RebaRelishesReading 2023 page 3

1. Must find a graphic

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

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

I'm a retired city planner who travels a lot (or did pre-Covid). We spent 11 summers at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York but among our recent changes we have sold our place there. We have plans to go back for two weeks in summer 2023 however :)

I read mostly fiction with a helping of biography or history thrown in. A couple of years ago I finished a personal challenge to read all of the Pulitzer Prize winning fiction and now I'm working on National Book Award fiction winners.

I recently joined a real-life book club, Women with Spines, and am excited to see what reading adventures this brings.

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

I try to keep this in mind when I'm assigning stars but I know I'm also influenced by my current mood, etc. so don't take it too very, very seriously.
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JANUARY
1. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens****
2. Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver****1/2

FEBRUARY
3. The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston****
4. A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny****1/2
5. Moonrise Over New Jessup by Jamila Minnicks****1/2
6. Violeta by Isabel Allende***
7. Horse by Geraldine Brooks*****
8. We Are the Light by Matthew Quick***
9. Zorrie by Laird Hunt****
10. Het Nieuwe Land by Eva Vriend****

MARCH
11. The Ways of My Grandmothers by Beverly Hungry Wolf ***1/2
12. A Single Thread by Tracy Chevalier ****1/2
13. A Secret Kept by Tatiana de Rosnay*****
14. Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward*****
15. The Last Romantics by Tara Conklin****
16. The Round House by Louise Erdrich*****
17.Carnegie’s MaId by Marie Benedict****
18. The Friend by Sigrid Nunez****
19. The Centaur by John Updike****
20. Harry’s Trees by Jon Cohen*****
21. Let The Great World Spin by Colum McCann ****

APRIL
22. The Guest Book by Sarah Blake****
23. Queen Bee by Dorothea Benton Frank***1/2
24. Lord of Misrule by Jaimy Gordon**
25. The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty**1/2
26. Poirot's Christmas by Agatha Christie*** (audio)
27. Maame by Jessica George****
28. Secrets of the Cottage by the Sea by Rebecca Alexander*** (audio)

MAY
29. The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell****1/2
30. The Mitford Affair by Marie Benedict***1/2 (audio)
31. Aunt Bessie Assumes by Diana Carissa***(audio)
32. Princess Margaret: A Life of Contrasts ***1/2 (audio)
33. The Winners by Fredrik Backman ***1/2
34. Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O'Nan****
35. The Golden Hour by Beatrice Williams *** (audio)
36. A Share in Death by Deborah Crombie ***1/2 (audio)

JUNE
37. A Country You Can Leave by Asale Angel-Ajdni ****
38. All Shall Be Well by Deborah Crombie****(audio)
39. The Snow Storm by Triana Walsh****(audio)
40. Trust by Hernan Diaz *****
41. Autism Spectrum Disorder by Chantal Sicile-Kira****1/2
42. I Have Some Questions For You by Rebecca Makkai****
43. Black Butterflies by Priscilla Morris*****

JULY
44. The Postcard by Anne Berest ***1/2
45. To Kill a Troubadour by Martin Walker ****(audio)
46. Grandparent's Guide to Autism Spectrum Disorders by Nancy Mucklow*****
47. Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan.***** (audio)
48. Between Two Moons by Aisha Abdel Goad ***1/2
49 The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray ****1/2

Welcome - next one is all yours

Happy new thread!

New 🧵 orisons, Reba!

Happy new thread, Reba!

Happy new thread, Reba. I just finished The Marriage Portrait and loved it!

Happy new thread Reba!

Happy new thread, Reba.

Hi Reba my dear, Happy New Thread dear friend.

Happy new thread, Reba.

HAppy new one!

Happy new thread, Reba!

Wordle 698 3/6

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train, peony, shorn -- that's been a while!!

Jim, Richard, Anita, Beth, Susan, Diana, John, Paul, Anita, Irene -- Always nice to see you. Thank you all for starting my thread off!!

I didn't realize how long it had been since I visited the threads! I've been busy and time just got away. We had two couples over for dinner last night and it's been a very long time since we did that sort of thing. Fortunately the weather cooperated beautifully and we were able to grill and eat on the deck, which was lovely. I heard Hubby emptying the dishwasher a bit ago so now just hand-washing the wine glasses and a couple of pans and everything is all cleaned up :) Meanwhile, I hope to catch up here.

>18 RebaRelishesReading: Weather cooperating sounds a little unusual for this awful heat wave... which y'all can still keep to yourselves, thenkewveddymahch.. but it cooperated at an opportune moment. Hand washing wine glasses never struck me as the drudgery that plate and pot washing always did. I love crystal so it was always more of a chance to fondle my stemware to me.

>19 richardderus: Mornin' Richard! I won't say anything out-loud but will whisper that the weather has been delicious that past couple of days. Yesterday after I finished the chores I sat in my rocker one the deck and read for quite a while. It was something like 80 degrees with little humidity -- lovely for a nice read.

I don't mind hand-washing glasses, even though these weren't crystal. Since we were eating outside I used the ones we've collected from various winery tastings over the years -- plain glass with a winery name on them. Today is looking like another pleasant day and I don't have any "have to's" today so hope to spend even more time on the deck with a book. I'm reading The Winners which is good but awfully long so I'd like to make some serious progress.

Hope you have a lovely day.

Wordle 699 4/6

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train, peony, bride, grief

>20 RebaRelishesReading: your deck time and my boardwalk time are treasures indeed. Mine was 20° colder, but that is hunky dory by me!

>22 richardderus: 60 would be fine for walking imo but not sitting in the shade.

This morning I managed to walk on the treadmill, which I have not done for far too long, then Hubby and I went out for a lovely Japanese lunch. Back home I finished my audio book while doing a little knitting. Once this post is finished I will find a cozy spot to resume reading The Winners -- gee, what a tough life :)

Princess Margaret: A Life of Contrasts by Christopher Warwick***1/2 (audio)

This authorized biography of Princess Margaret has been updated periodically since her death, most recently this year. Another pleasant book to listen to while walking or knitting or driving or....

>24 RebaRelishesReading: The story of her life in her sister's shadow has always struck me as a tale of true and terrible waste. Never judged on her own merits whatever those were but only in terms of her effects on the Firm she was part of from birth.

>23 RebaRelishesReading: I love the cold, so I hunkered down for a half hour of glorious reading. Tomorrow it's rain time so I need to get it in when I can!

>25 richardderus: Hi Richard. I've been at the computer for almost three hours now -- need to finish up and get back to important stuff, like reading :) Hope your day isn't too rainy.

Wordle 700 5/6

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Nothing particular on the agenda today so I hope to make some good progress on The Winners, or maybe even finish it. I like it but it's awfully long and I'm ready to move on.

Happy new thread! Hope you get lots of good reading today.

>29 banjo123: Thanks Rhonda. I am VERY close to finishing The Winners but that's probably all I will get done since we're going to Van Symphony this afternoon and then dinner with friends.

The Winners by Fredrik Backman ***1/2

I loved Backman's other BearTown novels and I was really looking forward to this one. I liked the updates on the characters and some of the wise bits about life, disappointment, recovery, etc. but it was so long I just kept wanting it to end.

>31 RebaRelishesReading: Some reunions of old friends do last just that little bit too long. Better reads to come this week!

>32 richardderus: Thanks Richard. I have a tiny little thing started that I hope to finish today and then on to Last Night at the Lobster which is one of Katie's favorite books and I usually like books that she likes so I'm optimistic it will be a pleasure.

Wordle 702 5/6

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Good grief!! notes, acrid, peony, quirk, igloo I read an article about letters that occur often in English and how to pick good starter words for Wordle so I tried some new ones. Didn't help much today!

Running A Thousand Miles for Freedom by William & Ellen Craft****

This tiny book is a condensed version of a book originally published in 1860 which was written by a husband and wife who were slaves in the American south and who escaped to freedom.

Wordle 703 4/6

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notes, acrid, crepe, clerk

>35 RebaRelishesReading: *ow*ow*ow* I'm book-bulleted! Luckily Project Gutenberg has the text so I can read it for free.
*smooch*

>37 richardderus: It's good enough I wouldn't have minded reading the original version I think but I was given/loaned this one by a book club friend so I'll make do. Hope you enjoy it, Richard.

Wordle 704 3/6

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señor, ducat, utter

Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O'Nan****

A sweet book about the closing (for good) of a Red Lobster restaurant written from the point of view of the manager. We learn a bit about his life and the lives of his employees as they go about getting ready to close the location for good.

>40 RebaRelishesReading: I know Katie will be pleased that you enjoyed her doted-on delight. It is a terrific read, so I discovered. Welcome to the ranks of the appreciators.

Happy slide into the weekend, Reba.

😁😁😁

>31 RebaRelishesReading: I had the same feeling about that one. I did enjoy the first two in the trilogy a lot more.

Happy Thursday!

>35 RebaRelishesReading: I remember hearing about that couple. Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom looks like a good one. Happy newish thread, Reba!

Wordle 705 5/6

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señor, duca, loath, label, bagel

Mornin' everyone -- so nice to find several messages when I log on :)
>41 richardderus: Happy weekend to you too, Richard

>42 katiekrug: thank you for making me aware of O'Nan in general and this little gem in particular, Katie

>43 figsfromthistle: I agree Anita -- I loved the first two in the series but this one wasn't nearly as good. I wasn't a big fan of Anxious People either so maybe I'll just give Backman a rest now

>44 Familyhistorian: It's well worth a read, Meg.

Wordle 706 5/6

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Started with four letters right and it was still a struggle!! resin, lines, spine, shine, swine

Wordle 707 3/6

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resin, raven, ramen

>48 RebaRelishesReading: Glad it was an easy day today, Reba. I feel like the word was pretty lame, TBH. Somehow it feels like a proper name to me...

Still, three days are to be savored. get it?

>49 richardderus: Savored indeed. It isn't the first one that has seemed like a proper noun to me but I try to just take it as it comes :)

In Memoriam by Alice Winn****1/2

This is not an easy book to read. It is a detailed description of life on the front of WWI, which is hard enough, but adding to it the two principal characters are gay men who meet at a private English boarding school and fall in love on the front. It's heart rending and beautiful and well worth a read.

Wordle 708 5/6

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resin, loath, cloud, wimps, skimp

Went down to the Water Front (downtown Vancouver area adjacent to the Columbia River) and had lunch with friends outside on a perfect, glorious day. Best hamburger I've ever eaten and two small glasses of a lovely Riesling -- I am feeling so very, very content right now :)

Wordle 709 4/6

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señor, ducat, house, mouse

Hi Reba! Long shot of a question, but my family was in San Diego to see the Thorns play the Wave (Women's soccer) this weekend and mentioned that the Anthem singer had a really great voice. Any chance that was your son? I remember you mentioning that he was an anthem singer.

>55 banjo123: Afraid not. He's only sung for the Padres (so far) and will be doing it for them next Sunday in fact :) Hope you had a good time Rhonda.

Wordle 710 4/6

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señor, ducat, vixen, kneel

The Golden Hour by Beatriz Williams***(audio)

Audible's description of this book claims it "creates a dazzling epic of World War II-era Nassau - a hotbed of spies, traitors, and the most infamous couple of the age, the duke and duchess of Windsor." Well...sort of.

I may have liked this book better in print than audio but I found it disjointed with alternating chapters being a generation apart and with little clear link between them until the very end. I also found myself not caring much what happened to any of the characters.

Wordle 711 5/6

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señor, ducat, blame, alike, agile

Wordle 712 6/6

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Good grief! senor, ducat, peony, gabby, mammy, jazzy

We're going to San Diego next week and I want to take my MacAir in to the Geeks to see about a number of issues it's having. I'm beginning to think I'll have to hire a secret agent to get an appointment though! I understand it's more convenient for them to help me via phone or on-line but one of my problems involves the keyboard and I'm pretty sure it's physical not software related. I hate dealing with these things SIGH.

Meanwhile, I did finish an audio book.

A Share in Death by Deborah Crombie***1/2

A pleasant introduction to the Kincaid mysteries and a perfect book to listen to while walking or knitting...which is what I did.

Wordle 713 4/6

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train, cloud, squid, humid

A Country You Can Leave by Asale Angel-Ajdni****

Lara is 16 and the be-racial daughter of a Russian emigrant mother and a black Cuban father she has never met. Lara's mother is addicted to Russian literature, casual sex and adventure. She keeps a notebook of "life lessons" which she regularly quotes to Lara. When the two, once again jobless and homeless, end up at the desert fringes of the L.A. area Lara finds herself in a school which serves not only the dumpy trailer park where she lives but a middle class neighborhood as well and her eyes begin to open to a different future. There are few bright moments in these lives but their struggles are engaging.

If Brody and I didn't fully understand our place in the world before this day, the adults in our lives forced us to. What does it mean to be abandoned by people who largely neglected you in the first place? We are orphans, with and without parents, and without siblings, alone. In this moment, we only have each other.

I was thinking about trying the aqua aerobics class at my gym today but can't get myself too excited about it so I think I may head for the treadmill in the garage instead. Beyond that, I think it's laundry day today and then a quiet evening at home.

>63 RebaRelishesReading: - That one sounds interesting, Reba. I'd not heard of it before but I'll look for it at the library.

>65 katiekrug: Hi Katie! It's been out a couple of months. It's one of the ones I got from my "subscription" to the "First Editions Bookclub" at The Book Passage in Corte Madera, CA. One of the things I like is that they often send me books I don't think I would know about otherwise.

Wordle 714 5/6

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Good grief!! train, cloud, peony, fanny, nanny

I started the second Kincaid book while on the treadmill yesterday. I'm enjoying this series -- thanks to those who mentioned it (especially your encouragement Katie).

>67 RebaRelishesReading: - Hey, I got skunked on it today so be proud of your 5!

>68 RebaRelishesReading: - You're welcome.

Wordle 715 5/6

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and again :(
train, peony, feast, least, beast

It's a beautiful day today so we decided to go to a restaurant next to the river for lunch. We had a nice table in the row nearest the water and food was great but we over-estimated the temperature a bit so were rather chilly in the breeze and semi-shade. Still, it was very peaceful and pleasant and we warmed up quickly when we got back into the car :)

Sharing sympathy for the Wordle. But you made up for it with lunch, which sounds lovely.

>63 RebaRelishesReading: Thay sounds like a darn good YA novel, was it meant to? Monday's review is of a YA novel that sounds a bit like this in its unflinching look at not getting parented the way we like to think is common.

Thanks for visiting today, Reba, and hoping your next week's reads will all be above average.

>72 lauralkeet: Thanks for the sympathy Laura!! Today was better

Wordle 716 4/6

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The lunch was very nice indeed :)

>73 richardderus: I didn't see anything on the jacket (or elsewhere) that positioned it as YA but, you're right, it would be quite good although teens in troubled households would need some expert guidance with it I think.

All Shall Be Well by Deborah Crombiie **** (audio)

Jasmine is nearing death from cancer and asks a friend to help her commit suicide because she fears the pain that is likely to be coming. Then, to the great relief of the friend, she changes her mind. When she dies soon thereafter Duncan is uncomfortable with the circumstances and decides to investigate the circumstances.

We're leaving for San Diego tomorrow to celebrate grandson#1's high school graduation. I'll have the computer with me (it needs to visit the Geniuses because it's acting a bit unwell) but I'm not sure how much time I will have to read or report (nor whether I will have my computer with me after Wednesday). Hope everyone has a great week :)

Have fun in San Diego!

>70 RebaRelishesReading: At least you got the Wordle! And your lunch sounds drafty but lovely. Have fun at the graduation. : )

Have a great trip, Reba! And good luck with the computer repair too.

Thanks Anita. Hope you're still feeling well, Amy. Thank you Laura -- I hope so (or at least that I get a good deal on a new one if it comes to that)

Wordle 717 5/6

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train, peony, stout, shout, scout

I had a lovely bowl of strawberries from our garden for breakfast -- second time this week :)

I'm mostly packed, have checked in for the flight, and have nearly finished my "morning rounds" on the computer. Looks like we're going to miss a heat wave here in exchange for temps in the '60's in San Diego (high teens in C) -- I like that. As long as flight is on time and we get our rental car without trouble we should make the celebration dinner nicely on time.

Y'all be good while I'm gone -- ya hear?

>83 RebaRelishesReading: I hope you have a wonderful trip, and a great time with family! Also wishing the best for the computer!

Enjoy the San Diego visit, Reba!

Wordle 718 X/6

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train, peony, stear, after, water, later :(

up and dressed. ready to leave for graduation which starts at 8:30 a.m. It's 58 F (14 C) this morning so it's going to be nippy in the bleachers at graduation!!

Our quick visit to San Diego is coming to an end. We Hosted
dinner for local family at a Ramen restaurant Tuesday evening, then had lunch with him at a "regular" Japanese restaurant on Wednesday. (Graduating Grandson recently traveled with his aunt to Japan and loves it -- hopes to spend a year abroad there while at university)

Graduation was this morning -- he looked wonderful in his cap and gown with all of his awards around his neck. Among other things he was on Principal's Honor Roll in recognition of his 4.2 gpa for the four years of high school. Afterwards we took him and his step-mother to brunch at a favorite restaurant before dropping him back home.

Son (graduate's father) couldn't make the brunch because he left immediately after graduation ceremony for his pre-deployment process. He'll be serving with his National Guard unit in Kuwait for the next 9 months :(

We're having brunch with my BFF tomorrow and then fly home in the afternoon. Whew - quite a whirlwind.

I realized a bit ago that my RL book club meets next Monday and I haven't started the book yet so I must get busy!!

That does sound like a whirlwind! But a fun one :)

What's your book club book?

Wordle 719 3/6

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train, peony, crumb

>83 RebaRelishesReading: Strawberries-yummy! Ours are just beginning to ripen now as well.

>88 RebaRelishesReading: Glad you had a nice trip and safe travels home.

>88 RebaRelishesReading: *pant*pant*pant*

I need a lie-down after that vicarious trip.

Get home safe, and may your son's TDY in Kuwait be so tedious he longs for home action. Bravo for the new graduate's awakened international interests, too!

Reba, I'm thinking of suggesting a meeting in San Diego to my siblings. My brother and his partners are taking ownership of a sailing boat, probably in September, and I thought we might gather before that. Is that a good time to be there? Any advice?

I'll reply to the above tomorrow. We just got home and are pretty tired. On computer to do Wordle because it's something I share daily with my granddaughter. Otherwise, need some ice cream and a little telly then off to my own, dear, lovely bed!!

Wordle 720 6/6

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🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩train, peony, ducat, magma, salsa, balsa

Wordle 721 4/6

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señor, ducat, chino, angle, again

We're back from the super-quick trip south. Arrived home pretty tired though so I'm happy to report we both slept VERY well last night and are recharged this morning.

>2 RebaRelishesReading: Just discovered the 75’ers a few days ago and am skipping my way through people’s threads… another WA State resident here (isn’t it lovely?), and I adore the name of your book club!! Genius!

>97 PlatinumWarlock: Welcome to the 75ers. It's a great group. What part of the state do you live in? I believe there are others in the Seattle area but not aware of anyone else in the SW.

Wordle 722 3/6

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señor, ducat, guard

Sounds like you had a wonderful trip back to SD, Reba. It's great that you got to see your son before he left, in addition to the graduation!

>76 RebaRelishesReading: I've only read the first book in Crombie's series. I need to get back to it.

>98 RebaRelishesReading: I’m in the Seattle area too. You’re in the SW part of the state? We’re driving down to Eugene, OR, today, so I may have passed near you. 😁

>100 Copperskye: Hi Joanne -- thanks for visiting :) Yes, it was a nice, but very quick trip :)

>101 PlatinumWarlock: You almost certainly passed within about 2 miles of our house :) Hope you had a nice time in Eugene. I enjoyed "bumping into" you on other threads and hope you'll get one of your own started when you get home. This is a great group full of interesting people. I've been involved for over 10 years and visiting my '75er friends is one of my favorite parts of the day.

The Lamplighters by Emma Stone****

From the book cover:Inspired by a haunting true story, a gorgeous and atmospheric novel about the mysterious disappearance of three lighthouse keepers from a remote tower miles from the Cornish coast -- and the wives who were left behindquote>

I read this for my RL bookclub and I think there will be a lot to talk about tomorrow. I found the story interesting because of the description of life in a remote tower on a rock in the middle of water but also because of the unfolding stories of the lives their wives led on shore and the relationships of the couples.

We went to the Farmers Market yesterday for the first time this year and bought the most beautiful butter lettuce I have ever seen. I should have put something in for scale but I didn't think of it so I'll just tell you that it barely fit into the vegetable bin in my refrigerator!! (on its own)

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Must not forget to report my Wordle today because it's the best I've done in a LONG time!
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>102 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks, Reba! Eugene is great… my son is a UO student and had a term-end concert tonight for a group he’s in, so we came down to cheer him on and then take him and 5 friends to dinner. College students eat So Much… 🤣

I’m excited about the 75’ers group! Interacting with other readers brings me a lot of joy. I’m working on writing up my own threads and hope to have them posted in a few days… better late than never!

>104 RebaRelishesReading: that is one gorgeous head of lettuce, Reba. I love butter lettuces. I grow them in our garden along with a lettuce mix for color and variety.

>105 RebaRelishesReading: Well done!

>106 PlatinumWarlock: and then take him and 5 friends to dinner
I had to laugh at this. When our two were in college, every time we visited we somehow ended up feeding a group at dinner. We often wondered, "is it just us?" but no, it seemed most parents had a similar experience.

>107 lauralkeet: Definitely not just you! And I usually have to give him a limit… “no, sweetie, we can’t walk into a restaurant with 15 of your friends and expect them to be able to seat us…” 🙄

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Hi Lavinia (love your name -- I've only heard it once before by a RL friend who has moved away)

We offered to take friends along to dinner with grandson while we were in San Diego but it was (high school) graduation weekend and they were all busy with their own families. We got to spend a lot of small group time with him which was wonderful. His sister is still confined to bed after her hip surgery so we didn't get to see as much of her :(

>109 RebaRelishesReading: 💜😁

Our spring/summer farmers market just opened last week but they didn't have anything like that butter lettuce, Reba. That's very healthy looking! Looks like you'll be having lots of salads.

So I'm still thinking of initiating a family get-together in San Diego. Probably late September or early October, depending on when my brother gets his boat delivered. What's the weather like then? Any thoughts of where to stay? We will be either 5 or 7, depending on my nephew.

>111 Familyhistorian: Sure will, Meg :)

>112 ffortsa: Hi Judy! San Diego's hottest months are August and September but if you say near the coast (which would be my recommendation for that time of year) it shouldn't be too bad (and remember it's generally a fairly "dry" heat which really is easier than humidity imo). Do you know where the boat will be? Staying near the marina might be a good choice. All of the coastal areas are very nice actually. If being near the boat isn't important then it depends on what kind of things you want to do. The "uptown" area has Balboa Park with its museums and theater and lots of good restaurants. There are lots of areas with nice beach access... Any idea what you'll be looking to do?

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I need some techie help. When I open gmail on my laptop I get a listing of the topic lines of my email but when I click on one it goes directly to the blocks for responding and I can't find anyway to access the message I received. I can, however, read those messages on my phone and tablet. What the heck is going on and how do I fix it? Thank you :)

P.S. I took it to the Apple Geniuses and he did something which allowed me to see it one time but then it reverted to going straight to responses. Genius said he didn't know what he had done to "fix" it.

Are you reading online, or in Mail, or what? If online, try a different browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari...) and see if it behaves itself there - if so, reinstall whichever browser is behaving oddly. If it's an application on your computer, which one? You may need to uninstall and reinstall either the account or the program (assuming you're using IMAP, so that deleting the account won't lose you any emails - they stay on the server).

>116 jjmcgaffey: seconding this. Since the problem is on the laptop and not on phone or tablet, I assume a browser is involved and trying a different one would tell you whether the browser itself is the problem. It's also possible some Gmail setting was accidentally changed. There are some features/settings that can only be modified using a browser, not in a phone or tablet app.

Hi Jennifer and Laura -- Boy is it nice to have genius friends to help! I opened gmail using Chrome and it works just fine. I need to tell you that I asked the tech who helped me with another (physical) problem with my computer at the Apple Genius Bar last week and he got it to work once...said he didn't know what he had done to "fix" it...and it still didn't work after that. THANK YOU!

P.S. I don't think I'm going to try to reinstall Safari -- I would most likely REALLY mess things up then -- I'll just use Chrome for my gmail :) (I had no idea what you were talking about, Jennifer, except for the suggestion to try a different browser -- I'm hopeless when it come to technology)

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>118 RebaRelishesReading: that's great news, Reba!

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I need to go shopping for some bark or rock to cover a new drip line we had put in. Our "water" guy tells me we risk having a critter bite a hunk out of it otherwise 🙀!! Not looking forward to the errand however.

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Today should be a fairly quiet day and I hope to make some good progress on Trust, winner of this year's Pulitzer along with Demon Copperhead (which was the second book I read this year). Tonight we are going to a pot-luck party and taking shrimp with cocktail sauce so no cooking involved. Looking like a nice day :)

The Snow Storm by Triona Walsh **** (audio)

Cara was born on a remote island off the west coast of Ireland but has spent much of her life on the mainland. When she comes back to the island as a local police sergeant she is seen as an outsider. But when a group of old close friends come to the island for a reunion on a stormy weekend, one of them is murdered and, since the island is cut-off by the storm, Cara must take charge.

The story and characters kept me interested all the way through and it was well read. Great book to knit to.

>125 RebaRelishesReading: The idea of a stormy weekend - or maybe an entire winter - on an Irish island sounds enormously appealing - assuming no murder, of course. Tons of reading and crafting!

>126 PlatinumWarlock: Except they had power out, no ferries or planes, no WiFi or phone -- Give me a warm, well-stocked house with phone working and I'd be right there with you :)

I've been running errands almost all day but I did manage to get a lot done AND got ready-to-eat ribs and potato salad for dinner We bought some purple asparagus at the farmer's market and I think we'll do some of that on the grill to go with it.

Otherwise, have some more "computer stuff" to do and then I hope to get a little more of Trust read.

>127 RebaRelishesReading: Yes, you have a point there…

>128 RebaRelishesReading: your dinner sounds delish, Reba. Especially the asparagus, which is so nice this time of year.

Finally all caught up with you!

>128 RebaRelishesReading: Ribs and potato salad-yummy!

>125 RebaRelishesReading: I have not read anything by this author. I will put it on my list.

>122 RebaRelishesReading: Good luck figuring out what to put over the drip line that will still look good/natural. The one thing with bark is that over time it rots and you will end up having to replace it again.

Enjoy your Sunday

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, Reba!

>129 PlatinumWarlock: It sounds like we both live in the right place :)

>130 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura. It was good. This was our first time trying purple asparagus. It seemed slightly sweeter to me than the green ones I'm used to but otherwise I didn't see any difference. I grilled it inside on my electric fold-shut type grill and that worked well. The ribs were rather dry but the potato salad was great. We had a big bowl of strawberries (from the market) for dessert and were very happy campers.

>131 figsfromthistle: Hi Anita. This was my first book by her too and I liked ittt well enough to look for more. It worked very well in audio I thought.

And, thanks, Anita and Katie, hope you have a good Sunday too.

>129 PlatinumWarlock: Visited your profile page and then I had to know -- I'm somewhat nerdy :)

>134 RebaRelishesReading: Yep, sounds like we definitely have some overlap!

Hubby wanted to go to Panera for his Father's Day lunch. He ordered his beloved Cheddar Broccoli Soup and wanted to get a flat bread pizza too. I had the Poppy Seed Strawberry Salad which was wonderful and plenty. Neither of us touched the pizza so now dinner will be easy -- reheat pizza and make a salad :)

Hope to finish Trust this afternoon.

Trust by Hernan Diaz*****
Winner of 2023 Pulitzer Prize for fiction (two awarded this year)

The story of a wealthy family is told in four versions, revealing a different perspective of their lives with each and with underlying comments on capitalism, greed, class, etc. It's not an easy read but worth the close attention its requires.

Enjoy your week-ahead's reads, Reba!

>137 RebaRelishesReading: 5 stars from you, eh Reba? I'm glad you enjoyed it so much. I thought it was ... fine, I guess? I could appreciate what the author was doing but it didn't grab hold of me nearly as much as its Pulitzer co-winner.

>138 richardderus: Thank you Richard. Hope you enjoy yours too.

>139 lauralkeet: Hi Laura. I liked the way wealth, etc. was portrayed but especially liked the way the book was put together. It took me quite a while to figure out what the four books were about and, once I had it, I thought it was clever (of course it was...otherwise I would have had it immediately...right?...lol). I also liked what Kingsolver did in reworking Copperfield but see I only gave it 4 1/2 -- probably a difference in my mood at the time 🙄

Autism Spectrum Disorder by Chantal Sicile-Kire****1/2

Our younger grandson has recently been diagnosed as gifted and on the Autism Spectrum. This book was very helpful to me in understanding the disorder and learning how to best interact with him and help him. I would highly recommend it for anyone who has regular contact with people on the spectrum...or anyone just interested in better understanding people they encounter in life.

>141 RebaRelishesReading: It's wonderful that there are so many more resources out there today than there were even ten or twenty years ago. And it's also wonderful that you're being proactive about how best to engage with your grandson - he's lucky to have you!

>142 PlatinumWarlock: Thank you Lavinia. It's a learning process and we're very lucky that he's on the light end of the autism spectrum plus very bright. The book gave me insight to him that I didn't have and made me want to learn more. Spent some time this afternoon trying to track down a couple of books recommended by the author of this one but only found one of three. I'll have to keep hunting for the other two.

>140 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks for elaborating, Reba. I thought the structure was really interesting and enjoyed figuring out how the books were connected. If I had also been able to engage with the characters more, Trust would have been a real winner for me.

>141 RebaRelishesReading: You're a wonderful grandma, Reba. How old is your grandson?

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>144 lauralkeet: Hi Laura -- I agree about the characters although I did like Ida.

>141 RebaRelishesReading: Thank you for the vote of confidence. We have three grandkids. The older two are my son's. Ally who is 20, a junior in college and a total delight. Kyle is 18, will be starting college in the fall and is also a joy. The little guy, Hubby's younger daughter's child, is five. He's VERY bright (can read just about anything put in front of him, adds/subtracts, divides, does percentage in his head, can list all of the musical instruments by category, can draw a reasonable version of a map of the US including where the states are, etc...) but also suffers from some characteristics of autism (need for structure, trouble coping with noise or groups or his own feelings, etc). His parents are doing an amazing job with helping him and we're just trying to better understand what he needs. A whole new world for us.

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I'm making some good progress with I Have Some Questions for You and hope to finish this afternoon. We're expecting a high of 80/27 today so it should be nice to sit out on the deck and read. Hubby will be out with D1 one and fiancé so I will have the place to myself -- an unusual occurrence.

>148 RebaRelishesReading: Makkai is among my favorite authors since her The Great Believers eviscerated me, so it's a pleasure to see you reading her latest and, hopefully, enjoying it!

Weekend orisons, Reba.

>149 richardderus: I did, indeed, Richard :)


I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai****

The book begins as the story of the Granby School, a boarding school in New Hampshire with students who are a mix of wealthy, "entitled" kids and poor scholarship kids. The main character, Bodie, is a girl from Indiana who has a difficult background with a father who was accidentally killed by her brother. Within a few years the brother is also dead and her mother is a mess and has moved to Arizona to escape her life leaving Bodie with a Mormon foster family. This family arranges for her to attend Granby. During her senior year a girl is found dead in the school swimming pool and the trainer, a young man of color, is found guilty of her murder and sent to prison.

Twenty years later, Bodie is a successful pod cast host and returns to Granby to teach a two-week course on pod casting. One of the students wants to make an investigation of the murder and conviction her topic and the second half of the book focuses on the shortcomings of the trial with Bodie and the students digging deeply into what really happened.

Interesting, well-written, and rather thought-provoking.

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Hubby mentioned going out to breakfast this morning so when/if he ever gets up we'll be heading out. Sprinkler guy is coming late afternoon to tweak a couple of things and then we'll have everything, except the half-barrel by the front door, on sprinklers with a timer so we can travel in the summer without finding scorched earth when we get home :)

Planning to start a new book when we get back from breakfast -- I'm thinking Black Butterflies.

Anyone have a good recipe for chicken enchiladas? I made some with canned sauce (using recipe on the can) last night and they were vile.

I just had to return Trust to the library, unread. I am going to have to try again.

We have a fun Chicken Enchilada casserole recipe, I will look for it. I think the brand of sauce makes a difference.

>153 banjo123: Thank you Rhonda. I would love to have that recipe. I never cooked Mexican in San Diego because we had so many good Mexican restaurants. We've yet to find one we like here so I thought I would give it a go but this was rather a disaster.

I thought Trust was a bit of a slow go to start with but I "have" to read it because it's a Pulitzer winner and I've read them all -- have to keep that going. In the end I liked it (as you can see). Hope you have a better time with it if you try again.

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>150 RebaRelishesReading: Yay! Her magic remains intact.

Black Butterflies sounds like a really good follow-up read...has it won the next-book derby, Reba?

>156 richardderus: Mornin' Richard -- It has indeed. I started it yesterday afternoon and I'm liking it a lot. I hope to spend a nice chunk of time with it this afternoon.

Here is the recipe we use. I got it from an old co-worker, and we adapted to be a tad lighter. It is a family favorite. Not sure if it's what you want, it's a casserole rather than enchiladas, so super easy, but pretty Americanized. You can use either green or red enchilada sauce, but we like the green, and use the Las Palmas brand.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Serves 6

4 cups cooked chicken, shredded
2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, grated
¾ c. light sour cream
1 4 ounce can mild chili’s
½ can black olives, sliced
½ tsp. salt
2 bunches green onions, sliced
12 corn tortillas
15-ounce can green enchilada sauce
8 ounces refried beans
1cup cheddar cheese, grated

Oven on to 350o
• Combine in large bowl chicken and next 6 ingredients. Mix together and add some chicken broth to make somewhat “sloppy.”
• Lightly grease a 9x13 inch pan. Alternate layers of filling and tortillas until all are used up. Pour enchilada sauce over the top, then sprinkled with shredded cheese.
• Bake for 30 minutes until bubbly and lightly browned.

>158 banjo123: Thank you so much, Rhonda!! Somewhat Americanized and lighter sound perfect. I have cooked chicken, sour cream and tortillas in the fridge (as well as some "Mexican Blend" grated cheese which might work in lieu of the cheddar) so I think I'll give it a try tonight. I have to pass right by Fred's this afternoon so can easily stop for the rest of the ingredients.

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>158 banjo123: I adore enchiladas but have terrible luck rolling corn tortillas without their crumbling to bits, so I like the sound of your recipe. Thanks for sharing, Rhonda!

OK, Rhonda, that was a WINNER!! We both really liked it. I wasn't sure what to do with the refried beans so I spread a thin layer on each tortilla which ended up being a little more refried beans than the recipe called for but I didn't think it was too much. We used the green Las Palmas sauce. We loved it and I think I've found a new pot luck supper dish ... something I often struggle with. So THANK YOU RHONDA!!

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Black Butterflies by Priscilla Morris*****

This powerful book is set in Sarajevo in 1992, the first year of a siege and of the war over the division of the old Yugoslavia into the current countries. The main character, Zara, is an artist and art professor of Serbian heritage whose family has lived in Sarajevo for generations. Her elderly mother isn't doing well so Zara's husband agrees to take her to visit their daughter who is married to an English man and lives in the U.K. When the siege unexpectedly starts she is trapped and has to face it alone.

A fairly quick but haunting read. Highly recommended.

>164 RebaRelishesReading: - Looking forward to this one. Laura is sending it to me, after Vivian got it from Ellen (I think that's the correct chain of custody!).

I'm so excited! I just found out Richard Russo has written a new book which will be out July 25! I hope the Chautauqua bookstore has their order in!

>165 katiekrug: Laura has finished it now too so you should get it soon I imagine. It's excellent.

Hi Reba! I'm fairly caught up, after accidentally falling into a black hole. Some of your recent reads have made it on to my TBR: particularly I Have Some Questions for You, Black Butterflies, and The Lamplighters. Sounds like you had a good trip back to San Diego - I'm hoping to return before too long.

>167 AMQS: Hi Anne -- always nice to see you here. Glad to have grabbed your interest with some of my recent reading. I would say that Black Butterflies is by far the best of those three but I enjoyed them all.

Recent trip to San Diego was brief but fun since we spent a lot of time with big grandson and he's delightful!! We have no current plans to go back but things do seem to keep coming up :)

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Thanks for pointing me (through Jim's thread) to yesterday's opinion piece about Trump and lies. Whichever component of the behavior is more potent, the combination of identity, gloom and paranoia is a terrible challenge to our democracy. I don't know if we will get out of this one in one piece.

>170 ffortsa: Indeed, Judy, it is worrisome.

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Family life is fun and sometimes challenging -- right? Here's a run-down of events in our immediate clan:

Little grandson (child of younger daughter) was here the other day and when we started to have lunch discovered he had forgotten to bring his water bottle -- immediate storm/meltdown on the horizon. Then Grandpa (aka Hubby) brought out the water-in-a-box we had left from our recent flight on Alaska Airlines and the storm turned to sunshine in a nano-second. This morning I looked on Amazon and there were the exact-same water boxes for sale and a box of 24 of them will be here today :)

Looks like elder daughter's wedding is going to be in two weeks in a park with cake to follow. I like that better than the "just the two of us and the officiant at the courthouse" they originally planned.

Two years (plus) after Hubby's sister's death it looks like the final steps to wrapping up her estate may be dealt with soon. We found a new accountant to prepare the tax report, retrieved the paperwork from the first one (after being totally stonewalled by him) and delivered it yesterday.

Son has arrived in Kuwait on his National Guard deployment. He's due to be gone 9 months. Daughter-in-law is left at home to care for three dogs and make frequent trips to help her octogenarian parents in Arizona. She's a trooper and perfect military wife imo.

Granddaughter is recovering nicely from her hip surgery. We're hoping she will be able to return to university in August with no more than crutches needed to get around. She's such a joy it hurts to see her hurting -- even if she just keeps smiling through it all.

Big grandson is busy gathering what he will need for his move into the dorm for his freshman year at Cal State Long Beach. Exciting times for him too.

What a fun newsy update, Reba. I'm glad to hear everyone is doing pretty well. Loved the story about the water-in-a-box. It's good to be prepared!

>175 RebaRelishesReading: Your life is NOT dull, Reba! I'm glad so much is going well - especially your granddaughter's recovery.

>176 lauralkeet: Hi Laura! Thank you. I looked on Amazon yesterday and found Water In A Box and now we have 24 said boxes in house :) We're going to go blueberry picking with them tomorrow and I think we'll surprise him with a new box :)

>177 PlatinumWarlock: Thanks Lavina!!

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>179 RebaRelishesReading: “Sometimes the letters you know are NOT in the puzzle help as much as those you do know :)”

That is so true! Process of elimination…

Happy Sunday yo you!

Karen O

The Postcard by Anne Berest***1/2
A selection of my Book Passages First Editions subscription

January 2003 a postcard arrives with the mail. It has a touristy photo estimated to be from the 1990's and only the words:
Ephraim
Emma
Noemie
Jacques
The names of the recipient's grandparents and her aunt and uncle, all of whom died in Auschwitz in 1942. There is no return address or name of sender, just the four names in a column.

From this introduction the story jumps back to 1918 in Russia where newlyweds Ephraim and Emma are visiting his parents and listening to the urging of his father for them to join in with a move to Palestine because the father is concerned about the future for Jews in Russia. The story continues with the younger couple moving first to Latvia, then Palestine and, ultimately, Paris where they are when the Germans occupy northern France in WWII.

In many ways this is a typical WWII Jewish experience novel but with a slightly different feel because the book was written in French by a French woman. It's a gut wrenching story but it didn't seem to add much to the known story nor impact me as much as Black Butterflies, a newer iteration of the man's inhumanity to man horror.

>180 klobrien2: Happy Sunday to you too Karen

Reba, I enjoyed your family update. Little ones keep you on your toes, don't they? Will you be attending the wedding in the park?

Hi Anne -- Enjoying following your trip. We have enjoyed every trip we've taken in Canada. Yes, we'll be attending the wedding! Besides us I expect it will be her Mother, her sister, little grandson, Groom's local siblings and perhaps a few friends. It sounds so like the couple -- low key and simple. I hope the weather cooperates but that's really the only "if" in the picture I think.

>184 RebaRelishesReading:
It sounds like a very nice wedding and like you said - low key and simple. I sometimes wonder about all the fuss for these giant weddings that so many young people seem to think are necessary these days.

Sharon and I are still getting the bulletins about the choir at Chautauqua and I have been enjoying reading them. There are so many changes, but post-COVID change is the rule of the day. I know you will enjoy your visit to the "old camp grounds." Keep us posted. I will love reading about it.

>162 RebaRelishesReading:. Glad that worked for you Reba! It's a flexible recipe, you can leave the refrieds out, or I usually just do small spoonfuls on top of one of the layers. Or, it sounds like, spreading on the tortillas .

Glad that you are enjoying the grandkids! They all sound really great.

I'm glad to see another fan of Black Butterflies. I think it was an excellent first novel.

>185 benitastrnad: Hi Benita -- yes, I keep getting notices of when rehearsals are but since we'll only be there for two weeks I'm not going to participate this trip. I'll just enjoy them from the bleachers :)

>186 banjo123: Hi Rhonda. We both enjoyed it - first time and leftovers both:) As to the grandkids -- wish we could see the "big" ones more often but I do have daily text contact with granddaughter which great and we see the little guy about once a week (we're going blueberry picking on Sauvie this morning). Big grandson is delightful in person and does respond to texts ... within a couple of days anyway :)

>187 BLBera: Hi Beth -- first novel or not I likes it very much. Glad to see it's making the rounds.

Wordle 744 4/6

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train, cloud, lotto, hotel

Dropping by to say "hi" as I play catch-up on threads.

Wordle 745 2/6

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train, irate WHOPEE

>190 thornton37814: Hi Lori, thanks for stopping by!

It's nearly 10 and still only in the low-70's outside. Supposed to be in the 90's for a high today so I'm sitting here telling myself I should get dressed and go walking...myself isn't listening very well however. :(

>193 RebaRelishesReading: No one's asked the most important question about >175 RebaRelishesReading: yet so it falls to me: What kind of cake?

Honestly, all this stuff about not-cake-related stuff can wait, y'all!

>194 richardderus: lol -- remains to be seen. They're organizing all of this themselves :)

(My personal choice would be lemon poppyseed with cream cheese frosting but no one asked me)

So, I did go out for a nice 45-minute walk. By the time I finished it was 79/26 and I was pretty sweaty but felt good to have done it. After lunch I sat down to knit and finish my audio book To Kill A Troubadour by Martin Walker. Finished the book and have moved on to watching Wimbledon. Roger Federer has just joined the royal box and is having a nice chat with the Princess of Wales while a women's singles mach is on (I'm watching a recording).


To Kill a Troubadour by Martin Walker**** (audio)

A typically enjoyable visit to the Perigord. This time there are threats of violence at a concert featuring a song in support of Catalonian independence from Spain. Meanwhile, the popular science teacher at the local school is threatened by her ex-husband's release from prison on parole.

Perfect background for a walk or for knitting :)

>194 richardderus: and >195 RebaRelishesReading: Did someone say cake? (lemon poppyseed w/cream cheese frosting sounds amazing, Reba!)

>196 RebaRelishesReading:
I just finished reading that same book! It is always fun to read about the food and wine of the Périgord. Oh - and sometimes the mystery as well.

It looks like we are suffering the same heat on this coast, Reba. I plan to go to the gym today and exercise in the air conditioning.

>197 PlatinumWarlock: ^^^what Lavinia said (though I myownself would love a carrot cake with cream-cheese icing)

Wordle 746 5/6

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train cloud peony genom venom Don't know why my fourth try seemed more likely than the actual word!

>197 PlatinumWarlock: Hi Lavinia -- I actually like lots of kinds of cake but, right now anyway, that's my favorite

>198 benitastrnad: Hi Benita -- yes, I always enjoy the Bruno books especially along with driving, knitting, walking, etc.

>199 ffortsa: It's 77 already 10:30 am today so going to be another hot one here -- there too Judy? I may think about going to the gym for a bit...or not lol.

>200 richardderus: Carrot with cream-cheese frosting would be high on my list too, Richard

Stay cool everyone!!

>200 richardderus: and >202 RebaRelishesReading: Yes, that too. 😀 Maybe the cream cheese frosting is the selling point for me!

>202 RebaRelishesReading: Yep, here too. More than that, we are traveling to Baltimore today, where it was 90 degrees yesterday. We have a harbor tour scheduled, but with rain in the forecast, I think we will end up inside the boat, alas. I hope the hotel air conditioning holds; at least it has an indoor pool, and I expect the museums to have decent air conditioning as well, as long as the grid holds.

>203 PlatinumWarlock: Hi Lavinia - Almost certainly is for me!!

>204 ffortsa: Looks that makes at least three of us :) Hope you guys have a great time in Baltimore, Judy and that the weather is cooperative.

Wordle 747 4/6

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Some local weather stations reported 98 degrees yesterday. We have a thermometer on the deck but I did NOT go out to look at it both to keep myself from the knowledge and to avoid breathing the "unhealthful" air from a local fire. Supposed to be somewhat cooler today but I have a lot to do since we're having about 16 people over for wine and barbecue tomorrow evening and it's time to get serious about getting ready for that.

>207 RebaRelishesReading: YEEKS! Not the finest of conditions, but the event sounds like you'll have a good time anyway. *smooch*

>207 RebaRelishesReading: I hope the "somewhat cooler" pans out for you and that the event tomorrow goes well!

Have fun getting ready for your gathering, Reba. I hope cooler weather shows up for you or at least no smoky skies.

Thanks for your good wishes Richard, Stasia and Meg -- they seem to have helped :) Current forecast is for partly cloudy, no rain, temps in the 70's in the evening hours so I think all is going to be fine for the get-together. Now to get ready for it!!

Meanwhile, my morning computer routine including:

Wordle 748 5/6

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train, peony, notch, fonts, donut

I mentioned over at Katy's that we saw an excellent production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat last night. We were to have gone with D1 and soon-to-be husband but they changed their tickets to a later date when he got a knee-replacement appointment. Then the doctor broke his hand !!! and surgery has been postponed until he is healed but the tickets couldn't be changed back so we went alone. Great production and fun evening anyway.

Tonight is the "wine group" gathering at our house. We're expecting about 16 at this point. Hubby is outside cleaning the grill and the deck table. I must get off of the computer soon and go and start on my share of the list :( It's 63/17 outside right now -- certainly hope it makes it to the 70/20+ promised. Two days ago we were roasting...now it's chilly at 11 a.m. Certainly keeps things interesting.

My big job today is making two blueberry peach crumbles. I want to time it so that they are ready right when company arrives and I can just turn the oven to "warm" and leave them ready to go. Our other contribution is a variety of sausages on the grill with buns and condiments for those who want them. Everyone will bring a bottle of wine to share and a side dish. I have enough plates, cutlery and napkins and hope I have enough wine glasses without going to the "good" stuff I don't really want to risk outdoors.

Don't think there is any tennis on my calendar today. It's being recorded though so I hope to watch some tomorrow.

>212 RebaRelishesReading: Have a lovely wine-group gathering!

>213 richardderus: Thank you, Richard. We did. The weather cooperated and we were able to grill our sausages and eat them outside and sip on those nice wines everyone brought. I hear Hubby in the kitchen now emptying our fully-filled dish washer. One more load and a few things to bring in from outside and it will all just be a memory :)

Your wine gathering sounds like so much fun, Reba. And that crumble! I bet it was delicious.

Thanks, Laura. It was fun and tthe crumble was really good -- there's some left if you want to come over :) lol

Wordle 750 3/6

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train, peony, enter

I had a major cramp up the back of my thigh yesterday and today it's really sore. Hurts every time I move and I'm terrified I'm going to set off another cramp. :( Poor me.

Otherwise a pretty quiet day in store. Perhaps even some serious reading time -- which hasn't happened for a couple of days.

Enjoy your quiet reading day, Reba.

>218 Familyhistorian: Thank you, Meg -- if it turns out that way I certainly will :)

>216 RebaRelishesReading: OMW to nab some leftover crumble...vanilla-bean ice cream okay?

Sunday *smooch*

Sounds like you all are amazing hosts!

>220 richardderus: Yep, vanilla-bean exactly. Sorry, though, the ice cream is all gone and the crumble will be gone shortly after D2 and little grandson arrive. Wish I could share it with you though.

>221 banjo123: What a nice thing two say, Rhonda. It was fun but my back is still aching even though yesterday I did a lot of sitting with alternating ice and heat on it. Getting old is no fun sometimes :(

So I thought I might get some serious reading done yesterday but instead I watched a very long, very good tennis match (Rublev v Budlik) and knitted. Very little reading I'm afraid.

This morning little grandson and his mom will be visiting so I won't get either tennis or reading done ... perhaps this afternoon.

Wordle 752 6/6

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train, cloud, smart, attar, party, earth

Yesterday's treat was watching Ons Jabeur win her match almost without breaking a sweat. Lots of stuff needs doing on the computer this morning so I may not get much TV time today -- we'll see.

I did finish an excellent little book about dealing with ASD children. I highly recommend it to anyone interacting with children on the spectrum and may read it again every time we're expecting a visit until it becomes second nature to me.
It's out of print and most of the used book sites on the net have very high expectations for its value but I managed to find a copy for "only" $29 but am so happy with it I'm not complaining


Grandparent's Guide to Autism Spectrum Disorders by Nancy Mucklow*****

Wordle 753 5/6

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I've been chained to my desk since I got up this morning but I'm thinking about moving to the TV and watching some tennis...well, I did make the bed, get dressed and have some breakfast, but otherwise have been doing my morning rounds on-line.

>224 RebaRelishesReading: How I wish that'd been around 20 years ago!

*smooch*

>226 richardderus: There's ever so much more it would have been good for the world to know about ASD 20 years ago. I remember doing an internship at the baby ward at Fairview State Hospital way back when and there was a little girl there diagnosed as "autistic" and they/we had no idea at all what to do with her. Poor thing, I hate to think what her life must have been/be like. I'm confident our grandson's life will be very different than that (he's also not nearly as far on the spectrum as she was) and hope to be around to see what his bright, creative mind gives the world. 😘

Wordle 754 4/6

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I did manage to watch Ons' match yesterday where she did have to work for it -- great match.

I never reported that I have managed to find cleaners. It's a small company owned by a young woman who took it over from her mother. They come in a group -- usually the owner + two but yesterday it was 4 of them, one who had been with the owner each time before. They descend, go straight to their work and leave an hour or so later with a shining house in their wake. I'm lovin' it!!

Off to knitting group in a few minutes then I have errands to run including (I think) trying to get a haircut at one of the chain shops. I'm desperate!!

>228 RebaRelishesReading: Coincidentally, I was getting desperate too, so I just got my hair cut today at one of the chains. It's hot, so I'm glad to get that off my neck.

>224 RebaRelishesReading: Good book to read. My sister's grandson has tentatively been diagnosed by a pediatrician as autistic , but they are waiting to be seen by a private psycholgist that specializes in diagnosing those who might be on the spectrum. He's lovely little 4 year old, but he had a speech delay, which he seems to have caught up on, but displays some behaviour that are not " normal" whatever, that is. Aggressive behaviour, that is quite far beyond the usual for anyone. But fortunately his grandparents on both sides as well as his parents are very good with it all . When I see him , he seems very " normal' and well behaved.

I hope your hair cut went well.

>229 atozgrl: Hi Irene. I ended up stopping by a place where I had gone on a reference several months ago. I liked the haircut I got there then but when I called for an appointment with that stylist she never returned my call. This time there was a male stylist with an opening an hour after my stop so I took it and I'm very happy with the cut and am thinking I may switch to him.

>230 vancouverdeb: Fortunately our little guy is (very) verbal and not aggressive -- he does have some earth-shaking melt-down screaming sessions from time to time but otherwise he's pretty calm. You might recommend the book to your sister even though it's hard to find. I found it very helpful in understanding what he's experiencing as well as how to best deal with it.

>231 RebaRelishesReading: hooray for a successful haircut experience! Bonus points for finding a potential regular stylist.

>231 RebaRelishesReading: I'm glad you got such a good haircut. With the chains, it can be hit or miss, since you get whatever stylist is available. Mine was with someone I hadn't seen before, and it wasn't as good as previous cuts. But I got it cut shorter this time, due to the current heat, and I am glad to have my hair off my neck! I hope you will be able to get the same stylist next time!

Thanks Laura and Irene -- actually this isn't a chain and I can make future appointments with the same stylist. So, I hope I'm sorted for the near future at least.

Wordle 756 3/6

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Yesterday was D1's wedding day -- very, very low-key just like the couple themselves. We met at a picnic table in a big park. Two brothers, one sister-in-law and one nephew on his side. Her mom, us, D2, Pseudo-son-in -law and little grandson on hers. An officiant arrived a little after we got there — filled out the paperwork and then they stood aside and said their vows while the rest of us looked on and took photos. Officiant left and we had cake and soft drinks then all went home. I asked her if she felt different and she shyly said "a little".

Back home I watched Wimbledon semi-final with Jabeur which rounded out a very nice day. (Didn't like the results I just stumbled onto for the finals however).

>234 RebaRelishesReading: All the best to your daughter and all the family and may the little be a great good.

>234 RebaRelishesReading:. That sounds like a lovely wedding. Congrats to the couple on having a wedding that worked for them!

Thanks, Susan and Rhonda -- it really was perfect for them and they said their vows like they really meant them which is nice too :)

>234 RebaRelishesReading: How sweet. I hope they'll be very happy!

Congratulations on your daughter’s wedding . It sounds perfect!

The wedding sounds lovely, Reba. Here's to the happy couple!

Congratulations, Reba!

>234 RebaRelishesReading: "we had cake"

WHAT KIND?! I'm slobbering over here needing to know!!

:-P

Sunday *smooch*

Thank you Lavinia, Meg, Laura and Diana. It was nice.

I don't know what kind of cake it was Richard (honest, I don't). I was dense and sort of gray and frosted with buttercream frosting. It was VERY sweet but with no particular taste that I could discern -- it was good but won't be on my favorites list.

Wordle 757 3/6

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We went out to breakfast this morning at a favorite place which was a very nice start to the day.

This afternoon the neighborhood is having a backyard barbecue. It's supposed to be in the 90's I think so I hope they have shade. I bought a plate of slices of various kinds of cheesecake as our contribution -- also hope that doesn't have to sit out in the sun.

Last night as I was closing the blind on the sliding door to the backyard I noticed a strange tower of lights in the distance. It's in the view shed we gained from the tree removals next door but we had never noticed it. After breakfast we drove around in the area where we thought it had to be and discovered a very tall, large cell antenna pole which we'd never noticed -- pretty sure it's our mystery tower but Hubby wants to drive by at night and see if the light's confirm it. In the daytime we've also noticed we have a couple of "peeks" at some peaks we couldn't see before because of the trees -- a change I'm quite happy about. If you stand at just the right place at the corner of our deck you can even see Mt. St. Helens :)

Other than that, we're starting to get serious about what to take for our trip to Chautauqua -- we leave Thursday. New son-in-law will be driving us to the airport :)

...and that's the news from Lake Vancouver.

Congrats to your daughter and her husband!

Congratulations to your daughter and SIL! It sounds like a lovely wedding. Nice not to have all the fuss.

>244 RebaRelishesReading: Congrats also on the improved view from your deck. I'm sure you'll enjoy it!

I hope you have a wonderful trip!

>245 katiekrug:, >246 atozgrl: Thanks, Katie and Irene. It was really perfect for them and they seem to be really good together :)

As to the view -- the lights were there one night but we haven't seen them since -- most strange!! The overall view is improved imo and I do enjoy it every time I look outside :).

Wordle 759 3/6

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train plead flyer I put in the third word thinking "not it but I'll get more info" -- imagine my surprise :)

I need to move on to DuoLingo now, then get the laundry started so we'll have clean things to pack tomorrow and then I want to finish Mad Honey so I can report on it. Amazing book!!

Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan***** (audio)

I listened to this book on audio but I liked it so much I immediately ordered a hard cover copy to keep and to share with others. What a wonderful book!!

Jodi Picoult is a well known author of “literary fiction, legal thrillers, psychological portraits, romances, and ghost stories” (quoting Wikipedia). Jennifer Finney Boylan is an author, media contributor and professor who serves as the “Anna Quindlen Writer in Residence at Barnard College of Columbia University. In 2022-23, she was a Fellow at the Radcliffe Center for Advanced Study at Harvard University” (from her web site) . She is a trans-woman who shared her experiences in She’s Not Here and Stuck in the Middle with You: A Memoir of Parenting in Three Genders — both excellent books. Together they have produced a great story with a lot of important information in it.

One night Jennifer dreamed that she had co-written a book with Jodi. She called Jodi to tell her the next morning and the response was a resounding “let’s do it”. The result is this fantastic book, Mad Honey. The story is told from two perspectives: Olivia, who was physically abused during her previous marriage and now lives with her son, Asher, in New Hampshire making a living as a bee-keeper and purveyor of honey; and Lily the young woman Asher falls in love with. This book has relationships (good and bad), courtroom suspense, information about gender and sexuality (that I learned from), and bee-keeping (also learned from) all rolled into a wonderful story that had me on the edge of my seat sometimes and crying at others. There are some plot twists that I think add to the enjoyment of the book so I won't say more and recommend you be careful about what you learn elsewhere before reading the book.

It’s amazing — read it!

Perhaps because it's the end of the afternoon and I'm tired but I can't see what is wrong with the book cover info in the post above -- if you see it please let me know and I'll fix it -- or I'll try again tomorrow :)

>251 RebaRelishesReading: Looks fine to me. I like the juxtaposition of Wish You were Here and She's not There on the cover.

>250 RebaRelishesReading: Okay you got me with that one, Reba. I'm on my library's hold list now!

The cover looks fine to me too, but one of your touchstones goes to the wrong book. I think you meant to reference She's Not There.

>252 quondame:, >253 lauralkeet: So, Susan and Laura, it looks fine to you?!? It's about 6x it's normal size on my computer -- and, this morning, I don't have any touch stones showing at all!! This is all just adding to me thinking I need to get a new computer -- maybe when we get back from Chautauqua I will.

Whatever... I'm glad to have BB'd you Laura. l really think it's worth reading (could you tell? 🤣)

>250 RebaRelishesReading: So great when a good read is also an education in things one never knew were absent from the knowledge base.

Wednesday *smooch*

The Mad Honey does look a bit large on my monitor, but not crazily so...

I read it last year and agree with your enthusiastic review. I thought it was very well done, and an important book that I hope will bring more people to understanding and acceptance.

>255 richardderus: I agree, Richard, it is nice to learn as well as enjoy when reading and these are important things for the world to start understanding.

>256 katiekrug: Hi Katie. Still crazy big on mine but I'm starting to think it's just one more bug my computer has developed. When we get back from Chautauqua I think I'm going to have to replace this one.

I love that you share my enthusiasm for Mad Honey -- or, since you were first, I guess I'm sharing yours :) Would be nice to make it required reading, don't you think?

Wordle 760 3/6

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>258 RebaRelishesReading: Interesting to know your starter word is accepted. I mean yes it's a commonly used word, but I don't think of it as an English word. However, online dictionaries prove me wrong.

>259 lauralkeet: Hi Laura. I read an article on frequently used starter + second words used in Wordle and one combination mentioned was señor ducat and I've started using it occasionally. Of course, you don't get the tilda in Wordle so it probably isn't a word at all but the game accepts it so sometimes I use it just for the change.

Congratulations to your daughter and new son-in-law. The wedding sounds wonderful. Safe travels.

>254 RebaRelishesReading: A bit big. I always include a height=200 in my cover img html statments to have a uniform appearance no matter how small or huge the source image is.

>261 BLBera: Thank you Beth :)

>262 quondame: Hi Susan! I always specify a width ("150") which I did this time and it usually gives me a fairly small, but readable copy of the cover. This one is huge by comparison -- at least on my screen -- and I can't figure out why :(

>251 RebaRelishesReading: Looking at the source it looks like you didn't set the with in this picture, Reba, or you didn't set it the right way. Some computers don't show the " right, maybe a copy and paste from a previous msg would work?

All packed up and ready to go. S-i-l will be here around 11 to take us to the airport.

Meanwhile, I'm doing my "usual" morning computer routine--
Wordle 761 6/6

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Have a great trip, Reba!

I also took 6 today....

>266 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie -- both for the trip wishes and also for making me feel less bad about the 6. Thanks went a little better today.

Wordle 762 5/6

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We're in Toledo, Ohio tonight. We'll drive on to Chautauqua tomorrow. Had an interesting start to the trip yesterday. Airplane was fully boarded and ready to go about 10 minutes before posted departure time. Pilot announced that we were taking on extra fuel because there was "some weather" we were going to have to fly around. A couple of minutes later he announced that the fueling was finished but that when they tried to remove the jetway the ground crew found that it had become attached to the airplane's door. Repair crew was summoned. They worked and worked and finally after about 1 1/2 hours captain reported that it was now free but they needed to do some minor repairs on the door. Another 15 minutes or so the door was declared repaired, it closed and we were finally able to take off.

This episode of "funny things that happen at the airport" reminded me of a time, years ago, when we landed at LAX, jetway was extended but withdrawn before the door was opened. Turned out a swarm of bees had formed in the opening of the jetway. The "bee guy" was called and a long time later had done whatever was necessary to encourage the bees to find another home so we could be released from the plane.

As long as my strange airport experiences stay on the ground I will keep laughing -- just hope never to have an exciting airborne experience to report.

>268 RebaRelishesReading: Boring air travel is always nice...enjoy Chautauqua!

>269 richardderus: Thank you Richard -- it's been a while so we're really looking forward too it :)

Welcome to Ohio, Reba! Even if it's just for a short stay...

>271 scaifea: Thanks, Amber. We'll be moving on in a little bit. I'll be thinking of you again later in the trip when we're at Turkey Run for family reunion :)

Wordle 763 5/6

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>272 RebaRelishesReading: Right! I hope you have a great time!

We have arrived at Chautauqua and we're once more aware that it's a long, long ways from WA!! We visited our favorite grocery store (Wegmans) and got provisions for at least a few days and then moved into our apartment. A friend is sharing it with us and she has been here a week already so we were able to move in as soon as we arrived. We're pretty settled now and looking forward to looking around the grounds a bit tomorrow. I have a stack of books with me and am looking forward to spending a good bit of time with those too.

>275 RebaRelishesReading: I'm happy to hear that you've arrived safely and that it was an easy settling-in - I hope you have a great time!

>276 scaifea: It's interesting, Amber. We haven't been here since 2019 and a lot has changed both because of Covid-time impacts as well as the fact that a new president was appointed in 2018 and he's intent on making changes -- many of which are not popular with long-time Chautauquans. Still we've seen a few old friends and the grounds are still beautiful so it's good to be back.

Between Two Moons by Aisha Abdel Award***1/2

There is a lot of chatter going on about this book but I read it because it came as part of my First Editions Book "Club" from The Book Passage book store.

The story revolve around a Muslim family in Brooklyn, NY set during Ramadan. The parents immigrated from Egypt and the three children were born in the US. The son (early 20's) was just released from prison after serving several years for theft. Twin daughters Lina and Amira are high school students. Lina is a wild child while Amira is the good girl. The book deals with Islamaphobia as well as some lower-key distrust between various Islamic immigrants from different countries while mainly being an about young people coming of age in a culture different from their own.

I really wanted to like this book and I felt a bit bad that it left me rather bored so I went looking to see what others thought about it (to see what I was missing) and found HoldMyBook's review which reflects my feelings exactly.

Wordle 764 4/6

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Wordle 765 5/6

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Lazy morning this morning. Hubby has left the grounds to run some errands and go to RR park to see if any of his old buddies are hanging out there. BFF (with whom we're sharing an apartment) just left to go walk and work out (she's the fittest person I've ever known and determined to stay that way). When I finish up here I'm going to go out and see what the world of Chautauqua is up to today -- maybe to the 10:45 session on infrastructure financing, maybe not. I started reading First Ladies by Marie Benedict and am enjoying it a lot so I may just go over to the main plaza, find myself a comfy rocker and keep reading :)

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Day two at Chautauqua was very musical. We went to a classical guitar quartet concert at 4:00 and then the Youth Symphony Orchestra and School of Dance performed much of The Nutcracker and then other original works in the evening. Chautauqua has a summer programs for high school and college age folks who are likely to become professional musicians or dancers. They really are amazing and attending their performances and competitions are a large part of my time here.

Today's main speaker is Mike Huckabee and we've decided to give that a miss. I'll spend most of that time reading Benedict's The First Ladies which I'm enjoying. In the afternoon there is a piano recital by a guest piano faculty member and then this evening the professional symphony orchestra, which is resident here every summer, will present "Dawson and More".

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Good morning from Chautauqua on another lovely day. I'm planning to go sit, rock and read in my favorite spot on the porch of the main hotel this morning. I may go over to the main speaker at 10:45...or I may not. There's a jazz singer in the amphitheater this evening and we'll definitely go to that.

>282 RebaRelishesReading: I was momentarily bumfuzzled by your possible attendance at Huckabee's talk until I saw that was yesterday not today. I'm so glad this is a good vacation for y'all.

>283 richardderus: Hi Richard. I'm afraid I am bumfuzzling from time to time. So sorry. 😔

The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray****1/2

I really enjoyed this fictionalized biographical story of the friendship between Eleanor Roosevelt and Mary McLeod Bethune (who was often called First Lady of the Struggle) for several reasons. First, I am an admirer of Mrs. Roosevelt and enjoy reading about her efforts on behalf of humanity. Second, I knew nothing about Mrs. Bethune and am now an admirer of her. Finally, this is an excellent refresher on the struggles against segregation, lynching and other appalling things that have gone on in this country and it's written in the easy-to-read style I've come to expect from Ms. Benedict. Darned good read.