In the interest of truth here on the blog, I haven’t done any more quilting since Thursday. But, I will.
What I have done is a lot of reading. As you know, I finished Bewilderment – see yesterday’s post for my thoughts on that exquisite book. I’ve now tucked into another book from my TBR pile. This one is by Jane Gardam, perhaps her most famous – Old Filth.
I read Gardam’s Faith Fox a few years back and that was my introduction to Gardam. It turns out that she is deeply loved. When I mentioned that book on IG, it was clear that many of my followers loved her writing. I found Faith Fox at Oblong Books, purely by chance – one of those moments when you pull a book off a shelf, having never heard of the author, and you buy it. I instantly fell in love with her writing and the ease with which she told a story. You know you are in good hands.
Fast forward a couple of years. I had researched Gardam and knew that I should read Old Filth. I also spotted the third book in the trilogy in the On Sale bin at Oblong and snapped it up. After joining the TBR pile, both books sat there for two years. (I have yet to purchase the second book in the trilogy.)
And now, entranced yet again by Gardam’s amazing gift with words, I wonder why I denied myself this pleasure for so long? I’m nearly 100 pages in and I’m hooked.
By the way, Jane Gardam is British, has an OBE, and is 93 years old.
Shortly after we got up this morning, Don said “What bird is that I hear?” I had my ear buds in, so I had to take them out to identify the song – it was the Carolina wren. I looked out the window and saw one of them entering the birdhouse. As I hadn’t seen or heard from them in several days, I was getting fearful that they might have moved on to another nest. Happy sigh to see them again.
It’s sunny today, but still coolish. After yesterday’s rain, the sun is welcome. We have three days of rather heavy rain coming up midweek, so we’ll enjoy this sun-filled day.
Stay safe.
Happy Monday.
I am reading The Lincoln Highway and appreciate your recommending this terrific book. It is hard to put down!
It’s a great story, Ellen. So glad you’re enjoying it.
Stay safe.
I seem to be in a dry spell for reading. I’m not sure why….probably watching too much news and worrying about various family members. It seems like it’s always something these last 2 years.
In good news…all the snow melted and the sun is peeking out. We should have some warmer weather this week. Maybe it finally is spring!
I’m happy to hear your wrens are still with you. I’m still looking for our bluebird tenants…no sightings so far. I wonder if it is the same pair that return.
Enjoy your sunny day.
Take care
I hope your bluebirds return, Marilyn.
And so happy to hear the sun has come out!
Stay safe.
Both of those books sound very interesting, but I have a huge TBR stack that I feel I must read first.
Looks like we are out of severe drought for precipitation, and now just in drought. Yay?? But more rain/snow is predicted for this week…and no sun til Friday. Glad you saw and heard your Carolina wrens! I just ordered another hummingbird feeder….the hummingbirds should be arriving in another two weeks or so.
I remember that quilt. In all honesty, the puzzle and roll up mat for said puzzle that I ordered two years ago is still in its box. Some things just take time I guess. Enjoy your day! ;)
Quilts take a lot of time for me these days – I used to quilt them much more quickly!
Stay safe, Donnamae!
Quilts will keep. In fact, they are experts at waiting. In fact, I think that makes the final result even better.
Our songbirds seem to prefer nesting in our clematis. Despite our many birdhouses, I think we’ve only seen them use one. I admit the clematis provides a lot of cover and protection, probably more than the Cub Scout project parked in the crotch of our cherry tree. They appreciate our pond more than anything else. No matter the time of year, we see them bathe daily. Having the cedar waxwings splash last week was awesome.
I’m still reading my way through A Promised Land. I randomly skipped ahead last night and (what are the chances) landed on Obama’s first trip to Russia and his read on Putin. Prescient.
Enjoy your sunshine and the garden before that wonderful moisture returns!
This quilt has been waiting about 7 years!
Thanks, Roxie.
Stay safe.
Ready to start ‘Bewilderment’ today. A few errands to run (pick up Mom’s taxes…ugh) and now I’m home and on the heating pad for my back. Amazing how even a little bit of out and about can hurt. Enjoy the day.
You’re so right. Mine is troublesome because I tweaked it yesterday when I was making up the bed.
Sigh.
Stay safe, Linda.
We have 2 Sparrows nesting in a birdhouse outside the Dining Room window. Has been fun to watch them carry their building supplies in and once in a while one of them carries some out again….wondering which one that is ??!?? No signs of any Wrens yet. I belong to a birding group from our village on FB and no one has seen them yet. We usually put the Oriole feeders out this week or next, but haven’t heard of anyone seeing those yet, either. Last year I had my 1st one on May 2. It has been so cold here.
The quilt is lovely, and as others have said, it will wait patiently for you. Take care.
I wish I knew which one was the male and which one was the female, too. I can only guess and I’m sure I’m usually wrong!
Stay safe, Chris.
I fed a feral/wild kitty-cat (came down from the hillside because it was so hungry) for six full months, only seeing it from a distance; it would only come to feed when I wasn’t around, so I’d always wished I had a kitty cam. Anyway, never knew if it was male or female until suddenly, one day in late spring, this cat appeared with two little kittens, such that the mystery was solved: I was feeding a female! Which then prompted me into action for a humane trap and off to the veterinarian as part of trap/spay-neuter/release, so that we’d make sure it was her last litter. It was 14 years ago but I can still remember my exhilaration to now have this cat in our midst with something more of an identification than just ‘it’. (I could never get too close to her in distance; she only partially adapted to the non-wild world; but I fed her a long time, a dozen years; still miss seeing her in the yard; she was an excellent mama, too.) Hope your Carolina wren mystery can be solved as easily!
I don’t think it will be. They move so quickly and I suppose the differences have to do with color and markings, so it seems unlikely that I’ll be able to identify sex.
Stay safe, Vicki!
I’m so glad your wren has returned! I’ve yet to see one coming back to the B&B here.
Isn’t it lovely to just fall into a book and love every second? I’ve done that recently (just put up the book post) and it’s so very satisfying. I wasn’t familiar with Gardam. Thanks for the intro.
I love falling into a well written book when you know you are in safe hands!
Stay safe, Jeanie.
hi! :)
i bought a new cellphone ten days ago and they messed up something so “rare”, so bad that they couldn’t fix it until tonight. i could make/receive calls and text messages, but no e-mail or internet … yet they handed the phone to me anyway … :( . not good, not fun, meant many, many hours at the phone store or leaving my phone there overnight, but it is (obviously) now fixed and i am glad for that.
i missed you all, been glad to hear how you’re doing. stay safe and well, happy!
claudia, i hope your back and don’s shoulder keep healing. might putting a firm pillow between you and the edge of the table help you to sit more upright when painting? or making sure the chair is pulled up very close to the table?
glad you liked the “bewilderment” book (sounds interesting), have the wrens and the peepers back and have gardening to look forward to.
doing alright here. my update? i filed for social security (no decision yet, just a notice from social security administration that they have my application) and tomorrow i will give notice to resign my job. maybe i should work until i for sure get that first check (requesed/expected in june for may), but i am hoping may 06 will be my last day of work. i have a lot of peace about this decision and sometimes i cry about that … after all that’s happened and is happening in the world, peace of mind and heart has felt so scarce and far, far away. i am blessed in many ways and grateful for that sense of peace and being able to retire.
sunny today after cold, rainy weather and a couple inches of snow last week. i love, love, love rain, but sunshine feels good, too.
glad to get back here. hugs to everyone.
kathy
I already do that, Kathy. I use two fat cushions – one on the chair seat and one against the back.
I’m very happy to hear your news! Social Security will come through – it won’t take long. Retiring will be good for you, Kathy. You certainly deserve that peace, my friend. Hobbies, maybe some travel, time with your family – it will be wonderful!
Stay safe.
hope the pillows help.
thanks, claudia!
may we all have peace.
i am very much looking forward to more time with my family and have less risk of covid exposure to work around. also to sleep in a bit and get to hobbies and tasks at home, stay in during bad weather.
hugs …
kathy
You deserve all of that and more.
Stay safe!