One of our overflowing rivers. There’s been so much rain that they’re very high. I took this picture on the way to the library for one of our walks.

I almost didn’t post today, but I hadn’t discussed that possibility with you, so here I am.

Happy New Year!

Yet another gray day around here – we were excited to see little bits of snow on the cars and the shed roof. Sad, but true. Just a smidgen brings excitement because we’ve had NO SNOW. I know: “careful what you wish for!” But it would be nice, especially since the tree and the sparkly lights and ornaments are still going strong. Our beautiful tree is starting to dry out a bit, but there’s still no needle drop, so here it will stay.

We were in bed by 10:30 last night, after watching Dial M for Murder.

Today, I removed the 2023 calendar pages from my planner and replace them with 2024. Very satisfying! A fresh start.

We’ve been walking almost every day, and thought neither of us wanted to go yesterday, we did it. I suppose we’ll do it today, as well.

Today I start the Hilary Mantel Cromwell Trilogy with page one of Wolf Hall.  I’m back to reading more than one book at the same time, as I’m also knee deep into Michael Connelly’s newest, Resurrection Walk.

A low key day ahead for us.

I hope you had a lovely New Year’s Eve! Best wishes to everyone for a happy, healthy, peaceful, and joyous year ahead.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

Another, even better, photo of the burning bush. No enhancement whatsoever.

We will have frost on Wednesday so we’ll be seeing the last of the zinnias and, most likely, the leaves on this bush. I’ll be saying goodbye to my gardens, which is always bittersweet.

We had constant rain yesterday and today will be the same.

I finished The Last Devil to Die  by Richard Osman. This was his best yet. In addition to a complicated plot, his writing about Alzheimers disease, both from the viewpoint of the afflicted and from the observer is heartrendingly brilliant. I won’t give anything away, I promise. But there were so many times that tears came to my eyes as I read Osman’s words. Love and the family you choose: I’m still thinking about that two days after finishing the book.

An extraordinary read.

I’ve just started John Banville’s The Lock-Up.  I read Banville’s Snow  a couple of years ago and discovered his lyrical prose. He is a poet who happens to write police procedurals, among other things. I’m a big fan.

I’m also fiddling around with The World of Frankenstein, my latest jigsaw puzzle. It’s much more difficult than the one I just finished, so I expect I will be working on it for a while.

What else? Laundry today. Exciting, right?

I’m starting to make a list of things I have to take care of before I head to Wonderland of Play on Sunday.

“The world is too much with us.” That quote is one I repeat on a daily basis. I’m grateful for the escapes that take me to another a place; a kinder, gentler place.

Rest in Peace, Matthew Perry, taken from us much too soon.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday,

The other day, I was outside looking at the flower beds. Most everything has died at this point. The zinnias are still blooming, the hydrangeas are hanging in there, a there are a few roses that bloom profusely in the spring and then bloom again in the fall. That’s it.

Except:

The coneflowers faded away over a month ago, after gracing us with flowers for several months. But this little surprise just floored me! I’ve never seen one come into bloom this late in the season.

What a gift! Just what I needed as I contend with a bit of the blues as the seasons change and shift into dark mornings and darkish afternoons. I always feel a bit melancholy. Welcome, little beauty!

I’m going to be selling some of my McCoy pottery – not all of it – on Etsy in the near future. I love it but I have an overabundance for the size of this house. (I have an overabundance of a lot of things, let’s face it.) I’ve been making of list of possible pieces to sell and then I have to do some research as to dates, patterns, etc. Then photos, which will be time consuming. I remember this from the years when I was crocheting scarves and selling them on Etsy. Anyway, I’ll give you a heads up when that happens.

The other day, two residual checks arrived in the mail. I assumed both of them were Don’s, but on closer inspection, one of them was for me! Don, of course, was very excited for me. This time, my check was a little larger than the first one. Don’s was for less than mine. I was the actor/breadwinner for the day! Huzzah! We laughed and laughed. I have to say, it’s still a thrill to get a check from NBC Universal via SAG/Aftra.

My puzzle arrived and I put all the edge pieces together yesterday. It’s “The World of Virginia Woolf” and I love it. I’ll work on it a bit later today.

And I’m smack in the middle of The Running Grave. Fabulous! And scary in the best way.

Today, much to my surprise, it’s raining. So we won’t go for a drive, but we’ll hang out here in the cottage and Don is going to play his guitar while I read and work on the puzzle.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.