books — Page 28

A Reading Day

December 27, 2022 at 9:15 am by Claudia

A few of you were curious about the puzzle Don gave me. Here it is:

All of the wooden pieces are supposed to fit together.

I thought I had a way in, but it didn’t work. NO hints, thank you. I don’t like help with my puzzles, jigsaw or wooden. I have never asked for help and I don’t like ‘assistants.’ Thankfully, Don has no interest in puzzles, so I am happily on my own. The puzzle is actually quite beautiful and I’m keeping it on the coffee table so I can play with it when the mood strikes.

Don did good, didn’t he?

We are taking it easy today. We took down the tree on Monday, which – to be frank – requires more work from me than Don. Many trips to the shed, lugging Christmas bins back to the house. Then, removing the ornaments, most of which are vintage and precious, and carefully wrapping each one in paper. All that involves a lot of bending over so my back was complaining a bit. After an hour or so with the ornaments, I removed most of the lights until I needed Don’s help. Then, I got down on the floor and loosened the screws on the stand and Don pulled out the tree. It was so dry that we wrapped the bottom of the tree in an old sheet so it wouldn’t drop needles on all the furniture as Don walked it through the living room and kitchen.

Since we have woods and a bit of acreage, Don finds a place to leave the tree, so it will provide cover for critters throughout the winter.

Then trips back to the shed with the bins and the clean up in the house. (I love the way we have the shed organized now – it’s a pleasure to use it as everything has its place and it’s pretty darned spacious.)

All in all, it took about three hours, but everything is back in place now.

I now realize I have probably bored the heck out of you, as everyone who decorates for Christmas goes through this particular exercise. There are no gems of wisdom here!

Today is a day for reading. I’m in the middle of Bad Actors by Mick Herron. Brilliant, as always. Then I have to start Michael Connelly’s newest, Desert Star. And I have the diaries of Alan Rickman, also. All three books are due next week. Gulp. So, instead of letting myself get distracted by other things, I’m determined to read, read, read.

This particular apple pie may be Don’s best so far. Oh my goodness!

It’s slowly getting warmer each day. We’ll have a high in the forties by the end of the week.

Stay safe.

Happy Tuesday.

Bits of News

December 22, 2022 at 9:41 am by Claudia

• Today we start in with rain, snow, sleet and everything else under the sun. It will be dangerous out there for the next few days. Tomorrow’s high in the mid-fifties will drop almost 50 degrees overnight. High winds, also (you know how much I dislike that.) Insane. Lots of rain predicted, more than 2 inches. Yikes. And frigid temperatures on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. If we get any snow, it will only be a bit. And that seems highly doubtful. I know the same storm is dumping lots of snow on many of you. I’d much rather have the snow.

I guess I’ll have to blare Christmas music to mute the sound of wind.

• We watched The Bishop’s Wife last night. Love that movie.

• Don only needs 8 more subscribers to his YouTube channel to qualify for his own URL (a unique address on the web.) Thank you to those of you who graciously subscribed! Brenda, give a listen to “Nova Scotia” – I believe Don left you a message. He loved your comment yesterday.

• I received a lovely package from reader Kathy yesterday. In it were two lovely holiday plates from Target (we’re going to use them for the Linzer Tart Cookies I’m making this year.) And also included was this:

To Kill a Mockingbird published in Estonia! It’s the hardcover version with a copyright of 1964, just two years after it was first published in America. This is the original dust jacket and the illustration/artwork is stunning! Oh my. Thank you so much, Kathy! This is amazing. I wrote you a note in yesterday’s comment, but my question is: Where, oh, where did you find this???

• Update on my job offer – The woman who is coordinating the workshop managed to come up with some more money from the producers, so I will be paid my normal fee with a little extra money to cover six days of commuting back and forth from here to the city. It worked out! And, once I got out of the way, it was effortless. A lesson I have to learn over and over again. It turned out better than I had even hoped. So, that’s taken care of and I can work with dear Darko again. Hurrah!

• And finally, the last sweater-ornament-turned-into-Blythe-sweater. This one is modeled by Madeleine.

It’s been fun adapting these sweaters to fit on my girls. I, of course, will be looking for even more of these next year. I have 8 of them and goodness knows, all 12 of my girls should have one.

• Okay. Don is baking a pie this morning. I am baking cookies tomorrow. I have to run to the library at noon (they don’t open until then) to pick up a book that has arrived – Madly, Deeply: The Diaries of Alan Rickman. I could try to do it tomorrow, but the weather will be horrendous. As it is, I will be trying to get there and back before it starts snowing/sleeting/raining. The only other option is Tuesday and who knows if it will still be icy around here? This subzero weather that’s on the way is supposed to last through Tuesday or Wednesday.

Stay safe.

Happy Thursday.

Puzzles and Books

December 18, 2022 at 9:43 am by Claudia

I hoped to have updated photos of the Lake Cottage but I was waylaid by the task of chopping up ice on the parking area and driveway. Don and I happened to be out there during the sunniest time of the day. By the time I came back in and turned on the heating pad, I was tired. It was only later that I realized I’d never taken the photos.

Hopefully, today.

The latest finished puzzle. This one was all about vintage paper dolls. I really love it. It brought back memories of all the paper dolls I played with as a kid. Don really loves it, too. That’s why you see the foam board behind the puzzle. He thinks we should frame it and hang it on the wall in the upstairs bathroom. The walls in that room are a brightish green and this would look great there. Don has a good eye. So I’ll get to that in the new year.

I put the foam core there so I can safely remove it from the table without taking it apart. A new puzzle arrived yesterday and I want to get cracking.

What else? We’ve vowed to take it easy today. I’m in the middle of a book about Dorothy Kilgallen: The Reporter Who Knew Too Much. She died at a young age and there has always been a suspicion that she was murdered. At the time of her death, she was in the middle of an investigation concerning the assassination of JFK. She disagreed with the Warren Commission report and felt there was a coverup. She covered the trial of Jack Ruby. She was a crack reporter who made a lot of enemies because she wouldn’t give up her investigation. When her body was discovered in her townhouse at the age of 52, a combination of alcohol and barbiturates was said to be the cause. However, many of her friends felt she was in danger. She felt she was in danger. Her phones were tapped. Their phones were tapped. J. Edgar Hoover had voluminous files on her. There were several factions that had an interest in quashing her investigation.

Frankly, I’ve never fully agreed with the results of the Warren Commission. I’m not one who leans toward conspiracy theories as a rule, but in this case…

Anyway, I find it fascinating, especially since we watch old episodes of What’s My Line every day. Who knows if it’s true? I’m more than halfway through the book. After that, I’ve got the most recent Herron waiting in the wings.

Okay.

Back to the book, back to my second cup of coffee.

Stay safe.

Happy Sunday.

A Reading Day

Bits of News

Puzzles and Books

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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