karenmarie - glad to be here in 2022, part XII

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

The Good: Family, friends, kitties, books, in constantly-rotating order. Lots of good reading this year, even if I’m down the rabbit hole of contemporary fiction. Jenna’s being home is a very good thing, and I’m enjoying my time with her. My health is good, even if my knees aren’t. I’m really getting into Premier League soccer and the Men’s World Cup, which starts today.

The Bad and the Sad: Ukraine. Covid. The increasing political polarization of the US. Inflation.

The Ugly: The Gang of Psychos. Gun violence on the increase even more than ever. Weather extremes. The real threat of losing our republican form of government. Musk reinstated t****’s Twitter account.

The encouraging: The Dems held the Senate. The Gang of Psychos lost ground politically and many of the t****-backed candidates did not get elected. The house, although now Gang of Psychos controlled, is close enough that the Dems might win on particular issues.

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

I read and am a charter member of the Redbud and Beyond Book Club, started in 1997. We’ve established a schedule for May 2022 – originally February-but-now-May 2023., I have read 3 of the 6 books so far although I read Less in 2018. I am President for our local Friends of the Library. I gave my resignation, effective June 30, 2023 at the July meeting. I’ll stay on the Board as Immediate Past President for however long the next President serves, then completely leave the Board and just stay on the Book Sale Team. We had a book sale at the end of September and I seem to have escaped getting Covid. It helps to be fully vaccinated and triple boosted, I guess. We’ve started sorting book donations again. It’s nice to get out on Tuesdays.

I have been married to Bill for 31 years and am mother to Jenna, 29. The three of us live in our own little corner of paradise on 8 acres in central North Carolina USA.

We have three kitties. Inara Starbuck is 15, Zoe Rose is 4, and Washburne Ryder is 3. Here they are, left to right, pouting, smiling, Buddha-ing.


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Four Generations. My mother, my daughter, me, and my grandmother. This is from a family celebration when Grandma turned 90 in 1999.

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My goal last year was 100 books and I exceeded it by 3. This year’s goal is reduced to 75, but a contemporary and historical romance-reading streak in May, June, July, August, September, October, and now through mid-November already has me at 268 books read. My reading mojo has come roaring back with a vengeance. A reduced pages goal made sense, too, but I’ve already read 78K pages.
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Poetry is not a go-to genre by any means; however, I am going to choose a new poem for each new thread. This one was arbitrary, from an Easton Press edition of Poems of Elizabeth Barrett Browning. I opened a page, and there it was. It speaks to me.

Exaggeration
Elizabeth Barrett Browning

We overstate the ills of life, and take
Imagination (given us to bring down
The choirs of singing angels overshone
By God's clear glory) down our earth to rake
The dismal snows instead, --flake following flake,
To cover all the corn. We walk upon
The shadow of hills across a level thrown,
And pant like climbers. Near the alder-brake
We sigh so loud, the nightingale within
Refuses to sing loud, as else she would.
O brothers! let us leave the shame and sin
Of taking vainly in a plaintive mood,
The holy name of Grief!--holy herein,
That by the grief of One came all our good.

2022 – not much better than 2020 or 2021, but in vastly different ways. Although – I must always try to remember that I’m very lucky in almost every way.

Books Read

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

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

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

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

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

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

July
109. Dignity by Lesli Richardson 6/30/22 7/1/22 330 pages Kindle
110. Your Wicked Ways by Eloisa James 7/1/22 7/3/22 Kindle
111. Captivating by Onley James 7/3/22 7/3/22 277 pages Kindle
112. Intoxicating by Onley James 7/3/22 7/4/22 374 pages Kindle
113. Exasperating by Onley James 7/4/22 7/5/22 275 pages Kindle
114. Infuriating by Onley James 7/5/22 7/5/22 361 pages Kindle
115. Satisfying by Onley James 7/5/22 7/5/22 75 pages Kindle
116. Bad Habits by Neve Wilder and Onley James 7/6/22 7/7/22 328 pages Kindle
117. Play Dirty by Neve Wilder and Onley James 7/7/22 7/8/22 247 pages Kindle
118. Head Games by Neve Wilder and Onley James 7/8/22 7/8/22 171 pages Kindle
119. Unhinged by Onley James 7/9/22 7/10/22 294 pages Kindle
120. Psycho by Onley James 7/10/22 7/10/22 269 pages Kindle
121. Moonstruck by Onley James 7/10/22 7/11/22 295 pages Kindle
122. Headcase by Onley James 7/11/22 7/11/22 292 pages Kindle
123. Mad Man by Onley James 7/11/22 7/12/22 281 pages Kindle
124. Domesticated Beast by Onley James 7/12/22 7/13/22 296 pages Kindle
125. Endangered Species by Onley James 7/13/22 7/14/22 222 pages Kindle
126. Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow 4/22/22 7/15/22 audiobook 29 CDs, 35.5 hours
127. Dangerous Breed by Onley James 7/14/22 7/15/22 242 pages Kindle
128. Disciplinary Action by Onley James 7/15/22 7/16/22 281 pages Kindle
129. Novel Affair by Ava Olsen 7/16/22 7/17/22 214 pages Kindle
130. His Cocky Valet by Cole McCade 7/17/22 7/18/22 240 pages Kindle
131. His Cocky Cellist by Cole McCade 7/18/22 7/18/22 384 pages Kindle
132. His Cocky Prince by Cole McCade 7/18/22 7/19/22 389 pages Kindle
**abandoned** Deadly Affair by Lucinda Brant 111 pages
133. Dom of Las Vegas by Tricia Owens 7/19/22 7/20/22 138 pages Kindle
134. Limited Liability by Tricia Owens 7/20/22 7/20/22 156 pages Kindle
135. Acceptable Sacrifices by Tricia Owens 7/21/22 7/21/22 161 pages Kindle
136. Devious Lies by Parker S. Huntington 7/22/22 7/23/22 690 pages Kindle
137. High Roller by Tricia Owens 7/23/22 7/23/22 150 pages Kindle
138. Asher Black by Parker S. Huntington 7/23/22 7/25/22 355 pages Kindle
139. Niccolaio Andretti by Parker S. Huntington 7/25/22 7/25/22 331 pages Kindle
140. Bastiano Romano by Parker S. Huntington 7/25/22 7/27/22 486 pages Kindle
141. Renata Vitali by Parker S. Huntington 7/27/22 7/28/22 Kindle
142. Damiano De Luca by Parker S. Huntington 7/28/22 7/28/22 Kindle
143. Most Wanted by Tricia Owens 7/24/22 7/29/22 Kindle 179 pages
144. Ranieri Andretti by Parker S. Huntington 7/29/22 7/30/22 137 137 pages Kindle
145. His to Keep by Violet James 7/30/22 7/31/22 165 pages Kindle

August
146. His to Teach by Violet James 7/31/22 8/1/22 306 pages Kindle
147. Darling Venom by Parker S. Huntington 7/30/22 8/2/22 660 pages Kindle
148. One Bossy Proposal by Nicole Snow 8/3/22 8/5/22 518 pages Kindle
149. Trouble by Tia Louise 8/5/22 8/6/22 268 pages Kindle
150. Lessons in Obedience by Tricia Owens 7/31/22 8/7/22 144 pages Kindle
**abandoned Fearless by Tia Louise** 77 pages
**abandoned Prince by Tia Louise** 176 pages
151. Boss of Me by Tia Louise 8/8/22 8/8/22 285 pages Kindle
152. One to Hold by Tia Louise 8/8/22 8/9/22 192 pages Kindle
**abandoned One to Keep by Tia Louise** 37 pages
153. The Billionaire's Auction by Bri Blackwood 8/9/22 8/10/22 221 pages Kindle
**abandoned Criminal Intentions by Cole McCade 18 pages
**abandoned The Billionaire's Possession by Bri Blackwood** 126 pages
154. Death Defying Acts by Tricia Owens 8/10/22 8/11/22 144 pages Kindle
155. The Dom's Club by Tricia Owens 8/11/22 8/12/22 141 pages Kindle
156. Easy Money by Tricia Owens 8/12/22 8/12/22 127 pages Kindle
157. Significant Other by Tricia Owens 8/12/22 8/13/22 169 pages Kindle
158. Aftermath by Tricia Owens 8/13/22 8/14/22 204 pages Kindle
159. Flesh and Blood by Tricia Owens 8/14/22 155 pages (averaged from 11 books, 1710 pages) Kindle
160. Maximum Commitment by Tricia Owens 8/15/22 8/15/22 165 pages Kindle
161. Fearless Leader by Tricia Owens 8/15/22 8/16/22 241 pages Kindle
162. In the Blink of an Eye by Tricia Owens 8/16/22 8/17/22 214 pages Kindle
163. The Battle for Black by Tricia Owens 8/17/22 8/18/22 298 pages Kindle
164. The Ultimate Team by Tricia Owens 8/19/22 8/20/22 229 pages Kindle
165. My Lover, My Enemy by Tricia Owens 8/20/22 8/20/22 195 pages Kindle
166. To Have & To Hoax by Sienna Blake 8/20/22 8/21/22 204 pages Kindle
**abandoned The Paw-fect Mix Up by Sienna Blake** 114 pages
167. The Sound of Truth by Tricia Owens 8/21/22 8/21/22 234 pages Kindle
168. Bound by Lies by Sienna Blake 8/21/22 8/22/22 248 pages Kindle
169. Shattered Alliance by Tricia Owens 8/22/22 8/23/22 244 pages Kindle
170. Exchange of Power by Tricia Owens 8/23/22 8/25/22 230 pages Kindle
**abandoned Bound Forever by Sienna Blake** 201 pages
171. Prodigal Son by Tricia Owens 8/25/22 8/27/22 173 pages Kindle
172. The Mind Spy by Tricia Owens 8/27/22 8/27/22 170 pages Kindle
173. Hide and Seek by Tricia Owens 8/27/22 8/28/22 189 pages Kindle
174. Master of No One by Tricia Owens 8/28/22 8/29/22 456 pages Kindle
175. Ghost of Lies by Alice Winters 8/29/22 8/30/22 415 pages Kindle
176. The Hitman's Guide to Making Friends and Finding Love by Alice Winters 8/30/22 8/31/22 365 pages Kindle

September
177. Washington: A Life by Ron Chernow 7/16/22 9/2/22 audiobook 12 CDs, 14.5 hours
178. The Hitman's Guide to Staying Alive Despite Past Mistakes by Alice Winters 8/31/22 9/2/22 359 pages Kindle
179. The Sinner and the Liar by Alice Winters 9/3/22 9/3/22 312 pages Kindle
180. Pleasing Master Parker Parts 1-3 by Austin Blake 9/4/22 9/4/22 156 pages Kindle
**abandoned Pleasing Master Parker Part 4 by Austin Blake** 65 pages
181. Billion Dollar Sugar Baby by E.M. Demming 9/5/22 9/6/22 Kindle
**abandoned What He Craves by E.M. Denning ** 45 pages
182. Lucien: A Dark Mafia Romance by Silvia Violet 9/6/22 9/6/22 249 pages Kindle
183. Angelo: A Dark Mafia Romance by Silvia Violet 9/7/22 9/7/22 264 pages Kindle
184. Devil: A Dark Mafia Romance by Silvia Violet 9/7/22 9/8/22 264 pages Kindle
185. Giorgio by Silvia Violet 9/7/22 9/8/22 272 pages Kindle
186. Niall by Silvia Violet 9/8/22 9/9/22 246 pages Kindle
187. Leo by Silvia Violet 9/9/22 9/9/22 260 pages Kindle
188. Xavier by Silvia Violet 9/9/22 9/10/22 302 pages Kindle
**abandoned Remington by Silvia Violet** 215 pages
**abandoned Dom by Jason Collins** 89 pages
**abandoned various starts** 50 pages
189. Bought by Rana Drake 9/11/22 9/11/22 105 pages Kindle
190. Mike Bravo Ops: Rogue by Eden Finley 9/11/22 9/12/22 285 pages Kindle
191. Mike Bravo Ops: Iris by Eden Finley 9/12/22 9/13/22 272 pages Kindle
192. Fake Out by Eden Finley 9/13/22 9/14/22 272 pages Kindle
193. Undercover by Eliot Grayson 9/14/22 9/14/22 188 pages Kindle
194. Pop Star by Eden Finley 9/14/22 9/15/22 314 pages Kindle
195. Defiant by Max Rowan 9/16/22 9/16/22 227 pages Kindle
196. Try by Ella Frank 9/16/22 9/17/22 368 pages Kindle 2013
197. Wicked Heat by Ella Frank 9/17/22 9/18/22 234 pages Kindle
198. Wicked Flame by Ella Frank 9/18/22 9/19/22 201 pages Kindle
199. Inside Affair by Ella Frank 9/19/22 9/19/22 272 pages Kindle
200. Breaking News by Ella Frank 9/19/22 9/20/22 205 pages Kindle
201. Bad Intentions by Ella Frank 9/20/22 9/21/22 251 pages Kindle
202. Good Intentions by Ella Frank 9/21/22 9/22/22 279 pages Kindle
203. Dare You by Ella Frank and Brooke Blaine 9/22/22 9/22/22 278 pages Kindle
204. Dare Me by Ella Frank and Brooke Blaine 9/22/22 9/23/22
205. Forbidden Mafia Prince by Brook Blaine 9/23/22 9/24/22
206. Sinful Mafia Prince Truth or Dare by Ella Frank 9/24/22 9/25/22 276 pages Kindle
207. Married to the Mobster by Leighton Greene 9/25/22 9/26/22 294 pages Kindle
208. Beloved by the Boss by Leighton Greene 9/26/22 9/27/22 338 pages Kindle
**abandoned Worship by Ellis James** 51 pages
209. Enticed by the Enemy by Leighton Greene 9/27/22 9/28/22 328 pages Kindle
210. Seduced by a Sinner by Leighton Greene 9/28/22 9/28/22 340 pages Kindle
211. Ghost by Joel Abernathy 9/28/22 9/29/22 192 pages Kindle
212. Devil by Joel Abernathy 9/29/22 9/30/22 331 pages Kindle

October
213. Kissed by a Killer by Leighton Greene 9/30/22 10/1/22 366 pages Kindle
214. Devoted to the Don by Leighton Greene 10/1/22 10/3/22 467 pages Kindle
215. Just a Bit Shameless by Alessandra Hazard 10/3/22 10/3/22 275 pages Kindle
216. His Lethal Desire by Leighton Greene 10/3/22 10/4/22 396 pages Kindle
217. Extradition by Kelly Fox 10/4/22 10/4/22 296 pages Kindle 2022
**abandoned Protection by Kelly Fox** 183 pages
218. Virtuous by Roelle Denning 10/6/22 10/6/22 271 pages Kindle
219. Indulgent by Roelle Denning 10/6/22 10/7/22 268 pages Kindle
220. Burned by Roelle Denning 10/7/22 10/8/22 272 pages Kindle
**abandoned The Traitor and the Fighter by Alice Winters** 246 pages
**abandoned Take by Ella Frank** 134 pages
**abandoned He Is Poison by K.A. Merican** 256 pages
221. A Pirate's Life For Me by Tricia Owens 10/9/22 10/10/22 730 pages Kindle
222. A Pirate's Honor by Tricia Owens 10/11/22 10/11/22 90 pages Kindle
223. Tough Luck by Annabeth Albert 10/11/22 10/13/22 333 pages Kindle
224. Hard Job by Annabeth Albert 10/13/22 10/14/22 313 pages Kindle
225. Bad Deal by Annabeth Albert 10/14/22 10/15/22 292 pages Kindle
226. Bodyguard to a Sex God by RJ Scott 10/15/22 10/15/22 176 pages Kindle
227. Save the Date by Annabeth Albert and Wendy Qualls 10/15/22 10/16/22 152 pages Kindle
228. Weekend Plaything by Wendy Qualls 10/16/22 10/16/22 42 pages Kindle
229. Sargeant Delicious by Annabeth Albert 10/16/22 10/17/22 78 pages Kindle
230. Off Camera by Wendy Qualls 10/17/22 10/17/22 254 pages Kindle
231. Rockets and Romance by Wendy Qualls 10/17/22 10/17/22 92 pages Kindle
232. Top Priority by Cara Dee 10/18/22 10/18/22 100 pages Kindle
233. Their Boy by Cara Dee 10/18/22 10/19/22 300 pages Kindle
234. Never Stay Gone by Tal Bauer 10/19/22 10/20/22 342 pages Kindle
235. Secret Service by Tal Bauer 10/20/22 10/22/22 420 pages Kindle
236. The Murder Between Us by Tal Bauer 10/22/22 10/23/22 280 pages Kindle
237. Hell and Gone by Tal Bauer 10/23/22 10/23/22 188 pages Kindle
238. Clashing Hearts by Nicky James 10/24/22 10/24/22 265 pages Kindle
239. Rocky Mountain Refuge by Nicky James 10/24/22 10/25/22 296 pages Kindle
240. The Renegade by Silvia Violet 10/25/22 10/26/22 296 pages Kindle
241. The Reaper by Silvia Violet 10/26/22 10/26/22 300 pages Kindle
242. Watch Me by Sloane Kennedy 10/27/22 10/28/22 272 pages Kindle
243. Temporary Partner by Nicky James 10/28/22 10/28/22 349 pages Kindle
244. Linchpin by Jodi Payne 10/28/22 10/29/22 85 pages Kindle
245. Elusive Relations by Nicky James 10/29/22 10/30/22 414 pages Kindle
246. Unstable Connections by Nicky James 10/30/22 10/31/22 457 pages Kindle
**abandoned Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner** 91 pages

November
247. Twinkle Star by Nicky James 10/31/22 11/1/22 174 pages Kindle
248. Rocket Science by K.M. Neuhold 11/1/22 11/2/22 320 pages Kindle
**abandoned Above and Beyond by Lucy Lennox** 170 pages
249. Opal in Gems Collection by V.L. Locey 11/2/22 11/2/22 100 pages
250. Black Balled by Andrea Smith 11/3/22 11/4/22 314 pages Kindle
251. Guns Blazing by Andrea Smith 11/4/22 11/4/22 143 pages Kindle
252. Rebound by Kate Hawthorne 11/4/22 11/6/22 Kindle
253. A Real Good Lie by Kate Hawthorne 11/6/22 11/6/22 282 pages Kindle
**abandoned His Submissive by Lucy Lennox and Sloane Kennedy ** 107 pages
**abandoned A Cold Hard Truth by Kate Hawthorne ** 132 pages
254. First You Fall by Scott Sherman 11/8/22 11/9/22 253 pages Kindle
255. Anxious People by Fredrik Backman 11/7/22 11/10/22 336 pages hardcover
256. Daybreak by Kate Hawthorne 11/10/22 11/11/22 207 pages Kindle
257. Second You Sin by Scott Sherman 11/11/22 11/11/22 314 pages Kindle
258. Just Business by Annabel Rose 11/11/22 11/11/22 78 pages Kindle
259. Just One Night by Felice Stevens 11/12/22 11/13/22 324 pages Kindle
260. Bossy by N.R. Walker 11/13/22 11/13/22 270 pages Kindle
261. Spencer Cohen Series, Book One by N.R. Walker 11/13/22 11/13/22 Kindle
262. Daddy's Precious by Hayden Hall 11/13/22 11/14/22 Kindle
263. Rule Breaker by Lily Morton 11/14/22 11/15/22 274 pages Kindle
264. Deal Maker by Lily Morton 11/15/22 11/16/22 304 pages Kindle
265. The Mysterious and Amazing Blue Billings by Lily Morton 11/16/22 11/16/22 262 pages Kindle
266. The Sunny Side by Lily Morton 11/17/22 11/17/22 364 pages Kindle
267. Risk Taker by Lily Morton 11/17/22 11/18/22 270 pages Kindle
268. The Summer of Us by Lily Morton 11/19/22 11/19/22 212 pages Kindle
269. Spring Strings by Lily Morton 11/19/22 11/20/22 136 pages Kindle
270. Oz by Lily Morton 11/20/22 11/21/22 260 pages Kindle
271. Milo by Lily Morton 11/21/22 11/22/22 274 pages Kindle
272. Gideon by Lily Morton 11/22/22 11/23/22 252 pages Kindle
273. Best Man by Lily Morton 11/23/22 11/24/22 216 pages Kindle
274. Charlie Sunshine by Lily Morton 11/24/22 11/24/22 241 pages Kindle
275. After Felix by Lily Morton 11/24/22 11/25/22 250 pages Kindle
276. The Cuckoo's Call by Lily Morton 11/25/22 11/26/22 274 pages Kindle
277. Merry Measure by Lily Morton 11/26/22 11/26/22 181 pages Kindle
278. Hijacked by Lucy Lennox and May Archer 11/26/22 11/27/22 242 pages Kindle
279. Hitched by Lucy Lennox and May Archer 11/27/22 11/27/22 416 pages Kindle
280. Hacked by Lucy Lennox and Mae Archer 11/27/22 11/28/22 345 pages Kindle
281. Taxes and TARDIS by N.R. Walker 11/28/22 11/28/22 106 pages Kindle 2018
282. The Fall by May Archer 11/28/22 11/29/22 289 pages Kindle
283. Faking It by Riley Hart 11/29/22 11/30/22 266 pages Kindle
284. Only for the Weekend by Riley Hart 11/30/22 11/30/22 372 pages Kindle

December
285. Firecracker by Lucy Lennox and May Archer 11/30/22 12/1/22 360 pages Kindle
286. Boyfriend Goals by Riley Hart 12/1/22 12/2/22 352 pages Kindle
**abandoned Bruised But Not Broken by Nicole Dykes** 152 pages
287. Off Plan by May Archer 12/2/22 12/3/22 386 pages Kindle
288. On the Run by May Archer 12/3/22 12/3/22 307 pages Kindle
289. Off Key by May Archer 12/3/22 12/5/22 318 pages Kindle
290. Roommate Arrangement by Saxon James 12/5/22 12/5/22 282 pages Kindle
291. Hostile Takeover by Lucy Lennox 12/6/22 12/6/22 290 pages Kindle
292. Virgin Flyer by Lucy Lennox 12/6/22 12/7/22 254 pages Kindle
293. Borrowing Blue by Lucy Lennox 12/7/22 12/822 292 pages Kindle
294. Taming Teddy by Lucy Lennox 12/8/22 12/8/22 262 pages Kindle
295. Jumping Jude by Lucy Lennox 12/8/22 12/9/22 244 pages Kindle
296. Grounding Griffin by Lucy Lennox 12/9/22 12/10/22 268 pages Kindle
**abandoned Tied to Home by Silvia Violet** 110 pages
**abandoned Lost and Found by Lucy Lennox and Sloane Kennedy** 90 pages
297. Hopelessly Bromantic by Blake Lively 12/11/22 12/12/22 354 pages Kindle
298. Here Comes My Man by Blake Lively 12/12/22 12/13/22 368 pages Kindle
299. Uncharted Desires by M.M. Phoenix 12/13/22 14/14/22 149 pages Kindle
A Very Gay Dare by M.M. Phoenix 49 pages, Just for Tonight by M.M. Phoenix 21 pages, Not That Deep by M.M. Phoenix 32 pages,
300. The Husband Gambit by L.A. Witt 12/14/22 12/15/22 486 pages Kindle
301. Rules of Engagement by L.A. Witt 12/15/22 12/16/22 318 pages Kindle
302. Rain by L.A. Witt 12/16/22 12/16/22 82 pages Kindle
303. Country Mouse by Aleksandr Voinov and Amy Lane 12/16/22 12/17/22 222 pages Kindle
304. If It Drives by Aleksandr Voinov and L.A. Witt 12/17/22 12/18/22 205 pages Kindle
305. Quid Pro Quo by Aleksandr Voinov and L.A. Witt 12/18/22 12/18/22 35 pages Kindle
306. Take It Off by Aleksandr Voinov and L.A. Witt 12/18/22 39 pages Kindle
307. If It Flies by Aleksandr Voinov and L.A. Witt 12/18/22 12/18/22 123 pages Kindle
308. Capture & Surrender by Aleksandr Voinov and L.A. Witt 12/18/22 12/19/22 192 pages Kindle
309. Payoff by Aleksandr Voinov and L.A. Witt 12/19/22 12/19/22 48 pages Kindle
310. On the Clock by Aleksandr Voinov and L.A. Witt 12/19/22 12/21/22 215 pages Kindle
**abandoned Bouncing Back by L.A. Witt** 100 pages
311. His First Time by Tal Bauer 12/22/22 12/2/22 58 pages Kindle
312. Let the Wrong Light In by Avon Gale 12/22/22 12/22/22 194 pages Kindle
313. His Kind of Love by Kate Hawthorne 12/22/22 12/23/22 237 pages Kindle
314. Whiskey Business by Avon Gale 12/23/22 12/23/22 103 pages Kindle
315. Rent Boy by J.P. Oliver and Peter Styles 12/23/22 12/24/22 114 pages Kindle
**abandoned Moving Maverick by Lucy Lennox** 40 pages
316. The Bride's Brother by J.P. Oliver 12/24/22 12/24/22 152 pages Kindle 2018
317. Road to Romance by Peter Styles 12/24/22 12/25/22 154 pages Kindle 2018
**abandoned The Promise by J.P. Oliver and Peter Styles** 120 pages
318. Sin Deep by Jodi Payne and B.A. Tortuga 12/25/22 12/26/22 254 pages Kindle
319. Pretenders by Alexa Land 12/26/22 12/27/22 195 pages Kindle
320. Kept Man by Alexa Land 12/27/22 12/27/22 179 pages Kindle
321. Kaden by RJ Scott and Meredith Russell 12/27/22 12/28/22 176 pages Kindle
322. Darcy by RJ Scott and Meredith Russell 12/28/22 12/28/22 146 pages Kindle
323. The Thief and the Gangster by Alexa Land 12/28/22 12/29/22 248 pages Kindle
**abandoned - various** 126 pages
324. Bonds of Denial by Lynda Aicher 12/30/22 12/31/22 314 pages Kindle
**abandoned Rescued by Hayden Hall** 208 pages

Currently Reading:

Pilgrim by Timothy Findley 6/20/22 486 pages hardcover 1999
The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith audiobook 11/1/22
The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith 8/30/22 112 pages hardcover 2022
The Federalist edited by Jacob E. Cooke 5/28/22 656 pages hardcover 1961

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

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

1. Kindle - An Elderly Lady Is Up To No Good by Helene Tursten and Marlaine Delargy
2. Amazon - The Longevity Plan by Dr. John D. Day and Jane Ann Day
3. Amazon - My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk
4. Amazon - Should We Stay Or Should We Go by Lionel Shriver
5. Kindle - Sam by Lonnie Coleman - RD
00 The Book of General Ignorance: Everything You Think You Know Is Wrong by John Mitchinson - bought December, just added to catalog
6. Amazon - Faithless in Death by J.D. Robb
7. Amazon - Forgotten in Death by J.D. Robb
8. Kindle - Walking on the Ceiling by Aysegül Savas
9. Jenn - A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain by Robert Olen Butler
10. Kindle - Kohinoor by William Dalrymple
11. Kindle - Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson
12. Amazon - Mr. Flood's Last Resort by Jess Kidd
13. Kindle - In the Presence of Absence by Mahmoud Darwish
14. Kindle - Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World by Fareed Zakaria
15. Kindle - South Sea Fever by D.A. Horncastle
16. Amazon - Jim Hanvey, Detective by Octavus Roy Cohen
17. Amazon - Abandoned in Death by J.D. Robb
18. Amazon - Maus I by Art Spiegelman
19. U of Chicago Press - A Brief History of Death by W.M. Spellman
19. U of Chicago Press - Patty's Got a Gun: Patricia Hearst in 1970s America by William Graebner
20. U of Chicago Press - Nuns Behaving Badly: Tales of Music, Magic, Art, and Arson in the Convents of Italy by Craig A. Monson
21. U of Chicago Press - Confederate Cities: The Urban South during the Civil War Era by Andrew L. Slap
22. Amazon - Down the Rabbit Hole by J.D. Robb
23. Amazon - Mirror, Mirror by J.D. Robb
24. Amazon - The Unquiet by J.D. Robb
25. Kindle - Twenty-Five to Life by R.W.W. Greene
26. Amazon - The Book of Disappearance by Ibtisam Azem
27. Amazon - Raise High The Room Beam, Carpenters and Seymour an Introduction by J.D. Salinger
28. Kindle - The Narrative of Sojourner Truth by Sojourner Truth
29. Amazon - Unfinished Business: Notes of a Chronic Re-reader by Vivian Gornick
30. Thrift Shop - Beau Brummell: The Ultimate Man of Style by Ian Kelly
31. Thrift Shop - The Mummy Congress: Science, Obsession, and the Everlasting Dead by Heather Pringle
32. Thrift Shop - Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Islamic Women by Geraldine Brooks
33. Thrift Shop - Last Words by Michael Koryta
34. Book Sale Volunteer book - Royal Escape by Georgette Heyer
35. Book Sale Volunteer book - Counterfeit Conspiracies by Ritter Ames
36. Book Sale Volunteer book - Marked Masters by Ritter Ames
37. Friends Book Sale - Abstract Aliases by Ritter Ames
38. Friends Book Sale - Fatal Forgeries by Ritter Ames
39. Friends Book Sale - Bronzed Betrayals by Ritter Ames
40. Friends Book Sale - Soul Mountain by Xingjian, Gao
41. Friends Book Sale - Carolina Moon by Jill McCorkle
42. Friends Book Sale - Pulse by Felix Francis
43. Friends Book Sale - Blue Labyrinth by Preston & Child
44. Friends Book Sale - Transcription by Kate Atkinson
45. Friends Book Sale - Miss Kopp Just Won't Quit by Amy Stewart
46. Friends Book Sale - Montana 1948 by Larry Watson
47. Friends Book Sale - The Case of the Caretaker's Cat / The Case of the Perjured Parrot by Erle Stanley Gardner
48. Friends Book Sale - Bland Beginning by Julian Symons
49. Friends Book Sale - Blue Lightning by Ann Cleeves
50. Friends Book Sale - The Color of Lightning by Paulette Jiles
51. Friends Book Sale - The Nine Tailors by Dorothy L. Sayers
52. Friends Book Sale - Postmortem by Patricia Daniels Cornwell
53. Friends Book Sale - The Shadow District by Arnaldur Indridason
54. Friends Book Sale - The Only Story by Julian Barnes
55. Friends Book Sale - Miss Pinkerton by Mary Roberts Rinehart
56. Friends Book Sale - Riding the Rap by Elmore Leonard
57. Friends Book Sale - The Wandering Fire by Guy Gavriel Kay
58. Friends Book Sale - Insidious Intent by Val McDermid
59. Friends Book Sale - Swing, Swing Together by Peter Lovesy
60. Friends Book Sale - Snow by Orhan Pamuk
61. Friends Book Sale - The Summer Tree by Guy Gavriel Kay
62. Friends Book Sale - Midnight Assassin: A Murder in America's Heartland by Patricia L. Bryan and Thomas Wolf
63. Friends Book Sale - An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
64. Friends Book Sale - The Darkest Road by Guy Gavriel Kay
65. Friends Book Sale - A Bitter Feast: A Novel by Deborah Crombie
66. Friends Book Sale - The Simple Art of Murder by Raymond Chandler
67. Friends Book Sale - The Bridesmaid by Ruth Rendell
68. Friends Book Sale - Dick Francis's Gamble by Felix Francis
69. Friends Book Sale - Killing the Shadows by Val McDermid
70. Friends Book Sale - The House of Silk: A Sherlock Holmes Novel by Anthony Horowitz
71. Friends Book Sale - The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn
72. Friends Book Sale - A Puzzle for Fools by Patrick Quentin
73. Amazon - The Adults by Caroline Hulse
74. Thrift Shop - The Intuitionist by Colson Whitehead
75. Thrift Shop - Tar Heel Ghosts by John Harden
76. Thrift Shop - Guilty Not Guilty by Felix Francis
77. Kindle - From Manassas to Appomattox by James Longstreet
78. Leftover from Friends Book Sale - A Personal History of Thirst by John Burdett
79. Kindle - The Road to Oxiana by Robert Byron
80. Amazon - Like a House On Fire by Caroline Hulse
81. Amazon - The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn
82. Kindle - The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn
83. Kindle - An Offer From a Gentleman by Julia Quinn
84. Kindle - To Sir Phillip, With Love by Julia Quinn
85. Kindle - When He Was Wicked by Julia Quinn
86. Kindle - On the Way to the Wedding by Julia Quinn
87. Kindle - Because of Miss Bridgerton by Julia Quinn
88. Kindle - The Girl With the Make-Believe Husband by Julia Quinn
89. Kindle - The Other Miss Bridgerton
90. Friend Karen - Stolen Words: The Nazi Plunder of Jewish Books by Mark Glickman
91. Kindle - First Comes Scandal by Julia Quinn
92. Kindle - Just Like Heaven by Julia Quinn
93. Kindle - A Night Like This by Julia Quinn
94. Kindle - The Sum of All Kisses by Julia Quinn
95. Kindle - The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy by Julia Quinn
96. FoL Audio Visual Sale - The History of the Supreme Court by Professor Peter Irons
97. FoL Audio Visual Sale - Shakespeare's Tragedies by Professor Clare R. Kinney
98. Fol Audio Visual Sale - The Terror of History: Mystics, Heretics, and Witches in the Western Tradition by Professor Teofilo F. Ruiz
99. Fol Audio Visual Sale - How to Read and Understand Shakespeare by Professor Marc C. Conner
100. Fol Audio Visual Sale - 1066: The Year That Changed Everything by Professor Jennifer Paxton
101. Kindle - The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever by Julia Quinn
102. Amazon - Anatomy of a Scandal by Sarah Vaughan
103. Kindle - Ten Things I Love About You by Julia Quinn
104. Kindle - The Lost Duke of Wyndham by Julia Quinn
105. Kindle - Mr. Cavendish, I Presume by Julia Quinn
106. Kindle - To Catch an Heiress by Julia Quinn
107. Kindle - How to Marry a Marquis by Julia Quinn
108. Kindle - Midnight Marriage by Lucinda Brant
109. Kindle - Murder at the Brightwell by Ashley Weaver
110. Kindle - The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare
111. Kindle - Autumn Duchess by Lucinda Brant
112. Kindle - Dair Devil by Lucinda Brant
113. Kindle - Proud Mary by Lucinda Brant
114. Kindle - Satyr's Son by Lucinda Brant
115. Kindle - The Bridgertons: Happily Ever After by Julia Quinn
116. In the House, found in a drawer - A Southern Album: Recollections of Some People and Places and Times Gone By by Irwin Glusker
117. Amazon - The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story by Nikole Hannah-Jones
118. Kindle - The Plot to Seize the White House: The Shocking True Story of the Conspiracy to Overthrow F.D.R. by Jules Archer
119. Kindle - The Governess Game by Tessa Dare
120. Kindle - The Wallflower Wager by Tessa Dare
121. Kindle - Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare
122. Kindle - Say Yes to the Marquess by Tessa Dare
123. FoL volunteer book - The Federalist edited by Jacob E. Cooke
124. Kindle - When a Scot Ties the Knot by Tessa Dare
125. Kindle - Do You Want to Start a Scandal by Tessa Dare
126. Kindle - The Blind Duke by Olivia T. Bennett
127. Kindle - A Night to Surrender by Tessa Dare
128. Kindle - A Week to be Wicked by Tessa Dare
129. Kindle - A Lady by Midnight by Tessa Dare
130. Kindle - Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare
00 Homo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari - bought it in 2017 but had forgotten to add it to my catalog
131. Kindle - One Dance with a Duke by Tessa Dare
132. Kindle - Twice Tempted by a Rogue by Tessa Dare
133. Kindle - The Sentence by Louise Erdrich - returned. Ugh.
133. Kindle - The American Founding: Core Documents by Gordon Lloyd
134. Thrift Shop - Siler City - Verses for the Dead by Preston & Child
135. Thrift Shop - Siler City - Love is Blind by Lyndsay Sands
136. Thrift Shop - Pittsboro - Two Graves by Preston & Child
137. Thrift Shop - Pittsboro - Don't Look Down by Jennifer Crusie & Bob Mayer
138. Thrift Shop - Pittsboro - Duchess by Night by Eloisa James
139. Kindle - Someone to Watch Over Me by Lisa Kleypas
140. Kindle - Four Nights With a Duke by Eloisa James
141. Kindle - Desperate Duchesses by Eloisa James
142. Kindle - An Affair Before Christmas by Eloisa James
143. Kindle - Duchess by Night by Eloisa James
144. Kindle - When the Duke Returns by Eloisa James
145. Kindle - This Duchess of Mine by Eloisa James
146. Kindle - A Duke of Her Own by Eloisa James
147. Kindle - Three Weeks with Lady X by Eloisa James
148. Kindle - Seven Minutes in Heaven by Eloisa James
149. Kindle - Wilde in Love by Eloisa James
150. Kindle - Too Wilde to Wed by Eloisa James
151. Amazon - Reclaiming Two-Spirits: Sexuality, Spiritual Renewal & Sovereignty in Native America by Gregory D. Smithers
152. Kindle - Born to be Wilde by Eloisa James
153. Kindle - Say No to the Duke by Eloisa James
154. Kindle - Say Yes to the Duke by Eloisa James
155. FoL volunteer book - Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann
156. FoL volunteer book - Selected Poems of Langston Hughes
157. Kindle - Wilde Child by Eloisa James
158. Kindle - My Last Duchess by Eloisa James
159. Kindle - Much Ado About You by Eloisa James
160. Amazon - Pilgrim by Timothy Findley
161. Kindle - Kiss Me, Annabel by Eloisa James
162. Kindle - The Taming of the Duke by Eloisa James
163. Kindle - Pleasure for Pleasure by Eloisa James
164. Kindle - Potent Pleasures by Eloisa James
165. Kindle - Memoir of Jane Austen by James Edward Austen-Leigh
166. Kindle - Duchess in Love by Eloisa James
167. Kindle - Fool for Love by Eloisa James
168. Kindle - Governor by Lesli Richardson
169. Kindle - A Wild Pursuit by Eloisa James
170. Kindle - The Complete Works of Alexander Hamilton
171. Kindle - The Affectionate Shepherd by Richard Barnfield
172. Friend Karen - The Mutual Admiration Society: How Dorothy L. Sayers and her Oxford Circle Remade the World for Women by Mo Moulton
173. Amazon - Pietr the Latvian by Georges Simenon
174. Kindle - Lieutenant by Lesli Richardson
175. Kindle - The Canterbury Tales and Other Poems by Geoffrey Chaucer
176. Kindle - Chief by Lesli Richardson
177. Kindle - Yes, Governor by Lesli Richardson
178. Kindle - Pet by Lesli Richardson
179. Kindle - Dignity by Lesli Richardson
180. Kindle - Diligence by Lesli Richardson
181. Kindle - Desire by Lesli Richardson
182. Friend Jan - Open and Shut by David Rosenfelt
183. Friend Jan - First Degree by David Rosenfelt
184. Friend Jan - Bury the Lead by David Rosenfelt
185. Kindle - Your Wicked Ways by Eloisa James
186. Kindle - The Politics of Vaccination ed Christine Holmberg et al.
187. Kindle - Captivating by Onley James
188. Kindle - Exasperating by Onley James
189. Kindle - Infuriating by Onley James
190. Kindle - Satisfying by Onley James
191. Kindle - Bad Habits by Neve Wilder and Onley James
192. Kindle - Play Dirty by Neve Wilder and Onley James
193. Kindle - Head Games by Neve Wilder and Onley James
194. Kindle - Unhinged by Onley James
195. Kindle - Psycho by Onley James
196. Kindle - Moonstruck by Onley James
197. Friend Linda (Whisper1) - You and Me and the Wishing Tree by Nancy Tillman
198. Friend Linda (Whisper1) - You're Here for a Reason by Nancy Tillman
199. Kindle - Headcase by Onley James
200. Kindle - Mad Man by Onley James
201. Kindle - Domesticated Beast by Onley James
202. eBay - Arabella by Georgette Heyer
203. Kindle - Endangered Species by Onley James
204. Kindle - Dangerous Breed by Onley James
205. Amazon - Radioactive: Marie & Pierre Curie: A Tale of Love and Fallout by Lauren Redniss
206. Amazon - Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
207. Amazon - What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher
208. Kindle - The Benefits of Farting Explained (and) A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift
209. Kindle - Disciplinary Action by Onley James
210. Kindle - Novel Affair by Ava Olsen
211. Kindle - His Cocky Valet by Cole McCade
212. Kindle - His Cocky Cellist by Cole McCade
213. Kindle - His Cocky Prince by Cole McCade
214. Kindle - Criminal Intentions S01 E01 The Cardigans by Cole McCade
215. Kindle - Dom of Las Vegas by Tricia Owens
216. Kindle - Limited Liability by Tricia Owens
217. Kindle - Acceptable Sacrifices by Tricia Owens
218. Book Warehouse Asheville - Amberlough by Lara Elena Donnelly
219. Kindle - His to Keep by Violet James
220. Kindle - Tied Up by Jesse Fuchs
00 The Dead Sea Scrolls by The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
221. FoL volunteer book - The Dawn of Everything by David Graeber and David Wengrow
222. Amazon - Trust Exercise by Susan Choi
223. Kindle - The Roommate Risk by Talia Hibbert
224. Thrift Shop - Going Under by Justina Robson
225. Thrift Shop - Selling Out by Justina Robson
226. Thrift Shop - Chasing the Dragon by Justina Robson
227. Thrift Shop - Down to the Bone by Justina Robson
228. Kindle - Home Grown Talent by Joanna Chambers
229. Kindle - A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn
230. Amazon - The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith
231. Kindle - The Histories: Complete by Herodotus
232. FoL 'free' book that would otherwise go to the thrift shop - The Hidden Gospel by Neil douglas-Klotz
233. FoL 'free' book that would otherwise go to the thrift shop - Good News Study Bible - the Bible Societies and Harper Collins
234. FoL volunteer book - book sale prep - Gentleman Jack: The Real Anne Lister by Anne Choma
235. FoL volunteer book - book sale prep - I Contain Multitudes by Ed Yong
236. Amazon - Agatha Christie: An Elusive Woman by Lucy Worsley
237. FoL volunteer book - book sale prep - The Gospel of Judas ed by Rodolphe Kasser
238. FoL Book Sale - Haikus for Jews by David M. Bader
239. FoL Book Sale - Jewish Holy Scriptures Prepared for Use of Jewish Personnel of the Army of the United States
240. FoL 'free book' - In a Dark Dark wood by Ruth Ware
241. - 250. Complete Works of Flavius Josephus in Ten Volumes
251. FoL F22 Book Sale - Someone Perfect by Mary Balogh
252. Amazon - Grant by Ron Chernow
253. FoL F22 Book Sale - Colonel David Fanning: The Adventures of a Carolina Loyalist by John Hairr
254. FoL F22 Book Sale - Dollar Animal Origami by Won Park
255. FoL F22 Book Sale - Writing & Fighting the Civil War: Soldier Correspondence to the New York Sunday Mercury by William B. Styple
256. FoL F22 Book Sale - The Silk Roads: A New History of the World by Peter Frankopan
257. FoL F22 Book Sale - Killing Reagan: The Violent Assault That Changed a Presidency by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
258. FoL F22 Book Sale - The Westminster Historical Atlas to the Bible, Revised Edition by George Ernest Wright
259. FoL F22 Book Sale - The Jewish Study Bible by Adele Berlin
260. FoL F22 Book Sale - Torah a Modern Commentary/Hebrew Opening (English and Hebrew Edition) by Gunther Plaut
261. FoL F22 Book Sale - Shakespeare on Love by Stephen Brennan
262. FoL F22 Book Sale - Jews in British India: Identity in a Colonial Era by Joan G. Roland
263. FoL F22 Book Sale - Concise Dictionary of Judaism by Dagobert D. Runes
264. Amazon - The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman
265. FoL F22 Book Sale - Lost Christianities: The Battles for Scripture and the Faiths We Never Knew by Bart D. Ehrman
266. FoL F22 Book Sale - Judaism FD 2e by Rabbi Ted Falcoln
267. FoL F22 Book Sale - The Jewish Book of Why by Alfred J. Kolatch
268. FoL F22 Book Sale - The Essential Shakespeare by William Shakespeare
269. FoL F22 Book Sale - The Complete Idiot's Guide to Classical Mythology by Kevin Osborn
270. FoL F22 Book Sale - New Stories from the South 2000: The Year's Best by Shannon Ravenel
271. Amazon - Toksvig's Almanac 2021: An Eclectic Meander Through the Historical Year by Sandi Toksvig
272. FoL F22 Book Sale - Recollections of My Slavery Days by William Henry Singleton
273. FoL F22 Book Sale - Pictorial History of the Jewish People by Nathan Ausubel
274. FoL F22 Book Sale - The American Jewish Album : 1654 to the Present by Allon Schoener
275. FoL F22 Book Sale - The Book of Proverbs by
276. FoL F22 Book Sale - Turkish Literature by Epiphanius Wilson
277. FoL F22 Book Sale - Persian Literature Volume II by Richard J.H. Gottheil
278. FoL F22 Book Sale - Moorish Literature and Malayan Literature by Chauncey C. Starkweather and René Basset
279. FoL F22 Book Sale - Persian Literature Volume I by Richard J.H. Gottheil
280. FoL F22 Book Sale - J.D.Salinger by James Lundquist
281. FoL F22 Book Sale - Paradise Screwed by Carl Hiaasen
282. FoL F22 Book Sale - In the Hurricane's Eye: The Genius of George Washington and the Victory at Yorktown by Nathaniel Philbrick
283. FoL F22 Book Sale - Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
284. FoL F22 Book Sale - Runaway Slaves: Rebels on the Plantation by John Hope Franklin
285. FoL F22 Book Sale - Revolutionary Summer: The Birth of American Independence by Joseph J. Ellis
286. FoL F22 Book Sale - In the Light of the Menorah: Story of Symbol by Yael Israeli
287. FoL F22 Book Sale - A Touch of Dead by Charlaine Harris
288. Amazon - A Line to Kill by Anthony Horowitz
289. FoL - A History of the Crusades by Steven Runciman, Folio Society Slipcased
290. Kindle - A Pirate's Honor by Tricia Owens. Bought by mistake, but only noticed after I finished reading it. Sigh. It should have been a Kindle Unlimited borrow.
291. Kindle - Bodyguard to a Sex God by RJ Scott (I know, I know... what can I say?)
292. Kindle - Save the Date by Annabeth Albert and Wendy Qualls freebie, $0.00
293. Kindle - Top Priority by Cara Dee freebie, $0.00
294. FoL - The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates
295. Amazon - Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
296. Amazon - The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith - audiobook
297. FoL Volunteer Book - Aesop's Fables by Aesop
298. FoL Volunteer Book - The Birds & The Frogs by Aristophanes
299. FoL Volunteer Book - The Poems of Robert Browning by Robert Browning
300. FoL Volunteer Book - The Way of All Flesh by Samuel Butler
301. FoL Volunteer Book - Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
302. FoL Volunteer Book - The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer
303. FoL Volunteer Book - The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper
304. FoL Volunteer Book - The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri
305. FoL Volunteer Book - David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
306. FoL Volunteer Book - Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
307. FoL Volunteer Book - On the Origin of Species by Charles Dickens
308. FoL Volunteer Book - Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
309. FoL Volunteer Book - The Brothers Kramazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
310. FoL Volunteer Book - The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
311. FoL Volunteer Book - The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas père
312. FoL Volunteer Book - Faust by Johann Wofgang von Goethe
313. FoL Volunteer Book - She Stoops to Conquer by Oliver Goldsmith
314. FoL Volunteer Book - The Iliad by Homer
315. FoL Volunteer Book - The Odyssey by Homer
316. FoL Volunteer Book - Tales of The Alhambra by Washington Irving
317. FoL Volunteer Book - The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James
318. FoL Volunteer Book - The Poems of John Keats by John Keats
319. FoL Volunteer Book - Paradise Lost by John Milton
320. FoL Volunteer Book - The Rights of Man by Thomas Payne
321. FoL Volunteer Book - The Tragedies by William Shakespeare
322. FoL Volunteer Book - Oedipus the King by Sophocles
323. FoL Volunteer Book - The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman by Laurence Sterne
324. FoL Volunteer Book - The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hide by Robert Louis Stevenson
325. FoL Volunteer Book - Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray
326. FoL Volunteer Book - War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
327. FoL Volunteer Book - Fathers & Sons by Ivan Turgenev
328. FoL Volunteer Book - Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
329. FoL Volunteer Book - The Aeneid by Virgil
330. FoL Volunteer Book - The Poems of Yates by W. B. Yates
331. FoL Volunteer Book - The Arabian Nights
332. Amazon - Desert Star by Michael Connelly
333. Amazon - The Conjure-Man Dies by Rudolph Fisher
334. Amazon - The Metropolitan Opera Murders by Helen Traubel
335. Amazon - Average Jones by Samuel Hopkins Adams
336. Amazon - Room to Swing by Ed Lacy
337. Kindle - Diver's Paradise by David Goodwin
338. Kindle - This Charming Man by C.K. McDonnell - bought in February, just realized I hadn't added it to my catalog or reported it here
339. Amazon - The Never-Open Desert Diner by James Anderson
340. FoL Book Sort Reject - The Risen by Ron Rash
341. FoL Book Sort Reject - Jefferson and Hamilton: The Struggle for Democracy in America by Claude G. Bowers
342. FoL Book Sort Reject - Johan Amos Comenius 1592-1670 by František Kožík
343. FoL Book Sort Reject - Guideposts Parallel Bible
344. FoL Book Sort Reject - The New English Bible New Testament
345. FoL Book Sort Reject - The International Dictionary of Religion by Richard Kennedy
346. Friend Jan - A Banquet of Consequences by Elizabeth George
347. Kindle - A New World by Steven Popkes
348. FoL Book Sort Reject - Early Man by F. Clark Howell and the editors of Time-Life Books
349. eBay - Don Juan by George Gordon, Lord Byron
350. Friend Karen - Bee by Claire Preston
351. Friend Karen - Postals from Wonderland: Yellowstone Postcard Messages by Susan and Jack Davis
352. Friend Karen - Lioness : Golda Meir and the Nation of Israel by Francine Klagsbrun
353. Friend Karen - Amazing Ancients!: Egypt by Gabby Vernon-Melzer
354. Amazon - Atlas of Atlases by Philip Parker
355. Kindle - Romancing Mr. Bridgerton by Julia Quinn
356. Kindle - It's In His Kiss by by Julia Quinn
357. Kindle - What Happens in London by Julia Quinn
358. Kindle - Salt Bride by Lucinda Brant
359. Kindle - Deadly Engagement by Lucinda Brant
360. Kindle - Deadly Affair by Lucinda Brant
361. Kindle - Intoxicating by Onley James
362. Kindle - Fearless Leader by Tricia Owens
363. Kindle - Second You Sin by Scott Sherman
364. Kindle - Linchpin by Jodi Payne
365. Kindle - Bonds of Denial by Lynda Aicher
366. Sister Laura - When Christmas Comes by Andrew Klavan
367. Sister Laura - A Strange Habit of Mind by Andrew Klavan
368. Friend Karen - Lessons from the Big House: One Family’s Passage Through the History of the South by Susan and Frye Gaillard
369. Friend Karen - In the Shadow of Agatha Christie: Classic Crime Fiction by Forgotten Female Writers: 1850-1917 by Leslie S. Klinger
370. FoL Book Sort reject - Gay Lifestyles: A Christian Interpretation of Homosexuality and the Homosexual by Norman Pittenger
371. Kindle - Bonds of Denial by Lynda Aicher

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

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

1. Kissing the Gunner's Daughter by Ruth Rendell
2. Artists in Crime by Ngaio Marsh
3. A Dark Adapted Eye by Barbara Vine (pseudonym for Ruth Rendell)
4. Some Die Nameless by Wallace Stroby reasonable, but not enough to award it permanent shelf space
5. Cold Shot to the Heart by Wallace Stroby
6. The Heartbreak Lounge by Wallace Stroby
7. The Devil's Share by Wallace Stroby
8. Kings of Midnight by Wallace Stroby
9. Gone 'Til November by Wallace Stroby
10. Suite 606 - contains an Eve Dallas novella, duplicated in another book on my shelves
11. Out of This World - contains an Eve Dallas novella, duplicated in another book on my shelves
12. Dead of Night - contains an Eve Dallas novella, duplicated in another book on my shelves
13. The Lost - contains an Eve Dallas novella, duplicated in another book on my shelves
14. Big Jack - duplicate of a copy in Remember When
15. The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht
16. The Winshaw Legacy by Jonathan Coe
17. Number 11 by Jonathan Coe
18. The Power of Babel by John McWhorter
19. The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware
20. A Personal History of Thirst by John Burdett - liked it but not enough for shelf space
21. A God in Ruins by Leon Uris
22. Accused by Lisa Scottoline
23. Betrayed by Lisa Scottoline
24. Corrupted by Lisa Scottoline
25. Keep Quiet by Lisa Scottoline
26. Look Again by Lisa Scottoline
27. Every Fifteen Minutesby Lisa Scottoline
28. The New Oxford Book of Seventeenth Century Verse edited by Alastair Fowler
29. Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda
30. White Oleander by Janet Fitch
31. Lady Sophia's Lover by Lisa Kleypas
32. The Chamber by John Grisham
33. Japanese Proverbs
34. Somewhere I'll Find You by Lisa Kleypas
35. Stranger in My Arms by Lisa Kleypas
36. Midnight Angel by Lisa Kleypas
37. Only With Your Love by Lisa Kleypas
38. Because You're Mine by Lisa Kleypas
39. Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas
40. When Strangers Marry by Lisa Kleypas
41. Forever My Love by Lisa Kleypas
42. Untamed Heart by Georgina Devon
43. Those Who Hunt the Night by Barbara Hambly
44. The Wind Dancer by Iris Johansen
45. From Time to Time by Jack Finney
46. Time and Again by Jack Finney
47. 3 by Finney by Jack Finney
48. Larry's Party by Carol Shields
49. Birds of North America by Pearson, Thomas Gilbert. (Revised by David L. Wray and Harry T. Davis).
50. The Quaker by Liam McIlvanney
51. The Drunken Forest by Gerald Durrell
52. Second Sight by Isobel Bird
53. So Mote It Be by Isobel Bird
54. Merry Meet by Isobel Bird
55. Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko
56. The Round House by Louise Erdrich
57. A General Introduction to PsychAnalysis by Sigmund Freud
58. An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen
59. The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn - I have all the other books just in Kindle and don't want to get them all in paper, so...
60. In the Dark House by Deborah Crombie
61. A Bitter Feast by Decorah Crombie
62. Necessary Blood by Deborah Crombie
63. Early Man and the Ocean by Thor Heyerdahl
64. How to Do Everything by Courtney Rosen & the eHow Editors
65. Willoughby's Return by Jane Odiwe
66. The Last Girls by Lee Smith
67. Dangerous Lady by Martina Cole
68. A Very Private Plot by William f. Buckley, Jr.
69. A Land More Kind Than Home by Wiley Cash
70. Rotters by Daniel Kraus
71. The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann
72. On The Road by Jack Kerouac
73. Dangerous Lover by Lisa Marie Rice
74. Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts
75. Chasing Cezanne by Peter Mayle
76. Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver
77. Pigs in Heaven by Barbara Kingsolver
78. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
79. The Crow Road by Iain Banks
80. I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai
81. Down to the Bone by Justina Robson
82. Chasing the Dragon by Justina Robson
83. Selling Out by Justina Robson
84. Going Under by Justina Robson
85. Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire by Amanda Foreman
86. The Club Dumas by Arturo Perez-Reverte
87. Death at the President's Lodging by Michael Innes
88. Wages of Sin by Penelope Williamson

Statistics Through November 30 - completely skewed towards contemporary fiction = romance

284 books read
17 of them on my shelves before 1/1/22 and not rereads
26 books abandoned, 3053 pages abandoned
82985 pages read
107 audiobook hours
Avg pages read per day, YTD = 248
Avg pages read per book, YTD = 292

Book of the Month: Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

Books by Month
January - 4 paper books 1312 pages, 1 audiobook 19 hours
February - 14 paper books, 2473 pages
March - 10 paper books, 3193 pages, 1 audiobook 19.5 hours
April - 9 paper books, 3173 pages, 1 audiobook 18 hours
May - 36 e-books, 13344 pages including 2 books abandoned with 252 pages counted
June - 31 e-books and 1 paper book, 10,849 pages, including 1 book with 49 pages abandoned
July - 37 e-books and 1 audio book 36 hours, 10,030 pages including 1 book with 111 pages abandoned
August - 31 e-books, 8,550 pages, including 7 books with 749 pages abandoned
September - 34 e-books and 1 audio book 14.5 hours, 9,211 pages plus 6 books abandoned with 515 pages
October - 34 e-books (again!), 5 books abandoned with 910 pages
November - 37 e-books, 1 paper book, 9544 pages plus 3 books abandoned with 409 pages

Author
Male 10%
Female 90%

Living 99%
Dead 1%

US Born 81%
Foreign Born 19%

Platform
Hardcover 4%
Trade Pback 5%
Mass Market 3%
Audiobook 2%
e-Book 86%

Source
My Library 46%
Library 2%
Kindle Unlimited 51%
My Library, culled after reading 0%
Borrowed from a friend 1%

Misc
ARC/ER 0%
Re-read 1%
Series 87%

Fiction 98%
NonFiction 2%

Author Birth Country
Australia 6%
Canada 2%
England 9%
Ireland 1%
Sweden 1%
US 81%

Original Decade Published
1870-1879 0.4%
1950-1959 0.4%
1980-1989 0.4%
1990-1999 2.5%
2000-2009 11%
2010-2019 45%
2020-2029 39%

Category
Contemporary Fiction 64%
Crime Fiction - Mystery, Thriller, Suspense 8%
Fantasy 1%
Graphic Novel 0.4%
Historical Fiction 24%
Informational Nonfiction 2%
Poetry 0.4%
Science Fiction 0.4%

Acquisition/Source Date
2007 - Joined LT, added 1853 books 2
2011 8
2013 1
2018 1
2019 2
2020 1
2021 5
2022 111
All other 153

Average Rating
2.0 - Bad 4
2.5 - Average 6
3.0 - Good 28
3.5 - Very Good 42
4.0 - Excellent 157
4.5 - Outstanding 46
5 - Masterpiece 1

Average Rating 3.85

November Lightning Round

Twinkle Star by Nicky James 10/31/22 11/1/22 Kindle

Deeply closeted Julian meets flamboyantly out Twinkle Star – a stage name taken for the production he stars in and that Julian works on behind the scenes. I don’t quite get why Julian is so gobsmacked by Star, but he finally feels comfortable coming out of the closet. HEA. Caveat emptor re sex.

Rocket Science by K.M. Neuhold 11/1/22 11/2/22 Kindle

Elijah is a rocket science nerd studying at Cal Tech, Paxton is his best friend Theo’s older brother, also living in SoCal. Theo asks Paxton to check on Elijah, who’s a social recluse. Sparkage ensues, love is not admitted to on either side. I like how they communicate (eventually) and they are pretty cute together. Caveat emptor re sex.

Opal in Gems Collection by V.L. Locey 11/2/22 11/2/22

Opal is a companion in a high-class and rigidly controlled brothel. A man is smitten, outbids everyone, and spends the night. There’s sparkage, he keeps outbidding everybody else. Opal wants out, a way is found, HEA. Caveat emptor re sex.

Black Balled by Andrea Smith 11/3/22 11/4/22 Kindle

Blogger ‘Babu’ DNF’s a book and eviscerates author L.Blackburn. L. Blackburn has poured his life and soul into the book and is livid. The war is on. An anonymous encounter at a writer’s event and subsequent figuring out who’s who leads to real life encounters. Serious sparkage, emotional angst for both about past events of their lives, HEA. I loved this book. Caveat emptor re sex.

Guns Blazing by Andrea Smith 11/4/22 11/4/22 Kindle

Rebuffed former lover of L. Blackburn in Black Balled, Lloyd is a criminal defense attorney. Luke Gunner hires him to help him when he realizes he’s being set up to take the fall for the murder of a U.S. Senator. Lloyd may be submissive in the bedroom, but he’s all alpha male lawyer. Sparkage, solution of who’s behind the set up, and HEA. Much shorter than Black Balled, therefore much more left to writing short cuts and coincidence. However, I was pleased with it. Caveat emptor re sex.

Rebound by Kate Hawthorne 11/4/22 11/6/22 Kindle

The sweet story of Thomas, in the midst of a divorce from a woman who cheated on him, and Ben, an openly gay man who has broken up with an abusive boyfriend. Thomas wants to explore his long-time attraction to men. They hook up and their attraction keeps expanding and growing. There are a few interesting revelations and some very good family/relationship dynamics that are well-written and believable. Caveat emptor re sex.

A Real Good Lie by Kate Hawthorne 11/6/22 11/6/22 Kindle

A dance and a kiss with a stranger turn into pretending to be a boyfriend for a weekend. Callahan is burdened with expectations, Jace is burdened with having to fend for himself. Hurt feelings, sparkage, working through how to make it work make for a sweet HEA. Caveat emptor re sex.

First You Fall by Scott Sherman 11/8/22 11/9/22 Kindle

Highly entertaining thriller and romance featuring Kevin, a prostitute, whose platonic gay friend is found dead from what’s apparently suicide from his high-rise apartment. Kevin doesn’t believe in suicide for a second and starts playing detective. Fun complications include his mother descending on him because she thinks his father is cheating on her, the potential revival of a romance with his high-school love Tony, and ongoing ‘work schedule’, managed through Mrs. Cherry, I kid you not. A fun yet serious romp, told in the first person. Resolution of the (apparent) suicide, and HFN. Caveat emptor re sex.

Daybreak by Kate Hawthorne 11/10/22 11/11/22 Kindle

Grieving widower Jasper offers to fix escaping from his father’s expectations Liam’s broken down SUV and with a winter storm coming in, Liam has nowhere else to stay. Guess what? Sparkage? Guess what? Reluctance to get on with life for Jasper, reluctance to go back to a life in California that is not his own and that he doesn’t want. HEA, very sweet. Caveat emptor re sex.

Second You Sin by Scott Sherman 11/11/22 11/11/22 Kindle

Gay prostitutes are getting killed, Kevin starts investigating after friend Randy is literally run down in front of him. Randy survives and is in the hospital. Complications with Kevin’s mother and conflicted Tony, danger and possibly HEA. The third book in the series is not Kindle Unlimited, and right now I’m too cheap to buy it. Caveat emptor re sex.

Just Business by Annabel Rose 11/11/22 11/11/22 Kindle

First foray into the Omegaverse, sans shifters, but still, not interested in continuing. 78 page novella. Caveat emptor re sex.

Novellas are tricky things. The form is more challenging than a novel because you have to compress a lot into it without sacrificing the detail that makes it work. This one didn’t work because IMO it would have done better as a novel, with expanded descriptions of what drives the characters. It was rather slapdash although I did love the character of Eliot, the Omega.

Just One Night by Felice Stevens 11/12/22 11/13/22 Kindle

Madden’s sister hires an escort for her brother’s birthday. Archer is a very high class rent boy. The two hit off, real sparkage, problems along the way, HEA. The writing was relatively shallow and Archer’s initially strong personality seemed to have to take second place to Madden’s billions… ah well. Enjoyable at 3*. Caveat emptor re sex.

Bossy by N.R. Walker 11/13/22 11/13/22 Kindle

Eyes across a bar, a one night stand that turns into a night a week, two nights a week. At first it’s completely anonymous, no names, no personal info. But eventually they start sharing more personal info, then with a completely believable coincidence, Michael’s world of real estate property management collides with Bryce’s need for a building for a business venture. The story’s sweet and powerful, and the HEA also includes Bryce’s father James and Bryce getting closer and James and Michael hitting it off, too. I really liked the alternating POV between Michael and Bryce. And, of course, caveat emptor re sex.

Spencer Cohen Series, Book One by N.R. Walker 11/13/22 11/13/22 Kindle

Sweet story of a ‘fixer’ named Spencer, an Australian who landed in L.A. He helps people either regain the person who broke up with them or help them see that the person doesn’t really ever want to get back together, even though opportunities with Spencer are staged. Enter Andrew, whose boyfriend Eli, mysteriously broke up with him. Andrew’s sister hires Spencer because her brother is broken-hearted. As Spencer works with Andrew to stage situations where Eli can approach Andrew to reconnect, Spencer and Andrew begin to have feelings for each other. It’s actually very sweet. I liked the parts where they get to know one another. Spencer’s reason for being in L.A. is predictable yet not handled with subtlety, but other than that, truly enjoyable. Caveat emptor for steamy thoughts and a few soul-searching kisses.

Rule Breaker by Lily Morton 11/14/22 11/15/22 Kindle

First in the Mixed Messages series, a very well-written, funny book about two men and how love can overcome … well. Spoiler time. Each chapter begins with an email from Gabe, the boss and alpha male, and Dylan, his assistant. Their work relationship is fraught with tension and conflict, but it seems to work well. Then, there’s a business trip where things change, and Dylan realizes his feelings for Gabe. Gabe absolutely cannot cope with commitment and feelings, and it goes from there. I was interested from the first sentence, and this book did not disappoint in its exploration of commitment, love, and how changing can bring the rewards of a wonderful relationship. Caveat emptor re sex.

Deal Maker by Lily Morton 11/15/22 11/16/22 Kindle

Second in the Mixed Messages series, about Dylan’s best friend Jude, a fashion model, and Asa, an actor and movie star. Each chapter begins with a snarky reply to a fan letter to Asa. They’re hilarious. Jude needs a place to stay when his apartment is being repaired after an overflowing bathtub upstairs crashes into his apartment. His hookup, Dean, tells him to go to his half-brother’s house. He does. Asa assumes Jude is a mindless twat so Jude takes on that role. Things evolve, there’s sparkage, and it’s Jude’s reluctance to commit that forms the basis of the story. All’s well that ends well, HEA all around. Caveat emptor re sex.

The Mysterious and Amazing Blue Billings by Lily Morton 11/16/22 11/16/22 Kindle

Levi inherits The Murder House, as described on a Ghost Walk led by Blue Billings. Blue loses his wallet, Levi tails him to find where he lives and is appalled that he’s squatting in a horrible old house. He asks him to move in with him. There’s sparkage, the mystery of the house, psychics, evil, and a HEA and solution to the mystery. Caveat emptor re sex.

The Sunny Side by Lily Morton 11/17/22 11/17/22 364 pages Kindle

The story of Dean, a friend of Jude’s in Deal Maker, and the Jonas, the owner of the agency that manages his supermodel career. Dean is considered an airhead, but nobody knows that he’s dyslexic. Jonas has always been attracted to Dean but doesn’t feel he can date a model his agency represents. Dean has always wanted Jonas. There’s sparkage, caring, Jonas’s daughter Ruby, and a whole lot of love. HEA. Caveat emptor re sex.

Risk Taker by Lily Morton 11/17/22 11/18/22 Kindle

Third in the Mixed Messages series, a very sweet and intense book about Henry, a lawyer, Gabe from Rule Breaker’s university roommate and Henry’s stepbrother/best friend Ivo, a photojournalist and artist. Each chapter begins with a note that was slipped under a door when they lived in Henry’s father’s house as teenagers. Henry has loved Ivo since the day they met but has hidden this love after Ivo’s reaction to Henry telling him that he loved him the one and only time he ever did so. For some strange reason Henry’s father left them both a house in London, where Henry lives and Ivo comes to rest after each risky assignment somewhere around the world. Ivo comes home seriously wounded and as Henry, Henry’s brother Silas, and their friends take Ivo back into the fold, Ivo’s feelings for Henry change. Ivo’s nightmares of what he’s seen around the world and the emotional toll they take conflict with his having internalized his father’s dictum that there can be no personal relationships for a photojournalist. The most powerful of the three books in this series. There is a HEA, thank goodness. Caveat emptor re sex.

The Summer of Us by Lily Morton 11/19/22 11/19/22 Kindle

Story of Matt and John. Dislike turns to like, turns to attraction, which surprises John, who’s nominally straight. I first heard the term (substitute name)-sexual with a friend of Jenna’s who was gay but then married a woman. It’s how he described himself, and I was struck by it. This story is the same, but surprisingly boring, actually. Quite predictable even though almost all romances are predictable. Caveat emptor re sex.

Spring Strings by Lily Morton 11/19/22 11/20/22 Kindle

Malaci and Cadan’s story. Supermodel and Cornwall farmer, very sweet and satisfying. Morton writes beautiful and funny dialog and develops her characters with sure strokes and vivid imagery. HEA and caveat emptor re sex.

Oz by Lily Morton 11/20/22 11/21/22 Kindle

Silas needs an estate manager and Oz needs a job. He doesn’t think he’ll get it, so let’s it rip in the interview. Niall, who interviews him, realizes he’s perfect for the job and perfect for his friend Silas, the Earl of Ashworth and owner of the estate. Another sweet and funny book. Silas is Henry’s brother, from the book Risk Taker. HEA, comeuppance to Henry and Silas’s nasty mother, and caveat emptor re sex.

Milo by Lily Morton 11/21/22 11/22/22 Kindle

Second in the Finding Home series. Niall, from the first book in the series, rescues Milo, his best friend’s brother, from an abusive relationship, and brings him to Silas and Oz’s house, where he works restoring artworks. Sparkage, delicate courtship, HEA. Caveat emptor re sex.

Gideon by Lily Morton 11/22/22 11/23/22 Kindle Best Man by Lily Morton 11/23/22 11/24/22 Kindle

First in the Close Proximity trilogy. Fake boyfriend trope, adequately handled. Boss Zeb asks employee Jesse, who he’s secretly crushed on for the 3 years that Jesse’s worked for him (and Jesse’s also secretly crushed on Zeb), to attend the wedding events, 2 of them, of his former boyfriend Patrick to a woman. Secret crushes turn into wild crazy sex and feelings, then feelings are hurt, and Jesse flees the actual wedding to the sanctuary of his parents’ home in Devon. Zeb follows, and Jesse’s father, a vicar, says the following, which I wish some so-called Christians could remember:

I’m a man of God, Zebadiah, but my God is a loving one. I tell my congregation that when Jesus came to Earth to save mankind, he entered into a great compact with man. He went over everything that was wrong and needed to be fixed.” He smiles at me. “He never mentioned homosexuality once. That’s like Alan Sugar’s lawyers forgetting to mention how much he’s selling a business for. No, we are all created in God’s image, Zeb. My son is as loved by him as anyone else. God doesn’t make mistakes.

HEA, caveat emptor re sex.

Charlie Sunshine by Lily Morton 11/24/22 11/24/22 Kindle

Second in the Close Proximity trilogy. Charlie, an epileptic, and Misha, have been best friends for 20 years. Things change, and they get their HEA. I found this one interesting because of the subplot of Charlie’s epilepsy, which showed up after a serious fall in his early 20s. His adjustment then and his dealing with it ‘now’ are an integral part of the story, but more important are Charlie’s need to always be positive around friends, which gets in the way of his relationship with Misha for a while. Caveat emptor re sex.

After Felix by Lily Morton 11/24/22 11/25/22 Kindle

Last in the Close Proximity trilogy.Felix and Max. Max has given up his life as a foreign journalist. They meet in a bookstore next to a display of Max’s memoir. It’s instant sparkage and an intense affair, which Felix breaks off when he discovers something at a weekend wedding that he unintentionally forced Max to take him to. They break up for 2 ½ years until Max’s stepbrother Zeb has Felix take paperwork to Max at his cottage in the Cotswolds. They’ve both changed and get their HEA. Caveat emptor re sex.

The Cuckoo's Call by Lily Morton 11/25/22 11/26/22 Kindle

Wren is a call center operator on vacation in Majorca. He can’t really afford it but goes because his best friend asks him to. Once there, a bunch of his friend’s rich friends show up, pretty much leaving Wren in the financial dust. Wren is befriended by an older man, Mateo, who is attracted to him and hires him to spend the week with him ostensibly to look at hotel venues. Things proceed, Wren stays with him for a month, but realizes Teo will never love him. Wren leaves, Teo pursues, HEA. I particularly liked the bits about Wren’s being a foster child and how it impacted him positively and negatively. It did seem a bit over the top that Wren speaks fluent Italian after being fostered to an Italian speaker for a year… but does provide some nice moments with Teo’s vicious and ill-mannered family. Caveat emptor re sex.

Merry Measure by Lily Morton 11/26/22 11/26/22 Kindle

Friends gather in Amsterdam for Tom to propose to his boyfriend Bee, including Tom’s best friend Jack and Tom’s brother Arlo. Arlo’s always secretly crushed on Jack, who has always chosen men not good for him. Jack’s eyes are opened about Arlo, and there’s a HEA. Caveat emptor re sex. This one is particularly sweet, with only a few short-term misunderstandings and one nasty ex-boyfriend of Jack’s.

Hijacked by Lucy Lennox and May Archer 11/26/22 11/27/22 Kindle

First in the Licking Thicket:Horn of Glory series. I kid you not. Many puns, of course… For messing up on his last assignment, private security firm employee Riggs is assigned the task of protecting Carter, a doctor, as he goes into the wilds of South America, to provide medical services to poor and rural people. Sparkage. Carter’s kidnapped along with Riggs, and it takes a bit of ingenuity to get them rescued. There’s a marvelously funny subplot about an online game and how one of the cartels is trying to use it to launder money. HEA, and caveat emptor re sex.

Hitched by Lucy Lennox and May Archer 11/27/22 11/27/22 Kindle

Second in the Licking Thicket:Horn of Glory series. Riggs boss Champ hooks up with Quinn and both don’t want the R – relationship – word to interfere with their pleasant times together. But they start having feelings, and a subplot from the first book comes back to threaten both of them. Lots of humor, lots of laughs, sparkage, and of course caveat emptor re sex.

Hacked by Lucy Lennox and Mae Archer 11/27/22 11/28/22 Kindle

Third in the Licking Thicket:Horn of Glory series. Huxley and Kevin, both tech nerds, are at odds. Hux is part of Champion Security, Kev is Carter’s cousin. There’s still danger from the drug cartel and the online game subplot. Kev gets pulled into helping the company and sparkage and danger ensue. Good ending, HEA, nice wrap-up of the trilogy. Caveat emptor re sex.

Taxes and TARDIS by N.R. Walker 11/28/22 11/28/22 Kindle

Sweet novella about an electrician who gets his taxes done by a nerdy Dr. Who fan. They fall in love. Caveat emptor re sex.

The Fall by May Archer 11/28/22 11/29/22 Kindle

Everett moves back home to help take care of his grandfather, who broke his leg. One car wreck later, cop Silas is smitten, but Everett just lost his husband to cancer 16 months previously and struggles between honoring Adrian’s memory and living in the present. Silas has never been interested in commitment. In addition, there are missing men, grandfathers in love, interesting town dynamics, and etc. Caveat emptor re sex.

Faking It by Riley Hart 11/29/22 11/30/22 Kindle

Gary has been cheated on and dumped by his boyfriend of 5 years and is even more insecure than he was before. Travis is arrogant and sure of himself, a masseur who wants to open his own shop. Travis and Gary do the fake boyfriend thing to help the potential investor see the stable side of Travis and to help Gary’s ex see that Gary’s doing fine, thank you very much. Family angst for both men, one who came out and is rejected, the other who fears coming out and rejection. HEA. Caveat emptor re sex.

Only for the Weekend by Riley Hart 11/30/22 11/30/22 Kindle

Emerson has fled from being acquitted of his boyfriend’s murder to a small town in NC. Sam is his postal carrier and closeted. Sam’s interested in Em, Em only wants a physical relationship. This is how it starts, and it grows. Sam’s mother is an alcoholic who keeps him tied to her emotionally, Sam seems to take care of everyone in town. I appreciated how the author dealt with Emerson’s guilt at his boyfriend’s murder, at being alive when Daniel was dead. I also like how she captured Sam’s emotional health and care of Emerson. Caveat emptor re sex.

103 books read

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

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

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

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

…...

Welcome!

I’m first! To wish you happy new thread!

Karen O

Happy new one!

Happy new thread, Karen!

Happy new thread, Karen!

Hi Karen my dear, Happy New Thread. Sorry to hear that Inara Starbuck is not too well at the moment but she seems to be looking well from the photo for a Grand Old Lady.

Sending love and hugs to you, Bill, Jenna, Inara, Zoe and Wash from both of us and Felix, please give them all skritches and a few extra for Inara.

Happy new thread Karen!

Happy new one Karen :)

Happy happy, joy joy, right? *smooch*

Happy #12 dear Karen.

I have to say that your reading performance this year has been simply jaw-dropping.

Happy new one!!

Happy new thread, Karen!

>1 karenmarie: So special, a four generation photo.

>10 klobrien2: Yes you are, Karen! Here’s a seasonal pic for you (NMP):


>11 drneutron: Thank you, Jim. As always, thank you for your maintaining our group and the threadbook.

>12 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie!

>14 johnsimpson: Hi John, and thank you. Inara is doing better, darling girl. The regular doses of meloxicam and the recent prescription of antibiotics have got her back on track again. Sending love and hugs back to you and Karen and Felix, with special kitty skritches for your own sweet kitty.

>15 quondame: Thank you, Susan.

>16 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks, Reba. 😊

>28 katiekrug: Thank you, Paul, on my ‘dozenth’ thread. My reading this year is an extreme reaction to my last year’s heart attack, I think, delayed ‘til April, when I started reading HEA stories – i.e., romances – on my Kindle. Thank God for Kindle Unlimited, otherwise I’d have to take out a second mortgage on the house.

>19 figsfromthistle: Thank you, Anita.

>20 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita. I remember that day so well. It was a wonderful day, but getting a group shot was difficult at best. I cherish it, however. Grandma and Mom are both gone, now it’s only me and my darlin’ girl.

Wordle 520 4/6* adieu, align, amity, axiom. Adieu, dear friends, whose parting from our upcoming Thanksgiving feast will be a permanent homage to amity and an iron-clad axiom about our long-term friendship.

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Today will be busy, getting stuff ready for Thanksgiving, playing more with my Easton Press books, and going to an appointment with my cardiologist in the early afternoon. I hope that she will take me off of Brilinta, which is a drug I've been taking for a year to decrease the risk of blood clots in my stent and put me on an 81mg dose of aspirin instead. That way I can probably get elective surgeries again - knee replacement specifically - in 2023.

In the meantime, coffee, LT, reading.

>21 karenmarie: I hope the visit to the cardiologist goes well, Karen.
Enjoy your coffee, LT, and your books :-)

Morning, Karen. Happy New Thread. 269 books? Wow! Is that about average for you? I just hit a 100. We had a good time with the family yesterday and even got a little Jackson time in, which you know I love. Of course, both of our football teams STINK!! Nothing much planned for the day. I would really like to catch up some reading. Sue has one more work day off. She plans on tying up a few loose ends, in regard to her Dad. She has done a fantastic job. Nothing to report at the feeders yet.

As usual, you have been busy, busy, busy!!!!
I love the topper of 3 other women who look a lot like you.

Meloxicam is a great stand-by for our purrers too. (BTW, look on my profile page for BatBrat in all his black glory!) Enjoy your day and show that cardiologist what a winner looks like!

Glad to see you back on the Wordle track. I lucked into 3, and am still in shock.

Just some perspective, Karen. If you apply yourself in the remaining six weeks of 2022, you'll hit 300. That means you can give up reading for the next three years and still have 75 for each year. Paying it forward.

Or not. :-)

Sorry about the Panthers. On the other hand, North Carolina's field hockey team notched their 10th NCAA championship. The team's won the championship five times in the last six years. Holy moly! What a record.

>21 karenmarie: Morning smoochling...not that I need to go out but it's quite cold here today and I am *reveling* in it!

Have a delicious.

>22 FAMeulstee: Hi Anita! The visit with the cardiologist went well, see below. I played with the Easton Press books, also see below. And I finally made 4 pie crusts and they’re safely ensconced in the freezer in the garage. I’ll use 3 of them for Thanksgiving and save the last one for … Christmas? We’ll see.

>23 msf59: Hi Mark, and thank you. Congrats on your 100! This year is a total aberration for me. Volume will end up being triple of my normal 100-ish books read per year. The main category is romance, both historical and contemporary. Sparkage, HEA. In thinking about it now, I actually think the volume and type of books I’m reading is a response to my heart attack – for some reason reading romance, starting in April with the Bridgerton series, gives me hope. I have no other explanation for going down the black hole of lightweight albeit occasionally very well-written emotive content (in addition to what my darling daughter calls smut). The current 271 books break down as follows:

03 general fiction
01 poetry – Amanda Gorman’s Inaugural Poem
02 Harry Potter - #s 6 and 7
24 mystery/thriller/suspense
01 fantasy
04 non-fiction
01 graphic novel

36 total plus
235 romance = 271 books

I didn’t even watch the Panthers after their first possession. I watched soccer instead. Yay for your wife having one more day off work – I hope she gets a bit of R&R in there with all the hard and emotional work she’s done after her father’s passing. My feeders are quiet right now, but I see several birds hanging out in the Crepe Myrtle; and in the time it's taken to write this message there's now a male Cardinal on the sunflower seed feeder.

>24 LizzieD: Hi Peggy. Yes, I’ve been pretty busy and am paying for it with being extra tired and my left knee letting me know that it’s not happy. Thank you re my topper photo – yes, we all definitely have the Chadima look – my grandmother’s birth family. I’ll have to look at some photos, but I actually think it's the Zvacek look from my grandmother’s maternal line.

I wish I could continue to take meloxicam, but it’s a no-no with my health situation, being an NSAID. So, no ibuprophen either. The only NSAID I can use is a topical cream, which has been helping my knees and calf. What a beautiful photo of your gloriously haughty BatBrat. I like his shadow, too. Today’s Wordle is 4.

>25 weird_O: Hi Bill. Ah, giving me a cumulative 75-year goal out for the next 3 years. However, I cannot imagine not reading. As I say on my profile page, 'it’s not a day if I haven’t had a chance to read'.

Gag on the Panthers. UNC does have quite a few excellent programs, doesn’t it?

And here's the Easton Press Book Project as it currently stands. All the EP books are on shelves and properly cataloged, the shelf of books underneath them were cherry picked from the 3 displaced shelves, and everything on the couch still needs new homes.

Before:


After:



Displaced books that need to find a new home:



.
>26 richardderus: ‘Morning, smoochling back at’cha. It’s 29F here, going to a high of 60F today. I did have a delicious, which included cook’s reward of pie crust scraps baked with unsalted butter and cinnamon sugar. So flaky and wonderful.

Wordle 521 4/6* adieu, slime, crime, prime. Adieu, BritBox subscription, as I remove you (no longer interested in your particular and partial offering of slime and crime) from my Prime membership.

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So the cardiologist's visit went very well. She liked all my bloodwork results except for a creeping up of my LDL cholesterol - still within normal range. I'll get some bloodwork done mid-February to see where it is then and if we need to, we'll up the statin dosage again, although I'd prefer not to. What that actually means, of course, is that I need to go to the next level of food management by eliminating sugar, or at least cutting back in a major way. Sigh. She took me off Brilinta and I'm now on an 81-mg aspirin once a day instead. She's perfectly happy with the idea of me having knee replacement surgery early next year, with the caveat that they'll probably take me off the Eliquis for 3-5 days prior to the surgery then let me go back on it sometime soon after the surgery.

Today will be book sorting at 9, then back home to do more T-day prep. That will be getting the appliances off the counter-turns-into-buffet-line and etc. Reading of course.

Sounds like a busy day yesterday, but glad the doctor's visit went well!

Morning, Karen. Glad to hear cardiologist's visit went well. Yah! 235 romance books? These surely must be your comfort books. Everyone needs their "smut" now and then. I did some backyard birding yesterday, after walking Juno and I did see my first backyard purple finch. More info on my thread. The feeders were hopping. I have Rehab duties today and it will creep up close to 50F today. Double yah!

>27 karenmarie: The shelves look fantastic. Wow!

Hooray for a positive health report! You've come such a long way, Karen. And great job organizing all the EP books too. I, too, would end up with a pile in need of a new home. That's your next challenge I guess ...

>27 karenmarie: A packed but productive day can be the most satisfying thing ever. I hope the surgery schedule for the knee is quick and easy!

The Easton Press project's results are lurvely indeed. I do feel for your DTs, though. (Displaced Tomes)

Happy Chewsdy!

>27 karenmarie: Oh, this is the season when cutting down on sugar isn't the easiest. I hope it works for you though.

>6 karenmarie: I have never seen the phrase Caveat emptor, and now I have read it about 20 times ;) I love a new word.
My colleague always reads us out the 'word of the day' that she gets emailed to her. And, as the book I am currently reading is *full* of big ole brainy words, I was sure I would get the latest one.
Nugatory.
I didn't know the meaning of it on the day, but then the very next day- hey presto- it turned up in my book!

>28 katiekrug: Hi Katie. Busier than I’d have liked, but less busy than today and tomorrow. My knee and calf reminded me of this most of the night. But… Thanksgiving… totally worth it. Yes, I was pleased with the doctor’s visit.

>29 msf59: ‘Morning, Mark. Happy Wednesday, and thanks. Thanks re the cardiologist’s visit. 235 romances. Yup. I’m currently on a male/male tear, definitely earning my fujoshi badge. Nice that you did some backyard birding. I hope the Rehab duties went well. Also, thanks re my Easton Press shelves. I don’t usually group too many of an author or publisher together, but I thought the EP books together would be pleasing.

>30 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura. Working out, eating less food and less salt, and managing a pill regimen that would challenge a rocket scientist haven't been fun, but it was do those or live with constant guilt and fear that I’d have another heart attack and leave my family without their mom/wife. I’m grateful that I’ve had the motivation. Thanks re the EP books, too. The displaced books are patiently waiting for me to find the right places on my shelves, or in some cases, in donation bags for the Friends of the Library.

>31 richardderus: ‘Morning, RDear. I’ll get through the holidays then find out what’s in store for first my left, then my right knee in January. My poor DTs have all been on at least one or more shelves, so will just have to pack their bags and look forward to a new home. *smile and smooch*

>32 quondame: Hi Susan. I’m going to ease into the sugar bit, I think, by going through the things in the house that have sugar in them and then trying to just not buy more of them. And I’m not going to feel bad if I have bits here and there. Thanks.

>33 LovingLit: Hi Megan. I used to get Word of the Day. I unsubscribed because I, ah, already knew quite a few of them. I should start subscribing again. Glad I could help out with ‘caveat emptor’. I’m glad that nugatory was an example of serendipity for you.

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Wordle 522 3/6* adieu, bride, drive. 'Adieu, friends and family,' said the bride, as she took the wheel of Mrs. Merdle, the 12-cylinder ("double-six") 1927 Daimler four-seater*, to drive off into the sunset with her new spouse.

*reference to Mrs. Merdle from the Lord Peter Wimsey series by Dorothy L. Sayers

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Jenna left a while ago, Bill's getting ready to leave now. Another day of just me in the house, to putter, do more for Thanksgiving day, and enjoy the kitties. I just had to gently dissuade Zoe Rose from chewing the ribbon in my desk calendar. What she really wants is to sit in my lap, so after I do a bit more here on LT, we'll sit and read and drink coffee before starting the day's activities.

Morning, Karen. Happy Wednesday. Not a whole lot planned for the day. I decided to skip Trail Watch and do volunteer trash pick up, along the roads that border one of the preserves I like. I have not done this in a couple of months and the weather will be decent. My feeders have been hopping lately but a cat showed up yesterday and hung out for a while. We have seen this cat before. It has a collar and a bell, which I sure hope is functional. Enjoy your puttering day with the kitties.

Good morning, dear Karen, and happy day of prep to you! I managed not to do anything yesterday in the way of food prep, so I will also be busier than I want to be.
I am THANKFUL for your patience and determination in taking care of your dear self. I want us here a long, long time!
I'm happy to see all those Easton Press books together! Surely, you wouldn't have made a different choice in shelving them.

I earned my Wordle 5 today although the word was in my first long list. I could have knocked off one guess by using your #2, also on my list, but I didn't. Congrats on your 3!!!!

drive-by *smooch* on my way to answer another Mastodon doorbell

>34 karenmarie: since my colleague has had us on a regime of 'word of the day', I have remembered quite a few...that and reading the Pulitzer Prize winning the Netanyahus, have had me learning a lot of new words!

Along with nugatory, I now have horripilate in me repertoire. Who knew such words existed? It is funny actually because a few years ago I read a Will Self book and was really frustrated with all the 'fancy' words in it that I had to look up, and here I am still looking up words only now I am not labelling the author pretentious. Hm. Personal growth maybe?

(ps I also learned conterminous and copacetic today.)

Happt Thursday, Karen!

Glad to read your visit to the cardiologist went well, so the way to replace your knees is open now.
I hope your day alone yesterday recharged you, to cope with the festivities today :-)

Thank you as always for books, thank you for this group and thanks for you. Have a lovely day, Karen.

>36 msf59: Hi Mark! Glad you were planning a not-a-whole-lot-planned day, although volunteering to pick trash up is still busy in my book. *smile* Sorry that the kitty came a’calling.

>37 LizzieD: Hi Peggy! I hope your prep has come along nicely. Thank you for being such a dear friend as I’ve gone through such a wake up call and major change this last year. You’re right – the Easton Press books did have to go together and I’m glad that part of the reorganization is complete.

Thanks re my three – today it took me five because of alphabet soup. Sigh.

>38 richardderus: Drive-by *smooch* back at’cha, RD. Heh. Mastodon doorbell… I just looked into Mastodon for S&G, and realize that although I hope it replaces Twitter complete, don’t grok it enough to want to participate.

>39 LovingLit: Hi Megan. I now know the definition of horripilate and conterimous, although I already knew and use copacetic.

So much fun with words! I’m glad you’re expanding your verbal horizons.

Wordle 523 5/6* adieu, steam, least, beast, feast. I can't say adieu yet since the guests haven't arrived, but will diligently steam the not-least most important part of the day, the roast beast for our Thanksgiving feast. Darned alphabet soup.

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Speaking of which, I was gobsmacked on the way home from Walmart yesterday. I had gone grocery shopping - it's amazing how buying bananas for Banana Cream Pie turned into $92 in groceries - but they didn't have any heavy cream. Third visit to a grocery store in the last week with no heavy cream. So I decided to head to the Walmart in another town to get heavy cream. THEY didn't have any, but did have RediWhip, which I should have actually thought to look for grocery shopping. Beggars cannot be choosers, so I bought 2 cans of that and 2 boxes of Hint of Salt Triscuits, because the grocery store was out of them, too. Groceries in the back of the SUV, I was heading home when Bill called and asked if I'd gotten his text. No, I hadn't... it turns out that the son of the owner of the company he works for came in sick yesterday but left half day. Bill got the call about 3:30 that Daniel had Covid.

So. Home. Mask on. Bill in the living room with mask on. Jenna on the way home, alerted that she needed to wear a mask coming in.

I told Bill he had to call our friends to tell them we were under quarantine. He texted Geoff, which I did not realize. Wife Diane called at 5, said Bill had texted Geoff. We talked for about half an hour, then I told Bill that he should have called Geoff and that I was embarrassed by his behavior. I am always passive aggressive and non-confrontative, so this was huge for me. Ate half a sandwich and two bites of the other half, couldn't stomach more than that, Jenna and I went upstairs at 6 p.m. I actually got about 7 1/2 hours straight sleep, but I wouldn't recommend the reason for it - emotional and physical exhaustion - to anyone.

So I don't know what to do today, whether to cook or not. The turkey is still good in the refrigerator for at least another day. We won't be sitting in the living room with Bill until we take Covid tests on Monday. I'm rather devastated, actually.

But in the spirit of the day, to my American friends,

Morning, Karen. I am so sorry about the family drama. I hope things smooth over and that you all test negative. 🤞Can you believe my son tested positive too? WTH? He will be laying low this long holiday weekend.

Happy Thanksgiving, my friend. I hope you make the best of it.

I am sorry about the family issues. Sending positive energies your way.

Sending you happy thanksgiving wishes from Bottle Tree Farm

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours, Karen.

>42 karenmarie: Unhappy day, for which I'm very sorry m'dear. *smooch*

Happy Thanksgiving! 🍁 🦃 🍁 And happy new thread! I really enjoyed reading your lists of the good, the bad and sad, the ugly, and the hopeful. Although there’s a lot that needs changing or even getting rid of completely, there’s still a lot to be thankful for, and I thank you for that reminder.

Hi Karen my dear, Happy Thanksgiving Day.

>43 msf59: ‘Morning, Mark, and happy Friday to you. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Things are a bit calmer. We’ll be able to test on Monday. I’m sorry Matt tested positive and hope he only has very mild symptoms. We don’t think we’ll test positive since Bill sits in the far corner of a very large room at work and Daniel sits in the middle. Bill also always has a fan blowing air away from his desk, and wearing masks in the kitchen. He also wears a mask when Jenna and I are passing through, although we can sneak upstairs through the dining room instead.

>44 witchyrichy: Hi Karen, and thank you. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Love the pics of your farm.

>45 jessibud2: Hi Shelley, and thank you.

>46 richardderus: Thanks, RD. I got calmer as the day progressed. *smooch* back at’cha

>47 Storeetllr: Hi Mary, and thank you. I enjoy sorting out how I feel about things at home and in the world for my topper message. I try to keep the Bad and Ugly toned down a bit.

I’m always thankful and pretty much acknowledge that I’m a very lucky person every day to whatever deity/deities are out there. You’re welcome for the reminder of how lucky we all are.

>48 johnsimpson: Thank you, John! Yesterday was pretty much a bust, but we’ll probably have our Thanksgiving dinner today. Bill has offered to set Jenna and me up in the living room to watch the US – England match, which is at 2 p.m. while he watches it on his computer in his home office. I don’t know if you follow soccer, but if you do, I’m afraid that I want England to lose. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Wordle 524 4/6* adieu, plain, kiosk, itchy. Adieu, desire for a new sweater, since the plain, wool ones at the kiosk are rather itchy.

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As mentioned above, we'll probably watch the US-England World Cup match at 2. Jenna and I made a pumpkin pie yesterday, and I think that we will bake the turkey and Parker House rolls, and make mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potato souffle, and sourdough dressing today. I’ll have cranberry sauce. Pie for afters. Carb coma for sure.

In the meantime, I'll continue posting my hard reset messages to everybody I don't visit daily or regularly then read.

Morning, Karen. Happy Friday. Glad things have settled down there and you are safely keeping your distance. Enjoy that turkey and pies.

Sue is still struggling with a cough, (she tested negative twice) so she didn't go with me yesterday. So, I had holiday dinner without my wife or my Jackson but I really had a good time visiting with other members of my family, that I do not see very often. We did take Juno for a nice walk before I left.

Hey, I had another new backyard bird and one of my favorites. A fox sparrow. It is a big, reddish-brown sparrow. I hope it comes back so I can take a pic or two:

Karen, I'm sorry to hear about the disruption in your Thanksgiving plans. It sounds like you have a new plan for today that is workable, if not ideal. Enjoy the footie.

Dear Karen, I missed you yesterday in the midst of my mild holiday frenzy. I've shaken my head over Bill's boss's cavalier attitude toward COVID, and I'm awfully sorry that his son has it and possibly spread it. I'll pray that he didn't give it to Bill and be unnerved with you until you all test negative Monday. That's a long time to wait. Keep checking in with us, please.

I'm barely coming out of my own carb coma. It was worth it, though!

*smooch*

So sorry about the disrupted plans, Karen.

The Thanksgiving feast I attended yesterday was disrupted by illness too, Karen. DiL Tara caught the flu on Wednesday, so she and my son were taking Tamiflu. Tara came by herself, wearing a mask, and keeping apart. Her cousin Will, his wife, and their two kids drove from Buffalo on Wednesday, and Melissa came down with the flu that night. So they drove back to Buffalo, not seeing family, not sharing T Day dinner. Don't know where four more celebrants would have been seated.

Sorrry your Thanksgiving wasn't what you expected, Karen.
I hope todays diner made up for it.

You missed me and Paul upthread at >40 FAMeulstee: and >41 PaulCranswick:.
We probably came by, while you were composing your message.

>49 karenmarie:, Hi Karen my dear, i have caught some live Football but to be honest, the World Cup has not grabbed me unlike a Summer World Cup and all the goings on between the Qatari's and FIFA regarding whether you can wear rainbow colours or not. FIFA still claim that the Qatari's are moving forward and yet they are still restricting anything to do with LGBTQI and this i find abhorrent, FIFA are continually bending over backwards as they did with beer being sold in stadiums, which had supposedly been sorted, Budweiser will not be happy.

Sorry to see your Thanksgiving plans got cancelled at the last minute, Karen. Impressive book shelving up thread. I dropped in when your thread was new. Not sure if you saw me at >13 Familyhistorian:.

>50 msf59: Hi Mark! Happy Saturday to you. I’m sorry Sue’s still struggling with the cough, so glad she’s tested negative. I’m also sorry you didn’t have the pleasure of Jackson’s company on T-day. Yay for a Fox Sparrow.

>51 lauralkeet: Hi Laura, and thanks.

>52 LizzieD: Hi Peggy, and I’m sorry I didn’t check back in yesterday. I keep telling myself to NOT text Bill’s boss (because I have his cell phone number from when I worked there in the summer of 2019) with my displeasure. Bill read about the testing protocol, 5 days after exposure, on the CDC website.

>53 richardderus: Hiya, RDear. I’m glad your carb coma was worth it. *smooch*

>54 weird_O: Thanks, Bill. I’m so sorry your plans were disrupted, too. I hope your family members are either recovering or completely recovered by now.

>55 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita. Yikes. Thanks for pointing out my missing you and Paul.

>40 FAMeulstee: Yes, I am really looking forward to this time next year, when I hope to be fully recovered from an early 2023 knee replacement. I know that I’ll be a good patient, because I’ve proved that with my exercise regimen, low sodium diet, and weight loss after my heart attack. Wednesday turned into a bit of a CF – don’t look at the spoiler if you are offended by the F word - cluster fuck because of Bill getting exposed to COVID and the wreck of our T-day and weekend plans.

>41 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul! You’re a dear friend. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could have a meet up one day?

I must admit that this threw me for a loop and I didn’t handle it as well as I could have. I feel bad that Geoff and Diane were abandoned on Thanksgiving. They understood and were all that good friends could be.

>56 johnsimpson: Hi John. Qatar getting the World Cup has tainted it for sure, regardless of the beautiful stadiums. I don’t know why they think that they can insist on their repressive restrictions without repercussions. This is going to have a huge ripple effect for many years. Rainbow captain armbands and beer. And, of course, one of the first things I noticed was no Qatari women in the stands.

>57 Familyhistorian: Hi Meg, and thank you. Yes, I love my shelving effort. What I need to do now is take care of the displaced books. I moved the Friends of the Library Sale books from the Sunroom to the Library so that all the books I need to find new shelves for are together. I’m sorry about missing you at >13 Familyhistorian:, and thank you re my new thread.

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Wordle 525 3/6* adieu, place, clean. Adieu, dirt and grease, as our place slowly gets cleaned up after Friday Thanksgiving.

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I'm having my traditional after-Thanksgiving-day turkey sandwich for breakfast. Yum. Quarantined, might watch some soccer here on my laptop, will definitely read. Might talk with my sister today, too.

>58 karenmarie: I got a six-pack of crunchy sunbutter delivered last night as a lovely giftie. That will be my celebratory sammy for today's lunch, probably with a half-banana sprinkled in cinnamon sugar atop it. I deeply approve of the move towards more nut-butter varieties on our store shelves. Peanut butter's fine but I prefer the sunflower-seed butter now that I've had it.

4day for me...I messed up and stuffed in a third choice that I knew couldn't be the answer. Oh well, streak's alive another day so it's all good.

Good to see you here, Karen. LOVE those turkey sandwiches!!!!
Threeday for me too! Nice of them to give us an easy one for the holiday.!

And here's my favorite limerick, recalled because of your menu item. I can't remember the adjective that describes the young lady though....

A dah-dah young lady from Kroll
Had an idea exceedingly droll.
At a fancy dress ball, wearing nothing at all,
She backed in as a Parker House roll.

>59 richardderus: Hiya, RDear. I love sunflower seeds, but have never tried Sunbutter. Enjoy your lunch sammy, which reminds me of my first exposure to Southern Cuisine – I was babysitting for the Gray family in 1969 or 1970. They were from Birmingham. The girls were in their high chairs, the parents had just put their dinner on the trays, and left me to deal with peanut butter, mayonnaise, and banana sandwiches. Open face on Wonder Bread. I was horror struck, as in my limited experience of the world those things had never, ever met on a plate, much less in a sandwich. Still would never consider eating it, but after moving to NC in 1991, I have discovered how common it is. Toddlers with PB, mayonnaise, and squished banana on their faces and in their hair was a challenge, too.

4 is good. 5 and 6 are even good. Getting skunked sucks. *smooch*

>60 LizzieD: Hi Peggy! Yes, it was quite wonderful. Congrats on your three today. Yes, appropriate, as was yesterday’s.

I love, love, love, that limerick. The visual is amusing and disturbing.

>58 karenmarie: It would indeed be lovely to have a meet-up one day, Karen. Hopefully Hani and I will have an extended Stateside trip one day soon.

You need to take good care of yourself in the meantime, though! xx

I’m sorry to hear your Thanksgiving plans were spoiled, Karen. I hope you’re all feeling well and tests come back negative. On the plus side, your book shelves up thread are beautiful!

>62 PaulCranswick: I'd love to meet up with you in the US some time!

I'm trying to take good care of myself, although that goal sometimes bumps up against taking care of Bill and Jenna. In so many cases, mine included, but, I hasten to add, NOT ALL CASES, women in female/male households tend to be responsible for the emotional well-being of everybody in the house.

It gets tiring, frankly, and I internalized it at an early age, growing up in the '50s and '60s.

So sometimes I abdicate responsibility, like I have for most of this weekend. I've mostly hung out in the Sunroom and gone up to bed early, sleeping from 7-9 or so, being up for the next 3-4 hours, then sleeping/reading 'til the call of coffee gets me downstairs.

>63 Copperskye: Hi Joane, and thank you. Bill had a very bad sore throat yesterday afternoon, thought he had a temperature. No temp, and he took a Covid test, which came back negative. It was a relief, but the big test will come on Monday when we all three take Covid tests, 5th day after Bill potentially brought it home. Not his fault, I hasten to add, just a childish young man at work who is very, very thoughtless.

Wordle 526 4/6* adieu, bloat, swamp, happy. Adieu, dead and bloated fish in the black water swamp; I am happy to head towards less smelly environs.

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4th day of quarantine. Maybe some soccer here in the Sunroom, definitely fun book placement in the Library and reading. The kitchen is slowly returning to normal. The last of the temporarily-out-of-the-kitchen appliances will go back today.

Morning, Karen. Happy Sunday. I hope the quarantine isn't getting you down, although you are doing pretty much what you normally do, right? Hope everything is getting better there. I hooked up with a birding group yesterday, switched from today because of rain. We were mainly looking for wintering waterfowl. We did okay and managed to see 3 bald eagles.

I wouldn't mind chilling at home today with books and football but Sue and I both have 2 different christening events to go to. I have my best friend's new granddaughter and Sue has another family addition. More crowded places...I would say Go Bears! Go Panthers! But what's the point, right?

Hi Mark!

The quarantine isn't getting me down exactly, just worrisome IF any of us test positive tomorrow. Yay for 3 Bald Eagles yesterday.

You're very busy today.

Panthers play the Broncos, and I see that your Bears play the Jets. No real point for sure, and I probably won't watch. I'm not even really interested in the Chiefs right now, although they are 8-2 and playing the Rams, who are 3-7.

Jenna's already come downstairs, had pumpkin pie for brekkie, started her laundry, and gone back upstairs. I've had a turkey/Miracle Whip/cranberry sauce/multi-grain bread sandwich. Highly yummy and satisfying.

Good morning, Karen. I'm relieved that Bill has tested negative. Surely with a symptom, he'd be testing positive by now if he had the virus???? One more day, so I wish you may make it a good one!

Ahem. Wordle in 3 for me again today, thanks to my second word. When it works, it really works. It's rare for you to have only one letter from your first word, isn't it? Your 4 looks good to me.

>64 karenmarie: I think my 3day today should probably count as a 4day because I spent a LOOOONNNNG time staring at the grid, trying out words in my head.

Have a lovely day watching whichever sportsball you choose.

*smooch*

Hope you and your family are feeling well and having a relaxing Sunday. Crossing my fingers for your tests tomorrow. Sorry you had to cancel your T-Day plans. Personally, with covid, the flu, and RSV around and all causing problems, I’d have preferred to stay home on Thanksgiving rather than spend it inside a small apartment with a bunch of people I don’t know well, but my daughter would have been upset and the grands would have been disappointed, so I went. (Didn’t mask up, though I wanted to.) Too many people aren’t taking it seriously, acting like the problem is over.

>67 LizzieD: Hi Peggy! Me, too, although tomorrow’s tests will be definitive without any symptoms between now and then. Congrats on your 3. I’m happy with my 4. *smile*

>68 richardderus: No, RD! 3 is 3. Take it and be happy. I haven’t watched any sports. No soccer. No football. I’ve been reading pretty much all day. *smooch*

>69 Storeetllr: Hi Mary. We’re all feeling well, and definitely having a relaxing Sunday, thank you. Yuck to a small apartment with a lot of people, especially ones you don’t know well. I would probably not have masked up either – I went to a wedding shower in May in a HUGE reception hall with perhaps 100 people, then the June wedding at the same church with perhaps 300 people and a reception in the same HUGE reception hall with perhaps 400 people, all not masked. I dodged a bullet. The problem is definitely not over, as is attested by the fact of the idiot boy coming to work on Wednesday and exposing Bill and thus also Jenna and me.

>69 Storeetllr: >70 karenmarie: Being around a lot of people is definitely unnerving but sometimes just unavoidable. The biggest crowd I’ve been in mask-less was a funeral service back in March with a 100 or so people. It was for the 29 year-old son of a friend so I absolutely could not have avoided it. I’ve filled up my vaccine card so I should be invincible, right? :)

Hi Joanne. Some things are avoidable. And yes, having our 'dance cards' completely filled in AND requiring a new one starting recently does make us feel invincible. However, I know 5 people who were fully vaccinated yet got Covid this summer/fall.

Jenna just tested negative and has headed off to work.

Wordle 527 2/6* adieu, tepid

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!! Half an hour of thinking, rejecting, and then chatting with Jenna, and all of a sudden I knew.

I'll take the test here in a bit - need coffee and a bit of morning routine first.

Morning, Karen. I had a good time at the christening yesterday, visiting with my friend's family. We even watched some football. Your Panthers won! Yah! My Bears lost. Boo! I am meeting my birding buddies shortly.

Good luck with your test.

>72 karenmarie: Congratulations on Wordle in two, Karen!
I was happy with mine in three.

I hope the test ends your worries.

>72 karenmarie: Good-result test *whammy*

Hoping you're well and happy today, 2fer lady. *smooch*

>73 msf59: ‘Morning, Mark! Glad you had a good time yesterday. Sorry about your Bears. I didn’t watch any of the Panthers game. Thanks re the test.

>74 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita! I’m always happy with three, ecstatic at today’s two. Thanks re the test.

>75 richardderus: Thanks RD! Yup, a 2fer lady. *smooch*

…
And the test came back negative for Covid. Great sigh of relief.

>76 karenmarie: *shared sigh*

>76 karenmarie: BEST of good news!!!!!!!! I am much relieved. Yippeeeee! Also glad to hear Jenna's happy result.

>72 karenmarie: Wooo exceedingly HOOOOO for you too!!!!!!! Thought is a fine, fine thing. I wish I did it more often!

Happy, lovely day to you, dear friend!!!!!

Hooray! Released to go out into the world!

Congrats on Wordle in two!!!! I have the same three letters identified that you had in your first guess, but I need to let it soak a while - I'm not coming up with it.

Hooray for negative tests! I can practically feel your relief.

>79 streamsong: Ha! Got it in four. alien, gourd, fetid, tepid. I'm the type of person who thinks fetid before tepid. I wonder what some sort of analyst would make of the ways people's minds work on these puzzles.

>77 richardderus: Indeed.

>78 LizzieD: Hi Peggy! Yes, thanks. She was able to go to work and I was able to go to the grocery store. And I got today’s in two today, too. Double Wooo exceedingly HOOOOO. I had a lovely day reading and taking a short nap. I hope you had a happy, lovely day, too.

>79 streamsong: Yes, Janet, world beware. Thanks re my Wordle two.

>80 lauralkeet: From our house to yours, Laura – relief rippled out into the world yesterday morning. Part of me wants to say that this was a minor stress in the larger world and for most of the people of this larger world, but it was MY stress and I'm glad it's gone.

>81 streamsong: Yay for four, Janet. I also find it interesting what words I pick before others. However, I must say that I have taken to checking the Words Used list, which I brought down to my spreadsheet of 2,309 words as a second tab, before using one. This wouldn’t have helped in this case, since fetid was a valid word not yet used, but sometimes it helps.

Richard always uses AEONS and MIRTH as his first two words. Peggy always uses AROSE and UNITY. I always use ADIEU as my first word. They then use stuff from their first two selections, I try to think of a word that uses any green or yellow letters plus other consonants from ADIEU and O. But this time I didn’t bother with O because I thought I’d try my second word to actually eliminate it, although there was a bit of me that hoped for the tricky double U. Happy surprise instead.

Wordle 528 2/6* adieu, undue

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...
Today's a busy one. Book sorting at 9, lunch at 11:30 bearing a birthday card and gifts for friend Jan, then stopping at the grocery store on the way home because I forgot Jenna's Berry Propels. Yes, I could ask her to stop and get them herself, but Moms, at least this Mom, always try to make it easy on her child, within the bounds of not enabling. How's that for tap dancing? I wonder how much I'll end up spending because it's almost physically, mentally, and emotionally impossible for me to go to the grocery store for ONE THING.

Home again, home again jiggity-jig, to watch the US-Iran World Cup match at 2 p.m. If the US loses, the men are eliminated. 🤞 for them to win and get past the group stage.

Morning, Karen. Enjoy your busy day and the birthday lunch. I just have my Rehab duties and then books in the afternoon. I am okay with that. Go USA!!

>83 msf59: Hi Mark! Different day 'morning. I had a good book sorting day and a great time with Jan. I stopped at the grocery store quickly on the way home and was able to watch the second half of the US-Iran game. A nail biter!! I'm so sorry that Pulisic got injured while scoring the US winning goal.

Rehab and books sound like a good day. I hope it was one for you.

Wordle 529 4/6* adieu, cloud, ruddy, study

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Nothing on the agenda for today except for some puttering in the house, perhaps some book stuff in the Library. Reading of course.

Morning, Karen. Happy Wednesday. A cold front blew in here, dropping our temps into the 20s and with the wind chill, in the teens. Ugh. Sure, glad I don't work in it anymore. Not much planned for the AM, other than a haircut and the books. I am meeting my cousin to see an early matinee of "The Fabelmans". I am a big fan of the director Steven Spielberg and this one looks charming.

ETA- the cold has not stopped the birds. My feeders are hopping- lots of doves, house sparrows, housefinch, chickadees, juncos, cardinal and a downy.

>84 karenmarie: Putter, putter, rah rah rah! I hope you're still riding the high of yesterday's very productive book fondling.

*smooch*

Good afternoon, Karen. I can't even bring myself to putter so far. I had a nap before we walked, and I didn't wake up while it was going on, so I had another nap when we got back. I'm in coffee detox mode, which happens 3 times or so a year. I thought at first it was just Thanksgiving overeating, but I didn't indulge that much. Maybe I'll be able to read some this afternoon, but right now I must fix lunch.

Enjoy your day!

Happy Thursday, Karen!

Next Saturday our teams will meet in the 1/8th finals!

>85 msf59: Hi Mark, happy next day. *smile* Yikes. Winter weather before it’s even technically winter. I’m glad you’re not out there pounding the streets, too. Sounds like you had a busy day in store, hope things got done and movies seen. Yay for the feeder activity. I need to fill the sunflower seed feeder today.

>86 richardderus: The book fondling was fun, many books acquired for friend Karen in Montana, and even a couple for my ownself. Today’s Wordle was tough and I almost got skunked. *smooch*

>87 LizzieD: Hi Peggy. Ah, a low-or-no-putter day. I understand. I’m sorry you’re so whupped. Why do you go into coffee detox mode? I hope you got some reading in after lunch. My day was extremely lazy. I watched a bit of the France-Tunisia match and was glad that Tunisia won – huge bragging rights even if they didn’t get out of the group stage because Australia-Denmark didn’t end up in a tie.

>88 FAMeulstee: Hi Anita, and thank you. Yes, it’s US – Netherlands. 9 a.m. our time. Bill’s paternal ancestors came from Elburg, so for some (strange - *smile*) reason he’s good either way. I told him that my ancestors aren’t from the Netherlands, so I’m US all the way. If the US loses, then I’ll cheer for England since most of my paternal ancestors are from England and Czechoslovakia isn’t participating (I’m 5th generation in the US Bohemian on my mother’s side, half Czech-American).

Wordle 530 6/6* Yikes. adieu, stoke, tweet, event, elect, eject

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Well. Just had some major, unexpected and unwelcome excitement - sitting here writing responses to messages and a bird flew into the glass here in the Sunroom and fell behind the monitor in the corner, Zoe in hot pursuit. I screamed like a little girl, cussed like a sailor, then grabbed Zoe and put her in the utility room, closing her in.

I grabbed a hand towel, gently grabbed the Carolina Wren and put her/him out on the front porch swing in the towel. She/he didn't move, but seemed alert. I actually stroked their feathers a bit. Filled the sunflower seed feeder, and on the way back in stroked their feathers again - zoom! out to the Crepe Myrtle. My job was done, towel now in the sink, hands washed, and pulse back to normal.

...
Chiropractor visit late morning. I might actually be a Nice Person and offer to stop at a local restaurant to get Bill a sub and me a grilled chicken salad for lunch on the way home. I need to work on my November stats and clean up my November Lightning Round for posting. Plus the books in the Library that need to be re-homed has grown to include most of what was on shelf S24 since I decided to only leave books there that I might actually read sometime soon, including the books I'm currently reading, see >2 karenmarie:.

Morning, Karen. Sweet Thursday. I swung by earlier but you weren't up yet. Very cold here. 16F at the moment, which will keep me from outdoor birding, despite the abundant sunshine. Bree works in the office today, so I will relieve Sue at noon, and take over Jackson duties, until Bree gets home, between 2-3. I miss the little guy.
I need to get out there and fill my feeders. They have sure been hungry.

Hooray for saving the chickadee! You are my hero!

>89 karenmarie: Good job saving the bird, Karen!

>90 msf59: Good afternoon, Mark! Yes, I didn't get up 'til 8:30, which (happily) surprised me since I've been getting up much earlier recently. Yikes to the frigid temperatures. Yay for Jackson time. I've got finches and Cardinals at the feeders right now and sparrows at the bird bath.

Aw shucks.

>91 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita. It's a constant battle with Zoe because of her natural instincts. We rescue as many critters as we can. I rarely mention the snakes or lizards, but they bring in lizards almost weekly and the last snake was recently, too.

...
edited to add >5 karenmarie: and >6 karenmarie: - November stats and Lightning Round

I'm glad you de-chickadee'd your home without actually making your cardiologist any richer.

>6 karenmarie: Good gravy! Licking Thicket: Horn of Glory?! There oughta be a law....

You're clearly on the artery, you book-mosquito you, and battening your bloodmeals abundantly! Kindle Unlimited is clearly the best thing ever right now.

*smooch*

Yes - bird saving without heart stressing made me happy.

I know - I kept NOT wanting to read the series because of the series title, but the books were amusing for all that. And hot, of course...

KU is the best thing to have happened for my reading this year because I would have definitely cut back because of the $$.

*smooch*

Wordle 531 4/6* adieu, stare, plane, chafe

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Jenna's up, getting ready to leave for Friday's 7-4 workday. Reading, puttering, perhaps watching some soccer.

I worked out yesterday - treadmill, no incline, not 2.4 mph, but at least it was 1.8 mph, for 30 minutes. Only the second time since mid-October, but I told the chiropractor that I would start back up 3x a week, at least 'til I get knee replacement surgery.

A nice bright 27F. Brrrr.

And finally,

Morning, Karen. Happy Friday. I enjoyed my time with Jack for a couple of hours yesterday. Poor baby has a cold, so we cuddled mostly and flipped through books. If he is feeling better today, I plan on taking him for a long walk. The fresh air will do us both good.

Speaking of bird strikes, a few days ago, Sue heard something strike our back window- looked out and a green parakeet was on the ground. She grabbed a towel and went outside but it must have just been dazed, because it flew off. I am assuming an escaped pet.

We have been having a dove fest lately at and around my feeders. I have counted 7 or more mourning doves hanging around.

>96 msf59: Hi Mark - the Bird Window decals do slide the view to the side,

but they definitely prevent bird deaths!

Good morning, Karen!

>81 streamsong: That's pretty much how I do Wordle, too. My beginning word is alien, usually followed by gourd. Four for me today, too alien, gourd, spate, chafe which at least doesn't make me sound like a serial killer.

So the bird actually came into your house? Did it break a pane of glass? I'm glad the rescue was successful.

Cree the cat is neglecting his duties. I saw a blur of gray and some evidence of a mouse under my kitchen sink. Cree is supremely uninterested. I removed the edibles (dry catfood and potatoes) and left the sink cupboard doors open overnight. I'll buy some steel wool to block the openings around the pipes today but that always makes me worry it will emerge somewhere else in the house, instead of politely going outside into the frigid, snowy winter.

>95 karenmarie: Three! You're holding back admirably.

I Wordled in four again.

*smooch*

Good morning, Karen, while it is still morning!

I'm glad that you got to the treadmill yesterday with no ill effects and that you rescued the bird with none of same for you or the avian guest.

My DH finally has the chimneys effectively blocked. We seldom got a bird, but have had the occasional squirrel. Once in his childhood they had a bat. In our olden days, the cat(s) would sit at the chimney in question, the damper being closed, and wait without a break. I remember one time that we closed the door to the little room, opened the front door, opened the damper, and watched a squirrel make its way through the door, down the steps and the middle of the walkway like a real person. I won't repeat the story of the squirrel in the bedroom the day DH came home from the hospital after having his shattered leg bone repaired. You're welcome.

I wish you a less interesting day!

I've been AWOL from threads a bit, so it's nice to catch up here.

>95 karenmarie: Seems you and I followed the same pattern with Wordle today: adieu, stare, whale, chafe.

LOL re the chocolate advent calendar.

>95 karenmarie: *snicker* Oh! but maybe that's why. *snickers*

>95 karenmarie: Surely the chocolate advent calendar would have disappeared totally by now?!

Have a great weekend, Karen.

Oops, now I realise I have not got an advent calendar for my kids.

>105 LovingLit: Yesterday I got a reminder that I hadn't given the advent calendar that been waiting for 2 months...

>96 msf59: Hi Mark! I’m sorry Jackson’s been sick, hope he felt better yesterday so that you could go on a walk. Poor parakeet, especially if it’s an escaped pet. I’ve seen Mourning Dove around my Crepe Myrtle – they’re ground feeders of course, so they’ll swoop down to feed.

>97 m.belljackson: Hello Marianne. I’d have to have 19 decals in this, my favorite room to hang out in during the day, so will pass. It’s very rare that a bird hits the glass here, and the Carolina Wren in the house was the first time ever that a bird has struck glass inside the house. We’ve had other birds in the house over the years though.

>98 streamsong: Hi Janet. Zoe, our brave Diana, our fearless huntress, brought the bird in. It got away, made a break for it, and crashed into the Sunroom window from the inside. It lay stunned behind my monitor while I grabbed said huntress and flung her into the utility room and pulled the pocket door shut. She was not pleased, but the bird was safe. The glass didn’t break, either – I don’t know if the bird wasn’t heavy enough or the double-paned windows are sturdy enough.

Ah, Cree. Start doing your job! Our kitties occasionally bring a critter in that doesn’t make it, usually behind or under a couch. When we get that smell, we investigate and remove the remains. It’s simply a part of having indoor-outdoor kitties and living rurally. I guess I'll mention the dessicated, flattened lizard remains, too, that are frequently under the edges of rugs. *shrug* Good luck with your visitor and blocking things up. I’ve never heard of putting steel wool to block openings.

>99 richardderus: Hiya, RDear. Four’s always good, although I’m proud of today’s three. *smooch*

>100 LizzieD: Hi Peggy when it’s morning again!

I think using the treadmill is a painful reminder about the Bakers Cyst and the nastiness that is my left knee’s arthritis. I didn’t go yesterday because yesterday was just so chaotic – see below – but will try to go 3x a week starting next week again. I’m very happy to have rescued the avian guest. I also rescue lizards, skinks, small snakes, and small furry critters if I can trap them in something. Jenna’s better with furry critters – she patiently blocks off every escape route then we provide the proper container to herd she/he into to escort outside. I’ve watched my darling daughter take up to 20-30 minutes for a rescue.

Yay for your DH getting the chimneys blocked. Oh my goodness – the vision of a squirrel in the bedroom with your DH and his shattered leg bone makes me smile, although I do hope the ensuing chaos didn’t cause more damage.

The little buggers are now burying hickory nuts and black walnuts all over the place. I see them scamper everywhere, nut in mouth. Some of the nuts will sprout, and we’ll have to get the the small trees cut down in the spring and have stump killer put on them. The small trees – not the squirrels.

>101 ffortsa: Hi Judy! Good to see you here.

>102 Storeetllr: Hello Mary – yes, we Wordled almost identically. Great minds.

>103 weird_O: Hi Bill. Speaking of Snickers, I broke down the other day at the grocery store and got one. I was pretty disappointed, frankly, as the chocolate now seems even MORE waxy and tasteless and grainy than I remembered.

However, even with a Snickers, I managed to lose .5 more lbs over the Thanksgiving time frame and have now lost 57 lbs. I’m down 3 sizes and the archaeological dig in my closet is getting to be more and more fun.

>104 PaulCranswick: Oh, an advent calendar wouldn’t last in this house for sure, Paul. Especially dark chocolate. Thanks re the weekend. Today’s the US-Netherlands soccer match at 9 a.m. Tomorrow’s my RL book club, discussing Anxious People, which I reviewed here:

Anxious People review

>105 LovingLit: C’mon, Mom, get with the program! *smile* I just ordered Christmas Petit Fours for Jenna. Swiss Colony has this one, which includes her favorite, Red Velvet, along with double chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla. The little weasel makes them last for a month or two, taking up precious refrigerator space. I don’t mind, though, because she loves them so much.



>106 quondame: Hi Susan! Yay for advent calendars for people who can NOT eat all the candy and NOT open all the cute little windows right away.

Wordle 532 3/6* adieu, sloop, torso

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...
Yesterday was supposed to be relaxing for moi. It was relaxing 'til Alex got here at noon instead of 11, which he'd texted me about so I was okay with, but then Bill came home early, too, and the rest of the afternoon was cleaning noise, Bill and Alex yapping, then TV noise.

And as mentioned above, the US play the Netherlands today at 9 a.m. I'm really looking forward to that match, although I don't know if Pulisic is healthy enough to play after his heroic goal/crash with the goalie at the Iran match.

We will probably have takeout for lunch then put up the artificial Christmas tree. Jenna will bring all the Christmas decorations down from the storage space behind the guest bedroom closet, and we'll probably get the tree decorated and a few things put out by the end of the weekend. We do not decorate in every room, we only have one Christmas tree. I might get a real wreath sometime this coming week.

Morning, Karen. Happy Saturday. I had full day of Jackson yesterday. Bree wasn't feeling good, so I took Jackson for a long walk (I saw many birds) about 930, brought him back to our house. Sue didn't get home from running errands until nearly 2 and then took over Jack duties. She brought him home after 6. The little guy can be exhausting but I love every minute of it.

We are attending a family wedding in the city later today. Very cold, with gusty winds. Ugh.

Hi Mark, and happy Saturday to you, too. Sorry about the coldness/wind for the family wedding.

Toddlers are exhausting. Bree and Sean are lucky to have you, Sue, and the other grandparents to help out. You're lucky to have your grandson so close. I'm sorry Bree wasn't feeling good, hope she's better today.

Have a wonderful Saturday decorating the tree, Karen.

>107 karenmarie: Ah, the *enjoyable* end of holiday decorating! I'm glad you got Jenna her petit fours since they're her dotes, but why not try assembling some for Easter or something? She'll appreciate them that much more!

Red velvet cake with cream-cheese coconut pecan frosting is soooo delicious. German chocolate cake only better.

Happy 3day! *smooch*

>110 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg!

>111 richardderus: Hiya, RD. Beginning and end, most likely, except for a wreath this week.

Easter petit fours sound fun...

I personally can't stand Red Velvet Cake and if it's that for dessert or nothing, I pass. Jenna, however, loves both it and my scratch German Chocolate Cake.

Sigh. US lost to the Netherlands, 3-1. Sad. Just can't seem to get past first knockout round game. Congrats to the Netherlands. I think the announcer said that they've made it to the finals 3 times but haven't won, so hopefully this is their year.

In the meantime, late take-out lunch will be home around 2:30, which also means I don't have to think about dinner like I was going to do.

And in the double meantime, back to my book...

>112 karenmarie: Sorry the US lost, Karen. I watched the game with half eye (the other on my laptop, reading the threads).
Yes, the Netherlands were in the final three times: 1974, 1978, and 2010.

>112 karenmarie: I so agree with you about Red Velvet Cake -- to me it simply has no taste...except of course the cream cheese frosting which is wonderful but really needs to be on something worthwhile...like maybe carrot cake?

Speaking of sweets (one of my favorite things unfortunately), congratulations on your wonderful weight loss. I need to get out on my tread mill more often :(

I'm another non-fan of red velvet cake :)

The soccer match was frustrating to watch, wasn't it?

Hmph. I thought that I had spoken to you here today. I guess not, and anyway, it's tomorrow. I hope you're sleeping well and wake to a lot of of good options!
I can take or leave red velvet cake. If it's the only thing on offer, I will eat some of it and Ooo and Ahhh as though I love it. I do think that if a baker intends to spend that much time on a cake, better choices are available --- Italian cream, for example or my mama's specialty, yellow layers with boiled chocolate icing.

>113 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita. I hope the Netherlands goes all the way to the final and wins.

>114 RebaRelishesReading: Heya, Reba. Thanks re my weight loss. It's slowed down, but I'm still plugging away.

I once tried to make a Red Velvet Cake from scratch by using non-Dutched cocoa powder. Vinegar, buttermilk , and non-Dutched cocoa powder allow the red anthocyanin in cocoa to come out. The cake was reddish but not the garish red that RVCs are these days. I was all proud of myself, but Jenna hated it. She likes box mix Red Velvet Cake. A friend of mine has the recipe Jenna loves best, using yellow cake, 2 oz. red food coloring, and 1 T cocoa, but after using box mixes twice since leaving my mother's house, once when Jenna was little and I was taking a cake decorating class, and once when I made German Chocolate cake for the masses for a friend’s 40th birthday pig pickin’ for her husband, box mixes do not come into this house. I agree about using cream cheese frosting on carrot cake - it also goes beautifully with my great-grandmother's hickory nut cake. And, for me, cream cheese frosting does not have butter in it. Here's the recipe I use:

Cream Cheese Frosting
Betty Crocker’s 40th Anniversary Edition Cookbook

1 package, 8 oz, cream cheese, softened
1 T milk
1 t vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar

Beat cream cheese, milk, and vanilla in medium bowl on low speed until smooth. Gradually beat in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, until smooth and of spreading consistency. Frosts a 13 x 9 inch cake or fills and frosts two 8- or 9-inch cake layers.

>115 katiekrug: Hi Katie. Original RVC is simply chocolate cake made with non-Dutched cocoa powder and is good, but not anything you can easily get today, so yes, yellow cake with a ton of red food coloring is blech.

That match was awful, starting with Pulisic's missed freak attack on goal and ending when the Dutch scored their third goal, nailing it for them. Pulisic looked weak, which was understandable given his injury on Tuesday. Perhaps he shouldn't have been played? The Dutch looked stronger, bigger, and much more aggressive. However, I have much more respect for the men now although the US women are, and have been, vastly superior for decades.

>115 katiekrug: Hi Katie. So many better cake options out there, right? And yes, the match was frustrating. The Dutch were stronger, bigger, and more aggressive from the git go. Pulisic looked weak, which was understandable after his injury on Tuesday. Perhaps he shouldn't have been played? From his missed freak opportunity early through every other almost goal, we just couldn't play as well as the Dutch. I was hopeful after the goal scored late in the match, but the Dutch came immediately back with their 3rd, nailing it.

>116 LizzieD: Hi Peggy. Yes, it’s tomorrow, and I actually got some good sleep. My first good option of the morning is coffee, and I’m on my second cup. You’re a better person than I am, to oooh and aaah over Red Velvet Cake. I leave it. I love yellow cake with chocolate icing, and you once gave me the recipe for boiled icing, which I just looked at. I even have a candy thermometer, so if I make it, it won't be an adventure. *smile* I've also got your Hershey's Syrup Chocolate Cake recipe. Sigh. So many cakes, so little time.

Wordle 533 2/6* adieu, adore. Easy peasy, once I checked the list of already-used Wordle words and saw it wasn't there. I never thought to use it, but just looked again and saw that adobe was used last July 29th.

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Well, the Christmas Tree did not get put up yesterday, but I have high hopes for this morning. We'll see. This afternoon is book club 2 - 4 p.m. to discuss Anxious People. The venue is Blanche's house, less than 10 minutes away, then I'll head over to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription then go grocery shopping. Busy afternoon for me.

Morning, Karen. Happy Sunday. We had a nice time at the wedding. The dinner and ceremony were at a fancy Italian restaurant. The food was excellent. Many people stayed at a hotel nearby. We had Juno to worry about, so we came home. Nothing planned for today, other than books & football. Of course, I will be peeking out at the feeders now and then.

ETA- Enjoy the book club!

Hi Mark, and happy Sunday to you. Yay for the nice time at the fancy-venue wedding. Books and football sound like a good day for you. Panthers have a bye, good luck against the Packers. Thanks re the book club. I'm really looking forward to this one since I was so happily surprised at how much I loved the book.

>117 karenmarie: We will see how far our team gets, Karen. Next is against Argentina, that won't be easy.

And a Wordle in two! Congratulations!

>117 karenmarie: 3day for me today.

I don't much like box cakes but they're handy when one has no oven & uses the crockpot to "bake" them.

The buttermilk-and-vinegar red velvet cake is the bomb. Still, there's more for me since y'all ain't fightin' for a slice! (I'd like the bowl of "leftover" icing you hid in the fridge out now, please.)

>117 karenmarie: I read a few years ago that the Dutch are now the tallest people on earth so they probably were bigger :)

>107 karenmarie: Oh, we haven't done edible advent calendars for years. Lego, or other figures. This year is Pokémon. However, Becky's TJ chocolate advent calendars did last the regulation 24 days.

>120 FAMeulstee: Hi Anita! 🤞 for the Netherlands, although I must say that I wouldn’t mind if France did a repeat. I really enjoyed watching Mbappe and Griezmann. Today’s Japan/Croatia 10 a.m. our time, Brazil/Korea Republic 2 p.m. Thanks my Wordle of 2. Today it took 4.

121 Hiya, RDear. 3’s good… I can see a box cake being a necessity without an oven. Speaking of ovens, our wall oven of 24 years is still doing well, but the buttons on the flat panel are wearing out. I tried to get the panel replaced a while back, and the closest the Jenn Aire repair service brought the wrong part and said that was it. I could research again, but honestly, with a $75 service call fee plus labor/part, and knowing the oven will be giving up the ghost soonish, I guess replacing the oven before the actual oven itself goes out makes sense. It’s on the list for early next year. Scratch RVC was good as I recall, although I’m the only one who even at more than one piece. You may have ALL of my scratch RVC if we’re stuck on a desert island together. No, I can't share leftover icing/frosting, because it is ALWAYS used to make graham cracker/icing/frosting sandwiches, except for Coconut Pecan Frosting, which is either saved in the freezer for next GCC or eaten one spoonful at a time over weeks by both Jenna and me. *smooch*

>122 RebaRelishesReading: ‘Morning, Reba. Bill, whose paternal ancestors came from the Netherlands, said the same thing during Saturday's match. Bill was 6’, 2 inches shorter than his dad, and now is shorter. I’m way shorter too, having shrunk from 5’5” to 5’3.25”. No Dutch ancestry I know of, although one of my paternal ancestors, Reynier Piatt, fled France to the Netherlands before coming to America before 1678, when he married Elizabeth Sheffield in Piscataway NJ.

>123 quondame: Having never done Advent calendars consistently, I didn’t realize they came in all … er… flavors. Harry Potter, LoTR, Star Wars, etc. My, my. edited to add: Jenna reminded me that our cousin Rebecca got a Harry Potter Advent Calendar for her some years ago. As my MiL used to say, "I miss my mind." *smile*

Wordle 534 4/6* adieu, cover, mopey, woken

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Book Club was great. 9 of 11 were there. Discussion was lively about Anxious People and I realize I want to read it again. Next meeting is at my house on January 8th for The Book of Disappearance by Ibtisam Azem.

Today is puttering, reading, checking my Xmas card list against my spreadsheet to see how many cards I need to buy.

Morning, Karen. Of course, my Bears lost. They are now 3-10. Sighs...Sue did another bird rescue yesterday, while walking Juno. She found a blue parakeet, that couldn't fly. It was very friendly and rode on Sue's shoulder back to our house. It is currently lodging in a laundry basket, until we can find it's owner or bring it to a shelter.
Yah, Sue!

I am meeting my birding buddies this AM and then a few chores around here. Good luck on your next book club. The Book of Disappearance sounds interesting.

Hi Mark! All of a sudden, bird rescues. Good for Sue. A pic of the blue parakeet would be fun - a not-so-subtle hint, of course.

I've got Cardinals, finches, and Mourning Dove in my Crepe Myrtle, but only one female Cardinal on the feeders right now. I need to put a fresh cake of suet out today. Saw both Red-Bellied and Downy woodpeckers over the weekend.

I bought The Book of Disappearance in March simply because it sounded wonderful, then made it my book club book. I haven't read it yet, because I mostly choose books for book club that I've never read. Other people choose books they've read and liked. Big discussion point several years ago, with some members thinking to try to make it a requirement to have read the book. Ridiculous, and fortunately they didn't win.

Yay for a birding buddies morning, then chores. Sorry about your Bears. My backup team, the Chiefs, are 9-3. Panthers are 4-8. Chiefs play the 2nd game next Sunday.

>124 karenmarie: Hey there, Horrible. Happy new week. I'm sure the discussion was lively with nine of y'all there!

I Wordled too soon...5/6. I slept in, feel droopy, so no surprise I flubbed a word.

What do you mean, "share"? One recipe cake gets one recipe frosting! Break it out!!

*smooch*

Hi RDear. Thanks re the new week. We did have a good discussion. I've known 2 of these women 25 years, the rest in the 20-year range. If you had blindfolded me and put a voice modifier on them, I would have been able to tell you who was saying what.

I must be stingy with frosting, because I almost always have some leftover. *smooch*

Wordle 535 4/6* adieu, ashen, after, amber

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Book sorting this morning. Possibly lunch out after. Possibly Walmart for more, smaller winter jammies. Reading of course. And etc. In the meantime, the first glorious sips of coffee.

Morning, Karen. I had a good walk with my birding buddies and we saw most of our winter residents. The highlight was the elusive pileated woodpecker. We got very good looks. I didn't have my camera but my buddy did and got some nice shots. I am off to my Rehab assignment soon.

Happy Tuesday!

I remember having an advent calendar as a kid. I could hardly wait to open up the little window right in the morning. Sometimes I would open the window and it would be empty because one of my parents couldn't resist either ;)

Have fun sorting books :)

I didn't much care about Advent. The little chocolates were no draw to me, either. My eldest sister found the one Advent calendar I really cared about when I was about eleven...pictures of antique cars! I kept that calendar for a decade or more.

That was the xmas I got the lovely gift from Mama of The Complete Encyclopedia of the Motorcar by GN Georgano. I was the happiest preteen on the planet that day!

Hi Karen - I thought I'd brave the waters and venture into your thread here, as I see that the new books may be crowding out the ROOTs a bit :) I can't believe you've read so many books, you're a machine!! I've just about scraped 70 this year.

I'm glad to see you're keeping well, and Jenna is still home. I hope your heart is now doing what it should be and no more messing about giving you a fright. All is good here, except that I've caught a horrible cold that's going round (not covid, I had that in May, would not recommend) so I'm currently off work trying not to share it with too many people. Having said that, it's A's Christmas concert at school this evening, so I shall mask up and enjoy the show. Can you believe she's just turned 9? I can't!

Re: Advent calendars, I still maintain (this totally gives away my 1970s childhood) that the best Advent calendars are the ones which have pictures, rather than chocolates or little gifts. And the picture on the 24th *has* to be of the Nativity (the previous 23 don't have to be religious, but that one definitely does!). I can still picture the one that my grandparents had - they brought out the same one every year, they were frugal times I guess!

>129 msf59: Happy next morning, Mark! Wednesday, that is. *smile* I’m glad you had a good BWWB. Ah, I’ve only seen a Pileated Woodpecker once, but I know they’re out here because Louise mentions them occasionally. I hope Rehab went well.

>130 figsfromthistle: Hi Anita, and thank you. Chocolate is certainly tempting, but Advent Calendars should be sacred for the child. Had fun at book sorting, see below.

>131 richardderus: Hiya, RDear. Glad you have a good memory of an Advent Calendar and your mama came through with the book. *smooch*

>132 Jackie_K: Oh, Jackie, I’m so glad to see you here. I’ve fallen down the rabbit hole of contemporary fiction (read: steamy romances). This started in April, and I’m almost bewildered by this absolute need I have to read Happily Ever Afters and what my daughter calls smut and my friend Karen in Montana calls porn. *shrug* I’m chalking it up to a delayed reaction to my heart attack last November and am not trying to force myself out of it. The books I’ve been reading are on my Kindle, and starting in July, all of these have taken advantage of Kindle Unlimited.

My heart is doing well. I’m still on a regimen of a statin, a blood thinner and other heart meds. Good news, though – I’ve just been taken off Brilinta and put on an aspirin (81 mg) once a day instead. Being off Brilinta allows me to have elective surgeries, and I’m hoping that a consultation on January 5th with an orthopedics surgeon will translate into knee replacement surgery early in 2023.

Yikes to your having had Covid in May, and I’m sorry a horrible cold has you in its grip. I can hardly believe your darling girl is 9 now – mine’s TWENTY-nine and the love just keeps growing. I hope the Christmas concert went well. I'm glad you masked up. I mask up every single time I enter any building - grocery shopping, pharmacy, Library, into and out of a restaurant, etc. I rarely eat out, although this week I'm eating out today and Friday and ate out yesterday.

Fun/interesting that your grandparents brought out the same one every year. Makes sense, actually.

Advent calendars don’t do anything for me. I was raised without the benefit (?) of church except for a time in 5th grade where I went to a Lutheran church with a friend for perhaps 3-4 months. My dad rejected religion/church when he served in WWII, and when he married my mom in 1952, the year before I was born, either deliberately prevented her from going to church or expressed his disinterest in going to church and she didn’t want to go alone. Either way, church was never, ever a part of my childhood, and being in church actually makes me majorly uncomfortable.

Wordle 536 4/6* adieu, truth, stuff, joust

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So yesterday's book sorting went well. We got through the donations rather quickly then went to late breakfast at Virlie's. There were 8 of us and the conversation was lively. I worked out after that, chatting with a woman named Peggy and then another woman named Eva - look at me, talking to people I don't know! - and successfully worked out for 30 minutes on the treadmill. I even got back up to my highest speed - 2.3 mph - but kept it flat, no incline, for the ruptured Bakers Cyst, as the sports medicine doctor told me to do. I paid for it last night, but will continue to pay for it in favor of my heart, hoping that knee replacement surgery (which will eliminate the Bakers Cyst permanently) will occur early next year.

Didn't watch any soccer yesterday except for the last bit of the Morocco/Spain match. We watched a documentary about the Nazca Lines in Peru. It was fascinating.

Today is lunch with the Branch Librarian Rita, possibly a small grocery store run since I'll be in town.

Morning, Karen. Happy Wednesday. I got to work in the mammal nursery yesterday. This is where the animals go after ICU and before they are released into the general Rehab area. Several opposums and a fox squirrel. The highlight was a flying squirrel. You can imagine how cute they are. I love those big eyes. I am joining a volunteer buddy for Trail Watch this AM. Books & Juno in the PM.

Enjoy your lunch with Librarian Rita.

Slightly smutty six-pack photo:

Hubba hubba, no?

*smooch*

>135 richardderus: 😂

>135 richardderus: Be still my heart!

Good morning, Karen! I'm off to fix breakfast, having gotten Mama up first without trouble. Yay! Three for me today; Wordle success comes and goes for us. Hope you get a day at home except for your lunch with Rita.

It must be reading about all your romance books that had me checking out the 3 for a dollar romance novels at the book store beside the Vancouver Library. Not only did I bring back my library holds but 3 historical romances as well. Could have been more but the 5 library holds are hefty.

>133 karenmarie: Advent calendars are kind of like Christmas - religion mostly optional. It's Mike and Becky who insist on the tree - I like garlands better. I grew up celebrating religion-lite Christmas. I think it was only in the words of the carols that Christianity was at all specific to our mid-winter revels. Of course I admit that Advent is specific, but those TJs calendars addicted Becky and it's a fun count down.

Happy Thursday, Karen!

>133 karenmarie: I was raised with Protestant church, but without advent calendars. Not sure if they weren't around, or considered Catholic and thus wrong.

Morning, Karen. Sweet Thursday. Trail Watch went well yesterday. It is always nice to get some fresh air and exercise. I plan on doing the same this AM, when I meet my birding buddies. I am also trying to shake a stubborn cold, so I will be laying low the rest of the day.

>134 msf59: Hi Mark and happy Thursday to you. I can imagine how cute the babies were. Yay for the flying squirrel. Sounds like your day was busy AND relaxing. Alas, the lunch was cancelled. Rita had an earache, of all things.

>135 richardderus: Ha, ha. Clever. Took me a minute to figure it out. *smooch*

>136 drneutron: Hi Jim.

>137 LizzieD: Hi Peggy. Yay for your three. Today it took me 5, see below. As I wrote above, Rita had to cancel. We’re scheduled for next Wednesday. Bill stayed home, so it wasn’t an alone day.

>138 Familyhistorian: So, I’m an inspiration, eh, Meg? I hope you enjoy them. I’m into contemporary stuff right now, which is SO NOT ME, but I’m just going to continue going with it until I decide to do something different. I’ve gotten to the point of only checking one Library book out at a time, and usually return those unread. However, Anxious People was a Library book for our recent book club discussion, and I loved it.

>139 quondame: Hi Susan. I’ve done garlands in the past, usually trailing them across balcony rails or down the stairs and on the mantle. We’re going to finally decorate the artificial tree this coming weekend. We had a religion-lite Christmas too, growing up. Traditions for kids is good, too.

>140 FAMeulstee: Hi Anita. Duckduckgo tells me The Advent calendar was first used by German Lutherans in the 19th and 20th centuries, and has since then spread to other Christian denominations. – Wikipedia So, Protestant, but pretty specific.

>141 msf59: ‘Morning, Mark, and sweet Thursday to you, too. Yay for Trail Watch. Glad you’re going out with your birding buddies this a.m. Sorry about your cold, hope some R&R and books shakes it.

Wordle 537 5/6* adieu, rivet, inner, inter, infer. Darned alphabet soup.

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A RL book club friend is coming over noonish today for a visit. She's had such a tough time of it in the last three years - brain tumor, surgeries, potential loss of sight in her right eye which is now healed, definite slowdown in speech. It will be 62F-ish, so I’m hoping she’d like to sit outside since Bill co-opts the living room and he's home today, and my Library is a mess with lots of books that need to be rehomed. Perhaps the Sunroom – I’ll l bring in a comfy chair and we can enjoy the outdoors from inside.

>142 karenmarie: I'm glad you liked the breadbasket photo...it made me chortle.

Have a lovely visit today...is the kitchen not an option? I can't recall you ever mentioning it, but I've always assumed yours was an eat-in kitchen. And we can be *sure* it's clean and tidy!

*smooch*

Hiya, RDear. Chortle is a good word, not used enough.

*blinks* Well, we could sit in the breakfast room. A quick cleanoff of a few things on the table is all that's really required, so yeah. That might do it. Good idea. Kitchen's under control. And now that you've mentioned it, the dining room, too, would work. More options than I originally thought! *smooch*

Good morning, Karen! Enjoy your visitor today; I'm sure she'll be happy to be with you wherever you decide to sit. I vote for the breakfast room or the sunroom.
Sorry about your alphabet soup. It popped into my head at guess 3, so I was happy. Anyhow, Streak the Streak!

>142 karenmarie: Thanks for looking up that one, Karen, that explains it.
Lutheran is not Calvinism either, and I was properly raised in the tradition of the Dutch Reformed Church. When I moved out, I also left the church behind.

>145 LizzieD: Hi Peggy! Yay for your three, today I got it in two. I had a great time with Jacque. We sat on the front porch for an hour, then in the living room for another hour.

>146 FAMeulstee: You're welcome, Anita. I love looking stuff up on the Internet. When I went to college, I went to a private Christian University affiliated with the Church of Christ. As freshmen, we had to attend chapel every morning and take 4 religion courses as part of the requirements for our 4-year degree. It was okay, it was interesting. I read the Bible cover-to-cover in 2017 for the first time ever, which, as it turns out, is more than many Christians I know.

Wordle 538 2/6* adieu, braid. I used Richard's alphabet-order method to choose from 3 words. Thanks, RD!

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Today I will be taking Louise to lunch at the same restaurant I take friend Jan to - Taziki's. I know Louise will love the food. She frets that the drive is too much but I don't care and want to spend the time with her. I'll pick her up at 10:45 to get there 11:30ish. Unless she cancels for some reason, which actually wouldn't surprise me.

Morning, Karen. Happy Friday. I am still struggling with this nasty cold. Sue had the exact same thing a couple of weeks ago. She will take my Jackson shift this AM but Bree will bring him over here late afternoon for a sleepover. Jack has a cold too but is getting better. We may get a little snow today but it shouldn't last long.

Enjoy your lunch today with Louise.

Have a nice time with Louise!

I also Wordled in 2 today :)

>147 karenmarie: Ha! Well, I was 3 for today because I used my old second word.

*I* have read the bible from Genesis to Revelation and, while I've never succeeded in believing in it, I am better educated in it than most christians who claim to use it to organize their lives. Hypocrites.

>148 msf59: ‘Morning, Mark, and happy Saturday to you. I’m sorry you’re still so sick. I hope you’ll be able to rest up today. Lunch news below.

>149 katiekrug: Hi Katie! Yes for Wordle in 2. Today it took 4, but I’m not complaining.

>150 richardderus: Congrats on 3, RDear. Ah yes, the Bible. I have dozens of them plus almost a dozen New Testaments, one Qu'ran, one Jewish Bible, and quite a few books that didn't make it into the Bible. I have many different translations, owned by various family members, and many other books about religion in my catalog, too. In fact, 137 books tagged ‘religion’. It’s an endlessly fascinating subject to me. Once I got to college, I seemed to have the face that launched a thousand conversions, because so many people tried to convert my heathen self. It's not pleasant to be pushed up against a wall at a Bible study and almost forced to say the words. It's also not nice to have family members say you're going to hell. Ah well, with age comes wisdom, and I don't feel the need to explain myself ever again. It's between me and the Universe.

Wordle 539 4/6* adieu, color, pooch, knock

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I had a wonderful time with Louise yesterday. We rehashed quite a few things relating to her daughter/SiL's move to FL. She's going to go visit them and a dear friend in Florida starting next Saturday. She doesn't know how long she'll be gone, but probably a minimum of 3 weeks or so. She's taking her dear dog Sookey.

Today's soccer and maybe decorating for Xmas.

In the meantime, the house is quiet, I'm on my first cup of coffee, and I'll be LTing and reading for a while.

Morning, Karen. Happy Saturday. I am waking up feeling better today. It was a rough few days. Sue is currently sleeping with Jackson in our guest bedroom. He is also getting over a cold but is still as cute as ever. We are meeting Bree & Sean later and we are going to Brookfield Zoo for their holiday lights extravaganza. It will be Jackson's first time. We have not been there since our kids were small.

Glad you had a nice lunch with Louise. Is this the same neighbor/friend that likes birds?

'Morning, Mark, and happy Saturday to you, too. I'm glad you're feeling better! I hope your trip to the Brookfield Zoo is wonderful.

Yes, Louise has been birding since her mid-20s, so over 60 years now.

I had a Downy on my suet feeder earlier this morning, and I've got Cardinals, Mourning Dove, and finches in the Crepe Myrtle. I've seen a White-Breasted Nuthatch hanging around lately, and just saw a Tufted Titmouse on the sunflower seed feeder.

>151 karenmarie: "the face that launched a thousand conversions" LOLOL

I'm so deeply enmeshed in the hatred of their spiritual imperialism and their extremely poor logical skills that I can't see much favorable about the religion. The texts it's purported to be founded on are...well...substandard plot-wise, shall we say, and that's just unforgivable! The mythology of the Buddha is a delightful story, a legendarium with a strong through line and lacking the self-contradictory stuff larded into the various bibles. No more true, of course, but so much better constructed.

Well. Hope your day includes the fun of crappin' the place up for Christmas. And watching history...whether Argentina advances or not, Messi's last shot at a World Cup is now!

*smooch*

Morning, Karen. Happy Sunday. You must be sleeping in. We had a good time with Jackson and family yesterday. The zoo light display was impressive. The weather wasn't bad at all, for this time in December- just cloudy and chilly. We came back here with Bree & family. Ate a Mexican meal, had some beers and watched a Christmas show. Of course, Jackson cracked us up a couple of times.

Nothing planned today but books and football and since my lowly Bears are not playing it will be mostly reading. Enjoy your day.

>154 richardderus: Hiya, RD. I agree that Christianity, as a political tool, not a statement of personal belief or faith, is spiritual imperialism. I've never thought about it like that before.

>155 msf59: 'Morning, Mark, and happy Sunday to you. I did sleep in - 'til 8:20. I'm trying to get through my first cup of coffee and go down the rabbit hole of various duckduckgo searches for stuff below. *smile*

Glad the visit/trip went well yesterday. Of course Jackson cracked you all up - it's not exactly the same, but our kitties provide a high level of amusement, too. Yup to your Bears, yup to my Panthers, but the Chiefs play the Broncos at 4-whatever, which I might want to watch, and the Panthers play the Seahawks at 4-whatever, which I won't want to watch. Baker Mayfield was traded to the Rams last week and don't know who the starting QB will be today. I'm pretty much over them for the season.

Yesterday was the two World Cup Matches, which I watched. I was thrilled to see Morocco upset Portugal, not because I didn't want Portugal to continue through, but because Morocco is so scrappy and persevering, with a great defense. And the second game, oh, my goodness. England lost to France on the boot of Harry Kane, who fluffed a chance to tie it in the 80-somethingth minute. Interestingly, I've watched a few 'Harry Kane misses penalty kick' YouTube videos, and he tends to go up left when he misses. I would have been okay with England winning, but really want France to be only the 3rd country to win two times in a row after Italy (1934–1938) and Brazil (1958–1962).

Wordle 540 3/6* adieu, raise, naive

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We're going to, as you put it, crap the place up for Christmas today. And I'm going to make Pecan Puffs to send to friend Karen in Montana. And maybe wrap a few presents. And maybe continue working on the Christmas letter. And etc.

This week I'll definitely be watching the soccer matches, 2 p.m. our time both days. I'd love to see Argentina win because of Messi and France to win so that they can win the final:

I always love an underdog, so I'm hoping for a Morocco-Croatia final :)

Enjoy your Christmas-y Sunday!

Hi Katie!

This does not surprise me about you at all, no indeed. *smile*

We did our minimalist amount of decorating around the house, including the tree. We're pleased with our tree.

Ooh the tree looks great Karen!
We are enjoying the World Cup and at this point I don't have a strong preference for a winner, which makes watching a lot less stressful.

>158 karenmarie: That is so beautiful! Our tree is still in the loft, we'll probably put it up next weekend. As usual I've left things till the last minute and have missed the international posting dates and am about to miss our second class posting date too (it's tomorrow, and I'm at work all day). I don't know why I'm getting worked up though, I'm the same every year!

Ummm. Gorgeous tree, Karen! My DH got a little one for us for the first time in a couple of years. We'll likely get no more than lights on it, if that. Otoh, I love to have tree scent in the house!
Glad your time with Louise was good.

I'm sorry that you and Richard have been victimized by Christians. I'm sorry that Apology is not my strong point. The Bible is a very human book, but I hope that anybody who reads the whole thing comes out seeing the centrality of the promise of God's presence and the call to obedience which focuses on justice for the marginalized. There's really not a lot about the quest for individual perfectibility, much less the assumption of it. I think a focus on that is a misreading. I also think that both of you value the conditions and qualities given as harvest of the spirit: love, peace, joy, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, fidelity, and self-control. These are not exclusively Christian - you both live them daily - but I'd be happy to see you acknowledge them to stand against hypocrisy and spiritual imperialism, which are both certainly true of us.
I've never done this before, and I won't do it again.

ETA: 3 for me today too, Karen!

Good for you, Karen, on crapping up the place for Christmas. My most recent accomplishment in that regard was removing grapevine wreaths that Judi's dad made for all the windows. We'd get them out around Thanksgiving, hanging one in most windows, suspended on a loop of fishing leader. They were still up when Judi died, so they were there almost 2 years. Some of the loops failed, dropping their wreaths to the bottom of the windows. So now they are in a stack on the hall bench, waiting for the house elf. Ah, memories.

My big accomplishment of last week was breaking up a coven of does blockading the road I was driving on. Virtually no traffic (just me), pitch dark at 10:30, at least two does standing on the centerline, staring. I hit the brakes, aiming for what I hoped was a gap in the lineup. Nerfed one of them aside and continued another half-mile to (ironically) a body shop with outdoor lights, where I stopped momentarily to look at the damage. Car was crapped up, but obviously still roadworthy. So I sobbed all the way home. It'll get fixed. And so it goes.

I'm gonna watch the Eagles football team crash into the Giants football team. Hope the Birds don't stumble. I'll also be sketching some plans for more shelves, since those recently completed are full, and still there are books unshelved. And so it goes.

>158 karenmarie: Lovely lovely lovely!

>156 karenmarie: I took three as well because I used the old #2 and thus had four of five letters!

*smooch*

Tree is beautiful and looks great next to the graceful stairway.

>162 weird_O: Oh my, that sounds harrowing. We once trashed a doe and a fender in the wilds north of Santa Barbara and had to console ourselves for hours at Pea Soup Anderson's waiting for a tow.

Your tree looks lovely, Karen. What a great spot for it!

>159 lauralkeet: Thank you, Laura. Not having a strong preference for the winner does allow for a stress-free enjoyment of the World Cup. I honestly don’t know how I’ll feel if France loses to Morocco – probably unhappy at first then thrilled for the underdog.

>160 Jackie_K: Thanks, Jackie. I know that when Jenna was little, I was always behind during the holiday season, always stressed. I’m still a bit stressed right now but not horribly. I hope you have minimal amounts of stress and maximum amounts of enjoyment.

>161 LizzieD: Thanks, Peggy. Would I prefer a real one? Yes. Will that ever happen again? No. C'est la vie. The scent of a Christmas tree is a joy, for sure. Another thing we won’t have this year unless I cheat with pine boughs for the mantle. Probably not. This is a low-stress Christmas. Yay for your tree, lighted and decorated or not.

Louise and I did have a good time. She’s going to be gone from the 17th through probably mid-or-end of January, visiting daughter/SiL in Florida then visiting a friend who lives in a different part of Florida. She’s taking her very old and failing dog, Sookie, with her. We’ll see how that goes.

Okay. Christianity. Religion. Thank you for identifying qualities that you say I live daily. I acknowledge that true Christianity – the true teachings of Christ – are all of those things and more. I appreciate what you write, appreciate your Christianity, and certainly love you for that, and all aspects of your own dear self that emanate from that central belief system.

I think that too many people in religions that fervently proselytize lose track of what you wrote - the centrality of the promise of God's presence and the call to obedience which focuses on justice for the marginalized. There's really not a lot about the quest for individual perfectibility, much less the assumption of it. Unfortunately, that’s been my experience of Christianity, starting in high school with a friend named Karen Piatt (what’s with me and Karens?), through college and constant pressure from the Church of Christ, through waitressing in Connecticut and having one of my managers pressuring me to attend a Bible study where I was literally backed up against a wall with a finger in my chest demanding that I accept Jesus Christ as my personal Savior, and then being estranged from my sister for 3 years in the mid-1980s after she told me she was sorry I was going to Hell and she’d pray for me. Less pressure after that, but by then the damage was done, and a quality I have that is not in the list above – stubbornness – came into play, and I was (you’ll excuse the word) blessed (or damned, more like) if I would say words I didn’t believe in order to appease anybody. I have always believed in “God”. I used to say I was monotheistic, but I’ve changed in that I’m now a Liberal Theist. For me, there are many ways to get to “God”, not just the Abrahamic monotheistic religions, So, I accept that anybody who seeks spiritual connection to the Godhead is alright by me, whether it’s Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Shinto, Taoism, or any other consolidated grouping of people who share the same beliefs.

When we are able to meet face to face, I’d love to discuss any/all of this with you.

Congrats on Wordle in 3 yesterday.

>162 weird_O: Hiya, Bill, and thanks re our decorating, or, ‘crapping up the place’ as Richard calls it, for Christmas. We will put up the increasingly-few Christmas cards we get on the windows in the Breakfast Room. Jenna put out the Christmas stockings, and we did a few other, very minor things, in the Breakfast Room and Dining Room. That’s it for us. I’m so sorry the grapevine wreaths have had to come down and out, ending an era.

I’m glad you are okay after the experience with the does, sorry that your car needs work. It’s just one thing after another, isn’t it?

I see that the Iggles stomped the Giants, 48-22. Yay for your Iggles. Katie – I’m sorry about your Giants. The Panthers won yesterday. I actually watched from the second half of the 3rd quarter to the end. They squeaked by, 30-24. Had the squib kick worked for the Seahawks, they might have won with a literally last few seconds touchdown/conversion.

Yay for more shelves. When you get tired adding them to your house, come visit me. You do beautiful work. *smile*

>163 richardderus: Hiya, RD, and thank you. Yay for 3. *smooch*

>164 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks, Reba. We’ve had a Christmas tree there 23 of 25 years. No tree at all in 2020 or 2021.

>165 quondame: Hi Susan. Oh yum, Anderson’s Split Pea Soup. I wouldn’t eat it now because I don’t eat ham anymore, but split pea soup in general always pleases me.

Jenna was with me when she was about … 8? … and a doe ran at the car when I was going about 45 mph. Hit the right front fender, flew across the hood and left side of the windshield, then landed off the road on the other side. Jenna and I were okay, and I got a new Volvo SUV out of it.

>166 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg. I agree about the spot. Out of the way but viewable when we’re in the living room, viewable from the road when driving in.

Wordle 541 4/6* adieu, aglow, alpha, apply

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Jenna just left for work. Looks like Bill's staying home. I've got a lot of Christmas stuff to work on today. Plus reading, of course. 🤗

Morning, Karen. The Christmas tree looks great. This is the second year we have not decorated. We are not hosting anything, so Sue doesn't want to hassle with it. She does most of the work, so it is hard to complain.

I am gradually feeling better. I am meeting my birding buddies this AM and then doing a Costco run. Go Panthers! I was lucky enough to see the end of that game.

Sneaking in just to say "Hello." I hope you have a marvelous Monday, Karen!

Good morning, (((((Karen)))))! Thank you for speaking to my sad little attempt to say a word for my faith. Honestly, I leave salvation in God's hands. I could proof-text a lot, I guess, but I am sure of God's love for all of us. If that's Pie-in-the-Sky-by-and-by, so be it.
Now. That is all, but I do so look forward to seeing you eventually (which also begins to feel like pitsb&b *sigh*), and I expect we'll eventually get around to discussions about spirituality.
Meanwhile, Wordle in 4 for me today too, and I had first and last letters correct from my 2 starters.

Love, love, love your second word on Wordle. So seasonal and perfect!

5 for me today.

I started trying Dordle (solving two Wordles at once) yesterday and so far have a streak of two wins in place - although I had to look on the net for a list of words with 2 y's.

I also started trying Quordle (four at once) and have a brilliant streak of two failures. :) I did get two words each day.

>167 karenmarie: It was a 3day for me today because I used word #2. Weird pattern today, for me, because I had the first and the last letters in proper position...and no others! Strange.

Happy week-ahead's reads. *smooch*

>168 msf59: ‘Morning, Mark, and happy Tuesday to you! Thanks re our Christmas tree. We’re quite pleased with the quality and how easy it was to set up, plus… ornaments. We had a lot of fun choosing what ornaments to put on. We didn’t decorate in 2020 or 2021. I can understand not wanting to decorate at all, especially with Sue just off that terrible cold and you at the tail end of it. I almost want to get a Costco membership and go again, but we’ve figured out how to source all the recurring stuff and with its being 30 miles away, just have to let it go. The ending of the Panthers game was good, wasn’t it? Made me feel better about them, and Darnold did a great job. The definitely had their running game going.

>169 alcottacre: Hello Stasia! I had a productive day. I hope you have a good week.

>170 LizzieD: Not sad at all, Peggy. I appreciate your speaking to your beliefs. You don't try to proselytize me or tell me I'm going to hell, so we're good. Re God's love - I am reminded of the song we sang as children during the few times I went to church or went to what I now know is called VBS. I only knew the first verse, so that’s all I’ll put here:

Jesus loves me! This I know,
For the Bible tells me so;
Little ones to Him belong,
They are weak but He is strong.
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.

I’d love to see you in the Pitt. You can visit me and your friend Bobbie. Discussions of all sorts will occur, in addition to many in-person hugs.

Yay for Wordle in 4. It took me 5 today because of alphabet soup.

>171 streamsong: Hi Janet! It was an appropriate word, wasn’t it? Anything but a skunk is good, IMO. Yikes. Dordle and Quordle? I love Wordle but could see myself either obsessing or throwing things if I tried any more ‘ordles’.

>172 richardderus: Hi, RDear. Thanks re my week’s reads. Still obsessing over contemporary fiction = romance. I’m reading the second book of a duet, Here Comes My Man. *smooch*

Wordle 542 5/6* adieu, grope, phone, spore, spoke

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I assembled, boxed, and mailed two packages to friend Karen in Montana yesterday, wrapped a present for Bill from my sister, one for Jenna from us, and worked out. My knee and calf protested the whole time, even with Tramadol and a knee brace and a compression stocking. I'll continue to go, though, under the assumption that it will get sorted out in early 2023. Not sorted out enough to treadmill for a while after I get the knee replacement, obvs, but still. Time to start taking care of my heart again.

Today is book sort team, possibly brekkie/early lunch after, then home to speak with my sister before the 2 p.m. Argentina/Croatia fixture. What a word for a match. Christmas cards. Would it surprise anybody that I have a spreadsheet, sorted descending on zip code so I can send the ones farthest away first? *smile*

And for now, coffee, visiting a few threads, a bit of reading, and etc.

Morning, Karen. I had a good time with my birding buddies yesterday. We saw several different waterfowl, including mute swans. We still haven't seen a big increase yet, due to our milder temps. Getting ready to shove off to my Rehab gig.

>173 karenmarie: Your health-goal (re)dedication is inspiring and encouraging, Horrible. Have a wonderful time at your book-fondling party!

*smooch*

>173 karenmarie: Good morning, friend of my heart! Stay warm!

I keep saying I won't say anything else, but I've seen Karl Barth quoted as having said that the most profound statement of faith is "Jesus loves me; this I know for the Bible tells me so."

>173 karenmarie: My mother concluded her story of my older brother's singing "Jesus Loves Me" late into the night on a group camping trip with "Good thing, 'cause Jesus was the only one who did."

>174 msf59: ‘Morning, Mark, and happy Wednesday to you. Yay for a BBA, birding buddy adventure. I hope Rehab went well.

>175 richardderus: Thanks, RD, re my health goal. Book Fondling Party details below. *smooch*

>176 LizzieD: Hi Peggy. Warmth is usually not a problem until late afternoon,when I can’t seem to get warm without many layers or making the room ridiculously warm. Ah, well, that’s what microfleece and wool are for. Thanks re the Karl Barth quote. I’ve never heard of him, so just spent a few minutes down the duckduckgo rabbit hole looking at his life and beliefs.

>177 quondame: That’s funny, Susan.

Wordle 543 3/6* adieu, vault, usual

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Yesterday's book fondling = sorting, was great. There were only 6 of us, with two zipping in for a bit then having to leave. I saw a couple of very ratty mass market paperbacks of Dorothy Sayers' Lord Peter Wimsey that went to the thrift shop, and two really old mass market paperbacks of Agatha Christie, that I put in the tub for our researcher to check on. Four of us went to brekkie and had a wonderful time chatting. I had hot tea and an egg biscuit.

Both Jenna and Bill went to work, so I have the house to myself. My guess is that Bill will come home before the 2 p.m. France-Morocco soccer match. We'll see. If he doesn't, I'll have to get him on the phone to help me navigate to where I can watch it.

Morning, Karen. Happy Wednesday. Rehab went fine. Very slow time of the year. I am leading a bird walk this AM. It is currently raining, so not sure how this will go. I am sure some hardy souls will show up. Wish us luck...

Hi Mark! Happy Wednesday to you, too. Yay for a good Rehab stint. Yikes. Good luck to traipsing around in 38F rainy weather. Brrrrr.

I've got a Carolina Wren on the suet feeder, finches, and a Female Cardinal on the sunflower seed feeder. The female Cardinal is very territorial right now, pushing all the wrens off. Ah, a Red-Bellied Woodpecker just landed on the sunflower seed feeder, chasing everybody else away. Fun times.

Question. As an orange cat expert, I turn to you, Karen. Are gingers always so full of endless energy and mischief? Do they ever outgrow it? Will I live that long? Exhausted minds (and bodies) want to know... ;-)

>178 karenmarie: Your book-fondling activities were just short of statutory violation of an inanimate person's person, then. Good...glad you're reining it in.

Happy who-the-hell-caresday! *smooch*

Hi Shelley!

Hmmm. Our gingers usually get hairs up their a**es just after I feed Zoe some wet food around 5 p.m., tearing around, leaping on and through the kitty condo, all over the downstairs, and even upstairs and back down again. Of course, they're 4 and 3, so youngish. I'm trying to remember our other kitties and am not sure it's limited to gingers. Our Coco Chanel used to chase imaginary bugs on the breakfast room rug, Magic and Merlin played hard together when they were young. My guess is it's just a personality thing, which would explain why you don't mention Owen, just Theo.

Sorry I didn't see your question on your thread and you had to come over here.

Zoe also has an endearing trait of chasing her tail in the hallway outside the Sunroom. She's been known to run into the door jamb and the door when she stops chasing, gets dizzy, and then runs. Jenna and I love watching her in this tail-chasing frenzy, and Jenna has captured a few videos of some of it.

You will outlive the cat children. I don't have any answers for you. We've cat-proofed the house just because of this behavior, and I'm very sad that my Llladro Christmas Bells, 1986-2022, will only have token representation on a small, out-of-the-way dining room hutch shelf instead of the pre-Covid decorating full spread on the full hutch. I'm worried that Zoe will zoom across the hutch and knock some off. Here's what won't probably ever happen again:



On the other hand, Bill and I spoke about how to display them, and I want an antique glass-fronted lawyer's bookcase in the living room, which can house books for most of the year and house my Lladro Christmas bells early December - early January. Something like this, although more ... substantial, or antique-y looking. But definitely with the glass lifting out and sliding into the case itself so that everything's available at once, not sliding across.

>183 karenmarie: OOOOooo - nice!!! I don't know about Lladro Christmas bells. My MiL had a couple of boxes of little china bells that I used to tie on our tree. I loved that the tree looked, smelled, and sounded pretty. Too time consuming these days!

>177 quondame: Heh heh heh!

>181 jessibud2: Our gingers are a bit older than Karen's, and I don't see any lessening of energy when they're wound up. Maybe they don't wind as easily as they used to, but Batman is fixing that for us and them.

Glad the books and breakfast were fun, Karen. Enjoy your partial home-alone day. It's soup day for me, but I'm also gingered up a bit with Wordle in 3.

Thanks, Karen (and Peggy). Theo will be 3 years old in January. All my cats were young when I got them (Jessie and Buddy were littermates, came to me at 6 weeks of age), Mia and Lexi were 2 and 3 when I brought them home from the shelter. Theo is now almost 3 and Owen is 4. But NONE of my other cats, EVER, were as mischievous as Theo. He is also the only ginger I have ever had so I thought maybe there was a correlation to this that I didn't/should have known about. I have had to cat-proof this house more for Theo than for any other cat I have ever had. When my handyman sends me his bills, he itemizes such things as *Theo-proofing*. He (Theo, not handyman) is just so full of beans. He does the tail-chasing and the phantom chasing of whatever, as all cats do. But he is just so naughty. Sometimes, he stands still and if he could speak English, he would be surely be saying, "Hmmm. What haven't I got into today? Or this week? Or lately, in general." I should sit down one day and make a list of everything he has done. Yet, all that said, he is also one of the most affectionate cats I've ever had, too. That is truly his saving grace, and I make sure he knows it. One day he will be old and geriatric and possibly arthritic. Maybe then he won't jump as much. Or be as curious. Who knows...

Happy Thursday, Karen!

>183 karenmarie: What are Lladro Christmas bells?
I did a quick search, but that didn't enlighten much.

Morning, Karen. Sweet Thursday. My guided walk went well, all considering. 7 hardy souls, saw 14 species, which was not bad in a light rain. I have Trail Watch duties this AM. Winter weather will be returning later today and stick with us, through Christmas. It is mid-December...

>184 LizzieD: Thanks, Peggy. Little china bells sound wonderful, but they would be lost in the shuffle on our tree because we have so many ornaments. We can't even use them all every year. Some are always out, some are only put out depending on our mood. I’ve got this year's ornament coming today by 9 p.m. I was in a rather pissy mood when I ordered it:



Ah, soup. I could make soup or chili, but I need to make lemon chicken tonight. Or, if I get lazy (again), tomorrow night. Yay for Wordle in 3. Today was, as I wrote below, painful.

>185 jessibud2: Shelley, that is a riot about having a handyman’s itemized bill have a recurring line item called “Theo-proofing”. Too bad the handyman is not full of beans and of a certain age… *smile* I am glad he, the cat, is affectionate. Each of my three kitties shows us affection in different ways. A topic for another day.

>186 FAMeulstee: Hi Anita. Lladró is a Spanish company based in Tavernes Blanques, Valencia, Spain, that produces high-end lighting, home accessories, decorative sculptures and porcelain figurines. It was formed in 1953 by three brothers named Lladró. There was a high-end porcelain store in the town I lived in in Southern California before moving to North Carolina in 1991 that had lots of expensive Lladró, and also sold probably their least expensive item – the Christmas Bell. That was all I could afford, and I did like them. I had 5 of them when I moved to NC, then Bill took over buying them for me as a Christmas present. I have all 37 years' worth. You should go to their website. Here’s last year’s Christmas Bell, which I never even took out of the box:



>187 msf59: Hi Mark! You almost snuck in on me. Sweet Thursday. Yay for an 8-person group, 8 being my lucky number and all. Good luck with the Trail Watch duties. Whew. Snow or super cold for you all this week. Friend Karen in Montana has been experiencing early winter weather near Bozeman MT. They were supposed to get 1” yesterday, which turned into 8”. Her neighbor, US Senator Steve Daines’ wife, Cindy, met her at the beginning of her unplowed road in her 4-wheel-drive SUV, and led Karen, in her NOT-particularly-good-for-winter sedan to her driveway. As Karen puts it, the Daines are great neighbors, but Republicans. She holds her nose politically but appreciates their personal kindnesses. I wonder if they know she wouldn’t vote for him if he were the last person standing? *smile*

Wordle 544 5/6* This one was painful, for some reason. adieu, brain, fairy, vicar, rival

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Yesterday was working on my Christmas card mailing list, wrapping my sister's presents and packaging but not yet mailing them, cleaning out the Tupperware cupboard, various and sundry putter-y sorts of things, and watching the France/Morocco soccer match. It was a good'un. Lloris, the French goal keeper made several critical saves. France won, 2-0. I'm happy with the final - Argentina vs. France, on Sunday.

Today's cold and rainy. I should go out to mail my sister's package, work out, and work on the letter/cards. Bill will work from home today and go have BBQ with a friend of ours. I got up too late to see Jenna off. I might set the alarm for tomorrow morning, just for S&G.

Coffee, LT, reading, and then stuff.

I did look at the Llandro website, Karen, and found those bells gorgeous but just one more damn thing to dust. My MiL's Hummel collection moved long ago to make way for books, thus gratifying 2 desires at once.

I do not want to go out in this, but I might just to get us our weekly take-out. It's oatmeal cookie day, and I need to set my butter out! (Family Joke: Grandmama's neighbor made wonderful pound cakes. She'd come over every week to report to Gm, "I've sot my butter out. Heee.")

I feel lucky that I pretty much avoided Wordle ABsoup today. Got it in 4. We'll likely exchange numbers tomorrow, but I hope we get it. Enjoy your day!

I'm uuu-up. Coffee in hand. We had a bit of snow overnight. I don't need to go out, so I won't.

Yesterday I got my shipment of Martha Gellhorn books for the current AAC. I even started The Face of War, a collection of her reporting first published in 1959. A revised edition came out in 1986, followed in 2018 by the edition I've started. Three introductions, of which I've read two. Then sleep.

I enjoy seeing your tree with all the trimmings.

ETA: The mailman just delivered two packages, and one is from my sister. She called me a couple of days ago to ask how I liked the cookies. Me: "What cookies?" She: "I sent you cookies. Tom (our brother) got his." She sent them UPS, and the UPS drivers won't deliver to the house; they leave packages at the end of the driveway, which can't be seen from the house. Either the UPSperson ate 'em, or some critter (raccoon?) got 'em. I told her she should always send stuff to me via USPS. Seems she tried again, this time using the people's own delivery system. I gotta go nibble now. :-)

>188 karenmarie: Happy Lladró Day!

*smooch*

>189 LizzieD: Yup, Peggy. Just one more thing to dust. I completely understand. I was never interested in Hummel figurines. Bill collected Tom Clark Gnomes, but I was never interested in those either. Those are upstairs in the Media Room collecting dust.

I was thinking of going out today, but every time I tried to get motivated, the skies opened up. It’s too late now. Maybe tomorrow. Ooh, those wonderful oatmeal cookies. I debated making them the other day, but got lazy. Maybe tomorrow. Yay for your 4.

My day’s been good, wrapped two books and packaged them for a certain friend who lives south of me… I might go to the PO tomorrow. *smile*

>190 weird_O: Hiya, Bill. Snow. I want snow. Yay for a shipment of books, always exciting. I have two on the way, both Christmas presents for myself.

Thanks re the tree. We are enjoying it. I hardly remember at all that it’s artificial. It looks like the type of tree we’ve always gotten. Yay for cookies from your sister. We’re lucky – everybody delivers to our house.

>191 richardderus: Thanks, RD! I really need to put out 8 or 10 bells. Happy Thursday to you. *smooch*

I've prepped chicken for lemon chicken - one bowl with white meat, EVOO, lemon juice, and pepper for Bill and Jenna, one bowl with dark meat, EVOO, and just lemon juice for me. I think we'll have garlic toast with.

Hi Karen! As usual it's been a while. Did you finish sending your Christmas cards? I'm not even half-way through, though many go to pen pals, and I wait to send the Christmas card for when I'm responding to a letter. So it'll take a while until I finish them up.

Hi Rachel!

You're way ahead of me - I have only sent 3 of 71 cards so far. Sigh. I need to get a pic of the three of us in front of the Christmas tree Saturday morning before we leave to visit a cousin of ours, which I'll then put in my Christmas letter. I need 35 Christmas letters. Tomorrow I might just write the cards that don't have a letter... but on the bright side, I've almost bought gifts for everybody.

Wordle 545 4/6* adieu, slope, phone, probe

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Jenna just left for work, Bill's office is closed for the day so he's home. Coffee, Christmas cards, puttering, reading, etc.

Second cup of coffee time.

edited to add: rather than clutter up Richard's thread with God stuff, here's Christmas card words a friend of mine sent out one year.

*never mind* wrong thread.

Hi Karen!

Hi Laura!

>195 karenmarie: A very clever concrete poem indeed! *smooch*

Friday starts early and I am *ready*!

Morning, Karen. Happy Friday. Winter is back. It started snowing yesterday afternoon. Not much accumulation but we are supposed to get another round or two. Our temps have dipped in to the 20s and will probably stay in that range, through Christmas. I have a lot of Jackson time coming up. I head over to Brees shortly and I will
bring the little guy back here around noon. We will keep him until tomorrow morning. Joy time!

>195 karenmarie: I love the Christmas tree up there. If only we can adhere to those simple things, we would be such a better and more compassionate country.

>198 richardderus: I thought so. Yes, you're out and about early, too. *smooch*

>199 msf59: 'Morning, Mark, and happy Friday to you. Brrrr. Yes, I see snow and frigid temps for you on weather.gov. Our temps will be colder, with hard freezes coming overnight, but highs will still be in the high 40s, low 50s for a while. That may change, of course, depending on the cold front. Thanks re Curtis's Christmas Tree. Have fun with Jackson - hope you or Sue get good sleep. *smile*

Good morning, Karen and Happy Day! That's a fine tree idea.

I'm watching a couple of big hawks??? circling from my window where I see big birds, and I'm about to roust Mama and give us breakfast with COFFEE!!

Good for you Wordling in 4; took me 5. Oh well.

>196 lauralkeet: Hey hey there, Laura. Karen's thread is always the right thread.

I've been roused from bed at 9:05 for several days running, a spammer calling. The landline phone is so far from the bedroom that I've not gotten to the phone quickly enough to see the caller's ID. This morning, I got up at 9...and the phone didn't ring. What!??

Today, I gots to get to shopping.

Hi Karen my dear, the Lladro Bell for 2021 looks lovely, we used to collect Lilliput Lane cottages and went to a couple of the annual collector's days, one at Harewood House near Leeds and the other at Cadbury World in Bourneville.

>201 LizzieD: Hi Peggy! It was a happy, if stupidly busy, day. Thanks re the tree. Ooh, hawks. I don’t like it when they perch in the Crepe Myrtle and scare all the birds away from the feeders, but I admit that I do like to see them hunting in our fields. Yay for being back on coffee. Today’s Wordle is 3 for me.

>202 weird_O: Flattery will get you everywhere, Bill. Thanks for the good words about my thread. Sorry about your 9 a.m. spammer. We get ‘em all the time. When we converted our landline from CenturyLink to Spectrum, most of those types of calls got caller ID’d as “Spam Risk”. Works for me. Bill occasionally goes through the call log and blocks the numbers. I hope the shopping trip went well.

>203 johnsimpson: Hi John. I do love my Lladró bells. I just looked up Lilliput Lane Cottages. I can see how much fun collecting them would be. Sending love and hugs to you and Karen and kitty skritches to Felix.

Wordle 546 3/6* adieu, brood, chord

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Yesterday I worked on Christmas cards, had Alex over to clean, had Louise visit to drop off a gift of a huge aloe vera plant that she doesn't want any more and have me keep some kind of flowering plant for her while she's gone, took 2 boxes to the PO, and worked out. Surprisingly, my knee/calf are not overly painful this morning from the 30 minute treadmill stint.

Bill, Jenna, and I are meeting Cousin Rebecca at a Taziki's Mediterranean Cafe for lunch today. Besides cards/gifts of food for her and her husband and her daughter and her new husband, I'll be wearing the most garish, ugly, hideous scarf with attached jewelry, the regifted present to Rebecca one year from her SiL. SiL is world-renowned for regifting crap she doesn't want and generally being cheap. What's especially amusing about this is that Rebecca/David are Pentacostals and wear absolutely no jewelry at all, even wedding rings. Rebecca would no more wear this than I would. I'll bring along the bag that she gave it to me in 2019 so she can regift it back to me next year. Here I am modeling it three days ago and sending it in the text to Rebecca when we were arranging lunch for today.

Morning, Karen. Happy Saturday. We are enjoying our time with Jackson and he has been such a good boy. He is sleeping with Sue right now. I am attending the Christmas Bird Count this AM. Crazy, I know but I will be bundled up. Low 20s, with a few inches of snow on the ground. I think there will be 10 of us in this particular group. Have a great lunch.

>204 karenmarie: Nice scarf! LOL.

Hoo boy that's some scarf, Karen. I love the traveling handbag too.

>204 karenmarie: ...that...she...you...
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...what the actual! *shudder* Burn it.

Yay for your 3day! *smooch*

>205 msf59: 'Morning, Mark, and happy Saturday to you. I'm glad your time with Jackson is going well. Good luck with the Christmas bird count. We're really looking forward to seeing cousin Rebecca. I'm especially looking forward to wearing a Christmas-y Mock-T and Christmas-y sweater and after ordering, unzipping the sweater to show the scarf in all its ... bleach-needed-for-the-eyeballs glory.

>206 lauralkeet: Yup, Laura. It's just .... well. The scarf and bag are already out and ready to wear/tuck in the bag with real Christmas presents.

>207 richardderus: Struck dumb, eh, RD? I agree, although I've had a few years to get used to it. Can't burn it - it goes back to Rebecca.

Thanks re my 3. *smooch*

>204 karenmarie: The Scarf actually looks like it might be fun to wear to a costume Dance party...

unless... that Cross is really attached to it...?!?

Morning, Karen. Happy Sunday. We had a nice time at a Christmas party last night. This was with all our camping buddies and they are such a great group of friends. The bird count, as expected was very cold and we worked hard to find birds, who must have been smarter than we were and stayed hidden. I saw 15 species, which is still pretty good for those conditions.

Today is books and football. Enjoy your day.

>209 m.belljackson: Hi Marianne! The cross and two large beads are anchored in place. So yes. I can't imagine wearing it anywhere, but cosplay folks or party goers might like it for a lark.

>210 msf59: Hi Mark, and happy Sunday to you. I'm glad you had such a good time at the Christmas party, and congrats on 15 species. Enjoy your birds and books. We've got France-Argentina in 40 minutes. Panthers play the Steelers at 1 p.m., Chiefs play the Texans, also at 1 p.m., AND the Cowboys play the Jaguars, also at 1 p.m.

Wordle 547 6/6* Ugh. Alphabet soup. adieu, raven, water, taker, tamer, taper

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Yesterday's lunch was a lot of fun. Seeing Rebecca without her having to host a bridal shower or a wedding for 500 guests for her daughter this summer was perfect. She cracked up over the scarf and we've decided that since she's mentioned it so many times to her MiL, our Aunt Ann, she'll send it to her with love. And snark.

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We were supposed to have our friends Geoff and Diane over for afternoon snackies today since they couldn't come on Thanksgiving because Bill got exposed to Covid on the Wednesday before, but Geoff tested positive for Covid yesterday and has mild cold symptoms. We cancelled then rescheduled for New Year's Day. Diane texted back that when she re-read the test instructions she thinks that she mis-read them and it's NOT Covid, but I said that even a cold at this point is not something we really want to get exposed to and what if the viral load was too low and it is Covid. Damned guessing game, but that leaves us free to watch France-Argentina in a bit and putter, relax, etc. the rest of the day. Maybe some US gridiron football.

>211 karenmarie: I hope y'all enjoy the Final.

I'm tired of having my left foot in the pile of pillows. I know why it's there, I agree that it belongs there, but I'm really, really bored with looking at Old Stuff!

The Christmas Lights Battle was a snortin' good time, JFYI.

Hiya, RD!

I enjoyed the final. It got exciting after France tied it 2-2 in straight time in the 81st minute then re-tied it in overtime. They lost in the shootout, however.

I'm sorry your foot is in a pile of pillows, and sorry that you have to look at OS.

*smooch*

>1 karenmarie: What a lovely photo! I send wishes for a warm and peaceful holiday. I know you dealt with a lot of health issues in 2022. I hope 2023 is a good year for you.

Hi Linda, and thank you. Thank you, too, for your holiday wishes, beautiful artwork as always.

My health issues are stabilized. With the addition of a mere 8 medications, my heart is good, stable, and continuing to pump away. I'm back to knee and etc. issues. I'm hoping to have knee replacement surgery in 2023 which will be a challenge of its own, but steadily working towards the goal of getting back to 'just' lower back pain in the next several years. I wish peaceful and joyous holidays for you, too.

Wordle 548 6/6* Another bit of alphabet soup. adieu, beach, grape, blame, flake, slate

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I finalized my Christmas letter with a photo of the three of us yesterday, realize that my printer won't give me the best quality, so after I get the last of the cards written, addressed, and stamped, will go into town, get copies, stuff where I can, then take to the post office.

Jenna's just about ready to go into the 20F morning, Bill's going to work today, and I'm really looking forward to a bit of Karen-alone-in-the-house-time.

Says it all. I am glad that Mbappe got the Golden Boot. Sad face, though, thinking of what could have been.

Morning, Karen. I had a very lazy day yesterday. I didn't even get much reading in. Both of our football teams lost. Not a big surprise, right? No birding or volunteer plans for today. I peeked out at the feeders- still pretty dim out there but I did see a junco, cardinal and a big bunny out there.

>216 karenmarie: He'll be there in 2026. Fuerza Messi!

>215 karenmarie: You went to the fruit salad bar, I see. Such an annoying sensation isn't it. *there there, pat pat*

Better-week *whammy* and a sympathetic *smooch*

>204 karenmarie: YOU look great!!!!! That scarf (?)! So the SiL didn't want it???? Hard to believe. Be sure that Aunt Ann reads the accompanying explanation before opening the box if she has a weak heart..... (I'm so proud, btw, that yours is strong. ) ((((((Karen))))))

Sorry about Wordle. I was stupid, so I'm relieved to have escaped with 4 today.

Stay warm! I think you're smart to avoid anything respiratory as you know!!! I told our niece and her husband yesterday to hold their breath, put their heads in Mama's door and wave. Next thing I knew, they were in the room and niece was talking away. Refining my rules again. It's hard.

>204 karenmarie: You look stunning! And, healthy!!!

Here is another wish for you!

>217 msf59: ‘Morning, Mark, and happy Tuesday to you. I can’t remember the last time you said you had a lazy day, unless you were sick. *smile* Yay for lazy days. I’m sorry about your Bears and my Panthers. Chief pulled it out in OT, apparently, not being able to get a field goal in the last however many seconds. Bill’s Cowboys lost to the Jaguars – I really like the Jaguars Trevor Lawrence, have ever since he was at Clemson. I hope your yesterday was lazy, too.

>218 richardderus: Hi RD! We’ll try to find French Ligue 1 matches to watch the rest of the year so we can watch Messi play with Mbappe on the same team, along with watching Premier League, Arsenal being our team. ... I’ll let the Real Karen back in a while, because… Karen?... soccer? Yes, yesterday was 6, but today is 3!!

Thanks re my week and a sympathetic *smooch* back at’cha.

>219 LizzieD: Hi Peggy, and thank you. SiL wears exactly that kind of stuff, but my guess is that she didn’t like the purple. Aunt Ann was there at the original opening and also got some kind of icky scarf, but she didn’t keep hers like Rebecca did for me. Thanks re my heart.

Avoiding colds/flu/Covid means cutting way back again, although I am being indulgent and going to book sorting. I wear a mask in the book sort room and when I visit Rita the Librarian in her office, and I wear a mask to our table and then put it back on when we pay and then leave the restaurant. Wore a mask yesterday when I went to get 30 copies of our family letter printed. Not cheap, but “Heather” was nice and it turns out that she’s the one who has printed the Friends bookmarks in the past. She said she’d make them for us free if we wanted, so I might take her up on it and get Fall 2023 bookmarks made for the Spring 2023 book sale. We couldn’t use these because we hand them out at the sale-before-the-one-on-the-bookmark, so I grabbed a bunch and the back is perfect for grocery store lists.



Wordle is just Wordle. I was glad to get the Phew! for a 6. Today’s much better.

Sorry your niece/husband lovingly barged in to see their Aunt, but you’re wise to refine the rules. Again. To keep your 101-year-old mama safe. You’re such a wonderful, caring, and devoted daughter!

>220 Whisper1: Thanks, Linda. I feel healthy in my core being. Another wish, thank you. You always find the most beautiful artwork.

Wordle 549 3/6* adieu, blind, third

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Yesterday got a bit tedious, with Bill angst, printer problems, and etc. I prepared Soft Oatmeal Cookie dough using Peggy's wonderful recipe, but didn't get any made.

The dough is now out to warm up a bit but not too much, and I'll bake the two cookie sheets worth before I leave for book sort this a.m. Lunch after - possibly with Rita the Librarian, but if not, with the book sort team. I'll mail all my Christmas cards this morning at the PO after that, then pick up a prescription at the Pharmacy on the way back from the PO. Might even go in to spend the last $14.09 on a new bottle of Claritin wannabe for next year. Logistics!!

Morning, Karen. It looks like we may be getting hit with our first big snowstorm on Thurs-Fri. Could be upwards of 20-24 inches and then only 10F for the Christmas weekend. Sighs...At least I don't have to work it in anymore. Whew! I will be getting the snowblower ready today or tomorrow. I have Rehab duties today and then me and Juno this afternoon.

'Next morning... 'Morning, Mark! Gracious. Lots of winter weather for sure, and the timing is dangerous for folks traveling. I'm so glad you don't have to work it any more. I hope Rehab went well and that you and Juno had a good time.

Wordle 550 3/6* adieu, vault, lunar

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Not a good night for sleeping at all, possibly a result of working out yesterday after the following errands/pleasures:

1. Book sorting. There were 6 of us.
2. Breakfast with 5 of the group.
3. Back to the Library to stuff, seal, stamp, and otherwise check/confirm all my Christmas cards.
4. Post Office, even going inside, to mail said cards.
5. Pharmacy, once again going inside.
6. Food Pantry to drop off egg cartons.
7. Workout.

Jenna's getting ready to go to work, Bill's up and getting ready to go to work. Just me and the kitties today, and the only thing I need to do is put a birthday card for my 87-year old aunt in the mailbox.

All Christmas prep is done except for last minute purchase on Friday of Prime Rib, baking potatoes, and possibly sausage & mozzarella cheese IF I decide to make breakfast pizza Christmas morning.

In the meantime, coffee and etc.

Morning, Karen. Happy Wednesday. I had to work outside yesterday for Rehab but it worked out pretty well and I finished early. All the water bowls are heated and there is a small heating pad to place the food. There are heat lamps here and there too. Thankfully, they really downgraded the snow totals here (probably less than 5") but it will be frightfully cold and windy through the weekend. The wind chill factor will be well below zero for the next several days. Yikes!

Hey there Horrible. It's almost over...stay strong. And deffo make the breakfast pizza!

*smooch*

>221 karenmarie: Ooh, is that recipe posted somewhere? I've been longing to figure out how my grandmother made her oatmeal cookies, which were chewy when fresh or when the humidity got to them, and otherwise required dunking before eating. But soft oatmeal is good too.

>225 msf59: Hi Mark, and happy Wednesday to you, too. I’m glad the snow total has been downgraded, but cold and windy are still not a lot of fun. Stay warm!

>226 richardderus: Hiya, RDear. I’ve had a wonderful day so far – wrote a check for Spectrum, wrote a birthday card for my aunt and took both to the mailbox. Puttered. Put the heater in the bird bath but somehow can’t find the 50’ extension cord, so bought another one, which will arrive on Friday. I think the guys who cleaned up around here a while back threw it away, but I’m not sure.

Breakfast pizza is yummy, and I haven’t made it since Christmas 2019. Maybe not, since it’s death by sodium, what with sausage, crescent rolls, eggs, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese. But oh, so yummy… *smooch*

>227 ffortsa: Hi Judy. Peggy shared this one with me after she mentioned them on her thread. Here’s the link:

Soft-Chewy-Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies

Happy Thursday, Karen!

>224 karenmarie: That was a busy day, your Tuesday. I get tired just reading it!
I hope your Wednesday was more quiet.

>229 FAMeulstee: Hi Anita, and thank you. Yesterday was blissfully quiet. I puttered, read, baked cookies, was generally calm.

Wordle 551 3/6* adieu, coven, excel

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Another day in paradise... one more Christmas card to send, bank for cash, and friend Dwain is coming over with a print I wanted two copies of, hence the need for cash. Friend Karen in Montana and I bought these prints in either 1980 or 1987 when I visited her. She let herself be badgered into giving hers to an acquaintance, and mentioned it to me earlier this year. I told her I still had mine. She didn't remember that I even had one. Eventually Jenna found it in a mailing tube in one of the dormers upstairs. I'm sending one of the copies to Karen as a late Christmas present. When I get it/them today, I'll post a pic of here. In the meantime, Jenna sent this to me and I cracked up.



In the meantime, coffee, LT puttering, reading, and etc.

Morning, Karen. Sweet Thursday. Bree has to do some real estate later this AM, (a showing or 2) so I will visit with Jack for a couple of hours. The bad weather moves in later this afternoon. Sue may not have to go into work either.

I had a good walk with my birding buddies yesterday. Over 20 species, including trumpeter swans and an adult bald eagle. Winter birding can be fun, if you pick the right location.

'Morning, Mark! Sweet Thursday to you, too. Awww, poor guy, having to spend time with Jack. *smile* Stay safe in the bad weather.

I'm glad you had a good walk yesterday, and congrats on over 20 species.

>230 karenmarie: LOLOL at the giraffe pimp. Words are really, really, really weird when you think at all deeply about them. I get so caught up in them that I sometimes forget what they are...sound and symbol meeting with a gigantic crash, there were no survivors.

I'm so glad you were able to restore friend-Karen's loss!

Have a lovely Thursday. I'm still looking at 50s for Saturday, and I'm a little shocked. Maybe it'll trend south of us?

I immediately thought of you when I saw it, RDear...

Our weather's supposed to get very, very cold, for us, starting tomorrow. 9F tomorrow night.

Here's a cell phone pic of that which was lost and is now going to be restored. Not subtle, is it?

>234 karenmarie: ...!!...
...words...fail me. The fluffy coal-scuttles they have on their heads...!!

and my work is done here

🥰

Giraffe Pimp! LOL. You have a way with words. As in Wordle. : )

>234 karenmarie: Oh my!

>235 richardderus: You were looking at the hats and not the skirts? Well, yes, I guess you were. ; ) Smooch.

Glad you're done with the Christmas cards! I, too, finished up this week. It was a long haul - I had 50 of them.

>237 Berly: Hi Kim! I know. Isn't it fantastic! Thank my kid - she frequently sends me gems.

All I can think of is dirty-minded Montana men in 1896 with this calendar and their wives/daughters/mothers not understanding the joke.

>238 The_Hibernator: Congrats on getting your cards done, Rachel. I'm really rather ashamed that I waited so long to get mine done, because all together it probably took me no longer than about 6-7 hours.

I gave up years ago trying to write notes in cards and gave in to the siren call of a Christmas letter. However, I've always made sure to avoid bragging and one-up-manship, unlike so many of the letters I've gotten over the years. I was pleased with this year's letter. And I really liked the pic I took for it. I'm going to use it for my first thread of 2023.

Wordle 552 4/6* adieu, alloy, among, aorta. Aorta is appropriate, given that my main aorta was 100% blocked last year, causing my STEMI heart attack.

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Yesterday was gloriously lazy. Both Jenna and Bill were gone, so I did a lot of puttering and reading.

Jenna has today and Monday off. Bill was supposed to work from home today, but his work computer is on the fritz and he needs to be there to work with the technician to get it fixed. Whether it's a BIOS problem, which seems increasingly likely and will require a new computer, or even just a problem they can't solve today, he may have to go in some next week.

I will go grocery shopping today. Jenna never, ever, gets time alone in the house, so I'll do it alone. Working out has gotten iffy again with my knee/calf playing up. We'll see.

Morning, Karen. Happy Friday. It is currently -8 out there but feels much colder. We are not leaving the house today. Sue has a lot of wrapping to do. I have lots of reading to do. Grins...I loved my time with Jackson yesterday. I just wish he would keep his socks on. He loves being barefoot. LOL.

Currently I see a bright red male cardinal, a couple juncos and a bunch of house sparrows, battling the elements.

I need some help spreading the news... https://www.librarything.com/ngroups/23884/75-Books-Challenge-for-2023

Happy Christmas from my Christmas gnome!

>239 karenmarie: Happy...whatever this eve's called...Booksgiving, I guess?

*smooch*

>228 karenmarie: re oatmeal cookies: They look like my grandmother's! I have high hopes. Maybe I'll make them for my birthday in January, after I shed the holiday excesses.

>241 drneutron: I was waiting for this!

And I love the giraffe pimp.

>240 msf59: Hi Mark! Happy Friday to you, too. Brrr. -8. It started out today here at 50F and is now 29F. Wrapping and reading, sounds good to me. Yay for the bird report.

>241 drneutron: Hi Jim, and thank you for starting our shiny new group. I’ll be starting a thread on the first, but I bet there are hundreds of messages before then.

>242 SandDune: Thank you, Rhian! You did a wonderful job. Happy Christmas to you, too.

>243 richardderus: Booksgiving. That works. Christmas Eve Eve also works. *smooch*

>244 ffortsa: I hope they’re close to your grandmother’s Judy – if so, you need to thank Peggy. They’re yummy.

>245 ffortsa: I was waiting for the group, too.

Trust my daughter to find a cartoon with Giraffe Pimp and refusing to use power wisely.

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Grocery shopping’s done, although I should have bought 2 blocks of mozzarella instead of one. Now we’ll have to either get another block of mozzarella tomorrow or abandon the idea of Breakfast Pizza and go for waffles and sausage. Waffles and sausage will definitely have less sodium.

Holiday wishes for you, your family, and may all the assorted joints and muscles etc. give you a break for the coming days, Karen!

Hi Susan, and thank you! Merry Bookmas to you, too.

Wordle 553 4/6* adieu, crime, swine, poise

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Relaxing day planned. Bill may take trash and get us take out for lunch, which will mean no cooking for dinner. Tomorrow's breakfast and dinner will be enough cooking for me for the weekend.

In the meantime, coffee, visiting all the threads I should have visited these many weeks/months, and then a bit of reading.

We're getting some of that nasty cold weather. It's 10F out right now, going to a high of 29F.

Thanks for your visit to my thread, Karen - I'm super-impressed with all your book acquisitions! (how many of them are your rude books? ;) ).

I hope you stay safe and warm, we're seeing horrific news of the storms in the US right now. I can't imagine what would happen if we had weather like that here, given that the whole country grinds to a halt every time we have more than a mm of snow, or when the leaves dare to shed their leaves on the railway lines.

Have a nice and relaxing day!

>249 Jackie_K: Hi Jackie! You’re welcome. Sigh. 110.

Our weather is just very much colder than normal for this time of year, although I’m grateful that we don’t have messy weather. Snow would be good since we’re hunkered down ‘til Jenna has to go back to work on Tuesday and we have a generator, but still. I’d rather not lose power before I cook and bake tomorrow. Our county comes to a halt when we get any snow or ice, too. I’m in microfleece jammies, wool sox, and my warm winter slippers. Heater’s on, and I’ve got hot coffee.

>250 figsfromthistle: Thanks, Anita! The very same to you, too.

Morning, Karen. It is currently 1F, which is better than yesterday at this time. It will get up to 10F but it will stay windy. Our Christmas Eve festivities kick off early. We are all going to my BIL's house. We are also toting our aging aunts along, so I don't think it will be a long day. Can't wait to spend the afternoon with our Jackson.

BTW- Our Bears play at home today, against the Bills. They are predicting that this may be the coldest weather that they have ever played in. Yikes.

Merry Christmas to you, too, Mark! I love the birds!

Brrr. Have a safe and good and SHORT time of it today.

Good luck to your sad-times Bears. KC AND Panthers also at 1 p.m. our time. Hmm. Might watch it, might not. Cowboys play at 4:25. Football if I want, books if I don't want. *smile*

I can't wait for Premier League to start up again on Monday. Just sayin'.

Jenna discussing her game Stardew Valley:

"Who doesn't want a 5* rating with their cow?"

*blinks*

Stay warm!

I have been offline most of the month, busy baking, crocheting, traveling, and reading but didn't want to let the end of the year pass without wishing my LT friends good blessings!

Hi Karen! Thank you, and happy holidays and all the best for 2023.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas, Karen. Have a great day with the family. We had a wonderful Christmas Eve with Jackson and the rest of the family. Nice to see your Panthers win. Yah! Sue and I plan on having a very lazy day today.

Malaysia's branch of the 75er's wishes you and yours a happy holiday season, Karen.

>258 johnsimpson: Hi John, and thank you. Merry Christmas to you, too.

>259 msf59: Merry Christmas, Mark! We’ve had a wonderful time so far. I’m glad you had a wonderful Christmas Eve with Jackson and – oh yes – other members of your family. *smile* Enjoy your lazy day.

We totally gobsmacked Jenna this morning. She wanted a PS5, which are almost impossible to get hold of. Bill had to sign up to get an Amazon invitation – couldn’t even order it, just had to wait for them, in their infinite wisdom and according to whatever algorithm they use, to invite us to buy one. We got the invite, and it arrived 3 weeks or so ago. We’ve been telling her we ordered one that's backordered and that we might be able to get it in February. We put an IOU in a gift bag. There was a gift bag for me, with a note from Santa Claus telling me telling Jenna to go get the Santa gift in the home office – she thought it was from Bill to me, I knew it was from us to her. Squeals of delight, Wows, amazement, and huge smiles. Totally worth it.

I made homemade buttermilk waffles for brekkie, and we’ve been hanging out and chatting. I got 4 books:

When Christmas Comes by Andrew Klavan
A Strange Habit of Mind by Andrew Klavan
Lessons from the Big House by Frye Gaillard with Nancy B. Gaillard
In the Shadow of Agatha Christie edited by Leslie S. Klinger

Plus, of course, my 2022 Lladró Christmas Bell, and various and sundry from some very dear friends and family.

I’m glad the Panthers won – they still have a chance to win their division.

We'll be having Prime Rib, twice baked potatoes, Crescent Rolls, and broccoli for Jenna and me and corn for Bill for Christmas Dinner today about 4:30 or so, with Marie Calendar Dutch Apple Pie for dessert, which I'll bake here in a bit.

We've got an old Arsenal-Tottenham match on while I came over here for a few minutes. I'll go back in the Living Room to hang with the fam.

Wordle 554 5/6* adieu, blame, steak, earth, extra

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Morning, Karen. Happy after Christmas Day! Sounds like you also had a lovely day and hooray for gobsmacked Jenna! We had our first American Tree Sparrows stop by our feeders yesterday. Yah!!

You had a near-perfect time yesterday, and I know you're reveling in it. Here it is Boxing Day and you haven't so much as peeped in!

When you do, *smooch*

>260 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul, and thank you very much. The very same to you – happy holidays.

>262 Berly: Hi Kim, and thank you!

>263 msf59: ‘Morning, Mark, and thank you. The same to you. We did have a wonderful day, and Jenna still is giving me the tongue-in-cheek side-eye for our Lying To Her. *smile* Yay for AT Sparrows.

>264 richardderus: We did, RD, you’ve got the right of it. Boxing Day – I opened my eyes at 8:17 and the lure of coffee didn’t grab hold of me ‘til about 8:45. Premier League has started up again, so coffee, pie-that-I-didn’t-have-any-of last night, last of the Brentford-Tottenham match, now here to ‘officially’ start my day. Jenna came over to visit a bit, but has headed off to God of War:Ragnarok land. After playing here for a while I’ll be watching bits of PL until 3, when the Arsenal-West Ham game is on. *smooch* back at’cha.

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So I may have gone upstairs last night by 6:30 in a food/cooking/baking/Christmas coma, read ‘til 7ish, then taken a nap ‘til 9 p.m. Up taking with friend Karen, more reading, then the usual nighttime read-sleep-read and etc.

We did have a wonderful day, with nary a snarl, nary a glare, nary any of the tension that sometimes occurs between child and husband and for which I am the Very Unwilling Moderator. Or usually not, since I’m passive aggressive and usually let things play out. *smile*

Wordle 555 5/6* adieu, deuce, etude, budge, judge

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...I’ve made a decision to call our local antique dealer/acquaintance Bob, who lives two roads down with his antique store, to see about finding lawyers book cases. I need more book shelves, and at Christmas I can temporarily box books to put out all my Lladró Christmas Bells. I don't think they're open today, but I'll check with their website off and on 'til they're open.

In the meantime, had the Senior Center been open today I was going to go work out, but it’s closed today AND tomorrow, giving the staff and volunteers well-earned time off but enabling me to not work out and give in to my sedentary tendencies. 🙄

>265 karenmarie: Word #3 isn't one I'd've thought of, thank the goddesses of Wordle, or I'd've flunked out for sure and certain!

Yay for the impending new shelves!! I'm thrilled for you that you've decided to make your books at home so they don't have to spend next Yuletide in dusty, cold boxes. Poor things.

Hiya, RDer. I literally just clicked 'Post Message' on your thread, headed back to 'Talk' and here you are. 'Morning! Imma calling Bob or heading over as soon as I see they're open this week to start seriously talking.

*smooch*

>265 karenmarie: As the only coffee drinker in the house there is never the glorious perfume of the elixir of wakefulness to lure me out, only the impetus to avoid the dreaded withdrawal headache to drag me from under the covers.

Yay for a happy holiday, Karen. Mine was swell, too. Surprisingly, I got books. What the...?

>268 quondame: Being addicted to morning caffeine isn't fun, Susan. Sorry Mike and/or Becky don't drink coffee to make enough for you.

I may be addicted - not sure. The only time I don't have coffee in the morning is if I'm sick, and if I'm sick, I want hot caffeinated tea with sugar. Jenna likes cold caffeine in the morning - now that she's home she takes a diet Pepsi. She and Bill both drink diet Pepsi, the only sugared soda I drink is about one sugared Dr. Pepper every 3-4 weeks. Other than that I drink one Cherry Bubly in the evening - unsweetened flavored carbonated water.

>269 weird_O: I'm glad you had a good holiday, Bill. No. Books? Who would give you such a Not You present? *smile*

Wordle 556 3/6* adieu, brood, condo

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Jenna just left for work. Bill has the week off and is already up, so the TV's on. Sigh. I need an attitude adjustment, I think, but it's hard when one grows up with one's mother arbitrarily turning it off, calling it The Idiot Box, and telling us to do something else.

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No Senior Center today - it's still closed for Christmas. I could go to the PO to mail the Pussy Calendar to Karen in Montana as a late Christmas present. I could also go thrift shopping. Choices!

In the meantime, coffee, reading, LTing.

Morning, Karen. I went to the PO yesterday to send a package and had completely forgot that they were closed for the holiday. DUH!! I did do a short solo bird walk too. Nice to get out but then I joined my birding buddies later in the PM to do some owling. We headed to some prairie land/wetlands about 30 miles southeast of here. Our target was a short-eared owl. We saw 5. They were very active, flying & hunting above the grass, all just before dusk. They were all at a distance, so photos were very difficult to take.



(NMP)

Off to Rehab...

*popcorn bowl*

...so, didja go get the bookcases? Huh? Huh?

>270 karenmarie: For me, the headache is the tell. For the times I've been convinced to do caffeine withdrawal I've taken caffeine tablets in smaller and smaller amounts over a 2 week period. I still missed the experience of coffee drinking though so I never kept it up after the need passed - and not entirely then - Becky was born with caffeine laced blood from my morning tea.

I like tea and hot chocolate, but I've never been a coffee fan. Maybe a vanilla latté. : )

>271 msf59: ‘Morning a day later, Mark! This is a bad habit I’m getting into, which I hope to remedy with my New Year’s Resolutions – answering posts on the day they’re put here unless they’re after I go upstairs for the night.

Ha about the PO – you’re really out of the PO employee mindset and into the customer mindset when you forget they’re closed for the holiday. Wow for an all-bird day. I’m glad you were able to see your target bird. Thanks for the pic even if it isn’t one of your own. It’s nice to see what you were ‘hunting’. I hope Rehab went well.

>272 richardderus: Nope. I’m in an extremely lazy phase right now, and didn’t even check to see if Hickory Mountain Antiques was open yesterday. It’s on my … 6-item list for today, though.

>273 quondame: Ah, caffeine-laced blood for Becky. I was drinking decaf at that time of my life – drank it from 1973ish-2016ish, so Jenna had hardly any caffeine in her system when she was born. I started drinking caf again when Gevalia discontinued selling whole bean decaf. I have no desire to do a caffeine withdrawl. Why do you undertake these? Just curious - I know Peggy did one recently. Peggy – care to elucidate?

>274 Berly: Ah, you like a bit of coffee with your sweet and creamy, Kim. That’s the way I was raised – a few times a year the three of us were given a cup of coffee. Looking back, it was probably half milk and half coffee with perhaps 2-3 teaspoons of sugar. That’s the way I drank coffee until my first job between freshman and sophomore years of college, when they ran out of either creamer or sugar, I desperately needed coffee, so tried it black. The rest, they say, is history.

Wordle 557 3/6* adieu, timer, impel. I must admit that I looked at the list of 2,309 words for inspiration today.

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Here's my to-do list for today. The only thing absolutely required is the haircut, because I made an appointment, but I'd like to knock more off the list.

1. haircut at 10 a.m. - wash and trim. I'm not going back to needing a haircut every 5-6 weeks, when it only really looks good for 2-3 weeks of that and costs beaucoup bucks. I'm also going to make an executive decision for Jenna - make an appointment if I like them because her thick, too-long hair is making her crazy.
2. PO to mail the pussy calendar
3. pharmacy to use the last of my OTC money from Blue Cross
4. write thank yous for Christmas presents
5. go to Hickory Mountain Antiques if they're open to talk to Bob about lawyer book cases
6. Walmart for inexpensive, smaller-sized winter jammies

In the meantime, coffee, LT, reading. I didn't get up 'til 7:30 so missed seeing Jenna this morning. Bill's not up yet.

>275 karenmarie: Oh...clothes shopping...my very, very least favorite thing on this planet. Hope it's a commando raid, not an Everest expedition.

And cases! Yes to lawyer cases! (if they're open, of course, don't chuck a brick through the man's window to get inside or anything)

*smooch*

Morning, Karen! The coffee here is blueberry today. The coffee shop that Abby used to work at sold the most delicious coffee but only on Tuesdays, and she used to bring me a cup home. Then he stopped selling it, so we have been trying many different ones and finally found a winner which I can get in whole bean form. Success.

Good luck with all your errands today - Yowza! Birdy and I gave up on hair appointments, and now we just cut each other's hair - we are completely crazy like that.

>275 karenmarie: The choice between Amazon and Walmart corporate policies is getting tougher,
as is the Starbucks union controversy...

but, my daughter found the coolest pajama pants on Amazon for around $9.00!

>270 karenmarie: You didn't quite ask directly, but I'll give it to you in its fulsomeness.

From Carrie a.k.a. cbl_tn, who drew my name in the 75er gift swap:

Regeneration (Regeneration Trilogy), Pat Barker (pbk)
The West End Horror, Nicholas Meyer (hc)
The Book on the Bookshelf, Henry Petroski (pbk)
What Is Left the Daughter, Howard Norman (hc)
Churchill's Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare: The Mavericks Who Plotted Hitler's Defeat, Giles Milton (hc)
What It's Like to Be a Dog: And Other Adventures in Animal Neuroscience, Gregory Berns (pbk)
Totally Weird and Wonderful Words, Erin McKean (pbk)
He Wanted the Moon: The Madness and Medical Genius of Dr. Perry Baird, and His Daughter's Quest to Know Him, Mimi Baird (pbk)

From family:

Around the World in 80 Books, David Damrosch (hc) Tom & Gig (fellow grandparents)
Stuff Matters: Exploring the Marvelous Materials That Shape Our Man-Made World, Mark Miodownik (pbk) Ned 'n' Sam 'n' their Jersey girls
When We Cease to Understand the World, Benjamin Labatut (pbk) Ned 'n' Sam 'n' their Jersey girls
How to Be Safe, Tom McAllister (hc) Ned 'n' Sam 'n' their Jersey girls
Demon Copperhead, Barbara Kingsolver (hc) Becky
Fathers and Children, Ivan Turgenev (pbk) Jeremy and Tara
The Collected Tales, Nikolai Gogol (hc) Jeremy and Tara

From the gift-giver not to be named:

Lessons in Chemistry, Bonnie Garmus (hc)
Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands, Kate Beaton (hc)

>275 karenmarie: I did caffeine withdrawal for three pregnancies, one which only lasted 4 months, and once when a Dr. was certain it was caffeine causing my sleep issues - she was wrong.

Happy Thursday, Karen!
I hope you got (some of) your list done yesterday.

I overdid computer time yesterday, trying to catch up on threads. So back to limited time here.

>276 richardderus: My least favorite thing to do, although being down ANOTHER top size is gratifying. Walmart yielded two black microfleece pj tops. Veni, vidi, vici, nothing else, no other stops, and I actually used the self-check, which I usually hate with a passion. Jenna was surprised to hear that I braved this new tech for only the 3rd or 4th time ever.

I’m seriously going to try to track Bob down today, and leave a message if they’re not open. I’m now thinking I’d like three of them, depending on how much they might cost. Even then… The antique sewing machine, piano, and antique short secretary will have to get moved or gotten rid of, but just think of 3 beautiful lawyer bookcases in my living room. The big box on the floor is a you-know-what trap. *happy dance* for the idea of a wall of book cases.



>277 Crazymamie: Mamie! I saw your message and that you have set up a 2023 thread; I’m so glad to know that things are better enough that you hope to be back. And, Coffee Sister, I’m only having my usual black, medium roast, no sugar favorite. We were given a gift basket for Christmas that included a packet of ground medium roast coffee, but alas! It was mediocre at best, confirming what we’re doing now. But yum to blueberry. And of course whole bean…

My hair appointment went well – see below with other errands. 🙄

>278 m.belljackson: Hi Marianne. Funny you mention Starbucks – we were given a $25 gift card for Christmas. The closest Starbucks is 18 miles away in a direction we never go. The only time I have Starbucks is if I’m visiting niece/wife in SoCal or Peggy south of here. Love it, it’s just not convenient. Jenna’s snagged it for when she visits friends or even to use in the town she works in, which has 4.

I use Walmart for a few things occasionally. Yay for the pj pants on Amazon – I just bought a second pair there, due Saturday, so now I'll have 2 pair of pj bottoms and 2 pj tops for this winter.

>279 weird_O: Ooh, exciting book acquisitions, Bill. Thanks for the list. I’ve only heard of two, Regeneration, which is still on my shelves, waiting to be re-started and actually finished. It was for book club in 2002, and Stuff Matters, also for book club and which I actually finished in 2019. Interesting, at least to me, is that both books are the choices of the same woman, Blanche.

>280 quondame: Ah, specific reasons, as opposed to a caffeine cleanse in general. Sleep issues are tricky, and I’m going through some again myownself.

>281 FAMeulstee: Hi Anita! Happy Thursday to you, too. I did get some of my errands done – see below. Sorry you overdid on the computer yesterday, so I completely understand backing off.

Wordle 558 4/6* adieu, cloak, coach, havoc

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Yesterday's successful errands included the shampoo/trim and set up of an appointment for Jenna next Tuesday after work, pharmacy, and Walmart run. So, 3 of 6. I did stop at the PO, fully intending to mail Karen in Montana's pussy calendar, but looked at my sealing efforts on the tube and decided to bring it back home and better seal the ends.

I hope to get the last three done today, with perhaps a grocery store run as we're getting low on a few critical items.

Jenna's off to work, Bill's home and up early.

I can't resist posting this pic of Jenna and Wash. Jenna's been sitting in Wash's chair recently, which really bothers him. He's finally decided to settle on her lap to get the best of both worlds, his chair AND his human sister.

Awww, that's a sweet pic of Jenna and Wash.

Your medium roast coffee story resonated with me. We recently received some in a gift basket as well. I don't despise it outright, but my coffee subscription ensures a steady supply of dark roast. I brought the medium roast with me on a visit to my daughter Julia and even though she's usually a dark roast drinker she was happy to take it off my hands. Free coffee is better than no coffee, I suppose.

Have a great day!

Hi Laura, and thank you. I'm glad your daughter took the medium roast off your hands. We get our coffee via subscription, too, ever since the pandemic disrupted and then completely stopped our grocery store's fabulous house brand of whole bean medium roast. We're paying 5x as much for what we're getting now, but it's always available and won the 2020 panic taste testing we did.

I hope you have a great day, too!

Morning, Karen. Sweet Thursday. Love the pic of Jenna & Wash! We are currently at 43F, which is 40 degrees warmer than a week ago at this time. We should hit the mid-50s today. Bye-bye snow! Hello mud! It looks like it will stay mild through next week.

I did a solo bird ramble yesterday. Birds were scarce but I managed to see a great-horned owl. I did snap a couple of pics. Hope they turned out. I plan on going on another solo jaunt today. Books in the PM.

Oh yeah- thank you very much for the Christmas card. ❤️🐦

That's a lovely picture of Jenna, I can see the family resemblance! (maybe it's the raised eyebrows expression!)

I'm enjoying the bird talk very much. Yesterday I had to go to work, and the walk from the car park to the hospital (which is alongside a small wood) was accompanied by the hooting of a male tawny owl. I never saw it, of course, but the sound was magical, and because it was still dark and quite early in the morning, the sound just filled the whole area. Today I've hung up some home-made fatballs (just using suet and bird seed) and they've been mobbed already, mainly by sparrows. I'm glad, as I've taken in their favourite seed feeder for a good soapy wash, so I wouldn't want them thinking I'm neglecting them.

>285 msf59: ‘Morning, Mark, and sweet Thursday to you, too. Thanks re the pic of J&W. We’re at 21F, but it’s going to get to 62F today. Sheesh.

Yay for the GHO – was it at their usual place? And, you’re welcome. *smile*

>286 Jackie_K: Hi Jackie, and thank you. Yes, we both do the raised eyebrows and smirk quite well. Nice for your bird walk, exciting to hear a male Tawny. You’re a good bird mom, to provide homemade fat balls whilst cleaning the suet feeder. I should also probably wash my suet feeder when refreshing it in a day or so – right now there’s a female Downy Woodpecker on it working hard for the last bits.

…
Thank goodness I looked at my desk calendar, because I have a chiropractor’s appointment today at 11:30. So I’ll add that to the roster of errands, which has now grown to possibly include a thrift shop visit and a Habitat for Humanity store visit for last minute book acquisitions in addition to the PO and getting in touch with Bob re lawyer book cases.

>282 karenmarie: Maybe Bob would like a piano and a sewing machine? Ya know, tradesies? Never hurts to ask.

*smooch*

Hi Karen my dear, thanks for the Christmas card that came in the post this lunchtime, i've no idea when you will get the one we sent, what with all the postal strikes, it is no doubt stuck in a warehouse somewhere along with lots of other peoples cards and sadly presents.

I am fully behind the postal workers as the dispute is not just about money but the whole existence of the service.

What a lovely photo of Jenna and Wash, Wash certainly has the best of both worlds.

>288 richardderus: 'Morning, Rdear. I just broke down and sent a FB message to Bob at Hickory Mountain Antiques, otherwise nothing would happen for at least another day. I'll have to see if Jenna really wants the piano or not - it, along with the other two items, belonged to Bill's Mama. I don't want to get rid of either of them, but I have no emotional energy for the piano. If Jenna doesn't feel the need to keep it, then I can see if Bob wants it for credit off. Good idea.

>289 johnsimpson: We got your card the other day, John - I'm sorry I didn't mention it. It arrived before Christmas and I was very happy to get it and thank you. You're welcome for ours - I'm surprised that it got there before January since I seem to recall that last year's arrived in the new year.

As a rule I'm behind workers who strike, because it's always terrible pay/benefits/conditions that cause such a disruption in their lives and the company/government entity whose profits always take priority over taking care of their workers.

I'm still very upset with our Postmaster General, an idiot from my adopted state of North Carolina of course!, whose stated goal is to privatize the PO. No, no, and no.

Thanks re the pic of J&W - our baby boy loves hanging out on her AND his chair. Sending love and hugs and new year's wishes to and Karen and kitty skritches for Felix.

Wordle 559 5/6* adieu, groan, coral, polar, molar

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Bill and I went to lunch yesterday after my chiropractor's appointment. We came home then I went back out to use the treadmill and see if there were any good books at the Thrift Shop. Success on the first item, failure on the second. Oh, well. Alex comes today so yay for clean house. I may or may not work out. In the meantime, LT, reading, coffee.

Morning, Karen. Happy Friday. You asked about the GHO up there- yes, I did spot it in the same general area where they nested last year. On my solo ramble yesterday, I saw a pair of pileated woodpeckers but no owls.

Bree is dropping Jackson off around 11 and I get to hang out with him through the afternoon and then we bring him back to Brees to hang out over there for dinner and refreshments. Sounds good to me. I am also trying to wrap up 2 more books before year's end.

Hi Mark! Happy Friday to you, too. I liked the idea of the GHOs being in the same nesting area, with those adorable fuzzy little faces peering out.

Enjoy your time with Jackson today and your time at Bree's. I'll probably read one, maybe two, books before year's end since what I'm reading are all very quick reads. *smile*

>290 karenmarie: ...plus it will then be someone else's job to move the darn thing! I mean, made of win.

Today's four reviews are all posted and boosted and stuff. It was quite a deal of work, I must say. What with Twitter foundering, though I hope like hell not sinking, I've got four other social networks to pump up the bookishness on!

...I'm supposed to be retired....

Morning, Karen. Happy Saturday. We had a good time with Jackson yesterday. We can't wait for him to start talking. He seems to be so smart, so we want to hear what comes out of his mouth. My feeders were hopping yesterday- I clocked in 9 species. Of course, house sparrows are dominant. Sighs...

See you over on the 2023 side...

Wishing you one final Good Morning over here before we begin again in 2023, Karen. I am most excited about leaving 2022 in the dust. Coffee today at the Pecan Paradisio is hazelnut.

>293 richardderus: 'Morning, RDear, this last day of the mostly-dreadful 2022.

Yesterday Bill mentioned not having a need to keep his mama's piano. My best memory of it is in her house in Mooresville NC, with the Waterford hurricane lamp sconces on the wall bracketing it. The sconces are upstairs in a box in the attic - while building this house we could never find the right place for them but I couldn't bear to part with them. Perhaps Jenna will build a house and find the right place for them. Anyway. I digress.

Yay for yesterday's four reviews. I've never been part of the Twitterverse so can't comment on it. What, in heaven's name, are the four other social networks that you use? I be a Luddite in this area.

Ah, retirement. If one doesn't have something productive to do - read, review, volunteer, help out family and other things I'm sure I can't think of - then one is pretty sad indeed.

>294 msf59: 'Morning, Mark, and Happy New Year's Eve to you. Yay for good times with Jackson. Wow for 9 species. I did manage to see a Junco, two female Purple Finches, and a Chipping Sparrow at the bird bath or on the concrete pad yesterday. The feeders are quiet right now, but I do see a Carolina Chickadee on the wild bird seed feeder.

I'll be on the 2023 group tomorrow, putting down my first thread and visiting.

In the meantime,

Wordle 560 5/6* adieu, chart, sappy, fanny, manly

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Grocery shopping today for house and friends visiting tomorrow.

Diane's bringing a cheese ball and deviled eggs. I'll provide a charcuterie board and one type of interesting cracker to go along with the crackers Diane's providing for the cheese ball, fruit, and Pirouline Chocolate Hazelnut Rolled Wafers, Stem Ginger and Lemon Biscuits, and Chocolate Chip and Clotted Cream Biscuits. The sweets were a Christmas gift and I'm thinking it's a good way to start clearing the house of extraneous sweets and me having to avoid baking. Sweet Tea, various sodas sweet and not, wine, and even beer for hydration. I'm relieved to have the decision made for tomorrow's snackies. The charcuterie board was Jenna's idea. I was going to make stuffed mushrooms, but frankly just can't be bothered.

Yesterday I went over to Hickory Mountain Antiques - Bob opened up the Barn for me to see the lawyers book cases he had. All 4-stack, all from 1890ish-1920ish. Some refinished, some not. I don't know if I'm a purist or not regarding finish. And, I'm backing off to one right now. Not a prob, dealing with one thing to move instead of 3. Or 4. They're only 3' wide, after all, and I've got a long wall. *smile* Oak, mahogany, walnut. The one on the right is very pleasing to the eye, the one on the left has more flexibility with two taller bottom stacks. Here are pics of them - couldn't get good perspective because the aisles are narrow and the Barn is chock full of stuff. And things. And I had to NOT look.



Today I'll be starting to get together my stats for 2022 books read, top 5 fiction and nonfiction, and finalize my first thread of 2023, although it's pretty darned close to being done. I think I only need to provide an updated kitty pic.

In the meantime, coffee, reading, and waiting for Amazon to deliver 3 things today - a storage bag for the Christmas Tree, 365 tablets of claratin-wannabe for 2023, and a pair of microfleece jammie bottoms.

>295 Crazymamie: Mamie! Coffee Sister! Thank you for one last Good Morning of 2022. Thanks for the coffee report. Upward and onward to 2023!

I'll be visiting the 2023 threads tomorrow.

>296 karenmarie: Four social networks that I actually *use* and maintain contacts on that aren't Twitter or Facebleccchhh:

Mastodon: the best bits of Twitter and Tumblr

Post.news: the "just the facts, ma'am" network for newshounds

Tumblr: naked men. LOTS of naked men. *happy sigh*

Hive social: ineptly run and really scary-bad data management practices so I keep this one down to a bare minimum

Of course I've got an account on Instagram that I loathe and refuse to use, one on Reddit but it is so damned complicated and its internal politics make my nose hairs ignite from the outraged heavy breathing, LinkedIn because...because...I forget why I did that....

But you wanna see someone who's got a social-media horrorshow? YellowScene Magazine's manager of 'em is an octopus with urticaria!

The bookcases are gorgeous! I love that it's really happening. And for goodness' sake get that piano outta there! See you in 2023. *smooch*

I am envious of those book cases! One last post to say I hope to be visiting thread more in 2023. Looking forward to seeing your new one.

I guess I'll see you on the other side. That new one. Tomorrow. New year's day. I wish us luck.

I'm jealous that Mamie visited you.

A very good early afternoon to you, Karen! Those bookcases are fabulous. I feel a little sorry for pianos that nobody plays anymore although mine mostly fits that description. I do live in hope of getting back to it. That said, my childhood spinet, pretty much unplayable, is still in our sitting room because I'm incurably sentimental.) (Next time you and Jenna come !!!, I'll maybe play you a little something so that you'll know that I wasn't a piker.)

HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope it's at least as much better than 2022 as 2022 was than 2021. What a world! It's a finer place because you're in it!

Happy New Year, Karen! Wishing you a good 2023.

Loved those lawyers bookcases, very nice.

I’m sorry, my IPad doesn’t do pictures well, so no pics from me. I hope to be more active on LT next year too!

Beautiful book cases. It would be hard to choose between them.

Happy New Year!

>298 richardderus: Oooh, RD, thanks for the info. None of them appeal, but I was just so curious. Thank for the link. Thanks re the bookcases. I’m still thinking over exactly what I want to do. Yup. Really need to get the piano out of there unless Jenna really feels the need to keep it. Haven’t asked her yet. See you in 2023!

>299 witchyrichy: Hi Karen – I’ll be choosing one, probably from those two, but not guaranteed. Looking to see you on the 2023 75ers threads.

>300 weird_O: Yes! See you on the other side, Bill. I wish us all luck, too. We certainly need it.

No one was more startled than I to see her post. My coffee sister! Our dear Mamie.

>301 LizzieD: Hi Peggy, and thank you. I feel sorry for pianos, too. Your piano is gorgeous, although I have only seen it once, and I don’t recall you playing for me. If you did, I apologize. Ooh, I definitely don’t remember your childhood spinet. When Jenna and I come to visit, we’ll request a one or two little somethings.

Yes, Happy New Year. It really needs to be better than 2022, for sure. As 2022 was better than 2021, and 2021 was better than 2020. However, 2020 absolutely sucked compared to 2019, so there’s that. *smile*

And thank you – I’m blushing.

>302 EllaTim: Hi Ella, and thank you. I wish you all the best for 2023, too. I’ll be sure to let everybody know which one I pick out. I hope to see more of you in 2023.

>303 Storeetllr: Hi Mary, and thank you. Baby steps with one. Then perhaps more baby steps in the spring or summer, eh? Happy New Year to you, too!