Showing posts with label Saturday stuff. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Saturday stuff. Show all posts

Saturday, July 18, 2026

An unexpected love story

The Other Side of Disappearing ~ by Kate Clayborn, 2024, fiction, pages

Hairstylist Jess Greene has spent the last decade raising her younger half-sister, Tegan — and keeping a shocking secret.  Ever since their reckless mother ran off with a boyfriend she’d known only a few months, Jess has been aware that he’s the same accomplished con man who was the subject of a wildly popular podcast, "The Last Con of Lynton Baltimore."

Now thirty-one, Jess didn’t bargain on Tegan eventually piecing together the connection for herself.  But Tegan plans to do exactly what Jess has always feared — leave their safe, stable home to search for their mother — and she’ll be accompanied by the prying podcast host and her watchful, handsome producer, Adam Hawkins.  Unwilling to let the sister she’s spent so much of her life protecting go it alone, Jess reluctantly joins them.

Together, the four make their way across the country, unraveling the mystery of where the couple disappeared to and why.  But soon Jess is discovering other things too.  Like a renewed sense of vulnerability and curiosity, and a willingness to expand beyond the walls she’s so carefully built.  And in Adam, she finds an unexpected connection she didn’t even know was missing, if only she can let go and let him in.

Saturday, June 13, 2026

Gift book donated to our Crown Center library

Do more of what makes you happy.  This is actually a card-sized gift book.  It doesn't list an "author," though it does tell us the authors of each of the sayings.  Here's one you have probably heard before:
HAPPINESS is
a warm PUPPY.
                       ~ Charles M. Schulz

This is the puppy I thought of when I read that.  (I wonder why?  LOL)
And Snoopy always balances on top of his dog house, even sleeping, right?

Saturday, May 30, 2026

Joyful Saturday stuff

It's been a relaxed Saturday so far, with fewer spam calls and texts than some days lately.  (And of course, I got a fake text about a "refund"on my phone while typing that ... LOL.)  The sun is shining, and I can see folks out biking, walking, and running.  I haven't been outside today, but it's been a good day so far.

Yesterday, I accepted book donations for the Crown Center library from the daughter of a resident who died a few days ago.  As I went through that pile of books in the library workroom, I found a couple of them that have JOY in their titles (my favorite word).  So I brought those two home with me to check out their content.

This quote is on a pale green page, but doesn't show who said it.  The book does not even indicate the person who collected these quotes:

"Some days, it is enough encouragement just to watch the clouds break up and disappear, leaving behind a blue patch of sky and bright sunshine that is so warm upon my face."

I don't have blue skies (the sky here today is gray), but the sunshine outweighs the cloudy part of the sky for me.

Saturday, April 4, 2026

Fun and joy

Get organized?  Impossible, so let's move on to the next item.  Hmm, have fun sounds good, but what shall I do to have fun today?  There is always reading, for a "bookie" like me.  Or walking somewhere interesting, before we have any more bad weather.  That means weather that is not too cold or too muggy or too icy or too wet.  Here are some more ideas for having fun:
  • Think of three things I'm grateful for (thinking, thinking, thinking).
  • Find joy in music today:  listen and maybe sing along.
  • Take a photo of something that brings me joy.
  • Say positive things in my conversations with others.
  • Appreciate the beauty of nature and the trees "springing" into bloom along our parking lot.  Here are some of them.
When I run into my friends, I'll try to remember to ask them what they feel grateful for today.  The "fun-est" thing so far was ordering a children's book for my next library delivery in the middle of this month.  The library in our subdivision makes monthly deliveries to the elderly people in my senior-living facility.  Not all of us have cars or drive anymore, so this is a great way to get books, especially since only a few hundred books are available in our tiny library, which is made up of donated books from some of us living here, as well as donations from good folks in the community.

Saturday, March 28, 2026

Saturday stuff

I ate soft chocolate earlier, and some of it fell on my shirt.  So I looked up how to get it out without making it set permanently, and I'm hoping, hoping, hoping.

Key Steps to Remove Chocolate Stains:
  1. Remove Excess:  Gently scrape off solidified chocolate with a dull knife or spoon.
  2. Rinse Cold:  Run cold water through the back of the stain to prevent it from setting deeper into the fibers.
  3. Pre-treat:  Apply a heavy-duty liquid detergent (like Tide) or dish soap (like Dawn) directly to the stain.
  4. Soak:  Let the garment sit for at least 15–30 minutes to break down the grease.
  5. Wash:  Launder the item as usual in cold water.
  6. Check Before Drying:  Ensure the stain is completely gone before putting it in the dryer, as heat can permanently set any remaining stain.
I'm about to do a load of laundry in cold water.  When it's done, then I'll know whether this is a happy Saturday or not.
  (Added later:  Yes, it worked. )

Saturday, March 21, 2026

Black-eyed peas

Do you like black-eyed peas?  I do, but I haven't eaten any lately.  I was just thinking about their nutrition value, so I looked it up.  The illustration below shows that they are full of vitamins, proteins, minerals, and fiber.  They are also good for heart health.  So people would eat them on New Year's Day for luck.

Eating black-eyed peas (with cornbread, in my family) on New Year's Day was supposed to make us rich or something.  I have now missed New Year's Day by several weeks at this point, but I should go look to see if I have a can of them in my kitchen cabinet because my mouth is watering.

But first, let me tell you why I was thinking about black-eyed peas in the first place.  I was casually scrolling on my phone and came across this:  "The black-eyed peas can sing us a tune, but the chick peas can only hummus one."  I know I have hummus in the fridge, if I don't find the other.

Saturday, February 28, 2026

Remembering a long-ago Saturday

The long-ago Saturday that is on my mind today was February 28, 1959.  Let's see, 2026 minus 1959 is 67 years ago.  That's the day I married.  I remember as we left the church, that car-loads of friends were lined up to follow us.  We got into our "getaway" car driven by a friend, but went straight through it to another friend's car going in the opposite direction.  Yep, we almost got away, except for those who happened to be parked going in that direction.  I no longer remember details, but I do remember divorcing him 14 years and three children later (also in February).  The three children, all married now, gave me seven grandchildren.  The first one made me a grandparent on grandparents day.  And now I have six GREAT-grandchildren).  This photo includes four generations (I'm wearing red):

Saturday, January 31, 2026

A library book I just checked out


About Alice
~ by Calvin Trillin, 2006, memoir, 78 pages

In Calvin Trillin’s antic tales of family life, she was portrayed as the wife who had “a weird predilection for limiting our family to three meals a day” and the mother who thought that you had to go to your child’s school play, or “the county would come and take the child.”

Five years after her death, her husband offered this loving portrait of Alice Trillin off the page, an educator who was equally at home teaching at a university or a drug treatment center, a gifted writer, a beautiful and thoroughly engaged woman who, in the words of a friend, "managed to navigate the tricky waters between living a life you could be proud of and still delighting in the many things there are to take pleasure in."

It deals with devastating loss, but About Alice is also a love story that chronicls a romance that began at a Manhattan party when Calvin Trillin desperately tried to impress a young woman who "seemed to glow."

"You have never again been as funny as you were that night," Alice would say, twenty or thirty years later.
"You mean I peaked in December of 1963?"
"I’m afraid so."

But he never quit trying to impress her.  In his writing, she was sometimes his subject and always his muse.  The dedication of the first book he published after her death read, "I wrote this for Alice.  Actually, I wrote everything for Alice."

Saturday, January 24, 2026

Saturday Stuff

I was in the lobby a few minutes ago when a neighbor I know came home in all the snow we're having in the midwest.  She stopped to check her mailbox, and I made a comment about the weather.  That's when she said something to the effect of quitting her job.  So I asked what she does.  She replied, "CNA."  I came home and looked it up.  This is the AI Summary:
  • A CNA is a Certified Nursing Assistant who provides basic patient care and daily living assistance under the supervision of registered nurses or licensed practical nurses.
  • What CNAs do = They help with activities of daily living, monitor patients, and support healthcare teams in hospitals, nursing homes, and long‑term care facilities.
  • Education and certification = CNAs complete state-approved training programs and pass written or oral and practical exams to earn certification.  Requirements and processes vary by state.
  • Salary and role context = This is an entry‑level healthcare position that offers hands‑on patient care experience, with typical entry salaries around entry‑level ranges in the low to mid teens per hour, depending on location and facility.

Saturday, January 10, 2026

We've had good weather this week

The sun will shine in my windows later,
and I'm trying to decide what to read next.

Saturday, December 27, 2025

A book about snow?

Amy Snow ~ by Tracy Rees, 2015, historical fiction (England), 576 pages

It is 1831 when eight-year-old Aurelia Vennaway finds a naked baby girl abandoned in the snow on the grounds of her aristocratic family’s magnificent mansion.  Her parents are horrified that she has brought a bastard foundling into the house, but Aurelia convinces them to keep the baby, whom she names Amy Snow.  Amy is brought up as a second-class citizen, despised by Vennaways, but she and Aurelia are as close as sisters.  When Aurelia dies at the age of twenty-three, she leaves Amy ten pounds, and the Vennaways immediately banish Amy from their home.

But Aurelia left her much more.  Amy soon receives a packet that contains a rich inheritance and a letter from Aurelia revealing she had kept secrets from Amy, secrets that she wants Amy to know.  From the grave she sends Amy on a treasure hunt from one end of England to the other:  a treasure hunt that only Amy can follow. Ultimately, a life-changing discovery awaits ... if only Amy can unlock the secret.  In the end, Amy escapes the Vennaways, finds true love, and learns her dearest friend’s secret, a secret that she will protect for the rest of her life.  So we have an abandoned baby, a treasure hunt, and a secret.  I'm ready to read it.

Saturday, December 13, 2025

Saturday Stuff

What stuff am I thinking about today?  Not much.  I ordered a spiral calendar book for 2026, and it was suposed to arrive today.  Do you want to see it?  Me, too!  However, Amazon hasn't even sent a notice that it is "out for delivery."  So not only am I looking for a calendar to arrive, I am already looking at the new year coming up.  Waiting, waiting, waiting . . . and not very patiently!  It is already after sunset here.

Saturday, December 6, 2025

Hmm, dogs on Saturday/Caturday?

The Best Dog: Hilarious to Heartwarming Portraits of the Pups We Love ~ by Aliza Eliazarov with Edward Doty, 2023, animal photography, 240 pages

This heartwarming, and comedic collection of pup portraits and stories celebrating the enduring bond we share with our dogs is by acclaimed photographer, Aliza Eliazarov.  Capturing animals’ unique personalities with humor and grace for over a decade, Aliza’s portraits have been exhibited and published widely, including U.S. postage stamps.

From couch potatoes to working dogs, Aliza takes us on a journey revealing the individuality of our loyal companions through dazzling photos and captions that illuminate the deep connection we have with our pets.  You’ll meet Frank, the bulldog who loves a tire; Maggie, the Jack Russell terrier who delivers homemade cookies to lobstermen; Eddy, the hero mutt who saved her farm from a fire; and many more funny and downright adorable pups.

With evocative portraits and hilarious observations, this book will confirm what we already know — dogs really are the best.  (Wait, what about cats?  And this is Caturday, too.)

Saturday, November 8, 2025

Innoculations

Thursday, I got a flu shot and the latest Covid shot.  Trying to decide whether to get both shots in one arm or one in each arm, I did an online search and found (HERE) that it doesn't matter:
"You can save time and money by getting two vaccinations at the same time, and new research finds that it doesn’t really matter which arm or arms the jab goes in."
So I thought about it and asked the person giving me the two shots.  She also said it doesn't matter, so I got both in my left arm (like the person above), hoping to keep my dominant arm pain-free for the next few days.  So far, so good.  It was still hurting yesterday morning, but got better during the day, and I went out to eat with my friend Jane at First Watch and had enough left over for another meal today.

Saturday, November 1, 2025

November is NaNoWriMo Month ~ updated to say, "Oh, no!"


Back in October of 2007, I posted on this blog that I was going to spend the month of November writing a novel, HERE.  Did I finish a novel?  Nope.

Eight reasons to do NaNoWriMo
  1. LEARN ~ Learn what you can truly achieve
  2. PROGRESS ~ Make real, structured progress
  3. BUILD HABITS ~ Chunk tasks into wins and repeat
  4. CONNECT ~ Meet others with the same goals
  5. ACCOUNT ~ Answer to milestone targets
  6. REALIZE ~ Learn how you work best
  7. IMPROVE ~ Improve with more practice
  8. PREPARE ~ Train to write your next book
No Plot? No Problem!  Novel-Writing Kit ~ by Chris Baty (founder of National Novel Writing Month), 2006, writing, 44 pages

Chris Baty, instigator of a wildly successful writing revolution, spells out the secrets of writing and finishing a novel.  Every fall, thousands of people sign up for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), which Baty founded, determined to (a) write that novel or (b) finish that novel in — I kid you not — 30 days.  Now Baty puts pen to paper himself to share the secrets of success.  With week-specific overviews, pep "talks," and essential survival tips for today's word warriors, this results-oriented, quick-fix strategy is perfect for people who want to nurture their inner artist and then hit print.  Anecdotes and success stories from NaNoWriMo winners will inspire writers from the heralding you-can-do-it trumpet blasts of day one to the champagne toasts of day thirty.  Whether it's a resource for those taking part in the official NaNo WriMo event, or a handbook for writing to come, No Plot? No Problem! is the ultimate guide for would-be writers (or those with writer's block) to cultivate their creative selves.
No, Snoopy!  Don't give up yet.  November is just starting, and you can do it!  Just say, "I can do it, I can do it, I can do it."  Now keep typing.  Should I let you borrow my laptop?  No, I'm afraid it won't balance on your dog house quite as well as your typewriter.  And besides, I may use it a lot this month.

UPDATE:  "Oh, no!"  I've had this set for ages to start my month writing a novel.  I even published an idea recently, HERE.  It's early afternoon, and I just happened to learn that . . .
"NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is not happening in 2025 as the organization shut down in April 2025.  However, there are new alternatives for the 50,000-word challenge, such as the relaunch of the event under a new name, Novel November, by ProWritingAid.  Many other online and in-person groups are also organizing their own writing challenges to maintain the community and momentum of the original event."

Saturday, October 25, 2025

Chinese birthday cake

This is my Chinese friend's beautiful birthday
cake, still in its box.  It looks delicious, doesn't it?

Saturday, October 18, 2025

A mission to Mars

The Martian ~ by Andy Weir, 2014, science fiction, 387 pages

A mission to Mars.  A freak accident.  One man’s struggle to survive.  Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars.  Now, he’s sure he’ll be the first person to die there.  After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive — and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive.

Chances are, though, he won’t have time to starve to death.  The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old “human error” are much more likely to kill him first.  But Mark isn’t ready to give up yet.  Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills — and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit — he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next.  Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?

Saturday, October 11, 2025

What we can do in Optimistic October

The folks at Action for Happiness say we'll be happier if we (1) avoid blaming either self or others and (2) find a helpful way forward.  Okay, I'm thinking now.

Saturday, September 20, 2025

Puzzles

Yesterday, someone scattered these small puzzle books on tables in our lobby for us, so I chose "Find-A-Word."  It shows the boats on the water (fourth from the left on the top row).  I'll enjoy doing these puzzles.  Thanks, anonymous donor.

Saturday, August 16, 2025

Look at the unbelievable height of this sunflower

Colleen posted this photo of a sunflower more than twice as tall as her husband, HERE.  She added, "This is the stuff fairy tales are made of."  I agree with her.