Happy birthday!

Today is my husband's birthday. It was a pretty good day overall. Our son had found a classic car, a 1963 Thunderbird, very much like the one my husband had in college. My son did all the negotiating and had a deal. He then made sure the car was insured. He tried to register the car however my husband's signature was required. My son drove the car to my husband's office (just across the street). My husband came out and just could not believe that the car was his.

We then had to go to the DMV to register the car. That took 3.5 hours. We requested the "classic" car license plate. Was it a sign that the numbers on the plate were 243- as in (June)2, (19) 43- my husband's day and year of birth? We think so. Anyway,he is going to have fun with it.

.We went out to dinner to celebrate with a friend whose daughter is a baker and she make a wonderful cake and topped it with a car!

. Great way to end the day. Happy birthday to my husband!

Memorial Day 2015

Spending the long weekend at our home in Rhode Island by the water. It has been a beautiful three days and I am hoping tomorrow will be another sunny day. We have been cutting brush, putting down mulch and in general getting the house ready for the summer. I finished First Frost (Sarah Addison Allen) a book my niece won. I enjoyed it- it is magical, mystical fiction. I then started Dying in the Wool, a mystery which seemed a little bit familiar. After two chapters I checked my lists on Goodreads and discovered it was familiar for a reason. I had already read it! Frustrating. On to the next book- Neil Gaiman's The Ocean At The End of the Lane. So far,it's good. Saturday morning I went into Westerly to walk around Wilcox Park and view the trees with sweaters,an art display in a beautiful park .

. I didn't know that it was also the weekend of a huge crafts fair. Some wonderful items for sale. I have not taken the time in many years to walk around the park and I had forgotten how pretty and calming it is. There is a large pond with a fountain in the center and the gardens were in bloom.

.Walked yesterday morning with some friends and one suggested the Rick Atkinson trilogy on World War II. So add those to the list. Book club met last week to discuss The Chalk Circle. This is a book of "intercultural" essays. Great discussion, very interesting. It was great catching up with the ladies. Our next meeting, in June, is the last until September. For years we have had a potluck dinner and talked about summer reading suggestions. These books can be on a wish to read list or a have read list and strongly recommend. Book nerds always want recommendations. This year we decided to add a book to discuss and the group selected The Vacationers (Emma Straub). As it was a group pick I will probably get discussion questions from the back of the book or online.

Graduations, Mother's Day, a birthday and a new job!

Yesterday was May 10th. It was Mother's Day. It was graduation for my son from law school.

My daughter was (finally) offered a job. And my mom's 93rd birthday (Tuesday) which we decided to celebrate yesterday. A big day. It was hot and sunny. The law school graduation ceremony was inside and was quite nice. Good speakers with good advice. Very moving. My niece graduated the day before (with a Masters in Elementary Education) and my nephew finished his course requirements to complete his bachelor's degree in Sociology. Woot Woot!

The picture is of my mom, my son, my nephew and my niece . It was the usual family get together with lots of discussion and laughter. Good times. I kept it very casual- burgers and hotdogs, etc. Nice having family close by to celebrate milestones.

My daughter started her job search at the end of December. Finally after many interviews, second and third interviews she was offered a job. The picture is of my daughter with her puppy Madison and my niece.

So proud of my kiddos!

Spring!

Well another few weeks have gone by since my last post. Life does sometimes get in the way. Just busy day to day. Have been reading Whiskey and Charlie loaned to me from my niece who won it in a giveaway ( not sure if it was from Goodreads or another book site). Slow going for some reason. A story of twin brothers, one who is in a coma, and their lives. Just okay and I am inclined to finish it just to see how everything gets resolved. Busy with the gardens, weeding and mulching. The viburnum is in full bloom and has a lovely spicy scent. One of my favorite spring flowers. And the flowering crab has opened.

Just gorgeous.

One more picture of some of the bleeding hearts that come up and seem to be spreading. To finish posting the books I read while in Maui- here they are- Crazy Rich Asians, The Aviator’s Wife, The Serpent’s Tale, and The Good Lord Bird. Received my copy of The Chalk Circle the other day. This will be a very different read for me. A book of essays. Not my usual read. Which is why I wanted to be in a book club. Our group meets in two weeks so there should be enough time to read and think about these essays.

National Library Week and more

This week is National Library Week sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA). The first observance was held in 1958 to celebrate and recognize libraries across the country. It is also held to "promote library use and support". I find this very interesting in light of the fact that in Connecticut Governor Malloy has presented a budget which effectively cuts the budget for libraries in the state which would eliminate several programs including Connecticard. Connecticard is a program which allows residents to use resources from libraries throughout the state. I use this program all the time. If I request a book from my library and it is not available I can request it from any other library in any town. It is really a great program. I have already contacted the legislators expressing my concern about this line item in the budget. I notified my book club buddies in the hope that they will also contact the state reps and voice their disapproval. And for many towns, especially smaller towns, the funding from the State, helps to keep the library a vibrant part of the community providing resources for residents that the town might not otherwise be able to afford. My town library's funding comes directly from the town budget (there is no trust,endowment etc.). It is a great community center for the residents and it has a really friendly and helpful staff. But it does not have the largest budget for materials and depends on being able to access materials from libraries throughout the state. It would certainly be a shame for the proposed state budget to pass with these cuts to library services. Today is Celebrate Teen Literature day. It is to recognize the growing genre of young adult literature, one of my favorite genres.

This is the logo for the Caldecott Medal named after the nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott.

Spring?

Last time I posted I had shown a partial list of the books I had read while on vacation in Maui. Here are a few more that I read: The Madonnas of Leningrad, The Bookseller of Kabul, Whispering Shadows*, Room, and Inferno. The one book that really surprised me was Room. I had seen this book on tables at Barnes and Noble, at the used book store, at the library. I just couldn't imagine it catching or holding my attention. I was quite wrong. Even though it was a bit unbelievable I really couldn't put it down. Whispering Shadows was very good especially as I had just visited China and Hong Kong. The descriptions were so real I felt as if I was back in Shanghai and Beijing. My niece loaned me one of her books (she had won it I believe from a Goodreads giveaway) called I Am Having so Much Fun Here Without You.

Well, not a long book but boy did I struggle with it. First off I really disliked the central character- shallow, stupid, self-absorbed to mention just a couple of traits that annoyed me. I did like the writing. I also felt it was wrapped up or resolved too quickly (well maybe not quick enough). Plus I couldn't figure out the title. Didn't seem relevant.It turns out that a friend of mine actually knew the author. and told me the title is supposed to be taken sarcastically. Oops- I didn't get it. Oh well. Right now I am reading Someone by Alice McDermott for book club. A bit slow but again I really like the way she writes. Have not read any of her books before. So many books, so little time. It is finally getting warmer here in Connecticut. Almost all the snow has melted except where it was piled really high. Lots of deer go through our yard daily which drives the dog crazy.

And if there aren't deer there are turkeys.

More books, book club

My book club met last night to discuss We Were Liars. Well, it was certainly an interesting discussion and reactions were not at all what I expected. On one level it was thought that the message (spoiler alert) to start a fire to solve your problems was terrible. And to have three of the four main characters die was awful. I was completely taken by surprise. I read quite a few YA novels. This is a genre that wasn't really developed when I was a "YA". The topics dealt with are very adult- sex, drugs, suicide, divorce, etc. Most felt the book was okay not great and not deserving of all the hype. Oh well. Very interesting. The more I thought about the book (afterwards) I thought that possibly part of the message was that even when you think you can take control and try to change certain problems you just might create more or other problems that could be construed as worse or more damaging than the original problems. Our next book is Someone by Alice McDermott. Continuing on with my Maui reads: The Last Time They Met, The Biology of Luck*, The Madonnas of Leningrad, The Bookseller of Kabul, Whispering Shadows*, Room. The two books with asterisks were won in Goodreads giveaways. I really enjoyed Whispering Shadows but I really didn't like The Biology of Luck primarily because I found the main character so shallow and annoying. The Bookseller of Kabul was really good. Currently reading three books- one YA, one fiction and one memoir- very unusual for me.

March is National Reading Month

March is National Reading Month and gets kicked off by school children celebrating Dr. Seuss' birthday on the 2nd. One of his quotes that I especially like "The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go".

Here are some of the books I read while in Maui. I took only paperbacks (less weight) and I randomly selected books from the ones in my bedroom. The Cuckoo’s Calling, Wild, The Light Between Oceans, Cross Currents, Sous Chef * and Landline. Sous Chef I won in a Goodreads Giveaway. It was the first time I had entered any of the giveaways on Goodreads, inspired by my niece who also enters. I put it on my bookshelf because it just didn't grab my attention. But I was very surprised. It was quite good and interesting. I wanted to read Wild before seeing the movie (still haven't seen the movie). The other books were also pretty good. My book club meets tomorrow night to discuss my selection We Were Liars. This is a YA book which I really enjoyed the first time I read it. The ending was a total surprise for me. I am not one to dissect a book while I am reading it so I missed much of the foreshadowing. I read it again (I usually don't read books a second time except for the Harry Potter books) because I am the one leading the discussion and I should not trust my memory. I also had the opportunity to hear the author discuss the book. Looking forward to seeing my peeps since I missed the February meeting.

Happy Spring! We had about 5 inches of snow on the first day of Spring. Hoping we will be able to see some of the grass this weekend.

I'm back!

Well hello! I took a little (well not so little)break while in Maui. My husband and I missed all the snow, all the ice and all the cold. Perfect timing. It was a very relaxing stay- we walked a lot, did some hiking, went to a couple of movies, swam, watched the whales and dolphins and turtles, and of course we both read. A lot. I packed 17 books and read 17! I kept up with the February book for my book club- The Good Luck Bird. At some point I will list the books I read (not all at once). There were a couple that were giveaways from Goodreads. A couple that I had put off reading. Most were just on the book shelf- waiting to be read. I finished The Cuckoo's Calling- enjoyed it and can't wait to read the second in the series.

While hiking we came across an abandoned pineapple field and even found a couple of plants with pineapples growing.

It always surprises me to see orchids in the wild. Very pretty. Back to reality. Luckily it seems that the worst of winter is behind us. I think we brought warmer weather with us. Today it was over 50 degrees! Still adjusting to the time- with 5 hours difference in Maui and daylight saving time this past Saturday I am still tired. Here I am on one of our hikes on the west coast of Maui.

I will need to reread We Are Liars- it is my book for the March meeting. I read it last summer so before I send out questions and lead a discussion I need to review.

Gloomy January, good friends and brown sugar cake

Monday night my book club met. Well, we almost didn't meet as the weather was not cooperating. Drizzle, freezing rain, grey and yucky- not great. But in the end we decided to meet- brave the elements! We had a great meeting. Lots of conversation- politics, movies, books, affordable housing issues (a current topic in our town), travel, podcasts. It was great. Everyone really enjoyed The Orphan Train. Again, a good discussion. Interesting that the three of the last six books have touched on the same theme- orphan/abandoned children. Our next book is The Good Lord Bird by James McBride. I will miss the meeting as my husband and I will be in Maui. I might download the book to my iPad (hopefully without any frustration). One of my friends suggested that I download the podcast "Serial" which she found to be really good listening. I have never listened to a podcast before (I know, I should get with the times)so maybe this is the one to try. Always enjoy my book buddies. Our host made this yummy cake for dessert. I highly recommend it!

. It was still warm- so delicious! Better with a glass of milk!

Christmas party, Christmas and Post Christmas

Wow the past couple of weeks have flown by! My book club got together for the annual pot luck dinner and Yankee swap party. The book was Anne of Green Gables which was actually well received and we had a pretty good discussion in spite of all the distractions- holiday stuff, food (lots of it and all delicious) and presents. Our Yankee swap was loads of fun and the gifts were really thoughtful. No one wanted to swap - which is half the fun. This is our group now. We have lost a couple of members (illness, moving) but still keep in touch.

Here I am in my gift- an apron. So cute I don't want to wear it and get it dirty!

Our next book for book club is The Orphan Train. I read this during the summer and really enjoyed it. Christmas was a nice holiday for the family. My daughter, her girlfriend and I went to the late church service which was very moving and really got me into the Christmas mood. Christmas day had a quiet start. We opened our stockings and then had breakfast and opened gifts. Before going to my brother's for dinner we watched A Christmas Story- one of my holiday favorites. Every year I make a chocolate house decorated with candies and use that as a centerpiece. It takes about 10 minutes to be demolished!

It gets very noisy at my brother's with all the kids who are so excited. I am not a big fan of New Year's Eve so will be celebrating with my family and a few of their friends in Rhode Island. I plan on doing lots of reading. Just trying to figure out what books to bring with me. Looking forward to some quiet time. Happy New Year to all! I wish everyone a healthy and happy 2015.

Post Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is over and all of a sudden it is Christmas. Our book club met the Monday before Thanksgiving. It was a small group but we had a really good discussion. The Invention of Wings was really good, maybe one of the best books I have read this year. Again, my favorite genre- historical fiction. Well researched and thoroughly enjoyable. I had a smaller group for Thanksgiving this year. Only 14! Plenty of food as usual. My son's new dog, Nellie, seems to be settling in nicely. She is only 6 months old and still a puppy. Very sweet. Our next book is Anne of Green Gables- a classic. One of our members is from Korea and is not familiar with many American classics so she requested that we pick one this year. I don't remember ever reading this one. Will be interesting. Currently I am reading the latest Jacqueline Winspear novel- The Care and Management of Lies (another historical fiction book) set in England at the beginning of World War I. A different story from the Maisie Dobbs series. Here is a picture of Nellie and my son are her first hike to a local state park- Sleeping Giant.

Oh no! We meet this Monday.

For most of the month of November I have been off by one week. In the sense that I have one more week than there is in reality. I just realized last Monday that Thanksgiving was only 11 days away. Luckily I had already ordered a ham (for my daughter) and my mom buys the turkey. Everyone brings something so that removes some of the pressure. But I only have one oven (big mistake when building our home)so everything has to be coordinated. I also realized last Monday that my book club meets in a week, Monday the 24th, and I had not even picked up the book at the library. So I am in for some very heavy duty reading this weekend, in addition to going to church for altar guid duty on Saturday and Sunday mornings, etc. On another note my son adopted a dog- a sweet little (for now) rescue named Nellie. Nellie is 6 months old and is a lab mix. Mix of what we don't know but she is a quick learner, friendly, fairly well behaved and playful. She loves my son. He is in charge of everything, that was part of the deal in adopting her, and he has taken her to the vet (and paid), licensed her at the town hall and has even cleaned up her 2 (only 2) accidents. Next on the list is obedience school. She is a sweetie.

Time marches on

When I last posted I was beginning the chore or wading through our 4000+ pictures from our trip to China and Hong Kong. Well I have not made significant progress on the pictures for several reasons- life, life and life. Doctors' appointments, volunteer work, Election day work (I am the Moderator for Absentee Ballots in our town). It all adds up plus I don't like to sort pictures when I am tired. And I try to include time for my sewing and reading. So, the pictures are slowly coming along. And I finally finished one of my Goodreads giveaway books- We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler. First, our book club did meet in October at a local vineyard. It was a lovely setting with a beautiful sunset. Everyone contributed to our little potluck supper. The vineyard supplied the wine naturally. We had a fairly good discussion and it seemed that everyone enjoyed the book. I would not have read it otherwise. Our next book is The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd. The Karen Fowler book was interesting. The narrator, Rosemary, started her story in the middle. Then went back to the beginning and finally to the end. It is the story of Fern, a chimp who is brought home to be raised side by side with Rosemary, as her sister, as an experiment by her parents, in particular her father. The story delves into the relationships established both simian and human and what happens when Fern is sent away to "The Farm". There is humor and sadness. I liked Fowler's writing style but confess that I was quite a few pages into the book before it was revealed that Fern was a chimp. A bit confusing for me but after I learned that it certainly cleared up the confusion. The book I just started (another giveaway from Goodreads) is The Garden of Letters which is historical fiction set in Italy in WWII. Historical fiction is my favorite genre.