Klobrien2 Karen O Books and Life in 2024 - Part 3

This is my dear, sweet gone-to-heaven husband Art. I miss him so incredibly much. I'm not ready to take his picture from my thread...he might be there for a long time!

Welcome to my third 2024 “Books and Life” thread!

I've been with the 75-bookers for many years now, and I enjoy so much the camaraderie and book talk that happens here. I'm very glad to join with you all again!

The year 2023 was my annus horribilus; I lost my husband (the love of my life) at the end of March, and had scary health concerns in November. But through it all, reading has been an anchor and a beacon for my life. This Library Thing group has provided me a safe and loving place to be.

I’ve had great reading in 2023. I find myself reading pretty much as the spirit leads. I participate in the American Author Challenge, and plan to continue with them. A long-term project of mine is to accomplish reads from the "1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die" book, so that may guide my reading a little. Current 1001 Books count: 215.

What directs my reading more are my friends here on LT, so keep those recommendations coming!

This is my fifteenth year participating in the 75 Books Challenge. In 2009, I read 94 books; in 2010, I made it to 148!; 153 in 2011; 160 in 2012; 114 in 2013; 92 in 2014; 109 in 2015; 145 in 2016, 210 in 2017, 200 in 2018, 180 in 2019, 225 (3 x 75!) in 2020, 242 in 2021, 286 in 2022, 230 in 2023.

In addition to reading books, I've also discovered the world of Great Courses DVD lifelong learning courses. I love them! Below is a list of the courses I've completed, and I will try to always have at least one course going all the time.

A list of the Great Courses I have done can be found here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/331920

I've also begun some serious magazine reading, using my public library as source once again. I keep track of and read some fifteen magazines, on a range of topics: science, quilting, nature, birding, cats, news, etc.

I read two daily newspapers (St. Paul Pioneer Press and the Minneapolis Star Tribune), and I also read a lot of daily newsletters from the NYTimes.

Here's where I'll list the books I read (the number at the end of each line represents the post number where I listed the book).

MY FIRST THREAD:

The books I read in January:

1. Traveling Light: Poem by Linda Pastan
2. A Dog Runs Through It by Linda Pastan
3. An American Story by Kwame Alexander, art by Dare Coulter
4. There Was a Party for Langston by Jason Reynolds, art by Jerome Pumphrey and Jarrett Pumphrey
5. A Walk in the Woods by Nikki Grimes, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney and Brian Pickney
6. The Witches' Tree (Agatha Raisin #28) by M. C. Beaton
7. The Dead Ringer (Agatha Raisin #28) by M. C. Beaton
8. You Nest Here With Me by Jane Yolen and Heidi E. Y Stemple, ill. Melissa Sweet
9. The Iridescence of Birds: A Book About Henri Matisse by Patricia MacLachlan, ill. Hadley Hooper
10. Cat Kid Comic Club Influencers (Cat Kid Comic Club #5) by Dav Pilkey
11. The Silkworm (Cormoran Strike #2) by Robert Galbraith
12. My Everyday Lagos: Nigerian Cooking at Home and in the Diaspora by Yewande Kololafe
13. The Little Match Girl Strikes Back by Emma Carroll, illuminated by Lauren Childs
14. Dinner in One: Exceptional and Easy One-Pan Meals by Melissa Clark
15. Beating About the Bush by M. C. Beaton
16. Mary Who Wrote Frankenstein by Linda Bailey, ill. Julia Sarda
17. Christmas Tapestry by Patricia Polacco
18. Coyote's Wild Home by Lily Kingsolver and Barbara Kingsolver, painted by Paul Mirocha
19. In the Dark by Kate Hoefler, art by Corinna Luyken
20. Just One Little Light by Kat Yeh, ill. Isabelle Arsenault
21. Welcome Comfort by Patricia Polacco
22. Zilot & Other Rhymes by Bob Odenkirk, ill. Erin Odenkirk
23. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, ill. Grahame Baker-Smith
24. She-Hulk Vol. 3: Girl Can't Help It by Rainbow Rowell
25. Collected Poems by Jane Kenyon
26. Without: Poems by Donald Hill
27. Watership Down: The Graphic Novel by Richard Adams, adapted and illustrated by James Sturn and Joe Sutphin
28. Eve's Diary (short story) by Mark Twain
29. Banned Books, Burned Books: Forbidden Literary Works (DVD Great Course) by Maureen Corrigan
30. The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf, ill. Robert Lawson
31. Once I Ate a Pie by Patricia MacLachlan and Emily MacLachlan Charest, ill. Katy Schneider
32. When Grandfather Flew by Patricia MacLachlan, ill. Chris Sheban
33. Grief Is An Elephant by Tamara Ellis Smith, and Nancy Whiteside
34. Homeland of My Body: New & Selected Poems by Richard Blanco

The books I read in February:

35. Murder Most Royal (Her Majesty the Queen Investigates #3) by S. J. Bennett
36. My Indigo World by Rosa Sung Ji Chang
37. How to Catch a Star by Oliver Jeffers
38. How to Heal a Broken Wing by Bob Graham
39. A Good Cry: What We Learn from Tears and Laughter by Nikki Giovanni
40. Prince in Comics by Tony Laurenco, 16 illustrators
41. This Country: Searching for Home in (Very) Rural America by Navied Mahdavian

MY SECOND THREAD:

42. Hot to Trot (Agatha Raisin #31) by M. C. Beaton with R. W. Green
43. Three Men Out (Nero Wolfe #23) by Rex Stout
44. When I Was Your Age: Life Lessons, Funny Stories & Questionable Parenting Advice From a Professional Clown by Kenan Thompson
45. Sloth Slept On by Frann Preston-Gannon
46. Giraffes Can't Dance by Giles Andraea, ill. Guy Parker-Rees
47. Knight Owl by Christopher Denise
48. Ironheart Vol. !: Those With Courage
49. Cooking My Way: Recipes and Techniques for Economical Cooking by Jacques Pepin
50. So Late in the Day: Stories of Women and Men by Claire Keegan
51. Ancient Writing and the History of the Alphabet (Great Course) by John McWhorter
52. The Tucci Table: Cooking With Family and Friends by Stanley Tucci and Felicity Blunt
53. Down the Hatch (Agatha Raisin #32) by M. C. Beaton
54. Open Throat: A Novel by Henry Hoke
55. I Wonder If I'll See a Whale by Francis Ward Weller, ill. Ted Lewin
56. Little Red Riding Hood, adapted from The Brothers Grimm by Gennady Spirin
57. Ironheart, Vol. 2: Ten Rings by Eve L. Ewing
58. Ironheart: Riri Williams by Brian Michael Bendis
59. Artificial: A Love Story by Amy Kurzweil
60. Orbital: A Novel by Samantha Harvey
61. My Friend Earth by Patricia MacLachlan, ill. Francesca Sanna
62. The Diaries of Adam and Eve and Other Stories by Mark Twain
63. Electric Arches by Eve L. Ewing
64. Dream Within a Dream by Patricia MacLachlan
65. The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of the Whole Stupid World by Matt Kracht
66. The Moon's Almost Here by Patricia MacLachlan, ill. Tomie de Paola
67. Before She Was Harriet by Leea Cline-Ransome, ill. James E. Ransome
68. Snowflakes Fall by Patricia MacLachlan, ill. Steven Kellogg
69. The Journey by Francesca Sanna
70. The Tale of Tsar Saltan by Alexander Pushkin, paintings by Gennady Spirin
71. Before You Came by Patricia MacLachlan and Emily MacLachlan Charest, ill David Diaz

The books I read in March:

72. Through Grandpa's Eyes by Patricia MacLachlan, pictures by Deborah Ray
73. My Father's Words by Patricia MacLachlan
74. Devil's Delight by M. C. Beaton and R. W. Green
75. Classic Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen, adapted by Valeria Manferto, ill. Francesca Rossi
76. Zin! Zin! Zin!: A Violin by Lloyd Moss, ill. Marjorie Priceman
77. I Am Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Brad Meltzer, ill. Christopher Eliopoulos
78. Wildful by Kengo Kurimoto
79. All the Places to Love by Patricia MacLachlan, paintings by Mike Wimmer
80. Snow White and Rose Red by Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm, trans. May Sellars, ill. Gennady Spirin

MY THIRD THREAD:

81. The Graveyard Book Graphic Novel, Vol. 2 by Neil Gaiman, graphic adaptation by P. Craig Russell, various illustrators -- 28
82. The Middle Ages Around the World (Great Course) by Joyce E. Salisbury -- 41
83. Dead on Target (Agatha Raisin #34) by M. C. Beaton with R. W. Green -- 68
84. Three Names by Patricia MacLachlan, pictures by Alexander Portzoff -- 77
85. Pretty Ugly (Toon Books) by David Sedaris, ill. Ian Falconer -- 77
86. Breakfast at Tiffany's and Three Short Stories by Truman Capote -- 86
87. Guts by Raina Telgemeier -- 87
88. The Graveyard Book Graphic Novel, Vol. 2 by Neil Gaiman, adapted by P. Craig Russell various illustrators -- 88
89. Notes on Grief by Chimimanda Ngosi Adechie -- 98
90. Saga Volume 10 by Brian K. Vaughan, Fiona Staples (artist) -- 99
91. At First Spite: A Harlot's Bay Novel by Olivia Dade -- 127
92. Organizing for the Rest of Us: 100 Realistic Strategies to Keep Any House Under Control by Dana K. White -- 133
93. Corn Dance: Inspired First American Cuisine by Loretta Barrett Oden with Beth Dooley -- 134
94. Geraldine by Elizabeth Lilly -- 144
95. Cat Talk by Patricia MacLachlan and Emily MacLachlan Charest, ill. Barry Moser -- 144
96. The Sick Day by Patricia MacLachlan, ill. Jane Dyer -- 144
97. Your Moon, My Moon: A Grandmother's Words to a Faraway Child by Patricia MacLachlan, ill. Bryan Collier -- 144
98. The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate -- 156
99. Abandoned Malls of America: Crumbling Commerce Left Behind by Seph Lawless -- 159
100. Ferris by Kate DiCamillo -- 182
101. Saga, Volume 11 by Brian K. Vaughan, Fiona Staples (artist) -- 183
102. Smile by Raina Telgemeier -- 184
103. A Commonplace Book of Pie by Kate Lebo -- 185
104. Prairie Days by Patricia MacLachlan, ill. Micha Archer -- 208
105. My Poet by Patricia MacLachlan, ill. Jen Hill -- 208
106. Fly Away Home by Eve Bunting, ill. Ronald Himler -- 208
107. The Biggest Bear by Lynd Ward -- 208
108. My Elephant is Blue: A Book About Big, Heavy Feelings by Melinda Szymanik, ill. Vasanti Unka -- 208

The books I read in April:

109. The One and Only Bob by Katherine Applegate, ill. Patricia Castelao -- 239
110. Mexikid: A Graphic Memoir by Pedro Martin -- 240
111. No Cure for Being Human: (And Other Truths I Need to Hear) by Kate Bowler -- 270
112. King Arthur's Very Great Grandson by Kenneth Kraegel -- 278
113. The Clown of God: An Old Story Told and Illustrated by Tomie DePaolo -- 278
114. I Didn't Do it by Patricia MacLachlan and Emily MacLachlan Charest, ill. Katy Schneider -- 278
115. Cher Ami: Based On The World War One Legend of the Fearless Pigeon by Meliande Potter, ill. Giselle Potter -- 278
116. Ragnarok: The End of the Gods by A. S. Byatt -- 286

Here is where I'll list the authors selected for the 2024 American Authors Challenge, the books I will read, and if I complete them (here's hoping!)

JANUARY: Mark Twain -- Read Eve's Diary -- COMPLETED
FEBRUARY: Susan Sontag -- not going to read
MARCH: Truman Capote -- Breakfast at Tiffany's and Three Stories -- COMPLETED
APRIL: General Non-Fiction with host Caroline Caroline_McElwee -- Read Where the Deer and the Antelope Play by Nick Offerman and/or Better Living Through Birding by Christian Cooper
MAY: William Maxwell
JUNE: Queer Authors with host Dr. Laura Koons lycomayflower
JULY: Susan Power a/k/a Mona Susan Power
AUGUST: Jeffrey Lent
SEPTEMBER: Living American authors who were born outside the US but adopted this country as their home.
OCTOBER: Katharine Anne Porter
NOVEMBER: Jewish American Authors with host Kristel kristelh
DECEMBER: The Heartland (regional authors from the middle of the country)
WILD CARD: 2015 Redux Pick an author from the 2015 Challenge
EXTRA POINTS CHALLENGE
(Complete the challenge by reading at least one work from the author or category featured each month AND one work from the Wildcard list each month.)

My 2003 "Books Read" list (casually kept, and probably incomplete): http://librata.blogspot.com/2012/04/karens-2003-reading-list.html
My 2004 "Books Read" list (see above caveats: things get better!):
http://librata.blogspot.com/2012/04/karens-2004-reading-list.html
My 2005 "Books Read" list (most pathetic list yet): http://librata.blogspot.com/2012/04/karens-2005-reading-list.html
My 2006 "Books Read" list : http://librata.blogspot.com/2012/04/karens-2006-reading-list.htm
My 2007 "Books Read" list : http://librata.blogspot.com/2012/04/karens-2007-reading-list.html
My 2008 "Books Read" list : http://librata.blogspot.com/2012/04/karens-2008-reading-list.html
My 2009 "Books Read" list : http://librata.blogspot.com/2012/04/karens-2009-reading-list.html
My 2010 "Books Read" list : http://librata.blogspot.com/2012/04/karens-2010-reading-list.html

Here is a link to my last thread from 2011: http://www.librarything.com/topic/122919

Here is a link to my last thread from 2012: http://www.librarything.com/topic/138897

Here is a link to my last thread from 2013:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/156012

Here is a link to my thread from 2014: http://www.librarything.com/topic/163564

Here is a link to my thread from 2015: https://www.librarything.com/topic/186139

Here is a link to my thread from 2016: http://www.librarything.com/topic/211096

Here is a link to my last thread from 2017: http://www.librarything.com/topic/268142#

Here is a link to my last thread from 2018: https://www.librarything.com/topic/298557

Here is a link to my one-and-only thread from 2019: https://www.librarything.com/topic/301738

The books I've read in the first half of 2020 (115 of them) are here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/314888

The books I read in the second half of 2020 are here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/322010#

The books I read in the first half of 2021 are here:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/328372#

The books I read in the second half of 2021 are here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/333390#

The books I read in the first quarter of 2022 are here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/338204#n7791489

The books I read in April and May of 2022 are here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/340601#n7851702

The books I read in June, July, part of August of 2022 are here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/342092#

The books I read in August through part of October of 2022 are here:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/343494#n7961305

The books I read from October to the end of year are here:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/345382#

Good reading to you!

I do a weekly recap of where I am with my reading. This is my current list, from yesterday.

Friday Reading Roundup!

Because I rely on libraries so much for my reading (and do so much eBook reading), what I'm reading at any given time changes often, and changes quickly.

Karen's current reading (03/08/24):

Actively reading (or soon will be!)

Dead on Target (Agatha Raisin #34) by M. C. Beaton (R. W. Green) -- p. 58 of 242
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett -- p. 29 of 278 (mine, on Nook)
Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club by J. Ryan Stradal -- p. 81 of 253 (mine, on Nook)
The Mona Lisa Vanishes by Nicholas Day, art by Brett Helquist -- p. 15 of 276
The Puzzle Master by Danielle Trussoni -- p. 27 of 343
Ragnarok: The End of the Gods by A. S. Byatt -- p. 13 of 177
Leave Me Alone, I'm Reading: Finding and Losing Myself in Books by Maureen Corrigan -- p. 8 of 193
No Cure for Being Human by Kate Bowler -- p. 31 of 202
Organizing for the Rest of Us by Dana K. White
Danny, the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl
Notes on Grief by Chimimande Nyozi Adichie
The Perfect Passion Company by Alexander McCall Smith

Unnatural Habits (Phryne Fisher #19) by Kerry Greenwood -- p. 62 of 255
Career of Evil (Cormoran Strike #3) by Robert Galbraith -- p. 33 of 439

I'm overbooked! I don't want to lose track of these books, but I can't truly say that I am actively reading them right now:

Braiding Sweetgrass (for Rosalita)
The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger -- p. 82 of 421 (Nook)
Abide With Me by Elizabeth Strout -- p. 7 of 273
Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan -- p. 41 of 436
Crook Manifesto by Colson Whitehead -- p. 73 of 288 (Nook)
Agatha's First Case (Agatha Raisin #0.5) by M. C. Beaton (Nook)
The Adventure of the Peculiar Protocols by Nicholas Meyer -- p. 3 of 238
Marple: Twelve New Stories by assorted authors
Fairy Tale by Stephen King

I try to participate in the American Authors Challenge. In March, we are reading Truman Capote. I will read Breakfast at Tiffany's and Three Stories -- p. 14 of 142

I usually am reading/watching Great Courses. My current Great Course is:
The Middle Ages Around the World, 20 of 24 lectures read/watched.

Okay...if you can't wait, you can post now. Good to see you here!

Happy new thread Karen!

Happy new thread, Karen!

Happy new thread, Karen!

Happy new thread, Karen.

Happy new one, Karen!

Happy new thread, Karen.

Happy new one, and congrats on hitting 75!

Happy new thread Karen. And congratulations on reaching 75.

Happy new one!

Happy new thread, Karen! And already up to 80 in March! That's impressive, even with the shorter illustrated books. Congratulations!

>4 Owltherian: >5 MickyFine: >6 FAMeulstee: >7 BLBera: >8 katiekrug: >9 PaulCranswick: >10 drneutron: >11 Kristelh: >12 figsfromthistle: >13 atozgrl: Thank you all so much for the warm welcome! It’s very sweet!

You are very welcome Karen.

I started my “Norman Jewison Film Fest” tonight!

Jewison, who recently passed away, was prolific, and directed a lot of my favorite movies. Here’s a mostly-complete list of his oeuvre (how do you like that cinema-speak?!) Jewison did a lot of TV, and I’ve omitted those shows. The films I’ve seen are in bold. I’ll be rewatching!

“Forty Pounds of Trouble” was one of my favorite movies when I was a kid, and I still loved it. Tony Curtis, Suzanne Pleshette, Larry Storch, Phil Silvers…these people were important to me in my kidhood! This was the first movie to film at Disneyland!

The Fabulous Fifties (1960) 7.5 on IMDB (unavailable?)
40 Pounds of Trouble (1962) (6.3)
The Thrill of It All (1963) (6.9)
Send Me No Flowers (1964) (6.9)
The Art of Love (1965) (6.1)
The Cincinnati Kid (1965) (7.2)
The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming! (1966) (7.0)
In the Heat of the Night (1967) (7.9)
The Thomas Crown Affair (1968) (6.9)
Gaily, Gaily (1969) (5.3–might skip this one)
Fiddler on the Roof (1971) (8.0)
Jesus Christ Superstar (1973) (7.3)
Rollerball (1975) (6.5)
F.I.S.T. (1978) (6.1)
And Justice For All (1979) (7.4)
Best Friends (1982) (5.5–skip?)
A Soldier’s Story (1984) (7.2)
Agnes of God (1985) (6.6)
Moonstruck (1987) (7.2)
In Country (1989) (5.9)
Other People’s Money (1991) (6.2)
Only You (1994) (6.5)
Bogus (1996) (5.3–skip?)
The Hurricane (1999) (7.6)
The Statement (2003) (6.2)

Happy New Thread, Karen. I see no need for you to ever take your beloved husband off your thread, unless you decide to do so. It's a great picture and a lovely reminder for you. My mom has a picture of my dad at the window by the kitchen sink , and other places in the house. He passed away from cancer at the age of 65, which is now 17 years ago.

Congratulations on hitting 75 books so soon.

Happy new thread, Karen and belated congratulation for hitting the magic 75 so fast!
>16 klobrien2: I know a few of the movies and liked them very much.
As >17 vancouverdeb: said, if it's good for you, it's good. He and his picture is a part of you and of course a part of your thread.

>17 vancouverdeb: Thank you for your words of encouragement! Art’s picture is my screensaver, and I have a framed portrait in the living room. I’m sorry about your Dad—cancer is horrible.

Hitting 75 was made a lot easier with the tons of quick reads I’ve been doing! Like they say, “be that as it may,” a book is a book.

>18 SirThomas: Thanks! And thank you for stopping by to chat!

Today: Puzzles and papers and LT (the everyday things). Mobility exercises. Adulting admin stuff. “Went” to online church, so that’s why I’m later coming here. I’ve got tons of reading to do!

Books I read yesterday: : The Graveyard Book Graphic Novel, Vol. 1 by Neil Gaiman—finished, and I’ve requested Vol. 2. I loved the original, and this graphic adaptation is so good! Also read from Ragnarok: The End of the Gods by A.S. Byatt—also very good.

Magazines:

Great Course: The Middle Ages Around the World:

Grief reading

Watching: “Norman Jewison Film Fest!”: “Forty Pounds of Trouble”

Listening:

Wordle 995 4/6 irate, gravy, graph, grasp

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Etymonline.com: grasp (v.)
mid-14c., "to reach, grope, feel around," possibly a metathesis of grapsen, from Old English *græpsan "to touch, feel," from Proto-Germanic *grap-, *grab- (source also of East Frisian grapsen "to grasp," Middle Dutch grapen "to seize, grasp," Old English grapian "to touch, feel, grope"), from PIE root *ghrebh- (1) "to seize, reach" (see grab (v.)). With verb-formative -s- as in cleanse. Sense of "seize" first recorded mid-16c. Transitive use by 17c. Figurative use from c. 1600; of intellectual matters from 1680s. Related: Grasped; grasping.
also from mid-14c.
grasp (n.)
1560s, "a handle," from grasp (v.). As "act of grasping" from c. 1600; also "power of grasping." Meaning "power of intellect" is from 1680s.

Hey Karen, how are ya? I hope your better than me, crying for a very stupid reason.

Connections —Got the purple connection early!

Puzzle #273
🟨🟨🟨🟨 things a dog can fetch (ball, bone, frisbee, stick)
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🟩🟩🟩🟩 conceal (block, cover, hide, obscure)
🟪🟪🟪🟪 experience a memory lapse (blank, flake, forget, space)
🟦🟦🟦🟦 Mac keyboard keys (command, control, option, shift)

Happy Sunday, Karen. Happy New Thread. Congrats on hitting 75 so quickly! Glad to hear you enjoyed "Poker Face" and are enjoying "The Feud". I may check that one out. I may also join you on a couple of Jewison films. He wasn't a big favorite of mine but did like a few of his films. Moonstruck might be my favorite.

>25 msf59: Moonstruck is great!

I hope to get to Thrill of It All this evening.

Happy Sunday!

Strands #7
“Sounds good to me”
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81. The Graveyard Book Graphic Novel, Vol. 1 by Neil Gaiman, Graphic adaptation by P. Craig Russell, various illustrator



I loved the original The Graveyard Book, so I was thrilled to see this graphic adaptation. And the graphic doesn't disappoint.

Nobody (Bod for short) is a human, living baby who escapes the killer who murdered the rest of his family. He somehow finds himself in a graveyard, and the resident ghosts band together to take care of him. It was reminiscent to me of Lincoln in the Bardo in that way.

Beautiful drawing! Some absolutely perfect facial illustrations of the baby Bod. The story is sad, funny, thrilling... this is a good graphic novel for the YA crowd and above.

I am so anxious to get Volume 2. I see that there is a "all-in-one-volume" edition, but that would be a little chunky for my wrists. So I must be patient!

I tried Strands for the first time last night, and it was fun! I think I read about it on your thread , Karen . Here is my result , I’m not sure if it is good or bad, but at least I figured out how to play. Strands #7
“Sounds good to me”
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>29 vancouverdeb: It looks very good to me! I read this as: you earned snd used a clue, then got five of the words, then you earned and used used another clue, got another word, earned and used another clue, then you got the solution (I forget what they call it). Good job!

My “Norman Jewison Film Fest” contnues:

Jewison, who recently passed away, was prolific, and directed a lot of my favorite movies. Here’s a mostly-complete list of his oeuvre (how do you like that cinema-speak?!) Jewison did a lot of TV, and I’ve omitted those shows. The films I’ve seen are in bold. I’ll be rewatching!



The Thrill of It All: This one was new to me. Generally fine, with writing by Carl Reiner and Larry Gelbart (how can you beat that?) I loved James Garner and Doris Day and two of the cutest kid actors I’ve ever seen. Lots of familiar character actors from the time (1963). Arlene Francis played an expectant mother? (She was 56 at the time. They never did show her “pregnancy”; just showed her from the shoulders up and all radiant.) Conflict over the new career of the wife, as a soap company spokesperson. I wasn’t entirely happy with the resolution, but it was a fun movie to watch.

The Fabulous Fifties (1960) 7.5 on IMDB (unavailable?)
40 Pounds of Trouble (1962) (6.3)
The Thrill of It All (1963) (6.9)
Send Me No Flowers (1964) (6.9)
The Art of Love (1965) (6.1) (DVD)
The Cincinnati Kid (1965) (7.2) (Tubi)
The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming! (1966) (7.0) (Tubi, Pluto)
In the Heat of the Night (1967) (7.9)
The Thomas Crown Affair (1968) (6.9)
Gaily, Gaily (1969) (5.3–might skip this one)
Fiddler on the Roof (1971) (8.0)
Jesus Christ Superstar (1973) (7.3)
Rollerball (1975) (6.5)
F.I.S.T. (1978) (6.1)
And Justice For All (1979) (7.4)
Best Friends (1982) (5.5–skip?)
A Soldier’s Story (1984) (7.2)
Agnes of God (1985) (6.6)
Moonstruck (1987) (7.2)
In Country (1989) (5.9)
Other People’s Money (1991) (6.2)
Only You (1994) (6.5)
Bogus (1996) (5.3–skip?)
The Hurricane (1999) (7.6)
The Statement (2003) (6.2–might skip, but it was his last movie)

>31 klobrien2: The pool scene!

>32 ReneeMarie: Really hilarious! And the soap suds!

Have an awesome Monday (it is possible)!

Today: Puzzles and papers and LT (the everyday things). Mobility exercises. Adulting admin stuff.

Books I read yesterday: Ragnarok: The End of the Gods by A.S. Byatt, Dead on Target by M. C Beaton

Magazines:

Great Course: The Middle Ages Around the World: Read: 21. Late Medieval Disasters: Climate and Plague, 22. Religious Struggles in the Age of Faith.

Grief reading

Watching: “Norman Jewison Film Fest!”: The Thrill of It All (1963)

Listening: Live Aid disc 3 (Madonna, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, REO Speedwagon, Crosby, Stills, and Nash, The Cars, Neil Young, Eric Clapton, Phil Collins)

Wordle 996 4/6 irate, sheen, messy, pesky

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⬜🟧🟧⬜🟧
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

Etymonline.com: pesky (adj.)
"troublesome, annoying," 1775, originally in New England dialect, perhaps a dialectal formation from pest (OED compares plaguy "confounded, annoying, disagreeable"). Partridge suggests an origin in Essex dialect. Sometimes in American-English colloquial use a mere intensive, "excessively." Related: Peskily.
also from 1775
Entries linking to pesky

pest (n.)
1550s (in imprecations, "a pest upon ____," etc.), "plague, pestilence, epidemic disease," from French peste (1530s), from Latin pestis "deadly contagious disease; a curse, bane," a word of uncertain origin. Meaning "any noxious, destructive, or troublesome person or thing" is attested by c. 1600. Pest-house "hospital for persons suffering from infectious diseases" is from 1610s.

Strands #8
“To put it mildly”
🔵🔵🔵💡
🔵🔵🟡🔵
🔵

>36 klobrien2:, I had to use 3 hints today. Not as good as yesterday but yesterday was easier.

>33 klobrien2: I just worked 5 days, so today's Saturday for me. Grocery delivery & a library trip, but no. Other. Plans. And the grocery is already here. 😊

You have a great day, too.

New-thread orisons, Karen O.

Thank you, dear Richard!

82. The Middle Ages Around the World (Great Course) by Joyce E. Salisbury



Loved this course! Very well-laid out and presented. Joyce Salisbury is a great scholar and excellent speaker. I really liked the around-the-world aspect of the course. 24 lectures of 30 minutes each.

Today: Puzzles and papers and LT (the everyday things). Mobility exercises. Adulting admin stuff.

Books I read yesterday: Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Three Other Stories, Dead on Target by M. C Beaton

Magazines:

Great Course: The Middle Ages Around the World: Watched 21. Late Medieval Disasters: Climate and Plague, 22. Religious Struggles in the Age of Faith. Read and watched 23. Medieval Warfare Ends with Gunpowder, and 24. Medieval Empires Fall as Islam Revives. Done with the course!

Grief reading

Watching: Abbott Elementary 3.6. Watched the State of the Union, and the Republican response. I think I’ll watch SNL today to see the reaction.

Listening: Live Aid disc 4 (Hall and Oates, Mick Jagger, Tina Turner, INXS, big finale “We Are the World,” documentary). I really enjoyed my Live Aid rewatch!

Wordle 997 4/6 irate, glade, shame, heave

⬜⬜🟧⬜🟧
⬜⬜🟧⬜🟧
⬜🟦🟧⬜🟧
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

Etymonline.com: heave (v.)
Old English hebban "to lift, raise; lift up, exalt" (class VI strong verb; past tense hof, past participle hafen), from Proto-Germanic *hafjan (source also of Old Norse hefja, Dutch heffen, German heben, Gothic hafjan "to lift, raise"), from PIE *kap-yo-, from root *kap- "to grasp." The sense evolution would be "to take, take hold of," thence "lift."
Related to have (Old English habban "to hold, possess"). Meaning "to throw" is from 1590s. Nautical meaning "haul or pull" in any direction is from 1620s. Intransitive use from early 14c. as "be raised or forced up;" 1610s as "rise and fall with alternate motion." Sense of "retch, make an effort to vomit" is first attested c. 1600. Related: Heaved; heaving. Nautical heave-ho was a chant in lifting (c. 1300, hevelow).
heave (n.)
1570s, from heave (v.). Meaning "a dismissal" is from 1944.

Connections
Puzzle #275
🟨🟨🟨🟨 section (class, division, rank, tier)
🟩🟩🟩🟩 including (also, and, plus, with)
🟦🟦🟦🟦 dog breeds, informally (boston, golden, lab, pit)
🟪🟪🟪🟪 famous poems (daddy, harlem, howl, if)

Strands #9
“Ruler’s decree”
💡🔵💡🔵
🔵🔵🟡🔵
🔵🔵

>41 klobrien2: Requested from the library...sounds like a great story! *smooch*

>44 richardderus: Yes? Great! I hope you like it!

>43 klobrien2: Oh, no, now you've got me doing Strands, as well. I already do Quordle, Waffle, Worldle, Connections, and Mahjongg (from the AARP site), plus a print crossword and fill-in daily. Then my favorite, Squaredle.

I used to do more, but I cut out Wordle, Globle, Spelling Bee and Blossom. And I used to play Mahjongg until I won, but now it's two, max.

For my first time: one hint, 3 words, spangram, & the rest of the words. It reminds me a bit of Squaredle.

I do Spelling Bee and the NYT Crossword and Mini-crossword daily as well. My local paper offers Jumble and Seven Little Words and I do those daily. What else…an online jigsaw puzzle and an online game called Wordscapes (there is a tournament on the weekend). I think that’s it! (hehe) I love puzzles.

Except for Sodoku—I haven’t ever gotten good at that and didn’t like it the times I’ve played. Art was pretty good at it.

I’ll for Squaredle, just to see what it is.

Happy puzzling!

P.s. I’d say your first Strands game went really well! My goal is to complete it without having to take any hints!

>47 klobrien2: I avoid sudoku like the plague.

And beware: Squaredle is so addictive that I can't wait for it to be 5am for the next puzzle to drop. They have a regular and an express version daily. And they have special puzzles, too. An express may contain as few as 20 words. A special could have as many as 799.

>1 klobrien2: Happy new thread!

>49 ocgreg34: Thanks, Greg! Great to see you here!

I love sudoku and do one every morning. I have an app that has a daily sudoku. So when I am done, I’m done.

Happy Wednesday, Karen. I just watched Modern Times. Another Chaplin masterpiece and the Little Tramp's last appearance. Are you a fan of him?

I am listening to The Blasters, "American Music". If you are in mind for some rockabilly, this is a gem. A nice change of pace.

>51 Kristelh: I admire people who can do Sudoku and who really like them. I got to the point where I could solve simple ones, but it provided me little joy. I might try again sometime, but I really have no desire to. 8>)

>52 msf59: Thanks for the reccie’s, Mark! I might check out both of them. Later: Is that “American Music” the “High Tone Records Story” compilation? I found a couple more by The Blasters at my library. I’ll do a listen!

Thank you both for visiting! Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Today: Puzzles and papers and LT (the everyday things). Mobility exercises. Adulting admin stuff. Grocery list.

Books I read yesterday: Dead on Target by M. C Beaton

Magazines: Rolling Stone (March), Quilting Arts (Spring 2024)

Great Course:

Grief reading

Watching: Saturday’s SNL (Scarlet Johannson nailed it!), “Bob ❤️ Abishola” 5.6, Lewis 1.1 (I think I’m going to like this series!

Listening:

Wordle 998 4/6 I struggled with this one! irate, among, havoc, local

⬜⬜🟦⬜⬜
🟦⬜🟦⬜⬜
⬜🟦⬜🟦🟦
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

Etymonline.com: local (adj.)
late 14c., "pertaining to position," originally medical: "confined to a particular part of the body;" from Old French local "local" (13c.) and directly from Late Latin localis "pertaining to a place," from Latin locus "a place, spot" (see locus).
The meaning "limited to a particular place" is from c. 1500. Local color is from 1721, originally a term in painting; the meaning "anything picturesque" is from c. 1900. Local option (1868, American English) is from the prohibition movement: "the right of a community to vote on whether to allow the sale of intoxicating liquor there." Local talent "attractive women thereabouts" is from 1947 in UK slang; earlier it was used in reference to entertainment acts in shows, radio broadcast, etc.
Thus, with the local talent, we have many factors which help "sell" is in quantities far beyond what the commercial market would carry. Pride in children, interest in relatives and friends, and pride in locality all give impetus to the development of home talent. Horace Boies Hawthorn, "The Sociology of Rural Life," 1926
also from late 14c.
local (n.)
early 15c., "a medicament applied to a particular part of the body," from local (adj.). The Old French adjective also was used as a noun, "place, position." Meaning "inhabitant of a particular locality" is from 1825. The meaning "local item in a newspaper" is from 1869; that of "a local train" is from 1879; "local branch of a trade union" is from 1888; "neighborhood pub" is from 1934.

Connections
Puzzle #276
🟩🟩🟩🟩 plants with similar flavors (anise, fennel, licorice, tarragon)
🟪🟪🟪🟪 gemstone cuts (baguette, emerald, princess, radiant)
🟦🟦🟦🟦 food slang for head (bean, melon, noodle, nut)
🟨🟨🟨🟨 Halloween purchases (candy, costume, decorations, pumpkin)

Strands #10
“One thousand followers”
💡🔵🔵🔵
🔵💡🔵💡
🔵🟡🔵

>55 klobrien2: I was purple, green, yellow, blue today, & no mistakes. And I feel better, because my Strands looked like yours today.

>56 ReneeMarie: Yes, I thought the purple Connection was really easy today. You just never know how what you know/how you’re feeling/what your experiences have been will affect the solving. It’s definitely more fun to play when I can solve it!

Thanks for stopping by!

Wow, so many puzzles you all do. I always wanted to do puzzles, but I lack the long-term interest. I just read, I guess. 🤷‍♀️

>58 The_Hibernator: For me, some of it's brain health. I don't really like crossword puzzles, e.g. Worldle is because I never took a geography class. The rest are for health and enjoyment.

>58 The_Hibernator: For me, too, it’s brain health and agility (besides having a lot of fun). Everyone likes different things—I love crosswords (ReneeMarie, you don’t like crosswords?) I don’t like sudoku.

When I was in the hospital in November, I had mental confusion and fog with the kidney trouble. I was so afraid my puzzling days were over. The relief I felt when I got my first Wordle after that? Immense. Now I look at every puzzle solve as a gift from God.

And I still cherish my reading time. I read…everything. Although I’m avoiding anything too serious or hefty. I had a crappy year, so I’ll baby myself a little.

Interesting comments! Rachel, great to see you here, and fine to have reneemarie here! Good puzzling to you!

>60 klobrien2: No, I don't enjoy crosswords. It's almost like you need to know the code (or another language) to figure them out.

In school I got good math grades, but without liking it & without any intuitive understanding. So Sudoku, bleccch. (What I can't explain is why I loooved balancing chemical equations in high school chemistry.)

>53 klobrien2: "American Music" is the name of The Blasters LP. If you listen to any collection of their music, it will give you an idea of their sound.

>62 msf59: The Blasters pickings at my libraries is a little thin—I’ve got “The Blasters Live-1986” and the High Tone Records “American Music” that I mentioned, requested. I think I’ll try ILL for the other. Thanks again!

P.s. I’ve got a Bjork CD coming to me today!

P.p.s. And an ILL Blasters is on its way

Today: Puzzles and papers and LT (the everyday things). Mobility exercises. Adulting admin stuff. Order groceries.

Books I read yesterday: Dead on Target by M. C Beaton—finished. Mona Lisa Vanishes, Attachments

Magazines: The Week (3/8), New Yorker (3/18)

Great Course: I’ll have my new course with me today—Post-Impressionism: The Beginnings of Modern Art

Grief reading

Watching: Night Court 2.11, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters 1.10. Last episode, we liked it! We’re assuming there will be a second season (all that high-value Monster footage).

Listening:

Good, old four again!

Wordle 999 4/6 irate, clime, niche, since

🟦⬜⬜⬜🟧
🟦⬜🟦⬜🟧
🟦🟧🟦⬜🟧
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

Etymonline.com: since (adv., prep., conj.)
early 15c., synnes, sinnes, a contraction of sithenes "since," from sithen (with adverbial genitive -es), from Old English siððan "afterward, from now on, hereafter, further, later, as soon as, after that," originally sið ðan "after that," from sið "after" (see sith) + ðan, weakened form of ðam, dative of ðæt (see that).
It was used from late 14c. as a conjunction, "from the time when, during the time after." As a preposition, "ever, from the time of," from 1510s; "from the time when," hence "as a consequence of the fact that." The modern spelling replaced syns, synnes 16c. to indicate a voiceless final -s- sound. The meaning "before now, ago," with some specifying word or phrase (long since, etc.) is from late 15c. Since when?, often expressing incredulity, is attested from 1907.
also from early 15c.
Entries linking to since

sith (adv., conj., prep.)
a once-common, now obsolete word for "since," Middle English sitthen (conj.), sitthe (prep., adv.), reduced from Old English siððan (Mercian seoððan, Northubrian seoðan) "then, thereupon; continuously, during which; seeing that," a comparative adverb from *sið þon "subsequent to that," from sið "after," from Proto-Germanic *sith- "later, after" (source also of Old Saxon sith "after that, since, later," German seit "since," Gothic seiþus "late"), from PIE *se- (2) "long, late" (see soiree). For second element, see then. Compare since and also German seit dem.

Connections
Puzzle #277
🟩🟩🟩🟩 volleyball moves (bump, serve, set, spike)
🟨🟨🟨🟨 box office victory (hit, smash, success, winner)
🟪🟪🟪🟪 ____-o (daddy, day, jackie, jell)
🟦🟦🟦🟦 homophones of greek letters (moo, new, pi, row)

Just one hint used today!

Strands #11
“Get animated”
🔵🔵🔵💡
🔵🔵🟡🔵

>65 klobrien2: I got green first today, & blue before purple: I tried to teach myself the Greek alphabet when I was a kid.

And I scored my first perfect(!) on Strands. Woohoo!

Have you tried Squaredle yet?

>66 ReneeMarie: Congrats on the puzzling! I looked at Squaredle, didn't understand it right away, and lost patience. 8>). I won't give up on it yet.

p.s. I played https://squaredle.com 03/14:
54/54 words (+10 bonus words)
🎯 In the top 35% by accuracy

I might try the Squaredle Express next time, because this took a LONG time!

I think what I tried playing the other day was something called "Sqwordle"? But now I can't find it. There are so many of these Wordle-wannabes out there. But Squaredle was fun--I can see why you like it!

83. Dead on Target Agatha Raisin #34 by M. C Beaton, with R. W. Green



I think R. W. Green is hitting his stride with the Agatha Raisin series. I've technically come to the end of the series, save for a prequel which I have stowed on my Nook. The 35th in the series is to be published this fall.

>67 klobrien2: There is a Quordle, which is 4 words at a time with 9 tries. I do that one daily rather than Wordle.

Today: Puzzles and papers and LT (the everyday things). Mobility exercises. Adulting admin stuff. Dentist appt this morning.

Books I read yesterday: Pretty Ugly by David Sedaris, Three Names by Patricia MacLachlan, Breakfast at Tiffany’s

Magazines: NYT Magazines and Book Reviews, (2/25) and (3/3)

Great Course: Post-Impressionism: The Beginnings of Modern Art: Read: 1.Where Post-Impressionism Began, and 2. The Founder, Paul Cezanne

Grief reading

Watching: Monarch: Legacy of Monsters episode 1 (again), to settle the series in our minds. First episode points to the movie “Kong: Skull Island,” which Jerry and I will watch next time he’s over. Also caught last episode of “Feud: Capote vs. The Swans”—so sad, good series. Dick Turpin ep. 4.

Listening:

Wordle 1,000 🎉 4/6 irate, trend, cruet, erupt

⬜🟧⬜🟦🟦
🟦🟧🟦⬜⬜
⬜🟧🟧🟦🟧
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

Etymonline.com: erupt (v.)
1650s, of diseases, etc., from Latin eruptus, past participle of erumpere "to break out, burst," from assimilated form of ex "out" (see ex-) + rumpere "to break, rupture" (see rupture (n.)). Of volcanoes, from 1770 (the Latin word was used in reference to Mount Etna). Related: Erupted; erupting.


Didn’t make it today. Got yellow, then purple: green and blue seemed too similar to me.

Connections
Puzzle #278
🟩🟩🟪🟩
🟨🟨🟨🟨
🟦🟩🟦🟩
🟪🟪🟪🟪
🟩🟩🟦🟩
🟦🟦🟩🟦

Strands #12 First time with no hints!
“Old haunts”
🔵🔵🔵🟡
🔵🔵🔵

I played https://squaredle.com 03/15:
63/63 words (+15 bonus words)
📖 In the top 14% by bonus words

>71 klobrien2: You did better than I did at Connections. I gave up & just guessed until I lost.

>71 klobrien2: Happy to see you work on Wordle 1000 was a success! Happy weekend-aheads reads *smooch*

>72 ReneeMarie: Thanks for stopping by—I’ll be by your thread shortly. Happy weekend!

>73 richardderus: Isn’t that something—1000 games! I’m always happy to solve Wordle! Have an awesome weekend, Richard!

>74 klobrien2: I'm threadless as of yet. One of these days.

>75 ReneeMarie: Well, that explains why I couldn’t find your thread! Doh!

This week's "Fest" is a little subdued, because I have only two illustrated books this week. However, I have some great graphic books coming up! Thanks to whisper1 for bringing MacLachlan to my attention, as always.



84. Three Names by Patricia MacLachlan, pictures by Alexander Portzoff



Lovely paintings, wonderful story about prairie life, the importance of the local school, and a dog named "Three Names." A good palate cleanser, a cure for what ails you.



85. Pretty Ugly (TOON Books) by David Sedaris, ill. Ian Falconer



Funny and crazy, this book about "what is beauty?" Kids will love the silly humor, but will learn an important lesson about beauty vs. ugliness in the person of Anna Van Ogre. They will adore being grossed out.

It seems that this book was inspired by the sister of the author, Amy Sedaris, who "makes the world's scariest faces." I would like to see some of those faces sometime!

The book pays tribute to the illustrator, Ian Falconer, author of the "Olivia" books, who died shortly after this book was published.

Friday Reading Roundup!

Because I rely on libraries so much for my reading (and do so much eBook reading), what I'm reading at any given time changes often, and changes quickly.

Karen's current reading (03/15/24):

Actively reading (or soon will be!)

The Fairy Tale Life of Dorothy Gale by VIrginia Kanfro -- p. 15 of 316
Attachments: A Novel by Rainbow Rowell -- p. 22 of 331
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett -- p. 29 of 278 (mine, on Nook)
Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club by J. Ryan Stradal -- p. 81 of 253 (mine, on Nook)
The Mona Lisa Vanishes by Nicholas Day, art by Brett Helquist -- p. 36 of 276
The Puzzle Master by Danielle Trussoni -- p. 27 of 343
Ragnarok: The End of the Gods by A. S. Byatt -- p. 59 of 177
Leave Me Alone, I'm Reading: Finding and Losing Myself in Books by Maureen Corrigan -- p. 8 of 193
No Cure for Being Human by Kate Bowler -- p. 31 of 202
Organizing for the Rest of Us by Dana K. White
Danny, the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl -- p. 00 of 206
Notes on Grief by Chimimande Nyozi Adichie -- p. 00 of 67
The Perfect Passion Company by Alexander McCall Smith

Unnatural Habits (Phryne Fisher #19) by Kerry Greenwood -- p. 62 of 255
Career of Evil (Cormoran Strike #3) by Robert Galbraith -- p. 33 of 439

I'm overbooked! I don't want to lose track of these books, but I can't truly say that I am actively reading them right now:

Braiding Sweetgrass (for Rosalita)
The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger -- p. 82 of 421 (Nook)
Abide With Me by Elizabeth Strout -- p. 7 of 273
Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan -- p. 41 of 436
Crook Manifesto by Colson Whitehead -- p. 73 of 288 (Nook)
Agatha's First Case (Agatha Raisin #0.5) by M. C. Beaton (Nook)
The Adventure of the Peculiar Protocols by Nicholas Meyer -- p. 3 of 238
Marple: Twelve New Stories by assorted authors
Fairy Tale by Stephen King

I try to participate in the American Authors Challenge. In March, we are reading Truman Capote. I will read Breakfast at Tiffany's and Three Stories -- p. 29 of 142

I usually am reading/watching Great Courses. My current Great Course is:
Post-Impressionism: The Beginnings of Modern Art, by Ricky Allman, 2 of 24 lectures read and watched.

Happy Saturday, Karen. I am so glad you are trying the music I recommended. I hope some of it works for you. It is very wide-ranging but that it is how I roll. I am currently listening to Blur- a terrific English pop band from the 90s. Their self-titled and Parklife are very good.

>79 msf59: Well, I love your eclectic taste in music! I’m a little that way myself, except that I don’t know much about current trends and music makers. There’s not much that I won’t give a listen to, though.

Have a breat weekend!

Today: Puzzles and papers and LT (the everyday things). Mobility exercises. Adulting admin stuff.

Books I read yesterday: Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Three Stories, Guts by Raina Telgemeier (kids’ graphic)

Magazines:

Great Course: Post-Impressionism: The Beginnings of Modern Art: Watched: 1.Where Post-Impressionism Began, and 2. The Founder, Paul Cezanne. Read: 3. Paul Cezanne’s New Way of Seeing, and 4. How Science and Industry Are Changing Art.

Grief reading

Watching: Abbot Elementary 3.7, The Conners 6.5, Ghosts 3.5

Listening:

Wordle 1,001 4/6 irate, thing, tonic, toxin

🟦⬜⬜🟦⬜
🟧⬜🟦🟦⬜
🟧🟧🟦🟧⬜
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

Etymonline.com: toxin (n.)
"organic poison," especially one produced by bacteria in an animal body, 1886, from toxic + -in (2).
also from 1886
Entries linking to toxin

toxic (adj.)
1660s, from French toxique and directly from Late Latin toxicus "poisoned," from Latin toxicum "poison," from Greek toxikon (pharmakon) "(poison) for use on arrows," from toxikon, neuter of toxikos "pertaining to arrows or archery," and thus to a bow, from toxon "bow," which has been regarded as a loan-word from Scythian. Watkins suggests a possible source in Iranian taxša- "bow," from PIE *tekw- "to run, flee." Beekes, pointing to the early attestation of the Greek word, suggests a Pre-Greek origin.
As a noun from 1890. Toxic waste is by 1888 in medicine, "toxin;" by 1955 as "chemical or radioactive waste."

Connections
Puzzle #279
🟪🟪🟪🟦
🟪🟩🟪🟩
🟦🟦🟦🟦 examine, ad an applicant (check, review, screen, vet)
🟨🟨🟨🟨 get smaller (contract, lessen, reduce, shrink)
🟩🟩🟩🟩 airline classes (business, coach, first, premium)
🟪🟪🟪🟪 notable TV episodes (finale, pilot, premiere, special)

Strands #13 Not sure how all of the words fit the theme, but I solved with no hints!

“Grow up!”
🔵🔵🟡🔵
🔵🔵🔵🔵
🔵

I played https://squaredle.com 03/16:
30/30 words (+4 bonus words)
📖 In the top 33% by bonus words
🔥 Solve streak: 2

My “Norman Jewison Film Fest” continues:

Jewison, who recently passed away, was prolific, and directed a lot of my favorite movies. Here’s a mostly-complete list of his oeuvre (how do you like that cinema-speak?!) Jewison did a lot of TV, and I’ve omitted those shows. The films I’ve seen are in bold. I’ll be rewatching!



Send Me No Flowers This one is new to me. Watching it on a Saturday afternoon, and that feels so apropos. Funny movie! Doris Day, Rock Hudson, Tony Randall starred. Hudson and Day weren’t very believable together; Hudson played a hypochondriac who believes he is going to die very soon. Day plays an (annoying) wife, who think Hudson is planning to leave her for another woman. Tony Randall steals the show as the best friend/neighbor. My favorite scene was with Clint Walker, a big man, who played Doris’s old boyfriend. He pulls up in this tiny little sports car, and with comedic genius, extricates himself. It was just hilarious. With this film, I’m starting to see signs of Jewison’s directing skill. Next up is The Art of Love.

The Fabulous Fifties (1960) 7.5 on IMDB (unavailable?)
40 Pounds of Trouble (1962) (6.3)
The Thrill of It All (1963) (6.9)
Send Me No Flowers (1964) (6.9)
The Art of Love (1965) (6.1) (DVD)
The Cincinnati Kid (1965) (7.2) (Tubi)
The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming! (1966) (7.0) (Tubi, Pluto)
In the Heat of the Night (1967) (7.9)
The Thomas Crownr Affair (1968) (6.9)
Gaily, Gaily (1969) (5.3–might skip this one)
Fiddler on the Roof (1971) (8.0)
Jesus Christ Superstar (1973) (7.3)
Rollerball (1975) (6.5)
F.I.S.T. (1978) (6.1)
And Justice For All (1979) (7.4)
Best Friends (1982) (5.5–skip?)
A Soldier’s Story (1984) (7.2)
Agnes of God (1985) (6.6)
Moonstruck (1987) (7.2)
In Country (1989) (5.9)
Other People’s Money (1991) (6.2)
Only You (1994) (6.5)
Bogus (1996) (5.3–skip?)
The Hurricane (1999) (7.6)
The Statement (2003) (6.2–might skip, but it was his last movie)

Today: Puzzles and papers and LT (the everyday things). Mobility exercises. Adulting admin stuff. Online church.

Books I read yesterday: Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Three Stories, Guts by Raina Telgemeier (kids’ graphic), Organizing For the Rest Of Us

Magazines:

Great Course: Post-Impressionism: The Beginnings of Modern Art: Watched: 3. Paul Cezanne’s New Way of Seeing, and 4. How Science and Industry Are Changing Art.

Grief reading

Watching: Send Me No Flowers, Animal Control 2.2, Not Dead Yet 2.5

Listening:

Funny word today!

Wordle 1,002 4/6 irate, rotor, thorn, snort

⬜🟦⬜🟦⬜
🟦🟦🟦⬜⬜
🟦⬜🟧🟧🟦
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

Etymonline.com: snort (v.)
early 15c, snorten, earlier fnorten (late 14c.), "breathe heavily, expel air through the nose with a harsh sound, make the sound of a horse," probably related to snore (v.) or like it imitative of the sound made. The sense of "express contempt" is from 1818. The meaning "inhale cocaine" is attested by 1935. Related: Snorted; snorting.
also from early 15
snort (n.)
1808, "act of snorting," from snort (v.). Earlier in now obsolete sense of "a snore" (1610s). As an expression of contempt, by 1865. The U.S. slang meaning "a drink of liquor" (especially whiskey) is from 1889.
also from 1808
Entries linking to snort

snore (v.)
c. 1400, snoren, originally of horses, mid-15c. of persons, "breathe in sleep with a rough, hoarse noise," probably related to snort (v.) and both probably ultimately imitative (compare Dutch snorken, Middle High German snarchen, German schnarchen, Swedish snarka; and see snout). Related: Snored; snoring.

Connections
Puzzle #280
🟨🟨🟨🟨 foolishness (absurdity, folly, madness, nonsense)
🟩🟩🟩🟩 move forward (advance, march, progress, push)
🟪🟪🟦🟪
🟪🟪🟪🟪 words after “deep” (cut, fake, freeze, six)
🟦🟦🟦🟦 things that might stink (cheese, feet, garbage, skunk)

Strands #14
“Outside interests”
🔵🔵🔵🔵
🔵🟡🔵🔵

I played https://squaredle.com 03/17:
65/65 words (+19 bonus words)
📖 In the top 1% by bonus words
🔥 Solve streak: 3

86. Breakfast at Tiffany's and Three Short Stories by Truman Capote



I'd read this years ago, but it was before I was on LibraryThing (so, the Dark Ages), and Capote is the chosen AAC author for March, and I figured it was time for a reread anyway. I'd just finished watching the recent "Feud: Capote vs. the Swans."

I really like Capote's writing. He's not afraid of the seamier side of life, and his prose is so polished and clear. Beside the main novella, Breakfast at Tiffany's, there are three short stories: "House of Flowers." "A Diamond Guitar," and "A Christmas Memory." Those stories are good, especially the last.

I really enjoyed "Breakfast at Tiffany's," this time around. Not all of the characters are likable, and there is some serious racist language that made me cringe, but the novella is a classic. Here's one passage that grabbed my "mind's eye":

...it was a grim cat with a pirate's cutthroat face; one eye was gluey-blind, the other sparkled with dark deeds.

Great image of a cat! I should share the words with Richard!

87. Guts by Raina Telgemeier



Graphic fiction for the middle grades. This author is a Big Thing among that age group, I hear, and I can see why. Terrific story, with very nice illustration, and issues that are near and dear to those who are going through some difficult years. In this book, the narrator (the author) experiences "More Than Just Tummy Trouble." As the book blurb says, "Raina Telgemeier once again brings us a thoughtful, charming and funny true story about growing up and gathering the courage to face -- and conquer -- her fears."

Telemeier has several books out, and I'll try to get my hands on as many as I can.

p.s. And, look! My 86th review, in post 86! My 87th review, in post 87! That synchronicity has happened before, and it freaks me out a little! But it's very cool. 8>)

88. The Graveyard Book Graphic Novel, Vol. 2 by Neil Gaiman, adapted by P. Craig Russell, illustrated by various artists



This second volume of the graphic Graveyard Book is just as charming and well-done as the first volume. Beautiful story, beautifully adapted and illustrated. Of course, it's got its share of sadness, but there is joy, love, and justice.

Nobody "Bod" Owens continues to grow up in the graveyard, still under constant threat from those who murdered his family when he was a baby. It's a strange life, but not lonely for Bod, and he learns what he needs to learn for his life as a living person.

One bit of poetry in this volume; a lullaby that one of his caretakers sings to him:

Sleep, my little babby,
Oh, sleep until you waken.
When you wake, you'll see the world
If I'm not mistaken.

Kiss a lover
Dance a measure
Find your name
And buried treasure.

Face your life,
its pain, its pleasure,
Leave no path untaken.

Today: Puzzles and papers and LT (the everyday things). Mobility exercises. Adulting admin stuff.

Books I read yesterday: The Graveyard Book Graphic Novel, Vol. 2, Saga, Vol. 10, At First Spite

Magazines:

Great Course: Post-Impressionism: The Beginnings of Modern Art:

Grief reading

Watching: Resident Alien 2.5, Young Sheldon 7.5

Listening:

Your synchronistic posts weird me out a little, too, Karen O. I do not think it has happened to me, but if it has, I havent noticed it.

>90 richardderus: Crazy, isn’t it?! Speaking of ehich, here’s today’s Wordle…

Wordle 1,003 4/6 irate, stent, slept, spelt

⬜⬜⬜🟦🟦
🟧⬜🟧⬜🟧
🟧🟦🟧🟦🟧
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

Etymonline.com: spelt (n.)
type of grain, Old English spelt "spelt, corn," perhaps an early borrowing from Late Latin spelta "spelt" (noted as a foreign word), which is perhaps from a Germanic *spilt-, from PIE *speld-, extended form of root *spel- (1) "to split, to break off" (probably in reference to the splitting of its husks in threshing); see spill (v.).
The word has had little currency in English, and its history is discontinuous. It is widespread in Romanic languages (Italian spelta, Spanish espelta, Old French spelte, Modern French épeautre) also in Germanic (Middle Dutch spelte, Old High German spelta, German Spelt).

Connections
Puzzle #281
🟨🟨🟨🟨 segment of a process (cycle, phase, round, stage)
🟩🟩🟩🟩 constellations (Cygnus, Gemini, Orion, Pegasus)
🟪🟪🟪🟪 associated with “one” (cyclops, monologue, solitaire, unicycle)
🟦🟦🟦🟦 spirals in nature (cyclone, galaxy, snail, sunflower)

Strands #15
“World piece”
💡🔵🔵🔵
🔵🔵🟡🔵
🔵

I played https://squaredle.com 03/18:
26/26 words (+4 bonus words)
📖 In the top 32% by bonus words
🔥 Solve streak: 4

hmmmm

I think I dont know what the word the Wordlegods meant to use is...the past participle or the cereal...

Belated Happy New Thread, Karen

>92 richardderus: It seems that "spelt," the past participle, is a Britishism. Figures! That's the meaning I thought of first. I must be a reader of old British books!

>93 ArlieS: Thanks, ArlieS!

Today: Puzzles and papers and LT (the everyday things). Mobility exercises. Adulting admin stuff.

Books I read yesterday: Notes on Grief by Chimimanda Ngozi Adichie, Attachments, Saga, Vol. 10, At First Spite, Organizing for the Rest of Us

Magazines:

Great Course: Post-Impressionism: The Beginnings of Modern Art: Read: 5. Camille Pisarro’s Experiments in Style, and 6. Georges Seurat’s Vision of the People

Grief reading: Especially, Notes on Grief

Watching: So Help Me Todd 2.4, 9-1-1 7.1, Girls5Eva 3.1

Listening:

Wordle 1,004 3/6 irate, aside, abide

🟦⬜🟦⬜🟧
🟧⬜🟧🟧🟧
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

Etymonline.com: abide (v.)
Middle English abiden, from Old English abidan, gebidan "remain, wait, wait for, delay, remain behind," from ge- completive prefix (denoting onward motion; see a- (1)) + bidan "bide, remain, wait, dwell" (see bide).
Originally intransitive (with genitive of the object: we abidon his "we waited for him"); the transitive senses of "endure, sustain, stay firm under," also "tolerate, bear, put up with" (now usually with a negative) are from c. 1200. To abide with "stay with (someone); live with; remain in the service of" is from c. 1300.
Related: Abided; abiding. The historical conjugation was abide, abode, abidden, but in Modern English the formation generally is weak.

Connections
Puzzle #282
🟪🟩🟩🟩
🟪🟩🟨🟩
🟨🟨🟨🟨 movie summary info (cast, genre, plot, title)
🟩🟩🟩🟩 pretense (affect, airs, charade, front)
🟦🟦🟦🟦 famous guitarists (berry, king, page, waters
🟪🟪🟪🟪 second ____ (fiddle, guess, nature, wind)

Strands #16
“That’s fortunate”
🔵🔵🔵🔵
🟡🔵

I played https://squaredle.com 03/19:
30/30 words (+13 bonus words)
📖 In the top 8% by bonus words
🔥 Solve streak: 5

Today’s Poem-a-Day:

Naïve

Tim Seibles

I love you but I don’t know you
—Mennonite Woman

When I was seven, I walked home
with Dereck DeLarge, my arm

slung over his skinny shoulders,
after-school sun buffing our lunch boxes.

So easy, that gesture, so light—
the kind of love that lands like a leaf.

It was 1963.
We were two black boys

whose snaggle-toothed grins
held a thousand giggles.

Remember? Remember
wanting to play

every minute, as if that
was why we were born?

Those hands that bring us
shouting into this life

must open like a fanfare
of big band horns.

Though this world is nothing

like where we’d been,
we come anyway, astonished

as if to Mardi Gras in full swing.
There must be a time

when a child’s heart builds
a chocolate sunflower

while katydids burnish the day
with their busy wings.

This itching fury that
holds me now—this knowing

the early welcome
that once lived inside me

was somehow sent away:
how I talk myself back

into all the regular disguises
but still walk these streets

believing in the weather
of the unruined heart.

My friends, with crow’s feet
edging their eyes,

keep looking for a kinder
city, though they don’t

want to seem naïve.
When was the last time

you wrapped your arm
around someone’s shoulder

and walked him home?

89. Note on Grief by Chimimanda Ngosi Adichie



I've always loved Adiche's prose: it's clean, and meaningful, and she put her heart into it.
This little gem recollects the grief that she felt at her father's sudden passing. In doing so, we also get a look into Igbo (Nigeria) culture.

"Never" has come to stay. "Never" feels so unfairly punitive. For the rest of my life, I will live with my hands outstretched for things that are no longer there.

A friend sends me a line from my novel: "Grief was the celebration of love; those who could feel real grief were lucky to have loved." How odd to find it so exquisitely painful to read my own words.

I may need to get a copy of this little treasure for myself, to reread. And I think I need to read more from Adichie!

90. Saga, Volume 10 by Brian K. Vaughan, Fiona Staples (artist)



Thanks to mahsdad for the information that there were more installations in the Saga}...saga. This one brings us back into the story, although the plot and the characters are always shifting. Well-drawn, funny, sad. Once I have caught up (there is an 11th volume), I'll follow mahsdad's lead and go back and read the whole series.

>96 klobrien2: I think it's only fair that I've got you doing Squaredle, since you've got me doing Strands.

Have you tried any of the special puzzles yet? I'm working on Valentine's Day 2024. So far I've found about 360 words out of 390. (I work on it a bit each day.)

>100 ReneeMarie: Oh, I’m into Squaredle now—it was so easy to become obsessed with it (I believe you warned me!) 8>)

OMG—390 words?! I think I have to stay away from those for now.

I really do appreciate your turning me on ti Squaredle—it’s become a “Zen” thing for me—mindless enough to be calming.

Karen, You are reading quite a lot of books! Congratulations.

>102 Whisper1: Yes, I’m really enjoying my reading. Life is pretty quiet for me, so I have tons of time. I count myself very lucky!

Have a good week!

My “Norman Jewison Film Fest” continues:

Jewison, who recently passed away, was prolific, and directed a lot of my favorite movies. Here’s a mostly-complete list of his oeuvre (how do you like that cinema-speak?!) Jewison did a lot of TV, and I’ve omitted those shows. The films I’ve seen are in bold. I’ll be rewatching!



The Art of Love This one is new to me. James Garner, Dick Van Dyke, Angie Dickinson, Elke Sommer, Carl Reiner (who also wrote the screenplay), Ethel Merman. Okay, this one earned its 6.1 IMDB rating. It was a slapstick sex comedy without any sex. Not very well-written, horribly acted, very little to laugh at. I kept watching because I am a completist, and I could appreciate the “historicity” of the film. It is a film of its time—1965. Better Jewison films are coming! The Cincinnati Kid is up next.

The Fabulous Fifties (1960) 7.5 on IMDB (unavailable?)
40 Pounds of Trouble (1962) (6.3)
The Thrill of It All (1963) (6.9)
Send Me No Flowers (1964) (6.9)
The Art of Love (1965) (6.1) (DVD)
The Cincinnati Kid (1965) (7.2) (Tubi)
The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming! (1966) (7.0) (Tubi, Pluto)
In the Heat of the Night (1967) (7.9)
The Thomas Crowne Affair (1968) (6.9)
Gaily, Gaily (1969) (5.3–might skip this one)
Fiddler on the Roof (1971) (8.0)
Jesus Christ Superstar (1973) (7.3)
Rollerball (1975) (6.5)
F.I.S.T. (1978) (6.1)
And Justice For All (1979) (7.4)
Best Friends (1982) (5.5–skip?)
A Soldier’s Story (1984) (7.2)
Agnes of God (1985) (6.6)
Moonstruck (1987) (7.2)
In Country (1989) (5.9)
Other People’s Money (1991) (6.2)
Only You (1994) (6.5)
Bogus (1996) (5.3–skip?)
The Hurricane (1999) (7.6)
The Statement (2003) (6.2–might skip, but it was his last movie)

Today: Puzzles and papers and LT (the everyday things). Mobility exercises. Adulting admin stuff. Phone call with financial guy.

Books I read yesterday: Attachments, At First Spite, Organizing for the Rest of Us

Magazines:

Great Course: Post-Impressionism: The Beginnings of Modern Art: Watched: 5. Camille Pisarro’s Experiments in Style, and 6. Georges Seurat’s Vision of the People

Grief reading:

Watching: The Art of Love. The last disc of The Red Green Collection. That watching is complete (sad, but happy to finish).

Listening:

Hi Karen.

Third guess was a total stab in the half-dark (I had two letters, after all), and I’m pleased as punch! And it’s a cool word with an interesting etymology.

Wordle 1,005 3/6 irate, climb, lingo

🟦⬜⬜⬜⬜
⬜🟦🟦⬜⬜
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

Etymonline.com: lingo (n.)
"foreign speech," 1650s, probably a corruption of Latin lingua "speech, language; tongue" (from PIE root *dnghu- "tongue"), perhaps immediately as a shortening of lingua franca (q.v.), or from Provençal lingo "language, tongue," from Old Provençal lenga, from Latin lingua.
also from 1650s
Entries linking to lingo

lingua franca (n.)
1620s, from Italian, literally "Frankish tongue." A stripped-down Italian peppered with Spanish, French, Greek, Arabic, and Turkish words, it began as a form of communication in the Levant. The name probably is from the Arabic custom, dating back to the Crusades, of calling all Europeans Franks (see Frank). In 17c. English sources also known as Bastard Spanish.

Connections
Puzzle #283
🟨🟪🟨🟨
🟩🟪🟩🟩
🟦🟦🟦🟦 Italian demonyms (Bolognese, Neapolitan, Parmesan, Venetian)
🟩🟩🟩🟩 camera brands (Fujifilm, Hasselblad, Olympus, Polaroid)
🟨🟨🟨🟨 seen at a sports stadium (astroturf, Jumbotron, scoreboard, skybox)
🟪🟪🟪🟪 starting with rock bands (creamsicle, journeyman, kisscam, rushmore)

Strands #17 Well, it took a while, but I made it without using hints!

“Back and forth”
🔵🔵🔵🔵
🟡🔵🔵🔵

I played https://squaredle.com 03/20:
33/33 words (+1 bonus word)
🎯 In the top 39% by accuracy
🔥 Solve streak: 6

Good job with Wordle today, Karen. I wonder why the etymology doesn't include the meaning I usually think of today, which is "vocabulary or jargon of a particular subject or group of people." I don't really ever think of jargon in relation to a foreign language these days.

As for Connections today, I still don't understand the purple line, even after seeing what it is. Consider me confused. It was an interesting puzzle today though.

Hope you're having a good day!

>77 klobrien2: 

>108 atozgrl: Here's the purple Connections. The first part of each word is also a band: Cream, Journey, KISS, & Rush.

>107 klobrien2: You did WAAAY better than I did with Strands. I took a hint to get me started, but it still took me a while to figure out that all the words were palindromes.

And you're welcome re Squaredle. I've turned several people on to the game. One of my coworkers says she plays when she's feeding her baby.

>109 weird_O: Yeah, that’s a scary face! David Sedaris said his book, Pretty Ugly, was inspired by his sister Amy’s ability to make the scariest faces! Thanks, Weird_o, for the fine example!

>108 atozgrl: I puzzled about the same thing, Irene, so I went to the etymonline.com website and found this: “This is a map of the wheel-ruts of modern English. Etymologies are not definitions; they're explanations of what our words meant and how they sounded 600 or 2,000 years ago.”

The site often goes farther in showing how the use of a word was adapted, but in this case, they didn’t. They do have a forum.

>110 ReneeMarie: Thanks for your clarification! I thought it was pretty clever when I saw it. No way I would get that on my own!

And thanks for Squaredles. Sometimes it makes me want to scream, but I do enjoy it.

And thank you both for stopping by to chat!

Today: Puzzles and papers and LT (the everyday things). Mobility exercises. Adulting admin stuff. Dentist.

Books I read yesterday: At First Spite

Magazines:

Great Course: Post-Impressionism: The Beginnings of Modern Art:

Grief reading:

Watching: Call the Midwife 13.1, Bob ❤️ Abishola 5.7, Night Court 2.12

Listening:

Aarghh! Guessy-guessy today!

Wordle 1,006 6/6 irate, blame, shape, shake, shave, shade

⬜⬜🟧⬜🟧
⬜⬜🟧⬜🟧
🟧🟧🟧⬜🟧
🟧🟧🟧⬜🟧
🟧🟧🟧⬜🟧
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

Etymonline.com: shade (n.)
Middle English shade, schade, Kentish ssed, "dark image cast by someone or something; comparative obscurity or gloom caused by the blockage of light," from late Old English scead "partial darkness; shelter, protection," also partly from sceadu "shade, shadow, darkness; shady place, arbor, protection from glare or heat." Both are from Proto-Germanic *skadwaz (source also of Old Saxon skado, Middle Dutch scade, Dutch schaduw, Old High German scato, German Schatten, Gothic skadus), from PIE *skot-wo-, from root *skoto- "dark, shade."
shade, shadow, nn. It seems that the difference in form is fairly to be called an accidental one, the first representing the nominative & the second the oblique cases of the same word. The meanings are as closely parallel or intertwined as might be expected from this original identity, the wonder being that, with a differentiation so vague, each form should have maintained its existence by the side of the other. Fowler
Figurative use in reference to comparative obscurity is from 1640s. Hence throw into the shade, etc., "obscure by contrast or superior brilliancy." The meaning "a ghost" is from 1610s; dramatic (or mock-dramatic) expression shades of _____ to invoke or acknowledge a memory is from 1818, from the "ghost" sense. Meaning "lamp cover" is from 1780. Sense of "window blind" is recorded by 1845. The meaning "cover to protect the eyes" is from 1801. Meaning "grade of color" is recorded from 1680s; that of "degree or gradation of darkness in a color" is from 1680s (compare nuance, from French nue "cloud"). Meaning "small amount or degree" is from 1749.
shade (v.)
c. 1400, shaden, "to screen from the sun or its heat," from shade (n.). From 1520s as "to cast a shadow over;" the figurative use in this sense is from 1580s. The meaning in painting and drawing is from 1797. In reference to colors, 1819. Related: Shaded; shading.

Connections
Puzzle #284
🟨🟨🟨🟨 chat, informally (gab, jaw, yak, yap)
🟩🟩🟩🟩 female animals (cow, doe, ewe, hen)
🟦🟦🟦🟦 palindromes ( bib, eye, gag, pop)
🟪🟪🟪🟪 starts of planet names (ear, mar, mer, sat)

Strands #18
“What’s the issue? ”
🔵🔵🔵🟡
🔵🔵🔵

I played https://squaredle.com 03/21:
56/56 words (+19 bonus words)
📖 In the top 12% by bonus words
🔥 Solve streak: 7

>115 klobrien2: I got Connections & Strands, too. And as soon as I saw what was left for purple, I actually knew where they were going with the selections. Yay.

I got Connections & Strands too, but you did better than me, Karen.

>116 ReneeMarie: I love it when I figure out the purple level before seeing their label! Good job!

>117 Kristelh: So many variables for solving both Connections and Strands! You’ve been doing really good with all the puzzles!

My “Norman Jewison Film Fest” continues:

Jewison, who recently passed away, was prolific, and directed a lot of my favorite movies. Here’s a mostly-complete list of his oeuvre (how do you like that cinema-speak?!) Jewison did a lot of TV, and I’ve omitted those shows. The films I’ve seen are in bold. I’ll be rewatching!



The Cincinnati Kid This one is new to me. Night and day to The Art of Love! Steve McQueen, Edward G. Robinson, Ann-Margret, Tuesday Weld, Joan Blondell, Karl Malden, an amazingly evil, young Rip Torn,…lots of star power. Filmed in New Orleans. And the photography is amazing. Very gritty, but beautiful. Focus of the movie is the world of professional poker playing. Warning—the version on Tubi has a cockfight scene, which I thought had been edited out. I just read on IMDB that Sam Peckinpah worked as a director on the film but was fired after one week, when I assume Jewison came on. From Wikipedia: “Director Jewison, who replaced Sam Peckinpah shortly after filming began, describes The Cincinnati Kid as his "ugly duckling" film. He considers it the film that allowed him to make the transition from the lighter comedic films he had been making and take on more serious films and subjects.” (I thought so!)
The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming! (one of my favorite Jewison movies, although far from a “serious” film) is up next.

The Fabulous Fifties (1960) 7.5 on IMDB (unavailable?)
40 Pounds of Trouble (1962) (6.3)
The Thrill of It All (1963) (6.9)
Send Me No Flowers (1964) (6.9)
The Art of Love (1965) (6.1) (DVD)
The Cincinnati Kid (1965) (7.2) (Tubi)
The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming! (1966) (7.0) (Tubi, Pluto)
In the Heat of the Night (1967) (7.9)
The Thomas Crowne Affair (1968) (6.9)
Gaily, Gaily (1969) (5.3–might skip this one)
Fiddler on the Roof (1971) (8.0)
Jesus Christ Superstar (1973) (7.3)
Rollerball (1975) (6.5)
F.I.S.T. (1978) (6.1)
And Justice For All (1979) (7.4)
Best Friends (1982) (5.5–skip?)
A Soldier’s Story (1984) (7.2)
Agnes of God (1985) (6.6)
Moonstruck (1987) (7.2)
In Country (1989) (5.9)
Other People’s Money (1991) (6.2)
Only You (1994) (6.5)
Bogus (1996) (5.3–skip?)
The Hurricane (1999) (7.6)
The Statement (2003) (6.2–might skip, but it was his last movie)

>110 ReneeMarie: Yes, thanks, I did finally figure that out. I was closing tabs on my browser last night prior to shutting down my laptop, and when I saw the Connections tab, I finally realized what the purple was. Their description wasn't very helpful. But it's odd that I finally saw what it was at the end of the day when I was tired.

>120 atozgrl: Makes sense to me. Sometimes when you stop staring at something & it "blurs," you can see it more clearly.

Happy Friday, Karen. I like that poem you shared up there. In regard to music, I would like to recommend the Canadian band- Blue Rodeo. They are similar to the Gin Blossoms and the Bodeans. I think you would really like them. I have just been listening to their greatest hits.

I would also like to see The Cincinnati Kid. It has been decades. I forgot that it came out in 1965. I will join you on a few of these.

>120 atozgrl: >121 ReneeMarie: Yep, there are so many variables in how solving goes. The human mind is amazing!

>122 msf59: I really liked The Cincinnati Kid. It was great to finally see signs of why exactly I’m doing this “fest”! I’m glad that you might be watching along.

Thank you all for stopping by to chat!

Today: Puzzles and papers and LT (the everyday things). Mobility exercises. Adulting admin stuff. Grocery list.

Books I read yesterday: At First Spite (almost done!)

Magazines:

Great Course: Post-Impressionism: The Beginnings of Modern Art:

Grief reading:

Watching: The Cincinnati Kid. Abbott Elementary 3.8, The Conners 6.6

Listening:

Wordle 1,007 3/6 irate, laden, decay

⬜⬜🟦⬜🟦
⬜🟦🟦🟦⬜
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

Etymonline.com: decay (v.)
late 15c., "to decrease," also "to decline, deteriorate, lose strength or excellence," from Anglo-French decair, Old North French decair (Old French decheoir, 12c., Modern French déchoir) "to fall, set (of the sun), weaken, decline, decay," from Vulgar Latin *decadere "to fall off," from de "off" (see de-) + Latin cadere "to fall" (from PIE root *kad- "to fall").
Transitive sense of "cause to deteriorate, cause to become unsound or impaired" is from 1530s. Sense of "decompose, rot" is from 1570s. Related: Decayed; decaying.
also from late 15c.
decay (n.)
mid-15c., "deterioration, decline in value, gradual loss of soundness or perfection," from decay (v.). Obsolete or archaic in reference to fortune or property; meaning "decomposition of organic tissue" is from 1590s. In physics, the meaning "gradual decrease in radioactivity" is by 1897.

Connections So close, but no cigar!
Puzzle #285
🟨🟨🟨🟨 jumping animals (cricket, frog, hare, kangaroo)
🟩🟩🟩🟩 apply pressure to (crush, mash, press, squash)
🟪🟦🟦🟦
🟪🟪🟦🟦
🟪🟦🟦🟦
🟪🟦🟦🟦
Blue Olympic sports (breaking, hockey, skeleton, trampoline)
Purple things you can set (mood, record, table, volleyball)

Strands #19
“Animal sounds”
🔵🔵💡🔵
🟡🔵🔵🔵
🔵

I played https://squaredle.com 03/22:
56/56 words (+26 bonus words)
📖 In the top 4% by bonus words
🔥 Solve streak: 8

>125 klobrien2: Hi Karen. I'm glad you're enjoying your film fest. Connections was hard today. I knew the blue group was Olympic sports very early on, but the problem was which of the multiple possibilities were included in the group of four. After getting the green and yellow groups and making multiple stabs at the blue, I finally broke down and looked for a hint for the purple. I don't think I would have solved it today without that.

91. At First Spite: A Harlot's Bay Novel by Olivia Dade



Fun, light contemporary romance. Lots of humor, but there is sadness, too. The author gives a trigger warning, that a child has died (but not in the pages of this book). I appreciated that warning.

I really like Dade's writing, and sense of humor. The characters are terrific, not an unlikable one in the bunch. It's all about second chances.

Here's a very short sample of Dade's writing: "Nevertheless, she couldn't have upgraded from hellscape to heckscape without him." Charming!

There will be more books in this series! I will be watching for the next one. Thanks to whoever brought the book to my attention!

Friday Reading Roundup!

Because I rely on libraries so much for my reading (and do so much eBook reading), what I'm reading at any given time changes often, and changes quickly.

Karen's current reading (03/22/24):

Actively reading (or soon will be!)

The Fairy Tale Life of Dorothy Gale by VIrginia Kanfro -- p. 15 of 316
Attachments: A Novel by Rainbow Rowell -- p. 22 of 331
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate -- p. 14 of 305
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett -- p. 29 of 278 (mine, on Nook)
Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club by J. Ryan Stradal -- p. 81 of 253 (mine, on Nook)
The Puzzle Master by Danielle Trussoni -- p. 27 of 343
Ragnarok: The End of the Gods by A. S. Byatt -- p. 59 of 177
No Cure for Being Human by Kate Bowler -- p. 31 of 202
Organizing for the Rest of Us by Dana K. White -- p. 93 of 216
The Perfect Passion Company by Alexander McCall Smith
Unnatural Habits (Phryne Fisher #19) by Kerry Greenwood -- p. 62 of 255
Career of Evil (Cormoran Strike #3) by Robert Galbraith -- p. 33 of 439

I'm overbooked! I don't want to lose track of these books, but I can't truly say that I am actively reading them right now:

Braiding Sweetgrass (for Rosalita)
The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger -- p. 82 of 421 (Nook)
Abide With Me by Elizabeth Strout -- p. 7 of 273
Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan -- p. 41 of 436
Crook Manifesto by Colson Whitehead -- p. 73 of 288 (Nook)
Agatha's First Case (Agatha Raisin #0.5) by M. C. Beaton (Nook)
The Adventure of the Peculiar Protocols by Nicholas Meyer -- p. 3 of 238
Marple: Twelve New Stories by assorted authors
Fairy Tale by Stephen King

I try to participate in the American Authors Challenge. In April, we are reading Non-Fiction.

I usually am reading/watching Great Courses. My current Great Course is:
Post-Impressionism: The Beginnings of Modern Art, by Ricky Allman, 6 of 24 lectures read and watched.

Today: Puzzles and papers and LT (the everyday things). Mobility exercises. Adulting admin stuff.

Books I read yesterday: At First Spite, Organizing for the Rest of Us, Corn Dance: Inspired First American Cuisine

Magazines:

Great Course: Post-Impressionism: The Beginnings of Modern Art: Read: 7. Politics and Religion on the Canvas and 8. Divisionism: Using the Science of Color.

Grief reading:

Watching: Nothing!

Listening:

Wordle 1,008 4/6 irate, relic, ripen, risen

🟦🟦⬜⬜🟦
🟧🟦⬜🟦⬜
🟧🟧⬜🟧🟧
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

Etymonline.com: risen
past participle of rise (v.); Old English gerisen, past participle of risan.
Entries linking to risen

rise (v.)
Middle English risen, from Old English risan "to rise from sleep, get out of bed; stand up, rise to one's feet; get up from table; rise together; be fit, be proper" (typically gerisan, arisan; a class I strong verb; past tense ras, past participle risen), from Proto-Germanic *us-rīsanan "to go up" (source also of Old Norse risa, Old Saxon risan, Old Frisian risa, "to rise; arise, happen," Gothic urreisan "to rise," Old High German risan "to rise, flow," German reisen "to travel," originally "to rise for a journey"). OED writes, "No related terms have been traced outside of Teutonic"; Boutkan suggests an origin in a lost European substrate language.
From late 12c. as "to rise from the dead," also "rebel, revolt, stand up in opposition." It is attested from c. 1200 in the senses of "move from a lower to a higher position, move upward; increase in number or amount; rise in fortune, prosper; become prominent;" also, of heavenly bodies, "appear above the horizon." To rise and shine "get up, get out of bed" is by 1916 (earlier it was a religious expression). Of seas, rivers, etc., "increase in height," c. 1300.
The meaning "come into existence, originate; result (from)" is by mid-13c. From early 14c. as "occur, happen, come to pass; take place." From 1540s of sound, "ascend in pitch." Also from 1540s of dough. It seems not to have been used of heat or temperature in Middle English; that sense may have developed from the use of the verb in reference to the behavior of fluid in a thermometer or barometer (1650s). Related to raise (v.). Related: Rose; risen.

Connections
Puzzle #286
🟩🟩🟩🟩 become aware of (discover, find, learn, realize)
🟨🟨🟨🟨 kudos (credit, glory, praise, props)
🟦🟦🟦🟦 pursue (chase, shadow, tail, track)
🟪🟪🟪🟪 seen in a passport (name, photo, stamp, visa)

Strands #20
“Romeo and Juliet”
🔵🟡🔵🔵
🔵🔵🔵🔵

I played https://squaredle.com 03/23:
37/37 words (+6 bonus words)
📖 In the top 23% by bonus words
🔥 Solve streak: 9

>128 klobrien2: I am always amazed at how many things you have going at once, Karen. I would be SO confused.

>131 BLBera: I am, sometimes! I’m a list maker, and that’s what probably keeps me as sane as I am.

Thanks for stopping by! I’ll catch your thread shortly.

92. Organizing for the Rest of Us: 100 Realistic Strategies to Keep Any House Under Control by Dana K. White



Lots of great ideas for managing and decluttering. I think I might need to get a copy for myself, but better yet, just borrow the library's copy when I need a refresh. Common sense notions; very helpful!

93. Corn Dance: Inspired First American Cuisine by Loretta Barrett Oden



Great cookbook with a definitely fresh approach to cooking. I found myself often thinking, "Ooh, I want to make that right now..."

I've always been intrigued by the idea of Fry Bread, but the author point out that there is NOTHING indigenous about "fry bread." Government programs provided "commodities" to the Native populations, but among the foodstuffs were lard and white flour. Great to make fried bread, but if that is used as a main dietary element, all kinds of health problems ensue.

That said, this cookbook offers lots of healthy, fun foods, mostly featuring veggies (including the "three sisters" of corn, squash, and beans), and proteins (meat, including wild game, fish of all kinds). The concept of the "Big Little Pie" is great! You start with a dough bottom (and you can bake it on a bowl, to make it bowl-shaped) then add different fillings (most of which are recipes in themselves, but added to the pie crust, make something new and wonderful.

From msf59’s thread:

Pity The Nation

Pity the nation whose people are sheep,
and whose shepherds mislead them.
Pity the nation whose leaders are liars, whose sages are silenced,
and whose bigots haunt the airwaves.
Pity the nation that raises not its voice,
except to praise conquerors and acclaim the bully as hero
and aims to rule the world with force and by torture.
Pity the nation that knows no other language but its own
and no other culture but its own.
Pity the nation whose breath is money
and sleeps the sleep of the too well fed.
Pity the nation — oh, pity the people who allow their rights to erode
and their freedoms to be washed away.
“My country, tears of thee, sweet land of liberty.”

- Lawrence Ferlinghetti

>135 klobrien2: Thank you so much for reposting. So things don't ever change, except they can get worse. Could've been written today.

>127 klobrien2: That was me! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Depending on your familiarity with fan culture, you might enjoy Dade's three book romance series that starts with Spoiler Alert.

>137 MickyFine: Spoiler Alert has been on my TBR for a while (I had even checked it out from the library at one time). I re-requested it immediately after finishing At First Spite and I got it in my library delivery (from son Jerry) today. And thank you for your recommendations!

>138 klobrien2: Oh nice! I hope you have a good time with it.

Hooray for "Pity the Nation"! That one nails it! Back in '07 and NOW!

Are you familiar with the band, the BoDeans? Easy, catchy pop songs. I think you would really like them. I am currently listening to Outside Looking In, which is really good but you could start with their greatest hits.

As you can tell, I am still making my way through the Bs. 😁

>140 msf59: Yes, I’ve enjoyed what I’ve heard from the BoDeans! Their song, “Good Things,” brings chills to me, and makes me cry. That said, I don’t know why I haven’t listened to them more.

So you’re working through your collection alphabetically? That’s great! So much fun.

Good Sunday to you, Mark!

Today: Puzzles and papers and LT (the everyday things). Mobility exercises. Adulting admin stuff. Woke up late, so missed the first 10 minutes of church, BUT technology is wonderful, because I just waited until live service was done and watched the beginning! Lots of great music, featuring the church’s brass ensemble, and the “palm frond procession.” Today I need to get all things ready for my meeting with my tax person tomorrow afternoon. And possible snowstorm could create problems later on today and tomorrow. Right now, it’s just snowing lightly.

Books I read yesterday: The Red House Mystery by A A Milne; Mexikid: A Graphic Memoir by Pedro Martin; four illustrated books (Geraldine by Elizabeth Lilly, Cat Talk, The Sick Day, Your Moon, My Moon by Patricia MacLachlan. Great reading day!

Magazines: NYT Magazine and Book Review from 3/10, Booklist from 2/1.

Great Course: Post-Impressionism: The Beginnings of Modern Art:

Grief reading:

Watching: Dick Turpin 1.5, Animal Control 2.3, Not Dead Yet 2.6, Resident Alien 3.6.

Listening:

Wordle 1,009 4/6 irate, stent, extol, towel

⬜⬜⬜🟦🟦
⬜🟦🟦⬜⬜
🟦⬜🟦🟦🟧
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

Etymonline.com: towel (n.)
mid-13c., from Old French toaille (12c.), from Frankish *thwahlja, from Proto-Germanic *thwahlijan (source also of Old Saxon thwahila, Middle Dutch dwale "towel," Dutch dwaal "altar cloth," Old High German dwehila "towel," German dialectal Zwehle "napkin"); related to German zwagen, Old English þwean "to wash." Spanish toalla, Italian tovaglia are Germanic loan-words. To throw in the towel "admit defeat" (1915) is from boxing.
also from mid-13c.
towel (v.)
1836 (transitive); 1861 (intransitive), from towel (n.). Related: Towelled; towelling.

Connections
Puzzle #287
🟨🟨🟨🟨 yellow-brown shades (beige, camel, khaki, tan)
🟦🟦🟦🟦 decisive victory (blowout, romp, rout, sweep)
🟩🟩🟩🟩 fail to attend (cut, ditch, miss, skip)
🟪🟪🟪🟪 ____ wheel (cheese, color, hamster, wheel)

Strands #21 Couldn’t even get started without using hints today.

“Lock steps”
💡🔵💡🔵
💡🔵🟡🔵
🔵🔵

I played https://squaredle.com 03/24:
57/57 words (+14 bonus words)
📖 In the top 24% by bonus words
🔥 Solve streak: 10

Time for my weekly joy-of-library-delivery (courtesy of my son, Jerry) picture book festival! Thanks to whisper1 and others who have brought these books to my attention!



94. Geraldine by Elizabeth Lilly



Fun little romp of a story. Great for kids who might be facing relocation and fitting in.



95. Cat Talk by Patrician MacLachlan and Emily MacLachlan Charest, ill. Barry Moser



Beautiful cat paintings! The simple poetry, written from the cat POV, is really sweet.



96. The Sick Day by Patricia MacLachlan, ill. Jane Dyer



Patricia LacLachlan's first children's book (1979). Sweet story, featuring a long-suffering daddy. Would be great for any kid who is experiencing a "sick day."



97. Your Moon, My Moon: A Grandmother's Words to a Faraway Child by Patricia MacLachlan, ill. Bryan Collie



Sweet, sad words from a grandma to a grandchild. "Your moon is my moon, too."

I particularly liked the illustrator's dedication: "With all the world's problems, separations, and distractions, I dedicate this book to every child and adult who misses someone they love. The moon has always been there, serving as a point of reference for all of us to connect. Thank God for the moon."

Geraldine looks cute!

>143 klobrien2: Your Strands looks pretty exactly like mine. If they had said Locks instead of the word they did use, I might have figured it out sooner.

>145 The_Hibernator: Hi, Rachel! “Geraldine” is a fun book. It’s got some really floppy, non-structural giraffes though! (Geraldine at her saddest). Your little guy might like it!

>146 ReneeMarie: I try to solve Strands without using hints, but just couldn’t today. I think the NYT might be gearing up to add Strands to their game app (and take it out of beta testing). The game was featured in one of the newsletters today.

Thank you both for stopping by to chat!

My “Norman Jewison Film Fest” continues:

Jewison, who recently passed away, was prolific, and directed a lot of my favorite movies. Here’s a mostly-complete list of his oeuvre (how do you like that cinema-speak?!) Jewison did a lot of TV, and I’ve omitted those shows. The films I’ve seen are in bold. I’ll be rewatching!



The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming! (one of my favorite Jewison movies, although far from a “serious” film). Jewison was both producer and director on this one. Screenplay by William Rose and Nathaniel Benchley. Stars Carl Reiner, Eva Marie Saint, Alan Arkin, Brian Keith, Sheldon Collins (one of my favorites, he plays “Pete,” the young son). A whole lot of comedy know-how here. I hadn’t realized how beautifully photographed the setting is—Gloucester Island, Massachusetts. Set during the Cold War, a small Russian submarine ends up stranded on Gloucester when the captain disobeys orders so that he can get a glimpse of the USA.

The Fabulous Fifties (1960) 7.5 on IMDB (unavailable?)
40 Pounds of Trouble (1962) (6.3)
The Thrill of It All (1963) (6.9)
Send Me No Flowers (1964) (6.9)
The Art of Love (1965) (6.1) (DVD)
The Cincinnati Kid (1965) (7.2) (Tubi)
The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming! (1966) (7.0) (Tubi)
In the Heat of the Night (1967) (7.9) (Tubi)
The Thomas Crowne Affair (1968) (6.9) (Tubi)
Gaily, Gaily (1969) (5.3–might skip this one)
Fiddler on the Roof (1971) (8.0) (Tubi)
Jesus Christ Superstar (1973) (7.3) (Peacock)
Rollerball (1975) (6.5) (Tubi)
F.I.S.T. (1978) (6.1) DVD? Hard to locate!
And Justice For All (1979) (7.4) DVD
Best Friends (1982) (5.5–skip?)
A Soldier’s Story (1984) (7.2) DVD
Agnes of God (1985) (6.6) DVD (ILL)
Moonstruck (1987) (7.2) (Tubi)
In Country (1989) (5.9) DVD (Kanopy, HCL)
Other People’s Money (1991) (6.2) DVD (ILL)
Only You (1994) (6.5) DVD
Bogus (1996) (5.3–skip?)
The Hurricane (1999) (7.6) DVD
The Statement (2003) (6.2–might skip, but it was his last movie) DVD (ILL)

Today: Puzzles and papers and LT (the everyday things). Mobility exercises. Today I need to get all things ready for my meeting with my tax person tomorrow Wednesday afternoon. Snowstorm did indeed happen, and Nicole emailed suggesting a reschedule. I was feeling anxious about driving in the mess, so I am relieved.

Books I read yesterday: Answered Prayers by Truman Capote, The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

Magazines:

Great Course: Post-Impressionism: The Beginnings of Modern Art:

Grief reading:

Watching: Started The Russians are Coming! The Russians are Coming!

Listening:

Wordle 1,010 5/6 irate, cloak, laugh, madly, sally

⬜⬜🟦⬜⬜
⬜🟦⬜🟦⬜
🟦🟧⬜⬜⬜
⬜🟧⬜🟧🟧
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

Etymonline.com: sally (n.)
1550s, "a sudden rush (out), a dashing or springing forth," especially of troops, from a besieged place, attacking the besiegers, from French saillie "a rushing forth," noun use of fem. past participle of saillir "to leap," from Latin salire "to leap" (see salient (adj.)).
Hence figuratively, in 17c. of spiritual matters, in 18c. of wit, etc. In architecture, "a projection," 1660s. Sally-port "gate or passage in a fortification to afford free egress to troops in making a sally" is from 1640s (with port (n.2)).
also from 1550s
Sally
fem. proper name, an alteration of Sarah (compare Hal from Harry, Moll from Mary, etc.). Sally Lunn cakes (by 1780), sweet and spongy, supposedly were named for the young woman in Bath who first made them and sold them in the streets. Sally Ann as a nickname for Salvation Army is recorded from 1927.
sally (v.)
of a troop or troops, "issue suddenly from a place of defense for the purpose of attack," 1540s, from sally (n.). Related: Sallied; sallying.

Connections
Puzzle #288
🟨🟨🟨🟨 how fast something is going (clip, pace, rate, speed)
🟩🟩🟩🟩 “step on it!” (Faster, go, hurry, move)
🟪🟪🟪🟪 tele ____ (commute, medecine, prompter, medecine)
🟦🟦🟦🟦 NBA team player (Clipper, Pacer, Rocket, Spur)

Strands #22
“Sign language”
🔵🔵🔵🔵
🟡🔵🔵🔵

I played https://squaredle.com 03/25:
19/19 words (+5 bonus words)
📖 In the top 27% by bonus words
🔥 Solve streak: 11

I played https://squaredle.com/xp 03/25:
24/24 words (+10 bonus words)
📖 In the top 16% by bonus words

>150 klobrien2: I sure like the cakes. Have a happy week ahead, Karen O.

Today: Puzzles and papers and LT (the everyday things). Mobility exercises. It’s snowing again. Meeting with tax person tomorrow. Some prep for the coming holiday weekend. All family will be here!

Books I read yesterday: The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate—finished. Ferris, by one of my favorites, Kate DiCamillo.

Magazines: The Atlantic (2024 01/02), Threads (2023 Fall), Scientific American (2024 03).

Great Course: Post-Impressionism: The Beginnings of Modern Art:

Grief reading:

Watching: Finished The Russians are Coming! The Russians are Coming!. Watched Lewis 1.2.

Listening:

Guessy Guesserton today.

Wordle 1,011 5/6 irate, armor, major, manor, mayor

⬜🟦🟦⬜⬜
🟦⬜🟦🟧🟧
🟧🟧⬜🟧🟧
🟧🟧⬜🟧🟧
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

Etymonline.com: mayor (n.)
"principal officer of a municipality, chief magistrate of a city or borough," c. 1300, mair, meir (mid-13c. as a surname), from Old French maire "head of a city or town government" (13c.), originally "greater, superior" (adj.), from Latin maior, major, comparative of magnus "great, large, big" (of size), "abundant" (of quantity), "great, considerable" (of value), "strong, powerful" (of force); of persons, "elder, aged," also, figuratively, "great, mighty, grand, important," from PIE *mag-no-, from root *meg- "great."
Mayoress is attested from late 15c. as "the wife of a mayor;" by 1863 as "woman holding the office of mayor."

Connections
Puzzle #289
🟩🟩🟩🟩 plant growths (bloom, bud, shoot, sprout)
🟦🟦🟦🟦 bring up (foster, raise, nurse, rear)
🟪🟪🟪🟪 solar emanations (corona, flare, light, radiation)
🟨🟨🟨🟨 musical instruments (bass, bassoon, harp, recorder)

Strands #23
“That’s fantastic!”
🔵🔵🟡🔵
🔵🔵🔵

I played https://squaredle.com 03/26:
32/32 words (+9 bonus words)
📖 In the top 7% by bonus words
🔥 Solve streak: 12

>153 klobrien2: Anything not an X is good, never lose sight of that! Hoping your Tuesday is a good one, Karen O. *smooch*

>154 richardderus: You are certainly correct about that, Richard! Good Tuesday to you, too! Hope you’re feeling better!

98. The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate



Powerful book, meant for the middle grades, but I loved it. Quite a few of the little "chapters" read as poetry. I can surely see why this was a Newbury winner.

This is the story of Ivan the gorilla, who is taken from his home violently and brutally and finds his new "domain" in a strip mall where he is imprisoned for decades. The story is told from Ivan's point of view, and he is a remarkable storyteller. Based on a true story.

There is a lot of sadness here, but there is joy, friendship, and love.

I've already requested the next book, The One and Only Bob.

>156 klobrien2: The only Applegate I've read is Wishtree (I liked it). A boy bought it a couple of days ago even though he'd already read it. When I told him I'd only read that book by her, he said he's read lots. I asked him his favorite and he said Crenshaw. So that's two more recommendations for you if you haven't already read them.

>157 ReneeMarie: Great! I was very impressed with “Ivan” so I’m sure I would like those. I might have to go see if my library has them, right now.

…so, they are requested. I guess I’m going to have an “Applegate Fest.” The good thing about Juvey fiction is that it is a fast read (usually).

Thanks, RM!

99. Abandoned Malls of America: Crumbling Commerce Left Behind by Seph Lawless



What a shocking, alarming book this is! It's basically a coffee table book, full of great photographs, but so strange. It's like a memorial to such a big part of American life of the '70s, '80s, '90s...and a part of life that then started to fail, in instance after instance, in the 2000s. And that failure is documented in this book.

When reading this book, I kept experiencing shocks of recognition though I'd never been to any of the malls featured. It seem that there is such similarity in the structures to make one mall stand in for all, or most.

"To be inside an abandoned mall is surreal. Oftentimes I feel like I'm the past person alive on the planet." (Seph Lawless, the author)

Since 9/11 (2001), the trend is for mall space to be deconstructed; the roofs are being removed, the stores spaced out to provide open mall space.

Hi, Karen. I see you are reading Answered Prayers. How is it? I recently started Feud: Capote vs. Swans. It has been pretty good. Hollander and Watts are fantastic. Nice to see Treat Williams in his last performance. RIP.

>160 msf59: Answered Prayers is starting off okay. I keep visualizing Hollander as Capote, reading the words! However, the book is so incomplete--no one knows if there were ever any more chapters actually written; regardless, nothing exists of any more than the three chapters. The "La Cote Basque" chapter is the third and final chapter. I know that Capote changed the names of the women in this chapter; I should get a cheatsheet to know who he is really talking about.

Such a sad story! But I'm glad you're watching the show. I hope you like it.

>158 klobrien2: Sure. I'm probably going to read Ivan & Crenshaw myself.

A few middle grade novels that I *love* are:
* Charlie Thorne and the Last Equation by Stuart Gibbs
* The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart
and
* The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle by Leslie Connor

Highly, highly recommended.

>162 ReneeMarie: They all look so good! Thanks for the reccies!

Today: Puzzles and papers and LT (the everyday things). Mobility exercises. Meeting with tax person. Some prep for the coming holiday weekend. All family will be here!

Books I read yesterday: Abandoned Malls of America, The Art of Losing: Poems of Grief and Healing, Ferris, Ragnarok.

Magazines:

Great Course: Post-Impressionism: The Beginnings of Modern Art: Watched: 7. Politics and Religion on the Canvas and 8. Divisionism: Using the Science of Color.

Grief reading: The Art of Losing: Poems of Grief and Healing! I’m getting my own copy of this gem! The “Wilderness” Lent study has also been helpful to me.

Watching: Bob ❤️ Abishola 5.8, 9-1-1 7.2 (very exciting!).

Listening:

Phew!, indeed!

Wordle 1,012 6/6 irate, clout, busty, stump, stuff, stung

⬜⬜⬜🟦⬜
⬜⬜⬜🟦🟦
⬜🟦🟦🟦⬜
🟧🟧🟧⬜⬜
🟧🟧🟧⬜⬜
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

Etymonline.com: I like the previous past tense! sting (v.)
Middle English stingen, from Old English stingan "to stab, pierce, or prick with a point" (of weapons, bees, certain plants, etc.), from Proto-Germanic *stingan (source also of Old Norse stinga, Old High German stungen "to prick," Gothic us-stagg "to prick out," Old High German stanga, German stange "pole, perch," German stengel "stalk, stem"). This is perhaps is from PIE *stengh-, nasalized form of the root *stegh- "to stick, prick, sting."
In old use also of serpents, toads, and flies (late 12c.). The sense mostly specialized to stinging insects after 14c. The intransitive sense of "have a stinger, be capable of stinging" is by 1735; that of "be sharply painful" is from 1848. The slang meaning "to cheat, swindle" is from 1812. In Middle English also "have sexual intercourse with" (mid-13c.).
An Old English strong verb, past tense stang, past participle stungen; the past tense later was leveled to stung.
sting (n.)
Old English stincg, steng "act of stinging, puncture, thrust, snakebite, sting of a scorpion," from the root of sting (v.).
The meaning "sharp-pointed organ (in certain insects, etc.) capable of inflicting a painful puncture wound" is from late 14c. In reference to the mental pain left by a sharp remark, early 15c. As "quality or capacity to hurt" (as in take the sting out of), by 1860.
The meaning "a carefully planned theft or robbery" is attested from 1930 in U.S. underworld slang; the sense of "police undercover entrapment" is attested by 1975.

Connections
Puzzle #290
🟦🟪🟦🟦
🟨🟨🟨🟨 update for accuracy (amend, correct, fix, revise)
🟩🟩🟩🟦
🟩🟩🟩🟩 quarrel ( fight, row, scrap, tiff)
🟪🟪🟪🟪 ____ chip (blue, computer, poker, potato)
🟦🟦🟦🟦 games of chance (bingo, lottery, roulette, war)

Strands #24
“This is where I draw the line”
🔵🔵🔵🔵
🔵🟡🔵

I played https://squaredle.com 03/27:
38/38 words (+10 bonus words)
📖 In the top 5% by bonus words
🔥 Solve streak: 13

>159 klobrien2: I can only imagine the spookiness of being inside an empty mall. Seems like a lot of big buildings fail to live up to expectations and are poorly thought out that they become obsolete. I read a book about ghost cities in China last year and found it fascinating.

It would be interesting to see what abandoned malls could be converted into that would benefit/suite the surrounding community more ( housing, medical, community spaces...)

Anyhow happy mid week.

>159 klobrien2: Why the heck aren't we repurposing these spaces as urban gardens? We need to feed poor people veggies; these spaces have water, electricity, transportation links; put in raised beds and let people raise healthy veggies there instead of letting them rot.

*sigh*

My one-eyed shout into the country of the blindly capitalistic.

>144 klobrien2: Your son sounds like a keeper!

Hi Karen my dear, a belated Happy New Thread dear friend.

>166 figsfromthistle: Lawless has another book, about abandoned amusement parks. I would find that even more spooky.

>167 richardderus: I know—there has to be something better than letting all that infrastructure just rot away.

>168 BLBera: Son Jerry is, indeed, a keeper. He’s helped me so much this year! So has my daughter, but she’s a few hours away. I hate to think how I could have managed without her after my hospitalization, returning home. She is a RN, she specializes in helping people get back home after hospitalization! I am blessed with my kids, my other family, and my neighbors.

>169 johnsimpson: Hi, John, so good to see you here!

Thank you all for visiting and stopping to chat!

Your son Jerry does sound like a keeper! How nice that he brings books home to you from the library. I'm really enjoying Strands. Well, not long until Easter. I hope you have a dinner or some sort of get together planned for the weekend. We are going to my sister's place and I think there will about 13 member of the family and I only to bring dessert.

>171 vancouverdeb: Cindy and Mike and their boys will be here all weekend, as will Jerry! Two of my sisters are coming over for Easter dinner, so we’ll be eight all together then. I’ll be getting all the food, but will have lots of help getting it ready.

Happy Easter, Deborah!

Today: Puzzles and papers and LT (the everyday things). Mobility exercises. Follow up just a few items with the tax person. Get ready for the weekend!

Books I read yesterday: Saga, Vol. 11

Magazines: New Yorker (3/25) and (4/01), The Week (3/15)

Great Course: Post-Impressionism: The Beginnings of Modern Art:

Grief reading:

Watching: Night Court 2.13, Rookie 6.4

Listening:

Wordle 1,013 4/6 irate, gleam, cheap, speak

⬜⬜🟦⬜🟦
⬜⬜🟧🟧⬜
⬜⬜🟧🟧🟦
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

Etymonline.com: speak (v.)
Middle English speken, from Old English specan, variant of sprecan "to utter words articulately without singing, have or use the power of speech; make a speech; hold discourse" with others (class V strong verb; past tense spræc, past participle sprecen), from Proto-Germanic *sprekanan (source also of Old Saxon sprecan, Old Frisian spreka, Middle Dutch spreken, Old High German sprehhan, German sprechen "to speak," Old Norse spraki "rumor, report"). This has sometimes been said to represent a PIE root meaning "to strew," on notion of speech as a "scattering" of words, but Boutkan finds no Indo-European etymology for the Germanic word.
In English the -r- began to drop out in Late West Saxon and was gone by mid-12c., perhaps from influence of Danish spage "crackle," also used in a slang sense of "speak" (compare crack (v.) in slang senses having to do with speech, such as wisecrack, cracker, all it's cracked up to be). Elsewhere, rare variant forms without -r- are found in Middle Dutch (speken), Old High German (spehhan), dialectal German (spächten "speak").
Apparently not the primary word for "to speak" in Old English (the "Beowulf" author prefers maþelian, from mæþel "assembly, council," from root of metan "to meet;" compare Greek agoreuo "to speak, explain," originally "speak in the assembly," from agora "assembly").
Also in Old English and Middle English as "to write, state or declare in writing." Of things, "be expressive or significative," by 1530s.
Speak is more general in meaning than talk. Thus, a man may speak by uttering a single word, whereas to talk is to utter words consecutively ; so a man may be able to speak without being able to talk. Speak is also more formal in meaning : as, to speak before an audience ; while talk implies a conversational manner of speaking. Century Diuctionary
To speak out is from late 14c. as "speak loudly;" by 1690s as "speak freely and boldly." To speak up "speak on behalf" (of another, etc.) is by 1705; as "speak loudly" by 1723. To speak for "make a speech on behalf of" is by c. 1300; to speak for itself "be self-evident" is by 1779.
Speaking terms "relationship between two in which they converse with one another" is from 1786, often in the negative. As a type of megaphone, speaking-tube is by 1825; speaking-trumpet by 1670s.
speak (n.)
c. 1300, "talk, speech," from speak (v.). It survived in Scottish English and dialect, but modern use in compounds probably is entirely traceable to Orwell (see Newspeak).

Connections
Puzzle #291
🟨🟨🟨🟨 exited (departed, left, split, went)
🟩🟩🟩🟩 one flying an airplane (ace, aviator, flier, pilot)
🟦🟦🟦🟦 kinds of whales (blue, fin, gray, right)
🟪🟪🟪🟪 things with slots (atm, casino, schedule, spatula)

Strands #25
“Off the shelf”
🔵🔵🔵🔵
🔵🟡🔵

I played https://squaredle.com 03/28:
53/53 words (+10 bonus words)
📖 In the top 32% by bonus words
🔥 Solve streak: 14

Happy Thursday, Karen O.

*smooch*

>175 richardderus: And, also to you! Thanks for stopping by!

Today: Puzzles and papers and LT (the everyday things). Mobility exercises. Besides being Good Friday (important to Christians), it is the one-year anniversary of my husband’s passing. I hope to do much condoling and remembering with my family and in my heart.

Books I read yesterday: Saga, Vol. 11, Ferris by Kate DiCamillo, Smile by Raina Telgemeier, No Cure for Being Human by Kate Bowler

Magazines:

Great Course: Post-Impressionism: The Beginnings of Modern Art:

Grief reading: Ferris, unexpectedly.

Watching: Girls5Eva 3.2 and 3.3

Listening:

Wordle 1,014 4/6 irate, ready, reach, realm

⬜🟦🟧⬜🟦
🟧🟧🟧⬜⬜
🟧🟧🟧⬜⬜
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

I’m going to stop posting the etymologies of the Wordle words. It was fun! I love etymonline.com!

Connections
Puzzle #292
🟩🟨🟩🟩
🟦🟦🟦🟪
🟨🟨🟨🟨 especially (mighty, pretty, really, very)
🟩🟩🟩🟩 Disney characters (Daisy, Goofy, Happy, Lady)
🟦🟦🟦🟦 kinds of blue (baby, navy, sky, tiffany)
🟪🟪🟪🟪 body parts + “y” (army, colony, livery, shiny)

Strands #26 Had to use hints to even get started!

“Pardon my French!”
💡🔵💡🔵
💡🔵💡🔵
🟡🔵🔵

I played https://squaredle.com 03/29:
58/58 words (+19 bonus words)
📖 In the top 16% by bonus words
🔥 Solve streak: 15

My thoughts are with you on your one year of the passing of your husband. Hope your thoughts are filled with comforting memories.

I had to use hints for connections almost right away too. I thought Strands was hard today too.

Take good care of yourself today.

>177 klobrien2: My thoughts are with you today, Karen. It's been a tough year. We've seen a lot of loss this past year as well, with several friends of my husband as well as his mother passing. And seeing a lot of folks here on LT experiencing loss as well. Sending you lots of ((((hugs)))).

>180 atozgrl: Thank you so much! Loss is hard, that's for sure. Thank you for all of the thoughts and the hugs!

100. Ferris by Kate DiCamillo



Wonderful book by DiCamillo, with lots to say about love and loss and family. The main theme of the book is, "Every good story is a love story." Ferris's family is loving and a little crazy, but they know what's important in life. When a ghost asks the grandmother, Charisse, to have the huge chandelier filled with candles and lit up for the first time ever (so she and her ghost husband can find peace), the family gets it done.

The teacher of two of the kids has lost her husband, and is "bereft." DiCamillo has found a way to incorporate love of vocabulary into this book! She also shows the love of reading among the family members and their friends.

As the author states, "When we read together, we connect. Together, we see the world. Together, we see one another."

101. Saga, Vol. 11 by Brian K. Vaughan



Another good entry in the Saga...saga. Now, I think I'll follow mahsdad's example and start from the beginning. There is a lot of referring to past events, and it would probably be a lot better to be sure of the plot. It's a really good series.

102. Smile: A Graphic Novel by Raina Telgemeier



Another excellent graphic book by Telgemeier: this time, Raina is experiencing all kinds of change and growth. She knocks her two front teeth out in an accident, and it takes years to right all of the wrongs. But she finds out that she's not alone; she learns how to find out who her real friends are. Good, strong story and art.

103. A Commonplace Book of Pie by Kate Lebo



What a fun book! It has a theme of pie, so kind of like a cookbook, but "this book is a commonplace book. A record of thoughts, ideas, quotes and observations that all have something to with pie."

Kate Lebo is a poet and a piemaker, so that explains the book, I think. There are baking instructions and recipes but the intent of the book is to be something more than that. In that, the book succeeds.

There are a lot of quotations in the book. Here's a quote that I just love: "Science means simply the aggregate of all the recipes that are always successful. All the rest is literature."(Paul Valery)

Friday Reading Roundup!

Because I rely on libraries so much for my reading (and do so much eBook reading), what I'm reading at any given time changes often, and changes quickly.

Karen's current reading (03/29/24):

Actively reading (or soon will be!)

Answered Prayers by Truman Capote -- p. 10 of 150
The Art of Losing: Poems of Grief and Healing, ed. Kevin Young -- p. 16 of 305
The Red Housed by A. A. Milne -- p. 14 of 171
Mexi Kid: A Graphic Memoir by Pedro Martin -- p. 23 of 310
Ragnarok: The End of the Gods by A. S. Byatt -- p. 73 of 177
No Cure for Being Human by Kate Bowler -- p. 39 of 202
The Fairy Tale Life of Dorothy Gale by VIrginia Kanfro -- p. 15 of 316
Attachments: A Novel by Rainbow Rowell -- p. 22 of 331
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett -- p. 29 of 278 (mine, on Nook)
Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club by J. Ryan Stradal -- p. 81 of 253 (mine, on Nook)
The Puzzle Master by Danielle Trussoni -- p. 27 of 343
The Perfect Passion Company by Alexander McCall Smith
Unnatural Habits (Phryne Fisher #19) by Kerry Greenwood -- p. 62 of 255
Career of Evil (Cormoran Strike #3) by Robert Galbraith -- p. 33 of 439

I'm overbooked! I don't want to lose track of these books, but I can't truly say that I am actively reading them right now:

Braiding Sweetgrass (for Rosalita)
The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger -- p. 82 of 421 (Nook)
Abide With Me by Elizabeth Strout -- p. 7 of 273
Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan -- p. 41 of 436
Crook Manifesto by Colson Whitehead -- p. 73 of 288 (Nook)
Agatha's First Case (Agatha Raisin #0.5) by M. C. Beaton (Nook)
The Adventure of the Peculiar Protocols by Nicholas Meyer -- p. 3 of 238
Marple: Twelve New Stories by assorted authors
Fairy Tale by Stephen King

I try to participate in the American Authors Challenge. In April, we are reading Non-Fiction.

I usually am reading/watching Great Courses. My current Great Course is:
Post-Impressionism: The Beginnings of Modern Art, by Ricky Allman, 8 of 24 lectures read and watched.

>185 klobrien2: Perfect reading for such a difficult day like today. I've always thought kummerspeck, "grief-bacon", ought to be kummerpastete, "grief-pie" in the UK sense of pie...a crispy crust around a delicious meaty filling, since that's more fulfilling to eat than meat-candy.

*smooch*

I am thinking of you today on a year since your husband's passing. I surprised myself by doing Wordle in 2 today but yes, Strands was hard, I thought. I'm glad you have been getting some great reading in.

>187 richardderus: I love that…”grief-bacon” and “grief-pie”! The book was really clever.

Thanks for stopping by! Smooches right back to you!

>188 vancouverdeb: Wordle in 2 is great! Have you ever had Wordle in 1?

It’s been a good day. Daughter and I watched my church’s Good Friday service (very moving) and then “Jesus Christ Superstar.” So I got a lot of tears out! 8>} The boys played board games in the other room. They also colored paper Easter eggs for some candy containers we’ll put together tomorrow. And I heard some talk about dyeing Easter eggs…

My “Norman Jewison Film Fest” continues:

Jewison, who recently passed away, was prolific, and directed a lot of my favorite movies. Here’s a mostly-complete list of his oeuvre (how do you like that cinema-speak?!) Jewison did a lot of TV, and I’ve omitted those shows. The films I’ve seen are in bold. I’ll be rewatching!



Slightly out of chronological order, Jesus Christ Superstar. IMDB says, “Film version of the musical stage play, presenting the last few weeks of Christ's life told in an anachronistic manner.” “Based on a concept album project written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, and the subsequent long-running Broadway performance, this film tells the story of the final 6 days in the life of Jesus Christ through the troubled eyes of Judas Iscariot. Too often mis-labeled a musical, this film is a ‘rock opera.’ There are no spoken lines, everything is sung.” Ted Neeley, Carl Anderson, Yvonne Elliman. Tons of great music! Jewison and Melvyn Bragg wrote the movie screenplay from the play, which in turn had come about from the concept album by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Tagline to the movie is, “and now the film...”

The Fabulous Fifties (1960) 7.5 on IMDB (unavailable?)
40 Pounds of Trouble (1962) (6.3)
The Thrill of It All (1963) (6.9)
Send Me No Flowers (1964) (6.9)
The Art of Love (1965) (6.1) (DVD)
The Cincinnati Kid (1965) (7.2) (Tubi)
The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming! (1966) (7.0) (Tubi)
In the Heat of the Night (1967) (7.9) (Tubi)
The Thomas Crowne Affair (1968) (6.9) (Tubi)
Gaily, Gaily (1969) (5.3–might skip this one)
Fiddler on the Roof (1971) (8.0) (Tubi)
Jesus Christ Superstar (1973) (7.3) (Peacock)
Rollerball (1975) (6.5) (Tubi)
F.I.S.T. (1978) (6.1) DVD? Hard to locate!
And Justice For All (1979) (7.4) DVD
Best Friends (1982) (5.5–skip?)
A Soldier’s Story (1984) (7.2) DVD
Agnes of God (1985) (6.6) DVD (ILL)
Moonstruck (1987) (7.2) (Tubi)
In Country (1989) (5.9) DVD (Kanopy, HCL)
Other People’s Money (1991) (6.2) DVD (ILL)
Only You (1994) (6.5) DVD
Bogus (1996) (5.3–skip?)
The Hurricane (1999) (7.6) DVD
The Statement (2003) (6.2–might skip, but it was his last movie) DVD (ILL)

All the best for you and happy Easter, Karen, even if it's not an easy time for you.

>191 SirThomas: Thank you! I’m blessed with my family and great memories.

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Easter !

Today: Puzzles and papers and LT (the everyday things). Mobility exercises. Make Easter baskets.

Books I read yesterday: Commonplace Book of Pie by Kate Lebo

Magazines:

Great Course: Post-Impressionism: The Beginnings of Modern Art:

Grief reading:

Watching: My church’s Good Friday service, Jesus Christ Superstar

Listening:

Uggh. I think I used all the letters in the alphabet…

Wordle 1,015 6/6 irate, rouge, horde, borne, worse, force

⬜🟦⬜⬜🟧
🟦🟧⬜⬜🟧
⬜🟧🟧⬜🟧
⬜🟧🟧⬜🟧
⬜🟧🟧⬜🟧
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

Connections (Struggles with the green level for far too long!)
Puzzle #293
🟩🟦🟦🟩
🟩🟩🟦🟩
🟨🟨🟨🟨 breathes heavily (gasps, huffs, pants, puffs)
🟩🟩🟦🟩
🟦🟦🟦🟦 predicaments (binds, jams, pickles, spots)
🟩🟩🟩🟩 preserves, as meat (cans, cures, salts, smokes)
🟪🟪🟪🟪 things in “My Favorite Things” (kettles, mittens, raindrops, whiskers)

Strands #27
“Camouflage”
💡🔵🔵💡
🔵💡🔵💡
🔵🟡🔵

I played https://squaredle.com 03/30:
37/37 words (+6 bonus words)
🎯 In the top 40% by accuracy
🔥 Solve streak: 16

Happy Sunday, Karen. I watched The Cincinnati Kid. It pales alongside The Hustler, which is a masterpiece, IMHO, but still worth watching for the star power. McQueen-King of Cool. Robinson is good too, along with sex-kitten Ann-Margret. I will also watch In the Heat of the Night, which I have not seen in decades.

Hi Karen, how are you?

>195 msf59: I have’t seen The Hustler so I’ll have to watch that. We watched a few minutes of The Ten Commandments last night. Edward G. Robinson has a part in that, and, boy, was that a shift in how to think of him!

>196 Owltherian: Hi, Lily!

>197 klobrien2: I hope you have a good Easter!

Today: Puzzles and papers and LT (the everyday things). Mobility exercises. Easter celebrating and visiting.

Books I read yesterday: Five picture books (what a treat!) and The One and Only Bob by Katherine Applegate

Magazines:

Great Course: Post-Impressionism: The Beginnings of Modern Art:

Grief reading:

Watching: Just a little bit of The Ten Commandments

Listening:

Morning, smoochling. I hope your Sunday's weather is half as beautiful as ours is!

>200 richardderus: Minnesota has overcast skies, but no precip. Nice temps—in the 40s.

Have a great Sunday, Richard!

Wordle 1,016 4/6 irate, stalk, about, taboo

⬜⬜🟦🟦⬜
⬜🟦🟦⬜⬜
🟦🟦🟦⬜🟦
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

Okay, wasn’t going to post etymologies any more, but this one is pretty cool. Etymonline.com: taboo (adj.)
also tabu, 1777 (in Cook's "A Voyage to the Pacific Ocean"), "consecrated, inviolable, forbidden, unclean or cursed; prohibited to a certain class," explained in some English sources as being from Tongan (Polynesian language of the island of Tonga) ta-bu "sacred," from ta "mark" + bu "especially." But this may be folk etymology, as linguists in the Pacific have reconstructed an irreducable Proto-Polynesian *tapu, from Proto-Oceanic *tabu "sacred, forbidden" (compare Hawaiian kapu "taboo, prohibition, sacred, holy, consecrated;" Tahitian tapu "restriction, sacred, devoted; an oath;" Maori tapu "be under ritual restriction, prohibited").
The noun ("prohibitory restraining injunction") and verb ("to put under taboo") are English innovations first recorded in Cook's account OED, 2nd ed., 1989.

Connections
Puzzle #294
🟦🟨🟪🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩 kinds of water (mineral, spring, still, tap)
🟨🟨🟨🟨 take a tumble (fall, slip, spill, trip)
🟦🟪🟦🟦
🟪🟪🟪🟪 ____bear (boo-boo, brown, honey, teddy)
🟦🟦🟦🟦 things that are cinched in the middle (corset, diabolo, hourglass, wasp)

Strands #28
“It’s lit!”
💡🔵💡🔵
💡🔵💡🔵
💡🔵💡🔵
🟡

I played https://squaredle.com 03/31:
62/62 words (+13 bonus words)
📖 In the top 22% by bonus words
🔥 Solve streak: 17

Happy Resurrection Sunday. It was beautiful day in Florida, I will start back to Minnesota on the 15th of April. Minnesota is always disappointing in April. I hope it surprises me this year.

Hi Karen. My granddaughter is a huge DiCamillo fan and recently read Ferris. I should ask her what she thought.

>203 Kristelh: I’ve been to Florida a few times, and it was beautiful. One time was in late spring, and outside it felt like swimming through the humidity. And we’re no strangers to high humidity in summer, here in MN. Welcome back to Minnesota when you get here!

>204 BLBera: I would love to know what she thought about Ferris. The story fit me to a “T” at this stage of my life, but now that I think about it, there is something for all ages here. So cool how DiCamillo does that!

Thank you both for stopping by to chat!

Today: Puzzles and papers and LT (the everyday things). Mobility exercises.
Phew! Easter weekend has come and gone, and it was a really nice time, with a full house, and lots of Easter celebrating. I did more meal preparation than I’ve done for a while, and it all turned out pretty good. Nothing too complicated. I planned Easter dinner, but Cindy did the making. I tried to take an easy approach, with side dishes from a local restaurant. I did make 50s-style pea salad, and my sister Jannie brought dessert (3 great pies). Now it is the calm after the busy-ness, one of my favorite parts of a holiday. I’m so thankful to my kids for being around all weekend, because of it being the anniversary of Art’s passing.

Books I read yesterday:: Not much reading got done: a little Mexikid and I took a look at Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade.

Magazines:

Great Course: Post-Impressionism: The Beginnings of Modern Art:

Grief reading:

Watching: TV was the ticket for me after everyone had gone. Gentleman in Moscow ep. 1 (like it!), Resident Alien 3.7, Dick Turpin ep. 6 (final for this season, but they’re well set up if there is a second season), Animal Control 2.4.

Listening:

Nice Christmas tree shape!

Wordle 1,017 4/6 irate, brown, prong, frond

⬜🟧⬜⬜⬜
⬜🟧🟧⬜🟦
⬜🟧🟧🟧⬜
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

Connections (today’s puzzle featured little emojis of things—I felt my brain working differently!

Puzzle #295
🟩🟩🟩🟩 words that rhyme (plane, rain, train, brain)
🟨🟪🟨🟨
🟦🟦🟪🟦
🟨🟨🟨🟨 food slang for money (bread, bacon, lettuce, cheese)
🟪🟪🟪🟪 letter homophones (ewe, bee, eye, tea)
🟦🟦🟦🟦 horror movies (alien, scream, dracula?, saw)

Strands #29
“What’s so funny?”
🔵🔵🔵🔵
🔵🟡🔵🔵

I played https://squaredle.com/xp 04/01:
26/26 words (+4 bonus words)
📖 In the top 19% by bonus words

This week's Picture-Book-Palooza! Thanks to whisper1, fuzzi, and whoever else might have brought these books to my attention!



104. Prairie Days by Patricia MacLachlan, ill. Micha Archer



Exceptional illustrations; they're actually collages, and they are true works of art! I love it when the artist explains the illustrations, and Micha Archer does here: they are made from acrylics, inks, and texture papers (from origami and tissue papers and homemade stamps). They are so beautiful, they make the words of the book much stronger!



105. My Poet by Patricia MacLachlan, ill. Jen Hill



"Inspired by the life and craft of Mary Oliver" (one of my favorite poets). Focus is the relationship between a little girl and her friend and neighbor, the poet (was that Mary Oliver?) Sweet story of friendship and the nature of words and wordcraft.



106. Fly Away Home by Eve Bunting, ill. Ronald Himler



Homelessness is a difficult subject, difficult to explain to children. This book goes a long way towards broaching the subject. A little girl and her father live in the bounds of an airport. They've developed a range of rules to follow to avoid detection and to keep clean, keep fed, and grab whatever sleep they can.

It's a heartbreaking book, but homelessness is heartbreaking! The father and child in the book are heroes, making their way, searching for a way for it to be better.



107. The Biggest Bear by Lynd Ward



Pretty sure that this is oldest picture book I've read -- 1952. I wasn't sure what to make of the book until I was well into it. It's about wildlife, a hunting culture, and how a little boy finds an orphaned bear cub and instead of "shootin' him a bear...the biggest bear!" he and his family adopt the cub and raise it until something must be done. Good resolution to the problem, and it's as close to a happy ending as possible (I was starting to worry).



108. My Elephant is Blue: A Book About Big, Heavy Feelings by Melinda Szymanik, ill. Vasanti Unka



Beautiful illustrations (that blue!), helpful presentation of how to deal with sadness, depression, "the blues." This book would be very helpful to children dealing with such feelings, I'm sure.

Just coming by to see how you are doing, Karen. I am behind on the threads yet again. *sigh*

>208 klobrien2: Hi, Stasia! I missed a day (yesterday) and boy, can I tell today! And, of course, with the change in month, a lot of folks decided to start a new thread. Lots of threads to look at.

I'm so glad to see you here! Happy April to you!

>210 klobrien2: One day of inattentiveness is like a crash course in just how much the group chats and visits each other. The numbers after a week are... unnerving.

Have a great week-ahead's reads, Karen O. *smooch*

>211 richardderus: I freak out a little when threads get too big, so really prefer to sift through them at least once a day.

It’s snowing here again! I have a lunch with friends planned, but I don’t know about driving in snow. I’ll keep an anxious eye out the window.

As always, great to see you here! *smooch*

Today: Puzzles and papers and LT (the everyday things). Mobility exercises.

Books I read yesterday:: Some The Red House Mystery by Milne, and “The Enormous Radio” by John Cheever because some random person on NYT said that everyone should read it. So I did. Now I think I need to read more John Cheever.

Magazines:

Great Course: Post-Impressionism: The Beginnings of Modern Art:

Grief reading:

Watching: 9-1-1 ep. 7.3, Call the Midwife ep. 13.2.

Listening:

Wordle 1,018 3/6 irate, shrew, serum

⬜🟦⬜⬜🟦
🟧⬜🟧🟦⬜
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

Connections
Puzzle #296
🟩🟩🟩🟩 kinds of snakes (adder, boa, mamba, moccasin)
🟨🟨🟨🟨 thrust (jab, poke, prod, stick)
🟪🟪🟪🟪 pasta shapes (bowtie, elbow, tube, wheel)
🟦🟦🟦🟦 seen in “Cinderella” (ball, prince, pumpkin, slipper)

Strands #30
“Rolling in the aisles”
🔵🔵🔵🔵
🟡🔵🔵

I played https://squaredle.com 04/02:
32/32 words (+4 bonus words)
🎯 In the top 41% by accuracy
Play streak: 19

Great job on your games today, Karen.

>215 Kristelh: Thanks! I had to go back and look—yes, I guess they all went really smoothly for me. Big change in Wordle—in the last week, I solved in 5, 6, 4, 4, 6, 4, 4, and then today’s 3. I don’t mind those 3s, at all!

If I remember, you did pretty good today, too. I must go and check. I think our “puzzle posts” are so pretty (and are full of nice alliteration).

Thanks for stopping by!

Today: Puzzles and papers and LT (the everyday things). Mobility exercises. Yesterday, had a lovely lunch with a group of friends that I’ve known for decades. The group started as computer types who worked at Burlington Northern RR (then headquartered in St Paul) who liked to get together and craft things (and drink) once a month. Now we’re all older, so less drinking, and we meet during the day. It was so great to see them all again.

Books I read yesterday:: Ragnarok, Answered Prayers, The One and Only Bob, Mexikid.

Magazines: New Yorker (4/8)

Great Course: Post-Impressionism: The Beginnings of Modern Art:

Grief reading:

Watching: Bob ❤️ Abishola 5.9, Call the Midwife 13.3

Listening:

>217 klobrien2: I have read about maybe two books by the author of The One and Only Bob, The books i have read are Wishtree & The One and Only Ivan, both were great books!

Well, I let out a big “AaaAAH!” when I got this one! My regular first word came through for me today. What a treat!

Wordle 1,019 2/6 irate, plait

🟦⬜🟧🟦⬜
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

Connections (I sought a hint for the blue level)
Puzzle #297
🟨🟨🟨🟨 benchmark (benchmark, gauge, standard, yardstick)
🟩🟩🟩🟩 poker actions (bet, call, check, fold
🟦🟦🟦🟦 skin types (combination, dry, normal, oily)
🟪🟪🟪🟪 starts of US states (kent, mary, mass, wash)

Strands #31
“Play time!”
🔵🟡🔵🔵
🔵🔵🔵

I played https://squaredle.com 04/03:
34/34 words (+2 bonus words)
🎯 In the top 43% by accuracy
🔥 Solve streak: 2

Great puzzling today!

>219 klobrien2: *smooch* for your top-quality puzzling today!

It was also a 2 Wordle day for me. *high five*

>221 richardderus: Yay!

>122 msf59: Yay for both of us! I’m always quite surprised when I do better than 4.

Sweet Thursday, Karen. I heard that Sheryl Crow had a new LP out, called "Evolution" and it was well-reviewed. I listened to it and it is good and it sparked me to go back and listen to her first 2 albums- Tuesday Night Music Club and her self-titled from '96. Good stuff. She is a treasure.

I am still watching Capote vs the Swans and I am also enjoying the adaptation of Manhunt on Apple. That was a terrific book too.

>224 msf59: Hi, Mark! I’ve always liked Sheryl Crow’s music—I should revisit her music. Thanks for the reminder!

I’m reading the unfinished Answered Prayers and, while I can see why Capote is considered a great writer, the book is pretty filthy (and I’m not usually puritanical in my reading). Each time I encounter one of the “smut balls,” I think, okay, I’m done. But I keep going. I really want to get to the last chapter, the Cote Basque chapter, that figured so prominently in the “Feud” series. Good thing the book is short. I’m at p. 24 of 150.

I’ll have to take a look at “Manhunt.” I have watched the first “Gentleman in Moscow,” and liked it. Ewan MacGregor is one of my favorite actors. Again, they started with a great book, and hopefully, will not mess it up too much.

Thanks for visiting! I really look forward to your visits!

Today: Puzzles and papers and LT (the everyday things). Mobility exercises.

Books I read yesterday: The One and Only Bob—will finish this today.

Magazines: Audubon (2024 Spring)

Great Course: Post-Impressionism: The Beginnings of Modern Art:

Grief reading:

Watching: Lewis 1.3 (really liking this show! Lewis is a great character, and he’s matured and deepened since “Morse.”

Listening:

I really wanted it to be my second guess!

Wordle 1,020 3/6 irate, chimp, climb

🟦⬜⬜⬜⬜
🟧⬜🟧🟧⬜
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

Connections
Puzzle #298
🟨🟨🟨🟨 ways to prepare eggs (boil, fry, poach, scramble)
🟩🟩🟩🟩 exhiliration (buzz, kick, rush, thrill)
🟦🟦🟦🟦 thrown in target games (axe, dart, horseshoe, ring)
🟪🟪🟪🟪 ____ wrap (body, bubble, gift, shrink)

Strands #32
“Consumerism”
🔵🔵🔵💡
🔵🔵🟡🔵
🔵

I played https://squaredle.com 04/04:
35/35 words (+6 bonus words)
📖 In the top 40% by bonus words
🔥 Solve streak: 3

From Poem-a-day:

Prayer for 2018

Cecilia Woloch

Surely there was a river, once, but there is no river here. Only a sound of drowning in the dark between the trees. The sound of wet, and only that. Surely there was a country that I called my country, once. Before the thief who would be king made other countries of us all. Before the bright screens everywhere in which another country lives. But what is it, anyway, to live—to breathe, to act, to love, to eat? Surely there was a real earth, wild and green, here, blossoming. Land of milk and honey, once. Land of wind-swept plains and blood, then of shackles and of iron. And then the black smoke of its cities and the laying down of laws. Under which some flourished—if you call that flourishing—and from which others would have fled had there been anywhere to flee. My country, which is cruel, and which is beautiful and lost. Surely, there were notes that made a song, a pledge of birds. And not a child in any cage, no man or woman in a ditch. Surely, what we meant was to anoint some other god. One made of wind and starlight, pulsing, heart that matched the human heart. Surely that god watches us, now, one eye in the river, one eye where the river was.

(Author’s Note):

“I composed this prayer on a screened-in porch on the banks of the Chattahoochee River late one night in the second year of the Trump presidency. I could hear the river, but I couldn’t see it; I couldn’t be sure if the river was really there anymore, or the country I’d called my country once. I wanted to say to whatever god we’d created, ‘This isn’t what we meant to become.’ The poem came to me nearly whole, in a rush of despair and love. I’m thankful to my friend Eve Hoffman for the use of her screened-in porch.”

—Cecilia Woloch

Answered Prayers. I saw above that you have tackled this final book from Truman Capote. And that you are a bit flummoxed about who the various characters are/were in real life. I found a Vanity Fair article from 2012 that tells you that and a whole lot more. Here's a link: https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2012/12/truman-capote-answered-prayers
I hope the link works for you.

I'll add that Dominick Dunne in 1985 published a novel called The Two Mrs. Grenvilles. It told of a farm worker's daughter who married the son of a wealthy, wealthy man. Ultimately, she dispatched him with a shotgun. With the help of her late husband's mother, she got off. Capote retells the story in the third chapter of Answered Prayers.

>229 weird_O: Thanks, weird_o. I had already done some research (might even have seen this article), so I’m all set with my “cheatsheet.”

My feeling now is that, I don’t know if Answered Prayers is worth my reading, but finishing it might help me get closure with Capote/last month’s AAC reading/“Feud” viewing.

Thanks, also, for the info about The Two Mrs. Grenvilles. I was aware of the book, but not that it involved that story. I’ll go see if I can find a copy.

Always great to see you here!

>228 klobrien2: I also found that poem to be strong and moving, Karen, after it landed in my email inbox this morning. Thanks for sharing.

>228 klobrien2: Wow, powerful poem! Thanks for sharing that.

Today: Puzzles and papers and LT (the everyday things). Mobility exercises. Grocery list. Dishwasher stopped working—get it fixed or replaced.

Books I read yesterday: The One and Only Bob, Mexikid, No Cure for Being Human

Magazines:

Great Course: Post-Impressionism: The Beginnings of Modern Art: Read and watched: 9. Japanese Influences and Los Nabis, 10. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s Paris by Night

Grief reading:

Watching: Elsbeth eps. 2 and 3. Very fun show to watch. Like “Monk” or “Columbo.”

Listening:

Wordle 1,021 3/6 irate, trick, wrist

🟦🟧⬜🟦⬜
🟦🟧🟧⬜⬜
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

Connections
Puzzle #299
🟨🟨🟨🟨 Pieces of furniture (bed, chair, couch, table)
🟩🟦🟩🟦
🟦🟦🟦🟦 wine tasting descriptors (balanced, dry, full, sweet)
🟪🟩🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩 carry, as a feeling (bear, harbor, hold, maintain)
🟪🟪🟪🟪 starting with metals (goldilocks, ironic, leadership, tinder)

Strands #33
“Am I blushing?”
🔵🔵🔵🟡
🔵🔵

I played https://squaredle.com 04/05:
63/63 words (+8 bonus words)
🎯 In the top 35% by accuracy
🔥 Solve streak: 4

>233 klobrien2: HissBOO on the dratted washdisher quitting its job! I hope it's a repairable fault. I'm projecting here, because I do not like shopping. I hope you don't have to do that awful chore, but if you enjoy it, then maybe that's a yay?

Anyway, happy weekend-ahead's reads, Karen O.!

>235 richardderus: I’ve gotten so used to shopping for everything online. Appliances were always Art’s thing (among so many things that were Art’s things). Now I must do.

I don’t make many dishes, so I can certainly wash by hand until I figure this out. The “washdisher” (I love that!) is really old, so I’m thinking I’ll replace it with the same make (Kenmore) and have them haul the old one away.

All this adulting stuff! Pfui!

Thanks for visiting! Hope you’re feeling better and have a great weekend!

>233 klobrien2: I'm watching Elsbeth too, and I'm really enjoying it. Of course, I knew the character from The Good Wife, and it's interesting to see her in a different setting. It's definitely a lot like Columbo, which was one of my favorite shows when I was young.

>237 atozgrl: Never did watch The Good Wife (maybe the first episode, way back?). But I really like Elsbeth. And I loved Columbo, too!

Thanks for stopping by to chat.

109. The One and Only Bob by Katherine Applegate, ill. Patricia Castelao



"To err is human; to forgive, canine."

Lovely sequel to {The One and Only Ivan. Ivan and Ruby are doing fine in their sheltered zoo, Bob has found a home with Julia and her family. Disaster strikes when Hurricane Gus wreaks havoc with the zoo and its inhabitants. The power of friendship has never been needed more.

Bob reminds me so much of Rocket, the engineered raccoon from The Guardians of the Galaxy. Lots of great characters in this book, including most of the beloved from the Ivan book.

My library puts both books in a Book Club Bag (what a great idea!)

110. Mexikid: A Graphic Memoir by Pedro Martin



Really fun and beautiful story of Pedro and the Martin family. The family goes on a road trip back to the old home place in Mexico, to help their abuelito (grandfather) prepare to move to the U.S. with them. Lots of adventures along the way there and back.

Pedro (Peter) is a "mexikid, a kid born in the US to parents from Mexico, a kid who doesn't get to belong to either place." He is an aspiring comic book artist, and he tells his grandfather's stories. He learns much about his heritage and we learn a lot about his culture and his life. Very funny, but also very serious in spots.

This book was a Newbery Honor Award winner.

>233 klobrien2: This may make you feel better: I have never had a dishwasher at any place I have ever lived.

And I worked for 25 years at a living history museum. There I actually had to haul water in from a pump (electric everywhere except one actual old style pump) in buckets. Then start a fire either in the woodstove or out in the open. Then heat water over said fire. Then shave some lye soap (which we made regularly) & use that & the hot water to get the dishes clean. Then toss the dirty water out the back door. Then check to see if you needed to use the froe to make more kindling, & check to see whether you needed to haul wood in from the woodpile to have time to dry out before next needed.

I miss fire. The rest, not so much.

Friday Reading Roundup!

Because I rely on libraries so much for my reading (and do so much eBook reading), what I'm reading at any given time changes often, and changes quickly.

Karen's current reading (04/05/24):

Actively reading (or soon will be!)

Answered Prayers by Truman Capote -- p. 24 of 150
Ragnarok: The End of the Gods by A. S. Byatt -- p. 73 of 177
The Art of Losing: Poems of Grief and Healing, ed. Kevin Young -- p. 16 of 305
The Red House by A. A. Milne -- p. 21 of 171
The Fairy Tale Life of Dorothy Gale by Virginia Kanfro -- p. 18 of 316
Attachments: A Novel by Rainbow Rowell -- p. 51 of 331
Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade
The Vinland Sagas, tr. Keneva Kunz
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett -- p. 29 of 278 (mine, on Nook)
Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club by J. Ryan Stradal -- p. 81 of 253 (mine, on Nook)
The Puzzle Master by Danielle Trussoni -- p. 27 of 343
Unnatural Habits (Phryne Fisher #19) by Kerry Greenwood -- p. 62 of 255
Career of Evil (Cormoran Strike #3) by Robert Galbraith -- p. 33 of 439

I'm overbooked! I don't want to lose track of these books, but I can't truly say that I am actively reading them right now:

Braiding Sweetgrass (for Rosalita)
The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger -- p. 82 of 421 (Nook)
Abide With Me by Elizabeth Strout -- p. 7 of 273
Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan -- p. 41 of 436
Crook Manifesto by Colson Whitehead -- p. 73 of 288 (Nook)
Agatha's First Case (Agatha Raisin #0.5) by M. C. Beaton (Nook)
The Adventure of the Peculiar Protocols by Nicholas Meyer -- p. 3 of 238
Marple: Twelve New Stories by assorted authors
Fairy Tale by Stephen King

I try to participate in the American Authors Challenge. In April, we are reading Non-Fiction. I'm reading No Cure for Being Human by Kate Bowler -- p. 39 of 202; Where the Deer and the Antelope Play by Nick Offerman -- p. 00 of 000; Better Living Through Birding by Christian Cooper -- p. 00 of 000

I usually am reading/watching Great Courses. My current Great Course is:
Post-Impressionism: The Beginnings of Modern Art, by Ricky Allman, 12 of 24 lectures read and watched.

Today: Puzzles and papers and LT (the everyday things). Mobility exercises.

Books I read yesterday: No Cure for Being Human

Magazines: The Week (3/22)

Great Course: Post-Impressionism: The Beginnings of Modern Art: Read and watched: 11, How Photography is Transforming Art, and 12. The Singular Talent of Vincent Van Gogh

Grief reading:

Watching: Ghosts 3.6, Young Sheldon 7.6, Gentleman in Moscow ep. 2

Listening: Lucinda Williams, “This Sweet Old World.” Quote from Rolling Stone: Lucinda Williams is “a little too country for rock ‘n’ roll, and a little too rock ‘n’ roll for country.” I think that’s what I like about her music! This album is a 2017 remake of her 1999 album. Dedicated to Bob Goldstone, a “Thirty Tigers” record exec who died accidentally in 2016.
Also, listened to The Blasters, “Live 1986.” Good rockabilly-style music.

Would have had it in four, but I second-guessed it. Also, an argument for alphabetic order.

Wordle 1,022 5/6 irate, shiny, cinch, pinch, finch

🟦⬜⬜⬜⬜
⬜🟦🟦🟦⬜
⬜🟧🟧🟧🟧
⬜🟧🟧🟧🟧
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

Connections
Puzzle #300
🟨🟨🟨🟨 intrinsic motivators (desire, drive, resolve, will)
🟦🟦🟦🟦 collection (array, battery, series, set)
🟩🟩🟩🟩 summer gear (hat, shorts, sunglasses, tee)
🟪🟪🟪🟪 horse ____ (fly, power, radish, shoe)

Strands #34
“Picture this”
🔵🔵🔵🔵
🔵🟡🔵🔵

I played https://squaredle.com 04/06:
50/50 words (+14 bonus words)
📖 In the top 35% by bonus words
🔥 Solve streak: 5

>243 klobrien2: - Oh, did you enjoy No Cure for Being Human? I loved it.

>245 jessibud2: Still working on it. I’m about halfway through. I might finish today if I don’t get distracted. The book is due back to the library.

Kate Bowler is a great writer, and it sure is a compelling story. I’m sure I’ll be able to join with you with “love.”

Hope you’re having a great weekend!

Great job with your gaming today

Happy Sunday, Karen. Glad you had a good time with Mexikid. It was a fun read. I am so glad you are enjoying Lucinda Williams and The Blasters. I am just finishing up the "B"s in my music collection and that concludes with The Byrds. If you never heard of their album Sweetheart of the Rodeo, check it out. A nice country-tinge to it. I am now listening to their Greatest Hits. Terrific stuff.

I also recently watched In the Heat of the Night. It remains a good film but didn't deserve Best Picture or Best Actor of 1967, IMHO. Bonnie & Clyde would be my favorite of that year.

>248 msf59: Sweetheart of the Rodeo is one of my favorite albums ever. I’m way into it and the story behind it, from Gram Parsons, to the Grand ‘Ol Opry, to Emmylou Harris.

Byrds Greatest Hits sounds like one I need to seek out.

I watched Modern Times yesterday, and really enjoyed it!

Keep those recommendations coming! And have a great Sunday!

Today: Puzzles and papers and LT (the everyday things). Mobility exercises. Online church service.

Books I read yesterday: No Cure for Being Human, How Can I Help You

Magazines: The Week (3/29), Elle (March 2024)

Great Course: Post-Impressionism: The Beginnings of Modern Art:

Grief reading: Actually, grief music! The Emmylou album had a few songs that really struck me: “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” by Mavis Staple, of course, but also, “When We’re Long, Long Gone.”

Watching: Modern Times: so funny! and beautifully filmed. Followed by The Rookie, 6.5.

Listening: Dar Williams, “In the Time of Gods”: I love her voice, her songs, and this album! Then listened to “The Life and Songs of Emmy Lou Harris,” a concert album with a lot of very talented people. Constitution Hall in DC, 2015. I love this album!

Hooray for Dar Williams! I'm so glad you liked her stuff. My favorite albums of hers are 'The Honesy Room' and 'Mortal City' - should you wish to explore more :)

Happy Sunday, Karen!

>251 katiekrug: Thank you for the Dar Williams reccies! I’m going to look for them right now!

Happy Sunday to you, too!

Wordle 1,023 5/6 irate, maxim, align, phial, voila

🟦⬜🟦⬜⬜
⬜🟦⬜🟦⬜
🟦🟦🟧⬜⬜
⬜⬜🟧🟦🟦
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

Connections
Puzzle #301
🟨🟨🟨🟨 disorderly place (dump, mess, pigpen, sty)
🟩🟩🟩🟩 sturdy (firm, solid, sound, stable)
🟪🟪🟪🟪 ____ horse (charley, crazy, dark, gift)
🟦🟦🟦🟦 found in cracker jacks (caramel, peanuts, popcorn, prize

Strands #35
“This’ll all blow over”
💡🔵💡🔵
🔵🔵🔵🟡

I played https://squaredle.com 04/07:
75/75 words (+27 bonus words)
📖 In the top 9% by bonus words
🔥 Solve streak: 6

Morning, Karen O.! Sunday delights and contentments to you. *smooch*

Happy Sunday Karen. I will leave for Minnesota next Sunday. Good job on Connections. I just made it. Working on squardle. That one takes me all day.

>254 richardderus: Thanks, Richard! It’s been a good (but quiet) day. Best to you, my friend! *smooch*

>255 Kristelh: only a week and you’ll be leaving for God’s Country. No, wait, that’s Wisconsin.

I just finished Squaredle for today. That puzzle is so frustrating! It never seems like it will work, but it always does. Seems like such a waste of time, but I think I’m getting faster.

Thanks for stopping by!

Today: Puzzles and papers and LT (the everyday things). Mobility exercises. The eclipse!

Books I read yesterday: a little How Can I Help You, a little Answered Prayers

Magazines:

Great Course: Post-Impressionism: The Beginnings of Modern Art: Read: 13. Van Gogh’s Genius and Tragedy, 14. Cloissonism: Bold Colors and Dark Contours

Grief reading:

Watching: “Pete Davidson: Turbo Fonzarelli” special, Lewis 1.4

Listening: Bjork “Debut” (1993); dance music; babyish voice. “American Music: The HighTone Records Story”; record label out of Oakland, CA, 1983-2008; American roots music.

Duplicate partial post

When will I learn to go alphabetically?! So much stupid guessing today.

Wordle 1,024 5/6 irate, greed, freed, creed, breed

⬜🟧⬜⬜🟦
⬜🟧🟧🟧🟧
⬜🟧🟧🟧🟧
⬜🟧🟧🟧🟧
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

Connections
Puzzle #302
🟨🟨🟨🟨 brief moment (flash, heartbeat, jiff, wink)
🟩🟪🟩🟩
🟪🟪🟪🟪 accessories for Mr. Peanut (cane, monocle, spat, top hat)
🟩🟩🟩🟩 dispute (clash, scrap, tangle, tiff)
🟦🟦🟦🟦 slang for zero (jack, love, squat, zip)

Strands #36
“It goes by fast”
🔵🔵🔵🔵
🔵🟡🔵🔵

Yes, Squaredle was fast today; and the shape was annoying.

I played https://squaredle.com 04/08:
31/31 words (+6 bonus words)
🎯 In the top 22% by accuracy
🔥 Solve streak: 24

>251 katiekrug: We have the same taste in this.

Karen, I did the stupid guessing too. I always list the possibilities and then I try to determine most used letters over less used letters. Do you think going alphabetical helps?

>262 Kristelh: There’s some anecdotal evidence that favors alphabetical order, I guess. Nothing to prove it. It would’ve been proven with my guesses today. Pfui! It’s still fun!

>263 klobrien2:, I will give it a try. My way isn't working that well!

Today: Puzzles and papers and LT (the everyday things). Mobility exercises. The eclipse!

Books I read yesterday: a little Attachments, a little No Cure for Being Human

Magazines: Astronomy (2024 04), which happened to feature the eclipse!

Great Course: Post-Impressionism: The Beginnings of Modern Art: Watched: 13. Van Gogh’s Genius and Tragedy, 14. Cloissonism: Bold Colors and Dark Contours

Grief reading: No Cure for Being Human; got my own copy of The Art of Losing—it’s beautiful!

Watching: Call the Midwife 13.4, Girls5Eva 3.4

Listening:

Wordle 1,025 3/6 irate, gorge, merge

⬜🟦⬜⬜🟧
⬜⬜🟧🟧🟧
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

Connections
Puzzle #303
🟨🟩🟨🟨
🟨🟨🟨🟨 breadth (extent, range, reach, scope)
🟪🟪🟪🟪 words before “drum” (ear, kettle, oil, steel)
🟦🟦🟦🟦 heraldry terms (arms, coat, crest, shield)
🟩🟩🟩🟩 hair tools (brush, comb, dryer, iron)

Strands #37
“Can I have my quarter back?”
💡🔵🔵🔵
🔵🔵🟡🔵

I played https://squaredle.com 04/09:
25/25 words (+6 bonus words)
📖 In the top 13% by bonus words
🔥 Solve streak: 25

Good job on Wordle, Connections and Strands, Karen. Have a good dayl

Were you able to see the eclipse? Ours was cloudy.

>268 The_Hibernator: Nope, too cloudy. I watched the televised eclipse. It was very cool and moving.

111. No Cure for Being Human: (And Other Truths I Need to Hear) by Kate Bowler



This is a memoir, well-written and moving, by a woman who discovers she has Stage 4 cancer, at age 35. At times, the book is a bit of a diatribe against the self-help book genre, and she has some sharp words with the medical establishment (a few doctors in particular).

She sets herself up with a few "decrees" at the start: (1) No Unnecessary Sadness Decree (in response to a viewing of the classic "The Trojan Women," she determines never to pay to be sad), and (2) The Gratitude Decree (she makes lists of every good thing that happened to her after her diagnosis).

She takes, as her motto, her high school math teacher's motto: "Dum spiro spero"; ("While I breathe, I hope").

This is an upbeat book, honest, and emotional.

Today: Puzzles and papers and LT (the everyday things). Mobility exercises. Yesterday, I sorted through a big bag of Art’s papers (one of his “stick it in here until I file it” bags). Maybe start another one today? It’s Jerry-brings-me-treasures-from-the-library-day!

Books I read yesterday: Finished No Cure for Being Human, read some Ragnarok: The End of the Gods

Magazines:

Great Course: Post-Impressionism: The Beginnings of Modern Art: Read: 15. Paul Gaugin’s Complicated Legacy, 16. Suzanne Valadon’s Rebellious Vision.

Grief reading:

Watching: 9-1-1 7.4, Girls5Eva 3.5 and 3.6.

Listening:

Wordle 1,026 3/6 irate, truth, broth

⬜🟧⬜🟧⬜
⬜🟧⬜🟧🟧
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

Connections
Puzzle #304
🟩🟩🟩🟩 grassy area (field, green, grounds, lawn)
🟨🟨🟨🟨 person in charge (chair, chief, director, head)
🟦🟦🟦🟦 words before “nut” (chest, coco, hazel, pea)
🟪🟪🟪🟪 second words in Tarantino movies (brown, dogs, fiction, unchained)

Strands #38 (Had to use hints today)
“In closing”
💡🔵🔵🔵
💡🔵🔵🔵
🟡

I played https://squaredle.com 04/10:
43/43 words (+3 bonus words)
🔥 Solve streak: 26

Dropping in to say hello!

>270 klobrien2: I will add this to my list.

>273 figsfromthistle: Good morning! Glad to see you here.

I hope you get a chance to read No Cure for Being Human—it’s a good read, and Bowler seems a lovely person.

Today: Puzzles and papers and LT (the everyday things). Mobility exercises.

Books I read yesterday: Read some Ragnarok: The End of the Gods; illustrated books fest: King Arthur’s Very Great Grandson, The Clown of God, I Didn’t Do It, Cher Ami. Bliss!

Magazines: NYT Magazine (3/17),(3/24), NYT Book Review (3/17),(3/24).

Great Course: Post-Impressionism: The Beginnings of Modern Art: Watched: 15. Paul Gaugin’s Complicated Legacy, 16. Suzanne Valadon’s Rebellious Vision.

Grief reading:

Watching: Ted Lasso 1.3 with Jerry, Guardians of the Galaxy.

Listening:

Wordle 1,027 3/6 irate, globe, louse

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Connections
Puzzle #305
🟩🟩🟩🟩 measuring instruments (compass, ruler, scale, watch)
🟦🟦🟦🟦 water and bas conduits (channel, line, main, pipe)
🟨🟨🟨🟨 haircuts, with “cut” (bowl, buzz, crew, pixie)
🟪🟪🟪🟪 fast food mascots (clown, colonel, king, mermaid)

Strands #39
“It’s all in your head”
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I played https://squaredle.com 04/11:
61/61 words (+25 bonus words)
📖 In the top 4% by bonus words
🔥 Solve streak: 27

>275 klobrien2: Ooo, Valadon! She was really interesting. Her art is okay but she is fascinating.

Gaugin skeeves me mightily. His...interaction...with van Gogh leaves me with a bitter taste in my mouth. His clear predeliction for teen girls is mega-ugh. Well, the art is the art, the man is the man...but I still can't ignore the man to look only at the art.

*smooch*

Another illustrated book "fest," courtesy of recommendations from whisper1 and others. Thank you all!



112. King Arthur's Very Great Grandson by Kenneth Kraegel



Funny adventures of a little boy seeking to match his ancestor's bravery and fighting skills. Instead, he learns about friendship.



113. The Clown of God: An Old Story Told and Illustrated by Tomie dePaola



So beautiful! Both the story and the art. This book is intended for Christian audiences.



114. I Didn't Do It by Patricia MacLachlan and Emily MacLachlan Charest (mother and daughter team), ill. Katy Schneider



Follow-up volume to Once I Ate a Pie by the same creators. Dog poetry, wonderful paintings of dogs.



115. Cher Ami: Based on the World War I Legend of the Fearless Pigeon by Melisande Potter, ill. Giselle Potter (mother and daughter team)



Clever story, but the author comes clean and tells us what she changed in the story. Still fun to read.

>278 klobrien2: There's an adult book, too: Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey by Kathleen Rooney. Another someday read.

Today: Puzzles and papers and LT (the everyday things). Mobility exercises. I sorted through another box of Art’s papers yesterday…perhaps another one today?

Books I read yesterday: Finished Ragnarok: The End of the Gods.

Magazines:

Great Course: Post-Impressionism: The Beginnings of Modern Art: Read: 17. How Philosophy and Culture Are Shaping Art, and 18. Symbolism: Dreams and Metaphors.

Grief reading:

Watching: Abbott Elementary 3.9, Animal Control 2.5, The Conners 6.7, Not Dead Yet 2.7.

Listening:

Today’s grid looks kind of like a Christmas tree with a star on top!

Wordle 1,028 5/6 irate, ovoid, blink, shiny, whiny

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Connections
Puzzle #306
🟩🟩🟩🟩 augmentative prefixes (hyper, super, uber, ultra)
🟨🟨🟨🟨 orderly (clean, neat, tidy, trim)
🟦🟦🟦🟦 become larger (balloon, mushroom, snowball, swell)
🟪🟪🟪🟪 items in classic kids’ games (domino, jack, marble, stick)

Strands #40
“You can say that again!”
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I played https://squaredle.com 04/12:
52/52 words (+25 bonus words)
📖 In the top 11% by bonus words
🔥 Solve streak: 28

>281 klobrien2: Speaking of Doctor Who, your guesses today remind me of the "timey wimey" monologue from Blink. Am I alone in this?

>282 ReneeMarie: Oh, how funny! I didn’t catch that at first. I thought of my fourth guess was used in “Firefly,” another kinda cultish TV show.
(Ooh, that would be a good show to watch again!)

Have a great weekend, Renee!

>283 klobrien2: Think I have Firefly on DVD, too. :o}

>284 ReneeMarie: Me too!

116. Ragnarok: The End of the Gods (Canongate Myths) by A. S. Byatt



This "Canongate Myths" volume is told from the point of view of "a thin child in wartime." She and her mother have sought refuge from WWII blitz in the countryside; her mother gives her a book, Asgard and the Gods, and its contents fills her days and provides the main ingredient of this book.

The prose in this little book is dense and lovely. It reads almost as poetry. Here's an example: "The gaggle of gods, with their flying horses, goat-drawn, even cat-drawn chariots, rode the north wind." The myth of Ragnarok is told to us, with all of the characters we would expect, but there are two other "shades" to the story. The first is "the thin child," and the effect of WWII on her and her family. The second shade has implications for us today: "If you write a version of Ragnarok in the twenty-first century, it is haunted by the imagining of a different end of things." The climate changes of Ragnarok cannot help but be brought to mind when we see similar things in our world on a daily basis.

Evidently, I read this book several years ago, but it seemed fresh and new to me.

This book is one of the "Canongate Myths" series; a group of books meant to address the myths of the world. I have read a few of the series; I think I need to read more!

Here is a list of some of them:

A Short History of Myth by Karen Armstrong -- read
Weight by Jeanette Winterson
The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood -- read
The Helmet of Horror by Viktor Pelevin
Lion's Honey by David Grossman
Dream Angus by Alexander McCall Smith -- read
Girl Meets Boy by Ali Smith

Friday Reading Roundup!

Because I rely on libraries so much for my reading (and do so much eBook reading), what I'm reading at any given time changes often, and changes quickly.

Karen's current reading (04/12/24):

Actively reading (or soon will be!)

Answered Prayers by Truman Capote -- p. 37 of 150
How Can I Help You by Laura Sims -- p. 30 of 240
A Circle of Quiet by by Madeline L'Engle -- p. 12 of 206
Nettle and Bone by T. Kingfisher -- p. 7 of 239
The Art of Losing: Poems of Grief and Healing, ed. Kevin Young -- p. 16 of 305
The Fairy Tale Life of Dorothy Gale by Virginia Kanfro -- p. 18 of 316
Attachments: A Novel by Rainbow Rowell -- p. 93 of 331
Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett -- p. 29 of 278 (mine, on Nook)
Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club by J. Ryan Stradal -- p. 81 of 253 (mine, on Nook)
The Puzzle Master by Danielle Trussoni -- p. 27 of 343
Unnatural Habits (Phryne Fisher #19) by Kerry Greenwood -- p. 62 of 255
Before Midnight by Rex Stout -- p. 7 of 172
Career of Evil (Cormoran Strike #3) by Robert Galbraith -- p. 33 of 439

I'm overbooked! I don't want to lose track of these books, but I can't truly say that I am actively reading them right now:

Braiding Sweetgrass (for Rosalita)
The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger -- p. 82 of 421 (Nook)
Abide With Me by Elizabeth Strout -- p. 7 of 273
Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan -- p. 41 of 436
Crook Manifesto by Colson Whitehead -- p. 73 of 288 (Nook)
Agatha's First Case (Agatha Raisin #0.5) by M. C. Beaton (Nook)
The Adventure of the Peculiar Protocols by Nicholas Meyer -- p. 3 of 238
Marple: Twelve New Stories by assorted authors
Fairy Tale by Stephen King

I try to participate in the American Authors Challenge. In April, we are reading Non-Fiction. I finished No Cure for Being Human by Kate Bowler; I am reading Where the Deer and the Antelope Play by Nick Offerman -- p. 00 of 000; Better Living Through Birding by Christian Cooper -- p. 11 of 282

I usually am reading/watching Great Courses. My current Great Course is:
Post-Impressionism: The Beginnings of Modern Art, by Ricky Allman, 18 of 24 lectures read and watched.

Happy weekend-ahead's reads, Karen O. *smooch*

Thanks, Richard! Same to you!

Great reading, Karen!

>286 klobrien2: That is a super review and a cover of the book that I haven't come across before.

Have a great weekend. I will be in Minnesota some time next week if all goes well.

>290 PaulCranswick: Hello there, Paul! I really enjoyed Byatt’s Ragnarok. I mentioned that I’d read the book years ago…well, I remember reading it, but I rushed my way through. I took my time to savor it now and it made much more of an impression on me. Hooray for second chances!

>291 Kristelh: Have a good trip! Journey’s mercies to you!

Today: Puzzles and papers and LT (the everyday things). Mobility exercises. Household accounting stuff. Start a new LT thread!

Books I read yesterday: Read some Answered Prayers (gosh, this book is filthy and sad. Good thing it’s so short. I would throw it at the wall and be done with it, but I really want to read that last “la Cote Basque” chapter).

Magazines: The Week (4/5) and (4/12).

Great Course: Post-Impressionism: The Beginnings of Modern Art: Watched: 17. How Philosophy and Culture Are Shaping Art, and 18. Symbolism: Dreams and Metaphors.

Grief reading:

Watching: Ghosts 3.7, Gentleman in Moscow ep. 3. Really liking it!

Listening:

Wordle 1,029 3/6 irate, sheet, steel

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Connections
Puzzle #307
🟩🟩🟩🟩 “The Wizard of Oz” figures (lion, scarecrow, witch, wizard)
🟦🟦🟦🟦 film departments (hair, makeup, props, wardrobe)
🟨🟨🟨🟨 seen at the circus (clown, ring, tent, trapeze)
🟪🟪🟪🟪 I’m a ____” (lyrics in “The Joker”) (joker, lover, sinner, smoker)

Strands #41
“Group think”
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I played https://squaredle.com 04/13:
54/54 words (+15 bonus words)
📖 In the top 20% by bonus words
🔥 Solve streak: 29

Please join me at my new thread: https://www.librarything.com/topic/360052#n8506532