Good bye 2012

Almost 2013- I will not be sorry to see 2012 end. It seemed to be a year of many changes- some good, some not so good. Yesterday afternoon it started to snow and it came down fairly heavy until about 10:30. It is the light fluffy kind and quite pretty. Finished Some Girls... last night. I enjoyed it immensely. Not a long read but you can definitely get a strong idea of the situation in Vienna as Hitler rose to power and took away more rights of the Jews. Intense. Not sure what I'll read next. I am compiling a stack of books for our vacation- among the selected are Steve Jobs (biography), The Dovekeepers, Wolf Hall. I will also bring my iPad in case I want to down load a book. I do know there is a Barnes and Noble close to our rental - just in case.

Finished The Age of Miracles- I enjoyed it, interesting concept. Started Some Girls, Some Hats and Hitler a biography of Trudi Kanter living in Vienna, Austria at the start of WWII. I have been curious about WWII and that part of history for years.

Last night it snowed (maybe 3") and then the snow turned to rain. Today is a grey day with drizzle and it is cold outside.

Might be a good day for a cup of tea and my book.

Merry Christmas!

Countdown

Two more days until Christmas, well actually one and a bit. I have one more baked good to make. Every year I made a cardamom braid for breakfast on Christmas day. The cookies are baked, eggnog scones (gluten free for my daughter). The beef tenderloin is defrosting. Just have to wrap a few presents tomorrow.

Started The Age of Miracles. Pretty good so far. Since I usually read at night sometimes it is hard to focus but I was hooked from the beginning of this story.

Snowflakes, a moment of silence

This morning I drove to our town green at 9:25 and listened to the two churches ring their bells in memory of the children and teachers and staff who lost their lives last Friday in Sandy Hook. It was raining so hard I could barely hear the bells and very windy and the weather seemed very appropriate for the moment of silence. Yesterday I learned how to make paper snowflakes. I never made these with my children when they were little. I made 20 and delivered them to the elementary school. The CT PTA has asked people to make the snowflakes so the elementary school in Monroe,where the Sandy Hook students will be attending in January, will be decorated. Seems so little - a few snowflakes, a moment of silence....

A rainy, drizzly,cold, grey day. Have finished In the Shadow of the Banyan. Beautifully written, disturbing. As I have little knowledge of the Khmer Rough/Cambodian revolution I found this very interesting although I feel the need to do a bit of research to fill in the gaps. Have moved on to a lighter, shorter book- Anna Quindlan's Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake. Humorous and insightful a welcome respite from the last book.

Christmas Pageant

Today my church held its annual Christmas Pageant with the church school children. I can remember when my children were participants. It was so moving especially in light of the horrible event on Friday. Tears were in my eyes almost from the first carol. This year there was a sheep who baa-d throughout, a goat named Noel and 4 llamas who were very regal (no camels). It was a wonderful introduction to the fourth week of Advent.

A terrible day in Connecticut

As so many know yesterday in Newtown, Connecticut, a terrible tragedy occurred when a lone man walked into the Sandy Hook elementary school and shot 20 students and 6 teachers and staff and then committed suicide. Horrible, unbelievable and terrifying especially for the young students. So innocent. School is supposed to be a safe place and at least one teacher was killed while hiding her students. Awful. It is so hard to wrap my head around this. I don't understand why the United States can not pass decent gun control laws to prevent the sale and use of weapons that can hold so many rounds of ammunition. The guns used were bought (apparently) legally but why should any individual own a weapon that can fire off so many bullets without reloading? These are not sports guns or rifles- they were designed to kill many. They should not be in the hands of individuals. And again, the issue of mental health services is being brought up and the care provided to those individuals who have problems. In times like these one questions why it is so hard to get insurance companies to pay for services and why now is not the time to cut those services provided by the government. I had to turn off the public radio this afternoon as I could not listen anymore. My prayers and thoughts are with the townspeople, the families, the first responders, - everyone who turned out to help....I hope that the families will be able to find some comfort some day. I hope that some good will come of this tragedy.

Happy 12-12-12!

Happy 12-12-12! Two years ago my husband and I spent a month in Florida. I bought this orchid at a roadside stand for $6. Amazingly enough I kept it alive and it has bloomed!!

Have started reading In the Shadow of the Banyan. Not that far into it but so far I like it even though the topic is a blight on Cambodian history.

My book club meets Sunday for the annual Christmas potluck and Yankee Swap. I still have to find a gift- tomorrow is a busy day with my turn on altar guild, errands etc. Have collected items (gender neutral) for 5 bags that represent stockings for the homeless who participate at an outdoor church service. Have to get Christmas-y looking bags tomorrow and package the items in each bag. May just watch a DVD tonight. My choices are Hugo and Sarah's Key. Hmmm....

On my way to church Sunday morning I passed a parish office for one of the other downtown churches. This group of flamingoes was on the grounds. I remember in October the flamingoes were appropriately attired for Halloween. Makes me smile.

I took out two books this afternoon- The Art of Fielding and In The Shadow of the Banyan. Both are on my to read list.

Pie in the Sky

Starting to put out Christmas decorations. Candles in the windows, lights outside, two banners.

One of the banners that I made a couple of years ago. Got to work on a couple of quilt projects this afternoon. In the process of organizing my sewing/quilting/crafting area - a slow process for sure. My book group met Monday night. A rather disjointed discussion. We missed our October meeting due to Hurricane Sandy and then the snow storm. Plus with all the catching up it was hard to focus. Almost everyone liked Deadline (except one which didn't surprise me). I was flattered when three members said they had recommended the book to teachers to be included in the curriculum. One (a principal) asked two students (a boy and a girl) to read it to get their feedback. I am really curious as to their reactions. Everyone enjoyed Work Song. That was a better discussion- we learned about the expression "pie in the sky", labor unions, the little red book among other things. Very descriptive writing. Would like to read more by Ivan Doig. Our next meeting is our annual Christmas Party with Yankee swap. Potluck dinner with good friends- doesn't get better than that!

Happy Thanksgiving! Have a wonderful day.

Last post it was snowing. We got national attention with a record 13.5 inches of show! And by Thursday afternoon a significant amount had melted. Crazy weather. Have started reading Memoirs

of An Imaginary Friend. Interesting premise. Borrowed the book from my niece who selected it for her book group. She said everyone really enjoyed it. Tonight I am attending a talk at the library by Kathy Leonard Czepiel who wrote the book A Violet Season.

Set in the Hudson Valley in the last 1800s it is the story of a mother and daughter and their journey facing hardship. I had heard that it was good so it will be fun to hear the author (who is a professor at Quinnipiac University) and how she came about writing the story and the research for it.

The election is over. Tired but glad- no more political calls, nasty ads and I am hopeful for the future. Today our weather forecast was for an inch of snow and then turning to a rainy mix. It has been snowing since 10:30 and hasn't let up. We have at least 5 inches of snow and now it is predicted to go through the night. Roads are icy and slick. So, hurricane last week and now a Nor'easter today.

Hard to see but I had three deer in the backyard early in the storm. Have filled up the bird feeders twice today- poor birds. Good night to stay in, read or quilt. Have filled the bathtubs (again) and hope we don't lose power......

I hope this week is more "normal" than last week with Hurricane Sandy, no power etc. Having written that, it is unrealistic to expect that this week will be anything like normal since we have an election tomorrow that is very close. Too close. Very worried that people haven't been paying attention to the steady but slow progress our economy has made, the changes that work against women that the Romney/Ryan ticket support and propose and are only listening to promises that protect the 1% (very wealthy) and do away with services and programs that help the less fortunate. When I became 18 I registered to vote as a Republican. In fact the majority of voters in my hometown were Republicans. And families back one and two generations were Republicans, it was just expected that you would- Democrats were considered bad and not good for the economy etc. After I got married and moved back to my home town (still a Republican as was my husband) the first year I voted on our town's budget referendum, the budget was defeated. After 8 referendum (referenda?) and manipulations by the Republican controlled administration I went to the town hall and changed my party affiliation. I was appalled that the First Selectman and his party had actively worked against supporting the education budget. I truly believe in providing an excellent public school system and in our town the most money was going to the town side budget. Long story but in the end I don't feel I can relate to anything the Republican party stands for today. Having said that please go and vote tomorrow. I am supporting Barack Obama- I think he has done what he said he would do in spite of the lack of cooperation from the Republicans. And he deserves another 4 years. The economy is improving, albeit slowly, women' rights will be protected (this is a big issue for me), the country is getting out of the wars..... I just don't understand how anyone, especially women, can vote for Romney. Please vote tomorrow. Please support Barack Obama for another term.

My husband and I had the opportunity to go to Aruba for a week courtesy of a friend who had not rented his time share. Lovely to be away despite cloudy weather the first four days (Hurricane Sandy) and while the trip home was nerve wracking due to the situation of HS we made it home with just a minor delay. Pictured are some of the fishing boats near the high rise section of Aruba.

Our son had prepared the house for the storm- filling bathtubs, taking in furniture etc. We were without power for 5 days but thanks to a great utility crew from Nova Scotia our power was restored late Friday afternoon. My book club had to cancel our meeting on Monday night due to the storm and will discuss two books in November - Deadline and Work Song. Lots to talk about. While on vacation I did read a bit but not as much as I had anticipated. Rules of Civility, Moonflower Vine, When in Doubt Add Butter, My Brilliant Friend and The Case of the Missing Servant. I also grabbed a book from my daughter's book shelf- real chick lit- True Lies of A Drama Queen (very silly but fun and light). Have started The Case of the Man who Died Laughing set in India. Getting ready to vote on Tuesday. Working as Moderator of Absentee Ballots. Weather hopefully will be nice on Tuesday although a Nor'easter is predicted for Wednesday....

Rainy day trying to get things accomplished on the to-do list. I did manage to find some questions for the discussion of Deadline for my book club that I sent out. And I also compiled a biography of Chris Crutcher for the group so they had some understanding of his background. Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending the dedication of a new building at a facility called Fellowship Place which provides services to adults suffering from chronic mental health issues. Some politicos were there, clients, donors, Board members and Administrators. It was pretty well attended I think, nicely organized and the weather cooperated.

Here is President of the Board of Directors Ronald Netter cutting the ribbon.

Pictured right is the Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services for the State of CT Patricia Rehmer, State Representative Patricia Dillon, Ron Netter and Senator Richard Blumenthal. Fellowship Place is a wonderful facility that accomplishes much for its clients. I really learned a lot about it and I was glad I had the time to attend.

In 1926 Winnie the Pooh was published. One of my childhood favorites.

“Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind. "Pooh?" he whispered. "Yes, Piglet?" "Nothing," said Piglet, taking Pooh's hand. "I just wanted to be sure of you.” ― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

Yesterday was my anniversary - 33 years YIKES! When did the time go? Anyway, my husband I celebrated by staying at home and having a fancy dinner- shrimp cocktail

prosecco with raspberries

steak and coconut pound cake

Today we drove to Boston to visit with our daughter and have a celebratory brunch. Ate at Tres Gatos in Jamaica Plains and had a delicious meal. I had to bring home the rice pudding as there was just too much food.

October is National Reading Month. I finished Pie Town- fun, light read. The first in what is going to be a series. Have started Salvage The Bones. This is a very different book- not that far into it but already I am depressed. Like the writing but the story is going to be tough.

Last night I finished The Boy in the Suitcase a mystery thriller that I couldn't put down. It was quite good, caught my attention from the first page. I had to get used to the style of writing- short chapters using each main character's POV to move the story forward. I was surprised with the ending. Apparently this is the first of what will be a series starring Nina Borg, a Red Cross nurse who wants to save the world.

My next book is going to be a bit lighter- Pie Town by Lynne Hinton whose other books I have read.

Finished reading Work Song the November book selection for the group.

I enjoyed Doig's style of writing, his characters and the history tied into the story. Apparently the main character, Morgan "Morrie" was in another book, The Whistling Season, and this book obviously continues his story on the run from Chicago gangsters after he and his brother throw a fight and collect lots of money. I learned a bit about copper mining and it's history in Montana. Should be an interesting discussion. Have even made notes so I won't forget too much before the November meeting. Started The Boy in the Suitcase which is a "hot" book right now. And rightly so. I was hooked from page one and hate to put it down to sleep! Not the most upbeat topic, child trafficking, but the writing and the style are really good. Translated but I think it is well done. I do need to get a bit of work done on my questions for the October book- Deadline- and maybe a bit of author bio. Am inspired by my niece who started a blog to maybe change the look of this blog...will look into that.

All the books I requested at the library have been picked up. Lots of reading ahead. Starting with Work Song by Ivan Doig set in Butte Montana. Historical fiction which I really enjoy. Watched the debates last night. I thought Mitt Romney was aggressive and disrespectful to the moderator and President Obama (interrupting) and ignoring the time limits. I thought President Obama could have been more aggressive but hey he doesn't have the time to practice like Mitt- he is trying to run a country and counteract the lack of cooperation from across the aisle.....I wonder how many people changed their minds after last night's debate? Wonder how many will watch the next one (or two)?

Had two coupons for B & N that expired today. So, in spite of my goal of not buying any more books this year I couldn't resist. The Rules of Civility and My Brilliant Friend. Almost done with the latest Darling Dahlias book and then I have my book club books to tackle. Trying a new recipe- crock pot beer chicken- smells pretty good.

Stopped at the library this morning, after going to the gym and then handing out literature for Chris Murphy campaign, to pick up Salvage the Bones, another book club selection....have to get going on my reading.

Picked up Work Song this morning from the library. And this afternoon I received a call from the library telling me I had another book in. I need to finish the Darling Dahlias before I start anything else. Plus I need to prepare for the October book club meeting. The book I selected is Deadline (YA) and I need to get some questions together.

Just requested three books from the library from our new book club list...Salvage the Bones, Boy in the Suitcase and Work Song.

Trying to figure out how to get to my dashboard to check on the blogs I am following.....

Had a wonderful book club buddies weekend in Rhode Island. The weather was perfect, the company great, food was fabulous!!! We accomplished so much- planned our entire year with dates, hosts and books. Whoo-hoo!

Here is the gang (well most of it- two couldn't make the weekend) before our gourmet lunch on Saturday. Went to the beach Saturday afternoon for a swim and Sunday morning we walked the beach. Fabulous time. Wonderful group of women- so glad to call them my friends.

Looks like it will be a tradition from now on to meet in RI in September and plan our year.

Summer is really over. Yesterday my husband and I went to the beach. The surf was high, undertow very strong, water was warm. It was really nice despite some wind. Didn't really have much time on the beach this year as I spent many hours sorting, and then packing up my parents' things to move into assisted living. They are moved into a beautiful new apartment and are very happy and getting settled. We also moved our daughter out of one apartment into another - three trips to Boston in one week!! Her new apartment that she is sharing with her boyfriend is beautiful- large with hardwood floors, lots of sunlight and in a safe neighborhood with on street parking! My book buddies are coming to our house in RI for another weekend. Last year it was such success that it needed to become an annual event. I am trying to be a bit more organized. Have selected the dates for the next year, have encouraged those people who didn't select a book to come with a couple of suggestions and have even typed a page to record reading ideas and presenters! I also threw out the idea that maybe we should read a classic, read according to a theme, and maybe think about discontinuing the practice of having read the book before recommending it. There are just too many books that everyone wants to read and sometimes you don't have the desire or time to re-read a book to present it to the group. No one has expressed any opinions on any of my ideas but I am sure there will be plenty of discussion Saturday night when we have our dinner.

Still packing for my parents however we are almost at the end. They move on Weds. I feel like I have missed the summer. Still sailing with my son. Last week there was no wind at all so it was more frustrating than fun. Have been reading Crossing to Safety recommended by a friend. I had not heard of Wallace Stegner but several of my friends have read his books. Slow to start, very descriptive, I like it enough to finish but not sure I love it.

Almost done with Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. I have seen this book at the local book store and library and frankly the cover put me off. It was creepy, ghoulish and for the life of me I couldn't pick it up to read. For some reason two weeks ago I saw it again at the library and decided I should at least give it a try since it is on several best seller lists. The premise is that a young man has heard fairy tale type stories from his grandfather accompanied by black and white photos. Upon his grandfather's death the young man decides he needs to find out more about his grandfather's past. To my surprise the story is not so much a mystery but rather more of a time travel- fantasy tale with a good vs evil story line. Not as creepy as I expected. Have been spending hours helping my 90yr old mother and 94 yr old father (with ALZ) pack up their home of 53 years to move to assisted living. Lots of memories, lots of treasures and lots of junk!! Many boxes containing some one else's treasure are going to the church tag sale. Also have made time to sail with my son. We placed 2nd in our Beetle sailboat for the month of July. He is a very able, competent and smart skipper with whom I have total confidence.

Still reading The Time in Between- slowly- but enjoying it. Learning more about the Spanish Revolution- Franco- etc. Long week. Looking forward to the weekend and spending time with my family. My daughter's birthday is Sunday. So Saturday we will drive to Boston to have dinner with her and go to a Red Sox game. Fun!

This is the beach where I walk when I have lots of energy. Today it has been raining so no walking but it's nice to look at the picture and imagine.....Good day for a cup of tea, cozy chair and a good book.

Been spending time in Rhode Island- walking, reading, some sewing,and some sailing. The white sail is our boat, my son is the skipper. In this race he is heading towards the finish line where he placed first. Usually I crew for him but his friend came for the weekend and, so, I was replaced! Have been listening to Delirium on CD- another YA book set in the future. Started The Time in Between, historical fiction set in Spain/ Morocco between the two World Wars. I hope to finish both this week. My to-do list of books to read is not lengthy but the books are- Cleopatra, Wolf Hall, Catherine the Great. Such aspirations! And I try to keep up with the daily newspapers - NYT, WSJ, and the local one. Lots of reading.

Loving the summer. Spending time in Rhode Island overlooking the salt pond, sailing our Beetle Cat boat and relaxing with some books. Have read several YA books- Fracture, Island of the Aunts, The Secret of Platform 13- enjoyable, easy reads. Fracture was a bit disturbing- young girl falls through the ice, is dead for 11 minutes but miraculously comes back to life. Disturbing but interesting. Just started This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen. Also read Matched- set in the future. Very interesting but similar to Hunger Games (dystopian society). Hoping to get to Wolf Hall which I originally didn't want to read but since Hillary Mantel's second book came out I am now intrigued.

This is a picture of the view from my porch. Very peaceful and calm.

Last week my book club met to discuss The Red Garden by Alice Hoffmann. It was a small group and even though we had a few discussion questions the discussion itself was a bit disjointed. I had read the book about 6 weeks prior and couldn't remember as much as I wished. My niece loaned me Fifty Shades of Grey which I had been avoiding due to all the hoop-la. Well I did read it and I am so ambivalent about it. I had hoped that I would feel strongly one way or another- either really hate it or really love it/couldn't put it down. Neither. I read it, I wasn't driven to read it, I finished it but am not sure I will read the other two books in the series. I really didn't care for either character, I really didn't understand why Ana would enter into a D/S relationship, I couldn't believe that Christian was that amazing in any way. I have heard others discussing the book- I had heard the author didn't set out to write a great novel, she just wanted to write a story. It is not a great novel. And after reading it I think people are putting more significance on it than the author intended. I think I will return to The Expats and finish that next.

Finished Cat's Claw and really enjoyed it. After reading a series I get tired of the same voice and always surprised at how many homicides etc can happen in a small town. This time the narrator was Sheila Dawson, chief of police in Pecan Springs, instead of China Bayles. I found it refreshing. And the crimes were hot topics (child pornography and blackmailing using data on hard drives) not just the usual murder. Using Sheila as the voice developed her character and certainly the reader was given more insight and understanding to her job and relationships. The flower pictured is in my garden, a columbine, I believe the variety is "Martha Washington".

Have been reading Cat's Claw the latest Susan Wittig Albert mystery featuring Sheila Dawson of Pecan Springs, Texas. Nice to have Sheila as the narrator and not China Bayles although China is still prominent. Book club this week to discuss The Red Garden. Basically it is the last discussion until we meet again in September. Our June meeting is a potluck dinner with summer reading suggestions. My niece loaned me the much discussed Fifty Shades of Grey which I have not started yet but am curious since it has generated so much discussion.

Picture is the azalea in my garden- mostly white with some pink.

Purple columbine in my garden. A beautiful sunny Mother's Day.

Finished The Red Garden and looking forward to the discussion at book club in two weeks. Each chapter was a separate story but tied together by the town. A bit of magic, mysticism- I think it will generate a good discussion. Went on to read The Weird Sisters which I enjoyed although again it took a while to get into it. I did enjoy the writing. And now I am reading Elegy for Eddie, a Maisie Dobbs mystery and enjoying that.

This is a picture of a primrose plant in my garden. The original plant came from my husband's grandmother's garden in Maine many years ago.

My book club met last Monday night to discuss Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. The discussion centered mainly on memories and stories our fathers had told to us of their experiences in the war. Most of us appreciated her extensive research. I particularly enjoy her writing style. Our next book The Red Garden is written by Alice Hoffmann who I had the pleasure of hearing speak at our local independent book store, RJJulia's. I am always intrigued as to how an author gets her (or his) idea for a book and the process of writing until she/he is satisfied with the story. I have two books waiting to be read- The Weird Sisters and the latest Maisie Dobbs- Elegy for Eddie. I started last week The ExPats while slow to grab me, now I can't put it down.

My book group met last night to discuss Warmth of Other Suns. Fascinating book, well researched, poignant, thought provoking. Every one in the group (even those who weren't able to attend) seemed to like it in spite of its length. It was a very moving read and even though the lives and events were in the past it is very relevant to today's culture and society. We were a small group and I had forgotten to bring the discussion questions but we didn't have a problem.

It's been awhile since I posted. My husband and I were in Hawaii for several weeks to escape what we hoped would be a harsh winter. In actuality it was quite mild at home, almost spring like with only one snow storm. Maui weather was perfect nearly every day - sunny and warm. I read lots of books and interestingly enough I had several non-fiction reads with me. I usually don't read non fiction but there are two selections for my book club- Warmth of Other Suns and Unbroken and I read both while vacationing. Excellent books, well written, well researched, and I found them to be easy to read. Almost like fiction. Have been having computer issues and it looks as if I will have to purchase a new computer to have enough memory for all the programs and gadgets. My old computer could be upgraded but has limitations and it probably isn't worth the effort. So for now no pictures of Maui- everything has been moved off the old computer.

Last night my book club met to discuss In The Country of Men ( Hisram Matar) a story told through the eyes of a 9 years old boy living in Libya under Gaddafi's rule. Lively discussion, very thought provoking. Interesting to learn the gaps in one's knowledge of world history. Not a long book, some beautifully written passages. Our next book is the Warmth of Other Suns- long but got really good reviews- non fiction which our group doesn't often read. Story of the migration of African Americans from the South to the North.

Happy New Year!