Early morning cottage.
I’m sitting at my desk, listening to some Diana Krall via my bluetooth speaker. Very nice, indeed.
Gosh, my friends, there’s not much to share with you. Sometimes, I wake up and think “Well, yesterday was routine, nothing really new, what the heck am I going to blog about??” Of course, there’s a comfort in routine. Nothing out of order, nothing earth-shattering. But, it doesn’t always make for an exciting blog post.
I’ve been reading a lot. I finished Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter this morning. When you look up ‘page-turner’ in the dictionary, there should be a picture of this book. Slaughter is an incredible writer and I’ve read everything she’s written. Somehow, I missed this one, but I ordered it from the library and oh my heavens! Dark, disturbing, unbelievably well-plotted, with Slaughter ratcheting up the suspense until it almost became unbearable. Actually, I need to correct that. It did become unbearable and I would have to put the book down for a few moment to collect myself. Get more coffee. Open the blinds. Anything to slow down my heartbeat. Excellent, excellent read. But not, my friends, for those of you who have a weak stomach for this sort of thing.
Early morning yard.
Yesterday, I drove to the bookstore (B & N) because I wanted to browse a little. My new trick? I walk around and pull the books I’m interested in from the shelves, sit down and browse through them. This doesn’t work for novels, of course, but I had a copy of In the Company of Women by Grace Bonney (of Design Sponge), in my hands. It’s just come out. It’s priced at $35, which I was quite hesitant about spending. So I browsed through the whole book, treating it very, very gently, and got an idea of the look of the book and the photography. It’s lovely and Grace has done a beautiful job, but I found that just doing that was enough for me. I put it back on the shelf, saved $35, and all was well.
I was quite proud of myself because I am a bookaholic, you know.
I’m also reserving several books from my local library system that I want to read but don’t want to buy. I just picked up two more. Huzzah! I’m in a stretch where I don’t have any review books that I absolutely have to read at the moment, so I am treating myself to reading for the sheer pleasure of it.
See? I’ve somehow written a blog post, when I thought I had nothing to say!
My first grade teacher would laugh at that. On a note home to my mother, she said, “Claudia is the only student I have had in all my years of teaching who, when I look at her and tell her to stop talking, simply looks the other way and keeps on talking.” Miss Brown was a formidable and strict teacher used to her students towing the line, so I imagine I threw her for a loop. I must take a moment to thank her for being relentless about learning to read and spell. She certainly contributed to my love of reading and to my 6th grade spelling bee win.
The winner of a copy of Echoes of Family is Nancy. Nancy, I’ve sent you an email. Send me your mailing address. Congratulations!
Happy Thursday.
I love the light in your cozy living room.
Thank you, Carolyn Marie!
I agree your living room does look so cozy. I chuckled with Miss Browns’ comment to your Mom. Did your Mom agree with her? Back then whatever the teacher said parents didn’t argue with! Enjoy your day.
I’m sure she did! Mom knew I was a talker. But she laughed years later when she reminded me about it. I miss her and her laugh.
Now I want a PG-13 version of Pretty Girls. You’ve made it sound so exciting.
It sure is! But, it’s far from PG-13, Nancy. Fair warning!
I love your teacher’s comment…of course, this is coming from the girl who was made to write 150 times, “I will not talk in the classroom.”
Ah, a fellow talker! xo
haha; i won my sixth grade spelling bee, too! sadly, i have no recollection of the winning word.
do you remember the word you spelled that brought your victory?
yes, thanks to the patient teachers everywhere. they have a tough job.
enjoy the reading-time!
kathy in iowa
No, I don’t remember the word at all! Sad, but true.
I love reading, but Karen Slaughter is too violent for me. At the same time, I am reading John Connolly’s first book – I’ve lost count of the bodies, but his writing is so good …..
I don’t think Karin Slaughter is any more violent than John Connolly! John Connolly gets very violent! And they’re both excellent writers.
Yesterday was not routine…visiting kitchen design shops with my friend, who has been talking about remodeling her kitchen for over ten years. It was fun to see the fancy kitchen displays but I’m not re-doing my kitchen again. Once was enough. Today is routine though…the never-ending raking, vacuuming, and quilting. Enjoy your routine day!
We have to rake again! And clean the gutters. And all of that will happen several times more before Autumn is over!
Also a 6th grade spelling bee champion….. my word was kaleidoscope (and I hope that is correct!!) I had to try a couple of times before it wasn’t underlined!
Is Meredith out of the path of Matthew ~ who has turned into quite a bully?? Wow! What a storm. Just turned on the Weather Channel and it is really a serious storm. Hope people heed the alerts. It’s always something….
Love that you sat and browsed the book and decided that you could save the $35. My husband and I used to do that with cards. Go into a store together and each pick out 3 or 4 cards to show each other, and leave them behind. I just can’t bring myself to spend $4 or $5 on a single card which will be put in a drawer or thrown in the recycle bin. Now we don’t even do that!! Guess we really are old! Hope you have a great Thursday!!
Yes, she’s on the West Coast of Florida. Though my nephew is going to school in Orlando and my longtime friend Kay (her parents were my godparents) is in the path and I’m worried about her. I hope everyone who is told to evacuate does evacuate.
Love the idea behind looking at cards and then putting them back! They are so expensive nowadays!
I envy your routine today. Our last three days have been anything but. We’ve left the beach shack in the hands of fate and hope we’ll see it again. We’re hunkered down in a hotel that’s farther from the beach, but nearly all of Florida is going to be hit, so we’ll see how hard it’s hit. At least we shouldn’t have to worry about ocean waves coming this far inland.
You arrive only to have to evacuate! Where is the beach shack? My godsister is near Vero Beach. I’m thinking of all of you and praying all is safe and nothing is damaged, Shanna. Keep me posted, if you can.
The shack is in Daytona Beach, just across the beach highway from the water. The area is only accessible by bridges, which they will close in a few hours. Then, when the damage to the bridges is assessed, They will be reopened, or not. Many neighbors have stayed, believing they will be kept away for too long after the storm. We have no real hurricane experience, so, after hearing more and more dire warnings to leave, we decided to do so. We may or may not be in a better place. Only time will tell. Even where we are it’s expected that we will lose power and water sometime tomorrow and flooding is a high probability anywhere in Florida…it’s so flat! Well, we’ll see where this adventure takes us and will check in when we can.
Much love to you and your husband, Shanna.
Psych! My first grade teacher was a Miss Brown too! No notes home though [that I know about – LOL]. My mother did tell me about a problem I had in kindergarten though. As the oldest child in my family I was evidently pretty used to bossing other kids around, and had a bit of an adjustment issue during the first couple weeks of kindergarten in the form of stunned incredulousness when my classmates did not do as instructed – by me. This lasted about 3 weeks I guess, according to Mom. She didn’t even learn about it until the parent-teacher conference in November. Mom said my teacher, Mrs Brule, told her that she’d seen this issue MANY times in her career & knew I would eventually come around. Very typical of firstborns, she told Mom. I did see the same thing many times in my own teaching career too. And I also wish I could thank my earliest teachers for all they did.
I love that story, Janet! Why on earth weren’t they following your instructions??? So funny.
I wish I could meet up with all my teachers in elementary school and thank them.
She was mean by the time I had her, and as for the spelling I never did catch onto that!
She was mean when I had her, too! She made me get up in front of the class (with the black eye I got from someone on our street throwing his baseball bat) made me show my black eye and said this is what you get if you aren’t careful! I wasn’t the one ‘not being careful.’
The magic of ordinary days. I love this post Claudia!
Thank you so much, Debbie!
We do remember the teachers who took the time to instruct earnestly and thoroughly, give our parents constructive comments and go about things in a no-nonsense way yet with heart and real interest. Nothing passive here; they were invested in us and in their jobs. I’m so lucky to have had several of those teachers and I’ll never forget them.
Miss Brown was a handful. She was very strict and almost the stereotype of an elderly spinster schoolteacher, though we would never use those terms today, thank goodness. As tough as she was, she sure knew what she was teaching and how to teach it. Very influential in my early years.
Thank you for the book win Claudia..I have sent you my address…I love winning books!…Best wishes to Meredith and family, Shanna, your god sister and anyone else in the path of Matthew…I will be thinking of you all…
Thank you Nancy! I’ve forwarded your name to TLC Book Tours.
I browse books (and magazines) at B&N, too. If it’s a book I’m truly interested in, I put it on my amazon wish list. And then I wait and see if my library gets it, or else I order (used) through half. com when the price is right. Although I did just splurge and get the new release, “Footnotes from the World’s Greatest Bookstores” on amazon. Did you get my email about that book?
Funny, I remember my first grade teacher very well, too. Her name was Miss MacDonald and she had bright red hair. If we did exceptionally good work, she would take us to the teacher’s lounge and let us buy a glass bottle of pop (10 cents!) from the cooler. A huge deal for a 6-year old! I remember choosing an orange soda. ;-) She told my mom, “Melanie has 6th grade reading ability.” Funny how we remember those special things teachers said about us all these years later. And I won my class 8th grade spelling bee and Phil won his junior high school’s spelling bee when he was in 6th grade!
I’m so sorry, somehow I missed the email, but I just read it. Thanks so much, Melanie!
Hey, we never got to get a glass bottle of pop!
I remember being a spelling bee champ too…but can’t remember what grade for the life of me. I always did love spelling…but nowadays…thank goodness for spell check! I love routine days…mine have been anything but, lately. We have relatives in Jacksonville….they are staying put…couldn’t talk them out of it. Hope you have a relaxing evening! ;)
Oh, I know. Words I used to know how to spell aren’t so easy to spell anymore!
I got a spanking in kindergarten for talking. I still talk a lot. Happy to be in CA with my daughter but oh so tired. Hugs!!
Wow, those were the days when teachers could get away with spanking! Not anymore. Enjoy your time with your daughter, Linda!
Hi, love your book store strategy. I do the same sort of thing on Amazon. I place some items on my wish list instead of buying them right on the spot. When I go back to look at my wish list I usually dont want the items any longer, they don’t seem so vital to my existence!! Just was blessed with our first granddaughter…I will message you her photo. ❤️xxoo
Congratulations! Whoo hoo! Blessings to you and your family, Ann Marie.
Thanks for the sweet story about Miss Brown. I have a 5 year old in my life who keeps getting in trouble in kindergarten because he won’t stop talking. There is still hope for him .
There is! Glad to know you are safe in the wake of Andrew, Kay!