Soon it will be time to bring the fern inside for the winter. I’m not sure where the heck I’m going to put it – probably upstairs in the office. The ideal place for any plant in this house is the kitchen table, but now Don is no longer allowed to eat lunch on the sofa in the living room, we eat at the table. Last year, if you remember, we had the fern on the table and it took up most of the surface.
Just for comparison, here’s how the fern looked when I first put it back outside in the spring. And when it had fallen twice due to high winds. It’s come a long way.
We won’t mention what’s happened to the sideboard.
Although, to tell you the truth, I really like it this way.
Yesterday I was out running errands and I stopped at a favorite antique center. I’ve mentioned Fox Run Antiques before, as I have purchased several things from her – including the egg cup cubby. Well, I met her yesterday! She happened to be working on her booth. So nice to finally meet someone I admire. Sydney has excellent taste. Her first words to me, after I introduced myself, were “Kindred spirits!” And we are.
Seven morning glories were in bloom yesterday on this little patch of vine. I love my morning glories and I’m so grateful that they survived the deer onslaught and are blooming. Lots of buds visible, as well, so we should have blooms for the next two weeks or longer – I don’t see any hard frost temps on the long-range weather forecast. Fingers crossed.
Don’s off to recycle and take some portraits. I’m going to do some cleaning.
I wanted to tell you about the relief pitcher for the Washington Nationals – Sean Doolittle. He is a big reader and a fan of Independent Bookstores. He’s made it his mission to visit a bookshop in every city he travels to and then post about it on Twitter. His handle is: @whatwould DOOdo – and his name on Twitter is Obi-Sean Kenobi Doolittle.
Is it too soon to ask this question again? (I asked about two weeks ago, but two weeks is a long time in book reading and I figure you might have some new titles to share.)
Anyway, here it is: What are you reading?
Happy Friday.
I just finished reading Annie’s Ghosts by Steve Luxenberg. It is nonfiction, well researched and written.
If you have room in your bathroom, ferns love the high humidity.
Thank you, Brenda.
Yes, I know they do well in bathrooms, but neither of our bathrooms are big enough for the Boston Fern!
I am reading”Frozen Lives”-It is about the Kuerner family who lived near Andrew Wyeth as he was growing up in rural Pennsylvania.They would be a major source of his artistry for more than seventy years. Andrew Wyeth is one of my favorite painters and one day we hope tp visit the Farnsworth where so many of his paintings are displayed.
I really enjoy hearing what others are reading.
No two weeks is not too soon!
I love Wyeth, too. Sounds like a fascinating book, Linda!
HI Claudia,
I am reading “The Girls of D-Day” by Sarah Rose. It is about the women who were recruited to help arm the resistance and sabotage the Nazis in order to facilitate D-Day. It is very well researched. Interesting fact Charles de Gaulle was 6 feet 7 inches…
Take Care,
Kaye
Park City, UT
Sounds very interesting, Kaye! I knew de Gaulle was very tall. Don’s 6’4″ – de Gaulle topped even Don!
I am reading the second book in the trilogy, ‘Sons’ by Pearl S Buck. I haven’t read any of her
books and thought it was about time. And I also just finished the third book of Volker Kutscher’s
books that I read about here on your blog. Wonderful!! My library does not have the tv series.
Ah…I think this is a case of the series making the original book proud! At least, I hope so. Good for you, Marion!
I am reading Thirteen Stories by Eudora Welty. I have been reading one story each morning. They are hilarious! I think about the worlds she creates all day.
Glad you’re enjoying them, Lottie! Thank you.
Good morning Claudia! We woke to frozen temps this morning, so out went the heated birdbath. The birds are happier now. Our friends had a fern like yours and put it on a pulley system over their bathtub. It ended up 5 feet across. Yikes. Heehee.
I am reading Settled In The Wild by Susan Hand Shetterly. Very quieting against this weeks’ crazy happenings. It’s a lovely calming book.
We don’t have ceilings that are high enough for a pulley system, Verna!
I’m all for calming books at the moment, Verna!
Hi Claudia, I am reading my first Kate Atkinson, titled “Behind the Scenes at the Museum” I am enjoying it very much!
We haven’t had a hard frost here yet so I still get to enjoy all my garden flowers. The dahlias are incredible this year.
Have a wonderful weekend!
She’s a fantastic writer, Robin.
We haven’t had a hard frost either, but we’ve had a bit of frost. Thanks so much!
I love the sideboard but where do you put it in the winter? Or is the porch protected enough? I think it looks terrific!
Right now I’m totally engrossed in The Long Call (Ann Cleeves) and I have a biography of the Gershwins (sort of bio — by Michael Feinstein) in the read-next pile. I’m waiting for Elizabeth Gilbert’s City of Girls (book club selection) and when I finish the Frances and Richard Lockridge “Mr. and Mrs. North” mysteries to pass on, my finally tackle Edward Rutherford’s “New York.”
I cover it with a tarp. I have no other place for it.
I read a lot about the Gershwins (one of my favorite composers) when I was a teenager and a young adult. Just like I read about the history of musical theater and theater and about Jerome Kern and Rodgers and Hammerstein and more. I still love to read about them.
Thanks, Jeanie!
A work colleague recommended the Maisie Dobbs series, and I’ve just finished the first two books – Maisie Dobbs, and Birds of a Feather. It features a female investigator who was a nurse in WWI, an era I don’t know as much about as WWII. The author is Jacqueline Winspear. I am always so happy to find a new series that I enjoy! Bringing in all my flowers this afternoon – cold and rainy in Wisconsin, with frost advisories!
Yes, that series is very popular and has been around for a while. Series are always such fun – nothing better than knowing you have more books to read by the same author.
Thanks, Martha!
I loved the first few Maisie Dobbs series! I would recommend them highly.
Hi Claudia. I’m reading, “Magpie Murders” by Anthony Horowitz. It’s a wonderful cozy mystery in an English setting. Really enjoying it and perfect for an autumn read. Love all the suggestions your readers have submitted!
I have an Anthony Horowitz on my TBR pile – The Word is Murder. Enjoy your book, Ginny!
Well, the temps just plummeted here. It’s only 37 with the wind chill. I just brought in my huge Boston fern, potted herbs, and a couple of other pots of flowering plants. They’re all just sitting here in my living room for now. I have two other pots of coleus, but they’re too heavy for me to lift, so Brian will put them in the garage when he gets home from work in about an hour.
I just tried reading Silas House’s book, The Coal Tattoo, but couldn’t get into it. So now I’m going back to non-fiction. Am starting a new book on anxiety (“Life Without Fear”) tonight. I also have a workbook on anxiety (“The Mindfulness Workbook for Anxiety”) that I want to start.
I had to return two books to the library that I just wasn’t in the mood for. I understand. I just started Bitter Feast by Deborah Crombie – I’ve read all the books in her series and she never disappoints. Stay warm, Melanie!
So excited to see another What are you reading post!!!! I recently finished Karolina’s Twins by Ronald Balson. It was a wonderful WWII story about what people have to do to survive. I am reading The Dearly Beloved by Cara Wall. It is a story of 2 families and how their lives intertwine. I am enjoying it a lot. I have Dutch Girl, the story of Audrey Hepburn and WWII on the pile as the next to read. She was amazing and so much of the great things she did throughout her life was due to what happened to her during the war ~ that she never really talked about. I am anxious to go back and read all of the comments and add to my list of TBR’s. OH, and I got notice yesterday that The Overstory came in for me at the library!!
I’ve read quite a bit about Hepburn’s life. An extraordinary story. Yay for The Overstory!
Thanks, Chris!
I’m glad you asked…I love reading all the comments to see what everyone is reading. I have been watching too much news the last few days but need to get back to my lastest read. The Only Plane in the Sky by Garrett M Graff. The only plane, of course, was Air Force 1. It is a hard book to get through…recollections of all the people involved, in the towers, first responders, wives, transcripts of calls that were received from people on hijacked planes, etc. I have to stop periodically and take a break from the descriptions of the horror. We must never forget.
It sounds like it would be a tough one to read. But necessary. Thanks, Marilyn.
I have just discovered the author Julie Klassen. Her historical fiction novels are set in England in the 1800’s. They are a fast read with intrigue, mystery and enough twists and turns to hold your interest. Her first book was The Lady of Milkweed Manor.
I am waiting my turn for Where The Crawdads Sing from our local library. Also, A Better Man by Louise Penny is waiting for me.
Sounds like you’re happily reading, Claudia. And it’s great to know you have a book waiting for you at the library, isn’t it?
I am reading book 4 in the Matchmakers of Huckleberry Hill by Jennifer Breckstrand. I have been alternating with some Fall,Halloween and Christmas books. Your Morning Glories are gorgeous. Claudia, I showed my twin sister your Morning Glories. They are her favorite flower. We never have any luck growing Morning Glories.
Marion
I’m grateful they bloomed, Marilyn! Thank you.
It seems to be getting chilly early this year, doesn’t it? I’ve already brought my plants in, too. Your fern really loved its outdoor vacation; I had to prune my hibiscus after bringing it in as it grew way too big for its inside spot. I’m reading this month’s book club selection, Lost City of the Monkey God and finding it most fascinating.
I’m glad you’re enjoying your current read, Judy! Thank you!
Thanks for asking the question, Claudia. It’s always interesting to see what others are reading. I’ve had a few weeks now of picking duds. Maybe I’m just in a rut. Usually I like biographies or memoirs but haven’t found anything that holds my interest. My contemporary British mysteries aren’t doing it for me, altho I did read Crombie’s new one and she is as always in good form. Sometimes I find an interesting story but the writing is very subpar, or good writing but no substance. A friend is reading Faulker’s Sound and Fury for his book group and asked me if I’d re-read it and help him sort it out. I read it long ago and understand his confusion. A tale told by an idiot after all. But I’m a Faulkner fan, so maybe I’ll plunge into that. I feel like the last two weeks I’m a nail being pounded daily on the head by the constantly “breaking news”–thump, thump, thump–it never stops. My usual literary retreats are not working. Back to the classics. So lovely to see your surviving morning glories!!!
I know. It never, ever stops. Mind and soul-numbing. I hope you find the perfect read, Nora.
I was at one of my favorite bookstores in Manchester VT this week while on a mini vacation in Dorset. Northshire books is heaven to me. I left with Say Nothing by Patrick Keefe. I haven’t started it yet as it looks pretty intense, have to be in the mood, but it was so highly recommended by the staff I had to have it. Im finishing up a Patricia Cornwell as preparation.
Nothing like a favorite bookstore, Deb! Enjoy!
I have been reading the mystery series by Charles Finch about “gentleman detective” Charles Lenox. It is London 1860s and I am enjoying it very much! Thanks for asking!
I’ve read that series, Ellen. It’s excellent. Thank you!
I’m reading “Nancy and Plum” by Betty MacDonald. I have a thing for children books about orphans. Don’t know why. Maybe because they always have a happy ending. I don’t want to think about what an unhappy childhood does to a grownup, but I like to think if you can endure an unhappy childhood, you can do anything. Even make your adulthood wonderful.
Lovely sentiment, Tana! Thank you.
I’m reading Klaus Kordon, a German writer. He writes fiction for the youth with a historical background. I am deeply touched. His books deepen my understanding of German history. Have a nice Sunday. Regula
Sounds very interesting, Regula. Thank you!