books — Page 97

On a Saturday Morning

August 31, 2019 at 10:12 am by Claudia

Another gorgeous morning. We just finished our second cup of coffee out on the porch. It’s a lazy morning here; for some reason it’s taking me a long time to wake up.

We have some deductions to finish up this morning. Yes, it’s taken us a bit longer than planned as last week became very busy with both of us working and me out of town as well. After that? Maybe some work outside, a run to the local hardware for 40 watt bulbs (we have a lot of vintage smallish lamps around here and I’ve decided they must have meetings in which they decide to ‘go out’ all at once.) Some reading, of course.

I’m reading The Girl Who Lived Twice by David Lagercrantz, the writer who took over the Millennium series when Steig Larrson passed away. He does a pretty good job of it, I must say. It’s not easy writing in the style of someone else. Of course, the first three books by Larrson will always be the best, but I have enjoyed all of the books by Lagercrantz as well. This, by the way, is the last book in the series.

We had a lovely time at Rick and Doug’s last night. Doug’s daughter was visiting from Japan. Lots of great conversation, as well as laughter. And Rick made a vegetarian dinner for us. He’s a sweetie.

I hope you’re enjoying your holiday weekend. As per usual, we tend to lay low on these three-day weekends, although I’m sure Don will be taking pictures at the Farmer’s Market tomorrow.

Happy Saturday.

Flowers and a Giveaway

August 30, 2019 at 10:03 am by Claudia

Ever so slowly, the limelights are turning pink. Just a tinge here and there. My limelight bush is huge this year – I’m sure that’s due to all the rain we had this spring. The flowers are bigger and fuller than ever.

I’m happy to inform you that the whiteflies have been absent for a few weeks now. Thank goodness. Yesterday, I made up a batch of homemade deer repellent and sprayed it on the remaining morning glories. Fingers crossed! I found the recipe several years ago on a blog called Turkey Feathers. Here’s a link to the recipe.

It’s worked for me in the past. So let’s hope it works this time. (I don’t use pesticides.)

Another gorgeous day filled with golden light and a gentle breeze. It doesn’t get much better than this and I’m soaking it all in. Tonight we go to dinner at Rick and Doug’s as one of Doug’s daughters is visiting. We love seeing her, so it should be a fun evening.

Okay. Barbara, one of the readers of this blog, wrote me to say she has an extra paperback copy of the Overstory that she would be happy to give to one of you.

If you remember, I raved about this book. It’s truly one of the most powerful novels I have ever read. I cannot say enough about this story and the heart and mind of its author, Richard Powers.

So, we’re going to have a giveaway today. The same rules apply as usual: If you’re interested, leave a comment on this blog post, NOT via a response to the email version of this post, and not via a direct email to me. Only on this post. I will pick a winner via the Random Number Generator on Sunday evening.

Barbara is willing to send it to anyone in the United States or Canada. If you win and you live in the States, you will have to give me your phone number as it is required for Customs.

Thank you, Barbara, for this generous giveaway!

(I won’t be answering comments as it makes it too difficult to tally up the numbers.)

Happy Friday.

Flowers, Seasonal Changes & A Gift

August 29, 2019 at 10:14 am by Claudia

One of my hostas – one I planted under the kitchen window last year – is just now blooming. What a lovely late summer surprise! It’s very, very shady back there, so I suppose that might be a reason for the late bloom.

The butterfly bush is blooming. But the flowers are very small. It, I think, needs more sun than it’s getting in the side garden bed, which has become increasingly shady over the past couple of years. I may move it in the spring. I think it would do a lot better in the big garden bed.

The air, the light, the leaves – autumn changes are in the air. Just like that. I’m not quite ready for summer to be over, but I find myself welcoming the golden light and the cooler mornings. Funny how that happens – our bodies and minds start to anticipate and adjust to the change in season and we find ourselves welcoming it.

I see leaves on our roof and on the ground. I hear some birds, but not nearly as many as earlier in the summer. That always makes me sad, as I miss their songs. Come to think of it, I haven’t seen a robin lately. I still hear the mourning doves and the catbirds and the wrens and sparrows and the Canada geese.

For example, right at this moment in the morning, 10 am, there is not a sound in the air.

School starts next week. The University just started classes this week. Change is in the air.

We just finished watching Trapped (an Icelandic mystery series) last week. Now we’re on to Dark, which comes out of Germany. Both are excellent. Trapped is on Amazon Prime, Dark is on Netflix. But I have to tell you, the finest series we’ve ever seen is Babylon Berlin on Netflix. It is beyond anything else, on every level. We’ve watched both seasons twice and are looking forward to the third season which should come around after the first of the year. Oh, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is coming back the first week of December. Can’t wait!

Reader Kathy did it again. I went to the Post Office to send off our monthly bill payments and checked the PO Box. Much to my surprise, a package was waiting for me.

To Kill a Mockingbird in Latin! Oh my goodness! I had no idea there was such a thing! Needless to say, I screamed a little bit. So did Don when he saw it. Well, maybe not a scream from Don, but a definite “Wow!”

Thank you, dear Kathy. It will now join my other TKAMs on the shelf in the den. What a beautiful addition to my collection!

Happy Thursday.

On a Saturday Morning

Flowers and a Giveaway

Flowers, Seasonal Changes & A Gift

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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