karenmarie: a new normal with lots of books - X

Welcome to my tenth thread of Twenty Twenty-one.

The Good: Family, friends, kitties, books, in constantly-rotating order.

The Bad: The Delta Variant and the reversion to lockdown mentality. I had just started opening my vaccinated wings in June and July, just a teensy bit, and now they’re clipped. I am livid that there are so many folks who won’t get vaccinated. And with killing heat waves and dangerous flooding Mother Nature is taking one of her first large whacks at us with the results of climate change. I don’t know if we’re past the point of no return or not, but am not sanguine.

The Ugly: The Gang of Psychos. The erasing of the insurrection from their memories. The polarization of the United States politically and emotionally, an absolute disconnect.

I am so glad I’m retired, and am beyond grateful that I don’t have to venture out to work to earn a living ever again. I’ve paid my dues. Every day I don’t have to get up to an alarm is a cause for celebration.

I read and am a charter member of the Redbud and Beyond Book Club, started in 1997. We haven’t met since March of last year, met July 11th and decided to ramp back up in September. However, that’s now off. I am President for our local Friends of the Library (henceforth abbreviated FoL). The Board met in person in June and July and I’m already anticipating that our next meeting, in September, will have to be via GoToMeeting again. Our September book sale has been cancelled. We’ve now cancelled 4 large sales and one small sale.

I have been married to Bill for 30 years and am mother to Jenna, 28, who lives in Asheville now. Bill and I live in our own little corner of paradise on 8 acres in central North Carolina USA.

We have three kitties. Current pictures of all three. L to R: Inara - 14, Zoe - 3, Wash – almost 2.



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No theme for pictures although I do like posting ones of family members. This is my paternal grandmother, circa 1907, the year she married my grandfather. I still have that silk shawl.



My goal last year was 100 books and I exceeded it by 24. This year’s goal will be 100 again. It’s a good goal, not too stressful and not too comfortable. No page goal, just tracking. I seem to read around 30000 pages per year and surpassed that too, last year, by 3,869 pages.

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I finished up my personal Nero Wolfe challenge, reading all 47 starting last April. Still toying with the idea of reading all the Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple books by Agatha Christie.

New this year: With Julia’s blessing, I’ve taken over the Dick Francis Shared Read, now in its 3rd year. Here’s the link: Third Race at the LT Racetrack: a Dick Francis SHARED Read.

Every year I buy a new Lett’s Week to View Desk Diary. The first thing I do when I get it is to put in my name, address, phone number, and email address in case it needs to be returned to me, although it hasn’t gone out of the house since a meeting at the Library in February. Next, I transfer my voter registration card from last year’s to this year’s diary. I then write “God does not make bargains, but She does dispense grace.” across the top of the left inside front cover. Finally, I print out and tape in the two following quotes. The first I think I found in an old Ann Landers column and I don’t remember where I found the second one. But I’ve had both for decades and read them often.

On This Day

Mend a quarrel.
Search out a forgotten friend.
Dismiss a suspicion and replace it with trust.
Write a letter to someone who misses you.
Encourage a youth who has lost faith.
Keep a promise.
Forget an old grudge.
Examine your demands on others and vow to reduce them.
Fight for a principle.
Express your gratitude.
Overcome an old fear.
Take two minutes to appreciate the beauty of nature.
Tell someone you love them.
Tell them again,
And again,
And again.

**********

Whatever you do, death occurs. But if you have lived with a sense of reality and gratitude towards life, then you can leave the dignity of your life behind you, so that your relatives, your friends, and your children can appreciate who you were.

**********
2021 – a new normal with lots of books.

books read

January
1. Washington's Farewell Address and Webster's Bunker Hill Orations, Introduction and Notes by William T. Peck 1/8/21 1/9/21 172 pages hardcover
2. Banker by Dick Francis 1/3/21 1/12/21 303 pages mass market paperback
3. Christmas Beau by Mary Balogh 1/16/21 1/18/21 224 pages mass market paperback
4. If Death Ever Slept by Rex Stout 1/22/21 1/25/21186 pages hardcover
5. The Postscript Murders by Elly Griffiths 1/25/21 1/28/21 342 pages hardcover
6. The Duke and I by Julia Quinn 1/29/21 1/30/21 438 pages trade paperback
7. The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths 1/28/21 2/2/21 352 pages hardcover, Kindle

February
8. The Distant Echo by Val McDermid 2/5/21 2/10/21 450 pages mass market paperback
9. Sworn to Silence by Linda Castillo 2/11/21 2/12/21 353 pages trade paperback
10. Sharks in the Time of Saviors by Kawai Strong Washburn 1/15/21 2/15/21 373 pages hardcover
11. And Four to Go by Rex Stout 2/13/21 2/16/21 150 pages mass market paperback
12. A Promised Land by Barack Obama 11/20/20 2/17/2021 701 pages hardcover
13. Pray for Silence by Linda Castillo 2/17/21 2/19/21 322 pages trade paperback
14. We Keep the Dead Close by Becky Cooper 2/19/21 2/23/21 433 pages trade paperback
15. The Night Hawks by Elly Griffiths 2/23/21 2/26/21 359 pages hardcover
16. A Wealth of Pigeons by Harry Bliss and Steve Martin 11/25/20 2/28/21 272 pages hardcover

March
17. A Darker Domain by Val McDermid 2/26/21 3/4/21 404 pages mass market paperback
18. Prodigal Son by Gregg Hurwitz 3/4/21 3/7/21 417 pages hardcover
19. The Law of Innocence by Michael Connelly 3/7/2021 3/9/21 421 pages hardcover
20. Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman 3/9/21 3/9/21 59 pages hardcover
21. Little Black Sambo and the Baby Elephant by Frank Ver Beck 3/9/21 3/9/21 57 pages hardcover
22. Breaking Silence by Linda Castillo 3/9/21 3/12/21 302 pages trade paperback
23. The Skeleton Road 3/12/21 3/17/21 404 pages hardcover
24. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman 3/18/21 3/21/21 351 pages hardcover
25. Bootlegger's Daughter by Margaret Maron 3/22/21 3/23/21 261 pages hardcover
26. Southern Discomfort 3/23/21 3/27/21 241 pages hardcover
27. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 10/18/20 3/29/21 audiobook 20 hours
28. Win by Harlan Coben 3/28/21 3/29/21 371 pages hardcover
**abandoned Murder At the 42nd Street Library by Con Lehane 65 pages
29. Odds Against by Dick Francis Francis 3/30/31 3/31/21309 pages mass market paperback

April
30. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E.Schwab 3/30/21 4/5/21 444 pages hardcover
31. Fup by Jim Dodge 4/5/21 4/6/21 51 pages trade paperback 1983
**abandoned Our Tragic Universe by Scarlett Thomas 56 pages
32. Champagne for One by Rex Stout 4/9/21 4/10/21 205 pages mass market paperback
33. Plot it Yourself by Rex Stout 4/11/21 4/12/21 132 pages hardcover
34. Life of Pi by Yann Martel 4/12/21 4/15/21 325 pages trade paperback
35. Never Caught by Erica Armstrong Dunbar 4/16/21 201 pages hardcover
36. Three at Wolfe's Door by Rex Stout 4/18/21 4/19/21 184 pages hardcover
37. Up the Down Staircase by Bel Kaufman 4/19/21 4/20/21 355 pages trade paperback
38. Too Many Clients by Rex Stout 4/20/21 4/22/21 188 pages mass market paperback
39. The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell 4/22/21 4/24/21 340 pages hardcover
**abandoned What Angels Fear by C.S. Harris 186 pages read
**abandoned North Carolina as a Civil War Battleground 1861-1865 by John Gilchrist Barrett 71 pages read, rest missing

May
40. An Unnecessary Woman by Rabih Alameddine 4/29/21 5/2/21 291 pages trade paperback
41. The Final Deduction by Rex Stout 5/3/21 5/5/21 188 pages mass market paperback
42. Out of Bounds by Val McDermid 5/5/21 5/7/21 421 pages trade paperback
43. The Widow of the South by Robert Hicks 5/8/21 5/13/21 418 pages hardcover
44. Swimming Lessons by Claire Fuller 5/13/21 5/17/21 350 pages hardcover
45. Homicide Trinity by Rex Stout 5/18/21 5/19/21 205 pages mass market paperback
46. North Carolina as a Civil War Battleground 1861-1865 by John Gilchrist Barrett 4/30/21 5/20/21 99 pages trade paperback
47. Out of Bounds by Val McDermid 5/21/21 5/24/21 419 pages trade paperback
**abandoned yet again - sigh - Emma by Jane Austen 69 pages
48. Gambit by Rex Stout 5/25/21 5/26/21 206 pages Kindle
49. Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination That Changed America Forever by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard 5/24/21 5/29/21 295 pages hardcover

June
50. Don't Let Go by Harlan Coben 6/1/21 6/2/21 347 pages hardcover
51. The Mother Hunt by Rex Stout 6/2/21 6/4/21 213 pages mass market paperback
**abandoned Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots 150 pages
52. Still Life by Val McDermid 6/4/21 6/7/21 434 pages hardcover
53. Last Seen Wearing by Hillary Waugh 6/7/21 6/9/21 214 pages trade paperback
54. Case Pending by Dell Shannon 6/9/21 6/12/21 215 pages trade paperback
**abandoned Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell 39 pages
**abandoned Archaeology From Space by Sarak Parcak 25 pages
**abandoned Moby Dick by Herman Melville 93 pages
55. Trio for Blunt Instruments by Rex Stout 6/12/21 6/13/21 200 pages mass market paperback
56. A Right to Die by Rex Stout 6/13/21 6/15/21 194 pages mass market paperback
57. The Doorbell Rang by Rex Stout 6/16/21 6/17/21 207 pages hardcover
58. Death of a Doxy by Rex Stout 6/18/21 6/19/21 155 pages mass market paperback
59. The Father Hunt by Rex Stout 6/19/21 6/20/21 182 pages hardcover 1968
60. Bonecrack by Dick Francis 6/14/21 6/20/21 240 pages mass market paperback
61. Death of a Dude by Rex Stout 6/20/21 6/26/21 200 pages mass market paperback
62. Please Pass the Guilt by Rex Stout 6/26/21 6/27/21 168 pages mass market paperback
63. A Family Affair by Rex Stout 6/27/21 6/29/21 167 pages mass market paperback
64. Death Times Three by Rex Stout 6/29/21 6/30/21 243 pages trade paperback
**abandoned The Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich 58 pages

July
65. The Murderer's Daughters by Randy Susan Meyers 7/2/21 7/7/21 307 pages hardcover
66. Archie Meets Nero Wolfe by Robert Goldsborough 7/7/21 7/9/21 223 pages trade paperback
67. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig 7/9/21 7/11/21 304 pages hardcover
68. Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit 7/2/21 7/11/21 154 pages trade paperback
69. A Promise of Spring by Mary Balogh 7/13/21 7/15/21 183 pages mass market paperback
70. Night Film by Marisha Pessl 7/17/21 7/24/21 599 pages hardcover
**abandoned The River Between Us by Liz Fenwick 103 pages
71. Ties That Bound: Founding First Ladies and Slaves by Mary Jenkins Schwartz 7/11/21 7/30/21 356 pages hardcover

August
72. Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley 7/25/21 8/1/21 301 pages trade paperback
73. The Stranger Times by C.K. McDonnell 8/2/21 8/6/21
74. Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz 8/6/21 8/15/21 603 pages hardcover
75. Three Doors to Death by Rex Stout 8/16/21 8/17/21 136 pages hardcover
76. Hot Money by Dick Francis 8/17/21 8/18/21 423 pages mass market paperback
77. Topper by Thorne Smith 8/19/21 8/22/21 218 pages trade paperback Kindle
78. The Eighth Detective by Alex Pavesi 8/15/21 8/25/21 2020 289 pages hardcover
79. Feral Creatures by Kira Jane Buxton 8/25/21 8/29/21 349 pages hardcover
80. The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie 8/29/21 8/31/21 231 pages hardcover

September
81. The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz 9/1/21 9/3/21 320 pages hardcover
82. The Tuesday Club Murders by Agatha Christie 9/4/21 9/7/21 197 pages hardcover
83. Killing Kennedy by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard 8/26/21 9/9/21 304 pages hardcover
84. Murder, Culture, and Injustice 9/11/21 9/16/21 262 pages hardcover
85. The Game of Thirty by William Kotzwinkle 271 pages trade paperback

Currently Reading:

The Cabinet of Curiosities by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child 9/17/21 629 pages mass market paperback 2002
The Barrakee Mystery:The Lure of the Bush by Arthur W. Upfield 224 pages trade paperback Kindle 1929
American Indians by William T. Hagan 8/6/21 212 pages trade paperback 1961
Religious Literacy by Stephen Prothero 5/5/21 244 pages hardcover 2007
Cumin, Camels, and Caravans by Gary Paul Nabhan 276 pages hardcover 2014 - Sandy McPherson
White Trash by Nancy Isenberg 11/9/20 321 pages trade paperback 2016
The Source by James Michener 10/1/20 909 pages hardcover 1965

books added - 2020 was the great conjunction of adds and culls, both at 128. Keeping the adds down will probably be as easy as it was last year because of the pandemic - no Friends of the Library book sales and no trips to used book stores and thrift shops.

**I spoke too soon - a FoL book donation with me getting first dibs has put me in the hole already.**

00. Friend Jessica - Double Star by Robert A. Heinlein. Given in December, but it offsets the first cull, below, so they're in the 00. black hole.
1. Amazon - Twice Shy by Dick Francis
2. ER - Sergeant Salinger by Jerone Charyn
3. Amazon - The Time Traveler's Guide to Elizabethan England by Ian Mortimer
4. Amazon - A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life by George Saunders
5. FoL member Marian - In the Morning I'll Be Gone by Adrian McKinty
6. FoL member Marian - The Cold Cold Ground by Adrian McKinty
7. FoL member Marian - I Hear the Sirens in the Street by Adrian McKinty
8. FoL member Marian - Police at the Station and They Don't Look Friendly by Adrian McKinty
9. FoL member Marian - Rain Dogs by Adrian McKinty
10. FoL member Marian - Gun Street Girl by Adrian McKinty
11. FoL member Marian - The Death of a Joyce Scholar by Bartholomew Gill
12. FoL member Marian - Counterparts by Gonzalo Lira
13. FoL member Marian - The Hellfire Club by Jake Tapper
14. FoL member Marian - Lost Light by Michael Connelly
15. FoL member Marian - Echo Park by Michael Connelly
16. FoL member Marian - The Overlook by Michael Connelly
17. FoL member Marian - The Reversal by Michael Connelly
18. FoL member Marian - Chasing the Dime by Michael Connelly
19. FoL member Marian - City of Bones by Michael Connelly
20. FoL member Marian - All Saints by Karen Palmer
21. FoL member Marian - Ripley Under Water by Patricia Highsmith
22. FoL member Marian - The Drop by Michael Connelly
23. FoL member Marian - The Dark Winter by David Mark
24. FoL member Marian - The Last Four Days of Paddy Buckley by Jeremy Massey
25. FoL member Marian - Fair Warning by Michael Connelly
26. FoL member Marian - Reversible Errors by Scott Turow
27. FoL member Marian - Law of Innocence by Michael Connelly
28. FoL member Marian - The Scarecrow by Michael Connelly
29. FoL member Marian - Since We Fell by Dennis Lehane
30. FoL member Marian - Death Descends on Saturn Villa by M.R.C. Kasasian
31. FoL member Marian - The naive & Sentimental Lover by John Le Carre
32. FoL member Marian - The Professionals by Owen Laukkanen
33. FoL member Marian - The Widow by Fiona Barton
34. FoL member Marian - The Looking Glass War by John Le Carre
35. FoL member Marian - The Spy Who Came In From The Cold by John Le Carre
36. FoL member Marian - Dead I Well May Be by Adrian McKinty
37. FoL member Marian - The Chain by Adrian McKinty
38. FoL member Marian - The Monkey's Raincoat by Robert Crais
39. Amazon - The Duke and I by Julia Quinn
40. Kindle - The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
41. Kindle - Gentlemen Prefer Blondes by Anita Loos
42. Kindle - Legion by Brandon Sanderson
43. Mark - We Keep the Dead Close by Becky Cooper
44. Kindle - Medieval People by Eileen Edna Power - saw it on Mamie's thread
45. Amazon - Prodigal Son by Gregg Hurwitz
46. Kindle - The Chronicles of Barsetshire by Anthony Trollope - recommended by lauralkeet
47. Amazon - The Queen's Gambit by Walter Tevis
48. Kindle - Theresa Marchmont or, the Maid of Honour by Mrs. Gore9
February
49. Amazon - Deacon King Kong by James McBride
50. friend Karen - the President's Shadow by Brad Meltzer
51. friend Louise - Sworn to Silence by Linda Castillo
52. FoL member Marian - Pray for Silence by Linda Castillo
53. FoL member Marian - Breaking Silence by Linda Castillo
54. FoL member Marian - Gone Missing by Linda Castillo
55. FoL member Marian - Her Last Breath by Linda Castillo
56. FoL member Marian - The Dead Will Tell by Linda Castillo
57. FoL member Marian - After the Storm by Linda Castillo
58. FoL member Marian - Among the Wicked by Linda Castillo
59. FoL member Marian - Down a Dark Road by Linda Castillo
60. FoL member Marian - Shamed by Linda Castillo
61. Amazon - Cumin, Camels, and Carabans by Gary Paul Nabhan
62. Amazon - Drive Your Plows Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk
63. Amazon - A Darker Domain by Val McDermid
64. Kindle - My Soul to Keep by Tananarive Due

March
65. friend Jan - Remains of Innocence by J.A. Jance
66. friend Jan - Dead Wrong by J.A. Jance
67. Kindle - The Decameron by Giovanni Boccacio
68. Circle City Books - Bootlegger's Daughter by Margaret Maron
69. Amazon - The Skeleton Road by Val McDermid
70. Amazon - The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
71. Amazon - The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
72. Amazon - Win by Harlan Coben
73. Kindle - Castle Rackrent by Maria Edgeworth
74. Sanford book store - Shooting at Loons by Margaret Maron
75. Sanford book store - Death's Half Acre by Margaret Maron
76. friend Pam Dennis - A Very English Scandal by John Preston
77. friend Pam Dennis - The Hand That First Held Mine by Maggie O'Farrell

April
78. Amazon - Too Many Clients by Rex Stout
79. Amazon - Refusal by Felix Felix Francis
80. Amazon - The Survivors - Jane Harper
81. Amazon - Blue Nights by Joan Didion
82. Amazon - e.e. cumming: the Growth of a Writer by Norman Friedman
83. found on my shelves - don't know how I acquired it - Defending Jacob by William Landay
84. Kindle - Mystery Mile by Margery Allingham
85. Amazon - What Angels Fear by C. S. Harris
86. Amazon - The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman
87. Amazon - Out of Bounds by Val McDermid
88. Thrift Shop - The Golem of Hollywood by Jonathan Kellerman and Jesse Kellerman
89. Thrift Shop - Lady Cop Makes Trouble by Amy Stewart
90. Thrift Shop - Beneath the Skin by Nicci French
91. Thrift Shop - Land of the Living by Nicci French
92. Thrift Shop - The Crocodile Bird by Ruth Rendell
93. Thrift Shop - A Visit from the Good Squad by Jennifer Egan
94. Thrift Shop - Wait Wait... I'm Not Done Yet! by Carl Kasell
95. Amazon - The Final Deduction by Rex Stout

May
96. Amazon - Homicide Trinity by Rex Stout
97. Amazon - Blind Justice by Bruce Alexander
98. Amazon - Nomadland by Jessica Bruder
99. Amazon - The Code Breaker by Walter Isaacson
100. Amazon - Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots
101. Thrift Shop - The Mirror & the Light by Hilary Mantel
102. Thrift Shop - Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
103. Thrift Shop - The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer
104. Thrift Shop - Frederica by Georgette Heyer
105. Library of Congress Shop - Last Seen Wearing by Hillary Waugh
106. Library of Congress Shop - The Silent Bullet by Arthur B. Reeve

rather than renumbering from January and February,

107. Amazon - Archaeology From Space by Sarah Parcak
108. friend Roni - Dangerous Visions by Harlan Ellison

109. Kindle - A Duke, the Lady, and a Baby: A Multi-Cultural Historical Regency Romance by Vanessa Riley
110. Amazon - Train by Pete Dexter
111. Amazon - Broken Ground by Val McDermid
112. Amazon - North Carolina as a Civil War Battleground 1861-1865 by John Gilchrist Barrett - replacement for copy that mysteriously stopped at page 71 and culled
113. Kindle - The Jungle by Sinclair Lewis - Mark
114. Thrift Shop - Crisis by Felix Francis
115. Thrift Shop - Later by Stephen King
116. Friends donations reject - The Beat Book: Writings from the Beat Generation edited by Anne Waldman
117. Friends donations reject - Adventures in American Literature 1952
118. Kindle - Gambit by Rex Stout
119. Amazon - The Children of Pride by Robert Manson Myers
120. Thrift Shop - Parade's End by Ford Madox Ford
121. Thrift Shop - More Letters from Pemberly by Jane Dawkins
122. Thrift Shop - Rituals of the Season by Margaret Maron
123. Thrift Shop - Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow
124. Thrift Shop - Theodore Roosevelt by Nathan Miller
125. Amazon - Still Life by Val McDermid
126. Kindle - Virginia Woolf: The Complete Works

June
127. Friend Jessica - The Love Girl and the Innocent: Victory Celebrations. Prisoners by Alexander Solzhenitsyn
128. Thrift Shop - Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
129. Thrift Shop - The Parrots by Filippo Bologna
130. Amazon - A Right to Die by Rex Stout
131. Amazon - Death Times Three by Rex Stout
132. ER - The Hawaiian Romance of Laieikawai by S.N. Hale'ole
133. Amazon - The Dead Letter by Seeley Regester
134. Amazon - I Am I Am I Am by Maggie O'Farrell
135 - 137. Kindle - first three Miss Silver mysteries by Patricia Wentworth - Grey Mask, The Case is Closed, Lonesome Road
138. Univ of Chicago Press - The Daily Jane Austen: A Year of Quotes by Jane Austen
139. Univ of Chicago Press - Socrates and the Fat Rabbis by Daniel Boyarin
140. Amazon - 1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed: Revised and Updated by Eric H. Cline
141. Univ of Chicago Press - Knossos and the Prophets of Modernism by Cathy Gere
142. Univ of Chicago Press - American Indians: Fourth Edition (The Chicago History of American Civilization) by William T. Hagan
143. Univ of Chicago Press - Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things by Lafcadio Hearn
144. Amazon - The Royal Wulff Murders by Keith McCafferty
145. Univ of Chicago Press - Rattling Spears: A History of Indigenous Australian Art by Ian McLean
146. Univ of Chicago Press - Who Freed the Slaves?: The Fight over the Thirteenth Amendment by Leonard L. Richards
147. Univ of Chicago Press - Ties That Bound: Founding First Ladies and Slaves by Marie Jenkins Schwartz
148. Univ of Chicago Press - A Village with My Name: A Family History of China's Opening to the World by Scott Tong
149. Univ of Chicago Press - The Thousand-Year Flood: The Ohio-Mississippi Disaster of 1937 by David Welky
150. Amazon - The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness by Simon Wiesenthal
151. Amazon - Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz
152. Friend Tamsie - The Elements of a Home by Amy Azzarito
153. Friend Tamsie - Midland Club by Mark Spano
154. Friend Tamsie - Cats Cats Cats edited by S. Gross
155. Friend Tamsie - Dead Feminists: Historic Heroines in Living Color by Chandler O'Leary and Jessica Spring
156. friend Tamsie - White Fragility by Robin Diangelo
157. book sale room reject - Unger's Bible Dictionary by Merrill F. Unger

July
158. friend Louise - American Sherlock by Kate Winkler Dawson
159. Ann Sanders - The American Heritage Cookbook and illustrated History of American Eating & Drinking by editors, American Heritage
160. Ann Sanders - Trinity Treats: A Collection of Recipes by The Woman's Society of Christian Service
161. Ann Sanders - Aunt Bee's Delightful Desserts by Ken Beck and Jim clark
162. Ann Sanders - Eating with Etta Cookbook Holiday Recipes by Etta L. Broaddus, R.D.
163. Ann Sanders - The Williamsburg Art of Cookery or, Accomplish'd Gentlewoman's Companion by Mrs. Helen Bullock
164. Ann Sanders - Birds of North Carolina by Thomas Gilbert Pearson
165. Ann Sanders - Marcus Aurelius by Marcus Aurelius
166. Ann Sanders - Endangered and Threatened Wildlife of Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee by Warren Parker and Laura Dixon
167. Ann Sanders - Japanese Proverbs and traditional phrases by Jeff Hill
168. Ann Sanders - Joy of Cooking by Irma Rombauer
169. Ann Sanders - Guide To Ecclesiastical Birdwatching by LeRoy Koopman
170. Ann Sanders - The Illustrated Encyclopedia of American Cooking by editors, Favorite Recipes Press
171. sister Laura - The Harbinger by Jonathan Kahn
172. Amazon - Archie meets Nero Wolfe by Robert Goldsborough
173. Amazon - The Midnight Diary by Matt Haig
174. Amazon - The Hidden Palace by Helene Wecker
175. Amazon - Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley
176. Kindle - The Plague by Albert Camus
177. Kindle - The River Between US by Liz Fenwick
178. Kindle - Summary and Key Points of What Really Happened In Wuhan: The cover-ups, the conspiracies and the classified research by Sharri Markson - by Laurie Bunger
179. Kindle - Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay

August
180. Kindle - The Stranger Times by C.K. McDonnell - jackie_k
181. Friend Karen - The Winner Stands Alone by Paulo Coelho
182. Friend Karen - Chocolate Every Day: 85 Plant-based Recipes for Cacao Treats that Support Your Health and Well-being by Bennett Coffey
183. Friend Karen - The Chatham School Affair by Thomas H. Cook
184. Friend Karen - Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare by Stephen Greenblatt
185. Friend Karen - The Old Contemptibles by Martha Grimes
186. Friend Karen - Stories in the Stars: An Atlas of Constellations by Susanna Hislop
187. Friend Karen - The Male Brain: A Breakthrough Understanding of How Men and Boys Think by Louann Brizendine, M.D.
188. Friend Karen - The Dangerous Ladies Affair by Marcia Muller
189. Friend Karen - Four Spirits by Sena Jeter Naslund
190. Friend Karen - Seeking the South: Finding Inspired Regional Cuisines by Bob Newton
191. Friend Karen - I Will Judge You by Your Bookshelf by Grant Snider
192. Friend Karen - MAD About the Trump Era by Various
193. Friend Karen - The Agenda: Inside the Clinton White House by Bob Woodward
194. Amazon - How the South Won the War by Heather Cox Richardson
195. Amazon - The Eighth Detective by Alex Pavesi
196. Kindle - Topper by Thorne Smith
197. Friend Mark - The Orphan Mother by Robert Hicks
198. Kindle - The Barrakkee Mystery by Arthur Upfield
199. Kindle - This Girl for Hire by G.G. Fickling - mentioned by magicians_nephew
200. Amazon - Thus Was Adonis Murdered by Sarah Caulwell - friend Karen
201. Amazon - Feral Creatures by Kira Jane Buxton
202. Kindle - Divine Lola: A True Story of Scandal and Celebrity by Cristina Morató

September
203. Amazon - If You Exist by Lillian Moats
204. Kachergis donation - FDR's Unfinished Portrait by Elizabeth Shoumatoff
205. Kachergis donation - Five Black Lives editor Arna Bontemps
206. Kachergis donation - Gertrude Bell: The Arabian Diaries, 1913-1914 editor Rosemary O'Brien
207. Kachergis donation - Murder, Culture, and Injustice by Walter L. Hixson
208. Kachergis donation - Plain Folk and Gentry in a Slave Society by J. William Harris
209. Kachergis donation - Rose O'Neale Greenhow and the Blockade Runners by George Johnson, Jr.
210. Kachergis donation - Sally Hemings & Thomas Jefferson editors Jan Ellen Lewis & Peter S. Onuf
211. Kachergis donation - The Clerihews of Paul Horgan by Paul Horgan
212. Kachergis donation - The Man Who Wanted Seven Wives by Katie Letcher Lyle
213. Kachergis donation - Virginia Landmarks of Black History editor Calder Loth
214. FoL member Marian - Consequences by E.M. Delafield
215. FoL member Marian - The Children Who Lived in a Barn by Eleanor Graham
216. FoL member Marian - The Young Pretenders by Edith Henrietta Fowler
217. FoL member Marian - The Fortnight in September by RC Sherriff
218. Friend Karen - The Round House by Louise Erdrich
219. Friend Karen - Merry Meet by Isobel Bird
220. Friend Karen - Second Sight by Isobel Bird
221. Friend Karen - So Mote It Be by Isobel Bird
222. Friend Karen - Poems, 1923-1954 by E.E. Cummings
223. Friend Karen - The Drunken Forest by Gerald Durrell
224. Friend Karen - Great Beginnings and Endings: Opening and Closing Lines of Great Novels by Georgianne Ensign
225. Friend Karen - A General Introduction to Psychoanalysis by Sigmund Freud
226. Friend Karen - Love in a Green Shade: Idyllic Romances Ancient to Modern by Richard F. Hardin
227. Friend Karen - An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks
228. Friend Karen - The Basque Kitchen: Tempting Food from the Pyrenees by Gerald Hirigoyen
229. Friend Karen - Hateship, friendship, courtship, loveship, marriage : stories by Alice Munroe
230. Friend Karen - Einstein for Beginners by Joseph Schwartz
231. Friend Karen - Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko
232. Friend Karen - Hillbilly Elegy : A Memoir of a Family and a Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance

books culled - there are still quite a few books on my shelves, lurking in corners and 3 deep on the shelves, that need new homes.

00. Mi's Day by Mira Vest. Cousin Mira, published in 1947. I had two copies and gave one to my sister. I actually culled this one in December but won't go back and update 2020 statistics.

1. Lost Light by Michael Connelly - upgraded to hardcover
2. The Overlook by Michael Connelly - upgraded to hardcover
3. Echo Park by Michael Connelly - upgraded to hardcover
4. Chasing the Dime by Michael Connelly - upgraded to hardcover
5. City of Bones by Michael Connelly - upgraded to hardcover
6. The Drop by Michael Connelly - upgraded to hardcover
7. The Reversal by Michael Connelly - upgraded to hardcover
8. The Scarecrow by Michael Connelly - upgraded to hardcover
9. The Duke and I by Julia Quinn - won't read any more of the series
10. Field Gray by Philip Kerr - won't read the series - for Peggy
11. For the Time Being by Annie Dillard - for Richard
12. I Shall Not Want by Julia Spencer-Fleming
13. The Brass Go-Between by Ross Thomas
14. Voss by Patrick White
15. The Monkey's Raincoat by Robert Crais
16. Straight On Till Morning by Mary S. Lovell
17. Our Tragic Universe by Scarlett Thomas
18. Field Gray by Philip Kerr
10. Champagne for One by Rex Stout
20. The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep by H. G. Parry
21. What Angels Fear by C.S. Harris blech
22. North Carolina as Civil War Battleground 1861-1865 by John Gilchrist Barrett - missing pages

bye-bye J.A. Vance!

23. Betrayal of Trust by J. A. Jance
24. Cold Betrayal by J. A. Jance
25. Cruel Intent by J. A. Jance
26. Day of the Dead by J. A. Jance
27. Dead Wrong by J. A. Jance
28. Deadly Stakes by J. A. Jance
29. Deadly Stakes by J. A. Jance I do not know why I had two copies. bad inventory control. *smile*
30. Failure to Appear by J. A. Jance
31. Injustice for All by J. A. Jance
32. Left for Dead by J. A. Jance
33. Partner in Crime by J. A. Jance
34. Remains of Innocence by J. A. Jance
35. Second Watch by J. A. Jance
36. Taking the Fifth by J. A. Jance
37. Trial by Fury by J. A. Jance
38. Until Proven Guilty by J. A. Jance
39. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel - will never, ever read this trilogy
40. Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel - ditto
41. The Mirror & The Light by Hilary Mantel - ditto
42. Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots - nope. Not my cuppa.
43. Forgiveness by Simon Wiesenthal - duplicate
44. The Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich - urp. Boring.
45. We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates
46. Sheer Abandon by Penny Vincenzi
47. The Civil War: A Narrative, Vol. 1: Fort Sumter to Perryville by Shelby Foote, audiobook missing disc 7
48. The Civil War: A Narrative, Vol. 2: Fredericksburg to Meridian by Shelby Foote - don't like narrator, and because disc 8 is missing can't continue with vol 1 anyway

bye-bye Judith McNaught and Anne Rice!

49. A Kingdom of Dreams by Judith McNaught
50. Almost Heaven by Judith McNaught
51. Every Breath You Take by Judith McNaught
52. Once and Always by Judith McNaught
53. Someone to Watch Over Me by Judith McNaught
54. Something Wonderful by Judith McNaught
55. Until You by Judith McNaught
56. Whitney, My Love by Judith McNaught
57. Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice
58. Servant of the Bones by Anne Rice
59. The Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice
60. The Tale of the Body Thief by Anne Rice
61. The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice
62. Violin by Anne Rice
63. The Capture o the Earl of Glencrae by Stephanie Laurens
64. Chocolate Every Day: 85 Plant-based Recipes for Cacao Treats that Support Your Health and Well-being by Bennett Coffey - will never use and my sister is vegan
65. The Eighth Detective by Alex Pavesi - I don't have an overwhelming need to keep it
66. Almost a Crime by Penny Vincenzi
67. The Cabinet of Curiosities by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child - too ratty to read, borrowed e-copy from Library

Statistics Through August 31

80 books read
24 of them on my shelves before 01/01/2021 and not rereads
11 books abandoned, 974 pages abandoned
23884 pages read
20 audiobook hours
Avg pages read per day, YTD = 98
Avg pages read per book, YTD = 299

Book of the month: Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley

Books By Month
January 6 books, 1665 pages
February 10 books, 3790 pages
March 13 books, 3609 pages
April 10 books, 2426 pages
May 10 books, 2894 pages
June 15 books, 3379 pages
July 7 books, 2165 pages
August 9 books, 2982 pages

Author
Male 60%
Female 40%

Living 56%
Dead 44%

US Born 65%
Foreign Born 35%

Platform
Hardcover 46%
Trade Pback 23%
Mass Market 25%
Audiobook 1%
e-Book 5%

Source
My Library 87%
Library 9%
Other 4%

Misc
ARC/ER 1%
Re-read 19%
Series 58%

Fiction 90%
NonFiction 10%

New to Me Authors 30

Author Birth Country
England 19%
Germany 1%
Ireland 1%
Jordan 1%
Scotland 9%
Spain 1%
US 65%
Wales 3%

Original Decade Published
1890s 1%
1910s 1%
1920s 3%
1930s 1%
1950s 8%
1960s 20%
1970s 4%
1980s 5%
1990s 5%
2000s 10%
2010s 21%
2020s 21%

Category
Adventure 3%
Biography 0%
Chrestomathy 0%
Contemporary Fiction 8%
Fantasy 11%
Historical Fiction 5%
Humor 1%
Informational Nonfiction 9%
Memoir 1%
Mystery 42%
Poetry 0%
Science Fiction 0%
Suspense 0%
Thriller 20%


Book Acquisition Date
2007 - Joined LT, added 1853 books 12
2008 1
2009 1
2010 1
2012 2
2016 3
2017 2
2018 8
2019 1
2020 6
2021 33
borrowed from friends 3
Library 7

Rating
2.5 - Average 1
3 - Good 6
3.5 - Very Good 21
4 - Excellent 37
4.5 - Stunning 15

3.87 - YTD Average

August’s Lightning Round

The Stranger Times by C.K. McDonnell 7/2/21 7/7/21

Recommended by ROOT friend Jackie_k, a fun fantasy romp full of magic and evil and witty dialog. Poor Hannah gets more than she bargains for when she’s hired as the assistant editor of The Stranger Times, which reports paranormal and unexplainable phenomena. How much of it’s true? That’s part of the fun of this story.

Three Doors to Death by Rex Stout 8/16/21 8/17/21

Three novellas:

1. Man Alive. Neat little mystery with two men faking their deaths and Wolfe saving the niece of one of them from being charged with murder.
2. Omit Flowers. Wolfe agrees to find the real murderer when is friend Marko Vukcic asks him to because a former employee and good cook is charged with murder. Love plays a part, but even more so does hate.
3. Door to Death. Wolfe is on the hunt for a temporary orchid babysitter and runs into murder. I was especially appreciative of Archie, Wolfe, and Saul hiking through the woods to make an unwelcome entrance.

Topper by Thorne Smith 8/19/21 8/2/21

I loved the movie, and separately and just a tad more so, love this book. Cosmo Topper has a mid-life crisis, runs away for months with a ghost, and reluctantly comes back but with a new lease on life. The writing is snarky and philosophical and there are many conversational gems and thoughts hidden within the general chaos.

The Eighth Detective by Alex Pavesi 8/15/21 8/25/21

Just when you think you’re getting a handle on this book, you realize there’s another layer. Just when you think the author has settled into the true plot, he throws a monkey wrench. It’s all quite fascinating. I particularly like the concept of a mystery as a Venn diagram, where a large circle is the case, and smaller circles are suspects, victims, killers, and detectives. Well worth the read for the discussion of what comprises a mystery, which is more than just the Venn Diagram, much less the endings, which come fast and furious.

124 books read

1 Masterpiece
19 Stunning
67 Excellent
20 Very Good
12 Good
4 Average
1 Bad
0 Very Bad
0 Don't Bother
0 Anathema

Best Fiction
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
Beastly Tales From Here and There by Vikram Seth
The Standing Chandelier by Lionel Shriver
Mrs. Caliban by Rachel Ingalls

Best Nonfiction
Abraham Lincoln: Mystic Chords of Memory edited by Larry Shapiro
Dr. Seuss Goes to War by Richard H. Minear
In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick
How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi

Top five overall for the LT Top Five Books of 2020 list:

Mrs. Caliban
How to Be an Antiracist
In the Heart of the Sea
The Standing Chandelier
Dr. Seuss Goes to War

I couldn't decide which one I wanted, so here are two of my favs:

…

Welcome to my tenth thread!

Happy new one, Karen. I vote for the cheesecake one above :)

Happy new thread, Karen, and congratulations on passing the magic number!

>8 karenmarie: Completely understand why you couldn't choose between them, they both make me smile :-)

Congratulations on thread number 10, Karen.

You will beat 100 books comfortably, I would guess this year.

Happy new one, Karen! The photo is the topper is beautiful.

Hi.

Well, that's pretty much it...

I'm in! Back from the grocery store and pulling weeds from those plant thingies in front of the house. Seriously, seriously too damn hot out there.

Happy new thread, Karen.

I love your topper and your July lightning round.

>8 karenmarie: I also like both.

Happy New Thread, Karen. I love the photo of your paternal grandmother up there. Beautiful.

Happy new one, Karen!

Glad to see you flourishing, Karen! Read on and keep giving us those lightening rounds!

Happy new thread, Karen. I totally agree with your assessment in *the ugly*, up there. And personally, I think humans have just pushed Mother Nature too far. Pressed her last nerve, so to speak. And now we are paying for it. *shudder*

Your grandmother's photo is a stunner.

I also think both in >8 karenmarie: are completely appropriate. I have a fridge magnet that is my own version of the bunny one. It says: "Today I will live in the moment. Unless the moment is unpleasant. Then I will eat a cookie." Perhaps I will post it if and when I start a new thread. Great minds... ;-)

You finally got there, Karen! Huzzah! karenmarie: a new normal with lots of books - X

Happy new one!

Happy new thread!

>1 karenmarie: What a great picture of your grandmother!
I still have the fringe from my maternal grandmother's bright pink shawl - the silk is so shot that I don't dare touch it! She was born in 1900, so hers is probably from the 20s.

Happy New Thread, Karen!

You all move so quickly with your threads.

Morning, Karen. Happy Sunday. You haven't been back since early yesterday, so I hope all is good there. No plans to see Jackson today but you never know. I definitely will get some quality book time in though.

Happy new thread, Karen!

Morning, Karen! Just finished my first cup of coffee, so I am ready for round two.

No problems here – just reading and etc.

>10 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks Reba. My friend Vanessa gave that one to me, and it’s my ‘photo’ for my computer.

>11 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita, and I feel good about my tenth thread. We need things to smile about now, don’t we?

>12 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul. Yes, I feel very good about meeting my goal.

>13 Crazymamie: Thanks, Mamie. My grandmother lived with us until she passed away in 1964 when I was 10, so I have lots of good memories of her. Of course, there was the one time she broke a hairbrush hitting me, but all I felt was stupid that an 82-year old woman had cornered me in the living room. *smile*

>14 richardderus: Hi back. One sip of coffee taken…

>15 SomeGuyInVirginia: Yay, Larry! You were busy yesterday in all that nasty heat. Yuck.

>16 BLBera: Hi Beth and thank you all ‘round.

>17 msf59: Thank you, Mark. Glad you like the photo of Nellie Patrick Pomeroy. She didn’t like Nellie, although she was named for her mother’s sister, and insisted on being called Nelle. And she insisted we call her Mom since apparently ‘grandmother’ made her feel old. She was old, 72 when I was born, but we called her Mom and my mother Mommy.

>18 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie!

>19 LizzieD: I am flourishing, Peggy, although it’s in shorter bursts these days. I’ll be finishing Feral Creatures today and continue with Killing Kennedy. I’ve created the list for Miss Marple in order and may start The Murder at the Vicarage today.

>20 jessibud2: Hi Shelley and thank you. Mother Nature has been retaliating against our mistreatment of her in spectacularly awful ways this year, of course, and now there’s Hurricane Ida bearing down on Louisiana. It will probably hit as a Category 4 (out of 5 categories). They’re saying it will be the worst for Louisiana since the 1850s. And, insult to injury, on the anniversary of the devastating Hurricane Katrina. Looks my daughter in western North Carolina will get some of the rain when it heads up through the US as a Tropical Depression mid-week.

Thanks re my grandmother and my tropes. I’d love to see your cookie trope.

>21 weird_O: Hi Bill! I’m not happy with this new normal, of course, what with pandemics, and an angry Mother Nature, and arthritic knees all of a sudden, but I’m trying to live pandemically, live threatened, and live with pain gracefully. Sometimes I succeed, sometimes I even disgust myself.

>22 drneutron: Thanks, Jim, our fearless leader.

>23 quondame: Thanks, Susan. Fabrics are a wonderful bit of memorabilia from our grandmothers.

>24 connie53: Thank you, Connie. We’re a pretty chatty group, for sure. I have only joined the many-threaded here because of the pandemic. Sad reason, good result. I love visitors and although I’ve been a bit remiss in visiting threads regularly lately am trying to get back in the swing of things.

>25 msf59: Hi Mark, and happy Sunday to you, too. Yes, I was busy reading and doing laundry, and then when Bill came home from errands with take out for lunch he told me that he’d fallen at the gas station and was badly shaken up. He had scrapes and wrenched his knee and I spent a fair amount of time making sure he was okay. Then dinner, and frog pictures and upstairs… the day got away from me. Aren’t Jackson’s other grandparents visiting? Yay for quality book time. Bill says that he feels like he's been hit by a bulldozer. He's going to take it easy today.

…
Thank you, all my lovely visitors. I’ve had half a cup of coffee, will be making new hummingbird food and putting out a fresh feeder in a bit, and it looks like I have to fill the sunflower seed feeder, too.

I am so sorry about Bill's fall. It does really shake you up. It's ridiculous how much I worry about falling again. I am a very careful and slow walker these days in parking lots - hoping I eventually get over that. Hoping Bill mends quickly.

Craig has to fill the bird feeders here today, too.

How is Bill doing now? I hope the bulldozer, that is attacking Bill, goes away soon.

>29 Crazymamie: Thanks, Mamie. I was thinking about your fall and even mentioned it to Bill yesterday - his was bad but at least he was able to use his hand and arm to brake his fall. I can understand your extra-careful walking. I got the new hummingbird food/feeder out and a freshly-filled sunflower seed feeder is already attracting finches.

>30 connie53: He's achy but might do a bit of mowing. ... Yup. The French Door just closed, and I'll probably hear the loud thrum of the mower in a few minutes.

Falling is a nasty experience at every double-digit age. I hope Bill's doctor is aware of this...knee replacements get easier to justify if the joint in question is interfering in the owner's balance.

Any road. *smooch* for a smoother Sunday ahead.

I hate to contemplate replicating your Bill's fall. But I really do need to contemplate it, living alone in my modestly vast weird_o-land. What would I do? Hmmm.

>31 karenmarie: Well, I don't hear the mower. Hope he's ok.

Heavens! I'm sorry about Bill's fall and thankful that he seems to have gotten off lightly (although it may not feel light to him). Honestly, Mamie and Richard and you and Bill and all, we need to be careful about falling before we have to be. I'm at an age now that when I walk, I think about walking, and I don't want to change that.
I'm 2 cups of Peet's to the good and off to visit another thread or two before I turn my poor mind to Italian. 290 day streak, and I've learned a lot. I might even be speaking some now if I had studied away from the computer. As it is, it's been an interesting undertaking!
Y'all enjoy the day and stay in and cool.

Sorry, to hear about Bill's fall. Hopefully he can get plenty of rest today. Yikes.

>32 richardderus: Thanks, RD, I'll tell Bill to tell his doctor. He sees his new new doctor on September 14th. *smooch*

>33 weird_O: I think if I lived alone I'd get one of those necklace alarm or wrist alarm thingies so you can send for the troops if you need emergency help.

I hear the mower. He's over here by the Sunroom mowing down the weeds. He must be feeling pretty good. He said he'd only mow for a little bit, but it's been an hour and 15 minutes now.

>34 LizzieD: Hi Peggy. I've gotten very careful about where I place my feet - especially going up and coming down the stairs. I use the handrails and walk deliberately. Bill's always joked about my looking down and never looking up, but I think this habit is standing me in good stead now.

Yay for Peet's French Pressed Dark Roast and thread visiting. 290 days? I'm impressed.

I'm enjoying my inside day. I just finished Feral Creatures and have written my review. It's all queued up ready to paste...

79. Feral Creatures by Kira Jane Buxton
8/25/21 to 8/29/21





From Amazon:

In this stunning follow-up to Hollow Kingdom, the animal kingdom's "favorite apocalyptic hero"is back with a renewed sense of hope for humanity, ready to take on a world ravaged by a viral pandemic (Helen Macdonald).

Once upon an apocalypse, there lived an obscenely handsome American crow named S.T. . . .

When the world last checked-in with its favorite Cheeto addict, the planet had been overrun by flesh-hungry beasts, and nature had started re-claiming her territory from humankind. S.T., the intrepid crow, alongside his bloodhound-bestie Dennis, had set about saving pets that had become trapped in their homes after humanity went the way of the dodo.

That is, dear reader, until S.T. stumbled upon something so rare—and so precious—that he vowed to do everything in his power to safeguard what could, quite literally, be humanity's last hope for survival. But in a wild world plagued by prejudiced animals, feather-raising environments, new threats so terrifying they make zombies look like baby bunnies, and a horrendous dearth of cheesy snacks, what's a crow to do?

Why, wing it on another big-hearted, death-defying adventure, that's what! Joined by a fabulous new cast of animal characters, S.T. faces many new challenges plus his biggest one yet: parenthood.

Why I wanted to read it: Sequel to a book I really, really loved.

Kira Jane Buxton has an amazing talent. She can combine nature’s fierce life and death struggle, oftentimes with devastating and bloody results, with lyrical writing about the very same nature that transcends what us mere mortals can see.

Her descriptions of what humans have devolved to are horrific – nightmarish visions of Frankenstein-like body parts merged with metal and other human inventions. They have taken over the world and are slowly exterminating plants, trees, and animals in the air, on the earth, and under the sea. Aura, Web, and Echo.

There are occasional chapters told from the viewpoint of a Spotted Ratfish, a Myrmarachne Jumping Spider, a Griffon Vulture or some other marvelous creature that make you wonder if Buxton has spent decades with each creature on their home turf living as they do – the world view is so alien and feels like it just may be right.

A few quotes to give you the flavor of the writing:

I caught the tail end of the underwater dawn chorus sung by fish every day. It sounds a lot like the horn section of the Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra.

You are not listening. Listen to the Aura. Listen to Web and Echo. Listen without agenda, with every cell of your body.

Clapping – MoFos smacked themselves to express approval. (footnote)

Trees and foliage whizzed by in a speeding train of greens – chartreuse, olive, emerald, bottle, shamrock, sage, crocodile, and pickle.

Her eaglets were cute little fuckers. Migisi was pleased as pudding. “They look like tiny silver clouds with fuck-you faces!” I told her.

All things gossamer in the web of reciprocity.

There are gems throughout, as there are violent scenes of hunting and capturing and horrific creatures.

Ultimately, this adventure story is one of hope, love defined, reconciliation attained.

You cannot read this before reading Hollow Kingdom in my opinion, and if you didn’t like or put down Hollow Kingdom, don’t bother with Feral Creatures. But for those of you who loved the first, this will most likely please you too.

Six word review: Raw, cruel nature vs. lyrical nature.

>32 richardderus: I did have my knee replaced about 5 years ago and so happy with my new one. I did have a incident at the gym, when I was 40-something, when I stumbled over a gym bench.
I was running and supposed to jump over it but instead I stepped on it. and tore up my achilles sinew. I had surgery for that and it did go al right, no problems there, but years after that it turned out my knee got hit up too. I had difficulty walking and because I tried to spare my right knee while walking my back ached a lot. And I got my nice new knee that was rather new on the medical market.



Home on the same day and able to walk the stairs, so not bad at all.

Hi Karen my dear, Happy new thread, i hope Bill is OK after his fall and that he is taking things steady for a day or two. Sending love and hugs to you all from both of us, dear friend.

>28 karenmarie: Oh I'm so sorry to hear about Bill's fall. I can understand how he's feeling shaken and you too since it can derail your day.

Happy newish thread, Karen!

I totally get your frustration with the Covid situation. Feeling the same about attitudes here.
A story i heard today:
A friend’s friend’s father really wanted to go to Austria on holiday. At first she refused, too dangerous. He, the father, is 91 years old. But he so longed to go. So they decided to do it, (even taking a bottle along, so he wouldn’t have to visit any restrooms on the way) But once over the border to Germany they found they could relax, everyone there was wearing masks, using hand desinfectant, being careful. Such a contrast to the situation here!
This careful attitude makes everything easier and safer for everyone, but do people here get that, no.

I’m sorry about Bill’s fall. I hope he feels better soon!

>35 msf59: Thanks, Mark. He did the mowing, and actually fell again, although this time it was on grass. He’s a hurting unit.

>38 connie53: Hi Connie. That’s one of the problems with knees or hips – trying to spare the hurting body part causes misalignment and problems other places. Love the picture of the bad knee and the good knee.

>39 johnsimpson: Hi John, and thank you. As I wrote above, he fell again, but on grass and not as much damage. Today hasn’t been much fun.

>41 EllaTim: Thanks, Ella. The Covid situation makes me crazy. Sad and good story – home is dangerous, on holiday safer.

Bill is hobbling around like an old man, but this, too, shall pass, and he will be back to his normal hobbling (not like an old man) within a few days, I think.

>8 karenmarie: that's about right!!

I just reserved In the Garden of Beasts : Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin by Erik Larson at the library (on audio), I always confuse him and Nathaniel Philbrick, who you have cited as one of your top authors from last year. Both are excellent, imo.

Hi Karen,
Yikes, re Bill. Maybe a doctor's appointment and visit is in order, to try to figure out why he is falling, especially if this is not something he usually does. Better to check it out and be safe rather than sorry, if ignored. Sending gentle vibes.

Morning, Karen. We have a cool down coming this week and I CAN NOT WAIT! I hope to hit the trails nearly every day. I am meeting a bird buddy in just a little while. Hoping also to see Jackson soon.

Hooray for Feral Creatures. I will get to that one in the coming weeks.

Happy new one!

>1 karenmarie: What a striking picture. Very elegant.

Sorry to hear about Bill's fall. Glad he is OK.

>43 LovingLit: Hi Megan. Philbrick AND Larson are both favorite authors of mine. I still have 2 by Larson and 4 by Philbrick as of yet unread on my shelves.

>44 jessibud2: Thanks for the gentle vibes, Shelley. And the suggestion. We honestly feel that it’s his shoe falling apart without his noticing. He won’t be wearing those shoes any more.

>45 msf59: ‘Morning, Mark, and happy Monday to you. I’m glad you’ll get some outdoors time in this week. Enjoy your birding buddy adventure today. And of course you want to see Jackson soon. How is Bree doing?

>46 figsfromthistle: Thanks, Fig. I love that pic, too – I think it was taken on the front porch of the house my dad grew up in. Thanks, too, re Bill.

…
Bill is achy but okay. Yesterday must have done something to my back or it just reached critical mass unadjusted, because I’m in pretty serious pain and am going to call the chiropractor in 1 minute – they open at 8:30.

Since chiropractic isn’t covered by my insurance except after an injury, I don’t go regularly. I may start going regularly and hang the cost.

edited to add: They can see me at 9:15!!!

Morning, Karen! Hooray for getting into the chiropractor so quickly - hoping it helps.

Back ache is so awful. I hope the chiropractor can help you.

Sympathy on the back pain, Karen. I am still dealing with my own.

Are you back and adjusted into pain-freeness?

I skipped your comments on Feral Creatures. For good reason. Following the link that Richard (I think it was Richard) posted, I read the Buxton interview. Saturday I made my foodstuffs run, and I added a stop at the bookstore. I bought both Hollow Kingdom and the sequel. Halfway through the first book, and I'd rather read the second without foreknowledge.

August has been an excellent month in my reading, perhaps the best ever. I'm shocked, actually.

ETA: Bethlehem Library book sale next week. I'm definitely going. The website stipulates that masks are required (okay by me) and that capacity is limited to 50 shoppers. Not sure how that will work. I guess I'll just go and find out.

>48 Crazymamie: Thanks, Mamie. It definitely helped.

>49 connie53: Thanks, Connie.

>50 katiekrug: Sorry you’re still hurting, Katie, and thank you.

>51 richardderus: I’m back and adjusted into pain-almost-freeness. I felt well enough to go to the grocery store for 2 things - cat food and 2 2-liter bottles of diet Sprite for Bill - and came out with $69 worth of stuff. Now, however, I can wait 'til Thursday to go again.

>52 weird_O: Hi Bill! Good idea to skip my comments, although I try to either not spoil things or put them within spoiler html code. Excellent that you bought Hollow Kingdom AND Feral Creatures.

Congrats on an excellent reading month this August. I’m envious of the Bethlehem Library book sale next week. As you know, we’ve already cancelled our September sale. Let me know, either here or on your thread, how it was managed and how it went.

...
The chiropractor, a wonderful woman, could see how bad off I was and had me stand in front of the table so she could lower it. She put heat on, used a hand massager, then made the adjustments. I went onto the roller table, which I call the orgasmatron… then as I was leaving I saw a sign for Migun Massage – first session $20. Migun Therapy Table is an FDA registered class II medical device. It combines deep far-infrared heat, massage therapy, and acupressure while gently flexing and stretching your spine and relaxing your muscles. Sounds wonderful, right? However, every time the jade balls touched my lower back I was registering pain levels of 7 and kept lifting and adjusting to avoid massage in that area. I came out hobbling as bad as when I went in. Fortunately Candace, the office manager, immediately offered to let me see the chiropractor again. She did some different adjustments and rubbed some CBD oil into my lower back – first time ever – and right now I’m feeling pretty chipper. The chiropractor also said 2 15-minute sessions of ice would be good – boo hiss! – but I’ll do it. I’m experimenting with a corn bag – if it works well microwaved, will it work frozen? I’ll report back…

And now to read a bit or take a nap. I've decided to read/reread the Miss Marple series by Dame Agatha, made a spreadsheet of them in publication order, and away we go with The Murder at the Vicarage, published in 1930.

Yay for (eventual) success at the chiro! Ha! at the $69 trip to the store...did you only pick up a loaf of bread, too, to keep it under $100? And *ew* at diet soda.

Heavens! I'm glad that the visit to the chiropractor was ultimately successful and sorry about the Migun detour. I hope you're still napping well, and I'm definitely interested in the cold corn bag. (A friend just sent an e-mail about the efficacy of plain flour as a remedy for burns, especially refrigerated flour {just put the burned member in the flour for 10 minutes or so}. I'm interested enough to try it the next time I burn myself cooking, and I'll report. Anybody know about this?)

I was also thinking that Bill should see a doc about his 2 falls, but I also figured that the 2 of you would be on top of it, and I hope the problem truly is the bad shoes, now gone.

Way back to Megan at >43 LovingLit:! *Beasts* is a Larson that I've read, and I found it as good as the others. Hope you think so too. I think I have *Splendid & Vile* coming up in October.

>54 richardderus: Thanks, RD. Well, I bought some more raw peanuts in the shell because I like to roast them and eat them as a snack, some boneless skinless chicken breasts, more Kerrygold butter, and etc. It adds up. Yes, diet soda is repugnant. However, it's what Bill likes. We've had many a discussion over the years and I've decided that I'm not his mother and it's his choice and I'm done trying to fight that battle. I drink about one fully sugared Doctor Pepper about every 6-8 weeks, and that is it for me for sweetened soda.

>55 LizzieD: Thanks, Peggy. I was napping until about 3 or so, when neighbor Louise called. The corn bag had about an hour to chill up and actually felt very good. I've just put it back in the freezer and will use it in an hour or so.

Bill made noises about calling the doctor a while ago, but I don't know if he's done so or not.

I've never heard about flour for a burn. Just checked out duckduckgo, and I see the word 'hoax' quite a bit, but there are anecdotes of success using it.

...
The nap did wonders. I'm still tender and walking completely upright isn't happening yet, but it's amazing what just one visit to the chiropractor can do.

>56 karenmarie: My sister-in-law finally got my brother of diet sodas, at least mostly, she uses a charming sort of manipulation that awes me utterly. She's an absolute unique entity in our family.

Your brother's lucky to have such a charmingly manipulative wife. *smile*

>56 karenmarie: What is the appeal of that stuff? I just don't get it...I wasn't raised on it, though, so....

A few little things are that high, but the economy is back to normal...yeaaahhh.

Happy new thread, Karen. Sorry to hear about Bill's falls and you back. Hope you are both back to healthy soon.

>56 karenmarie: I dislike soda (or, fizzy drink, as we call it here!!) as well. My lovely other likes it, and unfortunately, so do my kids. Every now and then I buy it for them, but hate myself for it.

Morning, Karen. You asked about Bree- She is doing fine. They took the baby to the zoo yesterday. His first big adventure. Today, I am going on a solo jaunt and then heading over to get my Jackson fix. Our weather is cooling off a bit and that is a relief.

>59 richardderus: My siblings and I would get to split a bottle of RC cola perhaps three or four times a year. I got to do the divvying, and Doug and Laura got to pick their glasses first. I made sure they were equal, of course, but only because I couldn't bear the idea of them getting more than me.

Some things are getting hard to find at the grocery store again, and prices have gone up. Still can’t get our favorite coffee and we’re trying various offerings via Amazon.

>60 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg. If it didn’t hurt so much it would be funny – we’re both hobbling around like we’re ancient. My back’s better today but still only about 60%. I have another chiropractic appointment on Thursday and another one next week. Bill is still very achy from his two falls.

>61 LovingLit: I’d heard it called fizzy drink, Megan. I'm glad you dislike it. It's just not something that's good for our bodies.

I drank a lot of Pepsi when it was offered for free at a company I worked for in 1976-1977. One day I realized I was addicted and stopped cold turkey. I went through a phase of Diet Dr. Pepper in 2011-2012 and stopped because of kidney stones and have been down to the above-mentioned one fully sugared Dr. Pepper every 6-8 weeks for a long time.

>62 msf59: ‘Morning, Mark! Glad to hear that Bree’s fine. Wow, zoo trip for Jackson. I bet it felt good for them all to get out and do something as a family that wasn’t doctor-checkup related. Enjoy your solo jaunt and Jackson fix.

…
I’m enjoying my first cup of coffee. Louise has asked me to take her to the doctor today – I can stay in the car while she visits our mutual GP. She so rarely asks for favors that I couldn’t say no, and since I’m feeling so much better than yesterday I said I’d be glad to. In the meantime, I would really like to get The Murder at the Vicarage finished today to round out the month’s reads.

Morning, Karen! Used to start every day with a Diet Coke over ice, but now I do not drink soda at all. I just can't stand the taste of it anymore and haven't for many years. Daniel and Abby don't drink soda, either, but Rae and Birdy love it. To each their own...

Maple Pecan coffee today, and it is most excellent. Hoping Tuesday is kind to you.

Hi Mamie! I never liked cold caffeine first thing, but like you say, to each their own. Once I got off Pepsi in 1977, I never reacquired the taste for colas. Dr. Pepper, of course, is different, and I still love it to this day but restrict myself. Colas leave an awful aftertaste.

Maple Pecan coffee sounds like it would go good with cheesecake for breakfast for some reason. Just sayin'.

I hope your Tuesday is kind to you, too. I'm very glad that Ida went way west of you guys.

Jenna's in Asheville, now, of course, and she's had the rain from Hurricane Fred and will get rain from Ida today and perhaps tomorrow.

Coffee...yes. Soda, not so much. If I can find Manhattan Special, the espresso soda that's endemic to the region, I'll buy one because it's not espresso *flavored* it's espresso and soda water. That's a mellow buzz.

Funny that I like it because I don't sugar or otherwise sweeten my non-fruit drinks.

I used to love cold caffeine first thing, but now I want it hot. I love the feel of a warm mug of coffee, and the smell is even better. Something soothing about the whole process of making and drinking that first cup.

I love cake or pie with morning coffee, but we usually don't have that unless there has been a birthday or a holiday. This morning, however, I have coffee cake thanks to newest daughter who brought it by yesterday when she picked up Griffin.

Thank you for those good wishes. It's raining here, but it's just coming straight down. I am also very happy that Ida did not stop in. Hoping Jenna does not get too much rain.

>66 richardderus: Hiya, RD! Hmm. Manhattan Special. I just checked out their website. Since 1895. Impressive. I'd love one of their sarsparilla sodas.

*smooch*

>67 Crazymamie: Soothing and enjoyable. Yes. No bubbles up your nose or that raw feeling in your throat.

Coffee cake. Sigh. Sounds wonderful. And thanks re Jenna. I'll be speaking with her this afternoon. She should go out and get her car inspected so I can register it. I can now officially threaten that cops will be able to pull her over tomorrow for expired tags. I've been reminding her since July, but moving, new job, etc. have distracted her.

I don't drink soda either except a few sips of Coke once in awhile as it seems to help when I have a migraine (also tummy upset; seems to kill whatever is upset down there). It could be that extra little hit of caffeine that helps the migraine, as I don't drink coffee at all. But I buy one small bottle and it can last months before I even open it. It sometimes even goes flat before I finish it and then, of course, I pour it down the sink. I only buy the bottles that have a twist cap; if I bought a can, it would go flat LONG before I finished it. I'm a water person. I can drink a lot of water, especially in this weather. I use a Britta filter jug and like my water cold from the fridge, though, in truth, there is nothing wrong with the tap water where I live and I will drink tap water if Britta isn't available. I don't like bottled water as I do find a difference in the taste from what I am used to. I always have my water bottle with me wherever I go.

Hi Shelley!

Not drinking soda saves money and calories, or money and nasty aspartame.

Bill's Mama used to keep cola syrup for tummy upsets, and I see you can still get it on Amazon.

BC Powders - for headaches and migraines - have caffeine and aspirin in them. They are a big deal here in NC but I've never tried them.

You're right - bottled water tastes different, but I'll take it when it's offered. I mostly drink water, too, after my morning coffee. I drink our good well water, and like you, I like it cold. I have about 10 16-oz water bottles that I refill and put in the frig. Every once in while I wash them in the dishwasher. Works for me. I frequently put a bottle in the car when I'm out and about, but only in the summer.

Coffee, YES!!!!!

Soft drinks, NO!!!!! (We don't call it "soda" here.) My grandmother remembered when Coca-Cola contained cocaine, and always called it "dope." My grandmama loved Co-Cola. "Do you want a piece of this Co-Cola?" ("No" all around.) "You people are just crazy!"
We keep ginger ale for stomach upsets. My daddy swore by BC s. More "that's what I like about the South."

Stay cool, Karen.

>70 karenmarie:, >71 LizzieD: - What is *BC*?

>72 jessibud2: These:

Speeds up pain relief from the aspirin by about half...makes a smaller dosage work like a big one.

>73 richardderus: - Thanks, Richard. Never heard of that. I guess it's an American thing.

Coffee the second pillar of my morning. Or sometimes early afternoon. The slightly roasted memory lingers a couple of hours in my mouth giving a richly coating each breath. For the rest of the day the beverage is a mixture of rooibos and milk that I drink because it invokes the memory of unsweetened chai which is now off limits after 2:00pm.

>74 jessibud2: Specifically a Southern American thing. You couldn't depend on finding BC Powders here in New York. I really don't know why.

What part of the country trends toward "pop" as the favored term for carbonated soda? For myself, I favor seltzer (often called club soda). No flavoring pls. Picked up the habit during a visit to Germany; mineral water. I buy it in 2-liter bottles, less than $1 per. I also got hooked on espresso and cappuccino in Germany.

Speaking of coffee, The Grand Claire couldn't smell the coffee she made. Though fully vaxed in April-May, she tested positive and is presently quarantined in a room on campus. 10 days. She can got outdoors but has to stay clear of others. Bad start to the school year. (her parents and sisters all promptly got tested with negative results.)

It's always something, my little Roseanne Roseannadanna.

>71 LizzieD: Hi Peggy! Bill’s Mama called it Co-Cola, emphasis on the second Co… Bill likes ginger ale for an upset stomach.

>72 jessibud2:, >73 richardderus:, >74 jessibud2: A southern thing, actually, I’d never heard of them in California.

>75 quondame: Hi Susan. You’ve mentioned rooibos on a couple of threads. I keep forgetting that it’s an herbal tea.

>76 richardderus: Yes. Southern.

>77 weird_O: I went through a phase of drinking club soda, and a phase of drinking tonic water. Club soda was a bit blah, tonic had sugar. Now, in addition to the once every 6-8 week fully sugared Dr. Pepper, I drink cherry or blackberry Bubly.

I called the stuff pop when I was growing up, then somehow shifted to soda. Never did the Southern thing of calling any carbonated drink coke. My family are all from the midwest, which is probably why I called it pop growing up.


https://popvssoda.com/

Claire tested positive? Yikes. I hope she’s symptomless except for not being able to smell coffee and tests negative very, very soon.

It is always something.

80. The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie
8/29/21 to 8/31/21





From Amazon:

The Murder at the Vicarage is Agatha Christie’s first mystery to feature the beloved investigator Miss Marple—as a dead body in a clergyman’s study proves to the indomitable sleuth that no place, holy or otherwise, is a sanctuary from homicide.

Miss Marple encounters a compelling murder mystery in the sleepy little village of St. Mary Mead, where under the seemingly peaceful exterior of an English country village lurks intrigue, guilt, deception and death.

Colonel Protheroe, local magistrate and overbearing land-owner is the most detested man in the village. Everyone--even in the vicar--wishes he were dead. And very soon he is--shot in the head in the vicar's own study. Faced with a surfeit of suspects, only the inscrutable Miss Marple can unravel the tangled web of clues that will lead to the unmasking of the killer.

Why I wanted to read it: I think I’m going to read/reread the Miss Marple novels and short stories.

The first Miss Marple mystery, which is the torpedo-sized version of her hobby (see below). Here’s her explanation of her hobby:

”You see,” she began at last, “living alone as I do, in a rather out-of-the-way part of the world, one has to have a hobby. There is, of course, woolwork, and Guides, and Welfare, and sketching, but my hobby is – and always has been – Human Nature. So varied, and so very fascinating. And, of course, in a small village, with nothing to distract one, one has such ample opportunity for beginning what I might call proficient in one’s study. One begins to class people, quite definitely, just as though they were birds or flowers, group so and so, genus this, species that. Sometimes, of course, one makes mistakes, but less and less as time goes on. And then, too, one tests oneself. One takes a little problem – for instance the gill of pickled shrimp that amused dear Griselda so much – a quite unimportant mystery, but absolutely incomprehensible unless one solves it right. And then there was that matter of the changed cough drops, and the butcher’s wife’s umbrella – the last absolutely meaningless, unless on the assumption that the greengrocer was not behaving at all nicely with the chemist’s wife – which, of course, turned out to be the case. It was so fascinating, you know, to apply one’s judgment and find that one is right.”

You usually are, I believe,”, I said, smiling.

“That, I am afraid, is what has made me a little conceited”, confessed Miss Marple. “But I have always wondered whether, if some day a really big mystery came along, I should be able to do the same thing. I mean – just solve it correctly. Logically, it ought to be exactly the same thing. After all, a tiny working model of a torpedo is just the same as a real torpedo.”

“You mean it’s all a question of relativity,” I said slowly. “It should be – logically, I admit. But I don’t know whether it really is.”

“Surely it must be the same,” said Miss Marple. “The – what one used to call the factors at school – are the same. There’s money and mutual attraction between people of an -er-opposite sex – and there’s queerness, of course – so many people are a little queer, aren’t they? – in fact, most people are when you know them well. And normal people do such astonishing things sometimes, and abnormal people are sometimes so very sane and ordinary. In fact, the only wway is to compare people with other people you have known or come across. You’d be surprised if you knew how few distinct types there are in all.”

And that explains Miss Marple in a nutshell. She tackles a murder armed with her knowledge of lovers and liars and greengrocers and pickled shrimps.

She lives her life in her small village, with upper and lower class people, professionals and Ladies of a Certain Age, stereotypes galore, and lots of fun trying to figure out who killed Colonel Protheroe in the Study with the Pistol.

Six word review: Miss Marple relies on Human Nature.

>5 karenmarie: Statistics through August 31

>6 karenmarie: August Lightning Round

>78 karenmarie: That is interesting all those differences, Karen. Before this I only knew Soda and Coke (although I thought Coke was only used for Coca-Cola, Pepsi Cola, and alike).
I threw out sugared drinks long ago, now it is coffee, grean tea, water, or water with a bit of lemon juice.

>80 karenmarie: Always good to see the stats popping up at the end of the month :-)

Hi Anita!

I didn't realize carbonated sugared drinks had so many names either. It's interesting, as is every regional difference for word usage. Our cousin had a cell phone app and at a long-ago Christmas asked each of us questions about what word we used for a particular activity or thing. She nailed Jenna the best - born in central North Carolina with a background in California and the midwest. I'm from California and my parents were both from the midwest.

I also finally figured out that juices were a waste of calories, even if unsugared. The only time I use sugar in a beverage is if I'm feeling really sick and the taste of coffee is unappealing - then I drink hot tea with sugar.

I love my book stats - a simple pleasure for a simple mind. *smile*

Morning, Karen. Happy Wednesday. I can't believe it is September and with that admission, comes shorter days. Still dark out there, as I type this. Boo! I have a busy day ahead. I am meeting birding buddies for a warbler hunt and then I volunteer at the wildlife center again. Only 78F today. Yahoo!

'Morning, Mark. Happy Wednesday and happy warbling hunt. Busy outdoor day, too, with your volunteer work. Nice weather for it all. We're supposed to get Ida remnants starting around noon and lasting up to 12 hours. Some severe storms possible - heavy rainfall, damaging wind gusts, and isolated tornadoes.

I have an appointment for the first hyaluronic acid shot in my left knee this morning, should be safely home before the festivities start. *smile*

My biggest challenge today is to find a new fiction book, having finished the first Miss Marple book yesterday. Decisions, decisions...

Karen, I love that pop-soda-Coke map! I knew there were regional differences but thought it was more cut-and-dried. I grew up in solid "pop" territory (Cincinnati). When my husband and I moved to the east coast after college, we promptly began using "soda" so people wouldn't think we were foreigners. Ha.

Good luck with your shot today. Looking forward to see what you read next.

Hi Laura!

Fun story about you and your husband switching to 'soda' to blend in. I have never deliberately started or stopped using a word, but have found over time that instead of 'you guys' I've slipped into "y'all". There are probably other Southernisms I use now without thinking twice about them.

Thanks re the shot. My biggest worry right now is hobbling into the office - my back is still giving me fits. I see the chiropractor again tomorrow and in the meantime am using heat and extra pain killers.

Morning, Karen! I'm one who grew up with all soda being referred to as "coke." I still love Coke Zero (especially Cherry Coke Zero, but that's impossible to find these days), but try not to drink too much of it because it does...things...to my digestive system. (Sorry. TMI.) I also love a good ginger ale every once in awhile. Charlie doesn't like sodas at all, which is nice.

>67 Crazymamie: "I love the feel of a warm mug of coffee, and the smell is even better. Something soothing about the whole process of making and drinking that first cup." Yes! This exactly! In fact, I've got my second cup of coffee of the morning in front of me now in my favorite coffee mug. Bliss.

Hi Amber! According to the popvssoda chart you'd be a pop person if born in Ohio. Were you born elsewhere?

I have a friend who calls Cherry Pepsi Cherry Heroin... Glad your son does not like soda at all. My daughter drinks carbonated unsweetened cucumber/fruit waters at her apartment, and when she comes home she has some of her dad's Diet Pepsi.

Yay for morning coffee in a favorite mug. I have several favorite mugs but have been using this one almost exclusively for a few weeks now. I particularly like the thumb rest on the handle. Makes it very easy to hold.

>88 karenmarie: Nope, I wasn't born in Ohio - I was born in one of those pinkish/purple "Coke" areas, so your map holds up!

Neat mug!! I have an entire mug system, which is in no way crazy... I have four coffee mugs and four tea mugs, through which I rotate evenly and in order of preference. Today is the best day in the rotation because I get to use my very favorite coffee and tea mugs. If somehow I manage to go a day without drinking one or the other, then adjustments must be made in the rotation so that both mug lines remain in sequence with each other. Nope, not crazy at all.

Morning, Karen!

>78 karenmarie: Look at Indiana having mixed feeling s about what to call it. Pop was the usual moniker where I grew up (Fort Wayne), and Rae stills calls it pop. I tend to say soda.

>87 scaifea: *fist bump*

>89 scaifea: Well, it would be rude to play favorites. I also rotate mugs, but I tend to favorite one for a bit and then switch to another.

I grew up in "coke" country but, as I've said, it wasn't part of the grocery list for us. Tea, in all its forms, for Mama and coffee or mineral water for me. (Tap water in Austin is *VILE* and in Mercedes is teratogenic, so that just wasn't on...took me a year after moving to Manhattan to trust the tap water there.)

I've added more brush-heads to my birthday list. The dentist told me to change them at least every four weeks "even though you don't think you need to" (he knows me well), so that'll be a huge help.

I...I...read poetry. And gulp liked it.

>89 scaifea: Pinkish/purple coke area, aye, Amber.

Why am I not surprised that you have four coffee mugs and four tea mugs in rotation? You are a hoot. And not crazy at all.

>90 Crazymamie: Hi Mamie! Another with mug rotater. I rotate mugs, too, but not with any rhyme or reason – just what strikes me when I open the cupboard.

>91 richardderus: We rarely had pop, soda, coke, on the grocery list. As kids we drank water, milk, Koolaid, and the occasional cup of 1/3 sugar, 1/3 milk, and 1/3 cup coffee. I never drank tea until I was in college, in any way, shape, or form.

Brush heads, eh?

What?! Poetry!? And liked it? Heading over to your thread…

>92 karenmarie: Right, Me, too - no rhyme or reason. Just whatever calls to me. It's just that once I choose, I usually use that one for a while. Then switch because I don't want anyone to feel unchosen.

You're a good mug mommy, making sure every mug feels chosen. *smile*

Chris and I have two mugs that we use for coffee, and another two that we use for tea. The coffee mugs are identical, but the tea mugs each have a different dog on them. One is a dog that looks like Woody, the other was custom made from a photo of Alys. Mug assignment is based on the dog you most recently walked (typical routine is that I walk Woody and Chris walks Alys, but sometimes we change it up).

So no, mug use habits are not crazy at all!

>78 karenmarie: Interesting map but it omits "soft drink" which is what I grew up calling them in So. Cal. I love regional usages -- soda/pop/coke, buggy/trolly/cart, bag/sack

I was allowed tea as a child but never coffee which, as it turns out, is fine with me because I find coffee vile. I have had a taste several times in my life, trying to like it because it used to be socially awkward not to drink coffee but have never managed more than one sip at a time. Just to continue being contrarian, I love diet soft drinks, especially Diet Dr. Pepper but I don't like the sugary ones at all. That said, suspecting that soft drinks really are at least partly as bad for you as reported I only allow myself one Dr. DrP a week and for the rest drink tea (both hot and iced) or filtered pure water.

My criteria for cups/mugs is capacity. My little espresso-maker has a carafe marked in espresso-cups. I make a full carafe and pour it into a mug with some frothed milk. So the mug has to hold all that. I have a motley assortment of mugs I use, and way more cups and mugs that aren't sufficiently capacious. I like motley.

Round here the sweet stuff are “fizzy drinks” or “soft drinks” (although they also include the non-carbonated variety), at least in my vocabulary. I’m quite partial to the occasional one myself, although these days I usually alternate between ginger beer and sparkling elderflower.

When Jacob was little I never gave him any cola type drinks, more because I hadn’t liked them myself as a child than any other reason. Once, when he was pretty small and we were at a family gathering, he came over to us saying that his cousins had wanted him have something called Pepsi and was it all right, as if he thought it might be some sort of dangerous drug or something, which everyone found quite funny.

>95 lauralkeet: Mug rules for you too, Laura. Fascinating. Bill and I don’t usually use the same mugs, and lately he’s been using the Corning glass mug that reminds him of his Navy days.



>96 RebaRelishesReading: Hi Reba. We probably called them pop in SoCal because Mom and Dad were from Cedar Rapids and Omaha respectively, both securely in the pop camp.

Regional usages are lots of fun for sure.

I love unsweetened iced tea – you have to order it that way here in central NC or you get a dose of diabetes with your tea. Yay Diet Dr. Pepper although now I’m occasionally drinking the fully sugared one. I avoid aspartame as much as I can. Diet DP and root beer are the only dark sodas I’ll drink.

>97 weird_O: Motley works, Bill, and capacity is good a criterion as any. Bill and I recently cleared out the coffee cup cupboard. I should have taken them to the thrift shop, but Bill’s sentimental, and about 25 or so got boxed up and are now upstairs.

>98 SandDune: Hi Rhian. I’ve never had ginger beer or sparkling elderflower. Both sound rather exotic and enticing.

How cute of Jacob. Oooh, Pepsi. Devil’s brew.

Jenna never had sugar ‘til she was about one and didn’t have soda til she was 2ish.

Last year we got some new mugs from a local supermarket, we got four and they all say Latte on them. Karen bought me a Roald Dahl mug but recently we found a chip on it so i need a new one, i also have a pint Starbucks mug and was bought a Pint mug with 50 all over it for my Fiftieth birthday. I really could do with a book or Tea related mug.

Talking books, i saw a post on Twitter with a woman modelling a Navy dress with books all over it, i commented that a Book Shirt would be nice but i haven't had a look to see if one exists.

Mugs must have the correct capacity and the correct handle into which my hand fits comfortably. The Starbuck city mugs were a favorite now it's the Peet's city mugs, but only the ones that have the exactly shaped and sized handle. I may have more than one, but for coffee I pretty much clean it in the morning and then use it until it breaks. For milky tea I use a large glass tumbler, but I don't drink it anywhere near as hot as the coffee, just zap it until it's comfy for me.

>99 karenmarie: Interesting discussion here, Karen! As a child cola was something unheard of for us. We got fizzy drinks as a rare treat. Then my high school class went on vacation in London. We had a party in the hotel, only soft drinks allowed. The day after I had a coca cola hangover. After that i have never liked it again.

I have had elderflower champagne! Looks lovely, tasted very nice. A bit of alcohol in it, I guess. It was self-made by a customer of ours.

If my Roni-made mug ever breaks I think I'll just go to intravenous drug abuse rather than try to find a good mug again.

I'm enjoying the mug conversation. I use the mug that is clean. :)

>100 johnsimpson: Hi John! Cool mugs at the Simpson house. Good luck finding a book print shirt. Our guest bathroom has book wallpaper – we call it the book bath.

>101 quondame: Another vote for capacity! And another vote for a correct handle. Yay Susan. Glass tumbler for tea – I like the heft of glass and all our glasses are good, solid glass.

>102 EllaTim: I can see you getting a coca cola hangover – from sugar and caffeine. Your body is cheering that you don’t like it any more, I’m sure, Ella. Elderflower champagne sounds quite wonderful.

>103 richardderus: I remember that mug, RD. I took the liberty of finding it in your pics, saving it to my computer, rotating it, uploading it to my junk drawer, and herewith post it:



>104 BLBera: You are very practical, Beth. I drink my coffee black, no sugar, so a good rinse usually does for me.

Hi Karen. I'm checking in to see how you are feeling. Back and knee problems sounds like a tremendous amount of combined pain.

Thinking of you and sending healing wishes.

I always drink my coffee in my read mug. I had two but broke one. And since Peet is not home I don't have to use the dish washer that often so I alternate with a green mug since that is my second favorite color, red being my first.

Never likes drinks like Cola of Seven-up. Not even as a kid.

>99 karenmarie: I’ve never had ginger beer or sparkling elderflower Ginger beer is very traditionally British and was seen as very old-fashioned but has had a bit of a renaissance in recent years. It comes in alcoholic or non-alcoholic versions, but non-alcoholic is much more common. Elderflower cordial is a traditional country recipe, but it’s only been available in a fizzy version maybe the last twenty years or so.

Morning, Karen. Sweet Thursday. Love the kitty mug up there. We had a good birding jaunt yesterday and I plan on doing a solo one today. The weather is gorgeous. Sorry to hear about all your rain. How did the shot go?

>106 Whisper1: Hi Linda. Thank you for checking in and sending healing wishes. Both are greatly appreciated. Yes, the combined pain makes it hard to function without gritting my teeth. Right now my knees aren’t so bad, but my lower back seizes up every time I walk.

>107 connie53: Hi Connie. Red and green mugs alternating sounds like a good plan. How long will Peet be in rehab? And you’re better off without the soda for sure.

>108 SandDune: Hello Rhian. If, if I ever make it to England, there are so many things I want to do and experience, and Ginger beer and sparkling elderflower are now definitely on the list.

>109 msf59: ‘Morning, Mark, and sweet Thursday to you, too. Thanks re the kitty mug. It was Bill’s Mama’s, so in addition to enjoying my coffee I can think fond thoughts of her. Glad you’ve got good weather for your solo jaunt. We didn’t have too much rain, frankly, just a few gusts of wind, and no tornado watches or warnings. New York got hit much, much worse than we did.

Shot went fine, although they were running late. This is my first experience of them running late. In talking to the doctor I mentioned that my back was out. He asked if I’d ever been referred to the Spine Clinic and I said no I hadn’t, so I should be hearing from the Spine Clinic folks within the next 2-3 business days.

…
Off to the chiropractor in an hour. She’ll probably recommend icing my lower twice for 15 minutes each time, and I’m happy to report that the corn bag works beautifully. I’ve already got one in the freezer waiting to use it. It actually felt good the other day.

In the meantime, coffee and continuing with my library book – The Plot. I think I saw it on a few threads, but I finally took a BB on it from Richard’s thread.

>110 karenmarie: I'm glad you're enjoying the read, Horrible dear.

>105 karenmarie: That's the one! I can't really explain why things rotate on their own.

Morning, Karen! I also have The Plot out from the library, but I have not gotten to it yet.

>105 karenmarie: Love the photo of Richard with his mug!!! Abby and I have those same Roni-made mugs, and we LOVE them.

>111 richardderus: I had to do quite a bit of manipulation to get it unrotated, but it all worked out in the end. And yes, The Plot is an excellent read.

>112 Crazymamie: Good to know, Mamie. How many books do you have out from the Library? I only ever have one or two at a time. Any more than that make me twitch. And yay for your Roni-made mugs. They look full of fabulous, as you would say.

...
So the Spine Clinic called while I was out at the chiropractor - I love having my cell phone synched with my car. They can't see me until October, but I'm on the waiting list in case there's a cancellation. In the meantime, my lower back is being iced with a frozen cornbag and no more errands for today.

Good news - we've had a horrible time trying to get Spectrum to get our landline moved from the devil-spawn-Centurylink to our Spectrum wifi system. It's taken two weeks, 4.5 hours of an on-site tech and modem replacement and 4 or 5 telephone calls by Bill to see how the trouble ticket's progressing in that time. However, today, after an hour on the phone and finally getting the right person to help (he's in Buffalo NY), it's working AND Bill got it re-linked to our house system so that all the wireless handsets work again. Whew. Now we can cancel the $55/month with Centurylink and add the $12.99/month with Spectrum, saving $504/year.

>113 karenmarie: Um...12.

Crossing my fingers that the Spine Clinic gets a cancellation that works for you. And hooray for a resolution to the Centurylink/Spectrum fiasco. An hour on the phone is kinda miserable.

I will be really, really happy when all the attention to spine and knee begins to pay off in painless movement, Karen. Meanwhile, I'm tickled that the cornbag freezes as well as heats - sort of like a vacuum bottle, eh?

Congrats on getting your phone fixed at last!

Today is gorgeous here. I do so wish that this little cooler spell could break the very hot, humid summer's back.

As with all things to do with tech scum, the maximum amount of time must be extracted from you before any change is made...unless it's to your disfavor, in which case it's instantaneous and irreversible.

>14 richardderus: Um… 12. Well. That would totally intimidate me – glad you’re made of sterner stuff. Thanks re the Spine Clinic.

Bill is very good at doing these thankless technical house things. I would have ended up screaming and cursing and then they would have put us on the “never fix anything for this batshit crazy woman” list.

>115 LizzieD: Thanks, Peggy. I may be reading into it, but my right knee is feeling a tad better. Oh yes – freezing cornbags is absolutely marvelous. Saves buying ice packs, bagging up ice cubes then using a hand towel to keep from its being too cold, or buying bags of frozen peas for a non-food use.

Thanks re the phone. It's nice to see the handset in here not say 'check tel line' like it has recently.

It’s marvelous here today, too. 79F with only 35% humidity. Blue skies, and hints of fall everywhere.

>116 richardderus: You’ve got that right, RD. *smooch*

Normally I am a person who Knows My Own Mind. Startling, I realize, for you to hear this...as I've always been such a soft-spoken crowd-goer-alonger.

Stop laughing.

Anyway. I need help. The wisdom of the crowd is sought to help be decide between two equally strong contenders for Read of the Month. I am simply incapable to unparalyzing myself from the FOMO I get thinking about this problem.

Please vote on the poll or you will be directly responsible for my re-admission to the Goofy Garage this birthmonth.

Morning, Karen. Happy Friday. Meeting my birding buddies, (Come on, Warblers!) and then getting my Jackson fix this afternoon. Sue spent the night there. She is off for the holiday weekend. She wanted to help Mom if she could.

>118 richardderus: I voted last night, RD!

>119 msf59: 'Morning, Mark, and happy Friday back at'cha. I hope you enjoy your BBA (birding buddy adventure, of course) and getting in a Jackson fix. Glad Sue has 4 days off.

Will Bree be going back to work or will she opt out of the work force for a while?

...
The newest coffee bean test may be the best one yet although I've only had a few sips. It's a very mellow medium roast.

Morning, Karen!

>120 karenmarie: It sounds like you and I like the same kind of coffee - I want mine medium roast and not bitter. Do you mind sharing the name of this latest, maybe-successful one?

ETA that "Morning, Karen!" which I meant to to begin with but then forgot. Yoicks.

'Morning, Amber!

Glad to oblige!

Real Good Coffee Co Whole Bean Coffee, Donut Shop Medium Roast Coffee Beans, 2 Pound Bag. Not cheap, but coffee's important. Ordered through Amazon Prime, so I didn't pay shipping.

The one just before this one is tolerable but the teensiest bit bitter - SAN FRANCISCO BAY SF Coffee Whole Bean 2LB Medium Roast, Breakfast Blend, 32 Ounce. $3.50/lb less expensive than Real Good Coffee Co's. Ditto Amazon Prime.

Your comment about landlines reminds me of several anecdotes. One is that I called a book-sale companion to alert her of the upcoming sale in Bethlehem. Her husband answered. Complained about having to sweep the dust off the phone; it was the seldom-used landline. I had her numbers mislabeled on my cell.

That made me think of my own landline. We were assigned our number 46 years ago. More than half-a-lifetime with the same telephone number. That alone justifies keeping the landline, in my estimation. Heh.

Wow. 46 years ago. I agree that justifies it. We've only had ours 28 years and I feel sentimental about it.

And here I am. I've been all porked up all day, this wasn't my most organized period. Long weekend, no boyfriend (catering), book bewilderment...poor poor pitiful me, no?

RDear, I'm sorry your Friday and weekend are boyfriendless and book bewildered. 😟

I just finished The Plot. I don't feel compelled to write a review, but I loved it and thank you for nudging me to finally request it from the Library. What a white-knuckle ride!

>126 karenmarie: Aaannnd there was a tie at 5pm! So I went around and nudged some non-respondents. Good problem to have, no?

I'm so pleased The Plot pleased...I wasn't afire to write a review either but ended up being really glad I did.

Morning, Karen. Happy Saturday. Sue enjoyed her first over-nighter with the baby and her first official babysitting duty, while Bree and Sean went to lunch and visited the barn, where she keeps her horse. I went over to visit for awhile too, to see and hold the little man.

You asked about Bree and work. She will return on November 1st and hopefully work from home. She will also continue her real estate business too.

127 Very good problem to have. And yes, The Plot pleased. However - serious spoilers! if you're going to read The Plot, do not peek! - I personally couldn't see writing a review because of the entire ending, which cannot be written about without blowing it. I don't even feel good writing that it was a stunning ending. I'm rather proud of myself for guessing that Anna was Dianna about 100 pages from the end, but I didn't see the ending, even after realizing that.

>128 msf59: 'Morning Mark, and a very happy Saturday to you. Glad Sue's first over-nighter went well, glad you got your Jackson fix.

Ah, good to know about Bree. Thanks.

...
Well, somebody's setting off fireworks somewhere far away enough to take the sting out of them but close enough so that they are irritating. At first I thought it was someone getting a jump on hunting season, but there are too many little crackly sounds and uneven bursts. Early holiday stuff? Update: Actually, it's probably dove hunting - today's the first day of the season.

Coffee. Second Place by Rachel Cusk is waiting at the Library for me. I might go out with Bill on the errand run this morning to fetch it.

In the meantime, I think I'm up for some more Killing Kennedy. The Bay of Pigs fiasco is explained very well. I know more about it now than I ever did.

>122 karenmarie: Thanks, Karen! I may check it out.

You're welcome - I've got another 2-lb bag of the first one arriving tomorrow by 10 p.m.

Hiya,
quoting Laura, just so's you're caught up on my news, " I read some books. See, now you're up to date."

Reading the Goblin Emperor ATM. I like the story but am struggling with this author's penchant for complex unpronounceable off-world naming scheme. It's such a contrived device and makes it difficult to keep track of the various family groups (imho).

>123 weird_O: We hadn't had our landline nearly that long (in part because we'd had to change it when we moved in 2009) but there were a lot of people who had that number for us. Hubby rarely used his cell and very few had that number so we just had the land-line number put on his cell and now we'll never lose it :)

Hi, Karen. Good review up there of Feral Creatures. I am one of those who loved the first one with our pal S.T., so I’ll track this one down.

>132 SandyAMcPherson: Hi Sandy! Glad to see you back after your holiday. Yup, read some books.

That's my biggest problem with lots of fantasy and SF - unpronounceable off-world naming schemes.

>133 RebaRelishesReading: I like your solution, Reba, but with us it would mean soooo many junk calls.

>134 jnwelch: Hi Joe! Thanks. Yup, S.T. is definitely a bird to follow. You'll like Feral Creatures.

Hi Karen!

Not sure what happened with my morning coffee. I was drinking my second cup on my recliner with cell phone, my book dragon quilt, book, and cat. And suddenly sploosh - coffee everywhere, although thank goodness it missed the library book. Couldn't have been the cat - he was the only one to emerge without a drop of coffee on him. ^-^ Quilt in the dryer, my jeans, shirt and even underwear in the washer now. Morning coffee has more than one way to wake you up and get you going.

Can't wait to get a copy of Feral Creatures - although it will probably be a while.

>123 weird_O: >133 RebaRelishesReading: When my mother was in elementary school (early 1920s), her family moved to a new house. The telephone number they were assigned passed to her brother and his family when they took over the house in the 1940s. When my cousins moved their mother into assisted living about ten years ago, the number she had was the number that my grandparents got roughly 90 years before.

>136 streamsong: Hi Janet. Inexplicable but irritating. I hope all the clothes/quilts are clean. Glad the cell phone and book didn't get wet. You're just cruising along, minding your own business, when !! it all goes to hell.

>137 weird_O: Wow, I think that's the winner. 90 years.

Yes, I am still thinking about pop, soda, fizzy drink :) I love a gin and tonic, so I can't say I am fully off them, but I so rarely buy a fizzy drink for myself to drink on its own, that I could call myself an abstainer. My 12 y/o son is amazed that I don't want to buy energy drinks all the time, when I have a wallet full of cash (by his estimation) that I could be using for just such a purpose!

>123 weird_O: and who doesn't remember their home phone number from when they were young! When our family lived overseas for a year when I was 7, we were taught to memorise a number to call in case of emergencies, it was dos-dos-zero-dos-tres-uno-siete. It sounds ridiculous to me to have it translated from Spanish to English as it was always rote-learned in Spanish :)

Morning, Karen. Happy Sunday. No birding plans today. We might be going biking with friends later though. This is a rare occurrence and it should be fun. I have only been on a bike once this year. A neglected "B", over-shadowed by the others. I started The House in the Cerulean Sea which has been a hit around here. I don't read much fantasy these days but I will make an exception for a favorite.

>139 LovingLit: I used to love vodka tonics – I don’t like gin for its flavor and it was my alcoholic mother’s beverage of choice – but the last time I had a mixed drink was about 7 or 8 years ago. Your son is cute – the priorities of 12-year olds.

Interesting about that emergency number and your just knowing it in Spanish.

>140 msf59: Hi Mark, and happy Sunday to you. Yay for the usually neglected B! I hope The House in the Cerulean Sea works out for you. I’m not feeling any particular need to BB it so far. You have so many Bs - books, birds, beer, baseball, bikes, and now baby.

…
Coffee. Ah. Back is still giving me fits but less so each day. I go back to the chiropractor Tuesday and Thursday. I also have my every 6-month dentist appointment on Tuesday, and then my second hyaluronic acid shot for my left knee. Suck central on all the doctor stuff this week, although it’s all good stuff.

If the weather holds we should have the roofers out Tuesday – Wednesday (I honestly think they’ll need to be here an additional day, frankly) . And there’s a chunk of change…

Today is the Panthers first game of the season, at home against the Jets at 1 p.m. our time. They were 1-2 in pre-season, so we’ll see. Pretty much new everybody. Only a week off...

As a bonus I went grocery shopping yesterday so don’t have to worry about that.

edited to add: Sad and tragic news: I just found out that my friend Michelle died last night. I just knew she'd make it and can hardly take it in.

Oh, Karen, so sorry to hear about your friend Michelle. Really tragic.

Oh Karen. I'm sorry to hear about Michelle. What a dreadful, unpredictable disease. I had hope since you hadn't mentioned her that she was indeed going to survive. Sympathy to you and her family.

Condolences for the loss of your friend, Karen. I know that's tough.

>141 karenmarie: I'm very sad with you learning of Michelle's loss. Terrible adjustments and much sorrow always accompany early losses.

Thank you Shelley, Peggy, Reba, Richard.

I saw her in May and June, never realizing that she was not vaccinated. Why, oh why, I'll never know. She was a wonderful person, the matriarch of her family, the friend who kept us all together after most of us had retired from Marelli.

I spoke with Robin a while ago, the woman who's been keeping me posted, and it turns out that Michelle's first husband, the father of her two sons, died on July 17th. (his obituary doesn't say of what, but he was only 60). I feel so bad for those young men to have lost both parents exactly seven weeks apart.

Sadly, someone aged 60 dying now is almost certainly dying of denialism.

Deeply saddening.

>141 karenmarie: Condolences on the loss of your friend Michelle, Karen.
(((hugs)))

>146 karenmarie: Must be devastating for her two sons to loose both their parents in such a short time :'(

>136 streamsong: Janet, I went to your home page to find that tomorrow, is a LT anniversary for you. You joined September 6, 2006. Congratulations!!!

Oh Karen, I am so very sorry to hear about Michelle. And her husband, too. What a tragedy. I'm sure it's knocked you back. Thinking of you.

>147 richardderus: My guess is Covid too, RD.

>148 FAMeulstee: Thank you, Anita. Both of her boys were fiercely loyal to her and loved her unconditionally.

>149 Whisper1: Hi Linda.

>150 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura. It was her first husband, a man I never met. I know her current husband, Ronnie, because I worked with him at Marelli, too. He is vaccinated, but got a mild breakthrough case at the same time as Michelle. His major problem was low blood oxygen levels, but he went home a week or so before she passed away.

>141 karenmarie: That's sad and somewhat infuriating about Michelle.

Morning, Karen. I won't be on LT much until sometime this afternoon. We are heading to the lakefront and hoping for a warbler extravaganza. We had a good time yesterday, biking with our friends and playing games and drinking refreshments afterwards. It was a gorgeous day. Enjoy your Labor Day.

So sorry to hear about your friend Karen.

I'm so sorry, Karen. Such an awful waste.

>152 quondame: Yes, my grief is tempered with anger that she didn't get vaccinated, which is pushing all my buttons about anti-vaxxers and Republicans and what Texas is doing to restrict abortions and voting rights. I'm not in a very good frame of mind right now.

>153 msf59: 'Morning, Mark! I'm glad you had a good day yesterday, and hope your warbler extravaganza pans out. Thanks re my Labor Day - it will be quiet here with Bill and the kitties.

>154 SandDune: Thank you, Rhian.

>155 scaifea: Thanks, Amber. Yes, such a waste. Her husband, sons/spouses, grandkids, brother, sister, and extended family, and all her friends must be as bereft as I am right now.

...
So once I hobbled downstairs and fortified myself with tylenol and started consuming coffee, I'm girding my loins, to so speak, to make Breakfast Pizza, which is one of the many recipes I got from Michelle. I've been planning on making it for a week or so. She literally made it on a round pizza pan, I prefer it in a 9" x 13" pan.

Breakfast Pizza - modified
Michelle Thomas

1 lb ground breakfast sausage (hot is better)
2 8-oz packages refrigerated crescent rolls
1 1/2 cup frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed, or freshly shredded potatoes, rinsed in cold water and thoroughly dried by pressing in a clean kitchen towel
2 cups shredded cheddar or mozzarella cheese (I use mozzarella)
7 large eggs
½ teaspoon salt or to taste
½ teaspoon pepper or to taste
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375F.

Brown, crumble, and drain the sausage.

Separate crescent rolls. Place in an ungreased 9” x 13” pan. Press together to form a crust. Bottom of crust should be sealed and outside edge should be raised ½” up the sides of the pan.

Spoon sausage over crust. Sprinkle with hash browns and top with cheese.

Beat eggs together with salt and pepper. Pour over cheese. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Bake in pre-heated oven until eggs are set, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Hey there Horrible. Such a day. *smooch* My new thread's up.

Hi RD! I noticed! Off to read the end of the now previous thread, then heading over to wish you happy new one.

Yup. Such a day.

*smooch*

Happy, happy day Karen!

>156 karenmarie: Yum! How was it?

I'm so sorry to hear about your friend, Karen. May your period of mourning end in comfort and acceptance.

Hi Rachel! Thank you.

It was particularly good, as we usually only have it for Christmas Day Breakfast. There are many leftovers, too.

Thank you re Michelle. I like how you put it - May your period of mourning end in comfort and acceptance.

Hi Karen!

>8 karenmarie: I love both of those!

I am so sorry to hear about your friend Michelle. So sad for her sons, and possibly just so unnecessary! The Breakfast Pizza sounds pretty yummy -- a nice tribute to your friend.

>160 karenmarie: Yeah, I think it's good to acknowledge that a person will be in mourning, and not to wish that the mourning will end quickly. Because sometimes fast is not the best way to heal.

I'm so sorry to hear about your friend Michelle and her two sons losing both parents.

I can certainly understand the anger mixed with your grief. The Covidiots don't have a clue as to the harm they are causing.

Morning, Karen. We had quite a marathon down at the lakefront. I didn't home until 2pm. Very little reading got done afterwards but we got 2 Lifers and a fair amount of warblers. Around 50 species in all. We even had lunch down there, at the public beach, plus we ran into several other birders we know. Doing a solo walk today and then getting my Jackson fix.

>161 EBT1002: Hi Ellen!

Glad you like them – both of them always make me smile.

Thanks re Michelle. Unnecessary is absolutely the right word. Breakfast Pizza is quite good – not the healthiest thing in the world but chock full of protein.

>162 The_Hibernator: Yes, I agree, Rachel.

>163 streamsong: Thanks, Janet. Covidiots is exactly right.

>164 msf59: ‘Morning, Mark! Happy Tuesday to you. I’m glad you had such a successful and social marathon yesterday. Yay for a solo walk and a Jackson fix.

…
I’m off to the chiropractor in half an hour. This afternoon is a dentist visit – 6-month cleaning. Busy day.

Right now I’m on hold with Kitchenaid to see if they can tell me what kind of tool I need to open a set screw on the back of my A-9 burr coffee grinder. It’s not an allen-wrench set screw and it’s not a Phillips-head set screw, which is what the instructions say.

She asked if I’d taken it to Lowes or Home Depot to see if they could help me find the right tool, but I told her that I’m not willing to go to Lowes because of Covid.

Sigh.

However, it’s a good coffee morning and although I need the chiropractor, my back is not as stiff as it was yesterday morning at the same time.

165 - Maybe you could take a pic of it (on the coffee grinder) and send it to her so she can see. If the manufacturer doesn't know about their own product, maybe they could just send you a new one. They ought to stand behind the product, no? Hehe, just a suggestion. I remember phoning the Maytag customer hotline shortly after purchasing aa my Maytag washing machine. The first time it didn't empty, I wanted to know what I was supposed to do. The woman on the line told me she could send out a repairman but it would cost me $100 for the service call. I told her the machine was barely a month old and I would not pay a penny for a service call. She eventually told me, over the phone, what to do and I wrote it down. Sigh... Sometimes I think that *customer service* ought to be renamed *customer frustration*...

>165 karenmarie: what >166 jessibud2: said...maybe send the photo to Lowe's? Then order whatever the correct dingus is?

*smooch* for a successful adjustment!

>166 jessibud2: Maytag is a Whirlpool-owned line of appliance and I will no longer buy any whirlpool product. Rubbish built down to a price. I agree fully that *customer service* ought to be renamed *customer frustration*.

Karen, I am sad that the un-vaccinated don't understand that their lives are on the line. So sorry for your loss. I certainly recognize that type of anger you must be feeling.

Morning, Karen! I hope that you get back from the chiropractor felling more relaxation and a lot less pain.

Customer service, HA! Covidiots, BA! I feel a rant or two coming on, so I'm going. I'll simply say that everybody I know seems willing to indulge in risky behavior except my DH, me, and you and Bill. Done.

>166 jessibud2: Hi Shelley! I was on the phone for about 25 minutes. Amanda from Kitchenaid was friendly and told me that the burrs on this mill were not removable for cleaning based on the serial number. She told me to run ½ cup of brown or white rice through it periodically to clean it out.

I’ll try that later. Right now I’m back from chiropractor and errands, have a frozen corn bag on my lower back, leftover breakfast pizza heating up in the oven, and a bit of reading to do!

>167 richardderus: I explained to her what the set screw looked like, but the serial number seems to mean that the burrs can’t be removed for cleaning.

*smooch* - I wanted to stay on that table forever, especially when she was stretching my lower back. I had to keep from moaning out loud…

>168 SandyAMcPherson: Very few things are built to the quality the brands we remember from when we were younger, right? At least Amanda was willing to take the time to talk with other reps and research the product to give me the answer she gave me.

>169 LizzieD: Hi Peggy! Yes, I do feel better, thank you.

Rants acceptable, but if you want to NOT ramp yourself up, I completely understand. I’m sorry that most people you know are willing to indulge in risky behavior. I only know of two people who are covidiots. One, here in NC, took the first dose but then, sadly, drank the Kool-aid and won’t take the second. The other is my brother-in-law. Many vaccinated friends, however, seem to be out and about more than Bill and I are willing to be.

My brother refused the vaccine although he was one of the first people eligible for it, and he wound up in the ICU for 60 days and convalescent for 30 days because he got covid.

I do think people have legitimate reasons for not wanting to get vaccined. I also think that they need to make special precautions to maintain their health and to not endanger the health of others. I look at the idea of vaccine mandates with the same deep skepticism I look at abortion prohibitions. In the end, regardless of how I feel of a decision, I think it's very important that everybody be allowed to control their own bodily functions.

I, on the other hand, got the vaccine the first day it was available to me by the state of Virginia, my follow-up vaccine the first day it was available to me, and I will get the booster the first day it's available to me. Because I am sick of staying indoors. Absolutely kajagoogoo sick of not getting out and about. I've just started limiting my runs into town, and I'm just not the kind of person who is okay with limiting runs into town. I will wear a mask in public and I carry hand sanitizer with me everywhere I go. But if public spaces are available to the public I will be there. My two cents.

Oh oh oh! I will be staying off of route 29 because there's some huge rock concert starting just south on Thursday running through Sunday and, since there are so few roads leading into it, I'm guessing that 29 is going to be a stoner's free-for-all for the next several days.

All of that being said, dear Karen can I tell you that absolutely fabulous orchard grown pieces are this year? If we lived within adjacent counties I would bring you over peaches from Drumhellers orchard. They are just simply gobsmacking delicious.

>172 SomeGuyInVirginia: Fresh. Picked. Peaches.

Horrible...execute plan Sigma...time to converge and exsanguinate and defestrate the cremains.

Seriously? Pickled? I love peaches and I love pickle things. Okay, I'm in. I will look up recipes for pickle peaches.

Dude! We're gay! Peaches are the ancient symbol of homoerotic love! Do we really want to pickle that?! I mean, I don't know. I've never had pickle peaches. Frankly, they sound intriguing in the same way that... Well, odd things at times do. Okay, let this be a symbol of my love for you Richard, I will try pickled peaches and get back to you. That's all I've got.

"Pickled" peaches are traditionally soaked in brandy...that should make it easier to bear.

Though I myownself always add them to vodka with raspberries....

Sorry, I just wasn't tracking. Pickle Peaches was my nickname in school. Well, of course I love them!

As I love you, and Karen, and Ruth, and Jennifer. Seriously if it weren't for you guys I wouldn't be around here. And, frankly, LT wouldn't want me around here. Of course I will now try pickle peaches. Not today, and not tomorrow, or any day that I can foresee, but I have given my word so I will live up to it, eventually, and that's how it works! Vodka! And bourbon! And sweetened and unsweetened iced tea for those whom I love who don't regularly imbibe in vodka and bourbon! The poor bastards! I just want everyone to be content.

All of that being said, the weather in central Virginia really is sort of spectacular. Warm, sunny afternoons and cooler evenings. And for now, that's enough.

>171 SomeGuyInVirginia: You were phenomenal in making sure your brother got excellent care when he had Covid. No brother could have done more.

I could write a book about the politicization of masks and social distancing and vaccines, as could most of us. But I won’t.

I can hardly wait ‘til October, when I’m eligible for my Pfizer booster.

And a huge rock concert? Are there mask mandates? Proof of vaccination required? If not, then shame on the folks holding it and the folks going to it.

>172 SomeGuyInVirginia: Oooh, peaches. I’m pretty much dead south of you – can’t you lob a lug of peaches to me? I’d be grateful forever and make peach cobbler and peach crisp and peach pie and peaches and cream pie for you…

>173 richardderus: Yes sir, sir! Plan Sigma ready for deployment.

>174 SomeGuyInVirginia: Picked. But pickled peaches are probably not bad either, although I think I’d prefer brandied peaches.

>175 richardderus: I swear, I had NOT scrolled down to >175 richardderus: when I wrote that above about brandied peaches…

>177 SomeGuyInVirginia: Well, darling Larry, I think that you think you’re on your thread, not mine… Ruth and Jennifer don’t usually hang out here.

>178 SomeGuyInVirginia: Decent weather in central Virginia at this time of year is as miraculous as decent weather in central NC at this time of year. It’s cooler here, less humid.

…
Well, wasn’t that exciting.

I think I missed an entire thread (sorry) and am hopelessly behind but read a bit of this thread. Sorry to hear about the loss of your friend Michelle, Karen. And I know it's not on the same level of importance, but I am also wishing you good luck with the appliance.

Happy Wednesday?! : )

'Morning, Kim! Yes, today's Wednesday. You posted at 9:33, which is 12:33 here, of course.

Michelle's funeral is today, but I will not be going - I don't feel comfortable going to a large gathering of folks in these days of Delta, and the turnout will be huge. We did send flowers, though.

I ran 1/2 cup of basmati rice (less expensive than arborio rice, and I didn't want to use part of my small stash of brown rice) through the coffee mill yesterday. It was fun watching it come through mixed with coffee grounds. The coffee mill sounds much better and this morning's coffee is as good as ever.

I'll be going to the orthopedic doctor today for 2nd shot on my left knee. I think the shots on my right knee have helped because the pain isn't constant, just shows up periodically.

I finished the second in my Miss Marple personal challenge - The Tuesday Club Murders - yesterday. As enjoyable as ever.

I'm dithering, again, about a new fiction book.

Morning, Karen. Happy Wednesday. I had a nice solo walk yesterday, scoring a few good birds. I have trail watch duties today, with a small group and then guided walks for the next 3 days. Trying to take advantage of migration.



-Ovenbird. (NMP)

^I was able to see 4 of these cuties yesterday. One of my favorites. They are also in the warbler family. They prefer foraging low and on the ground.

>182 msf59: - So pretty!

>182 msf59: 'Morning, Mark! Happy Wednesday. What a gorgeous little bird. They're here in central NC during breeding season, but I've never seen one.

Trial watch and guided bird walks are right up your alley, of course! Enjoy.

>183 jessibud2: Hi Shelley!

>184 karenmarie: - Hi Karen. I guess I am not fully awake. I thought I was on Mark's thread when I posted >183 jessibud2:. Then I went to have a shower and am back now. I just went to Mark's thread and couldn't figure out where that pretty pic went, along with my comment! Sorry about that! ;-) If I was a coffee drinker, I guess now would be a good time for a cup. But I'm not so hopefully, the shower will be enough to wake me up!

What a riot! I'm glad you visited anyway, Shelley... I hope the shower has woken you up.

>182 msf59: How on EARTH would one be able to spot such a teensy critter with such effective camouflage?! It took me a minute to see it in the *still*photo*!

Hey there Horrible. I was summoned before a testy tribunal of one irritable clerk to retrieve "another goddamned book."

Philistine.

Ah. Yay for another goddamned book. *smooch*

>187 richardderus: Like most of the birds we spot, it is all about the movement. They are usually foraging and if you happened to see the flutter, you zero in and if you are lucky you can make an ID. I also spotted an ovenbird feeding along the path, which made it easier.

Morning, Karen. Sweet Thursday. I think we walked 4-plus miles yesterday on the Trail Watch. It was such a beautiful day with a comfortable breeze blowing. I managed to see a few birds too but I don't like to hold up the group. Heading out soon for a guided walk.

'Morning, Mark! 4 miles. Fantastic and amazing. Enjoy your guided walk this morning.

...
Coffee, up early. Hot showers do wonders for sore lower backs and right hips. I go to the chiropractor this morning, too, so expect to be able to move well most of the day.

I'm really enjoying Killing Kennedy by Martin Dugard and the always-to-be-reviled Bill O'Reilly. The fun thing about this book is that when a specific event is mentioned - like the Walter Cronkite interview with Kennedy in 1963 or Jackie showing off the restorations/renovations to the White House in 1962 - I can go on YouTube and find it.

>191 karenmarie: Bill O'Vile-e maketh my gorge to rise.

Happy Almost-Mindy day! Get that adjustment and get home. The rains they are a-comin'.

*smooch*

Morning, Karen! I was saddened to read about the loss of your friend Michelle. I am so sorry.

Filing away that info about the rice through the coffee grinder as we have that same KitchenAide model.

Hoping Thursday is kind to you.

>192 richardderus: Hiya, RD! Yes, he is an awful human being. I feel like I'm in a terrible bind - on the one hand I want to support Martin Dugard, but while doing so I also support O'Reilly. Of the 5 Killing books I now have, Lincoln and Kennedy are from the thrift shop and Jesus, the SS, and England are from my friend Louise, so nothing's every directly benefited either of them, unfortunately for Dugard.

>193 Crazymamie: 'Morning, Mamie. Thank you re Michelle.

Depending on when you bought yours, your coffee grinder may have a Phillips-head set screw in the back, which would mean that you have removable burrs. The directions for cleaning them are online. However, we're very pleased with the rice solution.

It's pouring down rain right now and I'm glad to be back inside after a chiropractic visit, a PO visit, a pharmacy visit, and a fortunately-covered gas fill up. I nixed the sunflower seed/suet purchase because the rain was particularly heavy as I was driving by the Southern States. I wouldn't have had to carry the 50-lb bag of black oil sunflower to the car (and Bill would have gotten it to the metal trash can), but it just seemed like a bit much right now.

...
Back in comfy clothes, going to do a bit of reading.

>194 karenmarie: It *does* feel so good to get out of one's corsets, doesn't it. Now help me find my reticule so I can get the package from the desk, please. A Lady is never without her compact, after all.

>195 richardderus: Oh yes - I love getting back into leggings and an old ratty t-shirt. Your reticule's on the corner of your bookcase...

...
Bill forwarded this to me - I kinda like it.

Checking out at the store, the young cashier suggested to the much older lady that she should bring her own grocery bags, because plastic bags are not good for the environment.

The woman apologized to the young girl and explained, "We didn't have this 'green thing' back in my earlier days."

The young clerk responded, "That's our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment for future generations."

The older lady said that she was right our generation didn't have the "green thing" in its day. The older lady went on to explain: Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycled.

But we didn't have the "green thing" back in our day. Grocery stores bagged our groceries in brown paper bags that we reused for numerous things. Most memorable besides household garbage bags was the use of brown paper bags as book covers for our school books. This was to ensure that public property (the books provided for our use by the school) was not defaced by our scribblings. Then we were able to personalize our books on the brown paper bags.

But, too bad we didn't do the "green thing" back then. We walked up stairs because we didn't have an escalator in every store and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks. But she was right. We didn't have the "green thing" in our day.

Back then we washed the baby's diapers because we didn't have the throw away kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy-gobbling machine burning up 220 volts. Wind and solar power really did dry our clothes back in our early days.

Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing. But that young lady is right; we didn't have the "green thing" back in our day.

Back then we had one TV, or radio, in the house -- not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of the state of Montana.

In the kitchen we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have electric machines to do everything for us.
When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used wadded up old newspapers to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap.

Back then, we didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power.

We exercised by working so we didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity. But she's right; we didn't have the "green thing" back then.

We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blade in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull. But we didn't have the "green thing" back then.

Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service in the family's $45,000 SUV or van, which cost what a whole house did before the "green thing."

We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And we didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 23,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest burger joint.

But isn't it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn't have the "green thing" back then?

Please forward this on to another selfish old person who needs a lesson in conservation from a smart ass young person. We don't like being old in the first place, so it doesn't take much to piss us off... Especially from a tattooed, multiple pierced smartass who can't make change without the cash register telling them how much.

Morning, Karen. Happy Friday. We snagged a few warblers on yesterday's walk but nothing spectacular. It was a nice group of folks though and a gorgeous AM. Trying again today with a different group and place. Getting an itch to see Jackson. Maybe tomorrow?

'Morning, Mark! Happy Friday to you, too. Glad you met a nice group of folks. Good luck with today's group and place.

...
Taking Inara to the vet - she has an ongoing problem with her kidneys - not quite stones, but enough to cause blood in her urine - and she got my attention again yesterday by peeing in the bathtub. The vet gave us the last open appointment she has for weeks, so we feel privileged. I'll drop Inara off by 9 or so.

In the meantime, a few sips of coffee and my favorite addiction - LT.

>198 karenmarie: Happy Friday! Knowing your precious is being looked after is a gift of security.

*smooch*

Morning, Karen! Craig and I were just talking about those glass bottles that you put a deposit on, and then got back when you returned them. I wish they still did that. My mom used to buy the six pack bottles of Pepsi, and since there were six of us girls, we each got a bottle.

Hi Mamie!

Lucky you - the three of us had to split a bottle. I poured and Doug and Laura got to choose first. You can imagine that they the glasses were even to the drop!

>201 karenmarie: Oh, dear!

>196 karenmarie: Yeah! 💖
I snagged the text and am e-mailing this a few places... totally great.
Edited to ask, where did Bill find this piece of erudite backhander?

Morning, Karen. Happy Saturday. Another fun group walk yesterday, on another gorgeous A.M. We then visited friends last night for dinner, cocktails and games. The weekend is off to a good start. My reading suffered a bit but I will catch up.

>196 karenmarie:>203 SandyAMcPherson: Hi Sandy! I think Bill got this from our friend Carl, another old fart like Bill and me.

>204 msf59: 'Morning, Mark, and happy Saturday to you, too. I'm glad you're having good experiences with the group walks. Yay for socializing.

...
The Spectrum guy, a different guy, is here with a new modem. Long story short - Spectrum has never actually gotten our landline issues properly resolved and we hope that today's activities will make that happen. edited to add: Internet back up, phone back up, modem supposedly officially linked with our account. 🤞

Coffee. I acquired some books and will be adding them to my catalog today.

FDR's Unfinished Portrait by Elizabeth Shoumatoff
Five Black Lives editor Arna Bontemps
Gertrude Bell: The Arabian Diaries, 1913-1914 editor Rosemary O'Brien
Murder, Culture, and Injustice by Walter L. Hixson
Plain Folk and Gentry in a Slave Society by J. William Harris
Rose O'Neale Greenhow and the Blockade Runners by George Johnson, Jr.
Sally Hemmings & Thomas Jefferson editors Jan Ellen Lewis & Peter S. Onuf
The Clerihews of Paul Horgan by Paul Horgan
The Man Who Wanted Seven Wives by Katie Letcher Lyle
Virginia Landmarks of Black History editor Calder Loth

*forgot 4 Persephone editions
Consequences by E.M. Delafield
The Children Who Lived in a Barn by Eleanor Graham
The Young Pretenders by Edith Henrietta Fowler
The Fortnight in September by RC Sherriff

Also, I'm expecting a box of books from friend Karen in Montana - there was a huge booksale two weekends ago in Bozeman and she snagged some she thought I'd like. $4/10. Such a deal. Wish I'd been there.

Here's hoping for good news for Inara. Hugs. Tell Inara I said pspsp and give her scritches.

Hooray for the internet back up. I hope Spectrum has fixed it for good.

Quite a haul of books! and how fun that Karen has sent you a box of books - what a wonderful book friend!

Hi Janet. Thanks re Inara - she is a bit perkier with the 2 days in a row of Meloxicam but without the urinalysis we haven't gotten any antibiotics. I am supposed to keep her separated with a clean roasting pan that I'll fill with these cute little beads. After Inara pees, I can capture the urine and take it to the vet. She, the cat, simply would not pee on demand for them yesterday and when she did pee she rolled in it so they couldn't get a sample.

Thanks re Spectrum, too. Lovely, fun, interesting books. The box of books from Karen is supposed to get here today but hasn't been logged into my local post office. We'll see. I've almost got a box filled with books for Karen, too...

Hi Karen. I hope things improve with Inara.

I've had a good first week in my new role at work but I can tell it's going to eat into my reading time for the next year or two. Still, it feels so good to feel good about work again.

My current read is Once There Were Wolves, a beautiful and heartbreaking read so far.

Hi Karen.

>196 karenmarie: is brilliant. I, too, am *borrowing* it.

Fingers crossed for Inara. It is a common ailment of aging cats. Hope the vet can help.

Still not rested, but in a much better mood after Rob came to cuddle for a while.

>205 karenmarie: Nice haul!

Enjoy the rest of the weekend

>208 EBT1002: Hi Ellen. Thanks. She’s doing okay and her appetite’s back.

I’m glad that you feel good about your work again and happy that you’re being rewarded for the knowledge, professionalism, and skills you bring to the table. Less reading but a better work situation. Since you spend so much time at work, I can see it being a reasonable temporary tradeoff.

>209 jessibud2: Thanks, Shelley. The vet said she’d call today but didn’t. She’s crazy busy so I understand. I’ve got my marching orders – get a urine sample from Miss Inara on Monday. In the meantime, R&R for the girl kitty.

>210 richardderus: Sorry you’re not rested, RD, glad Rob got to come over for a cuddle.

>211 figsfromthistle: Thanks, Anita. I’ve started one of the haul – Murder, Culture, and Injustice.

Tomorrow is a whole lotta nothing scheduled except to watch the first Panthers game of the season at 1 p.m.

Morning, Karen. Happy Sunday. Headed out on another guided walk, with a completely different group. This will be in the far southeast corner of Cook County, practically at the Indiana border. Looks like a cool location.

And then my Jackson fix, later in the afternoon. Yah! My Bears play tonight. Pumped up about this new season.

'Morning, Mark, and happy Sunday to you. Have fun on the guided walk and continue the joy with Jackson. I hope your Bears win since they aren't playing my Panthers, who play the Jets.

Sunday's decided to be as pretty as Saturday was, I see. I'm better able to enjoy it, at least. So big a relief I just can't tell you.

*smooch*

Hiya, RDear. I'm glad you're doing better today. Whew!!

...
Panthers are up 16-0 over the Jets at the half. Edited to add: Panthers won! And, my second favorite team, the Chiefs, beat Cleveland. Fun stuff.

Morning, Karen. Go Panthers! Sadly, our Bears lost but at least I spent some quality time with Jackson. He is becoming more and more alert. I did see a pair of tufted titmouse at the Nature Center I visited yesterday, along with a bald eagle, an osprey and 3 different hawks. Laying low today but I am sure I will get out for the rest of the week.

'Morning, Mark! Sorry about your Bears, glad you got to spend some time with Jackson.

My feeders are very quiet, only a Carolina Chickadee getting one sunflower seed at a time and going into the Crepe Myrtle with it. Fresh hummingbird food is out bu to takers yet.

...
Bill's gone off to work today - I've lost exact track but I think this will be only the 3rd time in a month. I was going to run a bunch of errands today, but will only go to the chiropractor and check the Friends' PO box, leaving grocery shopping and the feed store 'til tomorrow or Wednesday so I can recharge my batteries.

Coffee. Our favorite whole bean medium roast coffee hasn't been available at the grocery store for months. I've tried 9 different brands, and of course it's the most expensive one that we really like. It's $1.09/ounce vs .$.38 an ounce for the store brand. Drat. Oh well, at least it's flavorful and not bitter.

Costs have tripled all over because of the pandemic, plus in coffee terms the drought in Brazil...our major supplier...is the worst in seventy-five years.

The funny thing about prices rising is that they never fall....

I expect to be assassinated for daring to question the famous de Beauvoir's wisdom. It was nice knowing you. *smooch*

I suppose I'm fortunate to be able to afford an expensive coffee. And of course, yes, prices do not fall.

Off I go to your thread...

Morning, Karen. Getting read to take off on my Trail Watch duties. It is at one of my favorite birding spots, so I am going to get there an hour early and do some solo birding. The PM is reserved for the books.

Hi Mark, and happy Tuesday! Enjoy your adventure and PMing it with the books.

...
Bill went to see his new PCP, likes him a lot, and is bringing home biscuits for brekkie.

Morning, Karen! Still on my first cuppa - I'm a slow starter today.

Hi Mamie! Leisurely consumption of coffee is a joy. I've got half a cup in one of my favorite coffee cups and about another half a cup in the thermos. Brekkie biscuit consumed, reading about Lizzie Borden.

The day began, for me, with a (seriously bungled) fire drill. I'm almost done with my delayed pot of coffee. And annoyed with the Universe to discover you're still struggling against back pain...like you don't have enough to worry with!

*smooch*

'Morning, RDear. Sorry about the seriously bungled fire drill. Any delay to coffee is distressing, and if the fire drill was bungled, it makes one nervous about what might happen in the event of a real fire.

Oh yes, the back pain is still there, although not as bad as Saturday. Sunday and yesterday were almost reasonable. I honestly don't think I'll get true relief until October. I have my annual exam and separate appointment with the spine clinic in October. The chiropractic visits definitely help, as do the application of heat when appropriate and ice when appropriate (frozen corn bag - can't believe I didn't think of this until a couple of weeks ago). Various pain killers, up to and including the liberation of Bill's tramadol on occasion...

I was in a car accident in 1974 - rear-ended by a hit-and-run drunk driver while at a full stop waiting to turn left. My little Datsun 1600 got pushed into a huge Cadillac. Thank goodness for my seat belt and wearing a very thick carcoat, otherwise I'd have been killed. I remember the impact was so sudden and violent that my glasses came off my face and ended up in the back behind the driver's seat. And in fact, people didn't come over to the car right away because they thought I was dead. Back problems ever since, on and off.

Usually the back pain is completely alleviated within a week by chiropractic - this time it's 17 days and counting. My guess is that it's aggravated by my arthritic knees - walking differently to cope with that pain. Blech.

I've finished the Lizzie Borden portion of Murder, Culture, and Injustice. I haven't learned anything new about the murders, trial, or Lizzie's life after her acquittal, but there's quite a bit of insightful discussion of Victorian-era mores, attitudes towards women, and nascent police procedure.

^Stokes Select 38069 X Squirrel Proof Bird Feeder, 2 Suet Cake Capacity.

Thanks, Mark! I think I'm going to get this and switch things around a bit after the hummingbirds have migrated.

>227 msf59: ooh, I like that suet feeder. We had a raccoon or something steal one of those wire suet cages, which was hanging from a nail in a tree trunk. And as it happens, that tree is about to be taken down so we'll need something new. I'm going to make a note of that model.

Hi Karen!

>226 karenmarie: Ick! I'm so sorry. A gift that keeps on giving, for sure.

>226 karenmarie: Oh wow, that sounds almost familiar. In 1975 I totaled my Datsun 510, and a Datsun Fairlady with a late left turn in the rain. Broke my pelvic bone and, yes, wrecked my back. What fun. I've also been in the front vehicle during a couple of nasty rear end collisions which haven't helped.

>229 lauralkeet: Maybe we'll be twinsies with the suet feeders, eh, Laura? I've got it in my shopping cart on Amazon...

>230 richardderus: Ick's right, RD. However, there are many small joys and it could be way, way worse. *smooch*

>231 quondame: Yikes, Susan. Bad for you, too, and lots of Not Fun.

Morning, Karen. Happy Wednesday. Cooling off nicely here, for the next couple of days. Love these cool nights and mornings. Here is a tufted titmouse that I saw on Sunday's walk. I wish his/her crest was up.

'Morning, Mark, and happy Wednesday to you, too! I'm glad it's cooling off up North. It is still summer-ish but not awful down here. I love the photo even if his/her crest is not up.

...
Coffee is being sipped, birds are NOT at the feeders, and I'm going to start continue reading about Sam Sheppard's legal ordeal. Fascinating takes of famous cases. The last one will be the O.J. Simpson case.

Morning, Karen! Your description of the accident gave me goosebumps because that also happened to my sister years ago, and her back has never been the same.

>227 msf59: Making a note of this because it looks like something Craig would love.

>233 msf59: AW! That is one of my very favorite birds - I love that they always seem to be in a hurry.

Hi Mamie!

Ah, your poor sister.

I just posted on your thread - much more fun discussion about refrigerators, ice makers, and water dispensers. *smile*

Happy Humpday, Horrible. It's pleasantly autumnal here. I'd like a bit cooler than the realfeel low 80s but, well, better than the 90s.

*smooch*

Morning Afternoon, Karen. I've been sort of not here for no particular reason. Well, yesterday I did work all day (including the making of a killer chicken soup, which Mama wouldn't eat because "I don't like white pasta"), but otherwise just not here and not much of anywhere else, really.
I'm sorry about your continuing back pain and hopeful that Ms. Inara S. is doing better.
On the other hand, I can't wait to see what Montana Karen sent you! AND I am at last reading In the Deep Midwinter almost solely on your say-so. (Stasia also loves the series, btw.)

>237 richardderus: Hiya, RD! Thanks. I'm glad you had autumnal weather. It was a bit more humid out here even if it didn't quite get to 90.

>238 LizzieD: Afternoon Evening, Peggy. Not being here is perfectly acceptable and understandable. I'm sorry your Mama wouldn't eat the white pasta. Does she eat other pasta? Whole wheat? Spinach?

It took me a few minutes to find the right word, but I think what you're describing is anomie. At least, that's a word that I'm coming to think describes what I'm feeling.

Thanks re the back pain and Miss Inara. The doctor says she's in great shape for 14 - heart, lungs, coat, eyes, bloodwork all excellent. All we need is to get the damned cat to give me a urine sample. Either tonight or tomorrow night I'll put her up in the utility room with the pan with special pellets, a blanket, water, and a bit of food, let her 'work on it' overnight, and take the sample to the vet the next morning.

I hope you like Russ and Clare, and will be interested in hearing what you think. Tell Stasia hi for me!

I'll post the list of books tomorrow. The selection is all over the place.

I posted this info privately to Janet yesterday, but thought I'd put it out there for some positive energy and prayers for her from the group. Karen, of course, is my friend in Montana. She'll be 70 in November.

Karen fell through a rotted railing on her porch Monday evening and has a compound fracture of her left wrist. She's had one surgery and will have another surgery on Friday to put her wrist back together. We only spoke briefly twice. Normally I'd go out and stay with her, but with Covid and my back being in such bad shape I just can't risk it, so am feeling frustrated.

She does have family close by, one a retired nurse who can help her, so at least there's that. And Senator Daines' wife Cindy made sure the kitties had cat food yesterday and will be a big help down the road, too. Their politics suck, but they are very good neighbors. I told Karen that if the Senator will send a private jet to get me to Bozeman, I just might go to help her out... tee hee.

I've got a box of books ready to send to Karen, so she'll have something to look at while she's laid up - poor darlin' doesn't have any books. NOT. She has half again as many books as I do, but well.... books.

>239 karenmarie: I'm sorry to hear about your friend Karen. Books are our way of saying we care.

>226 karenmarie: That was quit a story, Karen. Car accidents can have long lasting consequenses :-(
Luckely I naver was in a major accident. Two very minor ones, athough in one of them my car was very damaged, but gladly no humans injured.

>239 karenmarie: So sorry to read about the fractured wrist of your friend Karen. I am sending healing thoughts, and hope she will recover well.
Good luck with getting the needed sample from Irina!

Oh dear, sorry to hear about Karen-in-Montana. I wish you could rush to her aid. Damn covid.

>235 Crazymamie: I highly recommend that suet feeder, Mamie. I wish we saw tufted titmouse on a more regular basis. They rarely come to our feeders. We have to venture out a bit to see them.

Morning, Karen! I'm so sorry about your friend Karen. Sending healing mojo and keeping the both of you in my thoughts.

>243 msf59: We cross-posted, Mark! We have a pair of tufted titmouse that come to our feeders daily - they are so cute!

Morning, Karen. Sweet Thursday. Somehow managed to snag a pair of Lifers yesterday. One planned, one not. I will post details later but sadly no photos. I am meeting a bird buddy soon and since I will be near Bree's home, I will have to drop by to see "You Know Who". Grins...

>240 quondame: Thank you, Susan. She and I do a lot of mailing of books every year, and this batch will be especially appreciated, I think. Of course, given that I’m the packing tape queen, she’ll have to get some to help her open the box. I have discovered that Melaleuca boxes hold 11-15 hardcovers/trade paperbacks beautifully.

>241 FAMeulstee: I’m glad you’ve avoided serious accidents in your lifetime, Anita. Even minor ones are very stressful, though. Thank you re Karen and Miss Stubborn Kitty.

>242 lauralkeet: Thank you, Laura. Yes, Damn Covid.

>243 msf59: I haven’t actually pushed the Place Order button yet, but the suet feeder is in my shopping cart. allaboutbirds.org says that Tufted Titmice are year-around in Illinois, so perhaps your locals just find more fun things to eat in the woods.

>244 Crazymamie: Hiya Mamie, and thank you.

>245 Crazymamie: Tufted Titmice are regular visits here, too, Mamie.

>246 msf59: ‘Morning, Mark, and a very sweet Thursday to you, too. Wow, congrats on TWO Lifers. Enjoy your birding buddy time and stopping by to see YKW. Of course, you don’t need any excuses, eh, grandpa?

…
Ah, coffee. One of the things that consistently gets me out of bed in the morning. Cardinals and finches at the feeders, errands later this morning. Chiropractor, PO, Friends bank to make a deposit, and the feed store for a 50-lb bag of black oil sunflower seeds AND a packge of non-hot pepper suet. The birds have overwhelmingly voted NO to the hot pepper suet, darn them. I’ll be getting the squirrel-proof suet feeder soon.

84. Murder, Culture, and Injustice by Walter L. Hixson 9/11/21 9/6/21





From Amazon:

Walter Hixson's pithy narrative account of four sensational national murder cases "the Lizzie Borden murders, the Lindbergh baby case, the Sam Sheppard case, and the O. J. Simpson case" offers interesting observations into the greater cultural and political forces that shaped their verdicts. His step-by-step analysis of the details of each case provides not only insight by skillful synthesis of the existing literature but also a solid overview of the events surrounding these four cases, each of which became a national obsession as well as a miscarriage of justice. Taking a fresh look at the criminal justice system and the role of the media in the larger American milieu, Hixson delves into sociocultural impacts of crime that are both thought-provoking and fascinating reading.

Why I wanted to read it: My current sense of anomie is causing me to find comfort in nonfiction.

Hixson’s measured and beautifully worded narrative combines facts, conjectures, cultural influences, and follow up information about some of the players in these four famous trials.

1. Lizzie Borden. The 3-judge panel in the case deliberately withheld evidence that would help the prosecution.
2. Lindbergh baby kidnapping. The prosecution withheld evidence that might have exonerated Bruno Richard Hauptmann although I believe he was guilty.
3. Sam Sheppard. The press and the prosecution decided that Sam Sheppard was guilty even though all the evidence exonorated him.
4. O.J. Simpson. The jury ignored all the evidence presented by the prosecution and the prosecution was incompetent and incapable of stopping the defense procedurally.

That’s half the story, the cut-and-dried actions and results of these murders/cases. The full story, from the Conclusion:

In each of the four cases analyzed in this book, cultural perceptions unique to their place and time played a decisive role in the outcome of the murder trial. Gendered perceptions obscured the compelling evidence against Lizzie Borden and helped win her acquittal. In the Lindbergh case, the press, the public, and the state sought vengeance for the “crime of the century” – the kidnapping and murder of the infant son and namesake of a popular national hero – and denied a German immigrant defendant, Bruno Richard Hauptmann, a fair trial. In the Sheppard case, class anxieties, a McCarthy era witch-hunt atmosphere, and vicious Cleveland journalism combined to destroy an innocent man. Finally, the acquittal of O.J. Simpson stemmed from police misconduct and exploitation of profound racial divisions, the perpetual American dilemma, rather than from the evidence presented at the trial.

Fascinating summaries of the cases and well-thought out interpretations and comments about the cultural environment that each case was part of.

Six word review: Four criminal cases, four excellent summaries.

>248 karenmarie: I think it was clear that all those cases represent the "justice" "system" at its diciest...but good gracious, what a topic to tackle in today's world! For you, and for the author.

*smooch*

>239 karenmarie: That STINKS about Bozewoman! I'm so sorry to hear that she's going to need another surgery to fix the wrist. The surgeon's getting a major "luck-and-skill-boosting whammy."

Hi, RD!

Hixson's cultural interpretations make sense to me. The book was published in 2001, so not so recent, but between Killing Kennedy and this book, I'm really digging into reprehensible US history.

I will try to read fiction this time, simply because it's time.

Thanks re Bozewoman... I like it. *smile*

Oh dear. I'm awfully sorry about Montana Karen too and glad that she has a support system. It's going to be a long healing period. Wish you could go - do you both good!

Currently simmering more chicken stock for broth, which Mama would sip, to add to the soup when I take out the white pasta. (Nope. No pasta for my ma except maybe in mac&cheese or with spaghetti sauce, but she's not crazy about either dish nor yet lasagna.) (Sigh)

I hope you've opened that book box by now!!!!!!!

Hi Peggy! Thanks re Karen. You're right - it would do both of us good.

Oh my - taking out the white pasta. My poor Peggy. That's definitely a labor of love.

I have opened the box, cataloged them, gotten proper user-uploaded covers onto them (mine or others), added them to my message of shame, >3 karenmarie:. I'm now up to 232 books this year.

Here they are, and such a mixed bag!

The Round House by Louise Erdrich
Merry Meet by Isobel Bird
Second Sight by Isobel Bird
So Mote It Be by Isobel Bird
Poems, 1923-1954 by E.E. Cummings
The Drunken Forest by Gerald Durrell
Great Beginnings and Endings: Opening and Closing Lines of Great Novels by Georgianne Ensign
A General Introduction to Psychoanalysis by Sigmund Freud
Love in a Green Shade: Idyllic Romances Ancient to Modern by Richard F. Hardin
An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks
The Basque Kitchen: Tempting Food from the Pyrenees by Gerald Hirigoyen
Hateship, friendship, courtship, loveship, marriage : stories by Alice Munroe
Einstein for Beginners by Joseph Schwartz
Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko
Hillbilly Elegy : A Memoir of a Family and a Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance

Yay for books! Eww for J.D. Vance!

I debated adding the J.D. Vance to my shelves but decided to. I can get rid of it later, as I did in 2019. I bought it at the Friends spring book sale and had culled it by the end of the year.

>250 karenmarie: You don't need to dig very deep to uncover reprehensible conduct at any time in the course of U.S. history. Lot of scraping going on these days.

>239 karenmarie: Thanks for passing along the news about Karen. Books are a good gift at all times.

>252 karenmarie: what >253 katiekrug: said

But, as you point out, there is Virtue in deaccessioning the cursèd thing, plus it plumps your stats.

You might even read it, to be scrupulously fair; always a good idea to have some notion of what The Other Side sayin'...

>255 weird_O: You're right - lots of reprehensible conduct. Power and money are great corrupters.

>256 witchyrichy: Hi Karen. Thanks. Books are always good for what ails you, IMO.

>257 richardderus: It would be a net to my stats - one add and one cull. 5135 books before I added it, 5135 books if I deacession it.

I don't remember why I got rid of it, but I'll let it stay on my shelves for the time being.

I've picked a mystery that's been on my shelves since 2016, The Game of Thirty by William Kotzwinkle. It's a standalone mystery, and I'm nonplussed by the fact that he's also the author of 5 books about Walter the Farting Dog AND the author of E.T. The Extraterrestrial.

My edition of The Game of Thirty is part of the Felony & Mayhem Hard Boiled category. I'm sure I bought it because it's a Felony & Mayhem Press publication.

Morning, Karen. Happy Friday. I woke to the hooting of a great horned owl today. It was about 530 and it kept calling for awhile. Too dark to see anything. I should be seeing Jackson later today too. Sue will be babysitting tonight, while they attend a function. She will probably spend the night.

>252 karenmarie: Interesting haul. I loved The Round House.

Hi Mark, and happy Friday to you, too. I love hearing GHOs when it's dark. Yay for another Jackson visit.

Interesting's the right word - Karen's tastes are more eclectic than mine yet she always sends fun and interesting stuff.

I'm going to stay positive about The Round House. I started The Plague Doves and abandoned it pretty quickly and gave it a new home. We'll see.

I'm really enjoying The Game of Thirty.

Morning, Karen! I'm on my second cup of coffee, and so very happy that Friday has arrived. Finally.

FriYAY. At last. I wonder if the world will survive this "Justice for J6" asininity tomorrow.

And I'm only being *slightly* overdramatic.

*smooch*

>261 Crazymamie: Hiya Mamie! Happy Friday to you, too.

>262 richardderus: I haven't been paying strict attention, RD, and have no clue as to whether it's going to be 700 people or 10000 people. I've mostly been watching QI vignettes on the QI channel on youtube, reading the WaPo's Carolyn Hax, and playing the NYT's Spelling Bee, the mini crossword, and Letter Boxed. *smooch*

...
Dare I say that my back is doing better? Will that jinx it? Not perfect, but I'm not hobbling around like an old lady and not wobbling side to side either. 2 more chiropractic visits next week for sure, then we'll see.

Happy Friday Karen. Just thought I'd add my endorsement for The Round House. It's a standalone, not one of Erdrich's Love Medicine novels, and I thought it was quite good.

Thank you, Laura.

I just finished The Game of Thirty by William Kotzwinkle - absolutely wonderful hard-boiled detective action.

Now I'm trying to decide between The Case of Curiosities, third in the Agent Pendergast series, and Memento Mori by Muriel Spark. drneutron and crazymamie respectively. I'm staring at both of them. The books, that is. *smile*

Morning, Karen. Happy Saturday. No birding plans for the weekend. Chores today and plenty of reading. I did see Jackson yesterday briefly, (Sue spent the night over there) and hopefully I can get back over tomorrow and possibly watch the Bears game there.

Did you get the suet feeder?

Hi Mark! Yay for books. Chores, well, they're always there, aren't they?

Ah. I see that your Bears play the Bengals tomorrow. My Panthers play the dreaded Saints tomorrow.

No, I haven't bought the suet feeder yet. I put it in Save for Later because berly gave me a BB that I had to buy immediately, (The Best of Me by David Sedaris), and the suet feeder needs to wait 'til hummingbird season is over anyway. That's only 2-3 weeks off, so I'll be patient. I put out fresh non-pepper suet yesterday with good success and NO squirrels yet. I'm resigned to them feasting until after hummingbird season. I hope to have a better arrangement before next April when the hummingbirds arrive again.

Come watch the flamingos feeding with me!

*smooch*

How did you know that I've always been fascinated with flamingoes? Two minutes and thirty five seconds of joy. That was fantastic. Thanks.

*smooch*

>269 karenmarie: ...I pay attention when you talk...? Anyway, isn't that just delightful!

And now for your buttermilk-biscuit inspiration: https://bookriot.com/best-buttermilk-biscuit-recipes/

>270 richardderus: Oh, and I have the book whence came the winner! It's the only one of the four I do have. I'd like to know more about the miso though.

>270 richardderus: I feel known. It's a good feeling.

Ah. Buttermilk biscuits. The recipe I use is modified from friend Michelle's cheese biscuits - all I do is exclude the cheese. My recipe calls for shortening instead of butter, and uses self-rising flour and extra baking powder, but I might try butter instead of shortening next time just for S&G. Maybe tomorrow... And I brush mine with melted butter when they come out of the oven.

>271 quondame: I loved watching Claire Saffitz's YouTube videos for Bon Appetit, less so her ones from her home for her cookbook. I can't begin to tell you how stressed I became when she'd open her refrigerator looking for something. *shudder*

Hi Karen. Murder, Culture, and Injustice looks like a good read.

>252 karenmarie: Great haul although J.D. Vance has been a nutcase of late (maybe he always was).

The Round House is a favorite.

>272 karenmarie: For someone unfamiliar with Clair Saffitz, the intregeing question is whatever could have been so terrifying about the contents of a refrigerator - that could have been shown on video?

Hi Karen! I've been reading your thread. Getting up to date.

So sorry to read about your friend Michelle. Such a loss.

But glad to read your back is finally starting to feel better. I've been having a prolonged bout of back pain too, and know about that feeling like an old lady hobbling about.

Success with deciding what to read next! Two very different books.

>273 EBT1002: Hi Ellen! If you like shortish summaries of true crime murder trials with social commentary, I recommend this book.

J.D. Vance has probably always been a nutcase, as it were, but his flipflopping on t**** and for me, just being a Republican, is enough to be suspicious. The book is taking up shelf space, true, but right now I've got a bit and it's not hurting anything.

>274 quondame: I couldn't find the episode I'm thinking of in a quick perusal of her YouTube channel, but I remember the refrigerator being totally crammed with stuff on every shelf, with barely any vertical space available either. Not a single bit of space available. Even the shelves in the door were totally crammed with stuff. I can't live like that. Even with just a stupid side-by-side I've always got room for everything. And I don't even keep flour in the refrigerator anymore although I do keep cornmeal and extra flour and sugar in the freezer in the garage.

Edited to add: Ah, ha! Found one - not the one I was thinking of, but fairly representative of my *shudder* factor.



>275 EllaTim: Hi Ella. Thank you re Michelle and about my back. I did a bit of vacuuming today - living room and kitchen only - taking it slowly and not being my usual energetic vacuuming self. I don't think I made it worse. I'm sorry you're back's giving you fits.

I picked The Cabinet of Curiosities, the third Agent Pendergast thriller. I had a ratty old mass market paperback which I quickly realized was unreadable. Fortunately, the Library had an e-book available for checkout, so I'm now reading on my Kindle and am already a third of the way through. I don't think it's a read-at-night book because of the evil and sense of menace, so I'll probably also start Memento Mori. I can multi-task!

...
When I went out to bring in the hummingbird feeder because of raccoons and/or squirrels, I startled a doe about 10 feet from the end of the deck at the bottom of the stairs. We stared at each other for a bit, I went and got the feeder, we stared a bit more, the snorted, and stalked off. I was entranced.

Bill's watching UNC-Virginia college football, which allows me to read, putter, and etc.

>274 quondame: >276 karenmarie: I wondered what Karen was so bleagh-barf about and now I saw! I'm "a keep as few jars and bottles of condiments as possible" in the fridge person. They multiply in the back and then are totally gross.
And if Claire Saffitz is such a fantastic cook, I'm wondering what's with all the prepared stuff in bottles.

Remember when we had small fridges and it was only for things that needed to actually be cold? I still can't figure out why pickles and mustard have to be refrigerated. They're preserved already for room temperature. We store the potatoes and onions etc.in a cold cupboard, too (our substitute for the 'cooler').

>276 karenmarie: >277 SandyAMcPherson: That is one stocked fridge! My refrigerator is not quite that intense, door shelves being one layer each, but there are a lot of condiments in there. Mustards, because each of us likes different a different mustard for hot dogs than we do for sausages or to put in salad dressings and if we left them on the shelf (you have shelf space?) they'd petrify before we finished them. Off my head I can count 6 mustards on the door. But there are times when the piles on the main shelves get pretty high, or trying to close the freezer door is a game of Tetris.

>276 karenmarie: Er.mah.GERD!!!! Cabinet of curiosities is one of my all-time favorite thrillers, I hope you love it. The discussions about the evolution of American museums from individual cabinets are curiosities to vast national holdings absolutely thrilled me. Plus, I think it's one of the best gaspers out there, but there are some dark and disturbing bits, so you're right it's probably not bedtime reading. But it is one of my all-time favorites. I hope you enjoy!

I went to drumheller's orchard a few days ago and they didn't have peaches, but they did have apples, and apple cider, and apple cider donuts. One of the most shocking things I found about eating off the farm is how delicious the food is. Those peaches were amazing. I haven't tried the apples, yet, but have had the cider and the cider donuts and they are both so very very good, nothing like that is available in any major store that I know of.

Oh! Oh! Oh! Yesterday I broke my frugality challenge and bought something that I simply don't need, a cinnamon roll from Mrs Joy's Absolutely Fabulous Treats in downtown Lynchburg. $9 to beat myself over the shoulders with, and a cinnamon roll as big as a bundt cake to console my broken spirit with. Swear to God, she needs to post those things on Goldbelly because they are that good. She won one of these national baking televised competition thingies, then went on to win another in Canada. Her bakery doesn't produce a ton of stuff but, holy cow, all of it is so good.

Muchos lovos!

Morning, Karen. Happy Sunday. We had a nice visit with Jackson last night, as he attended his first Oktoberfest, near their house. He was a hit and I got to feed him for the first time. No beer though. I might just stay home today, read and then watch football. Go Bears! Go Panthers! Saints can be tough.

>277 SandyAMcPherson: Hi Sandy. Yes, things multiply in the back and are totally gross. I cleaned out a while back and found three jars of horseradish from various prime rib meals over the last year. I should just immediately throw out the rest of a jar after we’re done with the meat.

You bring up a very good point about pickles and mustard. I’ll add olives to that – I currently have Kalamata, green-stuffed-with-almond, and green-stuffed-with-pimento in the refrigerator. That would free up a bit more door space what with the pickle relish, gherkins, and hamburger chips. I’ll keep the mustard – only Bill uses it and only when I make hamburgers or turkeyburgers.

We had a fairly large fridge for the times when I was little, and then got a huge one that necessitated getting a carpenter out to make the over-refrigerator cabinets shorter for the new one’s height. But that was not frost-free, and was always, always, a frozen disaster. Thank goodness for frost-free freezers!! I should keep the onions and potatoes in the pantry but use so few of each that I buy them and almost immediately use them.

>278 quondame: Six different mustards. That should win some kind of award. We only have the icky yellow stuff.

I am lucky in that my husband worked with the architect when we were planning the building of this house and when adding the side wing made room for a huge pantry. Here’s a pic of it after I cleaned it out early-Covid days last March:



>279 SomeGuyInVirginia: Hi Larry! I am loving The Cabinet of Curiosities, and didn’t read any of it last night. I’m at the part where the killings have started up again and the creepy old man grabbed the second victim.

Cinnamon rolls are one of my major weaknesses, but there’s nothing local that is worth the money. $9 is steep but sounds worth it.

I never did get around to farm peaches this summer. Sigh. I’ll probably get some cider. I’ve never tried an apple cider donut. (I know, I know!) Love back at’cha.

>280 msf59: ‘Morning, Mark! Happy Sunday to you. Yay for your Jackson visit. I’m glad you didn’t feed him beer. Wait a few years. *smile* Football and books are not a bad way to spend Sunday. That’s my plan, at any rate.

…
Coffee in hand, I might, just might, make biscuits and chipped beef on toast for brekkie. Bill wouldn’t mind at all.

WOW. I am officially jealous of that cupboard!

>281 karenmarie: what >282 scaifea: said

>279 SomeGuyInVirginia: $9 for a cinnamon roll.

Not unless it comes (!) with, erm, intimate services as well.

>276 karenmarie: !!!

How many people live in that house?! How many of those are teens? If one had four teenagers and a spouse with a laborers' job, then maybe that makes sense. Otherwise it's just bacteria- and mold-culture-land.

Anyway, enough about that, it's gorgeous here and I am thrilled and delighted to report that my current read is a good'un: The Wrong End of the Telescope is a lovely bit of writing.

*smooch*

I love your pantry, Karen. The one in our kitchen is very narrow and very deep and hard to keep organized and find things. We have a storage room on the ground floor with some shelves, where we put the overflow, but it's not super convenient. And it got flooded, so now I have to start from scratch.

One of the projects I am looking forward to after my imminent "retirement" is trying to organize the fridge, pantry, and storage room...

>282 scaifea: Hi Amber. We had a walk-in pantry at the previous house that we built too, but it shared space with the washer and dryer. A serious walk-in pantry is a luxury I’m always aware of.

>283 richardderus: Yay for gorgeous and a good read. *smooch*

>284 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie. Mine doesn’t look quite as pretty now as it did a year and a half ago, but I can still walk in it and still easily find anything I’m looking for. Sorry about having to start over with the storage room.

It does take a bit of mental space to properly organize kitchen things.

I know it may be delayed now, but weren’t you talking about a kitchen remodel?

…
The biscuits and chipped beast, as RDear calls it, came out beautifully. No more cooking/baking today. There’s some leftover chicken and potato soup for Bill’s dinner tonight and I might make myself a taco salad. Lunchtime will be passed over since brekkie was so late. That’s not to say there might not be a snack or two before dinner, however.

I have pantry envy, Karen.

>285 karenmarie: - Yes, we want to re-do our kitchen and I am hoping when we do, I can get a more workable pantry space. There isn't a place for a lovely walk-in but at the very least, I want to keep the pantry we have but put in those pull-out shelves to make getting to things easier...

>286 BLBera: Hi Beth!

>287 katiekrug: You'll make it wonderful when you get to it, I'm sure, Katie. You've lived there long enough to know what kind of kitchen you can make of what you've got. My sister has a gorgeous wooden shelved cupboard 5' or so, and has it as a piece of furniture in her dining area. She uses it for pantry items.

...
Time to watch the Panthers and the Saints. 🤞

>281 karenmarie: Karen, that pantry is simply gorgeous. I don't have anything like that, although there is a 3'x3' pantry space that the old owners put bookshelves into because there was nothing there before, but it's a pantry in the same way that rummaging through a plastic bin is a pantry. By that, I mean not at all.

I'm looking at your pantry and I have total pantry envy. TOTAL. Everything about your pantry works beautifully starting with the lighting. I'm not going to go on because it would simply bum me out.

Plus, fill those shelves. I really do feel that bad times are coming. I was in Sam's Club last week and there were so many empty and almost empty shelves, including crunchy peanut butter. Peanut butter is the canary in the cage for normal people. If you can't find peanut butter, then the apocalypse has stretched out it's stick-like arms to embrace you and ensure. Buy that spam, buy that peanut butter, buy that rice. Speak with your crazy prepper relatives because, whether you agree with him or not, they have been preparing for the apocalypse for all their lives.

>281 karenmarie: I am also very jealous of that pantry!

>289 SomeGuyInVirginia: Thanks re my pantry. I've never been in a house that wasn't custom built that had a decent pantry. I'm sorry yours isn't large enough for your needs.

Hmmm. Crunchy peanut butter. I buy Smuckers Natural Crunchy Peanut Butter and haven't had problems getting it since early in the pandemic last year. Maybe I should keep more than 2 spare...

>290 SandDune: Hi Rhian.

Go Bears! Go Panthers! Big wins for both of our teams! 😁

>289 SomeGuyInVirginia: I was already planning to do a Costco run on Thursday -- must make a longer list

>280 msf59: I see that Jackson is to be deprived of beer from his earliest days. Perhaps he was able to appreciate the fumes. Yay for Octoberfest!

>281 karenmarie: That is some pantry!
The yellow stuff is inevitable, and TJ's deli mustard, and Mikes honey mustard. I like Zatarains Creole Mustard, but haven't picked up any for ages since we purchased 3 mustards from our local Wurstküche with a bulk order last year. Other mustards come and go - local SCA people have been known to hand out crocks as gifts or organize classes for make your own. Apparently the temperature of the fluid you use to mix the powder has a great deal to do with the resulting heat of the mustard.

>37 karenmarie: Hi, Karen! I'm actively reading Feral Creatures now, and I am one who loved Hollow Kingdom, so your words assure me that I'm on the right track! Thanks for the review, and I'll head back to read more carefully when I've finished the read myself.

Karen O.

>79 karenmarie: Lovely review of Miss Marple! I love the character and the plots. I've watched all of the versions of Marple on TV, and I've read several of the books, and it sounds ideal to reread/read the books! Bon voyage!

Karen O.

It's me (Karen O.) again! I've just been through this read, and want to post about A Debt to Pleasure since I've finally finished it, and you had mentioned you'd be interested in my thoughts after reading it. So...you asked for it, you got it! :)

Short review: the book really grew on me. Lanchester is a master at building tension. One of my favorite reads this year.

Here's my take: https://www.librarything.com/topic/333390#n7606730

Be well!

>292 msf59: Hi Mark! I was following along on the Bears official app as the two teams played at the same time and was glad to see that they beat the Bengals. And of course my Panthers were absolutely marvelous. Yay for both!

>293 RebaRelishesReading: I have mixed feelings about stocking up, Reba – I did it last year in the pandemic and found that I bought things that I wouldn’t hardly ever eat in normal times. I guess I need to either realize that I will be glad to eat whatever there is in the event of a failure of the food distribution network and once again stock up on things I did last year or not believe that one will happen and just go on my merry way. Because realistically, if I stock up with food for a year and the disaster goes longer than that, what benefit is there?

>294 quondame: I also keep a few pots and pans and the kitchen bulk stuff – trash bags, dish soap, etc., and a few of the larger pans like my Instant Pot and 12-quart stockpot. We also have 4 trashcans for recyclables in there. Glass, cans, plastic, and paper. However, the dump now puts all recyclables together except for glass so we just throw stuff in any of the three.

We’re philistines and only use the yellow stuff. Even when I make corned beef and cabbage, once about every 5 years or so, I only use the yellow stuff. It didn't occur to me that there were so many specialty mustards.

>295 klobrien2: Hi Karen, good to see you here. I’m glad you’re reading Feral Creatures.

>296 klobrien2: Thanks re Miss Marple. I’ve never watched any of the series or movies and have read all the books (I think!). It will be time for #3 soon – the Regatta Mystery and Other Stories. Not all of those short stories are Miss Marple, but I’ll read the whole book. After that back to another novel – The Body in the Library.

>297 klobrien2: I just checked out your review and did not realize that there was anything sinister about it. Now I'm intrigued again.

I should start a new thread, but will wait ‘til tomorrow morning.

>298 karenmarie: About the mustards... on the way to visit Kira I had Mike and Becky each guess how many mustards we had in the fridge. Becky said 4 because she was sure we had gotten rid of 2 of the Wurstküche and Mike said 5 since he remembered an alternate spicy mustard. When we got home Mike had to count them - he came up with a hidden bottle of the Zatarains Creole and 2 of the Wurstküche mustards for a total of 8, so we were all wrong.

>298 karenmarie: We stocked up to a certain extent last year in the pandemic as well. We did have a couple of failures though - one was my bulk purchase of 6kg of pasta when there was no pasta in the shops at all. I usually buy pasta in 2kg bags so not such a very huge amount (we do get through a lot of pasta). But I’d failed to notice that it was made of chick pea flour and none of my family would eat it!

We have shortages again now. A combination of transport problems (a lot of Eastern European lorry drivers have gone home, British drivers affected by COVID, and there being a backlog of HGV driving tests as they were cancelled for several months during lockdown, so not enough new drivers coming along). And now there will potentially be a shortage of meat as well due to a lack of carbon dioxide of all things. The carbon dioxide is needed for slaughtering, but it mainly comes as a by-product from the production of fertiliser. And gas prices have sky-rocketed so the fertiliser factories have closed down temporarily so no CO2. And dozens of energy companies are supposed to go out of business over the next few months as well.

Morning, Karen. Yep, yesterday was a good football day. I hope the trend continues. We had some different visitors to the feeders yesterday- A couple of blue jays dropped by, with a male grackle and three starlings were also feeding nearby. Along with a cardinal, robin, house finch, a hummingbird and doves. Colorful variety.

>299 quondame: Zatarain’s Creole! I haven’t had that in years. Ok, now I’ve got to get some…. 😀

>299 quondame: Excellent, Susan! Eight mustards. Wow. And I’ll go on over to your thread soon to see how it went with Kira.

>300 SandDune: Hi Rhian. Chick pea flour pasta. It doesn’t sound appealing to me at all. I went through a whole wheat pasta phase in my 30s but have decided that I eat enough healthy things to offset the once every week or week and a half pasta splurge.

Ah yes, shortages. I’m sorry you’re experiencing them. You don’t mention Brexit as a reason, which surprises me. Any Brexit thoughts you'd care to share on my next thread, to be created soon?

A meat shortage is understandable – we had them last year and this year I’ve already seen some fluctuation in what’s available – but not because of a processing issue. Can you do any stocking up?

>301 msf59: ‘Morning, Mark! Yes to Sunday football! Both our teams did well. Panthers play on Thursday evening, but I see that your Bears play the Browns next Sunday.

Exciting bird feeders report. Mine are completely abandoned – we finally have the roofers here and they’re already making lots of noise. I’m watching old roofing shingles slide down to the ground.

Off to create a new thread!

Hi Jim!

>279 SomeGuyInVirginia: Well...I am heading to Roanoke on Friday and may have to take my break at Mrs. Joy's! Being from Amish country, I often stop at Yoder's on the outskirts of Crewe. I think there might be room for both this trip.