you on the Istanbul Passage, which I just landed a copy of.
The Murakami, the Guterson, the Bruen, the Falluda and the Lahiri are ALL favorites of mine. It should be a great month of reading for you.

Mark - What's funny is that more than half of the books in the TIOLI category were chosen because someone else had entered the book into a challenge - I just went through the challenges and selected books that I already had in my TBR! Isn't that funny? I think it will be another month of no losers for me. Yes, join me for Istanbul Passage - I have it on loan from the library. Joe was talking about it on his thread, and then the next time I went into the library it was displayed in the new books section, so I nabbed it. Boneshaker was recommended by Jim I believe.

I like the Auditioning for August part. It makes it seem like you are not obligated to actually read all the books on the list, which I love! I like the long lists because it does exactly that....gives you a long list of options without any guilt when you don't finish all of them. :)

I always make a list for each month as a sort of guide of what's waiting for me, but I also always read whatever I feel like. The month's reading usually ends up as a combo of list reads and spontaneous reads - thus the category for what wasn't originally on the list. Last month I read 12 books, and 5 of them were not on the original list.

I loved Snow Falling on Cedars.. and The Perfect Storm.... I always think of them together..
I read them in the same week and then donated them to the library. They were just out, and Ambridge was pleased to have another copy of each to shelve. They don't accept donations any more. sigh. Anyway,
I soon picked up another copy of The Perfect Storm for myself, because I loved that one!

Bel Canto... lol. it is the book that will not go away. It keeps popping up in my consciousness... due to all
of the LT folks. I have not read it... probably won't.. but it lingers in the LT ether like a trace gas.

Nothing on my agenda today... but a big day for you, right? Hubby to come home for the weekend?
I am happy for you, to be all back in your family pack as is right.

Hope it is a fantabulous weekend!

Morning Kath! Good to know that you loved Snow Falling on Cedars - and I have The Perfect Storm waiting patiently in my TBR thanks to your glowing recommendation. I will get to it soon. Love your musing about Bel Canto - not sure if I'll get to it this month, but I have it out from the library, and saw that Ellen had listed it in the TIOLI, so it made it onto the August list.

Nothing on your agenda - are you breathing a big sigh of relief? I have several errands, but no appointments (*does the happy dance*). And yes, Craig is coming home today (well, tonight)!!! Can't wait to see him, and the kids are anxious, too. We have to give him back to Georgia on Sunday, but at least we get him all to ourselves for a few days. Should be fun and relaxing - and the poor plants in the yard will be giddy with relief to see him.

You need to move, dear... then the house can sit and sell without you! And you can all be together.

I really don't want to move twice if I can avoid it, but believe me, there is a limit to my willingness to be a family in two separate places. We're out of here come Fall, whether the house is sold or not.

Crossing crossables and sending mojo

Aw, thanks, Kath!! You're the bestest!

Between my potential OTS books and my library books, I don't even have room for unexpected books. Still working of that part of letting go....but I still feel guilty if I don't follow the haphazard plan that I put together for the month!
Like Kath, I put my vote in for Snow Falling on Cedars and The Perfect Storm. Both were very memorable and enjoyable reads for me last year. :)

Hi Valerie! Those are both books that I added to my shelves this year because of LT recommendations, so good to hear another positive vote for each. I'm looking forward to diving into them.

Positive votes for those two (Snow Falling on Cedars and The Perfect Storm) from me, too. Both are exceptional.

Thanks, Joe! You guys are cracking me up - The Perfect Storm is not actually on my list of potentials for this month, but I am adding it due to popular demand!

Kath - See what kind of power you hold? Remember to use it only for good!

*notes: only for good* gottit!

If this keeps up I am going to want to read Perfect Storm again instead of the stack at hand... lol

Good day today. I am craving Pie from Grant's in Pittsburgh. Only that place. Apple.
mmmm mmm . Guess I will make do with some grapes later. #NotTheSame but, whatever.
Did you get all the chores done? Supplies laid in for the perfect meal tomorrow?

Nothing of interest happening here....

Hi Mamie, I am back from visiting my Mom and now desperately trying to catch up. I admit to skimming your last thread, but did note that you have reached and surpassed your 75 - so congratulations on that.

I see some talk of September Series and Sequels is going around. I would like to do that again this year, and as I will be away for the end of August and beginning of September, I will try to set up the thread before I go. I expect there's a lot of us that have series to catch up on!

Kath - I think you should read Perfect Storm again - after all, you started all of this!! LOL! I got almost all of my chores done - we really need to do yard work. The poor, poor landscaping... the heat, then the lack of rain, then the heat and the parts of the tree completely flattening the landscaping on the north side of the front door, then the heat and my SO not green thumb. It's just so sad looking. Craig is going to feel so needed!! On the bright side we have a showing tomorrow and another one on Sunday, so looks like things are starting to pick up again. The people that looked at the house twice but didn't have their house on the market have now listed their house and are thinking about making a contingency offer. The showing tomorrow is great timing because the dogs will be at the groomer and so we can do whatever we want while we stay out of the house!! *does happy dance*

Nothing of interest happening? That's good after the last few days you've had, right?!

Judy!! Welcome home! Skimming is perfectly fine - I'm honored. Thanks for the congrats. Mark was explaining to me what September S & S was - and yes, I think there are a bunch of us that have some catching up to do. So a thread would be excellent - you have to go away again? Can't believe September is just around the corner - school here starts next week. NEXT WEEK - can you believe that? When I was a kid we didn't start until after Labor Day. It doesn't effect us, though, because the older kids do online high school and Birdy is home schooled. We actually go year round and just take breaks when the mood strikes us. This year we are planning on taking two months off when we move, so that will be great and ease the transition. Thanks for stopping by.

Crossing crossables tighter ! Doubling up on mojo >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

And wishing you a really wonderful weekend!

Thanks, Kath! I hope you have a wonderful weekend, too!! Craig is outside right now working on the landscaping, dogs are at the groomer, Dan and I stopped and picked up Danish and donuts on the way home from the vet, and the coffee is brewing. Just for a moment, all is right with the world.

Really loving A Tree Grows in Brooklyn - just got to Part 3. Finished the 6th Dr. Siri the other day and trying to decide what to start next.

*edited because I finished the 6th Dr. Siri, not the 5th!

Oh, Mamie! Your domestic scene sounds wonderful. Enjoy!

Thanks, Cee! Figure out the ice cream mystery yet? Mom throwing wild parties after hours?

Nope. Will probably need Dr Siri to help me figure this one out!

LOL! Good thinking!

Oops - well, glad you liked the idea of reading Perfect Storm, Mamie. (Well done, Kath).

I'm in the middle of a Dr. Siri right now, Curse of the Pogo Stick. It's another good one, filled with the usual clever understated humor.

Hi Joe! Now I'll get to it sooner rather than later! The sixth Dr. Siri, The Merry Misogynist is really a lot of fun because it's the first time since The Coroner's Lunch that we have all the major players in the same place - so great!

Awww, sounds like your day is going great Mamie! Let's keep that going right through the weekend, okay? :)

Things sound very promising on the house front, Mamie. I'll keep my fingers crossed as well.

In about three weeks, we are heading off to the next province for a family reunion just north of Calgary. After a weekend of my husband's family we are then going to drop south into Montana, drive to North Dakota, see the Theodore Roosevelt Badlands, and then head to South Dakota and visit Mount Rushmore, Deadwood, and Custer State Park. I love road trips and I'm really looking forward to it.

Hi Mamie, hmmm I have The Perfect Storm sitting on my shelf but......too booked already for this month. At some point I will read it for sure. That's quite a list of potentials for August you've got there. I forgot about the S&S. That would be a good time to finish off Jackson Brodie and Claire and Russ, well just until the authors publish something new anyway.

I have to add my 2 cents on the Perfect Storm; along with into Thin Air, these 2 titles really kicked the door open for me on NNF and set me on my current love affair with that NF approach.
I hope you have a great weekend.

Just taking a quick moment to report in - today has been fabulous but oh, so busy. The dogs went to the groomer today which meant that while the house was showing this afternoon we could all go out to eat together - really fun and relaxing. Craig had the yard looking fabulous in record time this morning, and we are feeling pretty good about things except for the problem with the water heater. As Mark knows, we have had trouble with our water heater not wanting to ignite. Thought we had the problem fixed, but suddenly every time it needed to heat to water it was giving us an error code - called the plumbing company that installed it and found out that there is a recall on a part for our heater. It is still under warranty, so no big deal but we do have to wait for the part to come in. In the meantime hot water is a bit of a pain - we have to turn the whole thing off and then start it back up again for each tank of water and then wait for the water to heat up. Okay - we can work with that - part should be in on Monday. Meanwhile, as Craig was waiting for the plumber to call him back, I decided to go get two cell phones for the kids to share. Believe it or not, our kids have not had cell phones before, so this was a big deal. I get to the place, pick out the phones, go through the plans, hand the guy my scary driver's license..."Um, Ma'am, were you aware that your license has expired?" Well, no, of course I was not aware of this, even though it is there big as day for everyone to see that my license expired on June 1, 2012. So, I can't get the phones, and I need to renew my license. Off to the license branch I go to renew said license and hopefully get a less scary picture. While I am waiting, I get a call from the realtor's office - the people who saw our house today want a second showing on Monday - Yippie Skippy!! I get my paper that says that I renewed my license because I guess now they mail them to you. Then back to the phone place. Then to the groomer's to pick up the dogs, then home. Whew! Long afternoon but a lot accomplished. Feel like I have run a marathon, but now I am street legal, the dogs are looking mighty fine, and the kids have their own cell phones which means I have soul ownership of mine. WahHoo. I think I earned my glass of Chardonnay and a few chocolate covered pecans!

Valerie - We love having Craig home, so no matter what happens, we are sure to have a good time! He doesn't have to leave until late Sunday afternoon, so we will soak up every moment with him.

Judy - Thanks for crossing your fingers! You are going to love that road trip! Custer State Park and Mount Rushmore are both incredible. You will really see a lot of wild animals close up - the buffalo are incredible! You are going to have such a great time!!





Custer State Park

Bonnie - There is no way I will get to them all, probably not even half of them, but it's fun to think about! I am really looking forward to September S & S - I am already thinking about my list and what I want to get to. I LOVE making lists, so just thinking about it is half the fun!

Mark - I will make a point of getting to Issac's Storm, and I do have Into Thin Air on audiobook. I read an excerpt from it that was in the kids' English book and I loved how it was written, so later that year when the audiobook was on sale, I snapped it up, but I have not listened to it yet. I will have to bump it up on the list. I have really loved both of the Erik Larsson books that I have read, so i am sure that Issac's Storm will be another winner. Good to know that you loved both of them! Hope you also have a great weekend.

Mamie, I was seriously behind, having missed threads for a few days, so now I don't know what to comment on because there's too much stuff TO comment on. So I'll just say I'm happy for you that DH is home with you all and you're enjoying being together. That must be wonderful. Also great that he's finding a great fit with his new job and real possibility of a practice. Also happy that you have a repeat visit on the house. Also, BOO on the boiler. Also liked the stats. Also like the month's possible reads. Also considering joining you and Mark in September for the first Philip Kerr Berlin Noir, March Violets. The audiobook is narrated by John Lee, so I might spend an Audible credit to get that one. I wasn't going to start on it for a good while yet, what with so many other series ongoing, but what's one more at this point? Also, I gave you a "light" and a "detailed" answer on my thread.

Also, a bit of advertising:

I put up the discussion thread for The Red Pony by John Steinbeck, our Steinbeckathon selection for August: http://www.librarything.com/topic/140559

Many of us are continuing with East of Eden too this month: http://www.librarything.com/topic/139235

Did you get a less scary photo for your license? I look like an assassin in my passport photos, no matter what I try. I'm sure the immigration guy in NZ jumped a little bit when he looked at it last time I was down there. Still, they have to let me in :-) Your weekend sounds lovely, and yay for the second viewing on Monday!

Congratulations on holding out on the phones till now. I only managed to resist until J was 11 and even at that age several of his friends seemed to have had their own phone for a couple of years.

My passport photo is awful too. Last time I renewed it I had to do so very quickly and had to go to the passport office in London to do so. Unfortunately I had flu that week when I had my photo done and so in my photo I really look like death warmed up!

I LOVED Issac's Storm, as I did all of his books so far.

What wonderful pictures! You have done some wonderful things!
When I renewed my license this year, the photo taker and I were talking and joking we had to do it several times as I looked like a total lunatic in the first few. ( no one was behind me ... and I had a similar fiasco, having sent for my photo card and it was ..50 short. I had no checks and had to leave and go and buy a money order for .50 and then go back.. sigh)

Weirdly, I renewed my passport this year, too. I did it at the post office, and I am friendly with the woman who did it. ( she knows that all of my packages going out are media.. lol ) and the light was terrible. For some reason it kept blanking out part of my face. That wouldn't do of course, so we did it over and over.

Nothing much going on here today...

119: Mamie, your afternoon was indeed eventfful...and fruitful. I found out about an expired license a few years ago checking in for a flight to Denver. I'm grateful they let me on the plane! Crossing my fingers that the return lookers will be The Buyers!!!

I like the thought of you 'auditioning' your books. I have my candidates all lined up like little soldiers. I plan to read all of my choices, although it may not happen this month.

I hope to get to Custer, Yellowstone, the Badlands, etc. sometime after DH retires. We are overdue for a long road trip, and neither one of us has been up that way. Thanks for sharing the pictures.

Craig is off to get his hair cut, so just a quick catch up on here.

Dear Ilana - Thanks for all the wonderful comments! Yes! Please join Mark and I for March Violets in September - how fun! Right - what's one more series? That's what I keep telling myself every time I add a new one, and it always works! So far there has been no infighting among the series books that are vying for my attention - I will have to keep a close eye on them to see that they continue to behave. I'll pop over to your thread for your "light" and "detailed" view as soon as I am done here!

Thanks for including the links to the Steinbeck reads! Feel free to advertise here any time that you want!! I really need to get going on East of Eden - I have a physical copy which is not convenient to carry around because of its size, so the poor dear hasn't seen much action. I just need to sit down and really dive into it. The Red Pony is so short, I am thinking it can be easily read in just one sitting, which is good because I need to get going on East of Eden!

Hi Susan! The new photo is indeed less scary, although with all the new rules it is almost impossible to actually take a good looking one. My old one I thought did not even look like me, but perhaps that is just denial on my part! I have never had a passport, so no passport photo. Guess I won't be leaving the country anytime soon!

Morning Rhian! If the kids had been in public school, we would have had to cave sooner because the schools are so funny about letting kids call home. Most of their friends had them by fifth grade! We now have two that can drive, so I want them to have a cell phone with them in case of emergency. Also, when we move I want them to be able to easily keep in touch with friends. And they were so thrilled to get them!! Your passport photo sounds a bit like my old license photo - it looks like I should have been holding a number and then asked to turn to the right.

Kath - That was such a fun trip! We did that during our first year of home schooling. We also went to Williamsburg and Monticello that year, and to all those fabulous museums in Chicago! We had so much fun. The trip out West was amazing because the kids and I had never been out that way - we drove and it was so amazing to see how the landscape changed as we made our way further west. It's just so very different from Indiana.

Short by 50 cents?! They don't take cash? What a pain. Cannot believe you had to get a money order for $.50!! Incredible! Your passport story is funny - but it probably wasn't at the time.

No big plans for today - just hanging out. I do know that we are having Steak Diane and mashed potatoes for dinner because that is what Craig requested. Yum!! I love that meal, too! Probably serve steamed broccoli with it. Tomorrow we have a showing at 4:30 pm, which works out because that is just about the time that Craig has to head out anyway to get back down to Indy for his flight out. Hope you have a good one!

Donna - Nice to see you here! That is so lucky that they let you on the plane with an expired ID! I'm glad I wasn't doing anything more than attempting to purchase cell phones with an expired license - I was only out my time, and the sales clerk apologized to me. I thought that was nice considering it was my fault. At least now it's all taken care of, but it kills me that I was driving around for two months with an expired license!!!

If the return lookers make an offer, that would be so fabulous! You would be proud of me - I did not interrogate the realtor's office to determine whether or not the interested party were qualified to make an offer! I was a good girl - very well behaved!

I love figuring out what I might read during the month - and some months I am better than others at picking out what I will actually read. It all comes down to mood though - if I'm not in the mood, I don't attempt it because that can ruin a book for me.

Do make time to get to Custer and the Badlands. We also saw the Crazy Horse monument while we were out there which is worth the trip. I would like to see Yellowstone - haven't been there yet.

Wanted to mention that I love that picture you have at the top of your thread with all the grandkids in and around the pool. Haley looks like, "Hey, I thought this was my pool!"

Woo, what a day you had, Mamie! You definitely earned your Chardonnay and choc-covered pecans. I think you're going to love the kids having those cell phones - for us it's made it so much easier to keep track of each other, among other things. My wife is "communications central" and keeps us all coordinated, even with the kids now out of the house.

Loved the line about your scary passport photo - mine looks like the funeral guy did a nice embalming job.

Hi Joe! It was definitely time for additional cell phones. I really wanted unlimited texting for them, and a way for us to easily be in touch. Mainly they will be in Dan and Abby's possession because Rae does not like to drive (we had to make her get a license) and also does not like to talk on the phone - we did ask her if she wanted her own phone since she is the oldest, but she said no thanks! Birdy is just 13, so she is always with one of us for the most part.

My photo really was scary - I am not exaggerating! Luckily the new one is much better, although I think I am actually much more beautiful than I appear there!! Laughing at your description of yours!

Help! I'm 88 posts behind here!

I think maybe there's a law that passport and license photos have to make people look as bad as possible. Mine always do.
mine looks like the funeral guy did a nice embalming job
LOL!

I was quite shocked a couple of years ago when my friend Kim and her partner bought their daughter Emma an iPhone for her 14th b-day, especially as they tend to be strict parents and not give in to peer pressure, are far from affluent and while obtained on a 3-year plan they're relatively affordable, those things are incredibly expensive to replace. But her partner has some perks at work, and it seems all Emma's friends at school already had gotten iPhones long before. Mobile phones for kids may have become a necessity nowadays, but that just seems crazy to me. Meanwhile, Emma had her first iPhone stolen at a friend's birthday party (at which a parent was present) and dropped and broke another one. I love Kim, but I want to shake her head off for giving in to her daughter on this one. But then, easy for me to say as I'm not a parent.

Actually ... the passport thing was sort of funny at the time. I look like a scary madwoman in my passport pic... I'll have to try to go with that look if I travel. I figure, I know how I look, and there's not much you can do with it so.. whatever...

I'm under pressure for an iPhone as well. My son (age 12) has got a smart phone but a Samsung not an iPhone which is what he would really like. I won't buy him the iPhone for exactly the reason you suggest - just too expensive to replace if lost. I have to admit that I'm more susceptible to nagging on the phone front than I would be on expensive clothing or trainers, mainly because I like having a nice phone myself. When my son went to secondary school and needed a phone my husband suggested that he had his old one - which was about three years old and had only cost about £10 originally - but I didn't think that we could subject him to that level of embarrassment.

Ok, on the cell phone front - I did not get iPhones or smart phones for the kids. Um...no. They have basic phones that they can use to send text messages and make phone calls. We have a shared data plan with unlimited texting and shared minutes. So, their phones were added as a family plan - costing us $9.99 each per month. I did pay for the flat rate insurance plan which costs less than $200.00 for the 2 year contract and guarantees that their phones get replaced (as often as once a month) if they are damaged or stolen. The phones were less than $50.00 each. So, for both phones and the insurance plan it will cost us about $390 each year. That's a price I'm willing to pay.

Terri - It could be a law! Or an added perk of working in that field - the ability to make the customer look as scary or ugly or both! That cracks me up - it is required by law that the photos be as unattractive as possible!

Ilana - I think kids need a way to easily get in touch with a parent if they are driving or dating or participating in activities where there is not a phone available for them to use. If Dan is driving and is involved in an accident or the car breaks down, I want him to be able to get ahold of me. If Abby is on a date that she is feeling uncomfortable about or if things don't go as planned, I want her to be able to call me to come and get her. It's a matter of safety first to me - an added bonus is the ability to text and call friends. We are not really inclined as parents to give into trends or peer pressure - we feel comfortable and confident making our own rules. I do think that a lot of kids get too much too soon, and I hate to see kids sitting in restaurants engaged with their devices and not their families. This makes me sad. It sends the message that it's okay to disconnect with actual live people in order to have a digital conversation - this will not be happening with our kids or they will quickly find themselves without phones. Even my nieces and nephews know not to do this at Mamie's house - I truly believe that we teach people how to treat us, and that it's important to let people know what is and isn't acceptable. Their parents will ask how I got them to put away their devices and I always say that I told them what to do and then I expected them to do it. Kids are smart and capable and will rise to meet your expectations which is why it is so important to set your expectations up high. Okay, I'll step down off the soapbox now.

Kath - Scary madwoman could work in your favor because then people don't know what to expect and will tread lightly!! And you're right. there's nothing you can do about it.

Rhian - I think a smartphone is overly generous. Perhaps if you gave him the choice between his currrent phone and the one your husband is suggesting! I'm sure you do like having a nice phone, but you are also an adult. I would be saying, "When you are paying the bills, you can choose whichever phone you want." I think it's perfectly fine and even healthy for kids to understand that there is a cost differential involved. Have him figure up the difference in cost between what he has now and what an iPhone would cost, and then ask him what else that money could buy. Sometimes kids just don't understand the value of the dollar because they are not the ones handling it - credit cards and debit cards make it seem like the well is bottomless. Kids can be very excellent at comparison shopping and making smart choices when it comes to money, but it is not something that they just pick up on their own very easily, and it is not often something that is taught unless the parent teaches them. Too bad because it is a lesson that gets more valuable with age.

Hi Mamie and thanks for posting those great pictures. I am a big fan of the American West both in books and in reality. Yellowstone Park is one of my favorite places. I have set aside a book about Crazy Horse to read while travelling, Stone Song: A Novel of the life of Crazy Horse (you know how it is, the books you take on a trip are the most important things to pack!) I'm looking forward to visiting his monument as well.

All this talk of passport/license pictures reminds me I better not forget to dig out my passport. My picture falls in the same school as Joe's - I look embalmed too.

#136 He does already have the smartphone - but an iPhone isn't on the cards for quite some time. The phone he got was on special offer so wasn't too expensive, and it probably costs a around £10 every couple of months as we don't have a contract. He pretty much just uses it for texting and internet access which he mainly does at home using the Wi-Fi so it doesn't cost much at all. Some of the parents of girls I know have real difficulty with the amount of texting that they do, but at the moment we have the opposite problem. J doesn't like to waste the battery so switches the phone off at every available opportunity. Last year he went on a school trip to Germany: after two days he sent us a text saying that his wallet had been stolen then immediately switched his phone off, and didn't turn it back on again until his plane landed back in the U.K. a couple of days later, so all our texts trying to find out what had happened got no reply at all.

Mamie- I love the vacation photos. I love that area too. We went in '98. One of the best vacations we ever had. Good friends of ours just returned from 10 days in the Black Hills & Yellowstone, camping. I wish we could have tagged along.

I think I was referring to The Perfect Storm in my post above but I also loved Issac's Storm, my 1st Larson book.

I hope you get some of this rain that just passed through!

Perhaps because she's an only ours does have an i-phone - our Verizon plan allows you to upgrade to one quite inexpensively, so when it was her turn a few months ago, she got one. I'm glad she has it - she does everything with it and is truly competent and we depend on her to show us how to use ours to the best advantage. One thing we do (which worked fine with her old phone) is when she's out with friends she's to send us photos of what she's doing from time to time - I get some hilarious and artful shots of what they're up to, really nice.

We are promised rain for tomorrow... fingers crossed!
Mamie.. I agree with you, phones for safety not for constant nose to phone. I sure wish they
had had such a thing when my kids were young teens! A lot of worry might have been unnecessary.
And nobody say that worry is always unnecessary.... I am a worrying kind of mom.

Judy - You're welcome. So true about the books being the most important vacation item. We loved the Crazy Horse monument and the museum there is pretty incredible - not as organized as say The Gettysburg National Park Museum (which is phenomenal), but still a lot to see and take in. The story behind the monument is so wonderful. Laughing about another embalmed photo!

Rhian - I do think kids that are in a school system need a phone once they reach a certain age. Sounds like you made a good choice - we are in a different boat as we have four kids and they are not in a school system. Our older kids do high school online, and we home school Birdy. So up until now, we were together most of the time. Now, however, the two oldest have driver's licenses and Abby is dating. Our rule is you have to be 16 to date. So, up until now we could just share a phone - now we are sometimes going in totally different directions. You make such a great point about how boys and girls often use phones differently - Abby's friends like to text as opposed to talking on the phone. Dan's friends will just call the landline or text the simplest message to accomplish their goals. I bet you were nervous when you couldn't get ahold of J - I would have been a wreck! And he was just being practical - sounds exactly like what Dan would have done!!

Mark - You are SO polite - that was totally my mistake. I just had Isaac's Storm on the brain, so I read what you posted and just processed the information incorrectly. I would like to read The Perfect Storm at some point - I think we even have a copy of that somewhere. Now that you said you really liked it, it makes me want to get to it even sooner. And we did get that rain, not as much as we'd hoped but beggars can't be choosers. I would love to go back to the Black Hills someday - definitely also want to see Yellowstone.

Lucy - The Verizon deal is a really good one - that's the iPhone I just got for $50.00. Our old plan was AT & T, which we were happy with, but our plan was done, and my sister really wanted me to switch to Verizon because that is what she has, so we can talk as much as we want and not use up any minutes. Thought it was the least I could do since she is so unhappy that we are moving so far away. Our old plan had Craig, myself, and Craig's Mom on the plan, but was in my name. Craig totally destroyed his phone - did I mention he is really bad with technology? Let's just say that his old phone is in separate pieces...um, don't ask! So I got the new Verizon plan with the iPhone and two phones for the kids, and then we cancelled Craig's phone and he took my old one for now. When he gets back down to Georgia, he can take his Mom (who really wants a new phone) and sign up for a new plan for the two of them - that he can be in charge of, so he can handle his Mom's needs. Then we can just cancel the old plan and be all set. I bet your daughter is a wiz with her phone - isn't it amazing how quickly the younger generation figures stuff out technology wise?! I am learning new stuff everyday thanks to their expertise! I am loving the photo idea! How smart is that?! I tip my hat to you!

Kath - Crossing my fingers for rain for you. I don't know that the phones will stop me from worrying, but I do know that I feel better knowing that they have them. I also think they waited a long time to get them - all their friends have had phones for a long time now. Abby asked for one once when she was in fifth grade and we said no, that when they needed them, we would get them. They have not nagged or even asked again even though I know they have wanted them, so I'm proud of them. It feels like a milestone moment for us - closing in on the finishing line when we will have to let them go their own ways and trust in the job that we have done. LT better still be around then because I think I will need you guys!!

Buffalo are amazing creatures. A few years ago we visited Yellowstone and were amazed at the majesty of these incredible animals.

Congratulations on your many accomplishments yesterday.

Linda - You are so right about the buffalo. I had never seen one close up before we went to Custer State Park - wouldn't it have been so cool to see them when they ruled the Plains all those years ago? It made me so sad in The Worst Hard Times when he talked about how they purposefully killed the buffalo off - hard to imagine and heartbreaking to understand.

Thank you for your kudos! Hope your yesterday was also good and that today was even better. SO good to see you - thanks for stopping in!

*Just sharing the fact that I'm on LT right now because Craig and the kids are engaged in a great battle - Mario Kart!! Wish you could hear the trash talking!!

Mamie - this is an amazing thread.
Love the photos from your Rushmore, Badlands and Big Horn trip - have to go there when I make it over to you all.
The phone discussion is very interesting. I have, after Kyran who loses a phone a week, the most inexpensive phone in the house. Hani took over my I-phone as I was irritated by a phone trying to be far too much than a phone should be but charging you a fortune for the privilege. Smart-phone is correct they are certainly smart at keep hooking you up to data charges. Yasmyne has a Blackberry, the wife has an apple and it makes me feel like a complete lemon!
I do think the kids these days need a phone at school to contact us in case of emergencies but one of my biggest irritants is the use by the kids of the phone at the dinner table - texting whilst eating - the phone is likely to end up in the corner of the room in pieces and the kids know it too.
Lovely to see you enjoying some quality domestic time with Craig on his trip home.

Wow! You've been doing some fabulous reading, Mamie! I love your " auditioning" for August idea. I have started The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and it seems promising so far. Love your " books you resisted purchasing! I'm afraid my list of books that I resist purchasing would be very long!

Oh! And I'm with you on the cell phone front for kids as soon as they are 14 or so - I wanted to know that my two sons were safe and could get hold of us - the parents. I have never found it a problem and both of our sons are now - gasp - I was a child bride etc - 27 and 22. I love the ability to text them and others - just here and there for updates. It really came in handy when my FIL was dying and information needed to passed onto a lot of people quickly - the texting.

I hope that the time you have left with Craig is special and drama free.. ( like nothing breaking, spilling or otherwise being un fun.

I still have high hopes for rain.. it is quite grey here.... bodes well.

Nothing really going on...I did get in some reading last night.... not much.
I was drawn right into ATGIB once I finally started reading. So many memories for me with that book.
It was one of the few we owned, and I read it over and over and related to it in a big way. I am anxious to have just reading time. That should be easy... nothing on tv, no pool today.. I am going to be lazy instead.

Still sending mojo >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Hello Mamie! I am now all caught up with your thread and feeling quite pleased with myself :)

Fingers crossed for the second-lookers at the house!

HI Mamie
Good luck with the second showing tomorrow!!
Hope you guys had a great weekend with Craig home. I love the mario cart competition! I wish we had an older system. I used to love playing Dr Mario back when I was in high school!

Paul - Thank you so much! What a nice thing to say. I so hear what you are saying about the expense of an iPhone, but I LOVE mine. For me, convenience of use and how well it works with my other technology is key. We have Macs, iPods, iPads, etc. I like that all of the products work so well together and that I can sync my calendar and contacts and use all of my data on any of the products.

The funny thing is that adults are just as rude with their technology use as kids are - I used to go out to lunch with one of my girlfriends every Wednesday afternoon, and she would answer her phone during lunch and also text. What's up with that? I had to make the rule about no texting at my dinner table for my ADULT nieces and nephews. There needs to be technology etiquette!

We had a very nice visit with Craig, but alas, we had to give him back. He is on his way back to Georgia as we speak.

Deb's here! Deb's here! I'm so excited to see you back on the threads! I have heard good things about The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry - Cee, I think, read it and really liked it. I will be anxious to see what you think of it. I have had excellent luck with my reading choices this year - probably because so many of them were recommended by other LTers! The only reason I had so few books on the resisted list is because the challenge only took one month - I would have had a list resembling the phone book if I had had to go for longer without making any purchases. And it would not have been pretty - I would have been whining and throwing fits and stuff, so good thing it's over.

I love texting for quick exchanges of info, but I hate it in place of an entire conversation because I get tired of typing everything out. If my sister texts me and asks me several questions in a row that take lengthy answers, I just call her - it's quicker that way. But I also love not having to have an entire conversation when you just need a quick answer. So, it definitely has its place. But some people really love to text and hate to talk on the phone, so it just depends on the user I guess.

Mamie, I'm currently listening to The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. Am about 2/3 of the way through and I concur it's very good, but I may be in the wrong sort of mood to fully appreciate it.

I agree there needs to be etiquette for technology. It seems anything goes and too many people don't know to use their common sense and basic respect for others as guidelines.

Kath - The rest of our time was pretty much drama free except that now the water heater is not igniting most of the time even when we unplug it and then start it back up again. Luckily the part is supposed to be here tomorrow. Please let it be here tomorrow. I really like my hot water.

Did you get your rain? Did you get your lazy, relaxing day of reading? I am also really liking ATGiB - a first time read for me, and you're right, it just pulls you right in. As always, thanks for the mojo - the people who saw it today really liked it, but...wait for it...they have to sell their house first. Tomorrow is the showing for the people taking a second look. The realtor said that the original couple that loved our house and wanted it - the ones that had sold their house themselves and were just waiting for the deal to close- the deal fell through. I feel so bad for them. That is exactly why I don't want to look at any houses until we sell this one.

Katie - Thanks for stopping by and catching up! ANd thanks for the crossed fingers!!

Chelle - Thank you! You have all those wedding plans and a million things to do, and you're stopping by here to wish me luck - that means a lot to me! We did have a great weekend. Craig is totally addicted to Mario Kart - he is much worse than any of the kids!! It's always loud and raucous when they play together - and Craig is the biggest trash talker!

Mamie- Glad you had a nice visit with Craig. I'm sure it's sad to let him go. We are having a perfect summer day here. Nothing but blue sky and comfortable temps and as a bonus high 50s over night. Sweet!
I've also been hearing good things about The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. I might also try it on audio, I heard the great Jim Broadbent is narrating it. Talk about bonuses!

Hi Ilana! You snuck in there while I was posting! Good to hear another positive for TUPoHF.

The thing about today's technology is that it is just so accessible. You can use it anywhere, at any time - and so people do. Craig has actually had moms answer their cell phones during an appointment - they are paying him for his time, and then talking to someone else while he waits. He has also had teenage patients (and much younger ones) texting during the appointment. So you're right - people don't use common courtesy or show basic respect to each other.

Mark - The weather was gorgeous here, too!! It was nice to sit out on the deck and just enjoy the day. So not only did you have the day off, but you had a glorious one - nice when it works out like that, isn't it?!

You have been on the reading express lately - I can't keep up with you!! I knew you would enjoy The Giver because it is such a solid read. We used that book in our first year of home schooling and it generated quite a bit of conversation. All the kids really liked it.

I'm also really enjoying Canada and of course A Tree Grows in Brooklyn has been wonderful. The audio of the latter, is absolutely perfect.
Have you read the other "Giver" books or any other Lowry ones?

I have read other books by her - A Summer to Die and Number the Stars, both of which are good. I think you would like Number the Stars, but might find A Summer to Die a bit angsty. I have not read the sequels to The Giver - it's my understanding that they are not sequels in the typical sense. I think Gathering Blue is the second one and it is a dystopian story but does not contain the characters from The Giver. The Messenger is the third one and I think it links the other two together. Now there is a fourth one - right? I have no idea what that one is about.

Missed a lot here, Mamie, but I agree entirely with your soapbox comments above - basic cell phone for the kids, not smartphones. When they're making their own money (as ours in their 20s are now) they can buy their own smartphone.

Thanks, Joe! How was your day? I liked your review of your latest Dr. Siri read - I think you will LOVE the next one!

Hi Mamie!
We just got our renewed passports in the mail the other day and my photo is truly scary! No. Really!
I look very upset (which I wasn't).
The woman told me I couldn't smile so it is a picture of my struggle not to smile. Also it was a windy day and my hair looks like - well, hell.
The only consolation is that it's probably what I will look like at a border crossing.
"Yup! That's her all right!"

Good luck tomorrow - everything possible crossed for you!

LOL! At the license branch, they told me I could smile, but to keep my lips closed - no teeth! The lady in front of me had bangs that would not stay off of her forehead - another taboo, I guess. So they made her use bobby pins to hold them back, but there was no mirror - it was bad, truly bad. I was trying not to giggle, but it was just so awful.

"The only consolation is that it's probably what I will look like at a border crossing.
"Yup! That's her all right!""

Too funny!!

*edited to say thanks for the good luck wishes and the added effort of crossing everything possible for me!! What great friends I have here on LT!

Book #76: The Terra-Cotta Dog by Andrea Camilleri

This book was even better than the last one. It is the second in the series by Camilleri featuring Inspector Montalbano. In the beginning of this one, a key mob figure meets with Montalbano to arrange his "capture". Just when you think this story is going to be mainly about gun running, Camilleri hits you with a twist - Montalbano discovers the dead bodies of two young lovers who have been dead for over 50 years. What's so intriguing is that the bodies have been posed, and the location has been staged. But what does it all mean? Montalbano just cannot let this mystery go, and so he must dig through the past to find the answers he is looking for.

I loved the new side we get to see of Montalbano in this one. Not only does he read, but he is, in fact, very well read. And don't despair if you fell in love with the ribald humor and the sarcastic quips - it's all still there, just waiting to be devoured.

Book #77: No Longer at Ease by Chinua Achebe

Working on it...

I had heard about the no smiling rule on passport photos. But a license smile with no teeth? No bangs? What's up with that?

On the discusssion of smart phones . . . I've noted a great deal of conversation in the autism community about the beneifits of iPads and iPhones and the special apps available for them designed to help with special education and therapies. They use iPads in the school with the students, with very good results. Apparently, some kids have really been brought out of their shells and improved communications and social skills this way, to the point where some insurances will pay for them for kids with appropriate special needs. (Of course, phone etiquette would be one of the social skills taught by these programs!)

Terri - I do NOT know, but them's the rules - in Indiana anyway. Anyone else have the no bangs, no teeth thing?

If Rae could have used an iPad in school, it would have made a huge difference. Just using it to take notes would have been a bonus. Rae also has dysgraphia which is similar to dyslexia, but with writing. Her brain cannot permanently memorize how to write the letters of the alphabet. If she is writing something by hand, she has to think about how to form each individual letter. When she finishes a word, she has learned to put a finger down on the page at the end of it so that when she starts the next word there is a space. It is an agonizing process for her, and cursive is a nightmare, so the signature thing often makes her cry. When she got her driver's license, she cried because for some stupid reason the computer screen that you sign with a stylus is timed - it only allows so long for you to sign your name. It just kept timing out on her, and they had no way to override it, so eventually they just let her sign what she could get in the allotted time. Anyway, if she could have had the use of the iPad for taking notes, it would have been wonderful because she is much, much better with a keyboard. The Apps that are available are also amazing. I could see where you would gain improved motor skills, processing, social skills and communication skills - especially if you can introduce it while they are young and trying to make sense of all the "rules" that society imposes.

Oh, Mamie, the dysgraphia sounds positively excruciating! Shouldn't the school have provided for some kind of adaptive technology, given the nature of that disability? Writing is not easy for my son, but not to that degree.

These are the (lengthy) rules in the UK. Last time we had photos done it took three goes before they were deemed acceptable:

The photographs you supply with your application must:

-show you with a neutral expression and your mouth closed (no grinning, frowning or raised eyebrows)

-show you on your own (babies should not have toys or a dummy, and there shouldn’t be other people in the photo)

-be in colour, not black and white

-be identical

-be taken within the last month

-be 45 millimetres high x 35 millimetres wide - this is the standard size when you have a passport photo taken in a photo booth or studio (you should not trim a larger photograph to meet this condition)

-be clear and in sharp focus, with a clear difference between your face and the background

-be taken against a plain cream or plain light grey background

-not show you with red-eye

-be of you facing forward and looking straight at the camera
not be torn, creased, or marked

-be printed on plain white photographic paper

-be free from shadows

-be taken with your eyes open and clearly visible (no sunglasses or tinted glasses and no hair across your eyes)

-be free from reflection or glare on your glasses, and the frames must not cover your eyes - the Identity and Passport Service (IPS) recommends that, if possible, you remove your glasses

-be professionally printed (photographs printed at home are not acceptable)

-show your full head, without any head covering, unless you wear one for religious beliefs or medical reasons

-be taken with nothing covering your face - you should make sure nothing covers the outline of your eyes, nose or mouth

-be a close-up of your head and shoulders with a recommended head height (the distance between the bottom of your chin and the crown of your head) between 29 and 34 mm

-not have any writing on the front or back, except on certified photos - trademarks or photographic printing on the back must not show through.

We had J's first passport photo done when he was only 3 months old so we had to do this crouching down behind him thing - with our hand stopping him falling over, as even for very young babies you can't have a parent's arm in the photo.

Mamie.. I agree that the iPad is an amazing thing for kids with challenges. When I was working, there
was one little boy in the class you ( age 5) was VERY challenged. It was amazing that he could feed himself... so they said. Anyway.. presenting him with anything made him cry. All he wanted to do was lick the furniture, the floor... objects.. I pulled up a music program with fireworks on the iPad and he instantly was engaged and figured out how to use it. Other programs, too. No one else in the classroom would ever give it to him. They insisted his "work" was putting balls into a bowl. ( This child will never be able to train to do work of any kind. His work was torture to him. He cried just being taken to the corner where he was worked with.

Similar with a different 5 year old, who was on his way to mainstream. He had only a few words.
I gave him communication programs to play with while he was waiting for his morning snack. He was putting sentences together. Others would only give him the same old 8 page toy catalogue. They said they didn't "get" the iPad, too much trouble.. blah blah.

( see why I nearly went crazy there? )

>168 SandDune: wow! lots of rules. I have noi dea what our rules are.. The nice young lady at the post office does :)

Sorry you had to give Craig back. Hope the house sells.. and quickly. I'm sure this separation is getting old fast by this point. mojo!>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I suspected it was something like this:
face recognition

*waving* at Mamie

Terri - Rae is twenty now, so when she was in middle school, the iPad did not exist. We tried to get them to let her use a keyboard, but they said no. Her IEP allowed for her to test in a different room with additional time, but did not allow her the use of a keyboard. I sure hope that things are different now. We took her out, and the first thing we did was give her a laptop to do all of her work on - AMAZING difference. After the middle school years, we enrolled her in Indiana University's online high school program, she does all of her course work at home on a computer and submits it, and they allow the use of a keyboard for testing and additional time. She could actually have someone transcribe for her if she wanted, but that makes her uncomfortable. She is still finishing up her high school diploma because she went at a slower pace, but that actually works out well because emotionally she is closer to sixteen.

Rhian - Those are a lot of rules!! I cannot imagine trying to get a photo of a baby taken with no parent's arm in the photo.

Kath - I don't understand why programs don't use whatever technology is available that works. I think the key with ANY child is getting him or her to interact on whatever level is possible. That must have been so frustrating for you - and for those children.

We are still doing okay with the separation thing - I did tell Craig that he should just come home every four weeks for a few days and take whatever flight works the best for him instead of worrying about the cost. It's really hard for him to be away from all of us - six weeks between visits is too long. Thanks so much for the sympathy and the mojo!!

Lucy - I suspected something like that. The lady in front of me was not allowed to smile, but I was - so the employees are interpreting the rules a bit differently I guess. I thought they were wanting to capture the basic shape and structure of the face, and avoid capturing anything that could easily be altered. That makes sense if the recognition software cannot discern facial expression. This is a sad world we live in that we have to be so vigilant about everything.

Stasia - Thanks for stopping by. *waves back*

Fascinating to hear about the iPad and other technology and education. I hope Rae would have a different experience now - if tools help, why not use them? It sounds like with your guidance it's all working out for her. I know my daughter uses the iPad in teaching 4 and 5 year olds in a Catholic school (she's Jewish, but that's another story). I'm not sure what our public schools allow. Besides the issues you raise, I always think of the endless patience and nonjudgmental learning that technology can provide - a lot of kids thrive on that.

Joe - It's amazing how far we've come so quickly, isn't it? My kids laugh when I tell them about my first cell phone - looked like a military walkie talkie. So heavy and no way you could put it in your purse or your pocket. When I went to college, there were no laptops - you took your typewriter. We listened to cassette tapes. There were no such things as DVDs or digital cameras. No digital music or texting. There was...gasp...no internet!

I'm sure Rae would have a different experience now. Public schools are handicapped by funding and state regulations, so things happen slowly there. Some teachers are really great at thinking outside of the box and adapting their teaching style to their students' needs, and others are just doing a job. We've had both kinds. For us, the best solution was to home school - I know that wouldn't work for everybody, but for us it was a gift. I will always be thankful that we made that decision. For Rae, it means that she got the time and the space that she needed to function on a higher level. The very first year we did almost everything verbally, and let her use the laptop to explore and research things. Slowly we worked the writing back in and only used a keyboard for that. She was just so frustrated and burned out when we removed her from the school system - she needed time to heal. It's worked - she's lovely from the inside out and happy, with a vocabulary and intellect that touches the skies. She has a smile that is a mile wide and radiates warmth - she can look you in the eye and even attempts jokes (which are very, very bad). She still is very literal, she still is very OCD, but she is engaged and she tries, she really tries to remember all the rules. I can't wait to see what she will do next.

"I always think of the endless patience and nonjudgmental learning that technology can provide - a lot of kids thrive on that." That is such a very good point, Joe.

#172 The stupid thing about the baby passport photos is that there are so many rules about the photo in the first place but then the passport is valid for 5 years. I mean how can you identify a 5 year old from a photo of them aged 3 months?

ROFL! Okay, that is too funny! Ah, Bureaucracy, don't you just love it?!

#174: A friend's daughter found some photo negatives in a drawer a while ago. My friend told her to be careful with them. The response: "But what ARE they?" What fun we had, talking about the olden days before CDs and the internet :-) I'm pretty sure both daughters (12 and 9) thought it was some sort of comedy routine, but they indulged us.

Mamie, okay, so I'm not two threads behind, only 93 posts!.......
Not able to keep up, but did skim through.

I don't see that you sold your house yet..... :-|

I'm assuming there's no way I could miss news like that even with a quick skim-through......

But you read The Terra-Cotta Dog. Good series!

Susan - See? Negatives, 8 track tapes, VHS tapes - all antiques!! WAAAAY back in the old days before Netflix, and iPods, and Twitter!!

Ellen - Nope. Did not sell the house yet - you would have probably seen the fireworks! We do have someone taking a second look at it tonight. And yes, the Montalbano series is good - I will definitely continue with that one. Did you have fun? See any bears or elephants?

Hi Mamie! Just wanted to say I'd missed your thread and enjoyed catching up a lot. I'm glad you and the children got to see Craig this weekend and I'm so pleased he's enjoying his new job. It is such a relief when you can move from a job that has just been draining everything from you to one where you feel more at ease - I'm glad it's worked out for him.

Sending positive thoughts re the second showing. Sell, house, sell!

Hi Heather! Thanks so much for your good thoughts and wishes! And thanks for stopping by.

Moving "from a job that has just been draining everything from you to one where you feel more at ease" - that is just exactly it! It's so nice to see him back to his old self again.

Heather you have my most sincere congratulations on finding a job that is a better fit. A soul sucking job can kill you.. or worse.

Good morning Mamie! How was your evening out? What did you new when the new owners were looking at your house? ( Sending super positive energy in that directions.. new owners >>>>>>>>>>>>>)

I am going to have the day to myself.. will have to do a quick store run at least.. but have to wait til I get dan out of here.. early.. and for the whole day.. Quiet.. here I come! I should be home before 11 am and in and done for the day. That is my plan. Books, fans and ? salsa? lol

Whatcha doing today?

Morning Kath - We took the dogs to the park last night during the showing - it was a gorgeous day here. They were so funny because they were so excited to be at the park. Bella has no leash etiquette, so she was running around like a maniac - she's like a puppy at the park! Normally she doesn't like to go anywhere - she shakes and whines, but her Thundershirt has made a new woman of her, and now she loves to ride in the car and go to the park. She's too funny!

Your plan for the day is the one that I want! Dan and Rae have finals to take at the library this morning, the plumber is supposed to call about the part for the water heater, and I still have to go to the grocery store because I didn't go yesterday.

Got a book at the library yesterday that caught my attention and read about 1/3 of it already - pretty good so far. The Stonecutter - ever heard of it? It's a Scandicrime by an author I haven't read before. And I want to make progress in ATGiB today, too. I'm thinking about shelving East of Eden because I am not feeling in the mood for it right now. I do want to read it, but think maybe it requires more effort than I want to give it at this particular time.

I can feel that super positive energy that you're sending so thanks for that. The people were here - a lot of people (4 cars) for an hour and fifteen minutes last night, so they were at least seriously looking at it. Their realtor had told our realtor that our house had made their final cut - not sure how many houses are in that final cut. ALso have no idea if they can actually make an offer even if they decide that this is the one. We'll see.

Crossing all crossables... I usually go to the store early.. but not today.
I have no idea when Dan is leaving and he will need sorted before he does. It's like having
a perpetual 8 year old.

What does sorting entail?

Depends on the day... but he can dress and potty himself, no problem

Good - because that is essential, in my book. Does he lose stuff, because Craig loses everything. Like inside of the house - have you seen my car keys, my wallet, my phone...

It's essential in my book too, believe me. No... he doesn't lose things anymore.
He just would starve to death if I didn't put food in front of him, fully prepared.
I know this from experience. I can go away for two days.. put two plates with prepared dinners in the fridge with two lunches. He will possibly eat the lunches, almost never the meals. Said meals on plates ready to nuke and eat.... not eaten. Tried and true foods like pasta. Or burgers. He cooks one thing. I make sure there is some in the fridge when I go away.. Braunschweiger. He fries it in butter and eats it on toast.
He truly eats to live.,barely, in the sumer. I am always trying to find foods for him at this time of year.
He works hard, but has no concept of how his hours or plans outside of work affect home. He never has. He makes plans and changes plans and I often find out only minutes before. It has been over 40 years and I have managed not to strangle him yet.

eta

He does forget things..
When he goes out the door I always remind him .. wallet , keys , phone.

Hi Mamie. I've just had an enjoyable time catching up with the family news and book reviews. I've obviously been away too long though because I'd forgotten that Bella was a dog and not one of your daughters. I was quite concerned about the shaking and whining for a moment!

I seem to have the opposite problem with mobiles and kids than everyone else. They didn't particular want them and now they have them, forget to bring them with them anywhere or actually use them. It would probably be different if they were smart phones or i-phones, I suppose!

Hi Crazy! Busy with Olympics and I'm out in MN. Supporting family as my niece has surgery. Reading but not posting much. Coursectodaybis the operation so lots of time in the waiting room. Hugs!

Kath - Craig is completely self-sufficient, but usually messy. I can live with that. Craig's go-to meal is hash. If Dan is still breathing after 40 years of marriage, I think you're doing great. Sorry for all the frustrations - you have more fortitude than I do.

Dee - You made me laugh! In your honor, from now on I will refer to her as Bella the Dog!! Too funny about the cell phones - I'm picturing you forcing them on your kids. "You'll take it, and you'll use it, and you'll like it!"

Kim - Sending good thoughts your way for your niece's surgery. Hope everything goes well. I hate the waiting room thing - so much nervous energy and nothing you can do but wait.

Okay kids, we have another showing tonight at 7pm.

Thanks for the good wishes and right back t you with the showing!

Good luck with that showing Mamie!

I've caught up with you here and it's been most enjoyable reading. I was fascinated by your description of Rae's schooling in terms of what works and what doesn't, and the huge progress she's made. I know little to nothing about Aspergers and Autism, you know, just the basics. Living with someone with special needs must be a lot of work, but then of course it mustn't seem so much like work when they're you're own flesh and blood and you're a generous soul, as you are.

I'm sure you'll be thrilled when the family is all reunited in the same house... but in the meantime 4 weeks between visits for Craig does sound more easy to take than 6 whole weeks, yikes. You are a brave lady and so strong. I'm really impressed by that.

Yup on the technology. How I would have LOVED to have internet and wikipedia as a kid. Mobile phones, digital cameras, personal computers, MP3 players... I use all these things daily, but I'm also daily amazed how far our tech gadgetry has come, and can't imagine what it'll be 20 years from now. I'm thinking: probably implants. One implant I wouldn't mind is a camera set up in my eyes so I could just blink and grab images from daily life that really inspire me. That would be pretty cool. They'll be turning us into robots, you'll see!

But what are they? - and lots of kids don't know what that 'zzzziiiiiiiippppp' sound it that deejay's use..... you have to explain about the needle and the record, and how it used to make us cringe to hear that!

Six weeks is too long indeed - four sounds just about do-able, but I hope it isn't for much longer!

I don't have more fortitude.. I have just learned to have expectations any more.. :PPP

How was your day? I didn't do much here. I read a book.. did a bit of tidying but not much.
Nothing much going on.

How did the kids do with their testing? WEre they happy campers after? Did you get any more library books?

Apropos of nothing... Just talked to my vet's office... long story.. but half of their front desk staff is leaving.
Again. yikes. They keep hiring people who .................. well.... and then they leave . sigh.

*wanders off*

Mamie, I've sort of shelved East of Eden my own self ---- just can't get it to rise to the top of the pile of things I want to read..... and I have so many things I want to read.....

Speaking of which, it's time to pack up my stuff and get on the bus for home (and I get to read on the bus)!

HI Mamie!
I vote for seeing hubby every 2 weeks. Can you alternate visits? Anyone around to stay with the kids while you fly down????

Oh shoot - let's hope there aren't that many weeks left ;-)
Have you lost count of all your showings yet?

I'm catching up a little today, Mamie and I've just spent, oh, about a half hour enjoying it. Dan and Froggie, priceless. Photos of Mt Rushmore enlightening. A few books WLed. Laughs, plenty. Yup your thread has it all. If you don't mind I've stolen a few ideas as well.
Hope last nights showing went well.

Good morning Mamie! What is happening in the mamie house today? Anything fun or exciting?
I am not going anywhere, as Dunkers isn't feeling well... scary. So I will put together another batch of salsa and try to send get better energy to my boy.

Hoping you get "the call" so crossing crossables for you, too.

Lovely, lovely visitors! Thanks for coming!! First I'll update you and then respond individually. The showing last night went very well - the only additional information that they asked for was why on earth were we selling. That seems like a positive statement to me! The people who looked at our house for a second time have narrowed their choices down to three and we are one of those. We also have a showing scheduled on Friday afternoon. So, for the moment, we are a "hot" property at the realtor's office.

Kim - Thanks! How did the surgery go?

Ilana - I didn't know anything about Aspergers until Rae was diagnosed with it. Aspergers is a subset of Autism - all people with Aspergers have autism, but all people with autism do not have Aspergers. People with Aspergers share certain things in common - they can't read body language, don't understand sarcasm or irony, and take things very literally. They have trouble understanding social rules that most of us just pick up without thinking about - it's okay to tell someone that it looks like they lost weight, but not that it looks like they gained weight. It's okay to comment if someone smells good, but not if they smell badly. It's okay to ask kids how old they are, but not adults - things like that. Things that we use all the time to make our language more colorful are confusing - some idioms and expressions are mind boggling. We spent days trying to explain "we'll just play it by ear" to her. When she finally got it, she said, "Why didn't you just say that; it would have been so much easier." I always think of that phrase they used in The Giver - "precision of language, please". People use sarcasm all the time to express themselves, and when they do, they often say the exact opposite of what they mean - "Thanks so much for that, it was soooo helpful" used to express the sentiment that it was anything BUT helpful would go right over Rae's head - she would say, "You're welcome" and never pick up on the fact that you were not actually thanking her.

I don't want to overwhelm you with Aspergers info, so that's enough for today - I might touch on another aspect of it tomorrow in another post. I think your vision of the future is probably correct - which is a scary prospect. Combining technology and the human body - how does this affect humanity? Where do you draw the line? Craig has a titanium hip, so I guess he has already joined the ranks!

Thanks so much for all of your kind words - you always make me feel good.

Lucy - So true! Like all those old recordings of jazz and blues greats like Howling Wolf and Blind Lemon Jefferson that are being put into mp3 format and have that scratchy noise in the background because the originals are on vinyl.

I think four weeks will work better - it was six because he came home earlier than planned the previous time because of the tree incident.

Kath - I think you have fortitude - you are made of stong stuff! You also have a generous and caring heart.

My day ended up being different than planned because the guy finally came to fix the water heater - yeah!! And the tree guy came. We have been on the tree guy schedule for over a month - we had a really big tree that was dead in the middle of the backyard that was leaning slightly toward the house. They are extremely busy in the summer and so you have to get on the schedule and then they call you when it's your turn. So now, no more dead tree looming. Of course, we are still on the stump grinding schedule - probably about two more weeks he said. Then they will grind the stumps from the two trees that fell in the tree incident and the new one in the back yard. WahHOO! Soooooo, I STILL have to go to the grocery store - think I'll make it there today?!

I did not get any more books from the library - just dropped the kids off. They could actually drive themselves, but then I would have no transportation for several hours, so I took them. They both felt really good about their finals - Dan's was in art and Rae's was a women writers class. I do have a ton of books out from the library right now - we were just taking bets on how many I could get through before I have to take them back!

Sorry about your vet's office - we love our vet, and he has had the same staff since we've lived here, and they are all so great. They just love our dogs.

Sorry to hear that Dunker's isn't feeling well. Sending good mojo to him. Not sure what the plans for today are - NEED to go to the grocery store and figure out meals for a few days. Want to finish up the book I'm currently reading - The Stonecutter. Your homemade salsa has me drooling - I love salsa!

Have you started on another book?

Ellen - I feel better since you also shelved East of Eden. I was feeling slightly guilty - I DO want to read it eventually, I'm just not in the mood for it right now. Too heavy and too much work for my current mentality. And I really want to give it the time and attention that it deserves.

Cee - We could alternate visits, but I would feel so guilty doing that. The kids really miss Craig, too. Plus, I am really trying to keep things as normal as possible for Rae. It's a big deal that Craig is gone and that we have to show the house so much - this changes her routine, and she has a hard time with that. I also think that the house will sell soon - just for you, I looked up our stats. We have been on the market for two and 1/2 months, but we lost two weeks of that because of the tree incident - so let's say two months. In that time we have shown the property 30 times. Just for August, so far we have had four showings and have a fifth one scheduled for Friday. I think that's pretty good, and that something is bound to happen. There is definitely interest in the property, but the market is just moving slowly right now; people are cautious, which is completely understandable. We have several families that really want our house but need to sell theirs first, so we just have to be patient. All of you at LT have been such a big help because you are so encouraging and supportive. So thanks for that!

Lynda - Thank you for the kind words and for taking the time to catch up with my thread. Feel free to steal anything you want - I'm honored! And the showing did go very well, so all those positive thoughts paid off!

>200 Crazymamie: What a great description of Asberger's, Mamie! A good friend of my son's has it, and he's so darn smart that it's hard to remember the "taking it literally" aspects that you mention.

Yay for the hot water! And nearly yay for the trees, by the sound of it. My hot water tank is heated by an electric element (a lot of people here have gas), which slowly gets eaten away by limescale as London has such hard water. You can tell when it's about to fail because the water gets incredibly hot, and it's a race to get the plumber in before it goes completely, leaving only a smaller, manually switched-on element and very short showers. So I know how frustrating it is to have unreliable hot water.

Good luck with your reading. I am reading a book about the first railway murder in the UK at the moment (ironically in a place where people now seem to be stabbed weekly) and it is excellent.

Thanks Joe! I actually just touched on one part of it, but it's the part that most people don't get - we interpret and memorize all that information without having to think about it too much, so it's hard to understand what it would be like if we couldn't process the information in the same way. We get so many clues about what people are really saying through their facial expressions, body language, and voice inflections - think how easily people can misinterpret texting or posting because these things are absent. We try to provide these things in print with the use on emoticons and abbreviations such as LOL or ROFL.

Susan - The electric element sounds scary! Ours is gas, thank goodness. Unreliable hot water is no fun. When these things happen it is always a reminder to me to be thankful for all the wonderful things that we have and just take for granted. I LOVE indoor plumbing and hot showers. I am so thankful to live in a part of the world where they are considered standards, not luxuries. Still, so many homeless people here...
Your book sounds interesting - I need to get over to your thread and see what it is!

Just a quick political note, and then I'll shut up:

Why oh why can we not just for one election take all the billions of dollars that are being spent on campaigning and use it instead to invest in the country? They are estimating that billions of dollars will be spent on negative campaign ads for the upcoming presidential election - how cool would it be for those campaign headquarters to be scrambling to effect change in communities across the country?

Great description of Asperger's -- more than a few Irish music afficionados are either totally in the zone, or some way in.... it's very repetitive music, filled with small twists and turns and knots and A's like that - just the right amount of challenge and familiarity. (A- section/B section, both always 8 bars, that kind of thing). Daughter of my former harp teacher and the son of a dear friend of ours - I've come to cherish the unexpectedness of insights, and an unvarnished, genuine, unfiltered emotion that comes into the playing, incredible originality too - as there is so little of that social awareness of what is considered the norm to stop an A-kid from making, say, a five legged table with several different length legs, (NOT tippy - well made) just because he liked the look of it with a couple of legs not touching the ground!

Why oh why can we not just for one election take all the billions of dollars that are being spent on campaigning and use it instead to invest in the country? They are estimating that billions of dollars will be spent on negative campaign ads for the upcoming presidential election - how cool would it be for those campaign headquarters to be scrambling to effect change in communities across the country?

Amen amen amen!!! And I think that any candidate who lies should have to pay a substantial monetary fine.. increasing incrementally as the office goes higher, every time s/he or anyone in their campaign lies. The money to go directly into infrastructure/ transportation for the opponents districts Lying is wrong.

Thanks, Lucy! And that is such an excellent point that you make about the lack of social awareness contributing to creativity and originality. I think on most days I learn more from Rae than she learns from me - I love how she thinks about things and how she interprets the world around her. When we have book discussions, she never fails to bring up something that I didn't think about or to point out something that she processed differently than the rest of us did. It's fascinating.

Kath- A kindred soul! Accountability - you mean that individuals running for office should be held accountable for his or her words and actions? That's just so radical! Putting their money where their mouth is would be a great thing to see, wouldn't it?

yes. Accountability. We need more of that in this country/World :(

Hi Mamie- Finally found my way over here! I heard talk of folks shelving Steinbeck. That's a pretty serious offense in these parts. You could do time. And this kind of jail-time does not include sitting on your fanny and reading all day. Don't forget that missy!

Oh dear! *gets Steinbeck off shelf and holds up for Mark to see* Um...did I say shelving? Because what I meant was that I was thinking of ...delving...yes, that's right delving into Steinbeck. After all, East of Eden is a classic and so of course I can't wait to ...um...delve...right into it. And Ellen was just saying that she can't wait to delve into it either. *elbows Ellen, winks* Isn't that right Ellen - we can't wait. We were just talking about how we can't wait. *blows dust off cover*

Oh, you were "delving" were you? I haven't heard that one in awhile. You Hoosiers can really come up with 'em. Snickers.

Yes, that's right, Mark. Delving. *tries to look innocent*

Don't let Mark bully you... Steinbeck :P~~~~~~~~~

Was that a Cranky Old Person? Shouldn't they be in bed by now?

Watch yerself youngster... I have a broom and I know how to use it.

Careful, we got a live one here folks!

*runs for popcorn, 'cause this is gonna be good*

*Hops on broom for one last ride before using it on the whippersnapper. *

Thanks for the popcorn, Kath.

Mark - did you hear she called you a whippersnapper?

*thinks she might also need a beverage*

She doesn't see very well in the dark. I hope she'll be okay. Stuffs popcorn in mouth...

*grabs three beers from the refridge*

If she comes down soon, we can watch an old movie together.

LOL! Sounds like a fine plan!

Hey.. get yerself back here so I can whack you about the head and shoulders with my broom...
and pass the popcorn

I am happy to report that Kath and Mark both survived the evening! Good times, nothing but good times!

The water heater is not working again. Is this a test of my stamina?

If it is a test, I would fail. I hope that by now the plumber has been and gone... and the blasted thing works.

I am starving! Saving up to eat out later.. hope not too much later, no breakfast or lunch.. more due to "stuff" than to avoidance.

The plumber has not even called me back yet. What? Nothing to eat yet - how about a light snack to tide you over?

Whew! I need that pint of Guinness after going through 197 posts to catch up on your thread, Mamie! *staggers*

I have tried over a couple three days to read my way through this lovely, fun, and interesting thread; however, I ended skipping a bit, or a bunch. In any case, I'm here lurking my way through.

Hi Caro - Welcome home! I'm impressed that you took the time to catch up. Thanks for that!

Karen - Welcome! Lurk, linger, skip - whichever you choose, I'm always happy to have you. Thanks for stopping by!

Still have not heard from the plumber - I even called and left a second message. So very irritating...

Sometimes skippin is the only answer.... Mamie.. That is not acceptable. I can call hmi for you.. I am much grumier than you. I'll tell him I'm your mother and you need a shower!!A hot one! lol

I think I will probably just call someone else tomorrow - it makes me mad though because this guy is who installed it when we bought it. The heater is only three years old and is still under warranty - now I'll probably have to pay his bill for not fixing the problem and turn around and pay someone else to actually fix it. Or I'll have to sick Craig on him, and I hate that because then it makes me look like "the little woman". Whatever I decide, I had better wait until I am feeling less frustrated - I probably need to take deep calming breaths and drink lots of alcohol!!

*Fiddle dee dee, tomorrow is another day!

I vote get Craig !

Right - what's pride compared to a hot shower?!

Sorry about the dang plumber -vs -hot water heater. They really should get together and come to some kind of amicable relationship so you can have a shower! Not to mention it's a worry to have something not working when you are trying to sell a house! I won't mention that.

We've had nothing but touble with any plumber we call. In all our locations and years of home owning, have never found a truly responsive one. I am happy to be "the little woman" and let Ron (with his naturally deep voice) handle those things!

Good luck, Mamie!

It's confusing because isn't this what they do - fix the water problem? How do they stay in business if they won't return people's phone calls. I called this morning and the nice lady said that she would call me right back to let me know when he could be here. I waited until the afternoon and then called them again - got the voicemail, left a message. Still nothing. Would it kill them to call me back?

"We've made a note of your problem, ma'am, and we'll be over there to fix it as soon as hell freezes over."

That's all I'm asking for - then I can tell them that day won't work for me because my schedule is already full for when hell freezes over.

*I know, I need to adjust my attitude - I'm not seeing it happening today. Just saying...

Thanks for your good wishes, Cee.

I handle everything at all times. No help. If I do manage to get him to make or answer a call..
he ends up handing me the phne. Every time. I would love some help ...with something.. some day.

As you bought the damned thing from him, and it is under warranty, I would suggest, during the next phone call, that you will be contacting some attorneys to explore what other options you might have. Damned fool. Could have had a happy customer.

Another line my foster daughter, the ex-street kid, uses on professionals like this dummy is to tell them "I have a lot of friends, and I'll be bad mouthing you from one side of this community over to the other side". You might get some action out of that.

Otherwise, take a deep breath, have a nice drink, and rent a hotel room with a jacuzzi!

Hi Mamie- "and drink lots of alcohol!!" Yep, that's my girl! Sorry to hear about the plumber problems. Hope it gets resolved soon. I am loving Let's Pretend This Never Happened. Have you heard about this one?

Kath - You poor baby! Craig will handle absolutely anything that I ask him to, but he is also really good about staying out of the way if I am handling something already.

Karen - Thank you so much for your fury! You come on back over here anytime you want!! I decided to take Kath's advice and sick Craig on him. Turns out Craig has his cell phone number!! He will call him first thing in the morning. And I did take a deep breath and have a nice drink - no hotel room because we have four dogs, but it was a great thought. Jacuzzi sounds wonderful!

Mark - Hopefully it will get resolved tomorrow - we have a showing at 2:30pm, so we'll have to work around that. I have not heard of Let's Pretend This Never Happened - did someone publish my unauthorized biography?!! If so, I would like a copy, and I hope there is lots of gratuitous sex and violence in it. And perhaps a mob scene.

My step dad used to tell me I was the rock of the family. He meant it to be nice, but sometimes ...I wanted someone else to be the rock, so I could be the moss and just be soft...I feel the same. Tired of being the one who...

Maybe he meant one of those skipping rocks, Kath. You know the ones which can fly over the tops of water.... so pretty.

I know just what you mean, Kath - and I'm sorry.

Oh Karen, that is such a great thought!

It is karen :) I would like to think so... lol

Hopefully this will be a day where the plumber calls .. arrives in ONE hour and is gone thirty minutes later with all things fixed and ready to go . That would really tick me off, I have to say. And company right?
Sister, nephew, etc? Or have I lost track and they have all come and gone?

What can I cook this weekend? I need a chicken recipe :) or wait.. Crab cakes!!! Or....?
Dunno .

Morning Kath! Yes - hoping to hear from the plumber. No company today - my nephew and his fiancé were supposed to visit yesterday but their premarital counseling took longer than they thought it would, so they will come another time. Slight bummer. But they were headed back down to Tennessee yesterday, so I know how that goes with trying to squeeze everything in. We are having family drama because they keep changing their wedding plans - first the aunts and their families were invited and not it is looking like not. My sister Cindy is on a rant about the whole thing. I say it's their wedding, and so they get to do what they want.

Our go to chicken meal is Parmesan Chicken - easy and tasty.

1/2 cup melted butter (margarine works fine)
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup dry breadcrumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

Combine butter, Dijon mustard, W. sauce, and salt in bowl and wisk together.

Combine breadcrumbs and cheese.

Dip chicken in butter mixture and then roll in breadcrumb mixture to coat.

Place in ungreased baking pan, and bake for 45 min. at 350.

It's delicious, and leftover chicken is really good sliced up and served on a salad.

But crab cakes sound good, too!

Oh! That chicken looks good :)

I have to say - no matter how you threaten a plumber, they don't care. It doesn't phase them!
We actually had a plumber do $900 worth of work. I had the bank send a check which he never cashed and the bank wouldn't hold it more than 3 months. So I had them write another. Same result. In the meantime, we called and called the plumber. Left messages. Actually talked to the wife a couple times. Still never cashed the check. The bank would not continue the charades. So I put the money aside and am still waiting for him to ask for the money. You can lead a plumber to money, but you can't make him take it!
It's a curious race - plumbers! But they obviously loath phones!

I am definitely making that in the next few days.. thank you !

PUt it into my recipes.. called it GoTo chicken.

Book #77: No Longer at Ease by Chinua Achebe

This is the second book in Achebe's African Trilogy. The main character in this book, Obi Okonkwo, is the grandson of Okonkwo, the main character from the first book, Things Fall Apart. I did not like this book as well as the first one, but it is still very good and definitely worth the time it takes to read it. Things have changed in the village of Umuofia while Obi has been away at school in England.

"It seemed more like a decade than four years, what with the miseries of winter when his longing to return home took on the sharpness of physical pain. It was in England that Nigeria first became more than just a name to him. That was the first great thing that England did for him."

Obi had been sent to England to study, and is now expected to return to his village a hero. With his degree, he is expected to take a government job in Lagos and start repaying the cost of his education which was sponsored by his village. Remaining true to himself, Obi will soon find, is not easy while he stands with one foot anchored firmly in the traditional values of his village and the other foot searching for solid ground on which to stand in the more modern city of Lagos. Constantly pulled in different directions, Obi learns that it is impossible to please everyone.

"A university degree was the philosopher's stone. It transmuted a third-class clerk on one hundred and fifty a year into a senior civil servant on five hundred and seventy, with car and luxuriously furnished quarters at nominal rent. And the disparity in salary and amenities did not tell even half the story. To occupy a 'European post' was second only to actually being a European. It raised a man from the masses to the elite whose small talk at cocktail parties was: 'How's the car behaving?'"

And what of his own morale compass? Must the cost of his education also be repaid with a piece of his soul?

Cee - I think you are right. Still have not heard from the plumber. That's a crazy story you've got there - usually I don't have any problem with getting workers to accept payment! Getting the work done is another story. And the chicken is delicious every time. Goes well with anything.

Kath - You're welcome!

Book #78: Call for the Dead by John le Carré

This book introduces us to the writing of le Carré and to George Smiley, who is SO not James Bond. He is dumpy, humble, mild-mannered, wears glasses....in other words, forgettable. And yet something about George Smiley speaks to me - I like him. His job at MI6 has just taken a strange turn - yesterday he performed a routine security investigation on Samuel Fennan. The interview ended with Smiley assuring Fennan that he had nothing to worry about. So why has Fennan hanged himself? The more that Smiley looks into the matter, the more convinced he becomes that Fennan was murdered.

Although this is not le Carré's best work, it is still fine writing that sets the stage for his very successful series of books featuring George Smiley, the spy who is very much a product of both WWII and the Cold War.

"He felt safe in the taxi. Safe and warm. The warmth was contraband, smuggled from his bed and hoarded against the wet January night. Safe because unreal: it was his ghost that ranged the London streets and took note of their unhappy pleasure-seekers, scuttling under commissionaires' umbrellas; and of the tarts, gift-wrapped in polythene. It was his ghost, he decided, which had climbed from the well of sleep and stopped the telephone shrieking on the bedside table...Oxford Street... why was London the only capital in the world that lost its personality at night? Smiley, as he pulled his coat more closely about him, could think of nowhere, from Los Angelos to Berne, which so readily gave up its daily struggle for identity."

>253 Crazymamie: Thanks for the helpful review of No Longer at Ease, Mamie. I was quite taken by Things Fall Apart, and wondered about the aftermath.

Mamie, that is so annoying about the plumber. I hope you can get it fixed somehow. I was so impressed with how quickly everyone turned up after the tree incident.

You're welcome, Joe. Worth the read, I think.

Susan - The plumber is supposed to be here at 3:30pm. We'll see.

I hope the plumber knows enough to bring a bouquet of flowers and a bottle of wine by way of apology!

Flowers my azz... take out chinese for the whole family, and a new set of towels for the showers that were no fun.

I like how you think, Katie!

Wow! Even better, Kath!

What great friends I have!! And the plumber is here, so that's at least a start.

Mamie, I'm way behind (as usual) and want to start by offering my apologies for not being here to defend you against Mark's slanderous accusations, his threats to deprive you of your freedom, etc., etc. I do love that he felt compelled to clarify that jail time would not include sitting around on one's fanny and reading (who else but an LTer would simply know that another LTer might actually think jail time could be a good thing because of the fantasy that one would just sit on one's fanny and read ---- I mean, do other people think this way????).

And just to clarify. I'm neither shelving nor delving. I'm leaving it sitting right there on my nightstand where I can feel slightly guilty every time I pick up something else to read.....

I hope the plumbing and plumber situation improves...... or, better yet, has improved! Oh, I just noticed that he's on site. Well, as you say, that's a start.

Woo hoo! What color towels would you like, ma'm?

*waits for update*

Mamie, I'm familiar with the kind of plumber who doesn't return phone calls . . . not with the kind who doesn't cash checks, definitely not.

Good luck getting into hot water;) and with the continued house showings!

Mamie, great couple of reviews! I've thumbed No Longer at Ease and was going to thumb Call for the Dead as well, but was a bit mortified to see that the most recent review on the main page is my own very awkwardly written one from April...

Also, using you very popular thread for another public announcement:

I just now started a Gone Girl spoiler thread: http://www.librarything.com/topic/140837 and invite anyone who has already read the book to join in the discussion started by Joe and I.

I have no good plumber story for you, Mamie. Wish I did, but I've not had a good experience with any plumber we've called or had come to the house. Apart from one, they all didn't return our call, or call when they said they would, or turn up when they said they would. The one who did return our call within the same day and did show up at our house brought his very smelly dog into our house, to run around and smell everything, and then took him UPSTAIRS with him into our bathroom wherein he closed the door and banged around fixing our toilet.

*off to check out Ilana and Joe's thread for Gone Girl*

Hi Mamie!

#253: I have only read one of Achebe's books. I really must rectify that fact!

Can we get the name of Cee's plumber? It might be worth moving to Maine just to take advantage of a plumber who won't cash your check. The only plumbers I'm familiar with not only cash any check you might write to them but insist on a cash deposit before they'll deign to drive to your house (and oh yes, you will pay drive time from the previous customer, thank you so much). Some even require a cash deposit before they will speak to you on the phone.

Plumbers are a "curious race" that's for sure. Also a very wealthy race.

A couple of terrific reviews Mamie. I've wanted to read Things Fall Apart for ages. And as soon as I do that I could then move on to the book that didn't quite meet your expectations.

I have a nephew-in-law who is a plumber and definitely not wealthy. Hard-working, but not wealthy.
I, too, have wanted to read Things Fall Apart for a long time.....

Over a hundred unread messages! I know that I'm missing some great conversations since your thread always interesting and cheers me up, but hopefully I can keep up here on out as summer winds down. :) Hope all is well is Mamie's world!

Mamie - took me a while but I have managed to catch up. Fingers and toes dextrously crossed in hope and expectation of your prospective buyers becoming actual ones. Plumber blues - they are not generally the most reliable of workmen I must concede.
Political "races" - couldn't agree more; complete waste of money especially with such useless candidates.

Ahhh Plumbers. My friend's son is a plumber. He left high school to go to a trade school to be a
master plumber. He hated school.. hated it. His dad is a plumber. Sp is AJ, and a darned good one. I
have rarely called him, to avoid the awkwardness of him thinking he needs to give me a break on the work.. which is what happened the first time. We have some guys here who had a business for years, then sold to a corporation. Benjamin Franklin Plumbers. They were good before they sold, and just as good after. They are also neighbors, and I love them. Dan prefers a couple of bumblers from another local business. GRRR so needing a plumber always results in fights, as I call my guys. I have had a number of bad experiences with his.. but he thinks they are nice. Bah!

Anyway.. I sure hope that nothing else went kaphlooey and that all is well :)
Still sending house selling mojo>>>>>>>>

When in doldrums over plumber blues .... make souffles. :-)

YIKES! I am behind on my own thread! Thanks for visiting everybody, and for sharing my plumber woes.

Ellen - LOL! "I do love that he felt compelled to clarify that jail time would not include sitting around on one's fanny and reading (who else but an LTer would simply know that another LTer might actually think jail time could be a good thing because of the fantasy that one would just sit on one's fanny and read ---- I mean, do other people think this way????). " - I loved that,too! I actually placed my copy gently back on the shelf with the other Steinbeck's in my collection, and I dearly hope they do not tease him or ridicule him for his unread status. I am especially concerned about the copy of Of Mice and Men who has been read many, many times - hope he doesn't try to hook East of Eden up with some sleazy reader just so that he can get read. I mean, your first time should be with someone who cares about you and will pay attention to the details.

Did you check out the spoiler thread for Gone Girl? I have that in my TBR and need to get to it.

Karen - Brown towels.

Kath - You are not going to believe this! Craig called the plumber in the morning and got the voicemail twice. Then the plumber called him back even though Craig had told them to call me - but Craig missed that call because he was with a patient. So then Craig called here to make sure that they had called me - NOPE. Craig calls the plumber again and actually get the plumber!!! Craig calls me to let me know that the plumber will be here at 2:30pm - won't work, I say because that's when our showing is scheduled for. Craig calls the plumber back and reschedules for 3:30pm - and the plumber actually showed up!

Now the tricky part - remember I said that the problem with the water heater is that it won't automatically ignite when it needs to heat more water? SO to take showers I have to completely shut don't the heater, leave it off for twenty minutes, then repower it, hope it ignites and wait for it to heat up the water. Then we have one tank of hot water to use before it gets cold because the stupid thing will not heat more up without going through the entire process all over again, and even then it is hit or miss. Yesterday after leaving the thing alone all morning so that the failure lights would be there for the plumber to see, I finally had enough and went through the process so that I could take a shower. When the plumber got here at 3:30, the stupid thing was still working. Plumber stayed for over an hour, ran water in and out of the tank, forcing it to automatically reignite - and it worked just fine the entire time. Still working this morning. The plumber said he can't get it to do what it has been doing for me for a week now. Don't worry, he said, just call him if it happens again!

OH NO!!!! Stupid water heater! It's cursed! or in cahoots with the plumber. And now the plumber will be even LESS willing to come out to the house of a clearly hysterical female. Argggggh!

I'm so sorry, Mamie, that your heater is a brat!

Terri - I have never met the plumber that doesn't cash checks, either! No showings today, which is good because I could use a breather. I'm almost caught up on reviews - haha - actually still have three more to go, but I'm hoping to get to them today.

Ilana - Thanks for the thumb! I put my review for Call For the Dead up now, but I actually think your review is much better than mine - so I thumbed yours!! LOVE the idea of a spoiler thread for Gone Girl - thanks for posting the link here. Now I need to get to the book before someone accidentally let's the cat out of the bag. Then I can check out that spoiler thread!! Hope all is well with you - coming over to your thread in just a bit.

Caro - Don't you think it's funny how some businesses can get away with really crappy customer service and remain in business. Seems like almost anything where you require the service to come to your house has horrible customer service, and then keeps you waiting to see if they will show up on time or even at all - and this is just accepted procedure. However, for businesses where you go to them, you are required to call and make an appointment and then show up on time. You must call to cancel or to reschedule within a specific set of parameters or risk being billed for the businesses' time. Hmmmm...what's wrong with this picture?!

I must admit - I have never tried making soufflés as a cure for plumber blues! But that sounds like good advice because at least I would end up with a yummy soufflé.

Stasia - Which book of his have you read?

OH NO!!!!!!!!!!! Terrible. Well, maybe it rebooted itself somehwo? Or maybe the hot water heater faeries
paid a visit and gave it a nudge. Live some oatcake out for them tonight...

Bonnie - We have an appliance repair man in town who charges $58 just to come to your house - you get that charge with every visit, so $58 to come and diagnose the problem, $58 plus the cost of the labor and the parts for the repair. I told Craig that he would make people less angry about the bill if he just figured the $58 into the labor cost on the second visit, instead of listing it as a separate cost for coming out. His labor is actually quite reasonable, cheap even, and he's very good and clean (he is clean and he also cleans up after himself). And his wife handles all his business calls which leads to some very funny conversations - "Now honey, I'm at the grocer's right now and I've got to get me some stew meat for dinner tonight, but just as soon as I'm home and have got the grocery's put away, I'll call you back and we can talk about your problem." Or my personal favorite, "I have to be honest with you, honey, I'm mad as can be at that man, and so I am not giving him any business today. You call back tomorrow and we'll see if he is straightened out or not." I use that man every time just so that I can talk to his wife - she cracks me up!

I think the reason that No Longer at Ease did not quite meet my expectations is because I really wanted the story to pick up where it left off, and it didn't - it skipped a generation. It is still a fine book, just not quite as good as the first one. I am anxious to see where the third one picks up.

Ellen - You should definitely get to Things Fall Apart - love the writing there.

Valerie - Thanks for your good wishes! And thanks for stopping in - I am struggling myself to keep up with the threads these days.

Paul - Thanks for taking the time to catch up! And for your good wishes. I so appreciate the extra dexterity and effort involved in also crossing your toes, so I will work hard to get his house sold. The political stuff makes me sad because I always think of all the good that those millions of dollars could be doing instead of going towards negative campaigns. What if politicians showed us what they could do instead of talking about it? That would be amazing to see!!

Kath - Thanks for the mojo - I can never get enough of that. Perhaps that worked its magic on the water heater?!! ABout the plumbers - I say if you are the one doing the calling, you get to pick who you call. Just saying... ANd where do I leave the oatcake for the fairies?

Cee - I know, can you believe it?! You're right - the water heater os being a brat! I am going to work it to death today - and I am just waiting for it to step out of line. Little does the plumber know that now I have his cell phone number, thanks to Craig!!

Book #79: Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley

Published in 1917 and set in 1907, this book is simply delightful. Helen McGill and her brother Andrew had a dream of owning a farm together, and while Andrew seems perfectly satisfied with how things have turned out, Helen is not so sure. Andrew has become an author and spends most of his time rambling and pursuing his own interests, while Helen is left to handle all the details of actually running the farm. When a traveling sales man shows up with a business proposition for Andrew, the thought of Andrew having one more adventure while she stays behind to mind the home front is too much for Helen. Why shouldn't she have an adventure of her own? By purchasing Roger Mifflin's traveling bookshop - Parnassus on Wheels - she can kill two birds with one stone. Determined to keep Andrew from buying Parnassus, and to indulge her own thirst for adventure, Helen buys the outfit from Mifflin with the understanding that they must set off immediately - before Andrew returns home. Mifflin agrees and decides to ride along for a day in order to teach Helen the ropes. The resulting story is not sophisticated or edgy, but it is fun and enjoyable. A lovely lighter read.

"I think reading a good book makes one modest. When you see the marvelous insight into human nature which a truly great book shows, it is bound to make you feel small - like looking at the Dipper on a clear night, or seeing the winter sunrise when you go out to collect the morning eggs. And anything that makes you feel small is mighty good for you."

Book #80: The Merry Misogynist by Colin Cotterill

Working on it...

Hi Mamie! Really sorry to hear about your plumbing woes - I hope the boiler was so scared by the plumber's visit that it decides to stay fixed and you won't need to call him out again..

Some great reviews too - I loved Things Fall Apart when I read it a couple of years ago but never got round to reading the rest of the trilogy so I've added No Longer at Ease to my wishlist. My husband loves the George Smiley books and I've been meaning to read them for a while. And I loved Parnassus on Wheels too although I did find the sequel quite disappointing.

Hi Heather - I was just over on your thread! I am hoping to get to the second George Smiley this month - the great thins is they are really quick reads, so it's easy to squeeze them in with others. Too bad about the follow up to Parnassus on Wheels, I have The Haunted Bookshop on my Kindle as it was only $.95. I was hoping for the same bit of magic - bummer.

How annoying about the water heater! Well, good if it's going to stay fixed, I supposed. It sounds like making an appointment with the doctor, and then feeling better, or with the hairdresser, and then having magazine hair. I have a lady plumber at the moment, although I hope not to need her again until the element in my hot water tank needs replacing. She is very clean and neat, and quite a curiosity in the area. But again, a bit difficult to get hold of...

So glad you loved Parnassus, it's a gem.

Susan - YES! So annoying - but hopefully my water woes are history. I think being difficult to get a hold of is in the training manual!

Lucy - Gem is just the right word! I know it is one I will read again in the future.

Hi Mamie, I hope your weekend is going well, and hot water heater is behaving itself.

I have Parnassus On Wheels on my shelf and hope to get to it soon, it appears to be one of those books that this universally loved. Unfortuately, the sequel, The Haunted Bookshop doesn't seem to rate as highly.

Hi Judy! Felling better? The weekend has been fabulous so far - wonderful weather and the hot water heater is still working after several showers and four loads of laundry. Anyway, I'm hoping for no more troubles from it.

You'll blow through Parnassus on Wheels in one setting I bet - it's short and sweet. Too bad about the sequel. The title sounds so promising, doesn't it?

Oat cake goes next to the water heater, of course. If I were you I might leave a trinket, too...
all things considered.

Allrighty, then! *considers what kind of trinket to leave*

Something shiny or a little crystal is good..

I can do that!

good. I knew you could! I have been listening to some old old favorite songs.. and now listening to the score of The Book of Mormon.. and reading Scary Dead Things

Hi Mamie- Sorry to hear about the ongoing frustrations with your plumber. What a...! Hope you get it cleared up.

I loved Ellen's tirade up above. It made my day. "I mean, do other people think this way????" Ah, I don't think so.

ETA- I'm falling behind on the Dr. Siri series. I know I'm reading one next month for sure.

What is it with machines? Cars know that trick oh too well too! Hope your water heater has had its fun now and keeps working.

Kath - The score of The Book of Mormon? How is Scary Dead Things?

Mark - The water heater is working for now - but I am keeping an eye on it! I loved Ellen's tirade, too! And yes, time for another Dr. Siri for you! Get with it, man!!

Reba!! How ARE you? Agree that hopefully my water heater is done throwing a tantrum. Thanks for stopping in. We miss you, but hope you are having a wonderful vacation!

Thought it was time for a new thread - please join me there!