In The Mood

Happy New Year!

2012-01-14T20:23:00.000-08:00

Here we are - almost halfway through the first month of 2012. I've been reading and knitting and baking for the past two weeks, and I've finished one wonderful book and I'm partway through a second wonderful book.

The finished book is The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer. It's a long, harrowing 758 pages of terrific writing. The story of Andras and Clara in Paris and Budapest before and during WWII is a romantic tale, but the undertone of the coming horror is always there. I kept thinking of Ravel's La Valse with it's underlying theme of approaching war. I learned so much about Hungary during the war - things never taught in school! The idea that although you were Hungarian by birth - you never really belonged as a Hungarian, if you were also Jewish. I suppose it was that way in all the countries in Europe. I had never thought of it in quite that way. It made it so easy for Hitler. The Hungarians, Poles - the people of all those countries felt that the Jewish people didn't really "belong." Even England - and the USA.

So this is a book I recommend strongly. Thank you, daughter, for my Christmas gift!

Did Not Finish

2011-12-06T14:47:00.000-08:00

I try to finish the books I begin, but occasionally find that the stories are not to my liking, and decide to put the book aside. I had read Justin Cronin's The Summer Guest and enjoyed it very much, so was looking forward to reading his much-acclaimed The Passage. I read about 75 pages and realized that it was going to be a futuristic story about world-changing events that sounded pretty awful to me. So I stopped reading and handed it off to Bill who likes books of that sort. We'll see what he thinks of it!

I recently received Elizabeth George's latest book with Lynley and Havers from The Book Depository. Having read a few favorable reviews I decided it would be next on my list. I'm now well into it, and think it will be a Finished book, rather than a DNF!

On another topic Bill and I had a very nice trip last week to the middle part of Oregon. We stopped to take a picture of the Weddle covered bridge in Sweet Home, and then spent the night in Sisters. Don't you love Oregon city names? The next day we traveled to Bend and another covered bridge. (Bill is determined to photograph all of Oregon's covered bridges!) That night we went to the little village of Dufur. Dufur is in the wheat area of Oregon about fifteen miles south of the Columbia River. We stayed in the old hotel there that has been refurbished, and is very nice.

I wrote this posting over a year ago, and somehow never got back to it. Talk about DNF!

The 2011 Books

2011-11-30T10:53:00.001-08:00

Here is the list of books I've read this year. I haven't listed the ones I didn't finish, and they aren't listed in any order. I've not reviewed some of them, and don't intend to do reviews anymore. The fact that I read them suggests that I liked them well enough!

1-The Postmistress - Sarah Blake
2-The Water's Lovely - Ruth Rendell
3-Before the Frost - Henning Mankel
4-The Red Door - Charles Todd
5-Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English - Natasha Solomons
6-The Black Cat - Martha Grimes
7-Necessary As Blood - Deborah Crombie
8-A Lonely Death - Charles Todd
9-Haunted Ground - Erin Hart
10-The Draining Lake - Arnaldur Indridason
11-The Pillars of the Earth - Ken Follett
12-Hanna's Daughters - Marianne Fredriksson
13-Live Bait - P.J. Tracy
14-Astrid and Veronika - Linda Olsson
15-Heaven is High - Kate Wilhelm
16-Arms and The Women - Reginald Hill
17-An Incomplete Revenge - Jacqueline Winspear
18-Raven Black - Anne Cleeves
19The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott -Kelly O'Connor McNees
20-A Soft Place to Land - Susan Rebecca White
21-As Always Julia - Joan Reardon
22-The More Deceived - David Roberts
23-The Tapestry of Love - Rosy Thornton
24-The Spice Box - Lou Jane Temple
25-Voices - Arnaldur Indridason
26-A Rare Interest in Corpses - Ann Granger
27-Fearful Symmetry - Morag Joss
28-A Change In Altitude - Anita Shreve
29-Bury Your Dead - Louise Penny
30-The Season of Second Chances - Diane Meier
31-Whistling in the Dark - Lelsey Kagen
32-Up at the Villa - W. Somerset Maugham
33-Wolf Hall - Hilary Mantel
34-The Tiger in the Smoke - Margery Allingham
35-Breaking Silence - Linda Castillo
36-These Lovers Fled Away - Howard Spring
37Two Rivers - T. Greenwood
38-Mind's Eye - Hakan Nesser
39-Other People's Children - Joanna Trollope
40-The King of Lies - John Hart
41-Blood Harvest - S.J. Bolton
42-Tomorrow River - Lesley Kagen
43-I see You Everywhere - Julia Glass
44-Silence of the Grave - Arnaldur Indridason
45-The Lacuna - Barbara Kingsolver
46-A Trick of the Light - Louise Penny
47-The Redbreast - Jo Nesbo
48-Nemesis - Jo Nesbo
49-The Devil's Star - Jo Nesbo
50-Cloud Chamber - Michael Dorris
51-Two For Sorrow - Nicola Upson
52-Hypothermia - Arnaldur Indridason
53-Shoot to Thrill - P.J. Tracy
54-Every Last One - Anna Quindlen
55-White Nights - Ann Cleeves
56-Borkmann's Point - Hakan Nesser
57-A Year on Ladybug Farm - Donna Ball
58 - Sing You Home - Jodi Picoult
59 -B urnt Mountain - Anne Rivers Siddons
60 - The American Heiress - Dasiy Goodwin
61 - The Girl Who Fell From the Sky - Heidi W. Durrow
62 - At Home on Ladybug Farm - Donna Ball
63 - Letters from Ladybug Farm - Donna Ball
64 - An Expert in Murder - Nicola Upson
65 - Turn of Mind - Alice La Plante
66 - Red Bones - Ann Cleeves
67 - A Night of Long Knives - Rebecca Cantrell
68 - The Ice Princess - Camilla Lackberg
69 - Death in the Garden - Elizabeth Ironside

Autumn in New York

2011-11-14T14:11:00.000-08:00

We spent a week at Lake George in New York several years ago when we were in the area for our nephew's wedding. This was the sight that greeted us one day when we went for a drive around the lake.

Dinosaurs!

2011-10-31T09:57:00.000-07:00

The new viewing building at Dinosaur National Park, Utah

The first thing you notice when entering.

And then you turn and look at the wall.

The discovery of this mound of bones must have been astounding.

There are hundreds of bones from many different dinosaurs.

This whole wall area is covered with dinosaur bones - just where they were found.

The old Ranger building where you get a parking pass, buy books!, and replicas of dinosaur bones.

This is a trip everyone should try to make. An amazing collection of bones and a walk back in time.

Fall Color - Steamboat Springs, Colorado

2011-10-29T11:34:00.000-07:00

The leaves were almost gone on many of the trees, but we were able to climb even higher to get some pictures. Most of the hillsides looked gray - the aspen trunks from a distance are very gray. The small scrub oak added a bit of color.

Add caption

These pictures were taken on the trail and in the parking lot at Fish Creek Falls. The other camera got a picture or two of the falls, and I'll post them later - if they're worth posting!

Travel and Books

2011-10-28T15:09:00.000-07:00

We have returned to the coast from our trip to Nebraska and Colorado. It was good seeing the families in Nebraska, but the time has come for us to stop driving such long distances. It was very tiring because we haven't "right good sense" as my grandmother used to say, and we go farther each day with ten hours of driving - not smart! So we have made the decision to only go two days of driving from home from now on. The scattered families will just have to come see us!

I did get a lot of reading done, so have some short reviews of the books.

1) A Trick of the Light - Louise Penny - I think she just gets better and better with her tales of Three Pines village in Quebec, and the murderous goings-on there. Trick tells the story of an art critic's death, and the suspects are all the villagers! I enjoyed this book on my NOOK and was sorry when it ended, but Penny has already written the next book, and has started on another, so I'll have at least two more to read in the future.

2 and 3) The Redbreast and The Devil's Star - Jo Nesbo - I hadn't realized that the Harry Hole books should be read in sequence, and I read Nemesis, the second book, on my NOOK before reading Redbreast. So I knew something of what was going to happen in Redbreast. It was a great beginning to Nesbo's stories, and not spoiled by my reading Nemesis first. The Devil's Star follows Nemesis, and made me anxious to read the next in the series. Now I find that there is one book before Redbreast! These are pretty gritty stories, but I like the pace and most of the main characters.

4) Cloud Chamber - Michael Dorris - I had only read Yellow Raft in Blue Water by Dorris, so wasn't sure if this would be as good, but I did like it. The plot follows a family from Ireland to Kentucky to California and on to Montana. It is told in the voices of the various members of the family - some are good people, but some are greedy and not anyone you'd want to know!

5) Two for Sorrow - Nicola Upson - The second mystery with Josephine Tey as the main character. I was surprised to find out who the murderer was, and the story - concerning baby farmers in the early 20th century who murdered newborns rather than finding adoptive homes for them - is based on actual case histories. These books are set in Britain between the two world wars - as are the Maisie Dobbs books - and I find them very interesting and good reads.

6) Hypothermia - Arnaldur Indridason - Erlandur is off again solving a suicide that everyone wishes he would just leave alone. And he is still worrying about missing persons - especially his brother whose bones have never been found. Very good - and read on NOOK.

7) Our Kind of Traitor - John le Carre - Audio Book - It has been years since I last read a le Carre book, but we bought the audio book in Nebraska for the long drive home, and it was well worth it - to my way of thinking, but not to my husband's. He prefers "Jane Austen endings" and this left him rewriting the last chapter - or adding another chapter - to his liking! I thought it was a typical John le Carre ending and didn't expect anything else. The reader - Robin Sachs (not a relative!) did a good job of portraying all the characters.

8) A Painted House - John Grisham - Audio Book - Another for the long days of driving. Interesting story unlike other books by Grisham, and a good one to listen to. A boy tells the story of growing up on a cotton farm, and the poor life he and his family had when the crops weren't good. With a Tom Sawyer twist in painting the farm house.

So now it's back to housework with a lot of reading in between chores!

Autumn

2011-10-07T11:11:00.000-07:00

We have left our short summer behind. The leaves are falling - they don't change much in color here on the coast. This picture is from a trip into the Cascades a few years ago. We'll have to go again in the spring!

More Pictures from Alaska/Yukon Trip

2011-09-10T11:34:00.000-07:00

Caribou in Denali National Park, Alaska

Five Fingers Rapids

Grizzly - Denali

A Hanging Glacier in Denali

The Yukon and Alaska

2011-09-05T12:55:00.000-07:00

The White Pass Railroad from Skagway, Alaska to Carcross, The Yukon

Mounties on parade marching to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Lost Patrol - Dawson City

Panning for gold! And we each got some.

Permafrost has collapsed these buildings in Dawson City

Tripping with NOOK

2011-09-05T09:34:00.000-07:00

We have returned from our wonderful trip to the Yukon and Alaska, and I'll try to post some pictures later, if I can figure out how to do it!

I managed to read quite a few books on my new NOOK while we were on planes, waiting at airports or for stragglers on our motor coaches.

The first: Nemesis by Jo Nesbo - Norway mystery featuring the Police Detective Harry Hole. Very good - and kept me reading too late one night.

The second: Shoot to Thrill - P.J. Tracy - Another Monkeewrench mystery concerning Web murders and FBI Agent John Smith. Also very good.

The third: Every Last One - Anna Quindlen - Oh my. Lesley said I shouldn't read it, and I understand why, but it was such a well-written story. No spoilers.

The fourth: White Nights - Ann Cleeves - Another Shetland mystery with Jimmy Perez set during the long days on summer in the north - with very little darkness.

These were all so good I'm glad I saved them for the trip. I have two more on my NOOK for our trip to Nebraska, and may download another. But I can take books in the car with us, so don't have to rely on the NOOK too much!

Differences

2011-08-18T11:27:00.000-07:00

I've recently read two very different books, and both were quite good. The first one I finished was another Norse mystery by Hakan Nesser, Borkmann's Point, and the second was A Year on Ladybug Farm by Donna Ball.

Well, the Nesser book was again a very good, slow-paced story, with a surprise ending. I've enjoyed his writing, and find it very interesting that most of the Scandinavian mysteries I've read are usually less violent than American "thrillers."

A Year on Ladybug Farm is very funny and fun. I was expecting a fluffy read, but while it isn't terribly deep, it has lots of episodes that had me laughing so hard I had tears running down my cheeks, and had to keep wiping my eyes so that I could continue reading!

When I was first learning to read back in the olden days, we had Readers in school with Tom, Dick and Jane. One of my favorite stories has stayed with me for years. It was about the three or four young people wanting to help a struggling family. I expect the story was written during the Depression. The children gathered up food to take to the family, as well as helping them out in other ways. That reading experience gave to me the idea of not just helping, but "making do" with what was available. Ladybug Farm is the adult version of helping out and making do - with lots of humor thrown in.

There are two more Ladybug books, and I can hardly wait to read them. Laughter is such a necessary part of life, and such fun to find it in writing!

Purple

2011-08-10T16:53:00.000-07:00

One of the plants that does very well on the coast in Oregon is the hydrangea. This is one of my favorites. It starts out as a light mauve, then darkens to a real purple and eventually turns to a metallic blue. We do get some hard frosts in the winter, and the plants suffer, but come back in the spring. Because of the frosts, however, we don't get blooms until late in the year. One year we had beautiful blooms in December - and then it snowed!

Blogging and Books

2011-08-10T16:02:00.000-07:00

I'm finding it difficult to write reviews of the books I'm reading. I've read four books recently, and don't really have too much to say about any of them. So I think I'll just write a sentence or two, and leave the real reviewing to Les!

Sing You Home - Jodi Picoult - Lesley has written an excellent review of this book so I won't even attempt one! As usual Picoult has written an engrossing story, and I found the book to be as good as most of her others, with interesting topics. A Plus read.

Burnt Mountain - Anne Rivers Siddons - This is not one of my favorites of hers. It was a quick read, and entertaining, but not something that will stay with me for very long.

The American Heiress - Daisy Goodwin - Something of a fluff book, but it kept my interest enough that I finished it! Tale of a very rich American woman who goes to England to "catch a Duke." Modeled after Consuelo Vanderbilt's era of titled husband-hunting in Europe.

Breaking Silence - Linda Castillo - Mystery in Amish country in Ohio. The Chief of Police in the community is an excommunicated Amish woman. This is part of a series, and I got into it after the first two books, so there were some spoilers. I liked this book, and will look for more of hers.

So my blogging will now be shorter, and even more infrequent than it has been! I hope to be able to add pictures from some of our trips some day, and do a Wordless Wednesday!

Roofing

2011-08-02T13:21:00.000-07:00

We have been under attack for a week with much pounding on the roof. Our shake roof only lasted a bit over 13 years, thanks to the dampness and the towering trees shedding their needles. So this is the summer to re-roof, and it has taken quite a while. The rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat is becoming a real distraction. I'm finding it difficult to read for more than a few minutes at a time, and have had to do most of my reading in bed. So it took me a long time to finish These Lovers Fled Away but it was worth every minute of reading.

I know I read Spring's book years and years ago, but didn't remember any of it. It is somewhat reminiscent of Delderfield's books in that the characters develop along the way in a detailed plot. The descriptions of England are fantastic. This is not the England we saw when we traveled there ten years ago, but the England of the 1910s to 1940s. I most definitely recommend reading These Lovers Fled Away, if you want to immerse yourself in a "jolly good tale."

Family Reunion 2011

2011-07-28T17:02:00.000-07:00

We had a lovely time with a good number of the families represented. The weather was very nice - for a change!

A part of the family celebrating Bill's 80th!

If all had been able to come, there would have been twelve more of our children and grandchildren.

Maybe next time!

HOOKED ON NOOK

2011-07-21T16:54:00.000-07:00

I recently got a Nook for my birthday, and I'm saving the books I've downloaded to read on our trip to Alaska. We'll be away for fourteen days, and normally I would have at least ten books in my suitcase. Of course I wouldn't read them all, but I'd be sure to have something to read just in case the first five weren't exactly what I wanted to read! Now with the Nook I have seven books available, and can download new ones if necessary!!

My Nook also has the feature of getting my emails, so I won't be wondering what catalog has arrived - or maybe even an email from one of my children. I could even download some music from my iTunes and not take along my iPod! What riches! I'm very happy with my new toy.

This week - the week after our family reunion week - has been quiet. Almost too much so. I've started a new book after not reading for quite a while. I found it hard to get started on These Lovers Fled Away, by Howard Spring, but I'm enjoying it very much now. It is a comfortable story set in Cornwall and Yorkshire at the time of the Boer War and on into the 20th century. I love the descriptions of the countryside. Spring makes you really see what the moors, glens and all the flowers and animals look like. A lovely book - so far.

And the Last Two

2011-07-01T10:49:00.000-07:00

I don't understand blogging. I saved the last reviews to come back to, but wasn't able to tack on the next two, so will start anew!

Two Rivers - t. greenwood - An involving story of a young widower with a twelve-year-old daughter. He is trying, but not very hard, to get over the death of his wife. He has loved her since they were twelve years old.
The book goes back and forth from the present to the past telling the story of Betsy and Harper and their growing up together, and the story of today when a train derails in the town of Two Rivers and brings a young pregnant woman into Harper's life. This was somewhat slow going in spots, but picks up the pace later in the story.

Mind's Eye - Hakan Nesser - And now for another Scandinavian mystery! This author also has a middle-aged, overweight and overworked Detective Chief Inspector. In this case he is Van Veeteren. He and his team set out to solve the murder of a beautiful teacher whose husband remembers nothing of the night in which she died. The case becomes more involved as the book progresses. Do they have the right suspect? Why would the victim become a victim? The twists and turns make this a good quick read.

The Rest of June

2011-07-01T09:26:00.001-07:00

I've only read four more books this month. With a cousin reunion in California and preparing for our family get-together in early July, I found my reading taking place mostly late at night. Two of the books were passed on to my sister before I could form my thoughts about them, but I'll try to remember a bit about both.

Other People's Children - Joanna Trollope - A story about "extended families" and the repercussions when a parent marries, has children, divorces and then marries someone new who has also married, had children, divorced etc. Following the lives of the children and the parents was sad, but I'm often what happens. I thought this was a good book, but as my husband says "Not a Jane Austen."

The King of Liars - John Hart - I found the plot of this mystery to be quite good, but the flowery prose left me very irritated. Hart seemed to be trying too hard with his descriptions of a woman crying. Why not just say she was crying instead of saying "silver tracks made their way down her cheeks." Maybe he is paid by the word because most of the book is filled with these things! But the story itself was okay...

LOVELY JUNE – AT LAST

2011-06-01T17:31:00.000-07:00

I think our weather may finally be improving. We seem to have some sunshine between rain showers, and that makes the rain less depressing. It has been a very wet spring, and now the snow in the mountains is melting and all the rivers are running high.

Our rhododendrons are in full bloom. The white ones have finished, but the reds and pinks are beautiful, and we have one small lavender that has two blooms. Some of the hydrangeas have beginning buds, so they may bloom eventually.

We planted some annuals in pots, and they look quite sad. Not enough sun to bloom, although there are lots of buds. Maybe by July!

I am reading a “thriller” and find I have to put it down after each chapter and take a break. It is very tense. Think of “The Turn of the Screw” and you will get some idea of what awaits you, if you read this book. I won’t give anything more away about it until I’m ready to write my review at the end of the month. A very, very good and frightening book!

MAY READING

2011-05-30T14:09:00.000-07:00

The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott – Kelly O’connor McNees – This is a “what if?” story. McNees imagines what might have happened to Louisa May Alcott during the summer she was twenty-two. Did she fall in love? Might she have married instead of going on to write “little Women” and other books? It is an interesting imagining, and I really enjoyed reading more about the Alcott family and the times in which they lived. If I were rating books, this would probably get an 8/10. I did like it.

A Soft Place to Land – Susan Rebecca White – Kathryn Stockett, the author of The Help, said “Book Clubs: This is your next pick. I loved this book.” So did I. When I began it I was afraid it was going to be too fluffy, but it has depth and brings quite a bit of history of our time into play. The two sisters in the story handle their lives quite differently, but stay close in spite of their differences.

As Always, Julia – Food, Friendship & the Making of a Masterpiece – Edited by Joan Reardon. What a fascinating book! Not only interesting letters written between two friends, but politics, gossip about people of note, government postings in various foreign lands and above all publishing, and the problems encountered in getting a book in someone’s hands. I read As Always, Julia as if the letters were arriving at intervals. I kept it by my spot on the sofa where I picked it up during the days over a period of four months and a bit. Julia Child and Avis Devoto didn’t even meet for several years after they started corresponding, but became close friends and confidants as the years went by. I wish I had been able to read this when I was younger and still enjoying cooking!

The More Deceived – David Roberts – “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” I wasn’t sure I was going to like this mystery because the cover seemed dated. “A murder mystery featuring Lord Edward Corinth and Verity Browne” – It is a very good mystery with spies and much history and historical figures from just before WWII. Lord Corinth is somewhat like Lord Peter Wimsey, but not pretending to be dim. The Spanish Civil War has a large part of the story, including the bombing of Guernica. Quite a good book.

The Tapestry of Love – Rosy Thornton – My daughter gave me this novel for my birthday this month, and I had read reviews of it in several blogs, so I dove into it right away. It is so good. This is the story of a woman leaving England to live in France in the mountains of Cevennes in her new home Les Finels – the haylofts. She meets and makes friends with her few neighbors, and starts up her business – making soft fabric covers for pillows, curtains and her real joy, needlepoint from designs in her mind’s eye. (What a talent – to be able to visualize a design and then execute it in silk thread!) Her son and her sister come to visit her, but she spends most of her time alone – and liking it. This is a very satisfying novel.

The Spice Box – Lou Jane Temple – “A historical mystery – with authentic recipes of nineteenth-century New Your City.” The time is during the Civil War. Bridget Heany, an Irish immigrant of twenty, is starting a new job as assistant cook in a very wealthy home owned by Mr. Gold. On her first day of work she discovers a body in the pantry. She and Mr. Gold set off to discover who the murderer was – and also look for Bridget’s sister who has been missing for several years. This is a simple story in many ways, but I enjoyed it – and the recipes in the back of the book might get a try-out someday.

Voices – Arnaldur Indridason – Erlendur is back with Elinborg and Sigurdur Oli to solve the next Icelandic mystery. This time it concerns the murder of “Santa Claus” – the doorman in a busy hotel in Reykjavik, who had been a boy wonder with his astounding voice - during the days leading to Christmas. Erlendur stays at the hotel, holed up in a small cold room, while the three work to discover more about the victim, and who wanted him dead. Erlendur meets a woman who gets him to talk about his solitude and why he can’t forget his brother who was lost in a blizzard. These are very low-key books, but very involving and interesting.

A Rare Interest in Corpses – Ann Granger – My friend, Kate, has introduced me to Ann Granger’s mysteries. It looks as if she found another winner. The story centers on Elizabeth Martin who has come to London as a companion to her god-father’s widow. Within hours of arriving she discovers her predecessor had eloped, but now things look as if she was actually kidnapped. Elizabeth and Inspector Ross work together to discover the person involved in the disappearance of the former companion to Aunt Parry. This is an old-fashioned “cozy” sort of mystery. Not too gory and not very suspenseful, but very readable.

This was a good month for reading. I only had one book I started and didn’t finish. The rest were all quite good. This week I decided that my bookshelves were too crowded, and I was buying duplicates because books were stacked two deep – so we bought another bookshelf for the bedroom. There are five in the room now! There are seven in the study, and one in the loft and one in the second bedroom. I hope I can read all the books some day – and even re-read a few that are favorites.

APRIL READING

2011-04-28T15:33:00.001-07:00

APRIL BOOKS

Haunted Ground – Erin Hart – Finished 04/09/2011 – Pages 326 – The second book of Hart’s I’ve read, and the first in her series. This also tells of the finding of a bog person in Ireland and the archeology involved in discovering why the body was buried and who she was. There is the other story of a missing wife and child and the suspicion falling on her husband. Nora Gavin and Cormac Maguire are the investigators as they were in the Lake of Sorrows. These are interesting stories in that they give a lot of information about delving into the past of

Ireland

The Draining Lake – Arnaldur Indridason – Finished 04/12/2011 – Pages 312 – Another winner from Indridason. I really like his main character, Erlendur, who is such a laid back detective. He has an agenda – missing persons – as a result of losing his brother in a blizzard. A skeleton has been found in a lake bed, and the book sets about discovering the identity of the body. The Cold War and spies are a part of the story. I hope to read more of these Icelandic tales.

The Pillars of the Earth – Ken Follett – Finished 04/22/2011 – Pages 974 – Hefty good book about the building/erecting of a cathedral in Kingsbridge in the 12^th Century. The major players: Tom Builder, who designed the cathedral and built most of it; Ellen, his fey wife; Aliena, the daughter of an earl; Jack, Ellen’s son – also a builder of the cathedral; Tom, Tom Builder’s son; Martha, Tom Builder’s daughter; Prior Philip who saved the cathedral, Ellen, Aliena and many others. The bad guys – mainly William, pretender to the earldom, and various prelates. Even Thomas Beckett appears late in the story. A “sweeping” tale of the people of different classes at different stages in their lives. Something of a bodice-ripper, but very enjoyable!

Hanna’s Daughters – Marianne Fredriksson – Finished 04/27/2011 – Pages 345 – Quite good story about three women – grandmother, mother and daughter – as they tell of their lives in Sweden. They all bear sadness, and are striving for love. The stories unfold through a hundred years of living – from very humble and harsh beginnings up to the present with a much easier life led by the granddaughter and her daughters.

I've started another book, but doubt I'll finish it before the end of the month. "The Pillars" was really several books, so I read more than the four titles would tell you!

March Books

2011-04-02T14:25:00.000-07:00

Again this month I didn't read as many books as usual. Maybe the lack of sunshine is getting to me! Here are the books I did read with a very brief review:

Live Bait - P.J. Tracy- This was a re-read for me, but as I didn't remember most of the story it was still fun. This is the third Tracy book I've read, and they are all good, amusing? mysteries. This one has elderly victims being killed for what seems to be no reason. Gino and Magozzi banter their way to solving the puzzle. The Monkeywrench group don't figure as prominently as they have in the other books.

A Dubious Legacy - Mary Wesley - An odd story about two couples who take over a country estate during the days after WWII. The characters are interesting, the humor strange and the outcome somewhat surprising. This is not your usual "weekend in the country" British novel. The women in the story are all very different, and don't always behave themselves.

Astrid and Veronika - Linda Olsson - A lovely little book about friendship. Two women - one old and one young - share their stories with each other over the period of some months, becoming very close in the process. The story is set in Sweden in a small village, and Olsson has described the country-side in beautiful detail. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.

Heaven is High - Kate Wilhelm - Another of Wilhelm's good tales with Barbara Holloway uncovering a plot to deport an illegal alien. Binnie is married to an American, but she escaped from a pimp in Haiti and is now living in the US. By heritage Binnie is Belizian, and Barbara spend a good bit of the book in Belize trying to uncover the reason Binnie may be deported. The parts about Belize were of interest to me because of my sister and brother-in-law's times spent in Belize helping the people of a village there.

Arms and the Women - Reginald Hill - Ellie Pascoe has two stories going. One she is writing, and one she inhabits. Both are fun. Is Ellie a target, or just in the way? Will her first novel get published and her Comfort Blanket be just that, or will it too find its way to the publishers? Lots of action.

An Incomplete Revenge - Jacqueline Winspear - Maisie Dobbs rides again! (And wouldn't I just love to have her little car!) Gypsies, fires and mischievous actions all occurring during hop-picking season in 1931. The writing seemed a bit stilted at first, but as I read on it became more natural. Maisie uses skills that are unusual, but she solves the mystery in the end.

Raven Black - Ann Cleeves - New-to-me author. A good mystery set in the Shetland Islands. Two deaths eight years apart seem linked to an old man. Jimmy Perez is the detective who finally solves the case. The setting is mid-winter, and I felt cold the whole time I read it! There is a twist at the end that caught me by surprise. I'll be looking for more of her books.

The Girl Who Fell from the Sky - Heidi W. Durrow - The book won the Bellwether Prize for Fiction, and is a pretty good first novel. It draws heavily on Durorow's own life, and tells the story of the daughter of an American soldier stationed in Germany who marries a Danish girl. The daughter struggles with the discovery that she is neither 'black' nor 'white', and also with the aftermath of a terrible tragedy. I found the writing a bit disjointed, but the plot was interesting.

And that was it. I have also been editing my husband's memoirs, and finished re-writing them today, so that did take up a bit of my reading time!

The Little House in the Woods

2011-03-09T14:56:00.000-08:00

This is the home we built in 1997. We have lived here longer than any other place. Both of us have moved so often that it was wonderful to be able to stay put for a change. This picture was taken several years ago, and the trees on the left are much taller now. We've actually stayed in one place long enough to watch trees grow higher than we are!

This summer there will be a gathering of our family again, and the house will be filled with happy talk and laughter. I wish that all the children and grandchildren could be here, but it isn't always possible, so we will be happy to have those who are able to be here. We can't put everyone up - only three bedrooms and a loft - but there are lots of places nearby where the overflow will stay - and we'll have meals here. I hope the weather will cooperate this year and we can grill frequently! This will be a celebration of Bill's 80th birthday although the actual date was last month.

Sometimes it seems as if this peripatetic society doesn't have the "home" for children to go back to, and our children were adults before this became home to us. But I hope it has now become their "home" as well.

Books Read in February

2011-03-03T10:28:00.000-08:00

This was not such a good month for reading as I was away part of the time and not well again. I did manage to finish six, however, but spent almost a week trying to find the seventh to read. Just couldn't get into any of five books I started.

So here are the six I did read:
The Black Cat - Martha Grimes - G - A good Inspector Jury tale about the murders of three women who were escorts, three black cats and Mungo and Joey - two dogs. As usual in the Jury stories there are some humorous parts of the story, and the dogs and cats add to the humor.

Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English - Natasha Solomons - G - A first novel by Solomons that Lesley gave me. She has given a much better review of it than I can, but I'll give my impressions. The story concerns a Jewish refugee and his wife who have escaped from Hitler's Germany to England. He very much wants to become a real Englishman, and tries to be as British as possible. This includes the building of a golf course on a hill in Dorset because he isn't allowed into any other course. There is some humor in the story, but it has an underlying sadness too.

The Red Door - Charles Todd - G - Rutledge and Hamish set out to solve a mystery about the disappearance of a soldier after WWI. A case of double identity? Hamish is still there in Rutledge's mind, but not as obnoxious as he usually is. I like reading the books of the Todds - but wish Hamish would go away!

Before the Frost - Henning Mankel - G - I have avoided this book for the better part of a year. Had found the Mankel books rather depressing and quite dark, but finally picked this one up. It is good - as the others have been. Kurt Wallander's daughter is following her father and becoming a police constable. She gets caught up in the disappearance of her friend Anna, and tries a bit of sleuthing before she actually begins work at the same station where her father works.

The Water's Lovely - Ruth Rendell - G - Another of Rendell's psychological mysteries. Not a thriller, but a good study of some strange characters. Unfortunately, there were few of the characters I could sympathize or empathize with - or even begin to like. Human beings are flawed and Ruth Rendell shows all their flaws and then some!

The Postmistress - Sarah Blake - VG - Such a good book, and probably why I found it hard to get into another. The story of Frankie Bard, a woman reporter in England during WWII, and the story of the people of Franklin - on the tip of Cape Cod - who wait for their war to begin. So nice to have characters you can relate to, or at least understand and like! Not an easy book to read because of the subject matter, but one that will stay with me for a long while.

So - that was it for the month. For the most part it was easy reading, and mostly mysteries. Pure entertainment. I've finished the first book for March, and started on another. I'm also reading the letters written by Julia Child and her friend Avis DeVoto - but I'm reading the book as if the letters are arriving in the mail and the letters are long, so I only read three or four at a time. It's not my bed-reading book.

So Many Books...........

2011-02-01T20:35:00.000-08:00

I think I will list "books read" each month with a tiny review. I'm not the writer my daughter is, so won't try to give more than a brief outline of the story - as I write it when I've finished each book. So here goes.

Necessary as Blood - Deborah Crombie - The most recent of Crombie's books, and a good one. Kincaid and Gemma are back again - There is a missing mother, a murdered father and a sweet little girl. Gemma is very taken with the little girl - and Gemma and Kincaid are about to be married - maybe.

A Lonely Death - Charles Todd - This is the first Todd book I've read in a long time. I began to tire of Rutledge and "Hamish" after the first six books, but this was a fast read, and interesting. Someone is killing the young men in a village by garroting, and it looks as if it has something to do with their service in WWI.

Fearful Symmetry - Morag Joss - The second of her books I've read, and to me not as good as the first. This one was funny in places, but the "mystery" took a long time to develop. Sara Selkirk - the heroine of the first book - is a cellist. This story concerns a "community opera" written by an unknown composer, a composer who will remain unknown, and an unruly bunch of performers. Sara and Andrew, who is probably the least involved Detective Inspector I ever read about, are the star-crossed lovers.

A Change in Altitude - Anita Shreve - A couple living in Kenya climb Mt. Kenya. There is a tragic accident that leads to problems with the young couple. A depressing story, not helped by my reading it while down with pneumonia!

Bury Your Dead - Louise Penny - How I do love reading these books! Having lived in Quebec and recognizing some of the locations makes the stories even more interesting to me. This one weaves three threads of mystery - a terrorist plot, finding the burial place of Champlain and discovering a killer.

The Season of Second Chances - Diane Meier - A debut novel about a woman professor who decides to change her life by changing jobs - from teaching at Columbia University to teaching at Amhurst - buys a Victorian house that is a definite fixer-upper - becomes involved with various men and finds her life quite changed. A fun, quick read.

Whistling in the Dark - Lesley Kagen - Another first novel about two little girls in a very dysfunctional family in 1959. Something of a mystery, but more about growing up and discovering life. Not a comfortable read.

Up at the Villa - W. Somerset Maugham - A real change of pace. One of Maugham's well-known short novels about an English woman - a young widow - living in Florence who is trying to decide whether she should accept a proposal from a much older man. She gets into some rather terrible difficulties, and finds she needs the help of a somewhat disreputable younger man. A quick read that was recently made into a movie starring Sean Penn.

Wolf Hall - Hilary Mantel - Oh my. This is a great book. Winner of the Man Booker Prize for 2009. Excellent historical novel concerning the reign of Henry VIII during the time Anne Boleyn becomes Queen. Told from the view of Thomas Cromwell. I enjoyed this long book!

The Tiger in the Smoke - Margery Allingham - Written in 1952 this Campion mystery is still intriguing, and not too dated. Campion is older in this story, not as "posh", and not the central character as he is in Allingham's earlier books.

Silence of the Grave - Arnaldur Indridason - The second of Indridason's Icelandic mysteries I've read. Similar to the Swedish Mankel stories, but this one at least is much less violent and more character-driven. This story concerns Erlandur's daughter, a skeleton discovered in the foundation of a new house and a long-ago mysterious disappearance.

The Fugitive Wife - Peter C. Brown - Good story set in 1900 during the gold rush to Nome, Alaska. A woman fleeing her husband finds adventure, new friends and herself. The hardships of the era are detailed and interesting. The gold fever that hit in the mid-1880's and on up into the 1900's was rather amazing. Some of the characters in this story were actual people enhancing the tale.

The Lacuna - Barbara Kingsolver - Wow! I'm cheating a bit because this is February 1st and I just finished this wonderful book. I bought Kingsolver's latest novel back in the fall, but kept pushing it aside as I didn't enjoy her last two books very much. This one is terrific. I'm not going to tell anything about it because I think it needs to be discovered by each reader without a review or even telling a bit about what it is about. Just know that it is one of the best I've read in years.

Books

2010-12-27T11:32:00.000-08:00

The year is almost over, and this is the first time I've kept track of all the books I've read this year. I don't know if this is my usual amount, but it does seem as if it's quite a few -

My top favorites in the order they were read:
When Will There be Good News - Kate Atkinson
Sarah's Key - Tatiana de Rosnay
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand - Helen Simonson
South of Broad - Pat Conroy

The following books I marked VG for very good:
The Brutal Telling - Louise Penny
Booked to Die - John Dunning
Caught in the Light - Robert Goddard
The Bookwoman's Last Fling - John Dunning
Sight Unseen - Robert Goddard
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet - Jamie Ford
The Eleventh Man - Ivan Doig
The Princes of Ireland - Edward Rutherfurd
Loving Frank - Nancy Horan
Work Song - Ivan Doig
Jumping the Queue - Mary Wesley
The Summer Guest - Justin Cronin
Faithful Place - Tana French
That Old Cape Magic - Richard Russo
In Pale Battalions - Robert Goddard
This Body of Death - Elizabeth George
Never Change - Elizabeth Berg
The Swan Thieves - Elizabeth Kostova
Bad Boy - Peter Robinson
Home Safe - Elizabeth Berg
Coventry - Helen Humphreys
Cutting for Stone - Abraham Verghese
Lake of Sorrows - Erin Hart
Plots and Errors - Jill McGown
The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag - Alan Bradley
Day After Night - Anita Diamant
When She Flew - Jennie Shortridge

These books were good reads, but not terrific:
Coastliners - Joanne Harris
One Handful of Earth - Ellie Gunn
Garden Spells - Sarah Addison Allen
Not in the Flesh - Ruth Rendell
Suspicious Origin - Patricia MacDonald
Headcase - Peter Helton
The Wood Beyond - Reginald Hill
Fete Fatale - Robert Barnard
Abide With Me - Elizabeth Strout
Who Guards a Prince - Reginald Hill
Heart and Soul - Maeve binchey
The Grave Tattoo - Val McDermid
Rose - Martin Cruz Smith
The Sign of the Book - John Dunning
The Lost Mother - Mary McGarry Morris
Vanish - Tess Gerritsen
The Broken Shore - Peter Temple
Shanghai Girls - Lisa See
The Far Country - Nevil Shute
Down River - John Hart
Maisie Dobbs - Jacqueline Winspear
Tug of War - Barbara Cleverly
Tooth and Nail - Ian Rankin
Grasshopper - Barbara Vine
The Secret History - Donna Tartt
Messenger of Truth - Jacqueline Winspear
Long Time Coming - Robert Goddard
The Breaker - Minnette Walters
Holy Terror - Josephine Bolton
The Shadows in the Street - Susan Hill
Sacrifice - S.J. Bolton
The Rest of Her Life - Laura Moriarty
Jar City - Arnaldur Indridason
The Water Clock - Jim Kelly
Good Harbor - Anita Diamant
The 19th Wife - David Ebershoff
Scared to Live - Stephen Booth
Cold Case - Kate Wilhelm
Among the Mad - Jacqueline Winspear
The Little Stranger - Sarah Waters
The Dead of Winter - Rennie Airth
The Complaints - Ian Rankin
The Art of Racing in the Rain- Garth Stein
On the Night Plain - J. Robert Lennon
Black and Blue - Ian Rankin

I had problems with very few books - and only have one that I didn't finish.
Lights Out Tonight - Mary Jane Clark (this I gave an ok to - not a G for good)
Wish You Were Here - Stewart O'Nan ( D for dull)
Crooked Little Heart - Anne Lamott - (G? - not sure if it rated a G)
Found Wanting - Robert Goddard - the title says it all
The Year of the Flood - Margaret Atwood - I'm just not a fan of hers and skimmed a lot

And the one I did not finish:
Five Quarters of an Orange - Joanne Harris - I read half of the book; decided I just didn't like the main character enough to continue reading.

So there you have it. I believe that is 84. I'll have time to read one more before the end of the year!

Oregon Weather and Salmon

2010-09-19T14:22:00.000-07:00

Fall has definitely arrived to the Oregon coast, after one of the shortest summers ever! We had no days where the temp got above 70, and few days where it was even in the high 60s. Everyone commented on the sunny days - they were so unusual. And now the rains have begun again. It has rained every day for the past week, and came down in buckets yesterday when the annual Salmon Bake was taking place in the community park. Eleven bus-loads of senior citizens came down from Portland for the event, and stood in the rain to get their salmon.

The salmon is cooked in the Indian fashion on stakes over open coals of alder wood. The salmon is filleted and then woven onto the stakes - so that it is smoked while it roasts. Wonderful! I hope everyone went home with smiles in spite of the weather.

The Kids Zone had a table of desserts to sell, and hubby was there in the rain selling his cards to raise money for the Kids Zone. He did pretty well considering most people weren't too enthusiastic about standing there getting wet while he gave his spiel! His next big sale will be the two days after Thanksgiving, and will be at a craft fair indoors. We'll hope he'll make lots of money for the kids in Depoe Bay! He spends hours every day getting the cards and gift tags put together. It's a hobby that has become an obsession! But it does raise money for the Zone.

Lazy Days of Summer?

2010-09-09T12:53:00.000-07:00

These aren't really summer days, but I'm certainly feeling lazy! There are things I plan on doing every morning, but I find I'm reading instead of ironing, or dusting or even cooking. I have accomplished very little this week. I think one of the reasons might be because the calendar for the week was completely empty for a change. No appointments for anything. No reason to get in the car and drive someplace. So I've been reading. Next week it will all change - and I'll be busy again - maybe!

This Body of Lies

2010-08-23T15:38:00.000-07:00

It's always satisfying to read a new book by an author you've enjoyed over the years. The first Elizabeth George book I bought was in a book store in Trafalgar Square many years ago. At the time I assumed that George was a British writer since the books were based in England. At any rate, I've always liked her books, although as A Garden Carried in the Pocket noted, the last two weren't as good. I have liked the TV series, but never felt that Lynley was cast properly and Havers was much too pretty! But when I found I could order This Body of Lies from The Book Depository I jumped at it.

It's a hefty book - 594 pages - and it took me a week to read it, even though I stayed up late reading. It is very good. The 'mystery' is quite involved, but the characters make the story.

Now it's on to another author I learned about on a blog - Susan Hill. I've read some of her books already, and this is her latest, I believe - The Shadows in the Street. What fun to have good books waiting on the shelf! And the bonus of bloggers telling about new authors.

Computing

2010-08-09T13:42:00.000-07:00

I seem to have trouble getting comments to my blog onto my blog. Does that make any sense at all? I had two comments waiting to go onto the blog, and thought I had let them "in", but only one made it!

Our computers weren't able to get connect to the Internet this morning, so poor hubby had to crawl around on the floor and turn things on and off. Then the emails and Internet returned and made us happy. We got some great pictures of our granddaughter who is in Argentina on a study-abroad program for the summer. We'll get to hear all about it when we visit the family in Honolulu this fall!

Reading Joys

2010-08-08T19:36:00.000-07:00

Lesley gave me a book years ago in which I started writing about the books I had read, but I'm not very disciplined and I soon got 'way behind and quit. When I discovered I was buying and re-reading books I had read years ago I decided the time had come to do better! So this year I've read forty-eight books and have given them a rating and a few brief words telling about the book. It has been something of an eye-opener. I have read mostly mysteries - not thrillers - but have a couple of 'chunkers' mixed in, and one that I just couldn't get into. There have been no non-fiction books, but that is by choice. I'm pretty old, and think that I should just enjoy reading and not try to become too enlightened by what I read. Non-fiction requires a lot of thinking, and I'm more into entertaining books!

I still try to keep up with the news, and read a news magazine every week, but we have even given up our daily newspaper. This was not my choice, but our paper has become very expensive with very little real 'meat' to it. So dear husband said we should no longer buy it daily. We do get the Sunday paper, and that is one of my favorite times of the week. I love the lazy time of reading every section, and cutting out articles on travel and finance - some that I send to my children - whether they want them or not!

Since I volunteer at our library book sale every week I have a plethora of books to choose from. We have a good library, but can only check out books for two weeks. I usually finish a book within a week or less, but don't like having a deadline. So each week I take books back to be sold, and come home with a bag full of new books. Last week I brought four books home and discovered that one is written by the writer on the top sellers this month - Justin Cronin, the author of The Passage. The book I'm reading now is his second novel, I think, and I'm finding it quite enjoyable. Several weeks ago The Passage was in our "tall books" or trade paperback section and I grabbed it - for $1.00! I'll read it later this year, but after I finish Cronin's The Summer Guest, I'll read another mystery!

The Cove

2010-08-04T16:01:00.000-07:00

We live in a beautiful spot on the Oregon Coast. Our house is surrounded with various very large trees - hemlock, Sitka spruce, Coast redwoods, shore pines, alders, and smaller Japanese maples and a stray dogwood. We've planted most of the trees although some of the spruce and hemlocks were here when we built the house. A large number of spruce are "volunteers." They just grew from seeds the squirrels drop, I think.

When we first built we needed to cut down thirty-five trees, and I was afraid the forest would never grow back in our lifetime. Wrong. Little rhododendrons we planted from one-gallon cans are now six feet high. The little cedars we planted in the front area are over ten feet high. They were less that six inches when we got them from the Forest Dept. So things grow quite quickly here in The Cove. Except for the rhododendrons, however, we don't get a lot of pretty blooming flowers. We just don't seem to have enough sun for them. My hydrangeas do bloom, and Bill took a picture of one covered in snow one year. They often bloom too late in the year!

So I have some flowering things in pots, and when I remember to water and fertilize them they look pretty for about four weeks. It hardly seems worth the effort. I once loved gardening, and still enjoy flowers and greenery, but no longer 'garden.' One great thing about living in the forest - I no longer have to weed!

Completion

2010-08-01T11:50:00.000-07:00

We are finally getting back to a somewhat normal existence with the rooms painted and the furniture and furnishings back in place. A few pictures need re-hanging, but as Bill says - we have time to do that when we "get around to it." I feel as if we've moved into a new home - almost! The colors are just right. Our wonderful painter only took four days to do the job, and it was quite a big one. The very high ceiling in the "great room" as well as the 9' ceilings in the rest of the downstairs made for a challenge for him, and he did it all by himself!

We spent a good part of our days in the library/office room on our computers while the painting was being done. Bill has been making note cards to sell for our after-school program - The Kids Zone - so for the past several months we have traveled to various parts of Oregon for him to photograph Oregon's covered bridges. We'll be off again soon to get shots of four more. He'll have taken pictures of forty-seven bridges by then, with only three more to finish. Many of the bridges fell into disuse or neglect, but fifty remain and an Oregon Covered Bridge Society was formed to keep those remaining in repair. His photography has taken us over a variety of back roads and country vistas we hadn't seen before, and while he climbed up and down river banks to get that perfect view, I was able to read and enjoy the quiet.

Paint

2010-06-03T18:12:00.000-07:00

We are going to paint the inside of the downstairs of the house - at last! It has been over 12 years since the first very thin coat of white was put on when the house was built. Now that we know that white isn't needed for light, here in the dark woods, we are ready for some color. Benjamin Moore paint has a new one-coat paint - Aura - that we will use. We have finally decided on the colors. For the main rooms - the kitchen, dining room and hall - Harmony - a darkish beige. For the master bedroom and bath - Wind Chime - a Celadon green. We have tested three different greens and decided on this one. We tried two different colors for the other rooms, but the second was too yellow for my taste. Now, when the rooms are finished we'll see how well we did. If I could have mixed three or four different greens, I might be happier with the final color, but it was too much to worry about! We can certainly live the next 12 years with what we've picked!

Memorial Day

2010-05-30T18:29:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is Memorial Day, and I'd like to remember the members of my family who have served.

My great-great-great Grandfather Levi Ashbrook served in the Revolutionary War. My great-Grandfather Aaron Ashbrook served in the Civil War on the Union side, as did his brothers, one of whom died as a result. My Grandfather Roy Wilson Ashbrook served in the US Army in the Spanish-American War in the Philippines and lost an eye there. He then went on to train soldiers for WWI. My uncle Roy served in the Army in the Battle of the Bulge and had frostbite as a result. He then went on to serve in the Army of Occupation in Japan. My uncle Ed Allatt was a bomber pilot in the Mediterranean and had two planes shot out from under him and had to ditch in the water. My father was a pilot ferrying supplies to Australia for the Navy in unescorted, and unarmed planes. My first husband, Mike, was a Captain in the Canadian Army, serving in Korea and in the Congo under the UN. My husband, Bill, made his career in the Air Corps for 22 years. David, my son, was in the Navy for 12 year. And I almost forgot my great-grandfather Searles who served as a drummer boy for the Union in the Civil War.

To all of them - Thank you.

Memorial

2010-05-28T21:50:00.000-07:00

This is always such a hard time for our family. I looked at Lesley's blog today, and tears streamed. Too many memories - but some of them are such good ones. I love looking at the pictures of Rachel and Amy. And I remember that weekend at the cabin when the girls had such a good time in the snow. Memories.

Off and Away!

2010-05-05T15:07:00.000-07:00

We leave soon for our trip back to the mid-west for several important events. First we'll get to meet Sylvie - a very important new member of the family - our great-niece in Colorado. Then a stop in Kansas to visit a member of Bill's family - His cousin Sabine who is his first cousin's daughter from Germany. Then to Nevada, Missouri and Catherine's graduation from Cottey - and a visit with Val and Neal and Catherine before they head for San Diego and we head on up to Lincoln, Nebraska. There we'll visit the Jacksons and Schers. And that will be a fun time for me with Maddie and Emily! And then on home. We're keeping fingers crossed that the weather will be nice to us!

Finis!

2010-04-20T18:39:00.000-07:00

Today I took my memoirs to the printer. I worked hard on them, and hope they reflect something of my life without too many bumps and bruises. Thanks to Alison for the title. I don't know what I'll do for writing now. I'm not creative enough to start on something in fiction, and I've done my life. Not good with poetry. Oh well - time now to read!

What Can I Say?

2010-03-22T18:29:00.000-07:00

I am so discouraged by the terrible things that are said by people on Twitter, Facebook and various talk shows. I don't understand where courtesy disappeared, or why. Why is there so much anger? Does anyone really think we should "wipe the bastards out" who voted for health care reform? Is this the way to run a country, by stirring up anger and viciousness. People are being spit on. Posters are made that show nothing of the owner's character except ignorance. Why do we allow all of this? Well - we do have something known as "free speech" and I suppose as long as that exists we will have the Hannitys and Limbaughs spewing their hatred. I worry that the young people of this country will begin to think that this is the only way to project your opinion. Too sad.

The Saga of the Refrigerator

2010-03-13T13:41:00.000-08:00

We now have water damage to our hardwood flooring in the kitchen. Evidently the hose to the ice maker leaked. The wood floor is wavy and the linoleum in the laundry room has lifted. The insurance adjuster was here yesterday, and the verdict is that the flooring in the kitchen, dining room, living room and powder room must be repaired and refinished. And the laundry room will need new lino. So we will have to move everything out of all those rooms, and then move ourselves out for three days. Our deductible isn't very big, and the insurance will pay for our staying in a motel, so we won't have a lot of expense with all of this, but we will have a lot of bother! I don't look forward to boxing up everything in the buffet, china hutch and bookcases. We'll have to hire people to move the furniture and disconnect the gas clothes dryer, etc., etc. Such fun. We also have to get a plumber to fix the hose connection to the dear new refrigerator!

Max Raabe and his Palast Orchester

2010-02-27T12:22:00.000-08:00

What a great evening! The music was wonderful, the audience was very enthusiastic and we didn't want it to end. At the interval about fifteen women dressed in the 20's and 30's style came forward and were allowed backstage to visit with members of the orchestra. Most of the women were in their twenties and were having a wonderful time! Very cute idea.
We had seats in the first row center, so were able to see all the orchestra and the faces they made - especially the pianist. They are all such good musicians - and interact with the audience constantly. Many funny moments.
I couldn't stop smiling, and noticed most people leaving the theatre were also smiling.
I hope Max Raabe continues to have success and will come back to Portland soon.

Memories

2010-02-14T14:18:00.000-08:00

I think I have just finished writing my memoirs, at last. It has been almost ten years since I started working on this long tale. Now I have to decide whether or not to have it printed and bound into book form, or if it would be best to just let it lie as is. As is said when I started it, I don't think it will be of much interest to anyone except some of the family, and maybe not even to them. So I'm going to think about it for a while. I need to have someone read and edit it. I've gone over it so many times and changed things so many times that I'm sure I've got lots of mistakes and inconsistencies.

Sunsine on my Shoulder Makes Me Happy.....

2010-02-08T18:21:00.000-08:00

Today was our second day of sun! It was, however, rather cool both days. Yesterday I managed to do a tiny bit of yard work before my fingers froze, so the pots on the deck look a bit nicer than they did. The Triffid shrub has been pruned and new growth is coming up. There are some six inch tall daffodil stems, and a few crocus stems, but no flowers. Just as well. We'll probably have another freeze!
The new refrigerator is humming away, and seems to be just what we needed. Lots of space and the ice cubes no longer fly out across the floor. It really is nice to have the freezer section completely separate from the fridge part - two compressors means less energy wasted when we open the fridge door etc. etc. - I think!
I think I have finished all I can do about the taxes. Now it will be up to our "tax man" to see what mistakes I've made.

Yeah!

2010-02-04T20:57:00.000-08:00

The new refrigerator arrived this morning and is busily making ice and cooling down. I hope I don't have to move all the food ever again! I'm not too thrilled with the stainless steel finish - it makes the room look dark - but I'll learn to live with it. "They" say that stainless is on the way out for appliances. Can avocado and burnt orange be coming back?! Ugh!

Blue Mood

2010-01-27T14:46:00.000-08:00

Today I received a notification that my dear friend from 8th Grade and High School has died. She was my maid of honor at my first wedding, and although we didn't see each other very often after we both married, we kept in touch.
A picture sent at Christmas this year was hard for me to look at because she had changed so much. Now I know why. She has been ill for several years and on dialysis.
So now she's gone. Goodbye, Carol. I'll miss your cards, but I still have wonderful memories.

Sometimes Good Things Happen

2010-01-21T22:02:00.000-08:00

We bought a beautiful refrigerator with Dutch doors and a freezer on the bottom two and a half years ago. Within a couple of weeks we knew something was wrong with it because it kept freezing everything in the top part as well as the freezer. So a repair man came out and discovered some of the packing material hadn't been removed and the air wasn't circulating. A few more weeks went by and we had to call him out again. Something else was wrong and the temperature wouldn't stay where it belonged and everything froze. So a part was ordered and he came out again and fixed the problem.

Fast forward: Sometime within the next six months everything in the freezer had ice crystals all over. Repair man again. Then whenever the drawer of the freezer was pulled out to get ice, the arm on the ice maker threw ice behind the drawer, onto the defrost tray and then speeding out across the floor. Repair man again, and again, and again and again. Sometime during these visits when I spoke with Sears about the problems we were encountering I was told that if we had more than three repair visits within a year we were to get a new refrigerator. This sounded great because we were rapidly getting our three in! However - the catch was that it had to be for the same problem. Once it was the arm, once it was the ice maker itself, and then again it was the arm. Now we have an extended warranty, so we weren't paying for these repair calls, but they were adding up for Sears! Each repair visit averaged about $180 just for the repair man, not for the parts. We had just about figured out that the cost of repairing the refrigerator had now reached almost what we paid for it.

In all of this the contract repair men were wonderful, helpful, courteous and just as frustrated as we became.

I finally had Bill call Sears the last three times because I was so frustrated. I had to clear out the freezer section each time the repair man came so he could take out the drawer to work on the ice maker. Bill got extremely angry during the last call because he kept being transferred to different sections of Sears Customer Solutions - and there were no solutions. He even threatened to sue, although we wouldn't have done that - we're too old to go through that, and it would have cost us more than a new refrigerator.

Well - the happy end of the story is - this afternoon we got a call from a very apologetic man at Sears telling us that we were to get a new refrigerator! Tomorrow we'll go up to Sears and pick out one - up to $2,200.00!! And they will deliver it and take away the poor lemon at no charge to us.

That is what I call customer satisfaction!

We will not get a refrigerator with the ice maker in the freezer where it can throw ice cubes on the floor this time. We will get a refrigerator with the ice maker in the door with the water dispenser so we can have ice cubes fall on the floor along with dripping water!

Back in the Mood

2010-01-10T17:02:00.000-08:00

It's been a while. We had a great time in Victoria doing nothing much except reading, looking and buying in book stores, eating in various restaurants,(although it looks as if we ate at The Blethering Place several times!) and some museum-looking and the usual touristy things. It was blustery while we were there, but didn't rain much. Really too cold to do much walking, although we did do some. Bill, as usual, got some good pictures of the harbour (notice the British spelling, please!)

We picked up grandson, Caymon, on our way home and had him here for three days. Dave and Candy joined us on New Year's Day, and the three of them journeyed home on the 2nd. That visit was special in many ways. Unfortunately it rained the whole time, so Caymon and Bill weren't able to do much outside work. They just had fun!

On the 3rd I started feeling a sore throat coming on. And for the rest of the week I've been sick with a coughing cold - courtesy of Caymon! It's finally beginning to leave, and I'm feeling more like writing in the blog. It has been a productive week for reading, however, as I've done nothing much more than that! Finished three books, and am halfway through the fourth.

So - Happy New Year!

Getting Ready

2009-12-20T15:38:00.000-08:00

Today has been spent getting ready for the trip north. Yesterday we had our early Christmas and opened presents. Last night I spent some time writing thank you letters. Probably the first time in my life I've written my Christmas thank-yous before Christmas!

The weather outside is gloomy, but it's cozy inside and nice to have almost all things ready to go. Bill ironed his shirts, so I wouldn't have to, and now he's getting the Prius ready to load. We won't leave at the crack of dawn, but it will probably be pretty close!

I'm taking a candle (gift) and a two little snowmen (also gifts) to brighten our room at the Admiral Inn. We're also taking a lot of cookies (sugar free) and candy (not sugar free) and nuts. I've packed a good frying pan and spatula. The amenities for cooking are sparse. We'll take breakfast fixings, some cocoa and of course lots of books. Bill will have his camera and I'll have my iPod! We haven't decided if we will take the laptop. I think we can stand to be out of touch for ten days. We will have our cell phones, so won't be completely out of touch.

So - it's off to Victoria and a Canadian Christmas!

Stars

2009-12-12T13:50:00.000-08:00

With our cold weather the stars have been eye-popping for the past few nights. When I'm in bed I can look up at the skylight and see them glimmering. A really beautiful way to fall asleep. It got me wondering if parents tell their children about the constellations anymore. When I was in the Second Grade in Oakland our parents put fluorescent stars up on the ceiling in our bedroom - an early sort of nightlight. They told us about The Big Dipper, The Little Dipper and especially Orion and his belt and dagger. We often looked for those constellations at night and there was great excitement when we found them. I still look for Orion. I suppose that now most places are so brightly lit that it's hard to see the night sky.
Once when Sputnik was orbiting we were in Vista, California visiting cousins. One night we all went out on the lawn and lay down to look for Sputnik. My grandfather - with only one good eye - was the first to spot it beeping its way across the night sky.

Brrrrrrrrrr,Brrrrrrr

2009-12-08T10:26:00.000-08:00

I shouldn't complain about how cold it is here when I see how cold it is in Lincoln, NE! And we don't have snow hitting us as well. But it was 21 degrees this morning when we got up, and it is still in the mid-twenties now - at 10:30A.M. The sun keeps shining, but the plants are looking as if they won't survive the constant cold.

So today is the day we get a new furnace. So today, with the temps in the twenties, we have no heat in the house. I'm going out to a P.E.O. luncheon, so I'll be warm while poor Bill will suffer.

But the sun is shining!

Brrrrrrrrrrr

2009-12-07T12:05:00.000-08:00

It is really cold here! Cold for the coast, anyway. When I got up this morning the temperature was 25 degrees. Now it is 32 at noon. Even my rhododendrons froze last night - and the daphne looks very sad. I hope they'll all come back. The hummingbird feeder was frozen as well, so the poor little hummer had better go south.

We have almost finished the Christmas cards, and next week I'll start baking, and Bill will start making his peanut brittle. This week is pretty busy with a P.E.O. luncheon tomorrow, a trip to Portland to the dermatologist on Wednesday, and a League of Women Voters luncheon on Thursday. Next Sunday is the Holiday Party at the rec center. I have a cheese/cranberry thing for that, and I'll also make a wine cake.

In between we're getting a new furnace tomorrow, and we hope the appliance repair man will be here to fix our refrigerator again - for the fourth time this year. I think we are now eligible for a new one! This one is only two years old and the repair people have been here eight times.

I've been finding a lot of new recipes for cookies, and since I'm in a baking mood I'll try some out next week. It feels like winter outside, but I'm not really into the mood of the season yet. Baking will help that!

Sunshine

2009-11-29T11:55:00.000-08:00

Bill's sale at the Eden Hall Craft Show went quite well. He had some fairly big sales, as well as $1 and $2 sales. He had a helper both days - one of the young girls from the Kid Zone, so she was able to tell customers what the Kid Zone was all about and give Bill a lot of conversation!

The League table also did very well for the three hours we were there. We gave out about eight registration cards. Most of them were for change of address for voting in the next election, but a few were to change affiliation - to Independent. Doesn't bode well for the Obama administration.

We were fortunate to have sunny days for both sale days. Even today is sunny, and according to the weekly weather report, we will have sun and clouds all week, so maybe we are finished with rain for a while.

Bill is busily working on his latest project - his memoirs. He's been at it for several years in a rather sporadic fashion, but now is engrossed, so will get far this winter. I think the Kid Zone project will gradually close down. It's a lot of effort for not much reward.

We've sent off the packages for Christmas, so my next project is Christmas cards. I could send an e-card to everyone, but I still enjoy getting cards in return! As a child I frequently sent off for things advertised "free" in magazines just so I would get mail. "Mail Call" has always been an important part of the day for me, and I really regret that most people don't write letters anymore. Maybe if I start writing instead of sending emails, I can start a new trend!

Thankful

2009-11-26T14:40:00.000-08:00

Bill and I have much to be thankful for today. Our health is pretty good considering our ages. We live in a beautiful area, in our "dream home" and have enough money to feel fairly comfortable. We are still able to travel, and have certainly done so this year.

We have a wonderful family, and have been lucky to visit with most of them during the year either here or where they live. It's not always easy to get together, but great when we're able to do so.

We are spending today very quietly reading and watching football, while the rain pours down outside.We can't complain, however, as we've had three sunny days - and it is the time of the year for rain!

Bill has been resting up for his big sale tomorrow and Saturday. This will be the last sale of the year, and we hope he'll make lots of money for The Kids Zone!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Turkey Early

2009-11-22T21:07:00.000-08:00

Today we celebrated Thanksgiving early with some of our neighbors. Since we have no plans for turkey day, this worked out well. I made stuffing and two pies. The pie recipes were from Southern Living magazine and were quite good. I'm not brave enough to make my own pie crust, so used the ready-made from the grocery. I just have to remember to let it come to room temp before unrolling! I am feeling very full and uncomfortable, so will head to bed to read instead of sitting up.
The wind was ferocious last night. It started about 2 A.M. and didn't let up until late in the morning. Some trees came down on Walking Wood north of us, but we just had branches and cones hitting the roof over our heads. I'll be interested in seeing how strong the winds were. Seemed worse than last week.
" Hurrah for the fun, is the turkey done? Hurrah for the pumpkin pie!" Part of a song my grandfather used to sing :)

Friends and Shopping

2009-11-21T16:28:00.000-08:00

In Oregon you never let weather stop you from having lunch with a friend - or going shopping. A few weeks ago we had a terrific storm - hail, wind, driving rain and road awash - but my friend K and I had planned a trip to Pacific City to shop at one of our favorite stores, and then have lunch at the Pelican Brew Pub. We got in my little Prius and headed into the storm. It got worse the farther we went, but we persevered. I was a bit nervous, but kept going, and we arrived at our destination forty miles away. The wind blew us into the store dripping puddles of rain as we walked about looking at all sorts of treasures. We bought some Christmas gifts, paid and were about to leave when the clerk reminded us that if we spent a certain amount we could come back at one o'clock and have a Wheel of Fortune spin - "Everyone wins something! You can't lose!!!"
We left - after spending a bit more - and had a leisurely lunch looking out at the 'storm-tossed sea' and the brave souls getting lashed by wind and sand as they walked up the beach.
Back to the shop where we each had a spin. K won $2.00. Then it was my turn. I (drum roll) won - wait for it - $1.00. That's right - one big dollar bill.
Then it was back into the storm and the trip home. When we reached Lincoln City K yelped "Snow!!!" There definitely was white stuff all along the sides of the road. The road was clear, however, and we got home with our gifts and our big wins.
A day of fun - and terror - with a dear friend.

A Little Windy?

2009-11-17T15:04:00.000-08:00

Well, last night was more than a slight wind. Waldport registered 95, and I'm sure it was much the same here. Things kept bouncing off the roof, but no tree fell on us this time. We also got about 3/4 of an inch of rain over night, with more predicted all week.

I'm now beginning to look at recipes for pies for our potluck dinner on Sunday. For the potluck dinner tomorrow night at the rec center I'm going to make the corn bake I used to make when we all gathered in southern California. I never make it any more since Bill doesn't like corn, and it's really good.

I'll make Nan's sour cream apple pie and a pumpkin pie for Sunday.

Windy Day

2009-11-16T16:15:00.000-08:00

The wind started last night, is growing stronger now. No rain today, but it's expected for tomorrow. We've begun winter weather very early this year. Rather gloomy days and a lot of rain.
With the weather change I've started to get the Christmas wrapping and posting done early. But then I'm always early! I love buying gifts all year long, and then getting them off to my dear ones so that I know they'll arrive in plenty of time for shaking and peeking!