Bloggy Blahs


I have the bloggy blahs.  Well, maybe I just have the blahs, period.  I think the weather has something to do with it.  Last week we had some really autumn like days-- especially in the mornings.

 They were great.  The rain was nice but now we have the molds growing and my allergies are feeling it.  I couldn't hear on Friday which I am sort of used to -- the first thing to go during allergy season is my hearing but it sounded like a freight train was running through my head and the pressure was really bad.  I finally took enough Mucinex to make it stop.

We had a lovely dinner out with Hubs brother and his wife, and my mother in law last night.  We went to Edohana and had a hibachi dinner.  It was exceptionally good and I definitely recommend eating with chopsticks -- you are forced to eat slower and you really enjoy the food.  It wasn't overly crowded for  a Saturday night.

On the way home, Hubs mentioned he had a scratchy throat so, of course, my this morning, he is full blown sick with allergies.  Suddenly my stopped up ears don't seem so bad.

I have been in the mood to cook but haven't done much about it.  I did put some pinto beans in the crock pot this afternoon.  Those will be put in the freezer for future use and maybe eat some tomorrow night.  It sounds like I am in the mood for  fall.  I had intended to put some bread to cook and might still and I had great plans for muffins and cookies but that hasn't happened, either! It seems all I want to do is read.

I did manage to do a couple of loads of laundry -- I didn't have much so I feel accomplished in that regard.  Other than that -- I have just sat here with no energy and no drive to do much of anything.

I hope these doldrums leave soon because I have a lot of things to get busy with -- I have a "to - do" list a mile long and just sitting here with a stuffy head and stuffy ears and itchy eyes isn't go to help me much.

So, hopefully, after a good nights sleep my energy will come back and I will be back to my perky self.  In the meantime, I think I will have some Tylenol with my scrambled eggs and biscuits.

22 August 2012

For today my answers are --


What are you currently reading?  I am currently reading "Aunt Dimity: Detective" by Nancy Atherton. I am reading the Aunt Dimity series in order of publication so I am about seven down the list.

What did you recently finish?  I just finished "So Far Away" by Meg Mitchell Moore.  I would definitely recommend.

What do you think you will read next?  I have no idea.  I am thinking about something non-fiction.  Perhaps the Coco Chanel bio in my library or maybe the book about the real Downton Abbey.  I am not sure.

20 August 2012

Today's question is --

Have you ever re-read a book and found your opinion changed?

Not so much since I tend not to re-read books --- except children's books, of course, which tend to get very repetitive and committed to memory.  I have changed my opinion of some of those, however, and have gotten bored with them.  Some stay as exciting as they first were -- a good example is almost everything in "The Bumper Book".  I have to say that, when I was a child, my favorite book was "The Bumper Book" -- a collection of stories and poems -- but some of the stories I didn't care for.  Now, as I am reading them to a grandchild, I have come to enjoy some of the stories, as an adult, that I didn't  like as a child.  So, in that respect, I would have to say "yes" to the question.

19 August 2012

I can't remember if this meme is done once a week or once a month! I used to do it once a week -- on Mondays, if I remember correctly.  However, it is Sunday and here I am -- a rare moment when my netbook is working so here I go!

For Today --

Outside my window I see a garden badly in need of tending to but, with the West Nile epidemic raging in North Texas, neither of us are going out there to do anything about it.  I guess the prolific vine has won.  I also see a clear blue sky, a not so hot sun and a I detect a bit of "autumn in the air".

I am thinking that I am tired of not feeling up to par.  Nothing terribly major, just lots of little things that add up.  At least my shoulders have quit hurting with the purchase of new pillows.

I am thankful for today.  Simple.

In the kitchen I have a load of meat that needs dividing, I had great plans to bake  and so far -- in the kitchen -- absolutely nothing is happening except the kettle is boiling for another cuppa.

I am wearing shorts and a top.

I am creating a bit of cross stitch.   No purpose, really, just something to keep the hands busy.

I am going crazy -- possibly.  No, not really.  Well, maybe, of boredom.

I am wondering if I could possibly sleep until after the election.  So far, I am disappointed in everybody, everything  and, after watching a PBS show on the Royal Family, I was struck by the difference in the patriotism of the British people and the American people.  We used to be such a strong, patriotic people and now everyone and everything seems divisive.  I am old enough to see a huge change in things and I wonder if we could have a "do-over" of the American Revolution.  Very "bah-humbuggy" of me, I know, but it is all just so sad.

I am reading another "Aunt Dimity" mystery.  It would be "Aunt Dimity: Detective".  Predictable, yes. Great fun? Absolutely.

I am hoping that my new ring comes this week.  I was looking at a silver wedding ring and while I was in Austin two weeks ago I went into a place called "Things Celtic" and ordered a new Claddagh ring.  I have a traditional one but the one I ordered is a band with the Claddagh embossed on it.  It is my 40th wedding anniversary gift from the Hubs.

I am looking forward to dinner tonight at a restaurant called Mi Chula.  New to me -- hope it is good.

I am learning that sometimes things just don't work out.  Sometimes situations can't be rectified.  Sometimes you lose.  Sometimes some days are just sad. Sometimes you try to take a situation full of lemons and make lemonade but there isn't a pitcher in sight.  Sometimes you can't do anything but give up.

Around the house I am cleaning, organizing and trying to keep things up -- getting easier as  I change my vision.

I am pondering how to organize old photos.  The new photos are digital and on the computer, the old photos are in boxes.  I have tried albums -- not enough room for them.  I have tried boxes -- they don't match and that annoys me.  I bought a nifty thing at the Container Store but took it back because the boxes seem better.  So....photos still in boxes and I am still pondering.

A favorite quote for the day: "you are kind, you are smart, you are important"  from "The Help".  This should be everybody's goal and mantra.  Especially the "kind" part.

One of my favorite things is curling up on a Sunday evening to watch "Masterpiece Theater" which, by the way, isn't on tonight.

A few plans for the week include babysitting, laundry, and reading.

A peek into my day  --

16 August 2012

Today's question at Booking Through Thursday is "what is the most emotional read you have ever had?"  

I would have to say that "Sophie's Choice" would be at the top of the list.  "The Diary of Anne Frank" would be a close second.  

I tend to read emotional books but I do try to keep it reasonable.  A little emotion goes a long way for me and I don't enjoy reading something that is going to leave me in the depths of depression for days.

16 August 2012

Good morning! For those who read my blog, I am not gone -- I am babysitting.  School has started and my daughter is back to work and I am babysitting Bean.  I thoroughly intend to take my netbook as soon as I figure out why in the world it doesn't want to connect to the wifi.  When I do, I won't be away from the blog nearly as much.

However, for today, in the spirit of my friend Gill, I would like to share a link.  I read my hometown newspaper (that would be San Antonio, Texas) every morning and I noticed this house in their real estate section.  There are things about it I like -- the kitchen for instance -- and things I don't.  Who in the world needs a dozen bathrooms to clean up?  Goodness, hubs and I would never see each other in this house!  The land it is on is lovely, however.  Perhaps I could lease out the big house and build a little house in the back!

Moving on, I am currently reading "So Far Away" by Meg Mitchell Moore.  It is a very captivating story about three women whose lives intersect in a very unusual way and yet each one learns from the other.  It isn't a particularly long book and I am half done.  One of the perks of babysitting is that I have at least a two hour stretch of reading time every afternoon.  Of course, I fall sound asleep for about a half hour (getting up at 5:30 a.m. finds me ready for a nap at noon, for sure).  However, I am getting lots of reading accomplished and enjoying the time guilt free.

So, it is time for me to hit the road -- just about.  I have about a 45 minute drive but, fortunately, the rest of the city must be slow risers because the traffic isn't too bad.  As soon as I get the computer figured out it will be joining me so I won't be so far away from the blogsphere.

Toodles (as Bean says, thanks to Minnie Mouse) and I will be back soon!

9 Aug 2012

Today's questions on Booking Through Thursday are:  Name a book in a genre you normally don't care for.  What made you decide to read it?  Did it make you want to try more in that genre?  What genre do you avoid reading and why?

"Aunt Dimity: Snowbound"

I am not sure why I decided to read it , probably the cover, but it is the first book that I read on my e-reader.  I was never a strong mystery reader but, yes, it did make me want to read more mystery and it certainly made me want to read more "Aunt Dimity" -- I think I have finished my 7th or 8th book in the series.  

I avoid Sci-fy and things with vampires and such.  I just never liked science fiction anything and I am not fond of vampires.

2 August 2012

Recently, Booking Through Thursday asked readers to suggestions questions they would like to see asked.   Two of the questions submitted were asked this week.

From Pooch -- "Overall, what factor influences your choice of your next read?"

If I have read a book that I especially enjoyed, I might immediately seek out another by the same author just because I was not ready for the initial book to end.  If I am reading a series, for the most part, I will move right on to the next in the series.  With that said, I have not read the "Aunt Dimity" books without a break in between.  I have tried to read them straight through but found that I enjoyed them more if I broke it up because there are so many.  Even though  I have a list of "to be read" books I find that many times something else catches my eye and I am totally distracted.  So, I guess my answer would have to be -- whatever seems like a good thing to read at the time -- I don't know that there is any set formula.

from Sefcug -- "What is it that makes you want to read a book by an author you have never read before?"

While I have authors that I enjoy time and again, I choose books that seem interesting to me regardless of who wrote them.  I am not as "into" the author as much as I am "into" the story.  I do have my favorites, however, and whenever I am at a loss for something to read there are certain authors that I go back to over again because I know I won't be disappointed.

With that said, I would be remiss in not expressing my sadness over the passing of Maeve Binchy.  She is one of my favorites that never disappoints and the literary world has lost one of its best.