A Man Called Ove

Life has taken a hectic turn these days so a lot of things have been put on the back burner.  My reading is one of those things.  I signed up for 25 books for my Goodreads Challenge and chances are I am not going to make it.  I am going to try, however.

I just finished "A Man Called Ove" by Fredrik Backman. 

 
I picked it up after reading another of Backman's works - "My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry", which I thoroughly enjoyed, even through the sad parts.

"Ove" wasn't as sad -- it was funny.  It was a good study of the human condition, what makes us tick, what makes us vulnerable and what makes us keep on keeping on even when we don't know why.

I would recommend this book to anybody.  It ends well, predictably, neatly tied up like you would expect and that is ok - it was so Ove.

Cranky

HA! This made me smile today!  My daughter posted it on her FB page early this morning -- something to do with jeans not fitting.  Perhaps if she hadn't partied so hardy at a wedding reception on Saturday night this morning would have been different.  I feel that excess wine make you retain stuff -- water, wedding cake, reception fare -- whatever.  It made me laugh.

I also reminded me to not let the day make ME cranky -- I need to practice "going with the flow". 

We are getting a new roof and it was scheduled to be installed in December. Well, they called last week and said they would be installing today and tomorrow.  I am so excited.  However, it is raining.  They haven't showed up with the materials yet and I am getting bummed.  Hopefully the rain will go away, the materials will, well, materialize and I won't have to get cranky.

My favorite way of cleaning house is to walk through the house with a trash bag and just tossing everything that has stacked up, fallen down, doesn't have a home or has lost it's usefulness.  You would be surprised how quickly things get better.  I especially like doing this with my vanity which seems to get messy very quickly.  And the coffee table  in the den.  Makes all the difference in the world.  Anyway, that was the first thing on my to-do list today, after we watched the roofers deliver the roofing material. 

So, no roofer yet so no trash bag cleaning.  I seem to be just sitting here waiting.  Don't you just hate it when that happen?

Tomorrow is election day.  I can't wait for it to be over. 

I have been doing more reading on hygge-- the Danish lifestyle idea.  It sounds so lovely and calm and quiet. And cozy! Sounds wonderful.  I am looking forward to fires in the fireplace and warm, thick socks but we seem to be stuck in late summer here.  There was a fall feel in the air yesterday and I actually got chilled so maybe fall is finally on it's way.

I tried some refrigerated organic cinnamon rolls this morning.  Immaculate Baking Company cinnamon rolls.  They were ok.  Not as good as mine but then not as time consuming as mine.  They are in a tube just like Pillsbury and such and I had to laugh, I couldn't get the stupid tube open.  I banged it on the counter, I poked it with a spoon -- it just wouldn't pop.  Well,  seems I hadn't taken off all the wrapper! Duh!  Such a dumb bunny.  Anyway, I will buy them again.

I miss buying processed convenience foods.  I mean, I grew up in the 50's where convenience foods were new and very popular -- I don't remember my mother ever making a cake from scratch -- they all came from a box and honestly, I still prefer them.  I have been trying to cook more from scratch and not use convenience foods but the organic food industry is getting better and I am finding that I am, again, turning to convenience foods albeit the organic choice and they aren't bad.  Horizons or Amy's mac and cheese come to mind.

The thing I can't get around though, is canned green beans.  Green Giant kitchen sliced green beans, specifically.  Frozen green beans are just soggy and fresh go bad before I get them cooked it seems. Sprouts does have green beans in non-BPA cans but they just aren't the same.  Guess I am going to just have to suck it up  for the Green Giant variety. 

My reading has sort of gone south lately.  I am still reading "A Man Called Ove" and I am enjoying it -- it isn't draggy or anything but I keep getting interrupted.  I don't think I am going to meet my Goodreads 2016 goal.  In fact, I don't think next year I am going to participate in the challenge but just keep a list of the books I read on here for my own information.  I find that when I try to keep up with these challenges I am just reading as fast as I can to complete the challenge and not necessarily enjoying the book.  I want to enjoy the books more than complete the challenge.  So, I think that is going to be my goal for next year.  sort of goes along the whole "hygge" thing, doesn't it?

Well, the roofer isn't here. The rain has stopped, I have no more excuses so I must get up and grab that trash bag.  Have a wonderful day!

What's On!

It is now October -- autumn, my favorite month of the year.  There is a crispness in the air which makes we want to settle in to my usual autumn lifestyle.  What does that mean?

It means reading.  I love to read and have flirted with tablets and e-readers and while I still use them from time to time I really just love books.  Right now I am reading "A Man Called Ove" by Frederik Backman.  It is all about Ove who has endured a good deal of sadness and loss in his life.  After the loss of his wife, all Ove wants to do is die at his own hand.  However, life has other plans for him, it seems.  While it sounds like a dire book, it is actually pretty comical and I am enjoying it.  I would recommend it, so far.  I will see how it ends.  I doubt Ove will die and his or anybody else's hand.

It means stitching.  I haven't cross stitched in quite a while.  In fact, I haven't done any stitching in quite a while but I am getting the urge to start something.  I have some lovely bird pictures that I would like to complete.

It means cooking.  I don't cook anymore.  I cleaned out my pantry the other day and you can't imagine the amount of expired food I had to toss so I guess I am not very good at stocking up either.  But, on cool evenings I sure look forward to a nice pot of stew or goulash and cornbread.  And pumpkin bread.  Love pumpkin bread.

It means art, to me, as well.  I have been dabbling in the craft of cardmaking and I have been enjoying it but I have also been coloring.  I have a couple of coloring books and love to sit down with them and my pencils and just lose myself in the art of it all.  Last night we had to run a couple of errands and I found myself at Michael's looking for some art supplies.  I added a Prismacolor Premier blending marker to my stash as well as several more pencils.  The blending marker came with several other little items -- a pencil extender, two erasers, a pencil sharpener, a colorless blending pencil and an ebony pencil --a nice little set.  I also added a water brush to the mix so I could try it with my water color pencils.  Nice little purchase there.  Then we went to Barnes and Noble.  I had two coupons so I bought a coloring book, an adult dot-to-dot book and a new book by Jennifer Chiaverinni -- "The Christmas Bells".  I love her books and am working my way through the Elm Creek series.  This isn't part of that series but I am sure it is going to be delightful.

I have also been looking to order some cozy clothes.  I am still in shorts and t-shirts but I know the day will soon come where a flannel shirt will feel wonderful so I have a nice little list started to place an order.  Yes, I order most of my clothes -- it is just easier that way and since I am a little, white haired lady with gimpy knees, I don't have to pretend to be a fashion maven.

So, there you go -- a glimpse into my little world of autumn!

Sometimes I Wonder

yes, sometimes I wonder -- about the world around me, politics, art, literature, humanitarian efforts, religion -- and sometimes I just wonder about......my brain.

I sometimes wonder if I have ADHD.  Not because I am physically hyperactive because trust me, I am not active -- at all.  (That is actually a problem.)  My brain, however, is never still.  My family thinks I am crazy because I can be sitting there, minding my own business, thinking about whatever I am thinking about and I break into a conversation (usually with a question about whatever I was thinking about) and expect them to know what I am talking about.  Can't they read my mind?  What is wrong with them?

I was always a prolific daydreamer.  When I was in junior high school I used to sit in our gorgeous school library during study hall and look down the street at the houses.  The school was located in a historical district

and the houses were all mini-mansions (and some not so mini)

 

and I would make up stories in my head about the families that lived in each house. They were all lovely families with well-kept secrets and mysteries and lots and lots of money and gorgeous clothes -  probably not so far from the truth, actually.

I don't do that anymore.  Or, at least I didn't think I did.

We are taking a new route home from Bean's in the afternoon.  It takes us through a neighborhood very much like the one we lived in the first 16 years of our marriage.  Yesterday I found myself looking at the houses and making up stories about the people in them.

Hmmmm.......is this a sign of ADHD, impending senility or literary brilliance?

Yes, I think so!

October Surprise

If you have been following politics surely you have heard the catchphrase "October Surprise".  I assume it refers to Wikileaks email drops.  Some places I have heard it refers to impending war.

Here is the truth, at least in OUR reality.

October Surprise

New roof $26,000
New HVAC  $12,000
Eye surgery $10,000

Oh, the new fan works well and the pull chain works fine after further review.

And to think that October used to be my favorite month.  I  might should rethink that.

The Joys of Homeownership

Happy Sunday, all! I hope today is being good to you.  It has been a lovely day thus far in spite of the fact that things are falling apart at a rapid rate around here.

Bear in mind that our house is only 12 years old.  It was new construction when we purchased and we have been the only occupants.  We were thrilled that everything just worked and we had no desire to knock out walls, re-do tile or add anything on.

It has been fine except now age is creeping in and things are getting wonky.  We have to have a new roof.  Now, that has nothing to do with age but rather the extreme hail storm we had in the spring.  Huge hail.  Destroyed roof.  However, since we live in a gated community we have an HOA which is a good/bad thing.  It keeps us from having to deal with turquoise paint and pink flamingos in the yard but on the flip side, everything we do we have to have "approved".  It wouldn't be bad if our architectural committee didn't have "control issues" and "power issues" and, well, you get the picture.  So, we got the almighty approval and got on the docket with the roofer.  We will have a new roof in December.  Yes, December.  I am underwhelmed and just hoping we aren't solidly into ice/snow by then.

Then, a couple of weeks ago our ceiling fan in our bedroom died.  It is remote controlled, no pull chains, and apparently the thingy in the fan went out and there is no way to make it work.  We researched a new part to make the remote work.  Apparently they quit making that new part.  So, we went out and bought a new fan today.  Why you ask?  Why today?

Because sometime Friday our air conditioning went out.  My husband thought it was a capacitor.  He replaced the capacitor.  Not the problem.  He called the hvac guy.  The guy said they could come but being a weekend it would be twice the amount of money and they couldn't fix it until Monday anyway.  He said to try to hang in there until Monday and they would be out.  Nice guy.  Saved us some money.  It is 90 degrees today.  Upon further review, my husband thinks the yard guys, who seem hell bent on destroying everything in the path of their lawnmowers, has cut the freon line because there is very apparent damage to the compressor box.  Now, these lawn guys have messed up window facings, they have broken yard decor and they have actually ripped the gutters off the house.  I really don't like these yard guys. 

So, we went to Lowe's and bought a new fan and a spanking brand new 12' ladder so he could get to the 14 ft. ceiling.  We made sure we didn't buy a remote control fan but rather one with a pull chain.  It has taken him six hours to install this fan.

The pull chain doesn't work.

The joys of home ownership.

Latest Card and Trip I Forgot About

I think it must happen to everybody.  We forget things.  Maybe we are tired, too busy, just ditzy but we forget things.  Seems I forgot an entire trip we took. 

Early September we were invited to join our daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter in San Antonio to celebrate our daughter's birthday.  We ate good food, had good fellowship with friends and visited a local mall, North Star Mall, to see a fanastic Lego display.  Pictures can describe it better than I can.

Sorry about the sideways photos -- I don't know how to turn them around. It was a really amazing display and I would love to see it again when half the population of San Antonio wasn't there.

And now, for my latest card --

A cute little birthday card for a cute little girl.  Hopefully one of these days I will grasp the concept of getting the elements straight and centered.  But, until then, this will have to do.

Today has started out better.  I have been off social media for most of the morning which is a good thing.  I took my blood pressure and it was quite normal.  I have gotten laundry done, the card finished, a gift wrapped, the dishwasher unloaded and reloaded, I am dressed and enjoying the rain.  It has been raining since about 5 a.m. We need the rain and the lower temps are very refreshing.  Sunshine this afternoon - sounds like a good day coming up!

Happy Friday, all!

A Month?

I cannot believe it has been a month since I have posted anything.  What can I say?  Have I been busy?  Yes.  Have I been lazy?  Yes.  Do I really have anything to talk about?  No.

I guess everybody has lags in their blog lives and I have had in the past as well but never this long.  So, let's see, have I been doing anything at all?

Well, first off, I have been keeping up with politics on Facebook.  It is awful.  It is ALL awful.  I have to say that I am depressed and defeated just seeing what is going on.  I need to quit paying attention to it but it is hard when that is all that is on my FB page.  So, I posted a picture of a kitty.  Did it help?  No. Not a bit.  In past elections we had the crummy stuff and then after the fact life went on.  Is that how it will be this time?  I am truly not sure.

I finished a book by Frederik Backman entitled "My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She Is Sorry".  It was a slow start for me but it picked up and, like many other books I have read. it became difficult to put down.  It was funny and sad.  I rarely cry over a book but I shed tears over this one.  It goes without saying that I identified with Granny and I have my own Elsa so, 'nuf said.

I have been busy with Girl Scouts a bit.  Last week we made dog toys for donation to a local human society.  It was fun.  The girls learned to braid.  Not sure if the dogs are going to appreciate their efforts but the girls had fun.

I went to our annual church dinner last night.  It is held at a local Mexican food restaurant called Joe T. Garcia's.  The food was good, the fellowship outstanding, and the weather cooperated.  A good time was had by all.

My mother in law fell in September and broke her hip.  She had surgery and after a week was placed in a rehab center.  She is still there.  I think she is getting too comfortable there, even though she doesn't like it.  So, all the visiting and laundry is keeping us busy.

I have made a couple of cards.  My grandson had his first piano recital last week.  Has only taken lessons for four months and he was outstanding. I didn't know what to take him for his achievement -- flowers didn't seem right -- so I made him a card.  I should have taken a photo.  Today I made a card for my eldest granddaughter who is having a birthday party tomorrow night.  I will take a photo of that when it is complete.

Other than that, there isn't much newsworthy going on.  We had fall for a few minutes and it is pretty summery again.  That is ok.  I can handle it, at least it isn't 107 degrees.  Hopefully I will emerge from this depression I have gotten myself into soon.  It is exhausting and annoying -- even for me! I am sure I will feel better after November 8.  Or maybe not.

Falling is Getting Closer!

I can feel it in the air!  It has been a bit cooler in the mornings although it is still summer in the afternoons!  We had a bit of rain this evening with lots of lightening.  I don't like driving in the rain but I love sleeping in the rain so I am ready for some over night showers.

I have been having some problems with my feet.  I think I might have hurt them while exercising but not sure, it might have been from some shoes I was wearing.  At any rate, about three weeks ago I noticed my right ankle started feeling like it was sprained.  Well, it kept on and then it just started swelling.  And it hurt.  My entire foot hurt.  I could touch my toes with my other foot and it hurt all the way up my ankle.  We went to San Antonio and walked all over and it just got worse -- what a surprise.  So, finally I decided to rub it with some Absorbine, Jr.  Remember Absorbine, Jr?  Well, it worked!  No more swelling and the pain is almost completely gone.  It still hurts but I haven't worn the offending shoes anymore (bye bye $125) and I bought some new shoes.

I bought some Tieks!  You know, those cute little ballet flats with the ridiculous price tag?  It took everything I had to order these shoes because I just don't spend money recklessly.  I am very judicious when I shop and I rarely buy anything that isn't on sale.  I buy basic stuff and don't replace things very often.  But......I had to try these shoes. 

My feet have been miserable for a long time and I finally figured out why.  When being sized I am right on the line between two sizes.  Vanity always causes me to buy the smaller and I think that is a mistake.  I also require "wides" -- on my right foot.  So, I buy wides and the left foot swims in my shoes.  Not much can be done about that.  However, I have high arches and every time I try to buy trainers or any sort of lace up shoe I just about go crazy until I get them off.  They are just plain uncomfortable.  One night it dawned on me that I remember a conversation with my mother about my father's feet.  He always had to wear slip on shoes because he couldn't stand lace up shoes because of his high arches -- problem explained -- I have my father's feet. 

So, between wide feet, high arches and vanity I have a shoe problem.  I have one pair of shoes from SAS Shoes that work pretty well --  they have a wide toe box which accommodates the wide feet (Flintstone feet, I like to call them) but they go across the top of my foot and that is annoying.  So......

I am hoping that these little ballet flats with the ridiculous price tag makes my feet happy.  I started to say "my little feet" but that would have just been wrong on so many levels.  There isn't much shoe to them, no support and no padding but there are also no straps, ties, high sides, etc.  I mean, something has to work doesn't it?

I clearly was meant to be barefoot. Like the Flintstones.

Hello, anybody out there?

I can't believe it has been a month since I have been here.  Reading blogs is one of my favorite things and writing one is therapeutic.  I can't believe I have been away for so long.

So, what have I been doing?  Well, I have dabbled in cardmaking which is a wonderful activity.  I will continue with it although I am sure none of my cards will ever come up to the standards of those I see on a couple of the Facebook groups.  They are lovely, indeed. 

I have also been busy with Girl Scouts, getting ready for the meetings and crafts and such.  Seems that the crafts have become my territory and that is fine, I like projects.  Also, we are back in the routine of after-school pick up for my granddaughter and a bit of babysitting after school.

Then, a week ago my mother in law fell and broke her hip requiring surgery.  We were told of the possible complications of a 94 year old having to go through surgery and she experienced all of them.  She is tough though and came out alive and well on the other side and is now in a skilled nursing facility for some mild rehab before returning to her apartment.  She isn't happy.  I hope that improves.

The weather is sort of changing -- we have had several days in the 80's and then it shoots right back up to the 90's.  I am sort of tired of the 90's now.  I need a little of that crisp, cool air.  I would like to open my house up and let it air out without the pollen and yucky air blowing through.  I just might do that over the weekend.

So, anyway, there isn't much going on that is blog worthy.  Hopefully I can get my routine back together and get back to my blogging.  And reading.  I haven't been reading much lately and I miss that.  Such an escape.  I need to work on that. 

Anyway, just checking in -- hopefully there won't be another month between posts.

Catching Up and Sit-upons.

The last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind of activity getting ready for school and Girl Scouts and after school activities.  Yes, I know, I am a retired grandmother -- how does this affect me?  Well, when  you are the after school pickup of a suddenly active child, it affects you.

The duty of being an assistant Girl Scout leader has fallen on me as none of the troop mothers could do it.  This is odd for me because I was only a Girl Scout for a short time -- a LONG time ago -- so I am having to wrack my brain to remember much of anything about it.  We were discussing projects and my daughter mentioned the cushions for the girls to sit on.  Back in the deep crevices of my brain I sort of remembered these and when I did a google search I was reminded of the name of them -- sit-upons! So, we decided to gather the goods for the girls to make sit-upons.  While trying to find a photo of one to put here as we haven't done ours yet I discovered a number of new ways to accomplish this task including using extra large ziplock bags.  Using those you simply fill the bag with whatever stuffing you choose (we will be using my daughter's 250 saved plastic grocery bags), zip them up and seal with decorated duct tape.  The girls also decorated a piece of paper with their name and decorations and put it on top of the stuffing so the stuffing didn't really show.  Now, mind you, when I saw this I had already purchased materials to use -- plastic tablecloths and yarn.  I have plans to cut them into 18 inch squares, punch the holes and let the girls lace them shut.  More hands on than just stuffing a bag and more cost effective, too.  I had to laugh at myself for wanting to take the easy way out -- when my mother and our other leader were going through GS training and they wanted them to start a fire by rubbing two sticks together, my mother's friend promptly pulled out her cigarette lighter and started the fire.  They failed fire starting and had to start over and they weren't allowed to go home until the mission was accomplished.  They finally managed to get a spark and were allowed to leave but it was a long, long day.  So, me wanting to just fill ziplock bags reminded me of my mom -- funny the things that jog memories.

Ours are going to be red with white yarn for lacing.  Walmart didn't have a huge selection of plastic tablecloths -- especially when I was looking for the PEVA or EVA options.  Before I cut anything out, though, it has to pass Leader Bri's muster though.  Hmmm....maybe she will like the ziplock bag idea.

Looking for ziplock bag coupons.  I think that idea is a winner.  I will post photos.