Monday, March 18, 2024

Mini-ManCat Monday

 

Actually, cats do this to protect you from gnomes who come and steal your breath while you sleep. - John Dobbin 

The weather has turned colder, I even spied a couple of snow flakes flying around yesterday. Not enuf to make a mess, just flying in the air. 

Thank goodness that the one day mum has to take me out of the house was a nice day. Yeah, I had to go see the stabby man for my routine checkup. 


 Mum getting me ready to go into the metal monster. 


Me and mum waiting for the stabby man. 


Back home later. They stole my bloods and pee, they showed that I am doing just fine. Mum even had stabby appointments this past week too. All her results were good, heck, even improved which made mum happy. So we are all good for another six months. Both of us!


Me holding mum down while she worked on the latest blankie. She even went out and bought more yarns this weekend! Said her shelves weren't full enuf! Sheesh mum, you have a supply that will last you two years here! 

Mum and I did watch a bit of basketball. Seems it is that time of year for brackets. Mum doesn't do them, says she never guesses right anyway. We will have to see how our Whisker-consin teams do!

Have a good week everyone.

 

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Wonderful Wordy Wednesday

Time change, nice weather and being busy has made for less reading time. That is OK, a few more days and it will be back to cooler weather outside. Then I will be inside more again, for a while. 

Although I picked up books on Saturday and have read two of them already. Need to get started on the third, then I have six more from this checkout to read. Most of them should be pretty quick reads. 

Plus tonight is trivia night at the library. Third of three months, then we take a break for a month. See if we patrons can beat the librarians! Our team did really well last month, the topics were stuff we knew, for a change.


A Murder at Balmoral includes some revisionist history. Going back to 1936 King Edward VIII does not abdicate but does marry a suitable woman, acceptable to the establishment and has children. The story revolves around his eldest son who is now King Eric. The family is spending Christmas at Balmoral with only the chef inside the house to serve the dinner. King Eric dies. Who done it?

A Heart that Works is a memoir by Rob Delaney, actor and writer, who relates the family journey when his son, Henry, is diagnosed with a brain tumor at one year old.

Sourdough a cute novel. Lois is a computer programmer who works long hours. She has gotten into the habit of ordering food delivery at home. When the guys who make the food have to leave because of visa issues they give Lois their sourdough starter. The starter takes Lois on some interesting journeys.

Elizabeth Taylor: The Grit & Glamour of an Icon a extensive biography of Elizabeth including use of private letters she wrote or were written to her. I learned a great deal about her early life and early marriages. I am old enough to remember her life since Cleopatra.

The Invisible Kingdom is the author's relating her story of her ongoing journey of finding why she was run down and ill and chronic illness as a whole. It was about her story as well as the general information of auto-immune diseases. Lupus, thyroid issues, or something else.

The Forever Witness is our DNA. The book covers the 30 year old cold case of the deaths of Tanya Van Cuylenborg and Jay Cook. It involves DNA and genetic genealogy and was the first case to use this to help identify the person who committed the crime. He was found guilty but appealed and a lower court set aside his conviction due to a juror bias. However in late 2022 the Washington State Supreme Court reinstated the guilty verdict. Interesting book!





AWWWWWW. 

Happy Reading.

Monday, March 11, 2024

Mini-ManCat Monday

I put down my book, The Meaning of Zen, and see the cat smiling into her fur as she delicately combs it with her rough pink tongue. Cat, I would lend you this book to study but it appears you have already read it. She looks up and gives me her full gaze. Don't be ridiculous, she purrs, I wrote it. - from Miao by Dilys Laing 

Mum hid the hour in lots of time keeping things in the house. But she has been shifting things for the last week. She even woke up right on time, the new time. 


We both took it easy, all of our lives are usually easy. Mum says that is cuz we is retired. I nap, mooch treats, watch fevvers. Mum reads, does her crow-shay and chores. 

Mum did watch the award things last night, but she recorded it and started watching an hour after it actually started. She could skip the boring spots and by the end she caught up with the actual live show. Then she went to bed. She actually saw one of the big movies of the year. 


Our first flowers opened up this week too. Although some days it has been cool and windy. Mum says it might be nice enuf for a few bits of open windows, at least for a few days. 

Have a good week everyone.

Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Wonderful Wordy Wednesday

I hope all of you are reading. I am and off to a good start for the month.


The weather has been changing, some days really nice, others very windy and some are good days to stay inside and read. Plus I am trying to keep up with various TV shows that I record so I am not weeks behind. I record many of the shows since then I can fast forward through the commercials and it doesn't take as long to get through an episode. Current watches are the new Shogun adaptation, as well as Feud: Truman Capote and the Swans. 

Enough about TV shows, on to the books!

Murder on the Ile Sordou finds Antoine and Merine on holiday on a small island off the southern coast of France. All is well for a few days, then there is a death. Accident, angry spouse, angry stepson or revenge?

How to Survive Everything is a fictional novel. A father, who is a survivalist, kidnaps his two kids to keep them from a deadly pandemic that is dealier than Covid. How this all works out is the story. I really couldn't get into this and didn't read the entire book.

A Death Long Overdue the previous library director visits and ends up dead. A missing diamond necklace and will Lucy be giving up her apartment in the lighthouse?

Newsroom Confidential is a memoir by journalist Margaret Sullivan who has held top editorial positions at The Buffalo News, served as the first female public editor at The New York Times and as a columnist at The Washington Post. Found the book informative and entertaining. She is now at Columbia University. 





Happy Reading!

Monday, March 4, 2024

Mini-ManCat Monday

 Managing senior programmers is like herding cats. - Dave Platt

Heck, managing a senior isn't all that easy either! Make sure she gets all of her chores done. Make sure she takes care to me too!

Snoopervising the reading and crow-shay too. We have had some nice days but mum isn't doing outside stuff just yet. She says it is too early. Maybe in another month. 

 



Mum's latest blankie that she finished yesterday. She watched some racy cars and the ladies playing bucket ball.

Wednesday, February 28, 2024

Wonderful Wordy Wednesday

At the end of February, although this year we get an extra day! One more day to do all the stuff we never seem to get done. That just seems to be the way life is. 

Weather is getting nice, way nicer than usual for this early in the year. Makes me wonder if we will get a dump of snow in March, although snow in March doesn't last long with more sunshine and higher sun angles. 

Maybe soon I can sit outside and read! I did sit outside on Tuesday, the temperatures were in the 70's. Just enjoyed the warms, the birds singing. Wednesday early AM the temps dropped into the 20's!


The It Girl another goodie from Ruth Ware. April and Hannah are roommates at Pelham College at Oxford. Hannah is your average person, April has money, looks and smarts. At the end of their first year Hannah finds April murdered and by Hannah's testimony one of the college porters is convicted. When he dies in prison ten years later, still protesting his innocence, Hannah begins to wonder did she get it right on who did it?

The Genome Defense is the true story of how the ACLU sued a private biomedical firm that tested for the breast cancer genes BRCA1 and BRCA2. The company had patented the genes and was charging people thousands of dollars to see if they had a predisposed genetic makeup to cancer. The case ended up at the US Supreme Court and came back with a unanimous decision for us as individuals. DNA should not be patented!

The Housekeeper, is a suspense story. Jodi is a successful real estate agent with a hectic life, family and aging parents. She hires a housekeeper to help out her parents and the housekeeper seems to be perfect. Maybe too perfect!

I have that, it is called retirement!


Escape, learn, connect, dream. All of what reading is for. 


I remember my mom reading to me as a kid. I even have the story book she read to me from! Battered spine, but a much loved book.

 Happy Reading.

Monday, February 26, 2024

Mini-ManCat Monday

Cats are a tonic, they are a laugh, they are a cuddle, they are at least pretty just about all of the time and beautiful some of the time.- Roger Caras 

Beauty-full? I am a man-cat. I am handsome!


 

Our snow is gone, heck it was gone last week. Then we got a little bit more, that is gone. Weather guessers are saying a tiny bit this week, but on a roll with nice temps.

Our spring fevvers are back. They all showed up last Thursday while me and mum were counting. Mr Robin and Mr Red-Wing Blackbird.



Otherwise quiet around here. Mum doing her stuff, going to exercise, reading and crow-shay too. Playing games on the puter sometimes too. 

Me, napping, snuggling with mum and enjoying the sunshine. 

Have a happy week.

Wednesday, February 21, 2024

Wonderful Wordy Wednesday

A little bit of snow and some slightly cooler temps for a few days. Now warmer again and sunny days. Haven't seen any of the early spring migrating birds yet either. Shouldn't be long! Lots of time to curl up and read, crochet and cuddle with Ducky!


One Woman's War is a historical fictional book so the characters actually did exist, we just can't be sure this is actually what happened. One of the characters is Ian Fleming and supposedly Miss Moneypenny is based on one of the main characters. Several women who are working within MI-5 to fool the Nazi's into thinking an invasion will be directed at one spot when it will actually go to another. Was the mission a success?




Or play trivia with a librarian! Our team had high score last week doing trivia and two of the five members are retired librarians. Although I hold my own with them!

Happy reading.

Monday, February 19, 2024

Mini-ManCat Monday

 I believe cats to be spirits come to earth. A cat, I am sure, could walk on a cloud without coming through. - Jules Verne 

Hey everyone! Happy Monday. Me and mum got through last week just fine. I cellybrated my Gotcha Day and mum cellybrated her purrthday! Yep, she officially got a year older on Friday. No big party. She did go do her workout. Every other day for her. She says that is enuf for an old person. 

Me doing some sun bathing and regular bathing too. 



 Mum even took a short movie of me getting all cleaned up.



Jeesh mum, can't a cat keep a clean machine without you taking pics!? Although it does show I am still a cat that can still reach his nether regions. 

A big shout out to mum's money man, guess he is my money man too! It is his purrthday today. He and mum usually have lunch to cellybrate but they haven't done that yet. Mum has been eating out or bringing stuff home. Free foods cuz it's her purrthday. 

No racy crashcar results, seems it rained. Going to try sometime today. 

Everyone have a good week!

Wednesday, February 14, 2024

Wonderful Wordy Wednesday

 Hello and Happy Valentine's Day. Late adding the intro here, it is a bright, sunny but cold morning. Lovely to wake up to sunshine. I can tell the days are getting longer, the sun is moving north. The afternoon sun now shines in my patio doors and the morning sun shines brightly into my bedroom. 

Ducky and I had a quiet Gotcha Day for him. He got lots of love and extra treats. I got an extra treat too as I bought beigents at the grocery store to celebrate Mardi Gras. Yummy!

Adjusting to the fact that some of my usual TV shows are now back airing new episodes. I have to adjust how I spend my time. My evening can't always be reading time now. And to getting my post finished before it publishes! I forgot last night.


The Secrets of Emberwild turned out to be a bit of a romance novel which I am not into. Story follows a young woman's journey to train and race a young stallion to save the family farm. She finds deception and then love.

The Sign of Death the second installment of the Victorian Book Club mysteries. Lady Amy and her beau, William, work to clear his name after his "man of business" is found drowned. William also suspects fraud which puts his financial security in limbo.

The Escape Artist Walter Rosenberg as a Jewish teenager was transported to Auschwitz. His mind remembered facts and he had a great desire to escape to let the world know what was going on. After nearly two years in Auschwitz, having worked in jobs that let him see most of the system the Nazi's used, he does successfully escape to bring the story to other Jews, but not all believed him. Very interesting story and well written.

Her Hidden Genius is a fictionalized story of Dr Rosalind Franklin who worked as a scientist in the mid 1940s to the late 1950s. In her work as an x-ray crystallographer she took the first pictures that showed DNA to be of a helical structure. Sadly she died in 1958 of ovarian cancer before the Nobel Prizes were awarded in 1962 for the discovery of the structure of DNA. Nobel is not awarded posthumously.

The West Wing and Beyond is mostly pictures. Author was the official photographer during the Obama administration but also worked in the Regan White House. Pictures are not of the President but of the people and places nearby.




Happy Reading.

Monday, February 12, 2024

Mini-ManCat Monday

 By associating with the cat, one only risks becoming richer. - Colette 

Mum must be super rich! She has me to hang with. Plus we have been together now for 14 years! Yep, officially it is tomorrow for my Gotcha Day, but hey, who is counting. 

All of our snow is gone except a couple of small piles, never would have thought it would go away so fast. Mum says we are likely to get more but the weather guessers are not predicting any snow. Heck, we had rain and thunderboomer storms this past week. 


 It got so warm that the flowers are thinking it is time to poke out from the ground. I hopes they don't get nipped by snow and cold. 

Below is me with mum's latest blankie with one of her fav yarn color. She is making good progress. 



 Me, just resting while she does her stuff, crow-shay, reading, just chilling. I know she likes to have me hang out with her. 

Mum didn't have a party or any special foods. She ate her leftovers from having lunch with Aunty Kellie the other day. 

Me watching, well sorta. I was at least on mum's lap for part of the game. She did lots of crow-shay to keep her from eating more than her actual dinner.

 Feetsball Report

The last game of the season is now done. The Kansas City Chiefs won over the SF Niners. It was a long season and the last game went into overtime. 

The Swifty fans should be happy, she made the game and they showed her lots on the moving picture box. Mum even was texting with DKM and others who were all routing for the Niners. 

While feetsball may be over, racy season starts now! 

Have a good week everyone!



Wednesday, February 7, 2024

Wonderful Wordy Wednesday

Yes it is February now and I have been at these book posts since February 2, 2022. I have no idea how many books I have posted about. That isn't the point. 

I hope that perhaps I have introduced you to books to read, new authors to add to your list of books to read. My TBR list hovers between 150-160. I read some and then add more back in. I am getting more picky about what I add since I was getting too many clunkers!

I went back to look at some of my first posts. I notice I wasn't giving much feedback on each title, just posting pictures of the books. It wasn't until about 6 months later I gave a short synopsis of each book, my mini-review as it were.


Murder Most Fair one of the Verity Kent series. Her great aunt arrives from Germany and they return to her family home. It is her first visit in nearly five years and she has to deal with the death of her brother in the war and her relationship with the rest of the family. Then her great aunt's maid is murdered as well. Was it because she was German?

The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs Kip a cub reporter oversteps and is then assigned to write an obituary of Mrs Kip. What she finds is an amazing story of an average person.

Bliss on Toast is authored by Prue Leith, one of the judges on Great British Baking Show. The premise of the book is to have a simple but filling and tasty meal just putting stuff on toast. Although toast includes all type of bread, bagels, pita, naan etc. Put what makes you happy on your toast.

Dishes for Two another cookbook but nothing jumped out at me to try.

Modern Bistro same as above, but it is fun look and drool at the pictures.



Not sure I mope about when I finish books, there is always another one to read and then another after that. 

Happy Reading!

Monday, February 5, 2024

Mini-ManCat Monday

 Cats' hearing apparatus is built to allow the human voice to easily go in one ear and out the other. - Stephen Baker 

First off I want to tell you about Nairobi. No, not the city but the cat. Seems he got out of his house back in December before Christmouse. He got found last week on top of an utility pole. He got rescued and back with his humans since he had a microchip. The story on the moving picture box here

Most all of snow we got last month is gone. Mum is happy about that but she thinks we will be getting more afor the real spring gets here. Mum is calling this false spring.


Me, I am doing my usual stuff. Eating, bugging mum, helping mum with her crow-shay too. 


Mum says she really loves this color. 

No official feetsball game this weekend, but by this time next weekend the season will be over. 

Have a happy week everyone.


 

Wednesday, January 31, 2024

Wonderful Wordy Wednesday

Most of the snow that we got a couple of weeks ago has melted. We have had warmer than average temperatures and some rain. Minimal sunshine although this past Monday was sunny. It was nice to get out and get some rays!

Made it to the last day of January, which always seems like such a long month. Guess it is the cold, darker and snowy days. No more holidays to celebrate. 

It is still good reading weather. Can't get out and do any gardening or other yard work. I did get the arbor vitae more or less upright after the snow melted off of it. At least it didn't break off. Will have to see how well it gets back to being straight. First pic is from January 27 when still bent down with snow. Next one is on January 28 after the snow had melted off of it AND with me pushing it up and using bungee cords to hold it a bit straighter.

On to the books for this week.


Death in the Vines several women are killed, including an older lady found in a vineyard. Are the murders related?

Summer of Blood the continuing story of the end of the Plantagent rulers in England. In 1381, the lower classes fed up by continuing poll taxes that hit them the worst rebel against King Richard III. The rebellion is put down with lots of blood flowing in the streets.

Baptism by Fire the author chose eight presidents, Washington, Jefferson, Tyler, Lincoln, FDR, Truman, Kennedy and Ford to profile. The book gives mini biography of their lives as well as an overview of their presidency. Doesn't just focus on one crisis, which is what I was expecting.




Happy Reading.