The World of Dracula puzzle in progress. I did some work on it yesterday, while sitting on a big fat cushion. These are such fun puzzles – they come with a large photo of the completed puzzle and on the back there is a key to all the characters; who they are and where they occur in the novel. The same thing with the Shakespeare, Dickens, and Austen puzzles. They’re really beautifully made. Next up will be World Mythology. I think I’ll have worked through all of them when I finish that one.
I’m also just about to finish Slow Horses by Mick Herron. What a fantastic novel – Herron writes about the world of spies; MI5, etc., but with a decidedly modern spin and more than a touch of humor and cynicism. I caved and ordered the next one in the series, because once I find a series that’s already been published in paperback, I’m all in. I noticed that there’s a new television series based on Slow Horses – I think it might be airing on Apple TV? But I won’t watch it. You know my rule: Once I have the characters fully created in my imagination, I won’t watch anything that might mess with that – including the future Louise Penny series. Nope. I’m very protective of the inner world that a good novel/series can create in my mind. Anyway, I recommend Slow Horses. It’s so well written. I like the way Herron’s mind works.
What else? More wind today. Sigh. Maybe some snow next Saturday. Right now, all of the snow has melted around here and, in my mind, that means that no more snow should fall.
Even though it’s only February.
But Mother Nature doesn’t care about my demands and doesn’t care if I’m getting itchy for Spring.
We’ll miss the Olympics but we’re also ready to get back on a regular schedule. We’ve been staying up late quite often to watch the results.
Okay my friends. I have to answer your comments from yesterday.
Stay safe.
Happy Saturday.
I’ve had Slow Horses on request from the library for a while, now. Should be coming soon. Right now I’m reading one of Elly Griffiths’s Magic Men series that I couldn’t get in the proper order, but I’m enjoying it anyway. She’s such a quirky writer, but one of my favorites. Have you read any of the Magic Men series?
I still have to finish the last one in the first series! I was reading it when I moved to Brooklyn and I lost my momentum. So I have to go back and start it again. I’ll have to check out her other series, Shanna.
Stay safe!
Your puzzles are so amazing. I’m just not a puzzle person but the end result are spectacular. I am adding Slow Horses to my list of books. My library has it on Kindle so I can read it. I enjoy a good series also. Having a family dinner today to celebrate Feb Birthdays. Should be fun. Mom will go if she is feeling better. Her pacemaker replacement went well but it was a lot for her. Just so happy she is doing so great at 91. Sending Hugs.
So glad your mom did well! But yes, she needs to rest!
Have fun with the family, Linda.
Stay safe.
Beautiful puzzle…you amaze me…
Thank you, Brenda!
Have a good weekend.
Stay safe.
Hi Claudia! I am enjoying your jigsaw puzzles. My dad passed away many years ago but I remember doing many puzzles with him when I was still in school. We did many Norman Rockwell Saturday Evening Post puzzles.
Anyway, I wanted to let you know there’s a new YouTube video out that I think you would enjoy. It is called The Painted Perfection of Maxfield Parrish. It was posted by Pete Beard.
Have a great weekend and stay warm! I am in Cleveland and the current wind chill is 1°!! Kim
Oh, thank you, Kimberly! I’ll check it out.
Stay safe! We’ve been having insane snow squalls this afternoon.
You’ve been doing some really intricate puzzles. I love to study them; so much detail and color. You’ve photo’d them very well for us.
It seems to sort of be like playing solitaire; a solo activity unless Don wants to join in, but think of how it’s making your mind work as you’re constantly problem solving, where to put which piece and make something whole/finished.
An aside, as regards moi: I think I’m getting burned out on my ‘drives’ away from the house. Stuff keeps happening that feels unsettling; crazy drivers out there; we were a victim of road rage for no reason at the merging of two busy/crowded freeways and I think we could have been killed at 70mph, I kid you not. This other driver was a nutcase, endangering more people than just us. And getting out today, forgetting it was a holiday weekend, with SO much traffic everywhere and TOO many pedestrians and bicyclists, I was a nervous wreck. Felt we were dodging landmines right and left. I didn’t see it, but my husband did in his rearview: A car on the beach road hit a loose dog. So many campers of course; everybody loves their pets, but you need to LEASH them when there are a lot of cars on a two-lane road. Boy did it shake us up; of course we’ve just lost our own dog so recently. There was nothing we could do (there were tons of people and drivers behind us, and the whole camper/motorhome community parked right there anyway) so we kept driving and then stayed away awhile because I simply COULD.NOT.HANDLE seeing anything tragic. We’re hoping the dog survived. But this time even the ocean couldn’t make me feel calm.
I came home and realized I really need to hit ‘pause’. Get simple; get quiet. Stay home more in this coming week. We might get rain Mon-Tues (this would be GOOD where I live in SoCalif); so, tomorrow we’ll be getting rain-ready at the house as the Santa Ana winds have blown off any cover/tarp we ever had on anything. Sunday is a good day to get calm, do some small amount of productive work but also honor the day for rest, try to make myself somehow relax!
And adjust to the idea that we’re probably going to adopt a dog when we said we wouldn’t. And very soon. (I can’t even believe I’m writing down words on the idea.)
My husband has an appointment tomorrow to look at three shelter dogs (a private meet & greet) who really need homes. This is adding to my nervousness. (I’m still grieving in my own way. I will be for a long time. I miss our other dog who hasn’t been gone very long from us at all. But how my husband processes his grief? By getting another dog. It’s a conundrum. I really don’t have the ‘fight’ in me right now to get into an arguing match over it. It’s such a big decision, though. However, these are elderly dogs who only have another year or two or three of life left, so the commitment is more in the short term. ) I’m no saint or martyr but I really AM trying to help my husband heal, even if it means a new pet adoption is not exactly the right thing for ME right now.
I’ve told him it will mostly be ‘his’ dog because these are large-breed dogs which are a bit difficult for me to handle in my current state of health (I’m not physically strong). We switched roles when he retired, wherein I retreated and my husband took over the feeding (he can wrestle with those huge sacks of dog food better than I can!), visits to the vet (heck, I can hardly get myself into the car sometimes, much less trying to herd a dog into the seat), walking the dog (I’ve got a tricky hip at the moment); so, that part doesn’t change, and he needs the structure of that kind of pet care and routine. (It’s weird how this role-switching happened, but it just did; he liked being more involved with the dog’s day which he’d never been completely exposed to because he always worked so many hours away from home. And he’s been bored to tears in retirement and always looking for ways to keep busy. Yep, a dog is good for him.)
It’s just such an unexpected development; although I guess I knew/sensed it would happen, just not this fast. No way this fast. But there are those ‘built-in helps’ if we stay a foster ‘parent’; like, if we COULD ever get away for a vacay, the dog can go back to the shelter and board there. They take such good care of ALL the animals. If something happened to us (some life-changing thing) and it becomes difficult to care for the pet, they’ll take it back and always provide a home and veterinary care for the remainder of the dog’s life. They give you these perks because what’s in it for them? You’re taking a dog home, giving it a life; a second chance. It creates an empty space at the shelter so that they can bring in a new dog and give IT a safe haven and chance for adoption. One goes out; one comes in. And over and over again.
So I guess this is 2022 for us. Buckle down, stay home, work on the house; love a new dog, three ‘seniors’ just getting on with life. Not so bad; not so bad at all!
Oh, I know it’s hard to adopt a new baby, but I understand that your husband needs to do that. You are such great parents and that dog will be loved. Please let me know what happens. You’re doing such a good thing, my friend!
Stay safe.
Well, he’s there now and just called me of one dog (again, very large breed) that is ruled out. It lunged at him and was very aggressive. It’s such a shame. This dog had been pulled out at County because he was worth saving and was even sent to a training school; he’s been moved around five times already in the shelters in just 90 days maybe, and it’s hard on an animal. But we’re not at an age now where we can deal with that level of rehabbing. What my husband DID discover so far at this one rescue place this morning already, was that a new dog has been brought in that looks like a smaller version of the dog we just lost, but nobody knows anything about her yet, and she is very, very shy. Now THIS intrigues me; she could be the one. She’d be more like 40 lbs; easier for me to handle.
Please keep us up to date, Vicki. The smaller dog sounds like she might be the one!
xo
I don’t want anyone helping out and since Don has no desire to work on a puzzle, it works out well for us! I like to be the one who puts the entire thing together.
Yes, you’re ready to stay home now. You needed to get out of the house right after losing your girl. But now? Stay in. Stay calm. Rest up.
Stay safe, Vicki.
I made the mistake of watching Penny’s “Still Life” on Netflix. They were true to the stories but the characters looked nothing like “my” characters. They were fine; nothing wrong with them and if I’d not read the book, I’d have enjoyed it more. I’m still not sure about the series. I don’t see Molina as “my Gamache.” We’ll see.
That puzzle reminds me that long ago at the cottage I did one of the Frank Langella poster of his Dracula production — all black and white, maybe a little red. If I still have it at the cottage next summer and you want it, I’ll send it along. No guarantees — a lot of time has passed. But you never know!
I don’t see Molina as Gamache at all. I love his work, but…no.
I don’t need the puzzle, thank you, but what a great reminder of Langella as Dracula. I was swooning, he was so sexy! That was a groundbreaking production.
Stay safe, Jeanie.