karenmarie - glad to be here in 2022, part VII

Welcome to my seventh thread of Two Thousand and Twenty-Two!

The Good: Family, friends, kitties, books, in constantly-rotating order. I’ve graduated from cardio rehab and low-sodium is becoming a lifestyle, not a short-term measure. I’ve lost weight and am going to the Senior Center in town to continue with treadmill work. Ukraine is still holding out against Russia. I’ve gotten my second Covid booster. The fireflies have arrived at dusk and are a joy to watch.

The Bad and the Sad: I’m concerned that governments are lifting masking/social distancing measures too soon, but we’ll see. Covid is rearing its ugly head again. I personally was exposed in early May and it terrorized and infuriated me. People who do not have an official medical reason for not getting vaccinated are just plain stupid and irresponsible and should be ashamed of themselves. The social and political rift among people in the US is more entrenched and apparent than ever. The possibility of civil war is getting mentioned more frequently, which astounds and scares the bejeebers out of me. The Russian War against Ukraine is still going on. An evil 18-year old child bought assault rifles and murdered two adults and 19 little children in Texas. And, a minor thing at home: I’m sad that spring is pretty much over, as that means that summer’s vicious heat is here.

The Ugly: The Gang of Psychos is doing more and more to harm our democracy. Even though I have always disagreed with most of their policies, at least they weren't right-wing nut jobs until you-know-who reared his ugly head.

The encouraging: I’ve lost 43 pounds and am reaching a weight I haven’t been at for at least 15 years, probably more.

I am so glad I’m retired, and am beyond grateful that I don’t have to venture out to work to earn a living ever again. I’ve paid my dues. Every day I don’t work is a cause for celebration.

I read and am a charter member of the Redbud and Beyond Book Club, started in 1997. We’ve established a schedule for May 2022 – February 2023, and I loved the first book. We’ve revised our meeting schedule. We had the same schedule from 1997 – 2020, didn’t meet after March of 2020, and are now meeting the second Thursday at 11 a.m. instead of the first Sunday at 7 p.m. I am President for our local Friends of the Library. Our first book sale in 2 years went off without a hitch and generated $5,000 in revenue. The next sale was May 7th, which generated $2000 in revenue. Unfortunately, one of our key volunteers exposed us to Covid. We’ve since cancelled a June 11th Children’s Books Sale and will meet in August to determine if we can/should hold a full book sale in September. A candidate for Treasurer backed out, so I will be returning to Treasurer and we’re on the lookout for a President. On the first day of the new fiscal year, July 1, I will be giving my resignation as Treasurer, effective June 30, 2023.

I have been married to Bill for 31 years and am mother to Jenna, 28. She will be returning home in July to regroup. Bill and I live in our own little corner of paradise on 8 acres in central North Carolina USA.

We have three kitties. Inara – almost 15, Zoe – 3 1/2, Wash – 2 ½. edited to add: Bill took the marvelous photo of Wash mid-yawn. I've held on to it for 3 weeks, waiting for a new thread.


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Karen, Jenna, Bill, December 6, 1994. Jenna was 16 months old.
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My goal last year was 100 books and I exceeded it by 3. This year’s goal is reduced to 75, but a bodice-ripper-reading streak in May has me at 76 already. My reading mojo has come roaring back with a vengeance. A reduced pages goal made sense, too, but I’ve already read 23K pages.

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Poetry is not a go-to genre by any means, however, I am going to choose a short new poem for each new thread. In keeping with my unrelenting pursuit of bodice ripper novels, this poem is quoted in the one I recently finished. It is by William Blake.

The Crystal Cabinet

The Maiden caught me in the wild,
Where I was dancing merrily;
She put me into her Cabinet,
And lock'd me up with a golden key.

This cabinet is form'd of gold
And pearl and crystal shining bright,
And within it opens into a world
And a little lovely moony night.

Another England there I saw
Another London with its Tower,
Another Thames and other hills,
And another pleasant Surrey bower.

Another Maiden like herself,
Translucent, lovely, shining clear,
Threefold each in the other clos'd
O, what a pleasant trembling fear!

O, what a smile! a threefold smile
Fill'd me, that like a flame I burn'd;
I bent to kiss the lovely Maid,
And found a threefold kiss return'd.

I strove to seize the inmost form
With ardor fierce and hands of flame,
But burst the Crystal Cabinet,
And like a weeping Babe became—

A weeping Babe upon the wild,
And weeping Woman pale reclin'd,
And in the outward air again,
I fill'd with woes the passing wind.

2022 - it has to be better than 2020 and 2021, right?

Books Read

January
1. The Guncle by Steven Rowley 12/19/21 1/2/2022 324 pages hardcover
2. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling 9/29/21 1/6/22 audiobook 19 hours
3. Some Die Nameless by William Stroby 1/3/22 1/12/2022 337 pages hardcover
4. Should We Stay or Should We Go by Lionel Shriver 1/14/22 1/24/22 266 pages hardcover
5. Faithless in Death by J.D. Robb 1/25/22 1/29/22 385 pages trade paperback

February
6. Forgotten in Death by J.D. Robb 1/29/22 2/1/22 388 pages trade paperback
7. Midnight in Death in Silent Night by J.D. Robb 2/1/22 2/1/22 90 pages mass market paperback
8. Interlude in Death by J.D. Robb 2/2/22 2/3/22 92 pages mass market paperback
9. Remember When by Nora Roberts 2/3/22 2/6/22 243 pages mass market paperback
10. Big Jack 2/6/22 2/8/22 287 pages mass market paperback
11. Haunted in Death in Bump in the Night by J.D. Robb 2/9/22 2/10/22 100 pages mass market paperback
12. Eternity in Death by J.D. Robb in Time of Death Anthology 2/10/22 2/13/22 108 pages trade paperback
13. Ritual in Death by J.D. Robb in Time of Death Anthology 2/14/22 2/14/22 88 pages trade paperback
14. Missing in Death by J.D. Robb in Time of Death Anthology 2/15/22 2/15/22 96 pages trade paperback
15. Possession in Death in The Other Side Anthology by J.D. Robb 2/16/22 2/19/22 80 pages mass market paperback
16. Killing Floor by Lee Child 2/20/22 2/26/22 407 pages mass market paperback
17. Chaos in Death in The Unquiet Anthology by J.D. Robb 2/26/22 2/27/22 90 pages mass market paperback
18. Woke Racism: How a New Religion Has Betrayed Black America by John McWhorter 2/16/22 2/28/22 194 pages hardcover
19. Taken in Death in Mirror, Mirror Anthology by J.D. Robb 2/27/22 2/28/22 86 pages mass market paperback

March
20. Wonderment in Death in Down the Rabbit Hole Anthology by J.D. Robb 3/1/22 3/1/22 94 pages mass market paperback
21. A Tap on the Window by Linwood Barclay 3/2/22 3/5/22 500 pages hardcover
**abandoned** The Winshaw Legacy by Jonathan Coe 58 pages
22. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 1/7/22 3/8/22 audiobook 21.5 hours
23. The Locked Room by Elly Griffiths 3/8/22 3/10/22 363 pages hardcover
24. Maus by Art Spiegelman 3/11/22 3/11/22 159 pages trade paperback
25. The Book of General Ignorance: Everything You Think You Know Is Wrong by John Mitchinson 1/21/22 3/11/22 315 pages hardcover
26. Better Off Dead by Lee Child and Andrew Child 3/13/22 3/14/22 325 pages hardcover
27. The Scholar by Dervla McTiernan 3/15/22 3/18/22 360 pages trade paperback
28. Nine Stories by J.D. Salinger 3/12/22 3/20/22 302 pages hardcover
29. The Good Turn by Dervla McTiernan 3/18/22 3/23/22 407 pages trade paperback
30. The Woman In Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware 3/24/22 3/26/22 340 pages

April
31. The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman 4/9/22 4/9/22 29 pages
32. Last Words by Michael Koryta 3/27/22 4/12/22 420 pages trade paperback
33. The Adults by Caroline Hulse 4/11/22 4/16/22 368 pages trade paperback
34. The Story of Human Language by John McWhorter 3/9/22 4/20/22 audiobook 18 hours
35. A Personal History of Thirst by John Burdett 4/17/22 4/23/22 301 pages hardcover
36. The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn 4/23/22 4/24/22 416 pages Kindle
37. An Offer From a Gentleman by Julia Quinn 4/24/22 4/25/22 419 pages Kindle
38. Romancing Mister Bridgerton by Julia Quinn 4/26/22 4/27/22 412 pages Kindle
39. To Sir Philip, With Love by Julia Quinn 4/27/22 4/29/22 369 pages Kindle
40. When He Was Wicked by Julia Quinn 4/29/22 4/30/22 381 pages Kindle

May
41. It's In His Kiss by Julia Quinn 5/1/22 5/1/22 373 pages Kindle
42. On The Way to the Wedding by Julia Quinn 5/2/22 5/22/22 430 pages Kindle
43. Because of Miss Bridgerton by Julia Quinn 5/2/22 5/3/22 376 pages Kindle
44. The Girl With the Make-Believe Husband by Julia Quinn 5/3/22 5/4/22 384 pages Kindle
45. The Other Miss Bridgerton by Julia Quinn 5/4/22 5/5/22 337 pages Kindle
46. First Comes Scandal by Julia Quinn 5/5/22 5/6/22 371 pages Kindle
47. Just Like Heaven by Julia Quinn 5/6/22 5/6/22 Kindle 218 pages
48. A Night Like This by Julia Quinn 5/6/22 5/8/22 420 pages Kindle
49. The Sum of All Kisses by Julia Quinn 5/8/22 5/9/22 434 pages Kindle
50. The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy by Julia Quinn 5/9/22 5/10/22 378 pages Kindle
51. The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever by Julia Quinn 5/10/22 5/10/22 322 pages Kindle
52. What Happened in London by Julia Quinn 5/10/22 5/11/22 372 pages Kindle
53. Ten Things I Love About You by Julia Quinn 5/11/22 5/11/22 377 pages Kindle
54. The Lost Duke of Wyndham by Julia Quinn 5/11/22 5/12/22 364 pages Kindle
55. Mr. Cavendish, I Presume by Julia Quinn 5/12/22 5/12/22 370 pages Kindle
56. To Catch an Heiress by Julia Quinn 5/12/22 5/13/22 377 pages Kindle
57. How to Marry a Marquis by Julia Quinn 5/13/22 5/14/22 375 pages Kindle
58. Midnight Marriage by Lucinda Brant 5/14/22 5/15/22 322 pages Kindle
59. Autumn Duchess 5/15/22 369 pages Kindle
60. Dair Devil by Lucinda Brant 5/16/22 5/17/22 Kindle
61. Proud Mary by Lucinda Brant 5/18/22 5/20/22 367 pages Kindle
62. Satyr's Son by Lucinda Brant 5/20/22 5/21/22 345 pages Kindle
63. Salt Bride by Lucinda Brant 5/21/22 5/22/22 350 pages Kindle
64. The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare 5/22/22 5/22/22 366 pages Kindle
65. ‎The Governess Game by Tessa Dare 5/22/22 5/22/22 372 pages Kindle
66. The Wallflower Wager by Tessa Dare 5/23/22 5/23/22 352 pages Kindle
67. Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare 5/23/22 5/24/22 370 pages Kindle
68. Say Yes to the Marquess by Tessa Dare 5/24/22 5/25/22 373 pages Kindle
69. When a Scot Ties the Knot by Tessa Dare 5/25/22 5/26/22 376 pages Kindle
70. Do You Want to Start a Scandal by Tessa Dare 5/26/22 376 pages Kindle
71. A Night to Surrender by Tessa Dare 5/27/22 5/27/22 376 pages Kindle
**abandoned** The Blind Duke by Olivia T. Bennet 112 pages
72. A Week to be Wicked by Tessa Dare 5/27/22 5/28/22 356 pages Kindle
73. A Lady by Midnight by Tessa Dare 5/28/22 5/28/22 373 pages Kindle
74. Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare 5/28/22 5/29/22 373 pages Kindle
75. One Dance with a Duke by Tessa Dare 5/29/22 5/30/22 384 pages Kindle
**abandoned** Twice Tempted by a Rogue by Tessa Dare 140 pages
76. Deadly Engagement by Lucinda Brant 5/30/22 5/31/22 276 pages Kindle

June
77. Someone to Watch Over Me by Lisa Kleypas 6/1/22 6/4/22 362 pages Kindle
78. Four Nights with a Duke by Eloisa James 6/4/22 367 pages Kindle
79. Desperate Duchesses by Eloisa James 6/4/22 6/5/22 Kindle
80. An Affair Before Christmas by Eloisa Janes 6/5/22 6/5/22 388 pages Kindle
81. Duchess by Night by Eloisa James 6/5/22 6/6/22 6/6/22 361 pages Kindle
82. When the Duke Returns by Eloisa James 6/6/22 6/7/22 375 pages Kindle
83. This Duchess of Mine by Eloisa James 6/7/22 6/8/22 372 pages Kindle
84. A Duke of Her Own by Eloisa James 6/8/22 6/8/22 386 pages Kindle
85. Three Weeks With Lady X by Eloisa James 6/8/22 6/9/22 378 pages Kindle
86. Seven Minutes in Heaven by Eloisa James 6/9/22 6/10/22 Kindle
87. Wilde in Love by Eloisa James 6/10/22 6/11/22 274 pages Kindle
88. Too Wilde to Wed by Eloisa James 6/11/22 6/12/22 370 pages Kindle
**abandoned** How To Be Champion by Sarah Millican 49 pages
89. Born to be Wilde by Eloisa James 6/12/22 6/13/21 361 pages Kindle
90. Say No to the Duke by Eloisa James 6/13/22 6/13/22 364 pages Kindle
91. Say Yes to the Duke by Eloisa James 6/13/22 6/14/22 386 pages Kindle
92. Wilde Child by Eloisa James 6/14/22 6/16/22 374 pages Kindle
93. My Last Duchess by Eloisa James 6/16/22 6/16/22 254 pages Kindle
94. Much Ado About You by Eloisa James 6/16/22 6/17/22 344 pages Kindle
95. Love, Hate & Clickbait by Liz Bowery 6/14/22 6/18/22 325 pages trade paperback
96. Kiss Me, Annabel by Eloisa James 6/17/22 6/9/22 384 pages Kindle
97. The Taming of the Duke 6/19/22 6/20/22 394 pages Kindle
98. Pleasure for Pleasure by Eloisa James 6/20/22 6/21/22 Kindle
99. Lady Susan by Jane Austen 5/29/22 6/21/22 76 pages hardcover
100. Potent Pleasures by Eloisa James 6/21/22 6/22/22 Kindle
101. Duchess in Love by Eloisa James 6/22/22 6/23/22 Kindle
102. Fool for Love by Eloisa James 6/23/22 6/25/22 355 pages Kindle
103. A Wild Pursuit by Eloisa James 6/25/22 356 pages Kindle
104. Governor by Leslie Richardson 6/27/22 6/28/22 400 pages Kindle
105. Lieutenant by Leslie Richardson 6/28/22 6/28/22 273 pages Kindle
106. Chief by Lesli Richardson 6/28/22 6/29/22 244 pages Kindle
107. Yes, Governor by Leslie Richardson 6/29/22 6/29/22 47 pages Kindle
108. Pet by Lesli Richardson 6/29/22 6/30/22 201 pages Kindle

Currently Reading:

Your Wicked Ways by Eloisa James 7/1/22 Kindle 2004
When They Call You a Terrorist by Patrisse Khan-Cullors 6/24/22 Library loan audiobook 2018 6.5 hours 2018
Dignity by Lesli Richardson 6/30/22 Kindle
Pilgrim by Timothy Findley 6/20/22 486 pages hardcover 1999
Deadly Affair by Lucinda Brant 5/31/22 Kindle
Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow 4/22/22 audiobook 29 CDs, 35.5 hours 2004
The Federalist edited by Jacob E. Cooke 5/28/22 656 pages hardcover 1961

Adds. Last year was supposed to be a year of controlling my insatiable need for books, but I fell off the wagon big time. 316 books acquired last year, which was ridiculously high compared to the previous year's 128.

I won't make any promises for this year, though.

1. Kindle - An Elderly Lady Is Up To No Good by Helene Tursten and Marlaine Delargy
2. Amazon - The Longevity Plan by Dr. John D. Day and Jane Ann Day
3. Amazon - My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk
4. Amazon - Should We Stay Or Should We Go by Lionel Shriver
5. Kindle - Sam by Lonnie Coleman - RD
00 The Book of General Ignorance: Everything You Think You Know Is Wrong by John Mitchinson - bought December, just added to catalog
6. Amazon - Faithless in Death by J.D. Robb
7. Amazon - Forgotten in Death by J.D. Robb
8. Kindle - Walking on the Ceiling by Aysegül Savas
9. Jenn - A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain by Robert Olen Butler
10. Kindle - Kohinoor by William Dalrymple
11. Kindle - Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson
12. Amazon - Mr. Flood's Last Resort by Jess Kidd
13. Kindle - In the Presence of Absence by Mahmoud Darwish
14. Kindle - Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World by Fareed Zakaria
15. Kindle - South Sea Fever by D.A. Horncastle
16. Amazon - Jim Hanvey, Detective by Octavus Roy Cohen
17. Amazon - Abandoned in Death by J.D. Robb
18. Amazon - Maus I by Art Spiegelman
19. U of Chicago Press - A Brief History of Death by W.M. Spellman
19. U of Chicago Press - Patty's Got a Gun: Patricia Hearst in 1970s America by William Graebner
20. U of Chicago Press - Nuns Behaving Badly: Tales of Music, Magic, Art, and Arson in the Convents of Italy by Craig A. Monson
21. U of Chicago Press - Confederate Cities: The Urban South during the Civil War Era by Andrew L. Slap
22. Amazon - Down the Rabbit Hole by J.D. Robb
23. Amazon - Mirror, Mirror by J.D. Robb
24. Amazon - The Unquiet by J.D. Robb
25. Kindle - Twenty-Five to Life by R.W.W. Greene
26. Amazon - The Book of Disappearance by Ibtisam Azem
27. Amazon - Raise High The Room Beam, Carpenters and Seymour an Introduction by J.D. Salinger
28. Kindle - The Narrative of Sojourner Truth by Sojourner Truth
29. Amazon - Unfinished Business: Notes of a Chronic Re-reader by Vivian Gornick
30. Thrift Shop - Beau Brummell: The Ultimate Man of Style by Ian Kelly
31. Thrift Shop - The Mummy Congress: Science, Obsession, and the Everlasting Dead by Heather Pringle
32. Thrift Shop - Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Islamic Women by Geraldine Brooks
33. Thrift Shop - Last Words by Michael Koryta
34. Book Sale Volunteer book - Royal Escape by Georgette Heyer
35. Book Sale Volunteer book - Counterfeit Conspiracies by Ritter Ames
36. Book Sale Volunteer book - Marked Masters by Ritter Ames
37. Friends Book Sale - Abstract Aliases by Ritter Ames
38. Friends Book Sale - Fatal Forgeries by Ritter Ames
39. Friends Book Sale - Bronzed Betrayals by Ritter Ames
40. Friends Book Sale - Soul Mountain by Xingjian, Gao
41. Friends Book Sale - Carolina Moon by Jill McCorkle
42. Friends Book Sale - Pulse by Felix Francis
43. Friends Book Sale - Blue Labyrinth by Preston & Child
44. Friends Book Sale - Transcription by Kate Atkinson
45. Friends Book Sale - Miss Kopp Just Won't Quit by Amy Stewart
46. Friends Book Sale - Montana 1948 by Larry Watson
47. Friends Book Sale - The Case of the Caretaker's Cat / The Case of the Perjured Parrot by Erle Stanley Gardner
48. Friends Book Sale - Bland Beginning by Julian Symons
49. Friends Book Sale - Blue Lightning by Ann Cleeves
50. Friends Book Sale - The Color of Lightning by Paulette Jiles
51. Friends Book Sale - The Nine Tailors by Dorothy L. Sayers
52. Friends Book Sale - Postmortem by Patricia Daniels Cornwell
53. Friends Book Sale - The Shadow District by Arnaldur Indridason
54. Friends Book Sale - The Only Story by Julian Barnes
55. Friends Book Sale - Miss Pinkerton by Mary Roberts Rinehart
56. Friends Book Sale - Riding the Rap by Elmore Leonard
57. Friends Book Sale - The Wandering Fire by Guy Gavriel Kay
58. Friends Book Sale - Insidious Intent by Val McDermid
59. Friends Book Sale - Swing, Swing Together by Peter Lovesy
60. Friends Book Sale - Snow by Orhan Pamuk
61. Friends Book Sale - The Summer Tree by Guy Gavriel Kay
62. Friends Book Sale - Midnight Assassin: A Murder in America's Heartland by Patricia L. Bryan and Thomas Wolf
63. Friends Book Sale - An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
64. Friends Book Sale - The Darkest Road by Guy Gavriel Kay
65. Friends Book Sale - A Bitter Feast: A Novel by Deborah Crombie
66. Friends Book Sale - The Simple Art of Murder by Raymond Chandler
67. Friends Book Sale - The Bridesmaid by Ruth Rendell
68. Friends Book Sale - Dick Francis's Gamble by Felix Francis
69. Friends Book Sale - Killing the Shadows by Val McDermid
70. Friends Book Sale - The House of Silk: A Sherlock Holmes Novel by Anthony Horowitz
71. Friends Book Sale - The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn
72. Friends Book Sale - A Puzzle for Fools by Patrick Quentin
73. Amazon - The Adults by Caroline Hulse
74. Thrift Shop - The Intuitionist by Colson Whitehead
75. Thrift Shop - Tar Heel Ghosts by John Harden
76. Thrift Shop - Guilty Not Guilty by Felix Francis
77. Kindle - From Manassas to Appomattox by James Longstreet
78. Leftover from Friends Book Sale - A Personal History of Thirst by John Burdett
79. Kindle - The Road to Oxiana by Robert Byron
80. Amazon - Like a House On Fire by Caroline Hulse
81. Amazon - The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn
82. Kindle - The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn
83. Kindle - An Offer From a Gentleman by Julia Quinn
84. Kindle - To Sir Phillip, With Love by Julia Quinn
85. Kindle - When He Was Wicked by Julia Quinn
86. Kindle - On the Way to the Wedding by Julia Quinn
87. Kindle - Because of Miss Bridgerton by Julia Quinn
88. Kindle - The Girl With the Make-Believe Husband by Julia Quinn
89. Kindle - The Other Miss Bridgerton
90. Friend Karen - Stolen Words: The Nazi Plunder of Jewish Books by Mark Glickman
91. Kindle - First Comes Scandal by Julia Quinn
92. Kindle - Just Like Heaven by Julia Quinn
93. Kindle - A Night Like This by Julia Quinn
94. Kindle - The Sum of All Kisses by Julia Quinn
95. Kindle - The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy by Julia Quinn
96. FoL Audio Visual Sale - The History of the Supreme Court by Professor Peter Irons
97. FoL Audio Visual Sale - Shakespeare's Tragedies by Professor Clare R. Kinney
98. Fol Audio Visual Sale - The Terror of History: Mystics, Heretics, and Witches in the Western Tradition by Professor Teofilo F. Ruiz
99. Fol Audio Visual Sale - How to Read and Understand Shakespeare by Professor Marc C. Conner
100. Fol Audio Visual Sale - 1066: The Year That Changed Everything by Professor Jennifer Paxton
101. Kindle - The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever by Julia Quinn
102. Amazon - Anatomy of a Scandal by Sarah Vaughan
103. Kindle - Ten Things I Love About You by Julia Quinn
104. Kindle - The Lost Duke of Wyndham by Julia Quinn
105. Kindle - Mr. Cavendish, I Presume by Julia Quinn
106. Kindle - To Catch an Heiress by Julia Quinn
107. Kindle - How to Marry a Marquis by Julia Quinn
108. Kindle - Midnight Marriage by Lucinda Brant
109. Kindle - Murder at the Brightwell by Ashley Weaver
110. Kindle - The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare
111. Kindle - Autumn Duchess by Lucinda Brant
112. Kindle - Dair Devil by Lucinda Brant
113. Kindle - Proud Mary by Lucinda Brant
114. Kindle - Satyr's Son by Lucinda Brant
115. Kindle - The Bridgertons: Happily Ever After by Julia Quinn
116. In the House, found in a drawer - A Southern Album: Recollections of Some People and Places and Times Gone By by Irwin Glusker
117. Amazon - The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story by Nikole Hannah-Jones
118. Kindle - The Plot to Seize the White House: The Shocking True Story of the Conspiracy to Overthrow F.D.R. by Jules Archer
119. Kindle - The Governess Game by Tessa Dare
120. Kindle - The Wallflower Wager by Tessa Dare
121. Kindle - Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare
122. Kindle - Say Yes to the Marquess by Tessa Dare
123. FoL volunteer book - The Federalist edited by Jacob E. Cooke
124. Kindle - When a Scot Ties the Knot by Tessa Dare
125. Kindle - Do You Want to Start a Scandal by Tessa Dare
126. Kindle - The Blind Duke by Olivia T. Bennett
127. Kindle - A Night to Surrender by Tessa Dare
128. Kindle - A Week to be Wicked by Tessa Dare
129. Kindle - A Lady by Midnight by Tessa Dare
130. Kindle - Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare
00 Homo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari - bought it in 2017 but had forgotten to add it to my catalog
131. Kindle - One Dance with a Duke by Tessa Dare
132. Kindle - Twice Tempted by a Rogue by Tessa Dare
133. Kindle - The Sentence by Louise Erdrich - returned. Ugh.
133. Kindle - Desperate Duchesses by Eloisa James
134. Thrift Shop - Siler City - Verses for the Dead by Preston & Child
135. Thrift Shop - Siler City - Love is Blind by Lyndsay Sands
136. Thrift Shop - Pittsboro - Two Graves by Preston & Child
137. Thrift Shop - Pittsboro - Don't Look Down by Jennifer Crusie & Bob Mayer
138. Thrift Shop - Pittsboro - Duchess by Night by Eloisa James
139. Kindle - Someone to Watch Over Me by Lisa Kleypas
140. Kindle - Four Nights With a Duke by Eloisa James
141. Kindle - Desperate Duchesses by Eloisa James
142. Kindle - An Affair Before Christmas by Eloisa James
143. Kindle - Duchess by Night by Eloisa James
144. Kindle - When the Duke Returns by Eloisa James
145. Kindle - This Duchess of Mine by Eloisa James
146. Kindle - A Duke of Her Own by Eloisa James
147. Kindle - Three Weeks with Lady X by Eloisa James
148. Kindle - Seven Minutes in Heaven by Eloisa James
149. Kindle - Wilde in Love by Eloisa James
150. Kindle - Too Wilde to Wed by Eloisa James
151. Amazon - Reclaiming Two-Spirits: Sexuality, Spiritual Renewal & Sovereignty in Native America by Gregory D. Smithers
152. Kindle - Born to be Wilde by Eloisa James
153. Kindle - Say No to the Duke by Eloisa James
154. Kindle - Say Yes to the Duke by Eloisa James
155. FoL volunteer book - Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann
156. FoL volunteer book - Selected Poems of Langston Hughes
157. Kindle - Wilde Child by Eloisa James
158. Kindle - My Last Duchess by Eloisa James
159. Kindle - Much Ado About You by Eloisa James
160. Amazon - Pilgrim by Timothy Findley
161. Kindle - Kiss Me, Annabel by Eloisa James
162. Kindle - The Taming of the Duke by Eloisa James
163. Kindle - Pleasure for Pleasure by Eloisa James
164. Kindle - Potent Pleasures by Eloisa James
165. Kindle - Memoir of Jane Austen by James Edward Austen-Leigh
166. Kindle - Duchess in Love by Eloisa James
167. Kindle - Fool for Love by Eloisa James
168. Kindle - Governor by Lesli Richardson
169. Kindle - The Wild Pursuit by Eloisa James
170. Kindle - The Complete Works of Alexander Hamilton
171. Kindle - The Affectionate Shepherd by Richard Barnfield
172. Friend Karen - The Mutual Admiration Society: How Dorothy L. Sayers and her Oxford Circle Remade the World for Women by Mo Moulton
173. Amazon - Pietr the Latvian by Georges Simenon
174. Kindle - Lieutenant by Lesli Richardson
175. Kindle - The Canterbury Tales and Other Poems by Geoffrey Chaucer
176. Kindle - Chief by Lesli Richardson
177. Kindle - Yes, Governor by Lesli Richardson
178. Kindle - Pet by Lesli Richardson
179. Kindle - Dignity by Lesli Richardson
180. Kindle - Diligence by Lesli Richardson
181. Kindle - Desire by Lesli Richardson
182. Friend Jan - Open and Shut by David Rosenfelt
183. Friend Jan - First Degree by David Rosenfelt
184. Friend Jan - Bury the Lead by David Rosenfelt

Culls. Last year I culled 72. While looking for some books for friend Louise today I saw two very poor quality mass market paperbacks that I should cull... perhaps I can focus on culling unreadable books if they don't hold sentimental or intrinsic value, of course.

I am toying with the idea of culling a book for every book I acquire. Toying only, but I did just find 3 mass market paperbacks with print too small or too yellowed.

1. Kissing the Gunner's Daughter by Ruth Rendell
2. Artists in Crime by Ngaio Marsh
3. A Dark Adapted Eye by Barbara Vine (pseudonym for Ruth Rendell)
4. Some Die Nameless by Wallace Stroby reasonable, but not enough to award it permanent shelf space
5. Cold Shot to the Heart by Wallace Stroby
6. The Heartbreak Lounge by Wallace Stroby
7. The Devil's Share by Wallace Stroby
8. Kings of Midnight by Wallace Stroby
9. Gone 'Til November by Wallace Stroby
10. Suite 606 - contains an Eve Dallas novella, duplicated in another book on my shelves
11. Out of This World - contains an Eve Dallas novella, duplicated in another book on my shelves
12. Dead of Night - contains an Eve Dallas novella, duplicated in another book on my shelves
13. The Lost - contains an Eve Dallas novella, duplicated in another book on my shelves
14. Big Jack - duplicate of a copy in Remember When
15. The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht
16. The Winshaw Legacy by Jonathan Coe
17. Number 11 by Jonathan Coe
18. The Power of Babel by John McWhorter
19. The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware
20. A Personal History of Thirst by John Burdett - liked it but not enough for shelf space
21. A God in Ruins by Leon Uris
22. Accused by Lisa Scottoline
23. Betrayed by Lisa Scottoline
24. Corrupted by Lisa Scottoline
25. Keep Quiet by Lisa Scottoline
26. Look Again by Lisa Scottoline
27. Every Fifteen Minutesby Lisa Scottoline
28. The New Oxford Book of Seventeenth Century Verse edited by Alastair Fowler
29. Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda
30. White Oleander by Janet Fitch
31. Lady Sophia's Lover by Lisa Kleypas
32. The Chamber by John Grisham
33. Japanese Proverbs
34. Somewhere I'll Find You by Lisa Kleypas
35. Stranger in My Arms by Lisa Kleypas
36. Midnight Angel by Lisa Kleypas
37. Only With Your Love by Lisa Kleypas
38. Because You're Mine by Lisa Kleypas
39. Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas
40. When Strangers Marry by Lisa Kleypas
41. Forever My Love by Lisa Kleypas
42. Untamed Heart by Georgina Devon
43. Those Who Hunt the Night by Barbara Hambly
44. The Wind Dancer by Iris Johansen
45. From Time to Time by Jack Finney
46. Time and Again by Jack Finney
47. 3 by Finney by Jack Finney

Statistics Through June 30 - another bodice-ripper and etc. - statistics are skewed

108 books read
17 of them on my shelves before 1/1/22 and not rereads
4 books abandoned, 359 pages abandoned
34289 pages read
56.5 audiobook hours
Avg pages read per day, YTD = 189
Avg pages read per book, YTD = 317

Book of the Month: Governor by Lesli Richardson

Books by Month
January - 4 paper books 1312 pages, 1 audiobook 19 hours
February - 14 paper books, 2473 pages
March - 10 paper books, 3193 pages, 1 audiobook 19.5 hours
April - 9 paper books, 3173 pages, 1 audiobook 18 hours
May - 36 e-books, 13344 pages including 2 books abandoned with 252 pages counted
June - 31 e-books and 1 paper book, 10,849 pages, including 1 book with 49 pages abandoned

Author
Male 11%
Female 89%

Living 98%
Dead 2%

US Born 85%
Foreign Born 15%

Platform
Hardcover 10%
Trade Pback 12%
Mass Market 8%
Audiobook 3%
e-Book 67%

Source
My Library 94%
Library 2%
My Library, culled after reading 3%
Borrowed from a friend 1%

Misc
ARC/ER 0%
Re-read 4%
Series 88%

Fiction 97%
NonFiction 3%

Author Birth Country
Australia 6%
England 7%
Ireland 2%
Sweden 1%
US 83%

Original Decade Published
1870-1879 1%
1950-1959 1%
1980-1989 1%
1990-1999 6%
2000-2009 27%
2010-2019 50%
2020-2029 14%

Category
Contemporary Fiction 8%
Crime Fiction - Mystery, Thriller, Suspense 22%
Fantasy 2%
Graphic Novel 1%
Historical Fiction 62%
Informational Nonfiction 3%
Poetry 1%
Science Fiction 1%

Book Acquisition Date
2007 - Joined LT, added 1853 books 2
2011 8
2013 1
2018 1
2019 1
2020 1
2021 5
2022 83
Library 2
Culled from my Library after reading 4

Average Rating
2.0 - Bad 2
2.5 - Average 3
3.0 - Good 7
3.5 - Very Good 10
4.0 - Excellent 59
4.5 - Outstanding 27

Average Rating 3.94

June Lightning Round - I admit that I'm addicted to bodice ripper and etc. books right now.

Someone to Watch Over Me by Lisa Kleypas 6/1/22 6/4/22 362 pages Kindle

First in the Bow Street Runners series, and the last I’ll read. Formulaic, easy to guess the supposed major plot line, steamy but I’m always amazed when the virgin heroine is in major pain at her first time yet has an orgasm. Really? Pretty much sorry I read this one, but I’m floundering a bit on bodice rippers.

Four Nights with a Duke by Eloisa James 6/4/22 367 pages Kindle

Laugh out loud humor, serious issues relating to a physical disability in a child, and true love triumphs. 8th in a series. Now I have to go back to the first 7. Not a chore at all.

Desperate Duchesses by Eloisa James 6/4/22 6/5/22 Kindle

The first in the Desperate Duchesses series mentioned just above. This one is quite stunning in that our heroine, Roberta, tries to get away from the emotional turmoil of her father’s affairs by getting engaged to a cold man, thinking herself in love with him. There are quite a few romantic/chess entanglements here, all worthy of books of their own, some further along in the series, no doubt. Gemma/Beaumont her husband, Villiers, etc. The characters are well developed, the viewpoint changing as we get into the minds of each of them.

An Affair Before Christmas by Eloisa Janes 6/5/22 6/5/22 388 pages Kindle

Another winner. Poppy and Fletch, the Duke of Fletcher, get married but things sour quickly, and they are essentially leading separate lives 4 years into their marriage. I love it that Poppy has intellectual interests and that Fletch starts becoming involved in politics in the House of Lords in addition to the rekindling of their marriage. James does her historical homework, and in addition to an interesting medical interlude, there is fascinating information about hairstyling, hair powder, and the use of tallow, among other things, to help women create the fantastic – not meant kindly – hairstyles worn during these times.

Duchess by Night by Eloisa James 6/5/22 6/6/22 361 pages Kindle

Widowed Duchess Harriet pretends to be a callow youth, cousin of the Duke of Villiers at the scandal-ridden estate of Lord Strange. Hijinks ensue, we learn all sorts of things about how men of the era behaved when women weren’t around, what a molly was, and how power was brokered during the period. Excellent. The multiple plot lines, attention to detail, and excellently written emotional and sexual scenes make this series quite nice.

When the Duke Returns by Eloisa James 6/6/22 6/7/22 375 pages Kindle

Poor Isidore, waiting for her husband-by-proxy to return from gallivanting around the world. When he returns home, both quickly realize that their marriage won’t work and ask for an annulment. However, love triumphs, along with the pursuit of other plot lines and interesting things about water closets, drains, and sewage.

This Duchess of Mine by Eloisa James 6/7/22 6/8/22 372 pages Kindle

I found the premise of this one – that the Duke of Beaumont had a heart condition and expected to die in his 34th year, just as his father had, to be particularly poignant. His old friend Villiers finds out and is devastated, and eventually his wife finds out. I loved the discussions of how glass blowing leads to blindness, how titled Georgian men treated their illegitimate children, and early development of foxglove for heart conditions fascinating. This in addition to the scintillating and emotionally devastating dialogue and satisfactory plot development.

A Duke of Her Own by Eloisa James 6/8/22 6/8/22 386 pages Kindle

The Duke of Villiers decides he must marry in order to provide a mother for his six illegitimate children and there are two daughters of Dukes that he feels he should choose between. Laugh out loud humor, madness, an adorable pug – and I don’t even particularly like dogs! – and the discovery the man entrusted with his children has embezzled the money and the children must be found and retrieved all make for a less serious entry in the series, although the Duke and his chosen wife are quite wonderful together.

Three Weeks With Lady X by Eloisa James 6/8/22 6/9/22 378 pages Kindle

The bastard son of the Duke of Villiers is a grown man, a successful businessman. Thorn wants to marry, finds a likely candidate and hires Lady Xenobia, “India”, orphan daughter of a Marquess, a canny businesswoman herself, to refurbish a ramshackle mansion. Much sparkage, interesting discussion of childhood traumas, and an eminently successful conclusion. We learned quite a bit about mudlarks – children forced to go into the Thames to find silver spoons, buttons, even human teeth, at the hands of cruel taskmasters. The first book that I read in this series, Four Nights With a Duke, is about Thorn’s friend, Zander.

Seven Minutes in Heaven by Eloisa James 6/9/22 6/10/22 398 pages Kindle

Another bastard, this time the son of the hero and stepson of the heroine in Desperate Duchesses. He’s inherited his siblings after his birth mother and her husband die abroad and needs a governess. The first two don’t work out, but the owner of Snowe’s Governesses, Eugenia Stowe, spends two weeks with the children and their father and things go from there. I’m particularly happy to have read about Jarvis the rat and a pornographic illustration on a keepsake box.

Wilde in Love by Eloisa James 6/10/22 6/11/22 274 pages Kindle

Somewhat less successful with me than others by the same author, it seemed more shallow and much more anachronistic than I can tolerate, even in this bodice-ripper phase. "Bull." in calling something out just doesn't work with me. The bits about the bog were interesting, though, as were the cute bits about an American Sable - a.k.a. skunk. The sparkage between Alaric and Willa seems contrived, and her ultimate capitulation a wee bit abrupt.

Too Wilde to Wed by Eloisa James 6/11/22 6/12/22 370 pages Kindle

Marginally better than the first in this series, with the hero and heroine realizing that their initial betrothal was for all the wrong reasons. A nice cliffhanger regarding the heroine of the next book. There were several bits that made me question the sanity of the heroine, frankly. If the next book doesn’t start coming up to the quality of the Desperate Duchesses series, I’m outta here.

Born to be Wilde by Eloisa James 6/12/22 6/13/21 361 pages Kindle

Lavinia Gray finds out that her laudanum-addicted mother has been stealing money and jewels, so that instead of being a wealthy heiress she’s destitute. She proposes to the richest man she knows, Parth Sterling, in his bedroom at Lindow Castle, but he turns her down. He does offer to find her a rich husband, though. Hijinks, hurt feelings, sparkage, and knowledge about materials and women’s fashion of the period, along with how terrible laudanum (opium) addiction was, flesh this effort out.

Say No to the Duke by Eloisa James 6/13/22 6/13/22 364 pages Kindle

I’m a sucker for a romance with a plot line about a man or woman with emotional wounds. This one, with Jeremy and Betsey, falls nicely into that category, with Jeremy, like North above in Too Wilde to Wed, a returned soldier, and the additional twist of a rapacious cousin wanting to inherit Jeremy’s Marquessate. Wilde-ly improbable, playing on the title of the series – The Wildes of Lindow Castle – but highly entertaining and appealing.

Say Yes to the Duke by Eloisa James 6/13/22 6/14/22 386 pages Kindle

This got 4.5 stars for the best steamy scene of the series. No spoilers. *smile* Legally and as a member of the family a Wilde but known as the bastard child of the Duke’s second wife and a Prussian officer, Viola is painfully shy and enamored of an engaged vicar. Devin, the Duke of Wynter, needs a bride, wants a Duke’s daughter, and comes to a party at Lindow Castle to a party for Viola and Joan. He’s intrigued by Viola and things go from there. I liked the info about religious cycle plays. James can write comedic scenes with the best of them, and the chicken flying into the audience solves a problem and is funny its own right.

Wilde Child by Eloisa James 6/14/22 6/16/22 374 pages Kindle

Joan and Thaddeus. A wonderful book. James knows how to open up the hidden emotional reserves and hurts of a lifetime, bring them into the open, and still them with love and acceptance. This one in the series includes a piglet named Percy, a goat named Gulliver, Joan dressed in breeches, and Thaddeus learning that he is a member of the wonderful Wilde family.

My Last Duchess by Eloisa James 6/16/22 6/16/22 254 pages Kindle

The story of the Duke of Lindow – father of all the children mentioned above – and his third and last Duchess. Heartwarming, sweet, sexy, full of love of family and each other. Once again James writes with emotional truth.

Much Ado About You by Eloisa James 6/16/22 6/17/22 344 pages Kindle

First of another series by James, The Essex Sisters. Tess and Lucius’s story. Four sisters have to go live with their guardian since their father has died. Tess gets engaged to a titled gentleman, but he leaves before the Special License Wedding and she marries Lucius instead. Much about breeding and racing horses, much about what starts as lust changing to more.

Love, Hate & Clickbait by Liz Bowery 6/14/22 6/18/22 325 pages trade paperback

This one probably deserves its own review, however it’s simply a contemporary romance, albeit between two men rather than the ones I have exclusively read prior to this one, always between a man and a woman. Clay and Thom pretend to be in a romantic relationship in order to offset a political gaffe by their disgusting boss, the female governor of California. It's all a game until it isn’t. Richard’s review is outstanding if you want to look it up on the Work Page. There are a few twee moments, but all in all very well done.

Kiss Me, Annabel by Eloisa James 6/17/22 6/9/22 384 pages Kindle

Second in the Essex Sisters series, about Anabel and Ewan, Earl of Ardmore. A scandal forces them to wed, and on the way to his home in the highlands, they learn about one another through questions and kisses. The book is also about Mayne, Tess’s original suitor in the first book.

The Taming of the Duke by Eloisa James 6/19/22 6/20/22 394 pages Kindle

Rafe and Imogen’s story. Rafe is the guardian who takes the four Essex sisters in. There is an interesting subplot about an illegitimate half-brother. We also have Dukes in Disguise, and how to become a non-drinking alcoholic.

Pleasure for Pleasure by Eloisa James 6/20/22 6/21/22 Kindle

My favorite of the series, the story of Josephine and Mayne, with a gratifying secondary plot about Mayne’s sister Griselda. I was particularly pleased when Ardmore and Lucius punish a brutish minor member of the ton both financially and physically when he attacks Josie. I guess I’m somewhat bloodthirsty. Mayne thinks she’s been raped and since his engagement to a Frenchwoman who turns out to be a lesbian is over, offers marriage. There’s a charming scene in a turret and Josie’s very real disgust with her body dealt with in a way that I could relate to, still having body image issues 56 years after hitting puberty.

Potent Pleasures by Eloisa James 6/21/22 6/22/22 Kindle

Marginally better than another by James – Wilde in Love – this one is really irritating in that the hero doesn’t trust his wife even though he promises to is unrelentingly cruel to her until he sees the truth in his twin brother’s eyes that they weren’t having an affair and his wife almost dies of childbirth. I won’t continue the series.

Duchess in Love by Eloisa James 6/22/22 6/23/22 Kindle

Start of a different series, but there are some characters from the Essex Sisters series, apparently starting concurrently with the first of that series. Hmmm. This book was another marginal start to a series, in which the abandoned-when-she-was-11-and-forced-to-marry-the-18-year-old heir to a dukedom summons him to demand an annulment from his house in Greece, where he fled after the marriage. Hijinks ensue, they are attracted to one another, and eventually live HEA. There are way too many secondary plots of abandoned- and abandoning wives, all at a house party, tricks to entice these husbands back into the marriage/bed, and even one death, when a husband dies of a heart attack after another man tries to sneak into the abandoning-but-now-reconciling wife after they shared an illicit night of passion the night before. Faugh, as my characters of the time period would say.

Fool for Love by Eloisa James 6/23/22 6/25/22 355 pages Kindle

Darby and Henrietta – she is lame and has been told that she can never marry and have a family because her mother died in child birth with her and was also lame. Darby is smitten with her. I found their story particularly sweet and hopeful in addition to funny with Darby’s stepsisters – the baby who vomits all over the place and the elder who is grief stricken with the loss of her mother and acts out.

A Wild Pursuit by Eloisa James 6/25/22 356 pages Kindle

Surprisingly unsatisfying, with some wildly improbable situations, an unexplained lust suddenly transformed into a lifetime love, and some irritations about childbirth, the aftermath, and the unexplained lack of competency around taking care of a newborn. There is one plot line left open for the next book, which I’m looking forward to, however.

Governor by Leslie Richardson 6/27/22 6/28/22 400 pages Kindle

Carter, Owen, and Susa meet in college, create a three-way sexual and emotional bond. This book, the first of a trilogy, is told from Owen’s viewpoint. Everything about this book is engaging – the plot, the characters, and the themes of love and commitment make for a powerful read. The book ends with Owen becoming Governor of Florida, all according to Carter’s plan of 16 years before. Caveat emptor regarding explicit sex.

Lieutenant by Leslie Richardson 6/28/22 6/28/22 273 pages Kindle

Second in the Governor Trilogy, this book is told from Susa’s viewpoint. Daughter of a powerful Florida politician, Susa has political goals, which Carter is willing to help her attain. Once again, a book that immediately grabbed me and kept me wrapped up through the HEA. There were a few improbable things, but they were not impossible. Once again, caveat emptor regarding explicit sex.

Chief by Leslie Richardson 6/28/22 6/29/22 244 pages Kindle

Third in the Governor Trilogy, this book is told from Carter’s viewpoint. There’s bad news from Carter’s past, the only possible threat to his and Owen’s and Susa’s happiness. We learn Carter’s relevant backstory, and it’s a doozy. We also see the continuation of Carter’s plans for Owen and Susa’s happiness. Once again, caveat emptor regarding explicit sex.

Yes, Governor by Leslie Richardson 6/29/22 6/29/22 47 pages Kindle

Novella, Carter, Owen, and Susa each having a point of view of Owen’s last night in the Governor’s Mansion. Having learned of Carter’s backstory, we get confirmation of that in Carter’s reaction/feelings when the three are alone together. 4th time, caveat emptor.

Pet by Lesli Richardson 6/29/22 6/30/22 201 pages Kindle

Part of Carter’s past, Eddie makes a bad transaction and gets recognized by the wrong people. In steps a surprising rescuer and there are ties to someone from a previous book in this series. 5th time, caveat emptor.

103 books read

0 Masterpiece
17 Stunning
51 Excellent
28 Very Good
6 Good
1 Average
0 Bad
0 Very Bad
0 Don't Bother
0 Anathema

Best Fiction
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
An Unnecessary Woman by Rabih Alameddine
Widow of the South by Robert Hicks
Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley
The Mandibles: A family, 2029 – 2047 by Lionel Shriver

Best Nonfiction
Killing Lincoln by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard
Ties That Bound: Founding First Ladies and Slaves by Marie Jenkins Schwartz
Never Caught by Erica Armstrong Dunbar
A Promised Land by Barack Obama
Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit

Top five overall for the LT Top Five Books of 2021 list:
An Unnecessary Woman by Rabih Alameddine
Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley
Killing Lincoln by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard
Ties That Bound: Founding First Ladies and Slaves by Marie Jenkins Schwartz
A Promised Land by Barack Obama

…

Welcome to my new thread, one and all.

Happy New Thread, Karen!

Thank you, Roni!

I know how much you love to garden, so here is a photo of my beautiful forsythia as 'prize' for being first.

Happy new one -- love the forsythia. If we had room I'd like one of those too.

Happy new thread, Karen!

>1 karenmarie: Irina and Zoe look sweet, and what a lucky shot with Walsh yawning I suppose?
What a nice family picture, looking so close together, because you and Bill are sitting on the floor.

Feeling the same about the sad, the bad and the ugly. Gla.dt there is still some good and encouraging (yay!) left.

Happy new one, Karen.

Happy new thread!

>6 karenmarie: That is a long run on a theme. I rarely give romances higher than a 3.5, which is a bit snobby, but then unless I'm blown away I reserve 4-5 for books I'd recommend widely, the higher the more widely. In any case, I'm temped to pick up a few of them if I can see any spare reading time.

Happy new thread!

Hi Karen. I always love your photos of the kitties, but I also love the photo of you, Bill, and little Jenna up there in >1 karenmarie:.

And that is a gorgeous forsythia!!!!

>12 RebaRelishesReading: Thank you, Reba. The forsythia was originally 3 1-gallon containers, planted 4-5 feet apart. They’ve merged into one lovely harbinger of spring.

>13 FAMeulstee: Hi Anita, and thank you. Bill took that glorious shot of Wash yawning – I just edited my first message to give Bill credit. He took 3 pics of Wash in that sequence, and the last one was a lucky yawn. Thanks re the family photo.

I always give quit a bit of thought to the Good, bad and sad, ugly, and encouraging. It is a good way to step outside myself and my admittedly teensy world.

>14 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie!

>15 quondame: Thanks, Susan. Yes, I can’t believe I’ve been immersed in romances for well over a month now. Every book I finish, I think about the one word that describes it from my ratings list. An outstanding and well-written romance can trump a boring and pedantic and poorly written bit of ‘literature’ any day for me. I hope you can find a romance or two that are fun. Any particular time period or type of romance that particularly appeals?

>16 figsfromthistle: Thanks, Anita!

>17 EBT1002: Thanks, Ellen. I have fun putting together the kitty shot each new thread.

When we built this house in 1998, I told Bill pretty quickly after moving in that I wanted forsythia. It took him a while to oblige me, but he did it in style with 3 that quickly fused into one beautiful statement.

>18 karenmarie: I've read all of the Georgette Heyer books, so there's that. I did read The Duke and I and was entertained but not thrilled. Back in the bad old days of introduction by rape I read quite a lot of rubbishy histerical romance, I'm thinking the 70s but it may have extended into the 80s, but when I started with Regency recreation activities I really lost my enjoyment of un-historical historical romances and adventures. There haven't been many other than Heyer who really appeal and most aren't romances, Ellis Peters, Dorothy Dunnett, Hilary Mantel, and Cecelia Holland. There have been exceptions, and Sorcery and Cecelia is great fun.

Happy new thread!

Happy new thread, dear Karen.

>1 karenmarie: I am an admirer of William Blake whose apparently simple verses carry plenty of meaning.

Secondly congratulations on a special reading month in May and on passing 75 books already. xx

Happy new thread, Karen!

>1 karenmarie: Such a mix of good and bad, but I’ll concentrate on the good - congrats on the weight loss! That is awesome! Also, lucky you with your fireflies. I miss them as there aren’t any in Colorado. A couple years ago, I was driving through central IL just after dark in late June, and the fireflies were out in force. It was absolutely magical, all along both sides of the road. I wish I had had someone with me to share the experience.

And your kitties are so sweet!

And congrats on reaching 75 books! Wow!

Happy new thread, Karen. Love the pics, as always.

>19 quondame: Hi Susan. I have read the all Georgette Heyer romances at least once, most multiple times, and they set the gold standard for modern day historical romances. I love them AND I love modern day no-rape-consent-asked-for sexy ones. That’s what I read last month. No rape. Anyway, I can understand your dropping them when you started Regency recreation activities and could see the problems with what you were reading. I, too, read The Duke and I, last year and was entertained but not thrilled. But after season 2 of Bridgerton, I read The Viscount Who Loved Me, and that was it. I have Dunnett on my shelves, as yet unread. I got rid of my Mantels because I knew I'd never read them, don’t have any by Peters or Holland. I just checked out Sorcery and Cecelia, but fantasy is a less-favored genre for me and so will pass. Thanks for responding so thoroughly!

>20 drneutron: Hi Jim, and thank you.

>21 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul, and thank you. The poem fit the book, and I was moved by the poem. I have The Portable Blake but have never dipped into it. Perhaps it’s time. And thanks for the congrats on 75 and my May.

>22 Copperskye: Hi Joanne. Thank you times three. I have a friend in Montana who also bemoans not having fireflies. How special – fireflies out in force while you were driving through central IL. They always amaze me just by their nature. We love our kitties. Unfortunately, Zoe brought me an offering yesterday… I was sad because it was a baby bunny. The perils of living in the country with indoor/outdoor kitties.

>23 jessibud2: Hi Shelley, and thank you.

…
Early morning start for me after 7 ¾ hours straight sleep. I’m happy. Coffee in hand, books to read, desk to clean up, house cleaner to arrive around 11 a.m. I spent quite a bit of Wednesday moving stuff from the guest bedroom to the Parlour so Alex could thoroughly clean the guest bedroom today. That’s where Jenna will stay from now on when she visits since I’ve taken over her bedroom/playroom-renamed-Retreat. She’s fine with it, but of course she has no choice. *smile*

I do have to go work out this afternoon after Alex leaves in order to get my 3x a week treadmill in.

Wordle 349 4/6* adieu, blase, chase, phase

🟨⬜⬜🟨⬜
⬜⬜🟩🟩🟩
⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Ooh, almost 8 hours of sleep - very nice! Mine was disturbed by Leonard, who wanted to lick the Icy-Hot on my shoulder. I kept waking up to sandpaper lapping at my skin :-P

You know, if you spent a lot of time on Wednesday moving stuff around, I would think that would count as good activity and towards your 3x/week goal. Not trying to give you an excuse, but a lot of the time, it's just about moving more, and it sounds like you were.

Have a great weekend!

Katie, I laughed out loud thinking about Leonard licking the Icy-Hot on your shoulder. Bad kitty. Not good for you or him. But the image...

The movement was good, admittedly, and achieved a goal. The treadmill, however, gets my heart rate in the 109-123 zone that the hospital's cardio rehab group says I should be at for 30 minutes 3-5 x a week. I usually achieve about 25 minutes, as I spend about 3 minutes warming up on the treadmill and about 2 minutes cooling down, also recommended by them. So I don't completely understand the 30 minutes instead of 25 minutes, but go with it.

Thanks re our weekend. It's same old-same old, I'm afraid. We've successfully, if unintentionally, pushed off friends for 2 1/2 years now, and I'm really being an introvert and not minding at all. We are having one of Bill's co-workers and her husband over for a visit on the 11th, with a dinner out at the seafood place that served me awful salmon last time. Sigh. Bill, bless his heart, has told them that I might not go to dinner with them, but I'm thinking I can go - the CDC has returned out county to Low Risk on Covid, and if I get some kind of broiled fish and only eat small amounts of it all think I'll be fine. Not salmon, though. Or, having just looked up scallops, tilapia, flounder, and shrimp, I just might get chicken or beef. Sigh.

And Jenna and I are going to a sweet little cousin's wedding on the 24th. They're Pentacostals so there will be a lot of writhing for Jesus, and I'll definitely be masked for the ceremony, but perhaps unmasked when hundreds of us go to the reception hall for food and celebration and they aren't huffing and puffing and singing without masks.

I'm double boosted, after all.

Happy new thread, Karen!

Good morning, best Karen! I'm about to be off for coffee, but I had to get my Wordle fix.....in 4 for me too with the same words at #s 3 and 4. I thought of 4 first but thought 3 more likely. Why my mind can't wrap itself around machine randomness when I am such a random person, I can't begin to guess.

OOh!!!! DUNNETT!!!!!!!! They are not like anything else in the world. I long to pick up my Lymond reread just at the mention of her name. I didn't fall so hard for the Niccolo ones, but even so, I love Dunnett. I even enjoyed the Johnson Johnson mysteries. When you do read her, you can call on me for references explained in the DD Companions.

Love the pics of the three of you and the three of them. Enjoy your day!

New thread orisons, Horrible, and a happy weekend, too! *smooch*

I once bought my then-wife a forsythia necklace with citrines as petals and really cool vermeil twigs in these exciting, interesting shapes. It hurt when it landed on my face.

The Grand Twins, Helen and Claire, are 21 today. Each of them. Yoicks! Family party tomorrow, so Gramps has to draw up a pair of rain checks.

>27 scaifea: Thank you, Amber!

>28 LizzieD: Hi, my dear Peggy. Yay for 4 for you, too. Funny – I’ve had the Dunnetts on my shelves from before LT – 2018, but haven’t read a single one yet.

Thanks re the pics of the there of us and the three of them. Symmetry in things this thread, right?

>29 richardderus: Thank you, RDear. Happy Weekend to you, too. The necklace sounds lovely, sorry she used you as target practice for it. *smooch*

>30 weird_O: Happy birthday to the Grand Twins.

…
Alex is here and I had to work hard to get the crap on the stairs to the media room off. My intention is to not put any of it back. Some trash, some for the thrift shops, some to find new homes back in the house.

Bill said that I’ve worked hard enough to not go work out, but if I don’t that will really start a bad trend. Big sigh. I’ll leave soon after Alex has gone. It’s good for me, right?

>26 karenmarie: - Oh, of course your activity would be specifically heart-targeted. Derp :-P

Hi Karen my dear, Happy New Thread and what a lovely photo of you, Bill and a very young Jenna. Hope all is well with you and with the kitties, we are both well and yesterday went to the Village Platinum Jubilee party at the recreation field. We had Elliott and Hannah with us and then Amy and Andy joined us, we had a lovely time and i will have to add some photos to my thread.

Have a really lovely weekend and we send love and hugs to you and the furbaby's dear friend.

>24 karenmarie: Such nights of sleep are a real treasure.

>28 LizzieD: I have a particular fondness for Niccolo because my beloved baby brother had a mind that worked like his. It was quite entertaining if one maintained distance from the blast sites.

>32 katiekrug: Yes, good/sad to say. I worked out this afternoon, and so felt righteous for having gotten all 3 workouts in this week.

>33 johnsimpson: Hallo, John, and thank you. I'm glad you like the photo. We're doing well, thank you. I'm glad that you and Karen are well, too. Yay for the Village Platinum Jubilee Party with your family. I wish you a happy weekend, too. Sending love and hugs to you and Karen and of course kitty skritches for dear Felix.

>34 quondame: I was so happy to wake up so late, Susan, without having gotten up in the middle of the night at all. They are indeed something to treasure.

...
Well, Bill and I broke down and are on a 7-day free trial of BritBox, which will start costing us $6.99/month through Amazon. We started watching season 21 of Midsomer Murders and watched the first episode of 3 of Why Didn't They Ask Evans?. I'm in hog heaven.

Twilight, fireflies, heading upstairs to read then sleep.

Wordle 350 4/6* adieu, grown brook, froth

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Chiming in on Dunnett. I've read 4 of the 6 Lymond Chronicles, urged on by LTers which probably included Peggy who has never steered me wrong (see also: Dance to the Music of Time). I enjoy them but they are long books, and dense with history. Dunnett definitely did her research. I bought a companion book that helps with sorting out the characters and events, which has helped. I should probably read another one soon.

Longtime Britbox subscriber here. They have a lot of mysteries as you've discovered, and also some excellent country living, gardening, and nature programs. Plus a lot of stuff we don't watch, like the popular soap operas. Enjoy!

Hi Laura! Thank you for chiming in. I've already got it in my '2022 toberead' tag, but I keep forgetting to go there to look for what to read next! Of course May was a huge distraction, what with reading steamy Georgian and Regency fiction, but I should really look there more often. We're already in early June and I have ... 77... books with that tag. Sigh.

I've also got the first three books in the Dance to the Music of Time series.

...
I had blocked out the time between now and June 9th to read The Sentence by Louise Erdrich for my real life book club, just re-starting in the time of Covid. I've disliked everything else I've tried by her, but this one sounded promising, as described on Amazon:

Louise Erdrich's latest novel, The Sentence, asks what we owe to the living, the dead, to the reader and to the book. A small independent bookstore in Minneapolis is haunted from November 2019 to November 2020 by the store's most annoying customer. Flora dies on All Souls' Day, but she simply won't leave the store. Tookie, who has landed a job selling books after years of incarceration that she survived by reading "with murderous attention," must solve the mystery of this haunting while at the same time trying to understand all that occurs in Minneapolis during a year of grief, astonishment, isolation, and furious reckoning.

The Sentence begins on All Souls' Day 2019 and ends on All Souls' Day 2020. Its mystery and proliferating ghost stories during this one year propel a narrative as rich, emotional, and profound as anything Louise Erdrich has written.

Book stores, ghosts, what's not to like? And yet, this is what I ran into on page 5 of my Kindle:

Filled with an uncanny strength, she smashed a lamp and tried to gouge herself with a shard of plastic. Even though she had everything to live for.

'Fuck the win. I want him! Budgie! Oh, Budgie, my soul!'

She rammed me off the couch.

No. Just no. Not only no, but hell no. And I resent having paid good money for it.

Yikes! Good morning, (((((Karen))))). I haven't read a new Erdrich in years and years. I'm not sure I particularly care to stomach that either. I don't remember her early books that I liked having quite that same tone.
Anyway, I'm loving the cool! We even got some gentle rain last night. YAY! Enjoy your day and improve each shining hour!
(Wordle in 3 for me. Lucky and Yippee!)
(Isn't Laura nice!?!!)

>38 karenmarie: I had a tough time with the beginning of The Sentence, and warmed up to it after a bit, but I completely understand giving up on it, too.

>39 LizzieD: No, you're nice, Peggy!

>35 karenmarie: Britbox is so good! We subscribe to a few services, and Britbox is probably my favorite. Have fun with it!

Karen O

>39 LizzieD: Good morning to you, too. (((((Peggy))))) gentle hugs***your mama***gentle hugs

I think I’m officially off Erdrich forever. Oh well, too many books, too little time!

I had the 2 downstairs windows that have screens on them open this morning – it was glorious. Yay for your rain. Congrats on Wordle in 3, too.

I’m thrilled with the idea of BritBox. Bill mentioned this morning that Amazon Prime has more Forensic Files, but I told him I’m a BritBox baby for the foreseeable future.

Yes, Laura is very nice. I’d like to meet her in RL.

>40 lauralkeet: I don’t seem to want to have to make the time to warm up to a book these days, Laura. It either grabs me from the gitgo, or I stop reading it. This does not bother me. I have 2400+ books tagged tbr and a Kindle. I'm not worried about running out of reading material.

>41 klobrien2: Hi Karen! Good to know it’s your favorite, and thanks.

>42 OscarHinder: I actively dislike trolls, and am glad they were flagged quickly enough so I didn’t have to see their against-TOS crap. Thank you to the flaggers.

>38 karenmarie: I myownself just flat refuse to even think of that woman's stuff because of what she did to Michael Dorris.

And you know you can return it to Ammy....

>36 karenmarie: I got it in 3 today AEONS, MIRTH, FROTH and was right pleased.

Even Kindle? Can I return a Kindle book?

Your first two words seem to be a theme with you. Congrats on Wordle in 3.

*smooch*

>45 karenmarie: Yes indeed, you can. Go to the Order page, find that order, and within 7 days of purchase there will be a "Return" button. It's worth it to take money back from That Woman.

They're my go-to words indeed. *smooch*

$16.04!!! Thank you, RDear. Oh my, I am pleased.

Wordle 351 3/6* adieu, drove, depth

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Morning, Karen! Looking through your reading list made me smile BIG. I love Julia Quinn, too - I read a ton of her stuff prior to LT. Unfortunately, I did not keep track of my reading back then, so I don't have a list. *sadness*

Hooray for getting your money back on a book that didn't work for you.

I am also a fan of BritBox - we have had it for several years now, and it always has something that I am wanting to watch.

'Morning to you, too, Mamie!

I'm still on a bodice ripper rampage, and am now reading a series by Eloisa James, unhappily called the Desperate Duchesses series, but absolutely stunning. It reminds me of These Old Shades except with soft porn.

It is pleasing to see you here. My morning coffee ritual was also pleasing this morning, and I'm sipping my third cup of coffee.

I so wish I'd kept a record of books read since I became a serious reader at age 8. I've only done so since being on LT. *sadness* too.

We finished watching Why Didn't They Ask Evans? last night. I was particularly happy to see Lucy Boynton. She was a great Frankie.

>44 richardderus: I just researched your comment about what Erdrich did to Dorris. I've only scratched the surface, but I tend to agree with your assessment.

>51 karenmarie: The deeper one digs, the uglier it gets. Very unhappiness-making.

>48 karenmarie: I got it in 3, as well! AEONS, MIRTH, DEPTH all three letters my two go-to starters gave me were in the proper places, so it was a doddle.

>47 karenmarie: Yay! That makes me happy, too, for very ignoble reasons.

First two sentences of The Federalist No 1, written by Alexander Hamilton, in my copy of The Federalist, edited by Jacob E. Cooke (which I cannot seem to find the right touchstone for):

October 27, 1787

To the People of the State of New York.

After an unequivocal experience of the inefficacy of the subsiding Fœderal Government, you are called upon to deliberate on a new Constitution for the United States of America. The subject speaks its own importance; comprehending in its consequences, nothing less than the existence of the Uɴɪᴏɴ, the safety and welfare of the parts of which it is composed, the fate of an empire, in many respects, the most interesting in the world.

I must admit that I spent more time finding the HTML code for French ligature oe and lower case capital letters than reading the entire paper. *smile*

I must admit that I spent more time finding the HTML code for French ligature oe and lower case capital letters than reading the entire paper. *smile* *GRIN* That's my kind of priority, Karen!
I took 5 with the Wordle today. Good grief! Unfortunately, at one point I remembered the dog that ran down the road, whelping at every leap.

Enjoy another gorgeous Carolina June day!

>53 karenmarie: Here's my handy-dandy go-to list for HTML fudging: https://ascii.cl/htmlcodes.htm
Bookmarkez-vous.

I don't recall why "Fœderal" was ever considered for "Federal" in the first place. Does that tit-bit arise in the references of that Paper?

>54 LizzieD: Hi Peggy! I fun doing it, and went through way too many links.

Oh yes, today's gorgeous. Bill's mowing, I'm in my jammies, and will start reading my newest bodice ripper soon.

>55 richardderus: Hiya, RDear, and thank you!

I do not know why it was Fœderal instead of Federal, and I had to look at it twice before I truly grokked it. The editor of this edition states that he has taken the papers from their original published sources, so I do think this one was published this way, making it seem as though this was a common thing for both Fœderal and Uɴɪᴏɴ.

Tedious but fun, and thank you for the link!!!

and a big *smooch*, of course

>50 karenmarie: I have read some of that series! I adore Eloisa James.

>53 karenmarie: Just above and to the left of my rather large screen is HTML The Definitive Guide 2nd Ed. a remnant of my prior life, which is invoked whenever I need to nail a special character or find a less obvious tag or attribute. I also have my binder of Unix text manipulation classwork from 1980s classes, which knowledge kept me employed for much of that decade.

Karen...congratulations on your commitment to health. Losing all that weight feels wonderful!!!!! And, your commitment to working out is also very admirable.

Also, you read quite a few books thus far this year.

All these wonderful things happening in your life must feel so very rewarding.

>57 Crazymamie: Hi Mamie! I'm on the third in the series, Duchess by Night, having finished An Affair Before Christmas last night. The series, so far, is eminently enjoyable.

>58 quondame: I have a couple of remnants from my working career, too, although they aren't helpful as is your HTML guide, Susan. But I did know the author of one of them, Eugene Volokh, when he first came to the US at the age of 7, the son of a man I worked with, Vladimyr Volokh. Eugene's now a legal scholar, but he started a company, Vesoft, that supplied extremely helpful 3rd party software for HP 3000 minicomputers.

>59 Whisper1: Thank you, Linda. 7 months after my heart attack - it seems like yesterday and decades ago. The weight loss does make me feel wonderful, of course, and I'm still definitely committed to a low-sodium regimen, an exercise regimen, and will continue to lose weight.

This year's book tally is an aberration because I'm still in a bodice ripper phase and have found Eloisa James. Her books are a bit more dense than other authors I zoomed through last month, with multiple plot lines in each book.

yes, I'm feeling pretty good about most things. I admit to being stressed about Jenna coming home because it will change the dynamic again, and I know I'll probably have to run interference between her and her dad. I am also stressed about getting a slate of officers for the Friends Board. We need to vote this month. The women tasked with the job haven't come back to me with their recommendation for a President. I'll be returning to Treasurer and giving my notice at the first meeting of July for June 30, 2023.

But in the meantime, coffee, having the house to myself, reading, and puttering are on the list for today.

Wordle 352 5/6* adieu, sloth, clown, glory, gloom

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>48 karenmarie: Excellent wordling!

I also have a trial subscription of Brit box and enjoy the content. I just find that certain shows, only bring certain seasons. It would be nice if I could watch something from the first season to the last instead of two randomly chosen seasons. Perhaps I am looking in the wrong area. Ah well

Have a great Monday!

Hi Anita, and thank you.

All the streaming services seem to have colluded to only bring us some of the seasons we want. They frequently change which seasons they offer, too. We're just finishing up Midsomer Murders season 21 and will watch season 22, then be bereft.

We started watching Vera, last night. There are 11 seasons and fortunately BritBox has season 1. The accents were a bit difficult to get used to, but we'll persevere.

First two sentences of The Federalist No 2, written by John Jay, in my copy of The Federalist, edited by Jacob E Cooke:

October 31, 1787

To the People of the State of New York.

When the people of America reflect that they are now called upon to decide a question, which, in its consequences, must prove one of the most important, that ever engaged their attention, the propriety of their taking a very comprehensive, as well as a very serious view of it, will be evident.

Nothing is more certain than the indispensable necessity of Government, and it is equally undeniable, that whenever and however it is instituted, the people must cede to it some of their natural rights, in order to vest it with requisite powers.

No special HTML need for Mr. Jay, although he also uses Fœderal in the paper.

The end of this paper is "...that whenever the dissolution of the Union arrives, America will have to reason to exclaim in the words of the Poet, "Farewell, a long farewell, to all my greatness." Henry VIII, Act 3, Scene 2, Shakespeare.

At least in the first and second papers, I think that Jay's writing style is a bit less convoluted than Hamilton's. We'll see, further down the road, if that observation holds.

Nice balance to your reading routine, Karen. Critical governance on one hand, serious bodice ripping on the other.

>63 karenmarie: John Jay was a startlingly clear communicator for his era. He said what needed saying and trusted that, should one need further clarification, his bread-crumbs would lead one to it.

>60 karenmarie: I got it in 5 as well. One round of guessing-game antics later....

As long as you continue the exercise, your weight...more importantly, your BMI...will continue to adjust and your energy levels will continue to improve. Win-win on your part, BIG win on all ours as you'll be bouncing around being you on LT's 50th anniversary!

>64 weird_O: Hiya, Bill! Yes, I'm feeling pretty good about the books I'm reading right now. Having happily given up on Louise Erdrich forever, and deciding to get rid of one of my romance authors who I've decided does too many rape-as-a-prelude-to-love novels, I won't feel guilt about LE and will have more shelf space in the Retreat. Win-win.

>65 richardderus: I've never read anything else by Jay, but what you say doesn't surprise me.

Boo hiss to 5 for the both of us.

I really need to get a treadmill at home so I can space the exercise out and not collapse it to 3 days in a row. Perhaps this summer.

Flattery will get you everywhere. I love the idea of being around another almost 30 years.

>60 karenmarie: Although I was at UCB when Unix was first being conceived, I didn't find an in with that group working in the lower levels. Later, in the late 80s/early 90s I did work in the same group as Larry Wall of Perl fame though more closely with various members of the family into which he married.

We used Larry's early efforts to print out the page classification level at the top and bottom of each sheet of a classified document where the formatting codes required a level for each paragraph.

Hi Susan! I had to look Perl up since I never worked in Unix, but that is way cool. That early type of work still amazes me.

...
Grocery shopping and working out, in addition to continuing my bodice ripper reading binge.

Wordle 353 3/6* adieu, droll, flood

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>68 karenmarie: 4 for me today. Not my best, not my worst, but I got there because word #2 returned ZERO and it made me damned mad!

Happy Tuesday, Horrible. *smooch*

'Morning, RDear. Happy Tuesday to you, too.

I just posted on your thread, and admitted that I used the list of 2,309 words to get it in 3. A straight, so to speak, 4 is much more impressive, of course.

*smooch*

Morning, Karen!

Nothing else to add...

Hi Amber!

Thanks for visiting. 'Morning back'atcha.

Passing through rather than passing by. Everything here looks good.

Gotta go out and drive the lawn mower around the place (my place,I mean).

First two sentences of The Federalist No 3, written by John Jay, in my copy of The Federalist, edited by Jacob E Cooke:

November 3, 1787

To the People of the State of New York.

It is not a new observation that the people of any country (if like the Americans intelligent and well informed) seldom adopt, and steadily persevere for many years in, an erroneous opinion respecting their interests. That consideration naturally tends to create great respect for the high opinion which the people of America have so long and uniformly entertained of the importance of their continuing firmly united under one Fœderal Government, vested with sufficient powers for all general and national purposes.

>73 weird_O: Hi Bill. Yes, things are good here. Birds on the feeders, senior kitty in her LLBean fleece bed, Bill at work in the home office, me having just finished reading Federal Paper No 3.

Bill mowed the back on Sunday but needs more off-road diesel in order to move the front.

...
I'm off to prepare a grocery list then head out to use the treadmill, grocery shop, and return home feeling virtuous.

>70 karenmarie: I was just beginning to bristle at being called "straight" when I saw "so to speak." Crisis averted.

Heh. You should know me better, my dear friend.

*smooch*

It was enjoyable watching the sky lighten this morning - I sure hope I can get by on 4 1/2 hours of sleep.

Today is another errands day - spending some Blue Cross Blue Shield free over-the-counter money at the pharmacy, putting some checks into the bank, checking the Friends PO box for memberships, then having a nice long listen to Alexander Hamilton on the way to the Senior Center for treadmill drudgery. However, yesterday, instead of listening to Queen, I watched the video of their turn on the Live Aid Concert. Made the time go by quite nicely. I'll do the same today.

Wordle 354 5/6* Ugh. I had the right idea pretty early on, just picked the wrong words. adieu, chain, plait, await, trait

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Re the discussion of jumpers on RD's thread, here's one my mom made for me in 6th grade (age 11). God, I hated the colors that redheads had to wear - kelly green and orange particularly. I don't wear either any more, although I do have a reversible down vest with bright pink on one side and orange on the other. Note that Laura also had a jumper, and Mom made the blouses, too.


First day of 6th grade for me, 4th for Doug, 2nd for Laura Beth, September 1963.

>80 karenmarie: Looking at the photo, with you and your sister in the same jumper, I remember how my sisters and me (3 girls, each 4 years apart) often got the same dresses. And those were passed on, so I (the youngest) had to wear the same dress forever. And how happy I was whenever I got NEW clothes.
Of course it was the same for my brothers, but they were only two years apart.

ETA: No redheds in our family, so the color scheme was less rigid.

Ouch to only 4 1/2 hours of sleep! After the treadmill, you'll need a nap (well, I would anyway...). Hope your errands go smoothly!

Erranding followed by nappage is good. I'm dreading Wordle today, you AND Kath complaining about it...eek

*smooch* for your pinny-wearin' self!

>80 karenmarie: - You inspired me to find my 1st grade school photo, in which I am wearing a jumper :)

Morning, Karen! I love the photo of you in the jumper! Like Katie and Richard, I'm hoping you can snag a nap this afternoon.

>80 karenmarie: It was strange that somehow you hair color should determine what colors you should wear - your complexion, sure, but that only has a vague relationship with the shade of your hair. To be fair, I don't see the print on those jumpers suiting anyone, but then I hates khaki.

I made a jumper over dress when I was in High School among lots of other things. I still wear sleeveless dresses over shirts or other dresses, and think of them as jumpers but realize almost no one else does these days.

Morning, Karen. Sweet Thursday. We are back. It was a great family reunion, minus a few members. We didn't do much, other than hanging out together, in a couple shaded areas in the park, playing games, eating and swapping memories. I didn't even get much hiking in. My son, my niece and her husband, got a lot of fishing in, mostly unsuccessfully. I did enjoy the birds hanging around there- mostly chipping sparrows, Carolina Chickadees, titmouse, cardinals and a pair of eastern phoebes that were nesting near our porch.

I hope everything is going fine with you.

>81 FAMeulstee: Hi Anita. My sister complained of the same thing – always getting hand-me-downs. It was even worse in our neighborhood – clothes from me would go to at least 2, sometimes 3, other households, then come back around for my sister. But we always got 2 new dresses for the school year and one pair of shoes. Of course if our feet grew during the year, we had to lump it – that’s why I’ve got hammertoes. Since parents frequently go out of their way to NOT make the same mistakes as their parents, Jenna had new shoes as many times a year as necessary, regardless of expense, since we always took her to a proper shoe store and got her properly fitted each time, and paid double or triple what shoes at Walmart or Sam’s Club cost.

Getting new clothes had to be such a joy.

I hated the color scheme, although it wasn’t always so rigid, but my mother had no color sense, frankly, as much as I loved her then and love her now that she’s passed away. There was also the awful year of Primary Colors – bright yellow, bright red, bright blue – and the year of Color Coordinates – yellow long-sleeved flowered yellow blouse and yellow pleated skirt and short-sleeved flowered blue blouse and light blue pleated skirt. As soon as I could, I started wearing jewel tones and tailored clothes from Nordstrom and Talbot’s. Of course now I am retired and so am almost always in jeans (black or dark blue) and tailored shirts. I cannot abide flowered tops and won’t wear ¾ sleeved shirts in any form.

>82 katiekrug: I ended up not napping, Katie. I attribute it to still working out 3x a week and gaining back strength after my heart and, in hindsight, seeing that I was VERY weak but didn’t really know it before my heart attack. The errands went smoothly with one exception – the grocery store did not have salmon. To be fair, it is only an adequate grocery store, not a wonderful grocery store, and today I think I’ll head north to either Harris Teeter or Lowe’s and see if they have some good, plain salmon. I could have bought oiled, spiced, and/or flavored salmon, but that’s not what we prefer. When I make salmon, I bake it, covered, with olive oil and fresh lemon and put black pepper on Bill’s portion.

>83 richardderus: See above – no nappage, but that ended up being okay. Today’s Wordle about did me in – I make your usual complain when it simply becomes a guessing game. See below. Took me 5.

Aww, thanks – my pinny-wearing self gives you a big *smooch*

>84 katiekrug: I hope you can find that pic and post it, Katie. You rarely post pics of yourself – pretty please!

>85 Crazymamie: No nap, but I got another bodice ripper finished, Mamie.

>86 quondame: Well, Susan, my mother, as noted above, had no color sense and I was redheaded and freckled and she must have been told those were good colors for me. I was actually strawberry blonde, tanned lightly without having a true redhead’s skin, but had and have an abundance of freckles, some of which are now, alas, banding together to form clumps and are also becoming more like age spots. Sigh. I’m trying to do this aging thing as gracefully as possible, but I don’t like age spots. I refuse to call them liver spots.

I admire all those who sew. It’s not something that I ever wanted to do and never something I was ever good at, especially 7th grade home economics. I had such a spotless reputation for being a straight-A student that the home ec teacher, Miss Letitia Perry (and you can imagine how we pronounced her first name when not around her) must have thought that she simply didn’t see my dress project because I somehow came out of her class with either a B or an A – I forget. It was stuffed, pattern bits pinned to fabric, in a drawer in a dresser in the closet for years.

>87 msf59: 'Morning, Mark! Welcome back. It sounds like a wonderful, restful time with your family. The bird report sounds familiar excepting that I rarely see phoebes. I'm currently hosting a Finch Smorgasbord.

…
Today’s treadmill day. On Tuesday I decided to watch Queen’s performance at Live Aid at Wembley in 1985, and I’ll watch it again today. It’s less than 30 minutes, but I simply started it over. And after, I may go on the Great Salmon Hunt.

In the meantime, coffee, less time on LT than I should spend, and reading. I’m so far behind on threads that it’s becoming embarrassing, but oh well.

Wordle 355 5/6* adieu, pitch, mirth, birth, girth

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>88 karenmarie: Heh...I got it in 3 because, faithless to habit, I went in *reverse* alpha order!

Sewing is black art. It and weaving are the real reason women were burned as witches. Men can't wrap their ballgames-and-boobs brains around how they work.

Clever Richard.

She doesn't sew... therefore she's not a witch!

First two sentences of The Federalist No 4, written by John Jay, in my copy of The Federalist, edited by Jacob E. Cooke:

November 7, 1787

To the People of the State of New York.

My last Paper assigned several reasons why the safety of the people would be best secured by Union against the danger it may be exposed to by just causes of war given to other nations; and those reasons shew that such causes would not only be more rarely given, but would also be more easily accommodated by a national Government, than either by the State Governments, or the proposed Little Confederacies.

But the safety of the People of America against dangers from foreign force, depends not only on their forbearing to give just causes of war to other nations, but also on their placing and continuing themselves in such a situation as not to invite hostility or insult; for it need not be observed, that there are pretended as well as just causes for war.

Two sentences, two paragraphs.

Smoochling, do you have the Kindle edition of the book? Its ASIN is B00CUWX9CW and your adding it will automatically create a touchstone for it. If you're reading the tree-book Wesleyan Univ. Press edition, your touchstone's going to the proper place for its ISBN 978-0-8195-6077-3, cover:

I was incorrectly just hovering over the touchstone, which wasn't showing my edition. Thank you!!! I'm reading the tree book.

>93 karenmarie: de rien, ma amie

>88 karenmarie: I made those same two bad guesses that you did before the last possible correct one.

Morning, Karen. Happy Friday. I had a nice solo walk yesterday. It was so beautiful strolling through the woods. Several red-headed woodpeckers and heard a pileated woodpecker calling. My afternoon was mostly hunkered down with the books. Meeting a birding buddy this AM.

>94 richardderus: *smooch*

>95 Copperskye: It's always a crap shoot when many words can fill the mostly-complete word. I usually pick the wrong one, too, Joanne.

>96 msf59: 'Morning, Mark, and happy Friday to you. I'm glad you had a nice solo walk. I've still never seen a Red-Headed Woodpecker, and have only seen a Pileated Woodpecker one time. You're fortunate. Yay for the books, and enjoy your time with your birding buddy.

Wordle 356 4/6* adieu, mince, eight, piety

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It's a treadmill day with two errands - depositing checks at our bank and going on a fresh salmon mission. Reading, too, of course.

edited to add: Sigh. I just bought a 24-count box of Look Bars for my birthday, which is later this month. Resistance is futile.

First two paragraphs of The Federalist No 5, written by John Jay, in my copy of The Federalist, edited by Jacob E. Cooke:

November 10, 1787

To the People of the State of New York.

Qᴜᴇᴇɴ Aɴɴ, in her letter of the 1st July 1706 to the Scotch Parliament, makes some observations on the importance of the Union then forming between England and Scotland, which merit our attention. I shall present the Public with one or two extracts from it. "An entire and perfect Union will be the solid foundation of lasting peace: It will secure your religion, liberty, and property, remove the animosities amongst yourselves, and the jealousies and differences betwixt our two kingdoms. It must encrease (sic) your strength, riches, and trade: and by this Union the whole Island, being joined in affection and free from all apprehensions of different interest, will be enabled to resist all its enemies." "We most earnestly recommend to you calmness and unanimity in this great and weighty affair, that the Union may be brought to a happy conclusion, being the only effectual way to secure our present and future happiness; and disappoint the designs of our and your enemies, who will doubtless, on this occasion, use their utmost endeavours to prevent or delay this Union."

It was remarked on in the preceding Paper, that weakness and divisions at home, would invite dangers from abroad, and that nothing would tend more to secure us from them than Union, strength, and good Government within ourselves. This subject is copious and cannot easily be exhausted.

I wonder how many of the Confederate leaders read this prior to seceding from the Union? I wonder if Abraham Lincoln read this prior to determining to keep the Union at great personal and political cost?

I hope that lower case capitals are not used more frequently. It's tedious to find the right html code although I definitely have the correct resource. *smile*

>98 karenmarie: It's just not possible to overstate how much They depend on people, the Commonfolk, not reading history, because the same stuff They are doing today their grandmothers did two hundred years ago.

RD, I do think that the grandfathers spent more time reading broadsheets and newspapers in the 1700s and 1800s. Grandmothers, alas, were, and in some cases still are, still excluded from the 'halls of power' at home and in public. However, I'm sure that illiteracy and ignorance were as prevalent then as now, too. Sigh. Measured and reasoned response to facts is all I ask for, but of course with mar-a-lardo playing at being kingmaker from the swamps of the southeastern US, I'm not sanguine. As much as I try to not wish anybody's demise, I wish his. With a rusty can lid. On his probably-very-small privates. Putin's, too. Kim Jung Il's, too. And etc. Yes, I'm a bloodthirsty wench currently steeped in erudite writing about and from the late 1700s and reading Georgian-period bodice rippers. *smile*

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Wordle 357 5/6* Grrr. adieu, chose, stole, noose, goose

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Today is a lazy day. Fresh salmon for dinner (yes, I was successful on the Great Salmon Hunt yesterday), reading.

I'm hoping that I've found a candidate for the Friends Board - back to the original intention of serving one last year as President for me and finding a highly qualified and trustworthy candidate for Treasurer. Board Vice President Emily's husband, who I've spoken with frequently over the last several years and even spent one memorable afternoon at a Friends event in 2018 speaking with uninterrupted for 3 hours, is calling today to discuss the Treasurer's position. When Emily and I spoke yesterday, she said he'll probably say yes. There would be conflict if I asked Bill to be Treasurer, since both President and Treasurer are signatories to our checking account and Edward Jones accounts, but not VP or Secretary with either of those positions because of the checks and balances in place finance-wise.

In the meantime, another bodice ripper read, another one started. I do not know when this frenzy will end, but I'm still going with it.

Morning, Karen. Happy Saturday. Yesterday turned out to be a fun day- Bree texted me early afternoon and invited me to go on a bike ride with them, (Sean is still on vacation). Of course, there is a very nice bike trail very near one of our favorite breweries. Jackson rode in his carrier and loves it. Somehow, we ended up back here and he spent the night.

'Morning, Mark! I just posted on your thread, too.

That is a Very Cute Carrier. Yay for the a bike ride and Jackson spending the night.

Rip those bodices as long as you need to, Karen. When you're through, you'll stop. I got Wordle in 4 today because I happened to think of the right word first. Ah, the guessing game.

Hooray for your fresh salmon! My DH always gives Mama a canned salmon patty for Friday night supper. I love him for it. She's happy, and I get to eat what I want.

Fingers crossed that Mr. Emily will take the treasurer's job and enjoy doing it well!

I got hand-me-downs from older cousins. The worst was a bottle green and black dress, a little large on me, which I wore the day of our 3rd grade pictures, having been sick for a couple of days before and forgetting that it was picture day. I was weak-eyed with dark circles, wore that dress, and had just gotten a poodle cut, which was ungroomed. I had also lost my 2 front teeth and grinned. I still go on search and destroy missions for that pic.

Glad you found some good salmon! I had salmon last night at dinner - it was very good, but the potato-cauliflower puree was like glue. Ick. Saved me some calories though :)

>103 LizzieD: 'Morning, Peggy! The book I just finished was somewhat less successful with me than others by the same author - Eloisa James. it seemed more shallow and anachronistic. "Bull." in calling out something just doesn't work with me. The bits about the bog were interesting, though, as were the cute bits about an American Sable - a.k.a. skunk. This was the first of a different series. I've got the second queued up on the Kindle and will read it, but we'll see whether I continue with this series after that. I got caught with a BB from Richard this morning, Love, Hate, & Clickbait, a contemporary gay romance, which, surprisingly, my Library has in paper. I've reserved it and will probably pick it up Monday.

Yay for your DH. And at 100+, your mama surely does not need to worry about sodium.

Totally separate from fresh salmon, I love salmon patties, but just looked on one of two cans of salmon that I can't bear to get rid of, BUT see that each can has 1750 mg of sodium. Add crushed saltine crumbs and an egg to the mix, and I don't think I'm quite ready to have even a portion of that much sodium any time soon. Sigh. When Jenna comes home, perhaps we'll split that three ways. I don't have enough discipline to NOT have 3 salmon patties, but perhaps 2 will work out.

Heh. Mr. Emily. Not bad. I'll never say that out loud, though. Jon, JON, JON.

I rarely get rid of photos of myself, even the cringe-worthy ones. However, I do have a 1" x 1.5" only-me bit of a photo. I excised Ric. He turned out to be ... well. I dumped him and was pleased as punch to tell him a year later that I did not want to be friends and was moving to NC to marry Bill. Empowering, for sure. But you go ahead. The description justifies it.

>104 katiekrug: Potato-cauliflower puree sounds icky, frankly, Katie. But good fresh salmon makes up for it, for sure. I've tried cauliflower stuff, and if it's small and pretends to be potatoes or rice have been seriously disappointed every time. Give me fresh cauliflower, steamed, either just plain or with a bit of butter (now unsalted, but with perhaps a sprinkle or two of Lite Salt), and I'm a happy camper.

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Jenna just sent this. She knows me well.

Ha! Good for Jenna.

>105 karenmarie: She does indeed know her goddess mama well.

Happy Saturday, Horrible. I got Wordle in 4 because guessing game. Ugh.

I'm gobsmacked that your library had Love, Hate & Clickbait at all! It's published by a Harlequin imprint, and they're not famous for their presence in libraries.

Current review's not being cooperative. Andrew Holleran's (probable) last novel...kinda hard to find a tone for it that doesn't sound funereal.

First two paragraphs of The Federalist No 6, written by Alexander Hamilton, in my copy of The Federalist, edited by Jacob E. Cooke:

November 14, 1787

To the People of the State of New York.

The three last numbers of this Paper have been dedicated to an enumeration of the dangers to which we should be exposed, in a state of disunion, from the arms and arts of foreign nations. I shall now proceed to delineate dangers of a different, and, perhaps, still more alarming kind, those which will in all probability flow from dissentions between the States themselves, and from domestic factions and convulsions. These have been already in some instances slightly anticipated, but they deserve a more particular and more full investigation.

A man must be far gone in Utopian speculations who can seriously doubt, that if these States should either be wholly disunited, or only united in partial confederacies, the subdivisions into which they might be thrown would have frequent and violent contests with each other. To presume a want of motives for such contests, as an argument against their existence, would be to forget that men are ambitious, vindictive and rapacious. To look for a continuation of harmony between a number of independent unconnected sovereignties, situated in the same neighbourhood, would be to disregard the uniform course of human events, and to set at defiance the accumulated experience of ages.

Factions here mean political parties, which were anathema to the Founders. Unfortunately, Hamilton here predicts the Civil War, even though the Union was still intact at the time, and, fortunately, IMO, stayed intact after.

>106 weird_O: She's a keeper, of course, Bill. *smile*

>107 richardderus: ‘Morning, RDear! Yes, to Miss J. I do hope she has a bit of heroine worship in her regarding me for the rest of my life. And, yes to our Library. Our Branch Librarian is strong, committed to ALL communities, and fearless in her pursuit of truth. I missed it, but they had a virtual screening of All We’ve Got on June 1. Also, here’s a blurb on the Library’s website:



Sorry your review’s not being cooperative.

*smooch*

>109 karenmarie: Your county's lucky to have her! How many right-wing challenges have been issued against her/her programs?

>108 karenmarie: To presume a want of motives for such contests, as an argument against their existence, would be to forget that men are ambitious, vindictive and rapacious.
...even 250 years ago...*sigh* Humans gonna be scum, era/norms be damned.

Just checking in, Karen, but not even trying to catch up. Thank you for helping keep my thread warm while I was out of town.

Have a wonderful weekend!

>100 karenmarie: Ooh that salmon sound wonderful!

Happy weekending :)

>110 richardderus: We are lucky to have her – I do not know if many, or any at all, right-wing challenges have been issued against her/her programs. Our Library is in a more ‘liberal’ part of our definitely purple county, though.

Oh yes, Hamilton knew a lot about the natures of men. He did not wear rose colored glasses, although I think he was occasionally naïve, especially in his affair with Maria Reynolds. She approached him, according to what I've been listening to and reading, knowing that her husband would attempt to blackmail him. Hamilton was also naïve about how things would appear against how they actually were in some of his actions as Treasury Secretary.

>111 alcottacre: Hi Stasia. Visiting is good – no need to catch up at all. Welcome back, and you’re welcome.

>112 figsfromthistle: Hi Anita, and thank you. The weekend’s going pretty well so far.

…
And, I have a new Treasurer for the Friends. I’m thrilled, and we’re in accord on everything we discussed. Yay.

Hurray for the new Treasurer! That must be a load off your mind, Karen. Hope you have a great day.

Morning, Karen. Happy Sunday. Bree picked up Jack early yesterday, which freed me up to mow the lawn. I wanted to take advantage of the cooler temps. A heat wave arrives on Tuesday. The rest of my PM was curled up with the books. Have a good one, my friend.

>113 karenmarie: Brava! I'm so pleased for you. At last your unwanted burdens are going onto fresh shoulders.

It's always struck me that Hamilton was extremely selfish. He donned rose-colored glasses when it meant he could get what he wanted (eg, Maria Reynolds) and still act wounded and surprised when it blew up in his face. I simply don't buy the tale that he didn't expect all the various blowbacks he experienced...too savvy an operator based on all the evidence.

Today was a 4 day for me. Have a scrum-diddly-umptious Sunday of jobs well done and burdens fairly laid down.

>113 karenmarie: So happy you found a new treasurer, Karen!
You stay on now as president?

>114 lauralkeet: Hi Laura, and yes, and thank you.

>115 msf59: ‘Morning, Mark, and a happy Sunday to you. Glad you were able to get the lawn mowed. Being curled up with the books isn’t a bad thing at all. That’s how I spent quite a bit of my yesterday, too. I did not mow the lawn in the a.m. *smile*

>116 richardderus: Hiya, RD! Oh yes, this is very good news for me and for the Friends. Fresh shoulders is right, and I know that some of why he’s doing this is to help me.

Hmmph. Of course Hamilton was selfish regarding La Reynolds. Any person who cheats on their husband/wife/partner is selfish and unless they're in an open relationship is risking breaking the relationship. I've always told Bill that cheating is the only true, absolute, immediate deal breaker, and that his stuff would be outside the house with locks changed. This is also the one thing that I know he would never have done, never would do, to me.

I do not know if Hamilton had other affairs prior to her. It may be in other biographies and/or in his published or private papers. If she was his first affair, then one could argue that he was naïve. I suppose that since he got his way most of the time so far through 1792, which is where I am in Alexander Hamilton, then I’ll just have to wait to see how he handled true adversity. He seemed to thrive on competition and opposition.

4s are good. Most of my efforts are 4s. But, as you can see, today I got it in 3. I got it without resorting to valid words or filtering based on green letters. *smooch*

Wordle 358 3/6* adieu, chart, float.

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edited to add: I like the CDs of Alexander Hamilton so much that I just bought the CDs of his book Washington.

Wordle 359 3/6* adieu, moody, donor

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Friends Board Meeting this morning, Bill's at work, major puttering and reading on the schedule.

edited to add: Amber's aging parents being unwilling to accept help reminded me of this quote from The Golem and the Jinni. I sent the quote to my sister, and she gussied it up.



My goal is to age gracefully. I've been talking way too much about my health recently and want to STOP, although a friend of mine says I have 'til November, the first anniversary of my heart attack, to play the heart attack card. *smile*

Morning, Karen. I joined a few birding friends yesterday, for a quick jaunt, and managed to snag a Lifer. It was a northern bobwhite. A type of quail. It had been spotted at this location for a couple of days. Nice to check that one off the list, since they are hard to find around here.

I am going to the Arboretum with a friend this AM. The HEAT arrives later this afternoon.

'Morning, Mark! Quick jaunt and a Lifer. Congrats. Enjoy the Arboretum visit.

We're in for a nasty week, too. I rarely look at what's going to be happening outside on days I will be staying inside, but today's supposed to get to 98F here.

Goodmorning, Karen, you missed me up there >117 FAMeulstee:, so I will ask again: will you stay as president of the friends of the library, now you found a new treasurer?

>119 karenmarie: I needed 5 guesses to get the Wordle today, but had the best possible outcome for the Dutch Woordle :-)

Hi Anita!

I'm so sorry I missed you up there.

Yes, I will stay on as President for a third and final year and turn in my resignation, effective the last day of the new fiscal year, June 30, 2023, at the July (first) Board meeting of the new year. We'll have a year to find a President, and if John, my new Treasurer, does not want to serve more than one year, a new Treasurer, too. We should also find a new Secretary, since in theory it's a conflict of interest for the Secretary to be the Branch Librarian. Since we review the minutes of the previous meeting and everybody can amend those minutes prior to voting, she cannot shade them. Of course this particular Librarian would never, ever do that.

Sorry about 5, but Wordle is a lot of fun, isn't it?

First paragraph of The Federalist No 7, written by Alexander Hamilton, in my copy of The Federalist, edited by Jacob E. Cooke:

November 17, 1787

To the People of the State of New York.

It is sometimes asked, with an air of seeming triumph, what inducements could the States have, if disunited, to make war upon each other? It would be a full answer to this question to say - precisely the same inducements, which have, at different times, deluged in blood all the nations in the world. But unfortunately for us, the question admits of a more particular answer. There are causes of a difference within our immediate contemplation, of the tendency of which, even under the restraints of a Fœderal Constitution, we have had sufficient experience, to enable us to form a judgment of what might be expected, if those restraints were removed.

>119 karenmarie: Excellent Wordling, Karen!

>124 karenmarie: That anyone ever thought to ask seems silly in 2022.

>125 klobrien2: Thanks, Karen!

>126 richardderus: You're right, Richard, although I hear naivete in the question. That naivete put out of its misery in 1861, of course.

Wordle 360 4/6* adieu, above, alone, atone

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Coffee, reading, treadmill, perhaps some errands back in the other town. Today's going to be 100F, heat index 109F. The humidity's already vicious.

Morning, Karen. We had a great birding jaunt yesterday, at the Arb. 38 species. I will share some details on my thread later on. It looks like you are roasting there in NC too. Ugh. I have my rehab stint today and it is going to be HOT!! I kind of hope they put me in the bird nursery which is indoors, but that is doubtful.

We are also prepping for a camping trip this weekend. Our first since last year. Yep, still tenting it too. Sighs...I leave on Thursday afternoon, to set everything up and Sue arrives Friday. She is stuck at work. At least it will cool off a bit by then.

'Morning, Mark. Yay for 38 species, and ugh for both of us being in dangerous heat. I'm sorry you'll be out in it - please take good care of your self.

Where are you going camping? I loved camping as a kid, am too finicky for it now, even if it were something Bill is interested in. Here's one of Sister Laura, brother Doug, Mom. This was our favorite campsite at our favorite camping ground at Lake Isabella, California. 1960s. I loved climbing on those rocks.

Hey...where's my Federalist hit?!

Well, since you're slacking on the treats, I'll just grump a "hi Horrible" and be on about my (intellectually malnourished) day.

Grumble, grumble... you're so demanding.

Well, here 'tis. *smooch*

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First paragraph of The Federalist No 8, written by Alexander Hamilton, in my copy of The Federalist, edited by Jacob E. Cooke:

November 20, 1787

To the People of the State of New York.

Assuming it therefore as an established truth that the several States, in case of disunion, or such combinations of them as might happen to be formed out of the wreck of the general confederacy, would be subject to those vicissitudes of peace and war, of friendship and enmity with each other, which have fallen to the lot of all neighbouring nations not united under one government, let us enter into a concise detail of some of the consequences, that would attend such a situation.

And one thought that stood out:

The violent destruction of life and property incident to war - the continual effort and alarm attendant on a state of continual danger, will compel nations the most attached to liberty, to resort for repose and security, to institutions, which have a tendency to destroy their civil and political rights. To be more safe they, at length, become willing to run the risk of being less free.

>131 karenmarie: It's that very thing that worries me about the ongoing fragmentation of the US before our eyes.

*shudder*

Sad and true.

Morning, Karen. Happy Wednesday. Rehab went fine, despite the heat. Took breaks, stayed hydrated. More details on my thread. Jackson Day- today and tomorrow. Our aunt is taking my shift on Friday.

We are camping at Illini State Park, along the Illinois River. Very nice park and only about an hour from here. A big group of us are going.

>129 karenmarie: I love this photo! That is camping!

'Morning, Mark, and a very happy Wednesday to you, too. Glad you stayed safe, and yay for Jackson days. Just checked the park out. Have a wonderful time camping.

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Wordle 361 X/6* blech

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>135 karenmarie: Gross. Yech. Bleurgh. Faugh!

*smooch*

First paragraph of The Federalist No 9, written by Alexander Hamilton, in my copy of The Federalist, edited by Jacob E. Cooke:

November 21, 1787

To the People of the State of New York.

A Firm Union will be of the utmost moment to the peace and liberty of the States as a barrier against domestic faction and liberty and insurrection. It is impossible to read the history of the petty Republics of Greece and Italy, without feeling sensations of horror and disgust at the distractions with which they were continually agitated, and at the rapid succession of revolutions, by which they were kept in a state of perpetual vibration, between the extremes of tyranny and anarchy. If they exhibit occasional calms, these only serve as short-lived contrasts to the furious storms that are to succeed. If now and then intervals of felicity open themselves to view, we behold them with a mixture of regret arising from the reflection that the pleasing scenes before us are soon to be overwhelmed by the tempestuous waves of sedition and party-rage. If momentary rays of glory break forth from the gloom, while they dazzle us with a transient and fleeting brilliancy, they at the same time admonish us to lament that the vices of government should pervert the direction and tarnish the lustre of those bright talents and exalted indowments, for which the favoured soils, that produced them, have been so justly celebrated.

Faction means political party, yet political parties became the norm as the result of the philosophical and political differences between Hamilton and Jefferson, played out during Washington's Presidency.

Separate but related, I am completely disgusted with Jefferson as represented in Alexander Hamilton during the period 1791 - 1792 ( so far). At this point, I consider him a traitor, although later as President he signed the authorization for the Louisiana Purchase, and this was a good thing.

>136 richardderus: Hiya, RD. Yes. Disgusting. No excuses at all, but an explanation is not enough coffee and being on the phone with my sister. I should have waited.

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Today is errands - first in one town, going to the grocery store to turn in the recalled Jif smooth peanut butter that Bill uses - fake peanut butter to me since I use natural crunchy peanut butter that has to be kept refrigerated. We have one unopened jar and one partially consumed jar, and they can still be returned according to the grocery store when I went there yesterday. I hope from one day to the next that doesn't change. Since I'll be in town I'll recycle more glass, then go to the pharmacy to use the last of the OTC money I have to use before the end of June. Then off the other way to use the treadmill at the Senior Center in the other close-by town. Way too much mileage given that we're paying so much for gas. It's up to $4.69/gallon now. I still know that the rest of the world pays more, but we're in the midst of an inflationary cycle on everything, with the additional and new inflationary burden on services, according to NPR yesterday.

Morning, Karen! Hoping that your errands go quickly and smoothly today.

>129 karenmarie: What a great photo!

Hope today will be fine for you, Karen. Your methodical reading of The Federalist is impressive. I got and started reading Chernow's Alexander Hamilton back when it was published. The detail overwhelmed me as I got about halfway through and I just...just put it back on the shelf. Several years later, I pulled it off the shelf and finished it. I should really do a re-read of sorts to try to pull it together, but...mmmm...no.

139 'Morning, Mamie! I just thought 'coffee sister', so 'morning, coffee sister!

Thanks re the errands and the photo. I have another photo from that very same camping trip with Dad and me, but don't think I've scanned it.

Bill's livid - he recently got his doctor to take over all his prescriptions and Walgreens has ... ah... messed things up royally. He can't log in on his phone and can't log in on his computer. Net result is trash out of the house, a visit to Walgreens, and a grilled chicken salad in perhaps an hour or so. I wanted to run my errands early, but am happy for a grilled chicken salad and will leave after lunch. So for now, I'll just do a bit of reading.

>140 weird_O: Hi Bill! Thanks, I’m looking forward to a small-levels-of-stress kind of day. Thanks re The Federalist. I'm reading one a day on days I'm in the mood, and am enjoying putting a note here for each one. I’m impressed that you have already read Alexander Hamilton and at 800+ pages, don’t see any need for you to re-read it. I have a paper copy, but was lucky enough to get the CD audio book at a Friends of the Library sale for $3, and it’s working out perfectly for me. 29 CDs, 36.5 hours. I’m on CD 19.

>141 karenmarie: I love coffee sister!

Poor Bill - that is most frustrating. Hoping they can get it all fixed easily.

>137 karenmarie: There's nothing about Jefferson that stands up to close scrutiny. A shame, really, as he was an impressive intellect.

>141 karenmarie: Walgreens in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, does exactly the same thing...also doesn't bother to tell you

that the things you ordered online are NOT available until after you have gone to Pick Up or for Delivery.

(Even nuttier, when I went this week to pick up my daughter's RX at the pharmacy window,
when I started to ask the Assistant to call the front desk to let them know I was on the way to pick up,
she simply disappeared without saying anything.

Five minutes later, she returned with the two huge bags of stuff to pick up to show me that they
could not go through the Pharmacy drawer. She then again disappeared with bags.

I drove to the front and waited for 5 minutes, then got out of car just as manager was bringing bags out.)

In their favor, here & in Madison, they are extremely short of Pharmacy and Store Staff.

>142 Crazymamie: Glad we’re coffee sisters now. *smile* Bill got no satisfaction from Walgreens, and I suggested that he call corporate tech services tomorrow.

>143 richardderus: I have 6 books by or about Thomas Jefferson. I might keep the Sally Hemings book.

Thomas Jefferson: A Biography in His Own Words by Thomas Jefferson
Poplar Forest and Thomas Jefferson by S. Allen Chambers, Jr.
Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West by Stephen E. Ambrose
The Domestic Life of Thomas Jefferson by Sarah Nicholas Randolph
American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson by Joseph J. Ellis
Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson: History, Memory, and Civic Culture by Jan Ellen Lewis

>144 m.belljackson: Hi Marianne! You have much worse problems than we do for the normal prescription refills/pickups. I’m sorry.

They’ve been short-staffed here in central NC since the beginning of the pandemic, and there were times when the shortages were noticeable, but now we seem to be in a much better place. I hope you get more staff at yours soon.

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Nothing like having two people mis-read a Friends voting poll and having an incorrect one go out - fortunately, I was notified quickly, closed the wrong one, and Jim and I created a corrected one which will go out tomorrow morning. Sheesh.

Definitely time for steamy romance reading, meds, a chat with friend Karen in Montana, then bed. I deliberately don't drink when stressed, otherwise I'd have a healthy drink right now.

>119 karenmarie: I loved The Golem and the Jinni. Just sayin'

Have a wonderful day, Karen!

'Morning, Stasia!

Have you read The Hidden Palace, the sequel, yet? I've had it on my shelves since last July, but haven't made the emotional energy for it yet.

Thanks re today - possibly a completely-stay-at-home day. I haven't decided yet, but am taking my first sip of coffee, heaven.

First sentences of The Federalist No 10, written by James Madison, in my copy of The Federalist, edited by Jacob E. Cooke:

November 22, 1787

To the People of the State of New York.

Among the numerous advantages promised by a well constructed Union, none deserves to be more accurately developed than its tendency to break and control the violence of faction. The friend of popular governments, never finds himself so much alarmed for their character and fate, as when he contemplates their propensity to this dangerous vice. He will not fail therefore to set a due value on any plan which, without violating the principles to which he is attached, provides a proper cure for it. The instability, injustice, and confusion introduced into the public councils, have in truth been the mortal diseases under which popular governments have every where perished; as they continue to be the favorite and fruitful topics from which the adversaries to liberty derive their most specious declamations.

This paper speaks of how a strong republican government can control factions, otherwise known as political parties.

Morning, Karen. Sweet Thursday. I enjoyed my time with Jack yesterday and Bree is dropping him off here this AM for a couple of hours. I will head out in the early afternoon. Just a few more things need to be packed. I will be offline until later Sunday. Have a great weekend.

>148 karenmarie: LIKE!!

Good morning, Mark, and a very sweet Thursday to you, too.

Jack is lucky to have you and Sue in his life from the beginning of his time here and on such a regular basis.

My paternal grandfather died in 1929 at the age of 50, and so I never knew him. My paternal grandmother lived with us until she died when I was 10. My maternal grandparents lived in Iowa and we lived in California, and my maternal grandfather died, also at the age of 50, when I was 3 1/2 and I don't remember him either (although there is at least one picture of him holding me when I was an infant). My maternal grandmother lived until 2003, when I was 50, and I treasure my memories of her and my time with her.

I'm immersed in the life of Alexander Hamilton and the Federalist Papers right now. Fun times.

edited to add: Aaack! I almost forgot Wordle, and almost got skunked again.

Wordle 362 6/6* adieu, allow, aloof, abhor, arson, apron

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>150 karenmarie: A reminder that 6 > X just cuz.

>148 karenmarie: ...in the unlikely event it *wants* to...I really despair. PS get yourself to the library and get Brown is the New White by Steve Phillips.

Hiya, RDear!

Oh yes, getting it, even in 6, is much better than missing it.

At the time, factions, or political parties, were anathema. I can't imagine the US any differently, so have a hard time seeing them as evil and have a hard time not having a two party system, even though the current incarnation of the Gang of Psychos is just that - psychos who do not have the best interests of the country at heart.

Hmmm. I've read that the country will be minority majority in 20 years or so. I don't have the bandwidth to read another nonfiction book at the moment, but have added it to my wish list.

Bill's at work, Alex the house cleaner is coming later. I've taken my first sips of coffee, fed Zoe the wet food she likes in the morning, put out fresh water for the kitties, replugged the power cord, html cable for the oversized monitor, the wired keyboard, the Seagate external drive, the microphone jack input for the Logitech speakers/subwoofer, AND the USB hub on my laptop after a severe storm came through late yesterday, and just scored a 4, totally respectable, on -

Wordle 363 4/6* adieu, froth, clown, blown

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>147 karenmarie: Yes, I have read The Hidden Palace and, after how much I loved The Golem and the Jinni, I found it to be a letdown. However, a lot of people do not agree with me there.

Have a wonderful weekend!

First paragraph of The Federalist No 11, written by Alexander Hamilton, in my copy of The Federalist, edited by Jacob E. Cooke:

November 24, 1787

To the People of the State of New York.

The importance of the Union, in a commercial light, is one of those points, about which there is least room to entertain a difference of opinion, and which has in fact commanded the most general assent of men, who have any acquaintance with the subject. This applies as well to our intercourse with foreign countries, as with each other.

Part of the last paragraph. Amazing, really, given that Hamilton was the illegitimate son of a titled Scottish family, 100% European.

The world may politically, as well as geographically, be divided into four parts, each having a distinct set of interests. Unhappily for the other three, Europe by her arms and by her negociations, by force and by fraud, has, in different degrees, extended her dominion over them all. Africa, Asia, and America have successively felt her domination. The superiority, she has long maintained, has tempted her to plume herself as the Mistress of the World, and to consider the rest of mankind as created for her benefit. Men admired as profound philosophers have, in direct terms, attributed to her inhabitants a physical superiority; and have gravely asserted that all animals, and with the human species, degenerate in America - that even dogs cease to bark after having breathed a while in our atmosphere.* Facts have too long supported these arrogant pretensions of the European. It belongs to us to vindicate the honor of the human race, and to teach that assuming brother moderation.

* source is cited in paper.

This paper is the best I have read so far, because it hints at the future Treasury Secretary's skill and scope of activities when he does assume that role. In pursuit of incoming trade revenue Hamilton created the infrastructure that would become the Coast Guard, among other things.

>154 alcottacre: Hi Stasia! Sequels are more often than not letdowns, which is part of the reason I haven’t tackled The Hidden Palace yet. Frankly, I thought The Golem and the Jinni wonderful just as it was, and can’t imagine a further story based on it. Also, the long time before it was published diminished my interest in the characters. However, there will come a day when it will call out to me from shelf S24 here in the Sunroom and be the absolute perfect read. This year or next or ? is the only question.

Thanks re our weekend. Jenna will not be coming home for Father’s Day. I have cards and one of Bill’s favorite cookies to give him first thing in the morning and will cook dinner – don’t know what yet - and I might also make cheesecake. We’ll see. I hope you have a wonderful weekend, too.

Hi Horrible! I'm delighted by Hamilton's Federalist entry today, too. What the hell did Europe think? Its latrines were odorless?!

Oh well, we showed 'em.

When did the answer to Wordle become a noun? Or are the not-nouns fair game and I didn't realize it?

Maybe I should take a crack at The Federalist. Hmmmm. Just the way you are doing it. I've been juggling a couple of books at a time, sometimes more.

>157 richardderus: Hi RD! I could have quoted so much more from #11. *smile* Oh yes, we showed them. So much of the impetus for strong federal government came from Hamilton - vs. Jefferson and Madison, slave owners, land owners, anti-national bank and mfg. - that I wonder where we'd be had Jefferson been more influential in the 1790s.

I don't know what the percentage breakdown among noun, verb, adverb, adjective, etc. is in the 2,309 official Wordle words list.

>158 weird_O: I'm finding this approach less intimidating than having to read straight through The Federalist, Bill. I read one when I'm in the mood and not necessarily one every day unless Richard guilts me into providing intellectual grist to his mill, see >130 richardderus: and >131 karenmarie:.

It turns out that retiring from a job where you essentially ran the organization is a lot harder than I thought it would be. I've been training my replacement(s), attending my last board meeting and doing a few workshops! The good news: I have been reading. The bad news: you are on thread 7. So, mostly wishing you well and promising to do better after June 30. I am hoping to love retirement as much as you do!

>120 msf59: I am in eastern Virginia and bobwhites are not uncommon but we almost never see them. They call frequently but even then they are a challenge to find. We did see a few young ones dodging through the high grass this spring.

>159 karenmarie: Sure, blame *me* for becoming dependent on what *you* decided to do without input from me. Mm hmm. Totally fair.

once a big sister always a big sister jeesh

>160 witchyrichy: Hi Karen! So nice to see you here. You're doing all the right things, of course, and hope your replacement(s) take over and go with it and leave you alone. Twelve days to go. You have a lovely home and it sounds like you've got a wonderful spouse, so you have a lot of good things to look forward to doing more with. The thing I always recommend to new retirees: Don't volunteer for ANYTHING for the first six months. It's harder to get out of a volunteer gig than never starting it. Yay for doing more reading. Do you free-wheel through your reading year like I do or have a list/schedule/plan?

>161 richardderus: Ah, RD, you know I'm only messing with you. No. 12 is a chunkster, and I'm not going to read it today, just to give you fair warning.

In hindsight, the best thing I could have done as a big sister was prevent her from marrying pinkie possum in 1975. In addition to 3 failed companies, cheating, and moving his psycho mother in with them so she could tyrannize my sister and then die in the living room, he recently joined a possum rescue group and recently rescued baby possums, called pinkies, after the mother was killed; to me they're pretty much vermin. 'Course I wouldn't have my niece or nephew, but I'd have different nieces/nephews. Let's just say I don't struggle with the concept of forgiveness anymore. I'm comfortable with not ever forgiving BiL for some terrible things he did after our mother died.

Wordle 364 6/6* Yikes. adieu, chart, canny, catty, canal, cacao. I admit to using my Wordle Spreadsheet.

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I finished another bodice ripper last night, the first in a new series by the author I'm currently reading. Highly satisfactory. I'm 2/3 of the way through Love,, Hate & Clickbait, and it's really good, in an eye-opening and Los Angeles and fun plot way.

I might go out with Bill when he runs errands today so I can use the last of my OTC money before June 30. My BlueCross Medicare supplement plan, which costs me $10/month, gives me $280/year in OTC money. They're not making money off of me, that's for sure, especially after my heart attack last November.

In the meantime, coffee, reading, and etc.

Morning, coffee sister! We're doing the gingerbread coffee again today because it was so good yesterday. Craig has gone out to bring us back breakfast sammies. Good man.

No big plans for today - just the usual and avoiding the heat. Hoping Saturday is kind to you.

Good morning to you, too, coffee sister. I'm on my second cup. I am quite boring with coffee - I always make unflavored caffeinated coffee and drink it black, no sugar. Of course, if I ever visited you, I'd love to try all the wonderful coffee flavors you have at the Pecan Paradisio.

Yay for Craig and breakfast sammies. I haven't eaten yet this morning, but will have some juice at 9 a.m. to take my morning medications and probably eat lunch around 12:30 or so. Unintentional intermittent fasting has become my new norm. I'm just not hungry yet, and only had a handful of malt balls about 9 p.m. to take my evening medications. Malt balls are not the best choice, but they ARE low sodium. 😊

Yes - coffee, LT'ing, and then reading. Stay safe in your nasty heat. Looks like it's going to be awful for at least the next 5 days or so. Here it will be 86F today, but Wednesday will be 100F.

I also love black coffee, it's just that I prefer a milky first coffee, and Abby and I love trying different flavors of coffee. The latest loser was Highland Grog, which cold have used some actual grog to make it palatable.

Malt balls! I have not had those in years! I am a fan of intermittent fasting, but mine is usually intentional. I don't usually breakfast during the week, but Craig loves to breakfast on the weekend, so we usually have at least one breakfast together.

We're going to 100F again today, and we have 70% humidity which is a bear.

>162 karenmarie: LOL

I got it in 4 today as well. Got really ticked off when MIRTH produced zero again and said "it's a CABAL against me!" and the answer was plain.

>165 Crazymamie: Ah, milky first coffee, of course! *smile*

False advertising, if it didn't truly have Grog in it. Do you keep whiskey at the house? You could have splashed some in. I threw out all the liquor when I cleaned the Pantry in March 2020 in anticipation of the Pandemic. Not much of a loss, actually, except I could have kept the Kahlua bottle which I brought from CA in 1991. Now the only things I have in there, bought earlier this year, are Chambord and gin. The gin's for gin-soaked raisins, but they haven't really helped, frankly, so I'll probably not make another batch and dump the gin. (I'm hearing groans from the peanut gallery.) It was my alcoholic mother's favorite tipple and so I've never acquired a taste for it. Bill doesn't drink hard liquor any more. I'd be surprised if he's even noticed that there's liquor in the Pantry again, frankly.

A friend of mine on the Friends Board has promised me a whisky appreciation lesson, but he's out of state 'til October with his traveling nurse wife, so I'll have to be patient.

My paternal grandmother, 1882-1964, kept malt balls or lemon drops in her milk glass candy jar in her bedroom at our house.

100F + 70% humidity = Indoors.

>166 richardderus: Hiya RDear! Yay for 4. Yes, second word guess skunking is very frustrating. My second word's first letter made me happy, but alas, didn't get me an easy solution.

Good late morning, Karen!!! I was furious with Wordle, but I got it in 4 thanks to a lucky first guess that gave me the second and the last letter in the right places. NOT a word that most Americans use and two repeated letters - not playing fair, but we got it.

I'm lingering over my second cup of coffee. Mama was ready to get up when I got over here, which sort of unglued my schedule. All is fine. You have me firmly in the Major Dickason camp. I tried a good substitute blend time before last that cost half as much and decided that as long as I'm not having to scrub floors or take in laundry to get by, I'll indulge in the best. Thank you!!!!!

I never got the word that Wordle could be only a noun. I've looked back at the last 20, and see two adjectives (one a participle) and one that can't be anything but a verb. Five could be nouns or verbs.

You make me want to read *Fed. Paps.* just the way you're doing but not yet.

As to hard liquor in the house --- we are both great fans of single malt scotch, and I can make a bottle last 15 years or so!

You and Marianne make me grateful that our pharmacy woes are few and less bothersome. Our latest: my DH saw the resident in his doc's practice last week and explained carefully to her and the nurse that his one prescription (bless his heart!) (years ago he told a heart specialist that I take "a lot of medicine" - 2 at that time plus 2 supplements) has to be ordered in the size that is scored so that he can take the pill and a half prescribed. I'm guessing that he over-explained, but when he checked before he left the pharmacy drive-through, he had the wrong size. He had to go inside, but eventually they got things straight. That's just a duck nibble.

Enjoy the cool!

Hi Karen my dear, wishing you Bill, Jenna, Inara, Wash and Zoe a really lovely weekend, sending love and hugs from both of us and Felix, dear friend.

>167 karenmarie: I don't think I've opened more than one bottle, if that, but at the beginning of the lockdowns I purchased whiskey, rum, and brandy. Was I even thinking? I mean I've been known to drink a bit of this or that, mostly beer or wine, and loved the after dinner tipples of Chartreuse or B&B from my childhood (yes, really, from 9 on we could indulge in a large thimble full of what ever was going around for the partying adults after desserts), but I don't comfort myself with alcohol, I just don't.

>168 LizzieD: ‘Morning, Peggy, a day later. Yesterday’s word was frustrating for sure. Today’s is… well. An interesting choice for US Father’s Day, shall we say?

I’m so glad that you love Major Dickason’s. You have SomeGuyInVirginia to thank for mentioning it on a message one time and my hoping you'd like it. Bill and I continue to spend $22 or $23 for 2.2 pounds of medium roast beans every week, with a one week hiatus every so often when there are already 3 unopened on the shelf.

I never even thought that Wordle was restricted to nouns, perhaps from downloading the 2,309 words to a spreadsheet and occasionally looking at them. So far I’ve seen 5 of the apparently 9 word classes. And of course, some systems say there are 8 and some say there are 10. But here are the 9, just because I pulled up one of the lists: noun, verb, adjective, adverb, pronoun, preposition, conjunction, determiner, and exclamation.

I’m flattered that both you and weird_o like my approach to The Federalist.

Well. Scotch. I’ve just researched word classes, so will pass for now on the differences among whiskey, scotch, bourbon, and rye – those are the ones I know of offhand.

Your ‘pharmacy woes’ are duck nibbles indeed. I’m currently taking 7 meds and Claratin-wannabe in the morning and 5 meds at night, plus Melaleuca vitamins a.m. and p.m. I really hate it because it makes me feel old and Medicare-y and has cost thousands of dollars this year (although I’m now out of the donut hole). However, I’m grateful and appreciative that I’m alive 7 months and 9 days after a widow-maker heart attack. Just prior to my heart attack I was on one medication, Claratin-wannabe and my vitamins. Sigh.

This morning’s cool is 53F. I’ve opened the only two windows in the house that have screens to enjoy the cool, dry air.

>169 johnsimpson: Hi John, and thank you for visiting. Sending love and hugs back to you and Karen, and special kitty skritches for Felix.

>170 quondame: I think a lot of us bought a lot of strange things at the beginning of lockdown, Susan. I still have a pound of yeast (properly refrigerated) and way too much powdered nonfat milk and powdered buttermilk. I keep forgetting to use the latter two when baking/cooking.

I’m impressed that your parents let you have thimble-fulls of after-dinner drinks. I don’t remember ever having alcohol at home or even in high school. My mother was an alcoholic and I remember incidents from about the age of 10. I had a 6-oz Coors about 2 weeks into my freshman year of college and went from there. I drank and partied hard in college and in my 20s and enjoyed myself thoroughly, but finally got tired of hangovers and cut way back. I never, ever, drank to dull pain or try to forget something.

I do not comfort myself with alcohol either, because of the aforementioned alcoholic mother. Bill’s parents were both alcoholics, and I’ve never, ever seen him tipsy that I can remember in the 45 years I've known him, although Jenna jokes about the time I had two glasses of red wine at a family Christmas party and was definitely not feeling any pain at all. *smile*

Well. It’s Father’s Day. Bill’s still sleeping, but a package of one of his favorite cookies (can’t remember the last time I bought them for him) and 3 cards are waiting on the living room coffee table. I’ll figure out something for dinner from the freezer, and, depending on my mood, may make cheesecake, although I won’t mention it unless I’ve actually pulled the ingredients out.

Wordle 365 5/6* adieu, money, hotel, lover, loser - almost was

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Coffee, quiet, LT, and books waiting.

First paragraph and first sentence of the second paragraph of The Federalist No 12, written by Alexander Hamilton, in my copy of The Federalist, edited by Jacob E. Cooke:

November 27, 1787

To the People of the State of New York.

The effects of union upon the commercial prosperity of the States have been sufficiently delineated. Its tendency to promote the interests of revenue will be the subject of our present enquiry.

The prosperity of commerce is now perceived and acknowledged, by all enlightened statesmen, to be the most useful as well as the most productive source of national wealth; and has accordingly become a primary object of their political cares.

Penultimate paragraph in No. 12 which shows Hamilton's detailed thinking and powerful understanding of just one area of revenue generation:

It is therefore, evident, that one national government would be able, at much less expence, to extend the duties on imports, beyond comparison further, than would be practicable to the States separately, or to any partial confederacies: Hitherto I believe it may safely be asserted, that these duties have not upon an average exceeded in any State three percent. In France they are estimated to be about fifteen percent. and in Britain they exceed this proportion. There seems to be nothing to hinder their being increased in this country, to at least treble their present amount. The single article of ardent spirits, under Fœderal regulation, might be made to furnish a considerable revenue. Upon a ratio to the importation into this State, the whole quantity imported into the United States may be estimated at four millions of Gallons; which at a shilling per gallon would produce two hundred thousand pounds. That article would well bear this rate of duty: and if it should tend to diminish the consumption of it, such an effect would be equally favorable to the agriculture, to the œconomy, to the morals and to the health of the society. There is perhaps nothing so much a subject of national extravagance, as these spirits.

£200,000 in 1787, using a 1790 table = ~ $18,768,585 today.

>172 karenmarie: I am such a pettifogger that the recurring use of "œconomy" for "economy" made me so crazy that I went and looked it up. He's right, we're wrong. Greek "οικονομία" (cut and pasted, not HTMLd) would absolutely yield that hideous spelling. Goddesses please bless Noah Webster!

Hamilton was quite a thinker, indeed. Pity he was...all the other things, too.

>171 karenmarie: I was a tidge surprised at their choice, too, even though my second guess inspired me to get the correct answer.

Happy Father's Day to Bill!

Ignorance would have been blis - economy instead of œconomy, it's just that I'm literal.

I'm up to 1793 in the book about Hamilton, and so far the only thing he's done wrong has been of a private nature, not of a public nature. Jefferson is the one who has my knickers in a twist, as I've mentioned above.

Bill's had a good Father's Day. Jenna called and they had a good time talking, and then I made dinner. We watched an episode of Vera and an episode of Father Brown.

Now it's time to do a bit more reading.

Morning, Karen. The camping trip went very well and the weather was glorious. Some hiking, birding and lots of socializing. I got also got a surprisingly number of pages read. Off to the Arboretum early today. We are in for another hot stretch. I hope you had a good weekend.

>150 karenmarie: I liked reading about your grandparents. I was very close to my grandparents on both sides, especially through my childhood. I still think of them often. I am just sad I lost both my parents at young ages.

'Morning, Mark! Happy Monday to you. I'm glad to hear that your hiking, birding, and socializing vay-cay went well. Your weather this week looks similar to ours. I've got the screened windows open, getting in some fresh, cool air. High today will be 84F.

Thanks re the grandparents. I'm so sorry you lost your parents at young ages.

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Bill's working from home today, although when he checked his email there are no estimating jobs. This occasionally happens and rather than spend $10 on gas to-and-fro and sit twiddling his thumbs, he'll check his email periodically but relax at home.

I'll be reading and ordering a wedding present from an online registry for our little cousin, who is getting married on Friday. Jenna's coming out, and she and I will go. Bill's being fusty and doesn't want to see the Florida Cousins, who Jenna and I will avoid as much as we can. It's important to see Cassidy, her parents, our dear Aunt Ann, and meet Cassidy's new husband.

Wordle 366 4/6* adieu, guilt, unfit, input

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Last two paragraphs of The Federalist No 13, the shortest one so far, written by Alexander Hamilton, in my copy of The Federalist, edited by Jacob E. Cooke:

November 28, 1787

To the People of the State of New York.
...
Nothing can be more evident than that the thirteen States will be able to support a national government, better than one half, or one third, or any number less than the whole. This reflection must have great weight in obviating that objection to the proposed plan, which is founded on the principle of expense; an objection however, which, when we come to take a nearer view of it, will appear in every light to stand on mistaken ground.

If in addition to the consideration of a plurality of civil lists, we take into view the number of persons who must necessarily be employed to guard the inland communication, between the different confederacies, against illicit trade, and who in time will infallibly spring up out of the necessities of revenue; and and if we also take into view the military establishments, which it has been shewn would unavoidably result from the jealousies and conflicts of the several nations, into which the States would be divided, we shall clearly discover, that a separation would be not less injurious to the œconomy than to the tranquility, commerce, revenue and liberty of every part.

A reminder that these were all published under the pseudonym Publius. There were three authors, Hamilton, Madison, and Jay. There were lists of who authored which paper during their lifetimes. There has been scholarly and computer analysis done on style since. The editor of this edition, Jacob E. Cooke, spends quite a bit of time in his Introduction discussing this issue. It's as fascinating as the papers themselves.

>177 karenmarie: It's a delight to me to understand, really get, that Hamilton was so very like me in his thinking. Pity that Jefferson won the presidency.

>176 karenmarie: It was a 4 day for me...about five minutes' staring time.

'Morning, RDear!

According to Alexander Hamilton, Hamilton knew he could never run for President because of the Reynolds Affair. Copies of letters were dishonorably kept and acquired by Madison, as I recall.

What if... what if... what if. Had Hamilton become President we still might have acquired the Louisiana Purchase and some of the other good things Jefferson did. The Federal Government would probably have become stronger earlier, and under Hamilton's strong abolitionist beliefs the slave trade abolished earlier and other forms of relief to slaves instituted.

*smooch*

>179 karenmarie: After thinking up a Lincoln-not-assassinated, voted-into-third term in 1868 alt-hist book, I thought up a Hamilton-as-President one with Reconstruction starting after a brutal Northern invasion and conquest of the South results in the slaves being freed...and becoming Federal employees to keep the cotton trade alive.

Pity I never finished them, but I got such crushing "oh who CARES?" feedback from my sister the literarian bookseller and mother the wilful ignoramus....

Interesting what-ifs, RDear. Hamilton would probably have become President in the 1800s and timed efforts to discuss slavery after the 20-year ban as soon as possible. However, I'm not sure he would have felt that a war was the best solution even though he was an aide-de-camp to Washington for 4 years and led troops into war himself. He might have worked some of his intellectual and Machiavellian magic to finesse an end to slavery, giving Southerners a reason to let it go that didn't offend their honor and lined their purses.

I'm really becoming upset that even though I was in honors US History/Government classes in high school and took what I remember as a fascinating US History course at Peppy-Tech in the early 1970s, I simply did not understand US History in the period of the 1770s-1800s. Most people think of the Declaration of Independence as being when the country started, and although intellectually I knew it was after the Revolutionary War ended and the Constitution got ratified and Washington became President in the 1790s, I didn't internalize it and want to learn more.

Well, I'm almost 69 and now's the time, I guess. I'm deeply appreciating Alexander Hamilton and The Federalist.

>156 karenmarie: I thought The Golem and the Jinni "wonderful just as it was" too, which is why I felt so let down by The Hidden Palace, but others in the group (Mary, for instance) thought the second book better.

Sorry to hear that Jenna was unable to make it for Father's Day. Kerry heard from all of his but 2. Beth, Catey and I chipped in to get him a present, and I took him out to lunch, so all in all, he ended up having a good day.

I hope you have a wonderful week!

Karen, your daily coffee updates make me miss my morning habit. I completely lost my taste for it during my May bout with Covid. Taste and desire for other foods has come back, but not coffee. Maybe when the weather turns cooler in the fall? My husband never could understand why I liked it in the summer, especially since I didn't have any until I came in all hot and sweaty from walking the dog.

>182 alcottacre: Maybe I'll appreciate it more than you but probably less than Mary when I eventually read it. So far it hasn't called out to me.

I can't remember the last time Jenna was home for Father's Day, and we haven't expected it for a long time.

How many does Kerry have, since you brought it up. I'm glad he had a good day regardless. Bill had a good day too, and with his impeccable manners, thanked me when I went off to bed for his wonderful Father's Day.

I hope you have a wonderful week, too.

>183 Donna828: Hi Donna. Coffee is very important to me, and I'm sad that you've lost your taste for it with your May bout of Covid. Here's hoping it comes back sooner than later. No matter how hot it is outside, hot morning coffee's my go to unless I'm sick - then, I'm afraid, it's hot tea, Constant Comment, two tea bags for one cup, with 2-3 teaspoons of sugar. One of the signs that I'm sick is that coffee doesn't appeal first thing.

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Well, I've finished another bodice ripper and have already purchased and downloaded the last in this series. I've also read two letters in the epistolary novella by Jane Austen, Lady Susan, and a chapter in Pilgrim.

I'm sad to report that I was excited to start the newest Orphan X novel which I got from the Library, but after reading 2 chapters I'm going to set it aside for a bit. Chapter 3 is still going to irritate, but chapter 4 begins Evan Smoak is midair and plummeting. Hopeful. We'll see.

>181 karenmarie: Not a second too late, either. No, not a typo.

I had the invasion come as a side-event to Madison's Presidency during/igniting the War of 1812. It was after he succeeded Pres. Hamilton in the 1808 election. It wasn't fully thought out, but I *was* 19 at the time....

Hi RD!

if we lived closer to one another, we could read papers out loud to each other and comment on them. I think that would be informative and a lot of fun.

As with most of the men of this era, Madison did good and Madison did bad. He sided with Hamilton to get the Constitution passed then sided with Jefferson, helping create the two party system. Later on he apparently fought for stronger federal government again. He never freed his slaves, and I do not believe he would have led any action that would have ended the slave trade or ownership of slaves. He apparently mishandled the War of 1812, but did most of the actual work of acquiring the Louisiana Purchase.

Heh. 19 at the time. When I was 19 I had just figured out that my parents were not going to be able to continue funding my college education without grief and loans and embarrassment, the same as my freshman year. However, I took things into my own hands, got a part-time job with the University, was able to convert it to full time, and my National Merit Scholarship was quietly converted to half tuition because I was an employee of Peppy Tech. One of the things I'm most proud of in this life is that I graduated without owing anybody a penny.

And here I am at 5:32 a.m. I woke up at 4:15 and read upstairs until I heard the siren call of coffee. *smile*

Wordle 367 3/6* adieu, groan, gloat Nary a look at my cheat sheet of words either.

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Second paragraph of The Federalist No 14, written by James Madison, in my copy of The Federalist, edited by Jacob E. Cooke:

November 30, 1787

To the People of the State of New York.

The error which limits Republican Government to a narrow district, has been unfolded and refuted in preceding papers. * I remark here only, that it seems to owe its rise and prevalence, chiefly to the confounding of a republic with a democracy: And applying to the former reasonings drawn from the nature of the latter. The true distinction between these forms was also adverted to on a former occasion. ** It is, that in a democracy, the people meet and exercise the government in person; in a republic they assemble and administer it by their representatives and agents. A democracy consequently will be confined to a small spot. A republic may be extended over a large region.

* See Essays 9 and 10. The Editor.

** See Essay 10. The Editor.

...
So, by definition, the United States has always been defined as a republic, not a democracy, from the Articles of Confederation through the Constitution.

Morning, Karen. It sounds like you were up early today. We had a good walk at the Arboretum yesterday, mostly beating the heat. Saw a few good birds. Pushing a 100F today, so it will be another scorcher at my Rehab stint. Ugh. I will take a few breaks and keep hydrated. Enjoy your day.

>187 karenmarie: A republic whose representatives are meant to be chosen democratically; subverted by the Senate's older style of "indirect selection" and, now, by plutocratic manipulations and political chicanery from the anti-democratic right.

>186 karenmarie: Ooo a 3 today! I took 4.

Good morning, Karen! I don't envy your early rising, but I do admire your early reading. One day I'll try important stuff again! You also make me want to start the Chernow. I read and loved his Washington and learned an embarrassing amount of history.

I figured you'd get today's word easily because of your chosen 2nd word. I got it in 3 too as I tried to place the letters I had correctly.

Enjoy your day!

>184 karenmarie: Kerry has 6: our 2 (both girls), 1 son and 3 more daughters. We are also the proud grandparents of 8.

>186 karenmarie: Forgive me stepping into the conversation, but could you not do a weekly meet up on Zoom or some such and do this? Reading the Federalist Papers and discussing them, that is. Just a thought. My girls and I meet up weekly this way and today is our day, which brought it to mind.

Have a terrific Tuesday!

>188 msf59: Hi Mark, and happy Tuesday to you. Yes, I was up before dawn and am frankly a tad weary right now. Thank goodness I'm retired! Thank goodness I can take naps! Sorry it's going to be so hot for your Rehab Center volunteer gig, yay for a good Arboretum visit.

>189 richardderus: Hiya, RD! I thought that the Constitution originally provided for the State Legislatures to elect Senators, but I was wrong. Looks like I need to read the Constitution again.

By 1866 and 1867-1868 Congress decided to impose order and consistency. Democratic elections of Senators and Representatives, of course, and of course much manipulation via the drawing of district maps at the Representative level. Sigh.

4 is good, 3 was lucky.

>190 LizzieD: Hi Peggy. As I wrote to Mark above, I'm whupped. I want to go to the Library to welcome a new Book Sort Team member but it's not required that I be there and I know her from being in a RL book club with her for twenty years. At a minimum, I need to go use the treadmill, and should also do a quick grocery store run for split peas, frozen peas, and some of my favorite frozen entrees. I hope your day is coming along nicely.

I've been very productive reading wise, reading The Federalist No 14, finishing another bodice ripper, and finishing Lady Susan, see next message.

I've got a new bodice ripper lined up and will also spend some time reading Pilgrim today, I think.

99. Lady Susan by Jane Austen 5/29/22 6/21/22





From https://janeausten.fandom.com/wiki/Lady_Susan:

Lady Susan is a short epistolary novel by Jane Austen, possibly written in 1794 but not published until 1871.

This early complete work that the author never submitted for publication, describes the schemes of the main character (the widowed Lady Susan) as she seeks a new husband for herself, and one for her daughter. Although the theme, together with the focus on character study and moral issues, is close to Austen's published work Sense and Sensibility, its outlook is very different, and the heroine has few parallels in 19th-century literature.

Lady Susan is a selfish, attractive woman, who tries to trap the best possible husband while maintaining a relationship with a married man. She subverts all the standards of the romantic novel: she has an active role, she's not only beautiful but intelligent and witty, and her suitors are significantly younger than her. Although the ending includes a traditional reward for morality, Lady Susan herself is treated much more mildly than the adulteress in Mansfield Park.

Why I wanted to read it: I had recently watched a movie adaptation and really liked it, without realizing that it was based on this epistolary novella. I’ve had Sanditon, the Watsons, Lady Susan & other Miscellanea on my shelves since 2019, so decided to read Lady Susan. We’ll see if I want to read other of the offerings in this volume any time soon, so onto a shelf in the Sunroom it goes.

Lady Susan has no morals or scruples whatsoever. The closest I can come to her character from the five novels of Austen’s I’ve read (all excluding Emma although I’ve started and abandoned it twice now), is Wickham in Pride and Prejudice. He’s as mercenary and soulless as she is.

Everybody except Lady Susan’s friend Mrs. Johnson and, for a time, Reginald De Courcy, is frantic to not have her at their house and not have her manipulate and lie.

Her ability to turn everything to her advantage and especially to play Reginald De Courcy like a fiddle are amusing to watch although I was happy to finally have him escape her clutches and marry her daughter Frederica.

I love epistolary works because of the challenges of the form. The characters are presented more subtly than in a ‘regular’ novella, and I was happy to take 3 weeks to read it.

The ending, called Conclusion, was not epistolary. It was informative and to have continued in epistolary form might have taken half again as many pages. I wonder if Austen really meant to finish it as an epistolary but was impatient with it and created the Conclusion, thinking she had more time than her short almost-42 years of life?

Six word review: A deeply flawed person is exposed.

>193 karenmarie: Trenchant review of a novella I haven't read, am not likely to read, and with this review have now mentally filed under "yeah...no."

Your link needs adjusting...it's "faNdom" not with an 'M' which Chrome thinks is a porn site.

Thank you twice, RDear. Yikes. A porn site? Fixed!

I just got back from using the treadmill so am feeling virtuous.

*smooch*

>195 karenmarie: I’ve missed my last two sessions, so definitely not feeling virtuous. 😀

I really enjoy the what ifs of history, Karen and there is much food for thought in your comments re: Alexander Hamilton.
It is not an area of expertise for me but it does seem that the exigencies of power do rather tell upon individuals. John Adams was possibly the most ardent anti-slavery politician amongst the early post independence figures but even he was not capable of abolishing slavery altogether though he did promulgate the Slave Trade Act of 1800 which effectively prevented further slaves being brought into the country. I'm not sure whether Hamilton would have been able to abolish slavery either as the opposition to it being done was fierce at the time. It is telling that only Adams and his son amongst the first twelve Presidents did not "own" slaves.

I have no doubt that Hamilton would have been a very able administrator as Commander in Chief but Aaron Burr and Hamilton's own inability to maintain political alliances meant that we will never really know.

Well done by the way for passing 2,000 posts on your threads already this year. xx

Morning, Karen. Happy Wednesday. I dodged a bullet yesterday at Rehab and got to work in the kitchen preparing all the food. I definitely wouldn't want to do that all the time but yesterday it kept me out of the heat. I am going on a road trip with my birding buddies today. Leaving shortly. Looking for a couple of FOY birds, along with a possible Lifer.

>196 drneutron: Hi Jim. Two sessions. How often do you go? Before work or after work or, if you’re working at home still/again, during the day? Enquiring minds and all that. I'll be going again today, probably late morning, maybe early afternoon.

>197 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul. Excellent comments, thanks for joining in. What ifs of history are an interesting way to while away the hours. They’re also portals into alternative universes, real or imagined.

I’ve read David McCullough’s fascinating biography of Adams, John Adams, but don’t remember too much about it, more’s the pity. He comes through in Alexander Hamilton as rather prickly but definitely a Federalist and was occasionally supportive of Hamilton.

Under the Constitution, Congress could not prohibit the import slave trade that was allowed in South Carolina until 1808. However, the third Congress regulated against it in the Slave Trade Act of 1794, which prohibited American shipbuilding and outfitting for the trade. Subsequent acts in 1800 and 1803 sought to discourage the trade by banning American investment in the trade, and American employment on ships in the trade, as well as prohibiting importation into states that had abolished slavery, which most in the North had by that time. The final Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves was adopted in 1807, effective in 1808. However, illegal importation of African slaves (smuggling) was common.

Wikipedia article on the US slave trade, citations removed.

Burr and Hamilton fought over power in New York, Jefferson/Madison fought Hamilton over the scope of Federal Power and the power of the Treasury. Hamilton started work immediately upon Washington being sworn in for his first term, Jefferson didn't bother to show up to start work as head of the Department of State for months.

Alexander Hamilton reports on entries from Jefferson’s diary occasionally, and for sheer irrational hatred one cannot exceed it. Hamilton and his wife contracted yellow fever in Philadelphia in 1793 but Jefferson said he was a hypochondriac and just had a bad cold.

I’ve just read about a second Congressional probe of the Treasury Department under Hamilton, which he asked for, which completely exonerated him from all charges; however, then, like now, Enemies of the State (my words) ignore truth and trade on lies.

Thanks re 2,000 posts. I’m way behind on your thread and quite a few others.

>198 msf59: ‘Morning, Mark, and happy Wednesday to you, too. Yay for dodging a Rehab bullet. Chopped mice among the palate pleasers? Good luck on your road trip.

…
First cup of coffee under my belt. Bill's still asleep. He was going to go in to work, so either had a bad night or there isn't any estimating work right now.

More puttering today in prep for Jenna coming home for our sweet little cousin’s wedding on Friday. Jenna will be home Thursday through Monday or Tuesday, which will also have her here to celebrate my birthday ON my birthday. *happy dance*

Wordle 368 4/6* adieu,about,augur, awful

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>199 karenmarie: Heh. I got it in 3 AEONS, MIRTH, AWFUL because I was so irked!

*smooch*

Morning, Karen. (It IS still morning, isn't it.) It's the first morning since Saturday that I've had The Internet. It was out three-and-a-half days, which makes me think some knucklehead severed the cables and made a lot of work for Verizon.

Anyway, I read a book, and I wrote some book reports. More to come.

I started Arctic Dreams for a group read. Oh my. It is going to be heavy lifting. I'm not sure, at this moment, if I should throttle back. Or pour it on. I am being escorted out of the country come June 30. I did want to finish the read by then, but I am doubtful I can succeed.

>193 karenmarie: Looking forward to getting to that one before the end of the year although it will be a reread for me, unlike some of Austen's other works. Glad to see you enjoyed it.

>200 richardderus: Congrats, RD. *smooch*

>201 weird_O: It still was when you wrote your message, of course, Bill. Yikes for no Internet. It’s amazing what becomes a necessity, isn’t it? Yay for reading and writing. 8 days to finish Arctic Dreams, I suppose. Or not. I’d throttle back, personally, and read fluffy stuff.

>202 alcottacre: Hi Stasia. I should probably read Sanditon, The Watsons, and whatever ‘Miscellanea’ means, but I’m more interested right now in the books I’ve got going.

Ah, that first sip of coffee! Kitties fed, kitty door opened, a nice day ahead. Jenna's coming home today. I'll be using the treadmill and going grocery shopping sometime later this morning. In the meantime,

Wordle 369 4/6* adieu, flint, bring, brink

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Various quotes from The Federalist No 15, written by Alexander Hamilton, in my copy of The Federalist, edited by Jacob E. Cooke. The first is the first two sentences of the first paragraph. The second is the first sentence of the second paragraph. The last is the entire last paragraph.

December 1, 1787

To the People of the State of New York.

In the course of the preceding papers, I have endeavoured, my Fellow Citizens, to place before you in a clear and convincing light, the importance of Union to your political safety and happiness. I have unfolded to you a complication of dangers to which you would be exposed should you permit that sacred knot which binds the people of America together to be severed or dissolved by ambition or by avarice, by jealousy or by misrepresentation.

...

In pursuance of the plan, which I have laid down, for the discussion of the subject, the point next in order to be examined is the "insufficiency of the present confederation to the preservation of the Union."

...

In our case, the concurrence of thirteen distinct sovereign wills is requisite under the confederation to the complete execution of every important measure, that proceeds from the Union. It has happened as was to have been foreseen. The measures of the Union have not been executed; and the delinquencies of the States have step by step matured themselves to an extreme; which has at length arrested all the wheels of the national government, and brought them to an awful stand. Congress at this time scarcely possess the means of keeping up the forms of administration; 'till the States can have time to agree upon a more substantial substitute for the present shadow of a fœderal government. Things did not come to this desperate extremity at once. The causes which have been specified produced at first only unequal and disproportionate degrees of compliance with the requisitions of the Union. The greater deficiencies of some States furnished the pretext of example and the temptation of interest to the complying, or to the least delinquent States. Why should we do more in proportion than those who are embarked with in the same political voyage? Why should we consent to bear more than our proper share of the common burthen? These were suggestions which human selfishness could not withstand, and which even speculative men, who looked forward to remote consequences, could not, without hesitation, combat. Each State yielding to the persuasive voice of immediate interests and convenience has successively withdrawn its support, 'till the frail and tottering edifice seems ready to fall upon our heads and to crush us beneath its ruins.

Richard posted this and I'm adopting it, too.

...

My Goodreads friend Mwana posted this list, and I liked it so I'm adopting it.

Mid-Year Book tag 2022

1. HOW MUCH HAVE YOU READ?

100 books and 32023 pages.

2. WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN READING?

Bodice rippers. Nonfiction here and there. Random contemporary fiction.

3. Best book you’ve read so far in 2022.

Woke Racism by Dr. John McWhorter

4. Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2022

The second in most series by Eloisa James.

5. New release you haven’t read yet, but want to.

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill

6. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year.

The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman and The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith, both preordered from Amazon.

7. Out of Your Comfort Zone read

Love, Hate & Clickbait.

8. Biggest surprise

Should We Stay or Should We Go by Lionel Shriver. Love everything by her, loved this too, but wasn’t expecting alternate endings.

9. New Favo(u)rite author (debut or new to you)

Derva McTiernan.

10. Underrated gems you’ve discovered recently.

The Adults by Caroline Hulse. A happy surprise.

11. Rereads this year.

The Story of Human Language by Dr. John McWhorter and the audiobook versions of the two Harry Potter books.

12. Book that made you cry.

The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman. Cried while watching her read it at Biden’s Inauguration and cried when I read it earlier this year.

13. Book that made you happy.

The Guncle – I agree with Richard.

14. Most beautiful book you’ve bought so far this year (or received). Acquired it as a book sale team volunteer for the Friends of the Library.

The Federalist edited by Jacob E Cooke. Beautiful 1989 second hardcover printing with immaculate dust jacket and gorgeous font. I don't know what the font is, but it's a pleasure to read.

15. Your goals for the rest of the year.

Continue reading books which give me joy. Lose 10 more pounds by October.

Morning, Karen. Sweet Thursday. Yesterday turned out to be a an all day birding affair, with lots and lots of driving. Missed a target Lifer but saw a few good birds, including several yellow-headed blackbirds, which are so beautiful. They are normally found north of here, in large prairie areas. This was close to the WI border and is a dependable place to find them. Lots of running around today, doing various errands and favors. Hope to get some reading in, this afternoon.

>206 karenmarie: LIKE!!

>206 karenmarie: MORE weight loss?! Wow. You've clearly got The Taste. And I'm so glad you enjoyed The Guncle too! It was a fun read, wasn't it.

I predict Sulari Gentill will really please you. That ending was the best.

>205 karenmarie: Huh. Imagine the States withholding money to use for their own selfish purposes. My pearls, my pearls.

>204 karenmarie: I was a 4 today, too! AEONS, MIRTH, GRIND, BRINK

-Yellow-headed blackbirds. I did take a few photos, (not this good) but have not processed them yet.

>196 drneutron: I have a treadmill at home, so I try to do 30-45 minutes at least twice, most weeks three, times a week. My unit is compatible with iFit, so I call up a video and it controls speed and inclination, plus has a trainer that encourages/leads. I usually do interval run/walks so get my heart rate up to the mid-150s level and burn about 400 calories each.

Plus the videos are usually in interesting places to see.

Just checking in, Karen! Have a wonderful day!

>207 msf59: ‘Morning, Mark! Sweet Thursday to you, too. Sorry about missing the Lifer, but yay for Yellow-Headed Blackbirds. I saw quite a few of these beauties in Montana in 2018. Enjoy your reading afternoon. I had fun with >206 karenmarie:.

>208 richardderus: Well, yes, more weight loss. A very doable goal, and frankly, I’m sort of coasting along right now and need to get serious again soon. Early July, I think, after I’ve finished consuming the last of my starting-Sunday birthday German Chocolate Cake. *smile*

I read The Guncle at the tail end of 2021 into the first days of 2022, my second book by Rowley. Lily and the Octopus, my first by him, is not for the faint of heart, but a stunner.

Heh. States withholding money from the Feds. I’m going to post the end of the 26th chapter of Alexander Hamilton, listened to on the way home from grocery shopping. Hamilton has just resigned as Treasury Secretary, and I’m stunned by Chernow’s summary. And, congrats on your 4, too.

>209 msf59: So gorgeous. I remember seeing them peaking above tall grasses, sometimes just their golden heads showing.

>210 drneutron: Hi Jim! I want a treadmill at home. I have to leave in a few minutes to use the one in town, 26 miles round trip, using gas and with fear of contracting the dread Covid. Our county is at medium risk again. I’m not thrilled about the wedding tomorrow and will most likely wear a mask regardless of what other folks do. I did go to the wedding shower at the same venue with about 150 or so people and stayed safe, so 🤞

I’m impressed at your treadmill regimen. I’m happy to do 100-110 calories, 1.2 or so miles, and 30-32 minutes. What brand/model is your treadmill?

>211 alcottacre: Hi Stasia. Glad you stopped by. Jenna’s coming home, so that will make the day particularly wonderful. I just have to get past the treadmill. 🙄

Last paragraph of chapter Twenty Six of Alexander Hamilton. As mentioned above, Hamilton has just resigned as Treasury Secretary.

Whatever his disappointments, Hamilton, forty, must have left Philadelphia with an immense feeling of accomplishment. The Whiskey Rebellion had been suppressed, the country's finances flourished, and the investigation into his affairs had ended with a ringing exoneration. He had prevailed in almost every major program he had sponsored - whether the bank, assumption, funding the public debt, the tax system, the Customs Service, or the Coast Guard - despite years of complaints and bitter smears. John Quincy Adams later stated that his financial system "operated like enchantment for the restoration of public credit." * Bankrupt when Hamilton took office, the United States now enjoyed a credit rating equal to that of any European nation. He had laid the groundwork for both liberal democracy and capitalism and helped to transform the role of the president from passive administrator to active policy maker, creating the institutional scaffolding for America's future emergence as a great power. He had demonstrated the creative uses of government and helped to weld the states irreversibly into one nation. He had also defended Washington's administration more brilliantly than anyone else, articulating its constitutional underpinnings and enunciating key tenets of foreign policy. "We look in vain for a man who, in an equal space of time, has produced such direct and lasting effects upon our institutions and history," Henry Cabot Lodge was to contend. ** Hamilton's achievements were never matched because he was present at the government's inception, when he could draw freely on a blank slate. If Washington was the father of the country and Madison the father of the Constitution, then Alexander Hamilton was surely the father of the American government. p. 481

*Stephen F. Knott, Alexander Hamilton and the Persistence of Myth, p. 238.
** Henry Cabot Lodge, Alexander Hamilton, p. 184.

>213 karenmarie: ...and along came Andrew Jackson...*grrr*

>88 karenmarie: This message regarding dresses inherited by our older siblings, brought back a memory of my sister Robin. We were three girls each two years and two days apart. In the 1950's, it wasn't uncommon for parents to dress their daughters with similar dresses.

Fast forward to my sister who is the comedian of the family (especially after two glasses of wine.) She one said "No wonder I am crazy, as the oldest you (me) got the new dress. Kathy then received your dress when you outgrew it. Then, I originally had a new dress, inherited Kathy's dress which was yours, then inherited Kathy's original dress! I wore the same dress for six years!"

Dear Karen, I picture the three of you being cool with cats and enjoying the catch-up of good conversation! Enjoy the sweet cousin's wedding. I'm Happy thinking of you with Jenna home!!!!!

Morning, Karen. Happy Friday. Glad to hear you got to see yellow-headed blackbirds in Montana. Such beautiful birds. I am going to go out for a solo walk and then Bree will drop off Jack a little later this AM. We will have him for the day. I haven't seen him in a week, so I can't wait.

>214 richardderus: Hamilton was already turning over in his grave when he died in 1804 since Jefferson was President. My sister knows the Presidents in order by singing a ditty about them, but I’ve never tried to learn the order, although I’ve been alive during the terms of 13 of the 46. Jackson was particularly egregious, but so far in my reading, I’m guessing that after Jefferson, Hamilton would have most despised Madison’s Presidency. Since I don’t yet know about Hamilton’s life after about 1795, where I am in the book, that’s only conjecture. *smile*

>215 Whisper1: Hi Linda. Poor Robin! My sister is 3 ½ years younger than I am, and was always small and cute and I was always a galumphing tomboy. And once I hit puberty, a chubby galumphing tomboy. Sigh.

>216 LizzieD: We were definitely in the AC and the kitties remembered Jenna. All three let them pet and kiss them and they all rubbed up against her, just like they do with me. We had some good conversations, and even after I went upstairs to read and left Jenna to the occasional-argumentative mercies of her dad, she came upstairs later and said except for some irritation at Jenna’s interest in the Depp Heard trial, she kept her cool, to so speak, and didn’t open up any subjects that would cause problems. Whew!

…
I tiptoed downstairs, made coffee, and will enjoy a bit of quiet here for a while. Another bodice ripper down, another one started.

The wedding is at 4. We’ll leave about 2:30-2:40 and be at their church by 3:30.

Wordle 370 4/6* adieu, brine, spite, smite

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>211 alcottacre: Glad to hear that Jenna is able to make it home. I hope you enjoy her company while she is there.

Have a fantastic Friday!

>218 karenmarie: ...and I go and put 500+ of the darn thing for free in front of you...shame oon me!

Have a lovely time at the wedding today, and tell Jenna I send hugs.

*smooch*

I just pressed her pants and jacket, found some decent dress up clothes in the closet for me - nice to find stuff that fits again - and we'll be leaving in half an hour or so.

I will tell Jenna you send hugs - I know she'll appreciate them.

Joining in:

Mid-Year Book tag 2022

1. HOW MUCH HAVE YOU READ?

87 books ; 20,233 pages

2. WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN READING?

Fiction; non-fiction; poetry. A lot of Asian authors because of my ABC challenge

3. Best book you’ve read so far in 2022.

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

4. Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2022

Black Out by Ragnar Jonasson (a book in a series rather than a sequel)

5. New release you haven’t read yet, but want to.

The Book of form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki

6. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year.

The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell

7. Out of Your Comfort Zone read

Weaveworld by Clive Barker

8. Biggest surprise

Autumn by Knausgaard which was somehow expansive in its narrow focus!

9. New Favo(u)rite author (debut or new to you)

Claire Keegan and Stacey Halls tie here I guess.

10. Underrated gems you’ve discovered recently.

Disquiet by Zulfu Livanelli was a tremendous read by an author I hadn't previously heard of.

11. Rereads this year.

Books by Hardy, Maugham, Spark, Murdoch, Hardy and Greene

12. Book that made you cry.

A few by Hana's Suitcase in particular.

13. Book that made you happy.

Probably The List of Books for obvious reasons if anyone knows me.

14. Most beautiful book you’ve bought so far this year (or received).

That is tough because I have already added 535 books but I love the cover of Learwife by JR Thorp

15. Your goals for the rest of the year.

Reading wise 200 books. Life: stay healthy, relocate, spend time with my kids.

Hopelessly behind, but congrats on already reaching 100! And I echo your weight loss goals. So far I am down 5, but I have a ways to go. We can do it! Have a great weekend. : )

>224 karenmarie: Hi Paul! I love your answers. 535 books, and I love the cover of Learwife, too. Your goals are fun with books and marvelous with health, England, and spending time with your kids.

>223 Berly: Hi Kim! That's how I feel with so many threads, too, just glad to see you here. Good luck with your weight loss goals.

The weekend will be quite nice - Jenna here and my birthday tomorrow. Jenna and I will be baking my birthday cake today - German Chocolate Cake. I forgot buttermilk the other day and so will probably go out with Bill when he runs errands to pick some up. I've got everything else. I'm not even going to analyze for a low-sodium version...

...
Our little cousin's wedding was fun and serious and almost over the top... matron of honor, best man, 8 bridesmaids, and 7 groomsmen. Cassidy Jo's brother Jordan was able to get leave from the Air Force and came from South Korea. He is 3rd groomsman from the left. The wedding started at 4 p.m. We saw and chatted with cousins from Florida, cousins from Western North Carolina, our dear Aunt Ann, who lives with the Florida cousins, mother of the bride, father of the bride. And etc. Jenna and I sort of held court at our table, with cousins coming over and visiting from about 5 .m. or so until about 8:20 p.m., when we left. And hugs, gotta mention hugs. We got hugs from all our cousins and family. Jenna was her cutely brash self. And there was only some super religious stuff. *smile*





Cassidy wanted a canopy of fairy lights, so by God her dad went out, bought 80 84' strands of fairy lights and personally hung them in the church's reception hall for her. The effect was magical, if I say so myself. You can only see a bit of them in the photo of Jenna because we were not there to take photos, but to celebrate Cassidy, her new husband, and our family.

Wordle 371 3/6* adieu, shade, beady

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>206 karenmarie: >222 PaulCranswick: Like!
I will make mine at the end of the month, or July 1st, when we are really half way 2022 :-)

>224 karenmarie: Wow, what a wedding!
Lovely picture of Jenna, have fun baking together.

Hi Anita! I look forward to seeing your results. Lists and memes are addictive, aren't they?

Thanks re the wedding and good wishes for baking.

Morning, Karen. Happy Saturday. You missed me up there yesterday, I must have slipped in quietly. Glad you had such a good time at the wedding. Nice to see you and out and about. I enjoyed my time with Jackson yesterday, although he got a little cranky later on. He is CRAWLING, so this has become a whole new adventure.

>217 msf59: I’m sorry I missed you here, Mark! It gets back to my using a Word document to answer messages, getting distracted, THEN posting without checking for new messages. I apologize. I’m glad you got to see Jack yesterday. And, of course, yay for the solo walk.

>227 msf59: Hi Mark, and happy Saturday to you. We did have a good time. Babies will be cranky, and wow! Crawling. Can you say babyproofing?

No apologies necessary. It happens. "Can you say babyproofing?" Can you believe I caught him climbing our stairs? He was all ready on the second step, contemplating the third one. Yikes!

>224 karenmarie: It looks lovely, and I can extrapolate the effect of the whole thing. What a great-looking outfit Jenna chose!

*smoochiesmoochsmooch*

>229 msf59: Ha. Climbing the stairs. Good boy? How many baby gates have you bought/will you buy?

>230 richardderus: The wedding was a combination of cute and serious, Pentacostal-y and therefore uncomfortable to Jenna and me, and sweet. One of the ministers did say something about 'vertical and horizontal' that had Jenna and me struggling to NOT look at one another.

Thanks re Jenna's outfit. She was all sartorial elegance with her skinny black jeans and checkered Vans.

Nice pictures of the wedding, Karen. Sounds like you had a great time holding court with the relatives.

Hi Meg! Thanks re the pics. It was nice to see everybody. Frankly, we were worried that some of the family - NOT the bride's immediate family or Aunt Ann - might start expressing some of the ah... religious fervor... that has marked their communications with us in the past. Jenna is an atheist although I don't think the family knows that, and I am a liberal theist, which they do know - or at least they know I'm not Christian. They behaved and we behaved and we had a fantastic time catching up.

The only thing that came up, and it was only twice and not in direct discussions of Covid itself, was that both the Florida cousin's husband Jon and the bride's father said "Now that Covid is over..." I told John that I didn't think it was and left it at that. The entire Florida clan and the bride have had Covid, with the exception of Aunt Ann who just moved down there in February and is fully vaccinated and boosted. We're also pretty sure that the bride's mother and father had it in March of 2020, when they were violently sick with dangerous fevers and etc. But there weren't even any tests for it then, so who knows.

...
My fam's still asleep. I've got a cup of coffee in hand, will putter here a bit then read a bit.

Wordle 372 6/6* adieu, quoth, lusty, gusty, musty, rusty Too many words to choose from, but better than getting skunked.

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Morning, Karen. Happy Sunday. "How many baby gates have you bought/will you buy?" Ha! Fortunately, we have several gates, from the time we had our dog, so we have them handy.

Our weather looks beautiful for the next few days. Yah! I am heading out shortly with my birding buddies. Books in the PM. Enjoy your day.

Hi Mark, and happy Sunday to you, too. Glad you have several baby/dog gates. *smile*

We've got gorgeous weather today, too. Enjoy your BBA - birding budy adventure - and books in the afternoon.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Birthday Karen! Enjoy the day, cake and all!

Thanks for the wedding pics. Jenna does look elegant - such beautiful skin that young woman has!

Good heavens, it's your birthday! Wow. Turning, um, I'm sure I know but I've never been good with numbers that large. They scare me.

Not skunked on Wordle is good. I took 4 but it had more to do with guess #3 giving me four of five letters and literally not one in the correct place. AEONS, MIRTH, TRUST, RUSTY

I'm so glad you're here for me to say "Happy Birthday!" to. *smooch*

Happy birthday, Karen! You are a few months ahead of me:-)

>236 LizzieD: Thank you, my dear friend! So far the day’s been quite wonderful. Thanks re the pics and Jenna.

>237 richardderus: Yup. Birthday. German Chocolate cake, steak and potatoes for supper (my choice since I eat A LOT OF CHICKEN). Born in 1953, so 69. Zodiac sign Cancer, Chinese Zodiac year Snake. Smarty pants – 69, heh.

Yay for your 4 – see, I can be magnanimous at your luck skill.

Thank you for the birthday greetings. *smooch*

>238 jessibud2: Thank you, Shelley. 1953 was a very good year, wasn’t it? Of course, my birthday has three 8s in it. 6-26-1953. 2+6 = 8, abs(1 – 9) = 8, and 5+3 = 8. Eight, of course, being my lucky number. Six is the outlier, but I forgive it because it’s also my Dad’s birthday month. His birthday was yesterday, born in 1921. A non-LT friend, Vanessa, was born on the 24th of June, and Larry was born on the 23rd of June.

My friend Karen in Montana got me the perfect book, given my love of Dorothy L. Sayers: The Mutual Admiration Society: How Dorothy L. Sayers and Her Oxford Circle Remade The World for Women by Mo Moulton.

Happy Birthday, Karen!

Thank you, Katie!

Happy, happy birthday to you!!

Happy birthday! I love the title of the book Karen bought you. I'm looking forward to your report on it.

Happy Birthday!

Isn't it a treat when a large family gathering goes smoothly and pleasantly?

I hope your day is a good one. I wish you all good things!

And, because you are special, I'm sending two cards!

Happy birthday! Hope you had some delicious cake.

>206 karenmarie: I can't think of a better goal than to "continue reading books which give me joy." Love it!

Happy Birthday, Karen! I'm so glad Jenna can be with you on your special day. Isn't it great to be feeling healthy again and able to enjoy family and friends? Thank you for sharing those gorgeous photos.

Good luck on your goal to lose another ten pounds. People say those are the hardest ones to lose. You are so motivated and organized that I'm sure you'll be able to do it quite handily.

Belated happy birthday, Karen!

I made a note of your birthday, and still forgot to post in time...

Morning, Karen. Happy Birthday, my friend. I did not realize it was your b'day, when I stopped by yesterday. I hope you had a nice day. Had a good walk with my birding buddies yesterday and saw a few good birds. Heading out again this AM.

House sparrows and housefinch are dominating my feeders, with the occasional dove or two. Would like to see more variety. I have only seen one hummingbird in the past 2 weeks.

Happiest of Birthdays, Karen!! I hope you had a wonderful day!

>242 Copperskye: Thank you, Joanne!

>243 streamsong: Hi Janet, and thanks. Of course Karen bought herself a copy at the same time. *smile*

>244 quondame: Hi Susan. Thank you, and yes. I’m so glad we went.

>245 Whisper1: Thank you, Linda. I love the card, absolutely love it, and all the good wishes you give to me.

>246 Whisper1: Ooh, another card! Sweet and strong.

>247 figsfromthistle: Thank you so much, Anita. The cake came out well. I’m trying to decide whether to have a piece of cake with my coffee or wait and have one after dinner.

>248 Donna828: Hi Donna. Thank you. I’m very good at abandoning books, so there’s that. No joy, no continuing. Some get put back on the shelf when I think I might read them again, others get donated.

>249 FAMeulstee: Hi Anita, and thank you. I make notes in my desk calendar then forget to look at it. This week does not have any particular friends here on LT that I’ve made a note about in the past, but I do have a note regarding the day a friend’s mother dies, my mom and dad’s wedding anniversary, and the birthday of one of Bill’s best friends.

>250 msf59: ‘Morning, Mark! Thank you. Birthday greetings are always welcome. I did have a good day, thank you. Yay for a birding buddy adventure yesterday and another one today.

I need to put out a fresh hummingbird feeder. Right now I’ve only got one finch. Sigh.

…
So far it’s not been a particularly good morning, although coffee is good. I looked outside the Sunroom door and saw this:



And, I didn’t realize that the bottle of Goo Gone had fallen to the floor and stepped on it. It broke. Sigh.

Wordle 373 5/6* adieu, stone, covet, extol, retro

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>252 karenmarie: ...when did y'all get cattle? That's weird. Fence issues?

I took three...four of five letters, one in proper position, between my usual starter words.

Happy week-ahead's reads, Horrible.

Good morning, Karen! Opening the door on a black angus is worse than most things I can think of. Neighbor had been doing pretty well about his herd, hadn't he? And Goo Gone truly gone - yikes! May those be this week's downers done and out of your way!!!!

Four words for me today. Should have had a V in there somewhere since you and I both used it!

>250 msf59: We haven't seen a humming bird here in weeks - way too dry and hot for them. I hope they've located a friendlier place. I am looking for rain this week as predicted. My DH says it's not likely. Way too dry and hot here for me too!

Happy Reading!

'Morning, Peggy!

It was only one, I think, and seems to have come around the pasture fencing, not through it. I keep threatening to go to county animal control, but frankly don't like the idea of retaliation for reporting him. Unfortunately, I know his politics, and there don't seem to be too many filters on people who are members of the Gang of Psychos. I threatened with a nasty message, but caller ID probably identified me.

V's are good letters, just not today.

More excitement: Zoe brought in a small mouse-ish critter, which Jenna managed to get Zoe away from, trap, and release into the pasture. Unfortunately there was another dead mouse-ish creature AND a dead bird. I told Zoe that she doesn't need to feed Jenna...

I do hope to get some reading in today, but none so far. Jenna's leaving today or tomorrow.

Enjoy Jenna while you have her! Reading will happen after she's left!

I had a skin-of-the-teeth wordle in six today. I visit your thread daily, but only *after* I have the wordle solved as when I am really stuck, it's a horrible temptation to peak . Used my beginning word, followed by back-up beginning word to get started alien, gourd, shore, overt, metro, retro

Hi Janet!

I'm happy to know you visit every day, even if you only post periodically. I never even thought of metro - was trying to figure out if they were going to be sneaky with using R twice.

Well, I've read one chapter of Pilgrim and will read a chapter of my newest book on Kindle. Then I'm going to go work out. Jenna's decided to leave tomorrow and is happy to putter by herself as her dad works and I work out. I must admit that I'll enjoy the time in the car to listen to Alexander Hamilton and watch Queen videos while working out.

Dinner will be lemon chicken for me and lemon pepper chicken for Jenna and her dad.

Belated Happy Birthday, my friend. Seems to have been eventful, eh. Steaks on the hoof. All the goo, poof! Gone! And Jenna too.

My elder son is a year older today. FIFTY. I can't believe I'm the father of a 50-year-old. I sure wish his mom was here to enjoy this milestone.

You go, Karen.

>252 karenmarie: Etch! That Goo-gone is nasty stuff! Interesting company you have there.

I would be frightened when opening the door to a creature that large.
In my younger days, I drove a 1972 Volkeswagon -- a green super beetle. One fall night, arriving home late, I closed the driver's side of the car, only to have an immediate smell of a skunk who sprayed the passenger side tire. No matter how many times I took the car through the car wash, the smell remained.. I had to laugh whenever someone walked past my car, the made a funny face.

>258 weird_O: Hi Bill and thank you. We had a good day all around. Belated Happy Birthday to your Eldest. It is odd to start counting up the years on our children, isn’t it? My child will be 29 in August. I wish his mother were there to celebrate with you too, my friend.

Onward and upward!

>259 quondame: Hi Susan. Yes, Goo Gone smells awful, but I haven’t found anything better to get all types of adhesive labels off a book. I do not like adhesive labels on my books. And I didn’t get a call back from Cow Phillips as I have him listed in my cell phone, but there aren’t any cows in my yard. I’ve never seen one this close to the house. Closest before this was about 10 feet further away.

>260 Whisper1: Hi Linda. She/he (I didn’t do a nether regions check in my brief time of seeing, taking a pic, then bolting to the door to scare her/him off) was more frightened of me than I was of her/him. Galloping occurred when I opened the door. They were already about 30 feet away by then.

Oh my. Essence of skunk forever.

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I do not understand why I’m up early – no pain, no major stress. Perhaps I shouldn’t have started reading at 2:30, finishing up another book, then realizing I wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep.

Jenna will be leaving today to return to Asheville and shutting down the apartment there so she can move here to regroup, get a job, save money, and etc. She will be paying us money to cover her cell phone, car payment, and car insurance once she gets a job and we determine how much she can pay without harming her goal of finding her own place, besides helping round the house on demand and mowing the grass.

Wordle 374 4/6* adieu, moody, blond, droll

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Last paragraph of The Federalist No 16, written by Alexander Hamilton, in my copy of The Federalist, edited by Jacob E. Cooke.

December 3, 1787

To the People of the State of New York.

...
If opposition to the national government should arise from the disorderly conduct of refractory, or seditious individuals, it could be overcome by the same means which are daily employed against the same evil, under the State governments. The Magistracy, being equally the Ministers of the law of the land, from whatever source it might emanate, would doubtless be as ready to guard the national as the local regulations from the inroads of private licentiousness. As to those partial commotions and insurrections which sometimes disquiet society, from the intrigues of an inconsiderable faction, or from sudden or occasional ill humours that do not infect the great body of the community, the general government could command more extensive resources for the suppression of disturbances of that kind, than would be in the power of any single member. And as to those mortal feuds, which in certain conjunctures spread a conflagration through a whole nation, or through a very large proportion of it, proceeding either from weighty causes of discontent given by the government, or from the contagion of some violent popular paroxism, they do not fall within any ordinary rules of calculation. When they happen, they commonly amount to revolutions and dismemberments of empire. No form of government can always either avoid or controul them. It is in vain to hope to guard against events too mighty for human foresight or precaution, and it would be idle to object to a government because it could not perform impossibilities.

And thus the Civil War.

Morning, Karen. I had a good time with my birding buddies yesterday. I am up to 90 species seen for June, which I can't believe, especially for summer. I got Rehab today. And we did see a male hummer at the feeder yesterday. Yah!

^Was that a runaway cow up there?

'Morning, Mark! Yay for birding buddies and 90 species for June. Amazing. You are definitely Birdman.

Yes, that was a runaway cow. Cow Phillips rents pastures across the creek and behind our property. He doesn't keep the fencing up as well as he should. I've never seen a cow this close to our house, though.

>262 karenmarie: If opposition to the national government should arise from the disorderly conduct of refractory, or seditious individuals, it could be overcome by the same means which are daily employed against the same evil, under the State governments.

...electing them to high office, permaybehaps, like that scum DeSantis?

Good morning, Karen. Hope you take a nap after Jenna leaves if the nap should overtake you. It certainly would get me!
I'm all respect for your reading *Federalist* as I've said before. I try to read your excerpts and my eyes cross. Maybe someday I'll find my thinking brain.
I am on tenterhooks to see what the Jan. 6 committee has to report.
Anyway, happy day to you! Hope you get some rain. Hope we get any rain at all, but some would be wonderful.

>262 karenmarie: And thus our current mess, I'd say!

>265 richardderus: I think we’re getting back to the times when normal government controls and relationships between federal and state governments are weakening. I fear for our republic.

>266 LizzieD: Hi Peggy! I did take a nap after Jenna left and am still tired. Only one episode of Vera tonight. Thanks re The Federalist. I find I can only read a paper in the morning because of the concentration needed for the language and concepts. We’ll see if I can read another one tomorrow or need to wait a day or so.

I must admit that I haven’t been paying much attention to the January 6 Committee hearings because it’s all so upsetting. I should, of course…

We haven’t gotten any rain so far, but the weather was mild with low humidity. Bill actually mowed the back field. I hope you get some rain.

>267 quondame: I wonder if anything or anybody could have prevented the Civil War.

Morning, Karen. Happy Wednesday. Rehab went well yesterday. Worked in the kitchen preparing food again. Got to tag along and helped release a pair of mallards at a nearby forest preserve. Bree asked me to watch Jack for a couple of hours this AM, while she goes riding with friends. I said okay. ❤️

"Cow Phillips"? That is your neighbor's name?

'Morning, Mark! Happy Wednesday to you, too. Yay for the mallards, ick to food prep. I'm sure you just hated to watch Jack. What an excellent grandpa you are.

No, not Cow Phillips. I don't remember his name, and have two other friends with the last name of Phillips. I could have put it in there as 'Phillips - cows' but was being whimsical and disrespectful.

...
Bill went to work, Jenna left yesterday. That means that I have the house to myself. Much reading and puttering will occur.

edited to add: I reluctantly got on the scale this morning, having gained 1.5 lbs on the 19th and with Jenna at home. However, I've lost that AND 2.5 lbs more and have dropped below a major hurdle number for the first time in perhaps 17 years.

Wordle 375 5/6* adieu, bloat, champ, fancy, gawky

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Ooh, the house to yourself for a whole day! Enjoy!

>270 karenmarie: what >271 katiekrug: said

"Cow Phillips" is a real Anglo-Saxon kind of a name. Irish, too...remember "Pig Finn" from Waking Ned Devine? Heh. We can but wish.

Happy, um, which day is this again...well, whichever one it is, happy it.

>271 katiekrug: Hi Katie! Yes. It was an unexpected and happy surprise. The only sounds are the hum of equipment, bird song through the double-glazed windows, and the occasional tinkle of Zoe's collar bell.

>272 richardderus: Hiya, RDear. I'm laughing - yes, Cow Phillips is a great Anglo-Saxon or Irish name. Haven't read or seen Waking Ned Devine, but love the name Pig Finn.

It is Wednesday. I always have to get logical when I first wake up, to try to figure out which day of the week it is. This morning it was remembering that Jenna left on Tuesday and thisis the Next Day.

*smooch*

First paragraph of The Federalist No 17, written by Alexander Hamilton, in my copy of The Federalist, edited by Jacob E. Cooke.

December 5, 1787

To the People of the State of New York.

AN objection of a nature different from that which has been stated and answered, in my last address, may perhaps be likewise urged against the principle of legislation for the individual citizens of America. It may be said, that it would tend to render the government of the Union too powerful, and to enable it to absorb in itself those residuary authorities, which it might be judged proper to leave with the States for local purposes. Allowing the utmost latitude to the love of power, which any reasonable man can require, I confess I am at a loss to discover what temptation the persons entrusted with the administration of the general government could ever feel to divest the States of the authorities of that description. The regulation of the mere domestic police of a State appears to me to hold out slender allurements to ambition. Commerce, finance, negociation and war seem to comprehend all the objects, which have charms for minds governed by that passion; and all the powers necessary to these objects ought in the first instance to be lodged in the national depository. The administration of private justice between the citizens of the same State, the supervision of agriculture and of other concerns of a similar nature, all those things in short which are proper to be provided for by local legislation, can never be desirable cares of a general jurisdiction. It is therefore improbable that there should exist a disposition in the Fœderal councils to usurp the powers with which they are connected; because the attempt to exercise those powers would be as troublesome as it would be nugatory; and the possession of them, for that reason, would contribute nothing to the dignity, to the importance, or to the splendour of the national government.

I had to look up nugatory: Merriam-Webster online:
1 : of little or no consequence : trifling, inconsequential comments too nugatory to merit attention

2 : having no force : inoperative The law was unenforced and thus rendered nugatory.

>274 karenmarie: *snort* The regulation of the mere domestic police of a State appears to me to hold out slender allurements to ambition.

We have beggared Hamilton's imagination. I am revolted by the militarized white-nationalist-infested paramilitaries, I mean police, of today.

Well, yes, Mr. Hamilton was somewhat of an idealist, even as he developed and implemented detailed plans and policies - excise tax collection, whiskey tax collection, and etc.

I'm beginning to think, LibraryThing, Amazon, and Wikipedia excepted, (my three favorite websites) that the Internet has a lot to answer for. It used to be much harder to find like-minded whack jobs.

I've offered a piece of my German Chocolate Cake to our friend Dwain - it's amazing how many people consider GCC their favorite cake - and he's coming over in about 15 minutes. Of course I had to put clothes on and do a few light housekeeping things in the Sunroom, but it will be nice to see him. I think the last time I saw him was this time last year, with last year's birthday cake.

>270 karenmarie: Congratulations on your hurdle passing!

Thanks, Susan.

>273 karenmarie: Just wonder if Cow Phillips is somehow related to Bum Phillips, one-time coach of the Houston Oilers football team. Gigantus cowboy hat, cowboy boots, honking big belt buckle. Yehaaaa. (Kinda nice that his son Wade, also a good coach, didn't share his father's fashion sense.)

Hi Bill! It's a valid question, although I think Cow Phillips is part of a long-term Chatham County NC family. However, perhaps Bum Phillips's ancestors came from NC. I wonder why Wade didn't get a name like Tush.

...
Busy day. Sometime this a.m. I'll head out to use the treadmill, then come home, then head the other way to check the PO for any last minute checks. I need to deposit the two I have at the house and any I get at the PO for a clean cut-off for the new fiscal year.

While in town, after making the deposit, I'll just continue on to have an early, seniorish - first time ever this early - dinner with friend Jan. Lots of drive time, lots of listening to Alexander Hamilton.

When listening on Monday, I heard about Washington's Farewell Address. I had thought that Madison basically wrote it and Washington, of course put his final stamp on it. However, Washington rejected Madison's 1792 effort in 1796 and had Hamilton 'write' it, Washington modifying it. I continue to be impressed, always excepting the Maria Reynolds affair.

Wordle 376 3/6* adieu, quoth, hutch

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Morning, Karen. Sweet Thursday. I think Cow Phillps sounds kinda cool. Jack napped for nearly 2 hours after I got there, (I think he had a tough night). But I still got to feed him and play with him awhile. Hot one here today, so no birding plans. I am meeting some family members for lunch. Our nephew, is a Marine, stationed in Japan and is in town visiting. Enjoy your day.

'Morning, Mark, and a very sweet Thursday to you, too. Whimsy and disrespect = Cow Phillips. I'm glad you like it.

So when Jack is napping and you're at Bree's, do you read?

92F sounds pretty nasty. We'll be 89F here, and from what I can see on one of the local station weather reports, relatively low humidity.

Enjoy your lunch out, especially with your nephew. We were overjoyed to see our cousin, a Staff Sargent in the Air Force stationed in South Korea, come to his sister's wedding last week.

It will be 80° here but, in exchange for that, we have an Air Quality Alert because it's so humid.

Ugh.

3 as well. *smooch*

Busy day for you, Karen! I trust that you will get it all done and enjoy it!

Karen and Richard, I sigh......... 5 for me again today. I was just sure that the only vowel wouldn't be that vowel. Oh well.

Low 90s here today and humid. We got maybe 20 minutes of rain yesterday, most welcome but not nearly enough. Parts of the county to the north of us got a good drenching.

First sentence of the ninth paragraph, and the last paragraph of The Federalist No 18, written by James Madison (With the Assistance of Alexander Hamilton), in my copy of The Federalist, edited by Jacob E. Cooke.

December 7, 1787

To the People of the State of New York.

As a weak government, when not at war, is ever agitated by internal dissentions; so these never fail to bring on fresh calamities from abroad.

and

I have thought it not superfluous to give the outlines of this important portion of history; both because it teaches more than one lesson and because, as a supplement to the outlines of the Achæan constitution, it emphatically illustrates the tendency of fœderal bodies, rather to anarchy among the members, than to tyranny in the head.

So here's the deal - when I went to work out at the Senior Center this morning, I thought to myself, "Self, are the Federalist papers available on YouTube?" The answer was yes, so I listened to No 18 and came back to the hardcover to get the first sentence of the ninth paragraph (although I was not counting paragraphs as I listened and had to find it) and the last paragraph. After listening to this paper I switched to Queen at Live Aid in 1985, and the time passed well enough.

My listening pleasure was:

Insufficiency of the Present Confederation to Preserve the Union

The paper itself was mostly a history lesson of Greek and other city states, which examples showed how internal bickering and stronger or larger city states fought or eliminated weaker or smaller city states. The Articles of Confederation were deemed equal to the governments with these weaknesses.

>283 richardderus: Yuck to bad air quality, RDear. Inside sounds good under those conditions. Here it will get to about 90F with humidity of 72%. Yucky, but I won’t be out in it except between car and air conditioning. Yay for 3. *smooch*

>284 LizzieD: Hi Peggy. Busy, yes, but I’m home now, had some protein to get me by ‘til dinner, and have my errands all planned out. Plus, as you can see, I just posted Federalist No 18 although I wasn’t going to do that today.

Sorry about your 5, my dear.

You are just a tad warmer than we are, but also humid ‘down south’. We had some rain this week, but for the life of me I can’t remember which day. I miss my mind, as my MiL Kay used to say.

>274 karenmarie: What Richard >275 richardderus: said.

As for Wordle, I got it in 5 today and was darn grateful for it!

German chocolate cake! Yum!

>285 karenmarie: Good reader of this one. Thanks for the link, smoochling.

Oh dear. I got so far behind on your thread. So I just skimmed up to here, glad to hear everyone is well, the wedding was fun, and the black angus didn't come in to say hi. Very impressive reading of The Federalist, which Jim always says I should read. One of these days, maybe. Thanks for the excerpts.

>287 Storeetllr: Hi Mary! I’m becoming more and more respectful of Hamilton, even with the Maria Reynolds affair. I’m stunned at The Federalist and wish I’d been made to read at least some of the papers either in high school or college.

Anything less than a skunk in Wordle is a win in my book.

I’ve got two pieces of German Chocolate Cake left. One for this morning, one for tomorrow morning. I make it once a year, for my birthday. It’s always a special treat, and although I haven’t completely analyzed it, it seems surprisingly low sodium. So far it’s the only thing I’ve NOT analyzed for sodium since last November when I started my low-sodium regimen because ... birthday.

>288 richardderus: You’re welcome, RD. Yes, I was appreciative of his voice and even his occasional stumble. I was also able to close my eyes and truly listen while on the treadmill and it helped make the time go by faster. After listening to No 18, I switched to Queen. Win-win. I increased the incline by .5 to 1.5, increased the speed by .1 to 2.4, and added a minute. I may not do all three every time, but it felt good.

>289 ffortsa: Hi Judy. Skimming works – we’re all doing fine, thanks. Jim commented on Richard’s thread about The Federalist. I’m taking a systematic but low key approach – reading one paper on any day I’m in the mood to, without forcing myself into any kind of regimen of having to read so many papers a week or whatever. I have to say that this edition SPEAKS to me. I trust the scholarship of editor Jacob E. Cooke and love the heft of the book and font size.

You’re welcome for the excerpts. I started out with a sentence or two, and now sometimes include whole paragraphs. Not always from the beginning, too, which makes it more fun.

…
Alex the house cleaner is coming today. I’ve got a feeling Bill will be working from home since I saw downstairs lights on about 2:30, when I woke up. And, I’m still up, so got about 3.5 hours of sleep. Darned unsweet tea with dinner with Jan, I should have known better.

Jan bought my meal and gave me a homemade card, a small potted white rose plant, and the first three books in a series I hadn’t heard of – the Andy Carpenter series by David Rosenfelt.

I’ll go for my third treadmill work out after Alex leaves around 2:30 p.m. or so.

Wordle 377 3/6* adieu, posit, pinto

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>290 karenmarie: Sorry about the lack of sleep, Karen. I hope it doesn't affect your treadmill plans.
With two other words first, I also ended up with Wordle in three today.

Hi Anita!

Thanks re the sleep. I won't let it interfere with my treadmill. There's only been one week since I started using the treadmill last December where, if there were no holidays during the week, I didn't use it 3 times a week. And that one exception week I used it twice.

Congrats on Wordle in 3!!

June Statistics in >5 karenmarie:

Ridiculously long June Lightning Round in >6 karenmarie:.

And, Jenna sent this to me last night:

>5 karenmarie: Your reading really skyrocketed since May, Karen, and you kept up in June. Amazing!

Morning, Karen. Happy Friday. I had a nice lunch with my nephew yesterday, along with some other family members. He is also recently got engaged and they will marry in December, before his next deployment. I am doing Trail Watch this AM, (first time in weeks. Bad Mark). Sean and I are going to a music festival later today, along with another friend. Should be a good time.

"So when Jack is napping and you're at Bree's, do you read?" I certainly do, ma'am. I never turn the TV on, but sometimes I fart around a bit on my cell.

>293 karenmarie: LOL.

>290 karenmarie: Me too = 3 Wordle guesses. Sorry you were up so early again, but you conquer that treadmill!
>293 karenmarie: Heh Heh Heh!

I'm about to finish Outlander if I can make myself read through Claire's treatment for Jamie's malaise. I'm afraid that I'll start *Dragonfly* and not get too far. I think I may have read it only the first time and then skimmed the next time I got into the series. I'll try to give it a chance, but my hometown friend is reading The Return of Fitzroy Angursell, a fantasy that I've been hoarding. And then, there's the very last *Wheel* volume that Anita and I are going to read when she can get a copy. I'll need to start early because she'll read faster than I can. And, of course, there is Pilgrim, which I'll get to tonight if not sooner!

Well! Happy Weekend to you and Bill!!

>293 karenmarie: Love that one!

I hope you have a wonderful holiday weekend!

>295 msf59: Hi Mark, and happy Friday to you, too. I’m glad you had a good lunch yesterday, and congratulations on his engagement. Enjoy the music festival. And of course you read and plan on your cell phone when Jack’s napping. Vigilant grandpa keeping the boy safe…

>296 LizzieD: I just got back from conquering the treadmill, Peggy, but today seemed a bit tougher. Got through it though, listened to Federalist No 19 and Federalist No 20, then some Queen. Whew.

I must admit that when my reading is interrupted, I get cranky – I’ve never thought about Harry Potter and the Death of the Person not letting me read, though. However, it’s a perfect way to describe my upset.

Outlander is perhaps the most difficult to read, IMO because of Jamie’s malaise. I read a chapter of Pilgrim today, too. It’s nice to have several good books going.

>297 alcottacre: Hi Stasia! Me, too, and thanks for your holiday weekend wishes. We’re not doing anything special at all, which is the way I want it.

>290 karenmarie: I've read a couple of the Andy Carpenter mysteries. Let me know what you think of them.

Will do, Judy.