Life: It Goes On - June 20

Happy Monday! I'd ask you if it's as hot where you are as it is here but I'm pretty sure it's hot every where right now. We talked to Mini-me on Friday and he reported temps in the low 80's in Alaska which is hot for them. And still I'd rather it be hot than winter. 

We made a whirlwind trip to my brother's this weekend to pick up my dad and bring him home. Arrived late Friday, left before noon Sunday. Still, we managed to get to spend some time with everyone in his family, hit up our favorite pizza place, enjoy cocktails at a place we've enjoyed before, and gotten in a lot of talking. It was a good, all too brief, weekend. 

Last Week I: 

 Listened To: I'm about half way done with The Descendents by Kaui Hart Hemmings. You might be familiar with the book through the movie adaptation starring George Clooney. I'm enjoying it but can't help but wish Clooney were the reader. 

Watched: Lots and lots of College World Series games. 

Read: I finished Jennifer McMahon's latest, The Children On The Hill and started Tom Perrotta's latest, Tracy Flick Can't Win, the sequel to Election, which was adapted into a movie starring Matthew Broderick and Reece Witherspoon which was filmed in Omaha. 

Made: Salads, salads, and more salads. Tonight we threw together chicken nugget salads. I'm pretty excited to see that we have green tomatoes on the vine - it's almost caprese season!

The little princes. Big brother
actually brought his own money 
for the games and rides.

Enjoyed: So much time with our great-nieces and great-nephews. They are such funny little people and I so appreciate that their parents made time for us to get to see them. 

This Week I’m:  

Planning: Nothing much, other than watering my plants ever night. See below as to why.

Thinking About: Another trip south, sooner rather than later. Our friends move on Wednesday and I'm going to be wanting a D fix before too many weeks pass. We discovered this weekend that their new house is less than half a mile from my niece's house - how handy that will be! 

Feeling: So frustrated. My back/leg, which felt terrific two weeks ago when we were in Dallas, is so much worse now. My doctor hasn't followed up to schedule any other diagnostic tool after the MRI was denied, nor has he checked to see if the meds he prescribed three weeks ago are working. They were. And now they aren't. My call to their office will not be friendly. 

Looking forward to: Book club tomorrow night. Also, a new(ish) refrigerator will arrive for our garage tomorrow night. 

Question of the week: I've been reading a lot of books I'm enjoying this year but have read very few that really wow'd me. What have you read lately that you would highly recommend? 

Life: It Goes On - October 23

How did all of my readathon friends do this weekend? I was so sad to miss it - always look forward to it, even though I have not once figured out the best way to make it work after all of these years.

As much as I missed being able to do Dewey's, I did love my weekend at my brother's and sister-in-law's. We got to spend time with all of the kids and the much-adored Miss E, we went hiking to a park we have enjoyed for decades, got Shakespeare's pizza (a requirement with every visit), hit up a winery, and got in lots of talking and laughing (my sister-in-law and I stayed up until 3 a.m. Saturday morning without even realizing we'd been talking that long!). So wish we could get there more often.

This Week I'm:

Listening To: My new podcast of choice is Crime Town. This season is about Providence, Rhode Island and Buddy Cianci. I keep thinking of the restaurant my aunt and uncle took the Big Guy and me to when we visited them in Rhode Island and they were telling us about the mob hit that had taken place in that restaurant. In 1983, that was something shocking for this naive Midwest girl! I had no idea it was so common then!

Watching: Volleyball, football, baseball, The Voice, The Real Housewives of New Jersey.

Reading: Chugging along still on Grant. Good thing I get more days with this one than I was expecting!

Making: Pizzas, baked chicken legs and sweet potatoes, something else that was delicious, I'm sure, but apparently not memorable.

Planning: On putting the yard and gardens to bed for the winter this week, with much sadness.

Just a few of the books I've
bought recently

Thinking About: Putting a moratorium on my book buying for the rest of the year. Somehow I've managed to buy about 20 new books in the past few weeks. In my defense, except for a couple of gifts and one new book for myself, all of the others were used and cost no more than $3. Still, my shelves will, once again, need to be reorganized to fit everything on them.

Enjoying: See collage. Miss H and her uncle both got a lot of great shots at Rock Bridge park.

Feeling: Excited. I think. Just after we got home last night, a deputy came to our door to tell us that they had found Mini-him's car that was stolen a couple of weeks ago. He hadn't seen it yet and we can't pick it up yet so we have no idea what kind of condition it's in. It was found only a few blocks away from where it was taken so we are hoping it was just some kids out for a joy ride. We'll hopefully find out tomorrow. Unfortunately, just Friday Mini-him bought a new car. So now he has (if the stolen car is drivable) two cars.

Rock Bridge Park, Columbia Missouri 

Looking forward to: So, if the stolen car is still in good shape, Mini-me may buy it. Which means we'll have to get it to Milwaukee. Oh darn - I'll have to go to Milwaukee and see my kids again. Fingers crossed that will work out.

Question of the week: Did you participate in Dewey's Readathon? If so, how did you do?