Category: Reading

Animals, Books, Dogs, family, Life, Reading, Travel

Tell Sleep I Miss It…

1972italy

I am so overwhelmingly tired right now.  Pretty sure I didn’t fall asleep before 2am.  Essie wanted to get up around 8am.  But of course I was awake and trying to go back to sleep since 6am again.  Moose was all about staying in bed.  Every time I tried to get up he draped his head across me to keep me laying down.

Chris and I did a little road trip and acquired two used AC units for the house.  One is still in the bed of the truck (I told Chris he can put it in his office as I prefer to keep my window open in mine) but the other is in the bedroom.  With the fan going it cools the room right down.  We need to lengthen the felt cover that is over the window.  Even with the blinds down it gets bright in there when the sun is out.

I got my latest reading material in the mail yesterday.  The debut novel The Bright Lands by John Fram.  It’s a mystery set in a small Texas town.  It reminds me of Christopher Rice and some of his early novels so I thought why not.  Even though I am still reading the other book I am going to start this one.

I got another box from Amazon yesterday.  Amazon UK to be exact.  It contained a 3-in-1 nail gun (it does nails, staples and little U shaped thingys) as well as cardboard letters.  What is this for? you might ask.  I know I did because I never ordered it.  I got ahold of someone from Amazon once we had gotten settled in (we were gone most of the day so the kids needed to be fed dinner, groceries needed to be unloaded and put away and the AC units switched out).  I was told that I could keep it. So I have a new tool in my arsenal.

I can’t keep my eyes open.  I’m going to wrap this up and then curl up with the book outside.  Thanks for reading!  I hope you have a great day!  Stay safe!

Animals, Books, Cooking/Baking, Dogs, Emotions, family, Holiday, Life, Nature, Photography, Reading, the World, Writing

Ahhhh… This Is What It Feels Like to Relax

1972italy

Yesterday was a bit of a lazy day.  I got bills paid but when I tried to do the “free” car payment online it was $50 more than if I just sucked it up and dealt with traffic.  So I loaded up Moose and Stella and we went to the bank.  With Moose all but in my lap and Stella peering around my shoulder from the back seat the teller and I chatted for a bit about the times and dogs (it was video drive thru and there was no one behind me).  Once we got home (much swearing and the use of my phrase “damn tourists” repeated ad nauseum) we settled outside.  No I lie.  I wanted to bake the cupcakes for the kids birthdays before it got too hot (the one ac unit can’t keep up with all the heat and humidity this week).  Once those were done and cooling I did some thing unusual.  I grabbed my Minion quilt, my bag of books and writing, my camera bag and a few other things and we headed outside.  I laid out my quilt in the shade and set up shop.  Stella came and sat right next to me until I started to read my latest book The Fishermen by Chigozie Obioma then she laid down beside me.  Moose and Essie were in and out.  As the sun moved so did we and we moved across the whole yard by the day’s end.  The kids spent most of the time out with me despite the heat (it didn’t feel so hot laying in the shade).  It was a relaxing day had by all.

I got some cool photos (I will download them from the camera and put some in this post) yesterday as well.  I found myself playing with the light.  I think I paid more attention to it because we were in the shade most of the time.  Especially when sunset neared.  The lighting got really cool then.

The only downside to yesterday was the loud music and fireworks.  The music I could deal with.  When the fireworks started they were sparse so Essie was going around the yard barking at them (she does this when the locals are shooting too close to the house).  But as the displays ramped up (we seemed to have them on all sides) Stella started to really freak out.  Essie and Moose were uneasy but coping because I had background noises going and I was nonplussed with the noise.  Stella began pacing around the house, a sure sign that she is freaking out.  So I pulled out the anxiety meds and snuck them into a cupcake for each.  That seemed to help but Stella would wake up (I decided to hunker in bed and read so we’d all be together) with some of the louder fireworks and just stare to make sure all was ok.  Things wrapped up around midnight or so.

I got a few books yesterday.  Well one is actually a pamphlet but you get the idea.  The pamphlet and one books are on Michigan butterflies.  We have so many different varieties this year I wanted to know more.  So I can sit outside with my bird book and butterfly books and see what we have this year.  The third book is actually a memoir.  It is part of my learning about the surfing culture books that I have on my Amazon list.  It looks so good and I really want to start it but I am making myself finish The Fishermen first.  I am halfway done and it is a very good book.  I get lost in the story (and it’s in Nigeria) every time I pick up the book.  But I really really want to read the new one!  Barbarian Days A Surfing Life by William Finnegan looks so good!  And I have a first novel coming in a few weeks from a new writer I discovered John Fram.  So I will be busy reading.  I am hoping this will compel me to get more writing done.  We’ll see.  It seems to have worked today!  This is a long one!

I will stop for now and download some of the photos from yesterday.  Thanks so much for reading this long post!  Have a great day and stay safe!

Animals, Books, Life, Movies, Reading

Coffee and Werewolves

1972italy

I hate it when you just get up and someone who has been up for a while expects you to fully function with no coffee right off the bat.  Anyone who knows me understands this.  Or atleast I thought they did.  I am not a morning person but I get up early out of necessity.  Sigh…. oh well.  Another side issue is that even after one cup of java I am still not awake.  So hang on while I get my second.

Yesterday I received my copy of The Howling by Gary Brandner.  I had been looking at getting it for awhile.  It is the novel that the movie of the same name is based on.  I plowed through it in a few hours.  I LOVE this book!  It is a straight forward and uncomplicated werewolf novel.  No side romances with other supernatural creatures.  Just a what-would-happen-if-there-were-werewolves slice of life.  No complicated descriptions.  No hidden meanings.  It was so refreshing to read!  And if someone picks apart things like silver bullets (you cannot use silver as a bullet because among other things it is too soft) then that means they are missing the story and not enjoying it.  The book was written in 1977.  There are two more books in the series and I think I might get them soon.  I have watched most of the movies based (at times in name only) on the trilogy and I have preferred some and not others.  But I am really excited to find the books.  Incase you’ve not read the book or watched the movie the basic story is a couple moves for 6 months to a small community in California to help their relationship (in the novel she is recovering from a rape that is vividly described so fair warning).  The town is quiet and unassuming.  The husband falls in lust with one of the locals and gets turned into a werewolf.  The wife keeps hearing howling at night and does some investigating on her own.  While doing that she meets and befriends an ex-nun who believes there is a werewolf living in the town.  Together they unravel the mysteries of the town.  It is quite good.

Oh geez… I have a butterfly that is stuck in the house.  I am going to wrap this up and try a rescue before it gets stuck somewhere.  Thanks for reading!  Have a great day and stay safe!

Books, Emotions, Life, Photography, Reading, Thinking, Writing

Gone Grey

1972italy

Another day has dawned but then gone grey.  Storms and rain went through yesterday afternoon and last night.  It is cooler out.  I’m glad I got the backyard mowed the other day.  I will probably get the weed whip out today to clean up the hard to reach spots.

I need to figure out where things are going.  Both inside and out.  As I clean things in the house I find that my office is being over run as all my stuff is being dumped in there.  I have no space for what people are giving me.  I don’t want to put things under the house but that is what might need to happen.  I can’t put too much in the garage since the fix hasn’t been completed.  What is in there now can be pulled out in short order if necessary.  But something needs to give.  So maybe that will be what I try to accomplish today.  To get the big stuff that is just taking up room boxed or bagged up and put under the house.  Hopefully I can secure everything so that the animals don’t eat any of it.

I am still staring at a pile of books I need to review and post on various medias.  I don’t feel that I am up to snuff with reviewing books.  I don’t have anything current to compare various pieces to.  I have my old standbys.  Half the time I don’t know who someone is referring to.  There are some international authors I would like to read but haven’t.  The reviews I’ve sent out have been forgotten about but various editors for various reasons.  I feel like it doesn’t matter.  The frustrating part is that I think the reviews are good.  Those should be published.  Yet they sit.  Yes I could publish them myself but… it hardly  seems worth it.

I didn’t take any pictures yesterday nor did I download any.  I did receive my book on the camera yesterday.  But I spent the day reading Terry Pratchett’s Guards, Guards.  I started another of his novels yesterday afternoon once I finished the first.

I guess I should wrap this up and try to get something accomplished.  Thanks for reading.  I hope you have a great day and stay safe.

Animals, Books, Dogs, family, Life, Nature, Photography, Reading

Functioning in the Heat

1972italy

I feel slightly better today but my whole body hurts.  I didn’t really do much yesterday.  I did get some chores done.  I got as much done as I could so that I only have one big one today and that is to mow the backyard.  Temperatures are supposed to soar today with storms tonight.  I want to keep up on the lawn as best I can this year.

I’ve kept the AC on all night to try to combat the heat that is coming today for the dogs.  Stella has already gone out and sprawled on the deck.  Essie and Moose are still inside.  I have gotten in the habit of watering the plants outside at night.  The constant sun dries out the dirt quickly.  By the time evening rolls around everyone looks a little droopy.

I did start reading a new book yesterday.  I finished Stephen King’s On Writing again so since Chris recently got it to round out the Terry Pratchett collection (I think we have just about all of the Disc World books in actual book form, I know Chris has them all in digital copy).  So I have started reading Guards, Guards which is the first book in the Watch series.  I always enjoy Pratchett because his satire is so well done and the stories are so fun.  We introduced Mom to him a few years ago (I don’t remember which book we loaned her) and now she has all the books as well.

I see that Stella has come in and stretched out in front of the AC, belly first.  I think that will be happening a lot today for all of us.  I still need to download all the pictures on to this laptop from my camera.  It will make it so much easier to share on here than doing the transfer to the phone and back.  I am supposed to be getting my Nikon D3500 For Dummies today so hopefully that will get me moving.  I want to learn about all the different tools I have in my kit (there are filters I have as well as other lenses that I honestly have no idea how to use… I can’t get them to fit on the camera and there were no instructions with the kit sooooo).

All three dogs are now outside.  I think I will follow their lead.  Let me just download a few photos from yesterday and the day before (I got a fun action shot of Stella).  Poop.  The camera battery is too low.  So I guess I will share some older pictures and charge the camera battery.  Have a great day and thanks for reading!  Stay safe!

Books, Emotions, Gardening, Life, Nature, Reading, Thinking, Writing

More Flowers and Plants Make Me Happy

1972italy

The sun is out and warming things up.  We had a frost warning last night but as far as I can tell we didn’t get any.  I brought all the potted plants in just incase last night.  I have two new pots with plants.  I say it like that because one is all begonias while the other is a beautiful mixture of plants.  I even have a little extra one that the guy put in there for me.  I was debating between two of the variety pots and I really liked the one pot but it didn’t have the one really pretty plant from another variety pot.  As I was looking at the begonias he dug a hole in the one pot and transplanted the plant I liked from the other pot in.  He said he had some other plants that needed to go in out back.  Sooooo I got all the plants I wanted.  One pot is hanging (more expensive even though it is just one plant) and the other has a hanging pot but no hanger (less expensive but more plants).  I am happy with both.  There was a hummingbird at the feeder while I was bringing all the plants out on the the porch.  I thought about making some pots for the front porch but it is so cold and shaded up there.  It is to the north and it doesn’t get much sun.  I may still put some shepard’s hooks out and hang something.  I could do the same for the side porch at the back door.  We’ll see.

I have been rereading Stephen King’s On Writing and enjoying it.  It helped a lot with my mood yesterday.  I will continue today alternating it with writing.  Today is also the last day of May.  Tomorrow is June.  While I am more than happy to see the month of June and summer I am also surprised at how fast the year has gone.  We are half way through it.  So much has happened.

I find myself restless to get outside into the sunshine.  I think I will wrap this one up and get out there with a fresh cup of my Twinkie flavored coffee.  Thanks for reading!  I hope you have a great day and stay safe!

Animals, Creativity, Dogs, Emotions, Life, Nature, Reading, the World, Thinking

Grey Skies, In and Out

1972italy

This morning is cold and raining.  Essie wouldn’t eat breakfast and has been pacing between laying the man cave on the dog bed and laying on the couch with Moose.  Stella is behind me.  I came out here with my pillow and a Minion blanket around 5am.  Essie wedged herself between Chris, Moose and I.  Then she kept kicking to readjust herself.  I just wanted to sleep so I came out here.  Guess who the first one out was?  She curled up on the couch.  Then Moose came out and he went to sleep in the man cave.  Stella came out around 7am and curled up with me on the couch.  Moose did too after that.

With all the rain the backyard looks like it needs to be mowed again.  I find my mood and mind soured.  The cool morning and the current news did not help.  So what to do?  I have read through the two Supernatural novels I got.  Chris is working six days this week.  So.  Again with the what to do?  Maybe reading magazine articles will help.  I have a bunch of my writing magazines here I can go through.  I don’t think I can focus on a story right now.  I still need to make puppy treats.  I just don’t know.  I need something to get me out of my head.

It is chilly enough I had to turn off the fan and turn the furnace down so it wouldn’t go on.  Today’s high is supposed to be 55F (12C) and the low 34F (1C).  I had a hummingbird right outside the kitchen window tis morning.  He was sitting on a branch of the Halloween tree (so called because it is a small dead tree with various Halloween decorations on it).  I am glad because that means more hummingbirds have found the feeder.  It has been a lone female til now.

My coffee is gone so I will wrap this up and brew some more.  Maybe read.  Essie still needs to find her frisbee too…   Stay safe and thanks for reading.

Animals, Creativity, Dogs, family, Life, Motorcycles, Nature, Photography, Reading, Thinking, Writing

I Am a Hot House Flower

1972italy

The morning has dawned sunny and humid.  I am loving it but I know a lot of people don’t.  We have been pushing 80F (26C) to 90F (32C) the past few days.  Last night we got hit with multiple storms (finally).  It’s like they all decided to show up the same day now that the area has been opened up to everyone.  Chris’s weather app said only a 10% chance of rain.  So he rode his motorcycle in.  Yeah… He was gone maybe 10-15 minutes and the black clouds started to roll in.  I think he got caught about three times in the various storms (he had physical therapy for his shoulder yesterday).  It is supposed to cool off later this week with more rain so that should make people like my Mom happy.  She has been very unhappy and crabby with the heat and humidity.

Moose would not eat again this morning.  I’m not sure why.  I just hope cleaning his teeth fix the problem.   Essie has more medicine to take.  I told the vet something was in her paw when she went in for surgery.  They supposedly checked it.  It didn’t look any different when she came home.  She went back yesterday for her post-op check up and I said that her paw wasn’t any better.  Well when they looked at it and cut into it they found two pieces of stick.  It kind of made me angry because Essie had to go all that time with those in her paw.  They were sizeable (they sent them to me in a Ziploc bag with her meds).  Stella is just Stella.  No problems she’s just happy-go-lucky and plays with her ball and anyone else who is interested.

I have been reading rather than writing lately.  Even my journaling has fallen by the wayside.  Now that I have more new stuff to chose from…  But I do need to sit down with my novel.  So if nothing else try my hand at a short story.  I sometimes feel like I have lost my voice.  I reread some of my old stories and am amazed at myself.  Then I stare at the blank page…  I have to say having a pen that I want to write with is very nice.  I just grab that and make myself write something just so I can use the fountain pen.  Hey!  Whatever works1

My rib is telling me I need to find a different position as it is starting to hurt.  So I will wrap this up for now.  Maybe go and take some more photos of all the awesome critters visiting our acres.  Have a great day!  Stay safe and thanks for reading!

Emotions, Exersise, family, Gardening, Life, Motorcycles, Nature, Photography, Reading, Thinking

Rain and Flowers

1972italy

We got rain over night but no storms.  Apparently those storms will be coming this afternoon.  Atleast I will be awake and not trying to sleep.  Not much sleep was gotten last night as I couldn’t find a comfortable position for very long.  Even laying flat on my back hurt my rib.  I felt a click at one point with sharp pain that woke me.

I did get through two rounds of the yoga warm up before I quit yesterday.  Most of the poses for yesterday were bending and that is a no go right now.  So I will stick with doing the warm up in the morning and my plank at night.  I got four different seeds planted yesterday.  I wanted to makes sure I got some in the ground since we were slated to get all that rain over night.

I am almost finished reading the first of two Supernatural novels I got.  I have something like 30 pages left.  So I will probably start the next today at one point or another.  The problem is I have to sit straight up and down to read.  I can’t sit back in the love seat.  I know.  I tried.  And each time it brought a tear to my eye.  I need to work on the novel as well.  I’ve not picked it up in a few days.

Chris wants to go out today.  I’m not sure how good that is going to be but it will be time for us so I will try.  I am grateful that the storm(s) are coming in the afternoon and that there is a threat of rain all day.  I am really not up to riding a motorcycle.  Mine or anyone else’s.

With all the rain and sun I believe that my lilacs are going to bloom any day now.  As of yesterday I figured maybe sometime this week.  But when I got up this morning the buds look about ready to burst open.  I have been taking a lot of photos (wish I could share on here but even if I delete some of my old photos they won’t let me upload new ones unless I want to pay for the site) as Spring has progressed.  I am looking at some cameras on Amazon that are for sale.  I still need to replace this laptop too.  Buuuuut I don’t know if I should… I should replace the laptop because I need to be able to have it function on a regular basis and this one is old enough (I got it used) that I cannot get a current version of WordPerfect for it.  And I really do need some kind of word processor on here.  It would make submitting articles and reviews so much easier.  So.  And if I can get proficient with the camera I might be able to sell my photographs.  Even if I don’t sell them I would like a chance to see if I can get the colors I see to appear on film instead of the washed out stuff that I get on my phone camera.  But we’ll see.  I should be able to use both purchases on next year’s income taxes as they will be used for my business.  Something to think about.

I do need to wrap this up.  Stay safe and thanks for reading!

Animals, Creativity, Dogs, Emotions, family, Life, Movies, Poetry, Reading, Thinking

The Poetry of Life

1972italy

Coffee doesn’t seem to be working this morning.  The sun is out but it is cold.  Essie is sleeping in the man cave.  I’m not sure how long she’ll be out as her medicine (two pain pills) is supposed to make her drowsy.  She fought it all day yesterday after I brought her home.  She wouldn’t let herself fall asleep and stay there until we went to bed.  It turns out she has an ear infection as well as the sting on her paw has become infected.  So she has ear drops that go in both ears and an antiseptic pad that I wipe her paw with as well.

I am finding myself looking at more poetry lately.  I have followed a few new poets (new to me) on here.  Some of them are very avant guard with their words and visions.  It was nice to read a poem and have the words depict things in the minds eye way out of my norm.  When I was in my 20s I found myself reading a lot of poetry.  I still have all of the books I purchased.  I may spend some time going through them again to explore them once more.  Maybe that will help.

I enjoy listening to Sir Patrick Stewart recite sonnets every day.  I some times wait and just listen to a bunch in a row.  Dad used to recite poetry to me when I was little.  I remember him reciting “The Raven” from heart as I read along in my book (I still have the book) at bed time.  Mom was less than thrilled with the choice of reading material but she and I were the ones that stayed up and watched the Ghoul on Friday nights as well as all the old school horror movies on Saturday afternoons (after cartoons of course) with Sir Graves.

I think I will get a fresh cup of coffee and curl up with a book.  Maybe poetry.  Maybe prose.  We shall see.  I hope you and yours are safe.  Thanks for reading!