Katie's 2022 Reading Room - Part 14

CURRENTLY READING
(Kindle) (Audio)

Hello, friends! Glad to have you joining me on another year’s reading (and life) journey.

For anyone new to my thread, I’m Katie: reader, wine drinker, food appreciator, shenanigan-ator, and non-sufferer of fools. I live outside New York City with my husband, "The" Wayne, our cat, Leonard, and our dog, Nuala/Noodles. Last year, I left my job in association management to explore life as a domestic goddess. I hope to do some writing, too, but that requires discipline and motivation, neither of which has ever made a permanent home with me…

My reading varies widely - I love genre fiction (romance and crime), contemporary and historical fiction, and narrative nonfiction. I try to balance my reading in all these areas. I also use my thread as a bit of a life journal, which mostly means I talk about what I’m cooking, eating, drinking, watching, doing, and avoiding doing.

Thanks for being here!

Books Completed

Books Off My Shelf: 4
Books Off My Kindle: 6
Books from Audible/Chirp: 13
Library Loans (print/e-books/audios): 30

JULY
53. Flying Solo by Linda Holmes (4 stars)

Did Not Finish (YTD)
1. These Silent Woods by Kimi Cunningham Grant
2. This is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett (will come back to this one; was just not in the mood)
3. Breathless by Beverly Jenkins
4. Find Me by Alafair Burke
5. Chevy in the Hole by Kelsey Ronan
6. The Island by Adrian McKinty
7. Love, Nina by Nina Stibbe

COMPLETIONS - Q2

JUNE
52. The Cost of These Dreams by Wright Thompson (audio) (4 stars)
51. Beginner's Luck by Kate Clayborn (4 stars)
50. Young Jane Young by Gabrielle Zevin (audio) (4 stars)
49. Recitatif by Toni Morrison (4 stars)
48. Book Lovers by Emily Henry (4.25 stars)
47. Holding by Graham Norton (audio) (3 stars)

MAY
46. The Sun is God by Adrian McKinty (audio) (3 stars)
45. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt (4 stars)
44. A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi (audio) (4 stars)
43. The Girl He Used to Know by Tracey Garvis Graves (audio) (3 stars)

APRIL
42. Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult (3.5 stars)
41. The Lost for Words Bookshop by Stephanie Butland (audio) (5 stars)
40. Miss Lattimore's Letter by Suzanne Allain (audio) (3.5 stars)
39. Ocean State by Stewart O'Nan (4 stars)
38. Good Boy: My Life in Seven Dogs by Jennifer Finney Boylan (audio) (3.5 stars)
37. The War I Finally Won by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley (audio) (4 stars)

COMPLETIONS - Q1

March
36. Beauty by Robin McKinley (audio) (4 stars)
35. The Heiress Gets a Duke by Harper St. George (3.75 stars)
34. Maid by Stephanie Land (audio) (3.5 stars)
33. The Music Shop by Rachel Joyce (audio) (4 stars)
32. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (audio) (3 stars)
31. See Jane Score by Rachel Gibson (3 stars)
30. Shoeless Joe by W.P. Kinsella (audio) (4 stars)
29. The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley (audio) (4 stars)
28. Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala (audio) (4.25 stars)
27. Wilder Girls by Rory Power (audio) (2.5 stars)
26. A Matter of Class by Mary Balogh (3 stars)
25. State of Terror by Hillary Clinton and Louise Penny (half audio) (3.5 stars)
24. The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn (audio) (4 stars)

February
23. Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell (audio) (3.5 stars)
22. Hero of the Empire by Candice Millard (audio) (3.75 stars)
21. Isabel's Bed by Elinor Lipman (audio) (4 stars)
20. Love & Saffron by Kim Fay (4 stars)
19. Kiss Me Tonight by Emma Hart (audio) (3.5 stars)
18. The Wedding by Dorothy West (audio) (3.75 stars)
17. Last Best Hope by George Packer (audio) (4.25 stars)
16. Here For It by R. Eric Thomas (audio) (4 stars)
15. Ghachar Ghochar by Vivek Shanbhag (audio) (3.5 stars)
14. If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin (audio) (4.5 stars)
13. The Fell by Sarah Moss (4.75 stars)
12. Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen (audio) (4 stars)

January
11. Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan (4.25 stars)
10. As You Wish by Cary Elwes (audio) (3.5 stars)
9. The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin (audio) (3 stars)
8. Mr. Flood's Last Resort by Jess Kidd (audio) (4 stars)
7. Mindful Drinking by Rosamund Dean (3 stars)
6. Passion on Park Avenue by Lauren Layne (3.75 stars)
5. Aliens of Extraordinary Ability by Maeve Higgins (audio) (4 stars)
4. I Loved You First by Various Authors (audio) (3 stars)
3. Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness by Peter Kuper (4 stars)
2. Gun Street Girl by Adrian McKinty (4 stars)
1. Henrietta's War by Joyce Dennys (3.5 stars)

Around the Year in 52 Books:

TITLE
A book with a language or nationality in the title
A book with a time-related word in the title
- A book that uses all five vowels in the title and/or author's name - Passion on Park Avenue by Lauren Layne
- 2 books with the same word in the title - The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
- 2 books with the same word in the title - The War I Finally Won by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
- A book with 22 or more letters in the title - Aliens of Extraordinary Ability by Maeve Higgins

COVER
- A book with an image of a source of light on the cover - Mr. Flood's Last Resort by Jess Kidd
- A book with one of the Monopoly tokens on the cover - Henrietta's War by Joyce Dennys
- A book without a person on the cover - I Loved You First by Various Authors
A book with handwriting on the cover

THEME
- A book that features loving LGBTQIA+ relationship - Here for It by R. Eric Thomas
A book related to mythology
- A book with a theme of food or drink - Love & Saffron by Kim Fay
- A book related to a game - Shoeless Joe by W.P. Kinsella
A book related to Earth Day
- A book related to psychology, neuroscience or the mind - Mindful Drinking by Rosamund Dean

SETTING
- 3 books set on three different continents - Ghachar Ghochar by Vivek Shanbhag (Asia)
- 3 books set on three different continents - Miss Lattimore's Letter by Suzanne Allain (Europe)
- 3 books set on three different continents - The Sun is God by Adrian McKinty (Oceania)
- A book set in a small town or rural area - Holding by Graham Norton
- A fiction or nonfiction book that is set during 1900 -1950 - Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen
- A book set on or near a body of water - Ocean State by Stewart O'Nan
A book with an academic setting or with a teacher that plays an important role

CHARACTER
A book where the main character is a female detective or police officer
- A book that involves aging, or a character in their golden years - Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell
- A book with a non-human as one of the main characters - Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
- A book about a woman in STEM - Beginner's Luck by Kate Clayborn
- A book with a main character whose name starts with A, T, or Y - If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin (Tish)

GENRE
A book that involves alternate reality, alternate worlds, or alternate history
A book with gothic elements
- A book from the historical fiction genre - The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin

AUTHOR & PUBLISHING
- A book published in 2022 - Book Lovers by Emily Henry
A book published at least 10 years ago - The Wedding by Dorothy West
A book by a Latin American author
- A book by an Asian or Pacific Islander author - Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala
- A book with a Jewish character or author - Isabel's Bed by Elinor Lipman
- A book by an author with two sets of double letters in their name - Good Boy by Jennifer Finney Boylan

GOODREADS & RECOMMENDATIONS
- A book posted in the 2021 or 2022 ATY Best Book of the Month threads - Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult
- A book connected to a book you read in 2021 - Gun Street Girl by Adrian McKinty
- A book that fits your favorite prompt that did not make the list - The Lost for Words Bookshop by Stephanie Butland (Book with a character who loves books)
- A book with fewer than 5000 ratings on Goodreads - The Fell by Sarah Moss

AWARDS, CHALLENGES and LISTS
A book that won an award from Powell's list of book awards
A book from NPR's Book Concierge
- A book from the TIME list of 100 Best YA Books of All Time - A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi

OTHER
A book connected to the phrase "Here (There) Be Dragons"
2 books related to flora and fauna
2 books related to flora and fauna
The next book in a series
A book related to one of the 22 Tarot Major Arcana cards - Kiss Me Tonight by Emma Hart (Lovers)
A book related to glass
A book related to inclement weather
- A book less than 220 pages OR more than 440 pages - Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness by Peter Kuper

My Ratings (revised, once again, as I continue the fruitless search for the perfect scale...)

2 stars = Whyyyyyy?
3 stars = Eh, ok.
4 stars = Definitely worth the time.
5 stars = Perfect *for me*

(Anything below 2 stars is unlikely to be finished)



WELCOME!

Thank you for that generous WELCOME!.

Happy new thread, Katie. Great minds. I just started a new one as well. 😃

>6 weird_O: - Hi Bill.

>7 BLBera: - Thanks, Beth. I'm coming over!

What a day out there! At last the summer bites with humidity galore.

Stay home! Be safe from the scourge that is...the heat index!

Oh, and happy new thread. *smooch*

Happy new one, Katie! We won't be anywhere near your temperatures today but we've had a lot of rain this week so there's actually humidity, which is weird for here. My curls have gone into overdrive, which would be fine if the frizz didn't accompany it. :P

Happy new thread, Katie.
We're currently basking in temperatures of high 80F. I'm loving it, him not so much. In our morning meeting someone joked that we ought to have the afternoon off because it was going to be the hottest day of the year so far. Come 2 pm, I got a call from our admin assistant to say exactly that! >:-D

Tomorrow is supposed to be 19C and rain. >:-(

Happy new thread, Katie!

>9 richardderus: - Sadly, I have to go out to get my hair cut and run some errands. It's okay - it'll make me appreciate the a/c at home more :)

>10 MickyFine: - It's rather humid here, too, but that does nothing for my hair except make it feel even heavier!

>11 Helenliz: - Oh, how nice to get some unexpected time off! And even better it's on a Friday afternoon :D

>12 alcottacre: - Thanks, Stasia!

Happy new one!

Happy new one, Katie! We have made it to Friday! I was sorry to read about the glaucoma on your previous thread - I would have freaked out, too. I have that weird thing in one eye caused by histoplasmosis scarring, so I have a fancy chart I have to use every week to evaluate it. I'm always weirded out that I am going to see the thing they keep telling me to look for, and it messes with my mind because it's my EYE. So, yeah.

Happy haircutting. Birdy and I just buzz each other right now because we are both crazy that way, and the last time she put the wrong clipper thingy on, so it's extra short right now, which works in this weather. Heh.

>14 figsfromthistle: - Thanks, Anita!

>15 Crazymamie: - Yay for Friday! And thanks for the sympathy regarding the potential eye woes. Not fun at all.

I'm just back from the hair cut which was nice and fast - maybe a little too fast, as I like having someone messing with my hair and scalp. Soooo relaxing.... I wish I could rock short hair, especially on days like today (90F and humid). Good for you and Birdy keeping things simple and easy :)

Happy new one! I saw that birria-style short rib quesadilla description over on your last thread. Must. Have!

>16 katiekrug: Mine is being cut tomorrow. And dyed purple (not all of it, just the ends). Just because. I already own a red hat.
Been told to bring lunch with me and a book. Not a problem.

Happy new thread, Katie. I envy your warm weather. We're still stuck with rain and cool weather. (Three months and counting, at least that's as far back as I remember.)

>17 drneutron: - Oh, Jim, it was so good!

>18 Helenliz: - I hope you'll post a picture, at least of the purple (my favorite color!) ends.

>19 Familyhistorian: - It only lasted a day, Meg. Today won't get out of the 60s and it'll be breezy.

Happy Saturday, friends. As I mentioned to Meg, yesterday's heat didn't last and this morning is a bit overcast and breezy. I have a few errands to run and things to pick up, as TW and I are going on an adventure today! Not really, but we are going to be away overnight, so the dog is going to day care/slumber party, good cheese must be purchased (conveniently, there is an excellent cheese shop right by the dog place), a few groceries (raw veggies, grapes, crackers) need to be picked up, and a cooler and bag packed. Camping? Heavens, no. Do you even know me?

We are going into the wilds of rural New Jersey to Beneduce Vineyards which hosts an outdoor party every Saturday night in the summer. They call it Group Therapy, and you can bring in your own food and non-alcoholic beverages, they sell their wines by the glass and bottle, there is live music, and it's generally an excellent time. And there are no children allowed. We went last year, but didn't plan well, so had no food except not very good Mexican from a food truck, and we had to drive over an hour to get home, so we cut the night short. This time, we've got a hotel room not too far away, so we can stay the full 4 hours, and I'm packing a proper sort of picnic. I'm really looking forward to it :)

>21 katiekrug: Have fun, Katie! Sounds like a very fun evening.

I'm glad your heat didn't last - it's already heatin' up here. 83F currently with 70% humidity, and we're going up and over 100F again.

>21 katiekrug: Have an excellent time! I'm really, really glad that heat/humidity flew right by since you're going to be outdoors.

I'll be sitting on the boardwalk shivering delightedly in solidarity.

Hi Katie, and happy new thread.

I’m sorry that TW is overloaded with work and doesn’t have the bandwidth to look elsewhere. Your being a domestic goddess and good helpmate must be a joy and comfort to him. I realize that you could/did handle work and being a domestic goddess and good helpmate, of course, but these are Extraordinary Times in his work world, so extra TLC and care are good.

>13 katiekrug: Heh. Humidity and hair. In non-pandemic times, when I keep mine shoulder-length, it frizzes in humidity. It still does, actually, but I’m keeping it in a Pandemic Ponytail or, daringly, even a Pandemic Scrunchy Bun.

>21 katiekrug: Sounds wonderful!

>22 Crazymamie: - I'm so sorry about your weather. I went to Miami once in July and it was awful. And of course, Dallas in the summer is no picnic. I'm very glad to be where I am :)

>23 richardderus: - Be sure to bundle up for boardwalk sittin'! Don't want to catch pneumonia in the chill :D

>24 karenmarie: - Thanks for that, Karen. I think I do help, though I also know not having an income puts more pressure on him, so maybe it's a wash. But we muddle along very well together.

I have my hair up more often than not, mostly because it's just easier than constantly worrying that it's messy.

Have a fab weekend.
There are pictures on my thread. >:-)

Catching up to your new thread -- wishing happiness! Also hope you have a great time on your get-away. It does sound fun.

Happy new thread, Katie. Sorry about the eye news - crossing fingers that everything stays okay for a good long time and that when the tone comes for drops, they're effective.

>26 Helenliz: - Thanks, Helen!

>27 RebaRelishesReading: - Hi Reba! We had a good time. Home now :)

>28 bell7: - Thank you, Mary. I appreciate the good thoughts.

I hope you'll spend a bit of time adapting today's Times "Sunday dinner" of salmon in peanut-butter sauce. It's a lot like a dish Rob invented a few years back, with a slight change...he added red-pepper flake olive oil to make the sauce...but it seems like something you could adapt deliciously for your air-fryer.

Happy homecoming.

Happy Sunday, all. We are home from our little overnight. It was fun, but the weather was not super cooperative, as it was overcast and very breezy. We were actually cold! We stayed outside for about 2.5 hours and then packed up the car and went into the tasting room for another glass or two and to buy some bottles that we wanted to take home. We will try again later in the summer and hope for better weather (but not too hot, because that's just a different kind of miserable :) ). One funny thing was that the live music last night was a Billy Joel cover band, so TW had two weekends in a row of listening to me sing along to Billy Joel songs :D

I've got to go to the grocery store today and stock up on soft foods, as I have my tooth extraction tomorrow. I've started the laundry, so it's just one exciting thing after another here at Casa Krug...

>30 richardderus: - I'll give it a look-see! *smooch*

Glad you weekend outing was fun (even if a bit cold). Good luck with tooth tomorrow.

>32 katiekrug: *smooch* Think of it as a treat for the post-soft foods stage.

>31 katiekrug: Ick! On all fronts, really, I'm avoiding getting blown about by not venturing to the store and Making Do.

Good luck with the extraction and its aftermath. Soft food can be yummy.

I just went back to your prior thread because I missed the glaucoma thingy. And so I learned about Fuchs and histo and all - so educational. Glaucoma is familiar - I have it in one eye, found a couple of years ago by a very alert optometrist who decided he should do a visual field test for baseline and immediately sent me to a specialist. A drop in the eye twice a day and everything has been stable so far. I see the expert again in August, just routine. Of course I'm a lot older than you, but the docs aren't worried about it so I'm just shrugging and eye-dropping.

In fact, I'm much more concerned about a bulging disc in my back, but as is par for my particular course, as soon as it was diagnosed all the aches and pains it explained disappeared. What will I tell the PT at Tuesday's evaluation? Not a complaint, exactly, of course.

Morning, Katie! Happy New Thread! Glad your vineyard trip went well. We had a nice time camping, although I know it is not your thing. I love being outdoors and the setting was lovely.

Good luck at the dentist today, Katie! Here's hoping that tooth pops right out, easy-peasy. What sort of soft foods did you get? I hope you indulged at least a little.

Good morning, Katie, and hope everything goes smoothly with the tooth extraction.

>33 RebaRelishesReading: - Thanks, Reba! All good wishes accepted and appreciated!

>34 richardderus: - Such weird weather. Today looks to be pretty nice and less breezy, at least over my way...

>35 ffortsa: - Hi Judy! I think the glaucoma thing hit me hard initially because I thought I was too young for such nonsense. But nope! Between my eyes and my teeth, I wish I could just get a new head...

>36 msf59: - Glad you had a good time, Mark!

>37 scaifea: - Thanks, Amber. I got yogurt, ice pops, mashed potatoes (TW said he'd make them for me, but the supermarket actually has good ones in their prepared foods case, so I just got a package and saved TW the work), mac and cheese, some microwave rice, etc. It's hard NOT to be indulgent with the soft foods, because other than yogurt, the only stuff I like is pasta, ice cream, and rice :-P

>38 bell7: - Thanks, Mary. I hope so too!

Morning, all. As noted above, I'm having a tooth (back molar) pulled today and really hoping the oral surgeon wasn't BS-ing me about this one being easier than the other because the roots are straighter. I do have a valium to take 45 minutes ahead of time to keep my anxiety low. Hopefully. I've never taken a valium so this should be interesting... TW is taking me and I think knowing he's there will also help.

In other anxiety-producing news, Nuala came home yesterday from day care/slumber party not herself. When I picked her up they told me she had just vomited a bit, but they put it down to her playing and running right after breakfast. But she was super lethargic all day and ate some, but not all, of her dinner (unheard of for a lab!). She seems a bit better this morning, but I rescheduled the gym to Wednesday so I could try to get her into see the vet, but all their emergency slots are booked. So we'll keep an eye on her and if she gets worse, we'll take her to the emergency vet. But she does seem a bit better and ate all her breakfast, albeit very slowly... I'm hoping that like a toddler at nursery school, she just picked up a random bug and it will leave her alone soon.

Of course, I woke up at 3:30 this morning and was stewing about the dog and about my extraction, so was awake until about 5:30. *sigh*

Looks like a normal midsummer day here, so I'm relieved. It was COLD in here last night!

Best-extraction-EVER whammys! *smooch*

I hope the extraction goes well, glad that TW will be with you. 🤞

Bill's had to take me to various dental and medical things over the years and it was always comforting knowing that he was there.

Poor Nuala - I hope that it was just truly a bug. Something you don't need to worry about in addition to the tooth extraction.

Best wishes for the extraction, and that the valium helps. Valium does weird things to me.

Penny used to have days like you describe with Nuala. That dog always ate, and ate well, so it was definitely a worrisome thing when she either didn't finish or ate slowly. Usually it was nothing, but once she had a mouth problem and after some antibiotics it cleared up. Hope Nuala is feeling much better now.

Good luck today!

Adding my well wishes for all the things today! *hugs*

Here's hoping your tooth extraction goes smoothly and recovery is quick! I am also very sorry to read about the glaucoma, I know how important our eyes are to us readers! Take care of yourself, Katie. Perhaps an afternoon nap to make up for your wakefulness in the early hours ...

Hope the tooth played ball and gave up without a fight.

Adding my well wishes to everyone else's, Katie.

Thanks, everyone! I'm not going to respond individually because my head hurts and I will shortly be off to try to nap. The procedure wasn't nearly as bad as last time, though the tooth was a bit of a challenge. But I think the valium helped control my anxiety. I also had a squeezy stress grip thing, which the oral surgeon thought was great. The novocaine is wearing off now, but I've taken my 600mg of ibuprofen so hopefully the pain won't be too bad. I am biting on a black tea bag at the moment to help with the bleeding. Good times. Anyhoo, I didn't die, so that's good. And I was in and out in less than an hour, which shocked TW... Mashed potatoes and a milkshake for dinner tonight, so really, what is there to complain about?

>49 katiekrug: I hope you get the (probably) much needed nap in, Katie. I am glad to hear that all went well.

>49 katiekrug: That sounds like a dream result, Katie. Nap well, don't-have-pain *whammy*s and a *smooch*

Wine and food-sounds great. Enjoy!

>50 alcottacre: - Thanks, Stasia.

>51 richardderus: - Appreciate it, RD!

>52 figsfromthistle: - Thanks, Anita.

Morning, folks. I slept pretty well, though I did wake up to my alarm at 1:30am and 5:30am to take my giant ibuprofens. My mouth is still kind of sore, but not too bad.

I am taking Nuala in to see the vet this morning, as she is still a little off. I don't think there is anything seriously wrong with her, but something isn't quite right. After that, I'll do some tidying up around the house, and I need to get to the UPS Store to mail the check from the flood insurance company to our mortgage company so they can endorse it and send it back and I can deposit it. You'd think in this day and age that there would be an easier way to do these things.....

I didn't crack a book or an audio yesterday. Or Sunday, come to think of it, so maybe some quality time in my nook is in order. We have trivia tonight, so that'll be our evening. And that's about it from here!

Wordle 367 3/6

⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
⬜⬜🟩🟩⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Worth sharing, I thought. PENIS, BROAD, GLOAT

>55 katiekrug: LOL

>54 katiekrug: A nook day! Give yourself a treat, enjoy the space you created. *smooch*

>55 katiekrug: Nice! I also got it in three - ATONE, FLOAT, GLOAT.

Glad you're mostly feeling good and that Nuala was able to get into the vet today. Hope everything goes smoothly.

>56 richardderus: - Well, I also need to spend some time cooking up some chicken and rice for Herself... See below.

>57 bell7: - Go us!

And thanks for the good wishes.

So poor Nuala has a mouth irritation. Actually, a tongue irritation - it's bright red and inflamed. The vet thinks she licked at something caustic, so now I need to write a polite but strongly-worded email to the day care/boarding facility about what she possibly could have gotten into. She doesn't have any other negative symptoms - no fever, she is eating though (understandably) reluctantly, she's peeing and pooping, etc. We'll feed her boiled chicken and rice as it'll be more comfortable in her mouth. And we have a pill that we have to dissolve in warm water and shoot a syringe-full into her mouth twice a day. This is supposed to coat her mouth and tongue and help soothe it. Also, an anti-nausea for a couple of days and an antibiotic for a week, just to be safe. We've given the syringe pill once so far and she was mostly okay with it. She definitely liked the cheese she got afterwards :)

Poor Nuala. Give her some extra ear scritches.

At least you can be sore mouth buddies together?

>60 MickyFine: - Ha! I didn't even think of that but you are so right. We'll have to get TW to wait on us hand and foot (and paw?)...

We keep reading about this restaurant in Arizona where the walls are (it says here) a Himalayan salt lick and the patrons are encouraged to lick the walls before dining.

Or after dining.

uhhh - - - no.

Himalayan Salt Lick Restaurant

Keep Noodles out of there.

You give me cheese after you can shoot a syringe in my mouth too!

>61 katiekrug:, >60 MickyFine:, >59 katiekrug: *snerk* at the hand-and-extremity waiting; *baaawww* at the poochie-pain; *phew* at the regime designed to fix her up.

*smooch*

I Burgoined a romance read today but I wouldn't recommend it to you...problematic controlling man.

>62 magicians_nephew: - Your post made me laugh, Jim :)

>63 richardderus: - I saw that review. Sorry I didn't comment - too much happening today :(

>59 katiekrug: I am glad to hear that Nuala's problem is not more serious. Lots of soft food being served at your home, right?

>59 katiekrug: Ah, it did turn out to be similar to Penny's issue. Good job getting her in early and getting it resolved. Yeah, the doggy day care needs to figure out where she could have gotten into something. I'm sure you can walk the line between polite and strongly-worded. I always need Morgan's help with that, haha.

>65 alcottacre: - Yes, LOTS! LOL.

>66 ursula: - I think I walked the line sufficiently. If anything, I was probably too nice :-P

Happy Wednesday, friends. Gray and dreary one here, at least at the moment. The high is only going to be 70F - hurray!

We came in 4th of 10 trivia teams last night. I had macaroni and cheese. My mouth was feeling so good, I decided to skip my 1:30am dose of mega-ibuprofen and turned that alarm off. Big mistake. I am now seriously sore :(

We are going to the gym this morning, but I'm just going to walk on the treadmill (Hi Karen!) since I'm not supposed to do anything that seriously raises my heart rate for another 3 days.

I'll spend the rest of the day doing little chores around the house. And maybe FINALLY do some reading? Stay tuned...

Sorry to hear about you and Nuala's mouth issues. I hope that the daycare is able to figure out what the cause is and take that out of the environment so that next time, the same issue does not reappear!

Happy Hump day!

>69 figsfromthistle: - Thanks, Anita!

The day care said they were going to review everything they use and how it is handled. It really is an excellent place, so I am confident they'll do what they say and be even more vigilant.

Welp, this took me an embarrassingly long time...

Wordle 368 6/6

🟩⬜⬜⬜🟨
🟩⬜⬜🟩⬜
🟩⬜⬜🟩⬜
🟩⬜⬜🟩🟩
🟩⬜⬜🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

>71 katiekrug: I took 3...AEONS, MIRTH, AWFUL...makin' anger work 4 u.

*smooch*

>71 katiekrug: Took me 6 as well. I was trying to put a positive spin on it by clearly having a positive mental outlook, but that's just bollocks!

Hope the tooth settles soonest. Ow.

>72 richardderus: - I just want to know why my brain went to AMPUL before AWFUL!

>73 Helenliz: - *fist bump for 6*

Thanks re: the tooth. It's gone, so it's just the healing that needs to settle :)

>68 katiekrug: Sorry to hear about the serious soreness and hope it goes away soon!

>75 alcottacre: - Thanks, Stasia!

>71 katiekrug: I took five, and it took me four before I had any letters beyond the first...

Hi Katie!

>59 katiekrug: Poor Nuala. Glad you took her to the vet and have things to help her get over it. Caustic. I wonder if any other doggie daycare visitors also got injured.

>68 katiekrug: LOL. Hi back re the treadmill. I’ve gone 2 days this week and will go today since Jenna’s coming home this afternoon and will stay through Monday or Tuesday. She and I are going to a little cousin’s wedding on Friday. Bill said something about buying a treadmill when I expressed unhappiness at having to go out in 96F/humidity and drive 26 miles round trip to use the Senior Center treadmill yesterday. I reminded him that I've been wanting one since January and specifically took money from our my investments to get one but just haven't had the emotional wherewithal to do so. My wanting a treadmill here at the house somehow morphed into getting a recumbent elliptical trainer so I can use it and he can use it because of his knees, but I told him I want a treadmill and if he wants to get himself something else to knock himself out. He can take money from his investments for that. I love him AND he is good at making things about him.

I use the treadmill specifically to raise my heart rate, but that’s only because of why I’m using it. I’m supposed to get my heart rate up to 109-123 and exercise 30-45 minutes 3-5 times a week. Gentle treadmill for circulation is a good idea for you because of your oral surgery.

>71 katiekrug: But you got it! It’s always better than being skunked.

>77 bell7: - I hate when that happens!

>78 karenmarie: - Morning, Karen! Sounds like you and Bill will soon be able to open your own gym and charge people fees :)

Yep, I am usually trying to get my heart rate up during our training sessions, just not yesterday. I should be good to go back at it for tomorrow's session.

Happy My Favorite Day of the Week, peeps! Beautiful morning here. I had the best of intentions of getting up at 5:30 after my medication alarm went off, but it was perfect sleeping weather, so after taking the ibuprofen, I snuggled back down under the sheet and light quilt and went back to sleep. Oops. Must do better. It didn't help that I stayed up later than I had intended. ANYWAY, my mouth feels pretty good this morning and I've got some decent energy, so I'm hoping I can make today productive. I have errands to run (library, CVS, grocery store) and rooms to tidy, so that's the plan. I think we are going out to dinner tonight, assuming TW can get out of work at a decent hour. Last night, he worked until 9:00pm - I even brought him dinner in his office, poor dude.

In book news, I did manage to read a bit in This Time Tomorrow which is good. My Kindle loan will expire in 4 days, so I need to get cracking! And I listened to a chunk of The Cost of These Dreams, mostly an essay about New Orleans after Katrina, which was excellent (the essay, not the hurricane).

>80 katiekrug: Oh, the hurricane was excellent too! (Not a big Nawlins lover, me.)

Spend a splendid, smoochling.

>81 richardderus: - I'd have to disagree about Katrina, RD. It'd be different if there hadn't been people involved and over 1000 dead.

Working on the splendid-ing!

Good to see your mouth feels better, Katie. Staying in bed sounds wonderful at this point in my journey. Enjoy your day.

>83 Familyhistorian: - I may have spoken too soon, Aniita, as it gave me a lot of trouble last night :(

Morning, folks. It's a nice one here. I need to get going on some cleaning/tidying, as I have family coming in from out of town tomorrow. They aren't staying with us, but they are coming by tomorrow evening and then we are going out to dinner. So at the very least, I need the main floor to look nice :) Hopefully, they won't ask for a tour - ha.

As I mentioned to Anita, my mouth was super hurt-y last night. I was up until about 2am and then at various times until TW got up at 7:30. I stayed in bed and am skipping the gym. I'll go for a good walk a little later, I think.

Not much is going on here. Hope y'all are having more fun than I am!

'Morning, Katie! I'm sorry to hear that your mouth is giving you trouble. Pamper yourself today if you can.

New addition to my morning game routine, maybe...

Phrazle 133: 5/6
⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟪 ⬜⬜🟨🟨 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜

⬜🟪🟨🟪 ⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟪🟨 ⬜⬜⬜🟩🟩

🟨⬜⬜🟪 ⬜⬜ ⬜🟩🟪⬜ 🟪⬜🟩🟩🟩

⬜⬜🟨⬜ ⬜⬜ 🟪🟩⬜🟩 ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩

🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
#phrazle

https://solitaired.com/phrazle

Not sure I've got the patience to play this one regularly, but the first try was satisfying:

Phrazle 133: 3/6
🟪⬜⬜🟨 🟪⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜🟪⬜⬜⬜

🟩⬜🟪🟪 🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩⬜⬜⬜⬜

🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
#phrazle

https://solitaired.com/phrazle

>86 karenmarie: - Thanks, Karen. Maybe if I'm efficient and get everything that needs doing done in the morning, I'll take it easy this afternoon. We'll see.

>88 rosalita: - Oooh, nicely done! Did you try to come up with phrases that made sense or did you just enter random words that fit? I did the latter...

I tried to come up with a full phrase:

KEEP ON YOUR GUARD
PICK UP YOUR SHIFT
PULL UP YOUR SOCKS

Curious to see your final thoughts on The Cost of These Dreams, which looks interesting to me. Glad to hear that your mouth is not doing too badly today.

I hope you have a fantastic Friday, Katie!

>90 rosalita: - I'll have to try that approach next time.

>91 alcottacre: - Thanks, Stasia.

>87 katiekrug: Ignoring. Yep. I am IGNORING you. Not trying. No no no.

>85 katiekrug: I'm so sorry things aren't healing more painlessly. *smooch*

Better-weekend mojo headed your way.

>93 richardderus: - I've decided I will only play occasionally. It's fun but definitely takes more time than the quick-hit Wordle and such.

Thanks for the good wishes!

Good morning, friends. It's going to be 90F here, so I need to get the front yard mowed soonish. I also still have some cleaning to do, and a list of things for TW to tackle. My cousin and his family will be here around 6:30pm or so; we have a reservation for dinner nearby, so we can walk. It will be nice to see them, especially the not-really-kiddos (17 and 13).

My mouth flared up last night around dinner-time. It finally settled down, but I had no appetite and ended up just having an ice pop. And some wine :-P TW made me take some Benadryl last night to ensure I had a decent night's sleep, and it worked. Almost a solid 8 hours!

My loan of This Time Tomorrow is expiring shortly, so I've requested a physical copy (the wait lists for the e-book were crazy in both library systems I have access to, but my local library system had a hard copy available at another branch, so it's coming to me). Until then, I need to find something to read. Or not, since I'm not reading much... Sigh.

>95 katiekrug: How can you be expected to read much when your mouth hurts, it's 90°, and there's family coming to visit?! I'm amazed you can find a minute to post on your thread!

Easier-Sunday whammys headed south-by-southwest.

>96 richardderus: - All true, but you know I've been having reading issues lately anyway. So frustrating!

Not sure who's going to receive those whammys, as I am WNW of you! xx

>97 katiekrug: ...and I WIN MY BET!

Rob and I were talking about how some friends will always just take what you say at face value and let the tide of Life roll on, and others will see something or hear something and immediately go see if it's correct because they want to add the nugget to their knowledge base. He commented that that explains me nicely, which I wasn't *quite* sure he meant nicely...but since he does it too, I'm ready to concede it was in fact complimentary.

I said it was almost always readers who would do the latter; he said he thought it was pretty evenly spread. And of course I had to test it out. And of course you rose to the occasion! (I almost typed "bait" but....) You're the fifth reader I've tried it out on and *every*single*one* has risen to the occasion. (Or "bait.")

Glad to hear the tooth absence is settling down. Yay for a slid night's sleep - nothing's better.

>98 richardderus: I would also like to point out that librarians (often but not always readers) will check your facts (or the facts of any argument). In my case, though, I also will go back to someone and tell them they were right, because to me it matters more to have the correct information than to win the argument.

Happy Saturday, Katie, and hoping the weekend treats you well, whether reading gets done or not.

>100 bell7: I discount gotcha! gangers (I miss Bill Safire) and point-scorers from this trait because that's not the book-reader's motive. They want to Know Stuff, not Prove Something. The latter are toxic and creepy.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend, Katie, and enjoying your family. I also hope that the tooth leaves you alone!

Morning, Katie!

Last week was too crazy-busy for me to make it round the threads so I'm way behind. I'm so sorry that your tooth extraction resulted in so many days of mouth soreness and I hope it's gone this morning. And then poor Nuala's troubles were a worry on top of that! Yeesh. Here's hoping this week is calmer for you both!

>98 richardderus: - *grin*

>99 Helenliz: - Had another good night last night, no doubt helped by pasta and wine for dinner!

>100 bell7: - No reading yet, but maybe this afternoon :)

>101 richardderus: - Good distinction.

>102 alcottacre: - Thanks, Stasia!

>103 scaifea: - Hi Amber! No worries about your NEGLECT of my thread. I forgive you ;-)

Thanks for the better week ahead wishes! I think things are finally calming down, so fingers crossed...

Hi All! We had a very nice dinner with my cousin and his family. They were suitably awed by the excellent Italian, and then enjoyed going to Holsten's (scene of The Sopranos finale) for some ice cream. Because I like to talk about food: we ordered three apps for the table (meatballs, arancini, and a burrata salad), and then I got linguine carbonara which was *chef's kiss*, Renee (cousin's wife) got the same, cousin Greg got papardelle bolognese, 17yo got pesto gnocchi, 13 yo got a margherita pizza, and TW got a pizza diavolo with spicy soppressata and arugula. My ice cream choice was a scoop of black raspberry and a scoop of coffee. We walked back to the house and hung out for a bit, and then they left and TW and I watched the last episode of Obi-Wan Kenobi and went to bed. We are meeting them again for dinner in the city tonight. We're thinking of introducing them to the manic sensory overload of Koreatown, so stay tuned for more food reports :)

Before they arrived yesterday, I mowed the front yard, planted two flowering bushes where our front walk meets the sidewalk, helped TW trim the hedges, and then did a ton of cleaning. No wonder I slept so well last night... Now I'll just try to keep up better with my cleaning rotation, so it doesn't take so much effort the next time we have people over!

No reading done, but I did finish the audio of The Cost of These Dreams which I will try to review today. I'm planning a mostly lazy day before we leave to catch the train into NYC.

>105 katiekrug: I hope you have a lot to report from Koreatown, Katie. I haven't been in so long it's like a first-time experience even to *hear* about it. Will bibimbap feature on the menu? Topped with kimchi and gochujang under the egg, it's one of the glories of the rice-bowl world.

Black raspberry with coffee! That sounds so good. Never thought of it before.

Have a wonderful, perfect-weathered June day.

>106 richardderus: - I'm sure at least one of us will get bibimbap :)

The ice cream was a nice combination. I hadn't had it before, but I couldn't decide between the two, so why not?

A bit hot for me. I politely declined the cousins' invitation to accompany them on their trek around Manhattan today.

>107 katiekrug: Oh gosh, yes, of course it would be. I forgot since it's only 75° here.

>108 richardderus: - *glares eastward*

William Safire's Watching my Language reprints a full page letter i wrote him about Emoticons.

Back in 1997. Seems a lifetime ago.

>110 magicians_nephew: - Oh, how cool!

Morning, Katie. Just checking in. Glad you had a nice dinner with the family. Cool that you went to Holstens. I just watched that excellent finale, a couple of months ago.

Man, does it feel like a Monday right now... It's sort of overcast, I didn't want to get out of bed, I am dreading going to the gym, BLAH. Maybe some coffee will help.

I had a nice, quiet day yesterday, and then we went into the city to meet the cousins for dinner. The meal wasn't great, but the service was good (so the opposite of dinner on Saturday!) and we had fun hearing what they'd done that day. We gave them a ride back from the train station to their hotel - 4 of them packed into the back seat. Thankfully, it was a short ride :) It was great to see them and to see what good people the kids are turning into. The older (17) has recently come out as trans and so I am trying to remember to address him correctly - new name, pronouns, etc. Luckily, he's very forgiving of my stumbles. I admire his courage to be his authentic self, especially since the family lives in Texas.... Not an easy road to travel under the best of circumstances.

Anyway, the only thing I have to do today besides the gym is go to the grocery store. My mouth is *still* sore, and I'm getting tired of popping ibuprofen. The extraction site looks fine, I have no symptoms of an infection or anything, so I think it's just swelling/soreness. I am taking less ibuprofen, which is good. But patience is not my strong suit, and I have to remind myself it was only a week ago that my jaw underwent trauma :) So a mostly quiet day is fine by me.

Books: I am in between books at the moment, so will likely start a new audio and new print book today.

>112 msf59: - Morning, Mark! Holsten's is great - like actually worth going to even without the Sopranos connection. It is - dangerously - quite close to our house, so I have to ration my visits :)

Two years ago today, we brought this goofball home. Happy Gotcha Day, Nuala!

>115 katiekrug: Have a fabulous day, Nuala! I hereby award you 10 extra ear scritches, to be delivered by your humans on demand.

Aw, happy adoption day, Nuala!

>115 katiekrug: Happy You Day, Nuala! *earschmoozle*

>113 katiekrug: I didn't want to start today, either. I have become even more sensitive to weather than I was before, and it's always been a major factor in my moods. Icky cloudy messy day.

Yay for being able to be patient with a clumsy auntie. It's a tremendous skill for someone that young to have. Congrats to your cousins for doing the kid thing right.

*smooch* for good books to come

>116 rosalita: - Scritches delivered, along with some cheese because she's spoiled :)

>117 scaifea: - Thanks, Amber!

>118 richardderus: - Ear has been schmoozled.

It is so gross and warm and humid out there. TW likes it because it reminds him of home (South Florida) *shudder*

I am so impressed, though not surprised, by the love and support that family has for each other. Just good people all around.

Hi Katie!

>113 katiekrug: Yay for the cousins dinner. I’m glad to hear that coming out as trans, even in Texas, is still possible. Yay for the family support. I hope the gym goes well, sorry you’re still experiencing pain from the extraction.

>115 katiekrug: Two years. Amazing. How time flies. I like Gotcha Day.

>119 katiekrug: ...and that makes him *happy*...ew

>120 karenmarie: - Morning, Karen! I like to give my cousin a hard time, but he's a good man, has a great wife, and is raising two great kids, so he can't be all bad :) One day I will forgive him for throwing up all over a favorite book of mine after a Thanksgiving dinner when we were kids...

I know - 2 years! And she is still the Goodest Girl That Ever Was.

>!21 - Right? I mean, nobody's perfect but he would be if it weren't for the Florida thing. Heh.

>119 katiekrug: Cheese is always a hit with me, too. :) Toward the end of Odie's life, I had to give him twice daily insulin shots, and he was happy to hop on the bed and sit quietly while I jabbed him in the neck, keeping his eyes on the slice of American cheese on the nightstand the whole time. I'm not saying I'd let someone jab me in the neck for a slice of American cheese — I'd probably hold out for some top-quality cheddar or Brie.

Give me a nice smoked gouda and you can do whatever you want to me ;-)

>124 katiekrug: *jots a quick note in the Katie file*

Ha! What I wouldn't give to see *that* file!

*whistles innocently while looking everywhere but at Katie*

I was a bit behind around here so I'm glad to hear the weekend visits with your cousin's fam was great. Your Italian dinner sounds delicious and I'm envious of your ice cream combo. I had watermelon slice ice cream a couple weeks ago and that was pretty dang delicious too.

Adding in my own ear celebratory scritches for Nuala.

Love "Gotcha Day"

>127 rosalita: - Snork.

>128 MickyFine: - Oooh, watermelon slice sounds good! In peach season (right now), Holsten's makes peach ice cream so I must remember to go get some before it's gone.

Nuala says thank you for the scritches!

>129 magicians_nephew: - I can't claim it - I see it everywhere these days.

Morning, all! It's a gorgeous one here and the humidity appears to be gone, so hooray for that. I might take a nice long walk today. Yesterday was pretty quiet. We did take advantage of TW having the day off (he has THREE Mondays off in a row - this was the 2nd) and going to a favorite restaurant's happy hour which ends too early for us to ever go during a normal work day. And then we watched the Yankees win AGAIN. What a team they are this year. And that was about it.

Today, I'm taking Leonard to the vet for blood work in advance of his teeth cleaning/possible tooth extraction. That procedure will happen while he's boarding at the vet next month while we are out of town. In other pet news, Nuala seems all better from her tongue irritation and she's finished all her medicine.

Trivia tonight, so I don't have to cook dinner. But I am making lunch - TJ's cilantro chicken wontons with garlic-y green beans and zucchini. Such a gourmet I am...

Zero reading or listening yesterday - sigh.

>131 katiekrug: Lunch sounds scrummy! I'm thinking packet of pretzels. I'm not feeling hungry and a snacky lunch will keep the blood sugar up.

Good luck at trivia tonight!

*smooch*

>132 richardderus: - I've been craving pretzels the last couple of days! Probably because I can't have them until my jaw heals more :-P

I'll beam my gustatory delight to you as I crunch.

Glad to hear Nuala's mouth is better and hope she had a most excellent Gotcha Day. (Good luck at trivia tonight)

>134 richardderus: - Smooch!

>!35 - Hi Reba! There was cheese involved, so I am pretty sure she had a good day :)

PSA

The chicken cilantro mini wontons from Trader Joe's are freaking delicious.

That is all.

Hi Katie, glad to hear that Nuala's mouth has recovered and, hopefully, you are also well on the road to recovery. It's lunch time and I am thinking about chicken cilantro mini wontons - but somehow I don't think they are going to appear. I guess I will settle on a leftover chicken drumstick.

>137 katiekrug: I may have to look for that when I'm dogsitting near one in a couple of weeks.

Belated happy Gotcha Day to Nuala, and sorry there was no reading happening yesterday. Hope you got some in today?

>138 DeltaQueen50: - Hello Judy! Yesterday was a good day as far as my mouth goes. I think I finally turned the corner.

I hope your chicken was delicious!

>139 bell7: - I did do some reading yesterday - not much but better than none :)

Happy Wednesday! After a gorgeous day yesterday, we start a mini heatwave today. Luckily, I don't have too much to do. I'm going to take Nuala to day care since she is bouncing off the walls with energy and make a Trader Joe's run, but that's about it. Then probably some tennis and reading.

Yesterday, I cleaned up my "dressing room" a bit. It's the bedroom in the attic where I keep my clothes and shoes and random stuff I want out of sight. I tend to forget about it when cleaning, so it was in need of it. I also watched some Wimbledon, including Serena's hard-fought match which she ultimately lost. Sadness. It was nice to see her playing again, though. We came in 7th of 13 teams at trivia last night, and I celebrated my mouth not hurting much with a cheeseburger :)

Books:
I've started Flying Solo on my Kindle (I really enjoyed Holmes' Evvie Drake Starts Over so have high hopes for this one), and The Light Over London on audio.

Hi Katie!

Sounds like a winner day, especially the tennis and reading.

>141 katiekrug: Here's to hoping both reads are peak ones. *smooch*

>142 karenmarie: - It was a good day, Karen. More tennis than reading, but I'm about to pick up my book (Kindle).

>143 richardderus: - The audio is definitely mediocre, but I don't demand as much from audios :)

>115 katiekrug: Wow! I can't believe it's been two years already!

Enjoy the rest of your week.

>145 figsfromthistle: - Thanks, Anita!

Morning, all (with apologies to those of you for whom it is already later)! It's a beautiful one here, and for once I know this not from looking out my window but from being up early and going for a walk - ha! I left the house about 6:30 and walked in a nearby park for 40 minutes. And now I feel full of energy and ready to tackle the day. I really must do this more regularly :-P

Not much to report. We had chicken fajitas and Mexican spiced black beans for dinner. TW went back to work after dinner and I cleaned up the kitchen and futzed around a bit before retiring to bed to read for a while.

Today, I'll make a quick grocery run and do some cleaning. After that, probably some tennis and reading. Lunch is chicken sausage and peppers in the air fryer and dinner is fancy ravioli from the farmer's market with a salad. Easy-peasy on both counts (my cooking mojo tends to fade later in the week....).

I did get both print and audio book time yesterday, which was nice. The audio is fine, if nothing special (dual timeline - contemporary and WWII-era Britain), and the print is good, though I'm not super far into it.

Make it a good day, friends!

Hiya...both meals sound lovely...I'm going for PBJs today because I ain't feelin' it for anything hot.

It's so sticky here that we have an Air Quality Alert, even though it's a perfectly acceptable-for-summer 80°.

Happy reading! I'm revisiting Arabella to decompress from 50-review #PrideMonth.

>148 richardderus: - Mmm, PBJ. A favorite of mine. What is your preferred bread? I like a nice whole wheat...

The humidity here isn't bad - or it wasn't when I was out this morning. It's supposed to be about 90F, which is gross.

Arabella is a Heyer I haven't yet read. There are a lot of them, but I know that one is beloved by many.

>149 katiekrug: I'm always down for pumpernickel with butter, crunchy peanut butter, and fig jam.

>149 katiekrug: - Okay, that's a bit too exotic for a PBJ for me :) When I crave one, I want the most basic kind - Skippy, strawberry jam, and wheat bread.

>147 katiekrug: I really love being up and outside early in the morning. I don't do it a lot because I really hate GETTING up, which is more or less a pre-requisite. Anyway, those days when I accomplish same usually turn out to be the best of days.

>152 laytonwoman3rd: - Yes, it's the getting up that is often the obstacle. I'll lie in bed for ages thinking how good I'll feel if I just do it. But the bed is so comfy....

You'd *really* hate my Sunday-best PBJ then: Toasted WheatBerry bread (ONLY) the Orowheat real kind) with mayo, chunky PB, bacon, tomato, and lettuce.

DeVOON eating!

>154 richardderus: - The only thing there that I find truly objectionable is the mayo. Like, why?

Also, it's more a PBBLT than a PBJ since there's no J...

I'm not a citizens for strawberry jam fan

>156 magicians_nephew: - Okay. I promise not to force you to eat it... ?

>154 richardderus: I'm not a big PBJ fan (although I've been known to eat one more than once) and I do enjoy a lettuce and bacon sandwich (you can have my tomato) but, really, dear Richard that combo sounds disgusting!

>152 laytonwoman3rd: Your walk sounds lovely, Katie. It's 60 outside here at the moment (going to 80 but not humid) and I'm thinking I should get dressed and follow your example.

>147 katiekrug: Your plans for the day sound lovely and I'm envious of your fancy ravioli (I love stuffed pasta).

On the PBJ front, I like some Canadian Rye, smooth Kraft peanut butter, and raspberry jam.

>158 RebaRelishesReading:, >155 katiekrug: The mayo is the jam in this sammy. Oh, so glorious.

I really understand why people get verschmeckeled by the combo but that's only because they haven't had one. OOOOO

>158 RebaRelishesReading: - I hope you have a great walk (if you decide to go) :)

>159 MickyFine: - It's asparagus and smoked mozzarella ravioli and was $14 for a package of 12. It had better be the best damn ravioli I've ever had :-P

The reference to rye threw me at first, but I think we've talked about Canadian rye once before and IIRC it is sufficiently different from what I think of as rye to be acceptable for PBJ. So sayeth me.

>160 richardderus: - I think I just threw up a little in my mouth.

But *smooch* anyway!

>161 katiekrug: That ravioli combo sounds amazing! I look forward to hearing the verdict.

Yeah, the rye I get is on the decidedly white-ish bread side of the line with some extra grains in there (but not in an unpleasant way) so it's pretty perfect for most sandwiches.

I love peanut butter on toasted rye bread - maybe it's a Canadian thing?

>163 MickyFine: - I'll report back!

>164 DeltaQueen50: - Your rye and our rye is different. I know people here who put PB on "our" rye bread, but it doesn't appeal to me. The bread has a distinct flavor that doesn't go with PB, IMO :)

If left to me, I'd share this one today: The Boy with the Bookstore. September. Preorder.

Wordle 377 3/6

🟩⬜🟨🟨🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟨🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

I would have had it in 2 if I hadn't immediately thought of wine before beans.

It's Friday of a long weekend - WOOT! Gonna be hot here today - high of 95F. We are planning* to go to a concert and fireworks show at the park down the street tonight. I was going to pack a picnic, but I think we'll just eat beforehand. The menu: cold rotisserie chicken, garlic green beans, and orzo salad. In the meantime, today we have the gym and then I am going shopping (ew) for shorts, because all of mine are old and too big (yay). I may treat myself to lunch out... But I also need to get the salad made so it has time to mush flavors in the fridge, so we'll see.

*subject to me being a baby and deciding not to go because it's too hot :-P

Yesterday was good - I got done what needed doing and managed to read and watch some tennis. The stupidly expensive ravioli was okay but I wouldn't get it again (even if it were cheaper) - I liked the flavor of the smoked mozzarella, but I didn't love the texture. I like how ricotta sort of melts away on the tongue and mozzarella doesn't do that, so it was slightly off-putting.

And that's about it. Oh, wait! I have a What We're Watching report because TW's boss made him log off last night when he went back to work after dinner, so he came out and we watched dumb TV: an episode each of Holey Moley, Archer, and something else I can't remember...

Y'all should give The Boys a look...it's hiLARious!!

It's going to be hot here, too. 81°! Imagine the temerity of the Weather Goddess making it hot in summer.

Arabella is perfect. It demands nothing of me. I am so pleased.

>169 richardderus: - Eek! Your post reminded me I didn't respond to >166 richardderus:!

>166 richardderus: - Ooh, putting that on my list. Thank you xx.

>169 richardderus: - Okay, I'm back. I think TW has watched some of The Boys? We don't do so well trying to watch ongoing series together, as our desire to watch TV so rarely lines up.

Is it humid there? If not, I really really hate you.

Yay for Miss A!

Gym is done. I crushed it. Medicine ball slams are just so satisfying :D

>171 katiekrug: Yay!

>170 katiekrug: Humidex is VERY high...91% today, and a very light breeze to keep the sweat drying.

Me, I'm stayin' in.

>161 katiekrug: In the end I opened the garage door (so I could look out at the world) and walked on the tread mill. Weather is pretty perfect here at the moment but I keep my pace up better on the machine -- must repeat today.

Thanks to you mentioning Wimbledon I actually found it on the TV and watched the Nadal/Barankis match up to the rain halt -- some beautiful rallies there. I really like watching tennis but never think to do it -- so thank you for drawing me in.

Hi Katie!

I hope you and TW have a wonderful holiday weekend.

>170 katiekrug: Is it humid there? If not, I really really hate you. Heh. That's how I feel, too. Nasty, vicious, soul-sucking evil stuff.

>172 richardderus: - Okay, I feel better that you had to suffer a bit along with me :)

Good move to stay in!

>173 RebaRelishesReading: - Good for you, Reba! I LOATHE the treadmill and much prefer to walk outside, but I get it about the pace. We have a park down the street with lovely even walking trails and some small hills, so I can keep up a decent pace and get some inclines in :)

Well, if a Nadal match renewed your interest, brava! I can barely watch him, as I find the time he takes between points just excruciating. Of the men, my current obsession is the Brit, Cam Norrie.

>174 karenmarie: - Thanks, Karen! Back at you and Bill :)

The weather was pretty gross yesterday. I think it's still sticky, but the temps are supposed to stay in the high 80s and not cross the line into Intolerable, at least.

The fireworks last night were great! This was our first time going to this event, as we hadn't fully moved into our house in the summer of 2019 and then it was cancelled in 2020 and 2021. We didn't know quite what to expect, and will have an even better time next year when we know the drill. But still, the fireworks show was excellent, and even though it was hot, I am so glad we were able to walk there and back, because OH MY GOD, the traffic afterwards was insane!

Earlier in the day, I had a successful shopping trip to get some shorts - I found 3 pairs that I liked well enough, plus a cute striped linen skirt, and some basic v-neck tees. I then treated myself to lunch and had a super yummy caesar salad with salmon. Dinner was cold roasted chicken and air fried garlic green beans (I think the air fryer has surpassed the InstantPot in my affection). I didn't feel like making orzo salad, so that got 86ed.

All in all, a pretty good day!

I am not sure what's on the agenda for today. We are planning one day this weekend to go to a local wildlife preserve and walk the trails, but today is supposed to have scattered storms, so I think that's off the table until tomorrow at least. We want to see the new Jurassic Park movie, if it's still playing anywhere nearby, so that might happen. Otherwise, probably just some puttering around the house...

I did read a bit yesterday and got some listening in while I drove around. Slow and steady progress....

Have a great day, friends!

I still Wordle (5 today) but The Wayne and I have a daily friendly competition over Yeardle, where we each post our results on Twitter for the other person to see. I got a bit lucky today, as this is an era I know ZERO about.

#Yeardle #102 #gimmedirection
🟫🟫🟨🟩🌟🌟🌟🌟
🔽🔼🔼🔨🌟🌟🌟🌟
https://histordle.com/yeardle/

It's ugly step-sister, PopCultured is also fun (and I am much better at it!):

#PopCultured #44
🟩🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
🔨🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
https://histordle.com/popcultured/

>176 katiekrug: It looks to have been a lovely event! I'm next to the beach parking lot, so the fireworks prep is very obvious to me. I'm always pleased to have such a great view of ours when they happen.

Have a more-pleasant weather day, it's a relief not to feel the air sitting on one's chest isn't it.

*smooch*

>175 katiekrug: It was more Barankis I was enjoying but, then, Nadal's routines were somewhat amusing, but will probably wear thin quickly. Hope to find some women's matches to watch soon.

I haven't been doing Yeardle since my trip-caused break but now I have to go and see what today's is.

Back to say "Are you frigging kidding me, Katie? -- Yeardle in 3?!" I'm still not tempted to go back to it.

Hi Katie!! I'm making the rounds, post-vacation. I have no hope of catching up; rather, I'm just zipping to the bottom of threads to say hello and I'll start fresh from here.

Fireworks look great and insider info for next year is good.
I blame you for my daily Yeardle/Popcultured habit. The latter I have good days and abysmal days.

My eville knoweth not of bounds:
Confetti at the Cornish Café by Phillipa Ashley

Cal and Demi are preparing to launch their beloved Kilhallon Resort in Cornwall as a wedding venue. With the cliff-top setting and coastal views, it's the perfect place for a magical ceremony. But their first clients are no ordinary couple. The bride and groom are internationally famous celebrities Lily Craig and Ben Trevone. As secrets surface and truths are told, can Demi and Cal ensure that Kilhallon's first wedding is a success?

The sample made me spend 99¢ on it. Me! The Cheapest Man Alive™!

>178 richardderus: - I never got back here yesterday, but thanks for the good weather/day wishes :)

>179 RebaRelishesReading: - The women's draw is interesting and seems wide open at this point.

Re: Yeardle - I got a bit lucky, as I had a general (i.e. ~500 year range) idea. And did you know after your first guess, you can click #gimmedirection and it will tell you if you should go higher or lower on your next guess. That can help. I mostly enjoy it because I like to pit myself against my husband.

>180 lauralkeet: - Laura's back! Laura's back! *happy dance*

You have missed no big life events on my thread so yes, just start fresh.

>181 Helenliz: - I have more good days with PopCultured than with Yeardle. I can be absolutely terrible with the latter. But I still enjoy it!

>182 richardderus: - Hmm. The description doesn't lure me in. I think I might resist but I appreciate your thinking of me. xx

Morning/afternoon, all! It is currently overcast here but it's supposed to clear up. Mid-80s for a high, and I think it's still a bit sticky. We are going on a Grand Adventure today! First up will be a diner breakfast, and then we are going to the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, which is only about 20 miles or so away. It's supposed to be great for birding (hi Mark!) but we are just going for the trails, boardwalks, and scenery. I expect we'll spend a couple of hours there, and I'm really looking forward to it (which befuddles me, because I usually avoid nature and the Outdoors as much as possible (hi Amber!), so.... *shrug*). Once home and cleaned up, I'll run to the grocery store for a few things. TW is in charge of dinner, and I think it's some manner of pasta.

Yesterday turned into a nice day. I kind of futzed around while TW mowed the back yard and then fixed the gas grill (yay!). I watched the Kyrigos/Tsitsipas Wimbledon match. I loathe Kyrigos and was basically hate-watching it. He won and I was mad.

We decided on an early dinner at a favorite place that has a weekend happy hour, including a $1 mix and match raw bar. I got six jumbo shrimp (not actually raw :) ), a side of asparagus, and a baked potato. It was perfect - filled me up but didn't make me feel icky. And the shrimp was so good - nicely seasoned, very cold, and accompanied by a perfectly spicy cocktail sauce. After that, we went to a gelato place we keep meaning to try, but they were out of most flavors by then (I was all ready to try cornbread flavor), but TW snagged a yummy double chocolate, and I got two scoops of sorbet - watermelon and pink lemonade. Both were delicious. Then we came home and watched the first episode of The Bear (I can tell we are going to love it) and then I showed him my two favorite Seinfeld episodes (he's never seen Seinfeld...), and then he wanted to watch a movie and I went to bed because it didn't interest me. Also, I was tired :-P

Not really any reading yesterday. Is this still a book website? I've lost track because I just natter on about my life - ha!

The Wayne beat me by 1 :(

#Yeardle #103
🟧🟨🟩🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
🔽🔼🔨🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
https://histordle.com/yeardle/

>184 katiekrug: Cracking up at your descriptions not only of what you're doing but calling out other members regarding what relates to them. Obviously you are not the only one "nattering on" about your life as we know all these other details and interests of other 75ers ;)

ESPN+ covers all the non-show courts, so for early rounds it's great because I can watch a lot of lower-seed matches, but it's Court 3 and higher, and today that means mostly doubles and boys' and girls' matches. Ah well - I should have someone else's TV for the finals weekend.

The wildlife refuge sounds great (limited nature lover, me, I'll camp if there's a real bathroom and a shower, but I'm not really roughing it), and hope you have a great day!

>183 katiekrug: Wow, a happy dance?! I'm flattered.

>184 katiekrug: TW has never seen Seinfeld? This ranks right up there with never having eaten a BLT. That man has led a sheltered life. Which two episodes did you watch, and what did he think of them?

I really need to post on my thread but am procrastinating ...

>184 katiekrug: Like >187 lauralkeet: I am completely nonplussed that anyone y'all's age hasn't seen Seinfeld at least once.

Totally with you on the cornbread gelato! I hope it's delish when you get to taste it.

Have a great time out swamping.

hello ButterflyNetMen.com yes I have an emergency pick-up order

'Morning, Natterer. Happy Sunday to you.

I've never watched Seinfeld either, but still consider myself a mostly well-adjusted and reasonably intelligent human being. Dare I say that I don't like things with laugh tracks any more? Color me cranky. Well-adjusted, reasonably intelligent and cranky.

Just raising my hand to announce I have never actively watched Seinfeld either. I have seen a few episodes here and there, by default, enough to recognize the characters and their traits, but it never drew me in. (I MAY have taken against it just because one of the partners in our firm--a total JERK--often came into the office asking everyone if they "saw Seinfeld last night", and then proceeded to regurgitate the whole episode in what he thought was a comedic performance of his own.)

>183 katiekrug: I discovered #gimmedirection a few days ago. It's very helpful and would have saved me many ups and downs trying to figure out which direction to move before I found it.

Watched Cornet beat Swiatek yesterday. Rather ugly match imho. I hope to get some more watching in next week. When I lived in Ireland I was always glued to the telly for the whole time (wasn't working then) but when I came back to the U.S. and was a full-time working mom I lost the habit. I'm enjoying it.

TW's never watched Seinfeld ?! That's right up there with people I know who've never watched Big Bang. They've missed so much!!

>189 karenmarie:, >190 laytonwoman3rd: ...but ladies...y'all were fully adult, with grown children and doubtless a few grandchildren in the 1990s whereas Katie and The Wayne were barely out of diapers. Our TV-watching eras were, shall we say, pre-Seinfeld. (Did they broadcast the Civil War?)

I was not fully grown in the 1990s, but I've also never seen Seinfeld. University years didn't feature frequent access to a TV.

>188 richardderus: Thanks for lumping me in with Katie, age-wise, but I entered my 30s and bore two children in the 1990s. We watched Seinfeld off and on at the time, but I think we've caught more of it in reruns over the years.

>190 laytonwoman3rd: I felt similarly about NFL football chatter in the workplace. BORRRING.

>186 bell7: - Hi Mary! The wildlife refuge was really cool and not very taxing, though it was a bit warm. The only camping I do is driving a dirt road to a rustic cabin with wifi and satellite television and, preferably, a gourmet kitchen and hot tub :) I did it once with friends and it was excellent.

>187 lauralkeet: - TW just has different interests, I think. And yes, he may have been a bit sheltered. We watched 'The Boyfriend' two-parter from season 3 (aka The Magic Loogie) and 'The Hamptons' from season 5 ("Shrinkage!").

>188 richardderus: - He's never been a big TV watcher *shrug*

The gelato place changes flavors every week, so I'm not sure when I'll get the chance at cornbread again...

>189 karenmarie: and >190 laytonwoman3rd: - Well, you were both in excellent company (TW), except now he's seen two whole episodes. Lots of people don't like Seinfeld - it's a certain kind of humor that doesn't always work for a lot of people. I'm not a giant fan, but there are about a half dozen episodes I absolutely love.

>191 RebaRelishesReading: - So I guess I Shouldn't confess we don't really like The Big Bang?

I'm sorry I missed the Swiatek-Cornet match. I need to be better about who is playing when...

>192 richardderus: - Snerk.

>193 Helenliz: - And my 4 university years can be easily charted by what I was watching!

>194 lauralkeet: - Note to self: don't talk about football in the fall if Laura's around...

Ooof, I'm tired! We had a great day, starting with breakfast at which I had a delicious egg white omelet with spinach and feta. And then we traipsed around two different areas of the wildlife refuge and enjoyed the scenery, the quiet, the shade (!), and towards the end, I spotted a turtle in the water! And just before we got back to the parking area, I heard a whoosh just off the trail, and I looked over in time to see a dark blob land on a branch. Thanks to the excellent zoom function on my phone, I saw it was an owl and I got a decent picture. So that was a nice way to end the excursion. We came home, stopped at a local dive bar for a cold beer, and then I ran to the grocery store and to get gas.

>196 katiekrug: Very cool. I haven't seen an owl while hiking in a long time now. It's always so special when you spot them! And to hear one woosh by.... love it. :-)

We are having a stormy, chilly holiday weekend so far. I assume there will still be fireworks tomorrow but we'll likely skip them. The quality of fireworks one can legally set off in one's own back yard here is pretty remarkable so we'll probably sit on our front porch and watch the neighborhood display. Friends coming over this evening for barbequed chicken and pork chops, homemade beans (thank you, P), and homemade macaroni salad (thank you, me). P has promised to make Mai Tais for everyone even though this weather feels more appropriate for hot toddies.... :-P

>195 katiekrug: those are great episodes, Katie. And don't worry about football. I don't follow the NFL but of course lots of people do. What I objected to was the Monday morning NFL chatter in the workplace, where it felt like *certain people* assumed that everyone was a fan. I felt like being unable to participate in the conversation might put me at a disadvantage, but I wasn't willing to start following football just for the sake of conversation with higher-ups.

God, I'm glad I'm retired.

>192 richardderus: I'll grant that I have a few years on Katie...but my young'un was a teenager in the mid-90s (and I'm still a-waitin' for any grandkids to show up, which I'm pretty sure they won't), and we watched a lot of sitcoms in that decade. (News Radio, anybody?) We didn't watch Big Bang Theory either. Now, The Civil War--that was great TV!

>197 EBT1002: - Sorry about the weather, Ellen, but your plans (and menu!) sound good :)

>198 lauralkeet: - I was mostly kidding, Laura. And I get it about feeling like some workplace conversations are somehow mandatory. I am also glad I retired :D

>199 laytonwoman3rd: - From 1992-1996, I was at boarding school, so I relied on summer re-runs to keep up with shows. Wish we'd had streaming back then - ha!

Hello, friends! Beautiful day here - sunny, not too humid, going to the mid-80s for a high. So of course, we have plans to go to the movies :-P

Nice evening yesterday - TW made sausage and pepper sandwiches and we watched Jaws. It's a favorite 4th of July movie around here :) Tonight will be Independence Day, of course.

Plans for the day: lazy morning, then we are going to run some errands (PetCo, Dick's Sporting Goods) and get lunch out, before our 2pm showtime. We are going to see the new/last Jurassic Park movie. Then home for hot dogs on the grill, with cucumber and pickled red onion salad. Our town is doing fireworks tonight (the ones on Friday were put on by the county) so we might venture out to see if we can see them without going to the actual celebration, which will be crowded and annoying.

Hope everyone has a great day, whether it's a holiday or not!

Q: Why are there no knock-knock jokes about America?
A: Because freedom rings, baby!

(I'm a sucker for dumb 4th of July humor)

Hi Katie! I hope you enjoy your July 4th. Our weather is a lot like yours, but I'm not going to the movies. Still, it sounds like you're making the most of the day and I hope you have fun!

Happy 4th of July! Enjoy the day :)

Happy July 4th, Katie. Enjoy your weather. It’s cold and rainy here in Scotland.

>195 katiekrug: I'm just going to forget you said that about the funniest sit com ever!!

I haven't planned the tennis watching at all - just turn it on when I have a bit of time and see what's there

>196 katiekrug: sounds like a lovely outing

>202 lauralkeet: - Thanks, Laura! It was a good day.

>203 figsfromthistle: - Thank you, Anita!

>204 Familyhistorian: - But you're in Scotland so that's a bonus :)

>205 RebaRelishesReading: - Yeah, I just turn it on when I think of it and have some time, but I always seem to miss players I'd like to see in action...

Happy July 5th, everybody! I can't believe this year is already half over. Yikes.

We had a really nice day yesterday, though the Jurassic Park movie was terrible. I knew it would be, but I also thought it might be entertaining, and it just wasn't. Over two hours of my life I'll never get back... But we had a nice dinner and then lots of fun watching Independence Day (which is objectively terrible but super entertaining and never gets boring, IMO).

I was up early this morning to take a walk and to move the car. Our street is getting re-paved and we were told we had to move cars from driveways if we didn't want to be trapped. *sigh* And for some reason, it didn't charge overnight, and I don't know when I'll get to put it back in the driveway to charge it, so now I actually have to use gas. Grrrrr.

Anyway, I have lots of odds and ends to take care of today and then I'm hoping to do some reading this afternoon, along with tennis watching. Trivia tonight so no need to think about dinner :)

Congrats again on the barred owl sighting, Katie. With all my trail walking throughout the year, I am lucky to see one barred. Great horned owls are a little easier to spot. I hope you both had a good holiday.

Sorry the movie was terrible, Katie, but glad it didn't ruin your day! Have fun with today's odds and ends.

Terrible? Oh no. That's not a good thing to learn the hard way.

I confess I can't think how the heck your moving the car out of the driveway to...the street?...would enable the paving not to trap you...?

Anyway. No more Jurassic films are in the works so ye olde series is dead at last. Maybe something new and cool will replace it.

Third-quarter *smooch*

>209 msf59: - Thanks, Mark. Knowing they are more elusive makes it even cooler for me :)

>210 lauralkeet: - Thanks, Laura.

>211 richardderus: - Had to move it to a different street...

Yeah, I wanted to see the JP movie because I've seen them all, even though they got progressively worse. And I find Chris Pratt AND Bryce Dallas Howard annoying. Ah, well. Live and learn!

‘Morning, Katie!

>195 katiekrug: Never wanted to watch The Big Bang either, although after I finally got a friend of mine to watch Firefly and Serenity, and she apparently finally understood all the Browncoat references.

>196 katiekrug: Look at you, posting pictures of birds! Excellent job, good quality pic.

>207 katiekrug: Sorry the new Jurassic Park movie sucked, but Independence Day is always a winner. We watched it on the 4th last year, didn’t seem to need a repeat this year.

>213 karenmarie: - Morning, Karen!

We're fans of Firefly here, too. Probably due for a re-watch, actually...

We saw a lot of birds during the outing, but I didn't pay much attention to them because I'm not really into birds. But an owl is too cool. I was there more for the turtles :)

We watch ID on the Fourth more often than not. And also Jaws around the same time.

I had an excellent walk early this morning and now I've mowed the front yard, so I don't feel like I have to do anything else today. I probably will, but it's nice to get things accomplished first thing.

Thanks for the heads-up about the new JP movie. I was highly skeptical, but because Laura Dern is on my husband's "list" (friends of Friends will know what that means), he thinks he wants to see it.

>216 laytonwoman3rd: - IS that the Celebrity Pass List? TW and I each have one :)

Laura Dern was actually one of the better parts of the film, tbh...

I am not even going to try and catch up on the 100+ posts I am behind, Katie, but wanted to drop by and wish you a terrific Tuesday.

>196 katiekrug: Lovely!

I also love a very productive morning. I always feel very smug when a long to do list is complete before noon. Of course, then I'm usually very lazy the rest of the day.

Hope your afternoon is full of good things!

>217 katiekrug: I'm not sure of the proper name for it, Katie, but that sounds right. I expect you know what I'm talking about! We both have one too.

>218 alcottacre: - Hope Tuesday has been good to you, Stasia.

>219 MickyFine: - And I got even *more* done later in the morning. I am quite pleased with myself :)

>220 laytonwoman3rd: - So who's your #1, Linda, hmmm?

>221 katiekrug: There is only one name on my list. And it's been the same one for about 40 years. The inimitable Tom Selleck.

>222 laytonwoman3rd: - You and my mom would have gotten along great. At least until Tom showed up and you started fighting over him :)

>222 laytonwoman3rd:, >223 katiekrug: You two crack me up.

>224 lauralkeet: - :D

________________________________

Hello, Wednesday. Gym this morning, a TJ's run at some point, laundry, blah, blah, blah. We came in 5th at trivia, but there were only 10 teams, so meh. I had salmon with vegetable couscous which wasn't as good as the last time I got it. And I managed to knock over both my glass of wine and glass of water at the same time, so it was A Night.

I read about 5 pages yesterday and had zero audio time. I'm sick of seeing the same two books at the top of my thread dammit!

Hiya, Katie, and happy Wednesday to you. Blah blah blah to errands. I hope you can get some good reading in, either the same two books or even a new one.

>226 karenmarie: - Thanks, Karen. I think I'm going to have to buckle down with my current Kindle read, as the library loan is about to expire!

Good morning, Katie. Sorry about all of the frustrations. Your water/wine spill made me laugh in part because it reminded me of my first date with Hubby when I knocked my nearly-full glass of red wine over on the table only to watch it head straight for him.

Hope you get some reading time today.

Happy Wednesday.
The day I started my current job, my boss took me for lunch. I managed to drop a ketchup laden chip right down my white shirt. Fortunately he knows me of old, so that I'm brilliant at my job AND a bit clumsy wasn't news.

>228 RebaRelishesReading: - Hi Reba! Funny how these little frustrations always seem to happen on the same day. Best to get them over with, I guess!

Oh goodness re: the wine spill! Maybe it's a sign of good luck? :)

>229 Helenliz: - That is totally something that would happen to me, Helen!

>230 katiekrug: Well, 34+ years later we're still happily together so maybe it was a sign :)

I just realized I never wrote up any comments on this one from last month...



The Cost of These Dreams by Wright Thompson

Wright Thompson is a sports reporter. And a storyteller. He is one of those people who sees big ideas and profound truths writ small in individuals, and he tells their stories. This is a collection of some of his pieces, most written for ESPN Magazine. I really enjoyed this audio, read by the author himself. Some of the standouts for me were the pieces about the Ole Miss football team and the university's integration, a long one about New Orleans after Katrina with a colorful cast of characters, a look at the tortured talent of Tiger Woods, and a really powerful portrait of a legendary wrestling coach.

If you don't like sports, I could tell you the book might still be worth a look because who doesn't love powerful human interest stories, but people who don't like sports tend to be vociferous in their disdain, so I won't bother. The rest of you should read this one.

4 stars

>231 RebaRelishesReading: - Exactly!

>232 katiekrug: *sigh*

Library ho!

>232 katiekrug: Glad you liked it! Your favorites are excellent picks — that Ole Miss essay is near perfect. I keep thinking about the Muhammed Ali one, and the one about the college basketball star who disappeared in Brazil — maybe because those were two situations that I knew next to nothing about, and that didn't have tidy endings, but Wright still made the journey to the ambiguous endings a great ride.

>234 richardderus: - Hope they have it!

>235 rosalita: - I don't do well with ambiguity, but I also find myself thinking about that boxing one, too.

Happy overcast Thursday, friends! I'm up early to move the car again - we snuck it into the driveway overnight to charge (plug-in hybrid). I also didn't mind getting up early, as I'm headed into the city this morning and now I have time for my normal morning routine (coffee, Wordle*, crossword, etc.). I'm meeting my best friend for a ramble around Central Park - good weather as it's only supposed to be 80F today and overcast but not rainy so we won't sweat our butts off or get wet. Then I'll come home for virtual happy hour. I got an email from a woman at my old job giving me the lowdown on some very interesting goings on, so I want more detail on that! I can't tell you how glad I am not to be working there anymore.

I did manage some reading and audio time yesterday, and I'm looking forward to two train rides for more reading. It's not great literature, but I'm enjoying Flying Solo.

* Wordle was a near-miss for me today. Too many options for the letters I got in the right spots:

Wordle 383 6/6

🟩⬜⬜🟨⬜
⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
🟩⬜🟩⬜🟩
🟩⬜🟩⬜🟩
🟩🟨🟩⬜🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Wordle positively sucked today (an X for me).
Sounds like you have a nice day planned, Katie. Enjoy!

Hi Katie!

>237 katiekrug: snuck the car into the driveway overnight to charge…? Enjoy your time in the city, and yay for the lowdown on your former job. I’m glad you don’t regret your decision to leave.

>237 katiekrug: Wordle was a stinker today. I got it in 5, but there was some grumbling that included shorter words, if you catch my drift.

>237 katiekrug: sad trombones for me today.

We saw the Elvis movie when we were in Glasgow. It’s worth watching. We’ve now moved over to Edinburgh where the sun shines and the streets are clean.

>237 katiekrug: I hope the weather cooperates with your plans for the day and your trip into the city is highly enjoyable!

5 for me today on Wordle. I'm with everybody else...yech!

Have a lovely wander today, and given the industry you worked in before, I can only imagine the dirt you'll be getting!!

>238 lauralkeet: - Oh, BOO! to an X. It was a near thing for me.

>239 karenmarie: - Hi Karen! Not sure if your question mark is about sneaking it in or charging it, but the road crew prefers people to stay out of the work zone until it's all done (hence the "sneak"), and it's a gas-electric plug-in hybrid, so to avoid relying on the gas, we wanted to charge it up overnight. The charge lasts for most of our daily running around, so we rarely have to get gas, which is great right now. I think we made it to seven weeks without hitting a gas station this last time. Cost me $117 to fill up a large tank with premium grade :-/

Definitely don't regret my decision re: the job, especially now!

>240 laytonwoman3rd: - Snork. I think I know what you mean... :)

>241 Helenliz: - Well, poop.

>242 Familyhistorian: - Hi Meg! I'm itching to get back to Edinburgh, and to show it to TW. Hope you have a good time.

>243 MickyFine: - The weather was perfect, Micky! Maybe a tad too sunny for fair complexion-ed me, but the shady paths and breeze off the reservoir were lovely...

>244 richardderus: - We had a great walk! 6+ miles logged :)

Well, the dirt is mostly internal stuff which, for me, is more interesting anyway.... Heh.

My BFF and I walked many miles through Central Park today. My favorite part was The Ramble:

"Its 36 acres were designed to look like the forests of upstate New York and include winding paths and trails, rustic bridges, a meandering stream, dramatic rock outcroppings, and dense plantings."

We climbed rocks!



It was a lot of fun to follow random paths and play rock/paper/scissors to pick which way to go when faced with a choice.

My second favorite part was the Reservoir, which is slightly elevated and provided a decent breeze.



This view is looking westward.

Happy Friday!

>246 katiekrug: The first picture you would never guess that's a park in the middle of the city! Quite neat. Glad you had fun :)

>248 katiekrug: - Happy Friday, Anita!

It's a wonderful place to feel like you've escaped the city :)

Morning, all. Had a nice virtual happy hour last night and then crashed after the long day. I am planning a VERY quiet Friday (after our training session at the gym this morning). Wimbledon, reading (I'm almost done with a book!), and frozen Indian food from Trader Joe's for dinner.

Have a lovely Friday, Katie! *smooch*

Happy Friday, Katie! I'm a little jealous of your Wimbledon watching of what looks to be a fantastic semi! I was sorry to see Nadal had to retire before playing Kyrgios. But I'm very excited for the women's final tomorrow.

>250 richardderus: - *smooch back*

>251 bell7: - I loathe Kyrigos with the power of a thousand suns, so you can probably imagine my reaction to him getting a pass into the finals.

I'm a Halep fan, so will watch the women's final just for the heck of it. I'm "rooting" for Jabeur, but don't actually care. If Norrie goes out today, I probably won't bother to watch the men's final since I dislike Djokovich, too.

Wow - I sound grumpy!

>252 katiekrug: Ha! You do sound grumpy, but I understand. If it's Djokovic/Kyrgios, I might skim the DVR of it while reading instead of caring all that much. I don't like Kyrgios personally, but his matches can still manage to be entertaining sometimes. He actually has a winning record against Djokovic (2-0), which I *think* makes him the only active player to do so, and has been quoted as saying, "No matter how many Majors Novak wins, he will never be the greatest to me. I played against him twice, and if he can't beat me, you are not the greatest of all time." I found that the other day, and it made me laugh.

Hi Katie!

>245 katiekrug: I guess I didn’t realize you were utilizing a public charging station – in my ignorance I envisioned you charging your hybrid at home. Do you have to pay to use charging stations?

>252 katiekrug: I’m not a Nadal fan but was sorry to read that he had to retire because of an abdominal muscle tear. It must have been agony to play at all the last week. Bill and I won’t watch any of it regardless, but if Djokovic loses I’ll be happy to read the headlines. ABD -anybody but Djokovic.

>253 bell7: - I saw Kyrigos play at the US Open one year and he was a jerk. He's always a jerk. There is no reason he needs to be a jerk, and he just is. Ugh.

>254 karenmarie: - Welp, something's getting lost in translation here, Karen. We do charge it at home. But we aren't supposed to be parking in our driveway because of the street work being done, thus the "sneak."

If Djokovich plays Kyrigos, I'll just pray for a giant sinkhold to open up on Center Court and swallow them both.

Okay, I finally got it. Sorry for the confusion and my ignorance.

So you're not going to the Men's Final? *smile*

>256 karenmarie: - I only want the sinkhole to take out the players, not the attendees, so if I could go, I would, so I could cheer for the sinkhole. Ha!

I was going to forego the new Netflix adaptation after seeing the trailer, but my BFF has convinced me that we should hate-watch it together.

This article articulates the FEELINGS (Hi Micky!) I had after seeing the trailer.

>258 katiekrug: I'm not sure what Netflix adaptation you're talking about, but hate-watching with a BFF sounds like fun. The link only takes me back to the top of your thread, fyi.

>259 rosalita: - The adaptation has Dakota Johnson, which was strike 1 against it, as far as I'm concerned. I believe it drops next week.

Thanks for the heads-up about the link.

This should work: https://decider.com/2022/07/06/persuasion-on-netflix-jane-austen-fans-are-mad/?u...

>260 katiekrug: Ah, Persuasion! That's the one Austen I haven't yet read. I should get to that sometime soon (she said about every book ever).

Oh, derp. I didn't realize I hadn't mentioned the title 😜

>258 katiekrug: That's a fair assessment. I'm holding out hope it's better than the trailer makes it appear but it's a slim hope. But anything Austen-related I'll watch at least once. :)

So not a Katie friendly Wimbledon final lineup then.
I've not seen a lot of the tennis this year.

>261 rosalita: interesting article. I love the novel, so I may have to pass on this one.

Hi Katie, just catching up here. Sounds like you had a great 4th of July, it was also our Canada Day weekend but there were very few firework displays - I guess they are still trying to keep people from gathering in large crowds.

Just opened the news and see that Musk is terminating his purchase -- congratulations to TW and all others threatened! I wonder if he ever really was going to do it (he's such a con you never know).

>263 MickyFine: - "Watch," "hate watch" - the end result is the same :) We'll have to discuss!

>264 Helenliz: - Nope, guess I'll get some time back this weekend! I'll probably keep an eye on both finals, but I'm not going to plant myself in front of the TV like I might have if I really cared.

>265 lauralkeet: - I'll let you know if it's at least worth hate-watching...

>266 DeltaQueen50: - Yeah, I guess we've given up on limiting large gatherings :-/ Every single town, including ours, did fireworks this year, plus there was the county-sponsored one that we went to. Plus concerts every weekend now through the summer in the various parks...

>267 RebaRelishesReading: - It'll be interesting to see what Twitter does, as legal opinion seems to agree that they have a strong case for forcing Musk to go through with it, and thus securing the price agreed to, which is significantly higher than what it is trading at right now. And even if they don't do that, Musk seems unlikely to just give in and pay the $1 billion "out" fee that's in the agreement, so either way, I think there will be a legal battle.

Some bits from Flying Solo that I enjoyed. I finished the book a little while ago.

"Wolf of Wall Street?" he asked, with all the humility of a man growing intellectually aroused by the experience of being right about Fight Club.

----

He sighed. "I can't wait to see her."

"You've been gone like three days," Laurie said.

... "If you're surprised that I'm excited to see Lisa after four days, then I'm glad you didn't marry Chris. Because you deserve to miss the hell out of somebody after four days, and you deserve to have them miss you too."

---

The first is the sort of humor I love in a novel, and the second is - to me - what it means to love and be loved.

>260 katiekrug: The description of Persuasion sounds awful, like it misses the whole point. I'm with you re: the men's tennis. A sinkhole? Maybe they'll both get terrible injuries that will cause them to retire from tennis? Are we terrible people?

>270 BLBera: - Snork! We are not terrible. At least, I don't think so....

Good glorious morning, friends! It's beautiful here - sunny and clear and not at all humid. It's going to warm up a bit, so I might try to take a walk this morning.

Not much on the agenda - some cleaning and some tidying. TW is planning to work much of the day, and then we are going for a tour and tasting at an artisan distillery in Newark. And we might stop by the famous (at least locally) Krug's Tavern to see if they'll give us free drinks because maybe we are related? Ha. They are supposed to have the greatest burgers in northern NJ, so that might be dinner.

Last night we went out for pizza and drinks and watched the Yankees beat the Red Sox again. Lovely night all around :)

Happy Saturday, Katie.

>260 katiekrug: I just looked at the article and trailer. While I like that Bridgerton has taken a very whimsical view of the Regency period and the books by Julia Quinn, I do not like what I saw on the trailer of Persuasion. Hard pass, although I'm thinking of re-reading the book.

>272 katiekrug: Have a lovely, relaxing day!

Delaware's Court of Chancery hooo-ooo-oooooo! How much will this cost, one wonders, that could've been spent on the actual workers.

>273 karenmarie: - Happy Saturday back at you, Karen.

Persuasion is always worth a read (or re-read). It's my favorite Austen.

>274 richardderus: - I said to TW they should just demand the $1 billion and distribute it among the employees, but obviously that would just trigger a shareholder lawsuit.

>275 katiekrug: ...which is why the employees should *always* be collective shareholders...

I've exhausted my understanding of the whole thing, so... 🤷‍♀️

New thread!

https://www.librarything.com/topic/342824#