Monday, February 24, 2014

Today -- So Far


Today has been a truly odd day for me.  I have been down in the dumps for a couple of days -- don't know why -- perhaps the weather changing back to cold and dreary -- I don't know but I decided that I was not going to let today be a repeat of the last couple.

So I decided to get up and actually DO something.  Lately I have actually been DOING things more than usual for me.  I have a good amount of energy and am having trouble sitting still so it isn't so odd that I wanted to do something, it was WHAT I chose to do that made my husband frown and want to check my temperature.

What was it, you ask?  I wanted to go outside.  Now, anybody who knows me that I don't play well with the outdoors.  I am allergic to everything on the planet, I seem to be a snake magnet and I worry a lot about the little "gifts' in the yard left for me by some sort of animal.  That is what worries me -- we live in a very fenced, gated area and I don't have an animal so.....yes, I am afraid of raccoons. Anyway, I went outside and took a good look at the wretched garden.  Hopefully this latest cold snap will be the last and we will be able to do something about the garden.  However, even with everything pretty much dead, the mint wouldn't give up the ghost -- unfortunately.

The mint patch -- quite dead?
Not quite -- here is the new growth

I then walked around to the side of the house to find our crab apple tree sprouting all these lovely little leaves.

  
Such a shame because I know we will have one more freeze





I then came into the house and announced to the Hubs that I wanted to take a stroll.  That really blew him away.  We live in a very small housing development with only about 75 houses -- if that many -- I will have to count them.  There is a central gate that divides the neighborhood and we live at one end.  If you walk from our drive to the other end of the neighborhood and back it is approximately 1/2 mile.  I chose to walk to the gate because between the perusing of the back garden and the declaration that I would be taking a walk, the temperature dropped about 10 degrees and the wind picked up.  So, we made it to the gate and back again and that squelched my desire for a walk.  My husband is still scratching his head, however, over my desire to actually leave the confines of my house to commune with nature.

We then left the house to do a couple of errands.  We went to the bank and then to Half Price Books.





Half Price Books is my first line of defense when it comes to book buying.  I know I should be using the library but it is farther away and that requires me remembering that I need to return books.  My memory seems to be in a bit of a fragile state right now so I try not to stress it out more than necessary.  At any rate, I went in with a list and got most of what I went after but not all.  Here is my haul.







I also wanted a copy of "The Screwtape Letters" but they didn't have one so I will buy it for my Nook.  They did have a copy of "Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker" but it was only $5 less than retail and I think I would like it in paperback.

So, that has been my day, thus far.  Now, I am going to have lunch and read until it is time to pick up the Bean from school.  I wonder if, by then, I am going to need a coat?







Musing Mondays is hosted by Miz B at Should Be Reading.  This morning's "musing" is a bit involved but here goes.

3 Books That Have Impacted You

The Good Master
The Kitchen House
A Woman of Substance

3 Books Currently on Your Wishlist

Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker
The Screwtape Letters
The Great Gatsby (no, I didn't read it in high school much to everyone's shock)


3 Books You Have Purchased in the Last Six Months

French Women Don't Get Facelifts
The Christmas Candle
Nancy Drew, The Bungalow Mystery

3 Books You Can't Help But Recommend to Others

Folly Beach
A Woman of Substance
The Aunt Dimity Series

3 Books With Amazing Covers

Ok, this is my weakness because I tend to buy books by their covers so I don't know if this answer is going to reflect amazing covers or just covers that appeal to me.

I love the covers of the Jan Karon's Mitford Series as well as the Aunt Dimity Series.  The Elm Creek series has covers that appeal  to me as well although they are a bit whimiscal, like the other two.  Another author that has beautiful covers is Kate Morton. Yes, I know that is more than three.  Sorry.






Update

 Ok, so we visited our cardiologist yesterday to get the lay of the land for the Hubs.  Seems there is an issue with one of the grafts from ...