Wonderful Wordy Wednesday

BRRRRR, cold out and lots of indoor things to do. The latest batch of books was a bust, will pick up a new batch today. The batch is not the books in this post.

Lots of TV watching with the football playoffs so that also means lots of crochet time. I think it took me a little over four days to do a lap robe, but I watched six football games too between Saturday to Monday!

Ministry of Truth title is based on the George Orwell book 1984 in which the hero Winston Smith works. That agency was responsible for the party propaganda. In this case this is a tell of the revisionist policies of the Republican Party under Donald Trump. If you tell it often enough and loud enough it must be true. Beating the truth into submission with a combination of bluster, bluff and lies.

Blood on Their Hands a memoir by a reporter who helped to expose the crimes of of the Murdaugh family in South Carolina. The family, part of the wealthy, white, good old boys network, who manipulated people and the law to their advantage. Author started as a reporter at small newspapers and ended up with a large podcast audience while she pursued this story. The main focus of the story, Alex Murdaugh, was convicted of murdering his wife and son in 2023. He was also found guilty of financial fraud and other crimes. Interesting, I remember following this story on the news.

George Harrison: The Reluctant Beatle a biography of one quarter of the Beatles. I found that the author used most of the book on his early years and his Beatle years which really was only half of his life. I had wished for more information on the later portion of his life. It was interesting to read about the dynamics of George and his fellow band mates, fellow other musicians and the women in his life too.

Happy Reading.

Mini-ManCat Monday

 Every life should have nine cats. - Anonymous 

Hmmm, mum has a way to go to get to nine cats. Even if she counts the ones when she was a little kid. Maybe about 6 more cats she needs?

Hey, there is a new Ducky in the Cat Blogosphere. You remember Max the PsychoKitty? Well his humans went out and got a new kitten and named him Ducky! He isn't orinch like me, but still, he is cute. He is a house panther with one little patch of white on his chest. Way to got Thumper and Spouse Thingy!

Me, I am just hanging out. Mum is going some extra cleaning this past week. Plus our regular cleaning crew comes today. Mum is working on making the carpet look better. Getting rid of places stuff got spilled but didn't come up with the regular carpet cleaner!
 

Me helping mum with her blankie crow-shay. With all of the sports on the moving picture box she is getting lots done. The book pile has been ignored, or in some cases started and not finished! 

Mum's closet full, well almost full, of yarns. This is about a years worth of blankies!

Below is the work in progress. I wanted to be warm so I burrowed under the blankie, then came out when I was warm enuf.

 

 

Feetsball Report

The Pack - took off for Philly and landed with a thud! Heck, they fumbled the first kickoff. So sadly their season is over. Plus they got more players hurt, so that wouldn't have been good either. 

Mum will watch the games, she isn't sure who she wants to win yet. Right now probably Detroit, KC or Buffalo. One more game tonight, moved cuz of all the fires. 

Sending lots of purrs to SoCal, we feel super sad for you.

Have a good week everyone. 

Wonderful Wordy Wednesday

Welcome to 2025! I have read the first few of my books for this new year. Trying out some new authors, not sure if I like them or not just yet. 

Final count of books read during 2024 was 142 with a value of $4,477.61 of library materials checked out. Less than other years, but then I have been busy doing other things. My peak reading years coincided with the pandemic. 

Christmas stuff has been stored away for another year. Thinking about getting some different lights for outside, newer, brighter. Will have to see what I can find. I want brighter blue which I don't have now. 

Cold outside but no snow, sort of nice not having to clear snow. Can stay inside, work on my books or crochet. Do have to venture out to keep the bird feeders full. Poor things need food too.

Library started up a trivia night again but it wasn't as fun as the previous version. Different librarian putting it together and it seemed more like a test. Match book to author, match book to which award. Our best topic group was sports! Will see if they have another, otherwise we will head to a local establishment for our trivia fix.

Becoming Madame Mao is written in a stream of consciousness manner which to me made it hard to read. The story centers on Jiang Ching who marries Mao Tse-Tung (Mao Zedong) who becomes the communist chairman of China for many years. Jiang was an actress and continued to act even while married and serving as "first lady of China". Since I don't have a good grasp of Chinese history this story didn't always make sense. 

Unscripted is the accounting of Sumner Redstone who was the head of CBS, Viacom, Paramount and who was going to control this media giant. His daughter or someone else? It includes sleazy stores of women and men who used power, sex, money to get what they wanted. Part of this story includes the downfall of CBS head Les Moonves. 

If you don't have a TBR (To Be Read) list, this is a way to suggest books to be read. Sometimes it is hard to pick a topic or book so this gives you some suggestions. Not that I need this, my TBR is over 100 books. While I read some, I'm always adding more. 

 

Happy Reading.

Mini-ManCat Monday

 A cat is there when you call her - if she doesn't have something better to do.- Bill Adler 

Yeah, I rarely answer mum. Why? I know I can bug her when I need stuff. I don't have to cater to her every whim. 

The new year has started out cold here. BRRRRR. No snow, just cold. Mum put away all of the Christ-mouse stuff. She even braved the cold to take down the outside lights.  I know lots of places got lots of snow that usually don't get much snow. We have no snow. 

The above is mum's crow-shay that she finished on Caturday and below is the one she was working on Sunday. She got lots done with all the feetsball she was watching. I even have a ball of yarn to play with!

Feetsball Report

The Pack - ::sigh:: man they didn't look good, mum was saying all sorts of words from the bad word list. They losted to Da Bears at Lambeau. That is terrible. QB1 JLove banged up his hand/elbow so didn't play the entire game. Good news is that they knew they were in the playoffs and will play on Sunday afternoon against the Eagles. 

Everyone have a good week.

Mini-ManCat Monday

 If cats could talk, they wouldn't.- Nan Porter 

That is us, strong, silent types. 

We had a white Christmouse and now it is all melted so just the brown grass to look at again. 

Mum has been a bit under the weather this past week, so lots of sleeping, reading and crow-shay. She finished up one blankie early yesterday and then started the new one. You can see how much she got done during the early part of the feetsball game. 

 This was how much she got done during the first half. Hey lady, you cut my head off in the pic!

Better but I am still missing an ear here!

Feetsball Report

The Pack went to play the ViQueens and losted by just two points. They got off to a slow start and came back at the end. That isn't a good way to win games. Next week is Da Bears! Then the playoffs. 

Mum also watched our old QB ARodg and I thinks it it time for him to quit. He is getting slower and slower. During the early part of the game his team didn't score at all. They didn't score until they put the backup guy in. He even through it to the wrong team twice. ARodg is also now the QB with the most times of being sacked, 567. Time to hang up the cleats buddy. 

A new year starts on Wednesday, let us all have a wonderful new year.

HAPPY CHRISTMOUSE!

Happy Christmouse Eve. Me and mum are up and just sort of lazing around. Mum is catching up on laundry! She didn't do this on Sunday, was lazy on Monday!

Sports Report  The Pack won on Monday night feetballs. It was significant in that they are now officially qualified to be in the playoffs. WooHoo. Also it was the first game of the entire season that one team didn't score any points. They pitched a shut out! They play on Sunday against the ViQueens.

Mum dug out a special throw back for today. It features Derby and a song for him. Hard to believe but on Friday it will be the 10th anniversary of him running off to The Bridge. We miss you Derbs.  Enjoy.

Derby, the red-nosed reincat
had a very shiny nose.
And if you ever saw him, you would even say it glows.

All of the other reincats used to laugh and call him names.
They never let poor Derby
join in any reincat games.

Then one foggy Christmas Eve
Santa came to say:
Derby with your nose so bright,
won't you guide my sleigh tonight?"

Then all the reincats loved him
as they shouted out with glee, Derby the red-nosed reincat,
you'll go down in history!

Mini-ManCat Monday

Cats have an infallible understanding of total concentration--and get between you and it.- Arthur Bridges 

Only a few days until Christ-mouse! Mum says she is ready. We will even have a white Christ-mouse as we got snow this past week. It will at least be here through the week, then it will warm up and melt.

I stayed in my heated cup and let mum do all of the outside work. Mum has to go out every day to feed the fevvers. 

Feetsball Report

I have no report, the Pack does not play until Monday night! Mum did watch our old QB ARodg play and get beat. He looks like he needs help. Mum says he is getting old.

Have a great week. Merry Christ-mouse and Happy Hanukkah too. 

 

Wonderful Wordy Wednesday

One week to Christmas! Hope you have your shopping done. I have! I'm ready to enjoy the season and not stress out about things. I have at least one holiday dinner to get to on Monday. I have a stash of books to read and always with a crochet project to work on.

I hope all of you have a wonderful and blessed Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza or whatever holiday you celebrate and a Happy New Year

Doppelganger is the author Naomi Klein memoir of how she and another Naomi were being confused as each other. Both writers, they had vastly different views on issues. She explores how AI is affecting things as well by the ability to duplicate people.

The 272 is a recounting of how the Catholic church in America needing money chose to sell off 272 enslaved individuals to get sufficient funds to keep Georgetown University going. Some of those sold were indentured servants but had their paperwork destroyed so they could be sold. The book recounts the stories of these people, before and after the sale. Most of the people were moved from Maryland to Louisiana to work on plantations harvesting cotton and sugar came. What amazed me was that despite of their treatment, the descendants continued to be connected to the Catholic church. 

Be back in the new year with more books. Taking a break for the Christmas and New Years Day since they fall on Wednesday.

Happy Reading. 

Mini-ManCat Monday

 If the pull of the outside world is strong, there is also a pull towards the human. The cat may disappear on its own errands, but sooner or later, it returns once again for a little while, to greet us with its own type of love. Independent as they are, cats find more than pleasure in our company.- Lloyd Alexander 

 Yeah, that is me. Sitting with mum and enjoying our little Christ-mouse tree. Our really bright tree. Mum put it on a timer so it comes on early in the afternoon. It turns off at bed time. 

Mum is done with all of her kitch-hen stuff for the holly-day. She gave away all of the stuff she made with the peanut brittle and pepper mint bark. She samples it but doesn't keep any.

Me and mum watching the Packer feetsball game last night and me with the blankie she was working on. She watched lots of sports this weekend so she did lots of crow-shay. 

Feetsball Report

The Pack started off really good on their trip to the left coast. They scored on all of the times they had the ball in the first half. The SeaChicks tried to catch up in the second half but failed! So joy in cheese head land.

Have a happy week.

Wonderful Wordy Wednesday

Getting closer to Christmas. Busy with meeting up with friends for lunch and other activities.

Every Season is Soup Season didn't have a lot of soup recipes in it, and I was hoping for a cookbook that was all soups. Oh well, interesting to page through, but didn't find any recipes worth trying.

 

I first want to know who is buying! If it is me, mostly browse for favorite authors, maybe cookbooks; if the other person, I will buy, buy, buy!

 

Happy Reading

Mini-ManCat Monday

 If you want to know the character of a man, find out what his cat thinks of him. - Anonymous 

Mum is an okay purrson! I loves my mum, even when she tries to clean the snot off of my face!

Yeah, I made a trip to the stabby place cuz of my sneezes. Doc M thinks I might be 'lergic to something as my lungs were clear, but showed something that mum can't amember the name of. Little dot things of some sort. Hard to see and mum can't even pick them up if she biggifies the pics. 

Mum told her Dr Tom had sucked all sorts of gunk out of me a few years ago, but she said since I am older she doesn't want to make me sleep to do something like that.

Doc M did give mum special stuff to add to my food, but can't tell if I am really getting it. Although I am sneezing less. The stuff doesn't taste good and Doc M said not to bother she wants me to eat. Plus I am not sneezing much now anyway. Actually sneezing less than mum! She has the sniffles too!

Here are some pics of my insides!

 You would much rather see the outside of me? Right!

Feetsball Report

The Pack played back on Thursday night again. Playing the guys from Dee-Troit. They losted to the lion-kits. Next week is prime time on Sunday out on the left coast in Seattle. 

Mum did see some feetsball yesterday. She was specially happy when ARodg and company lost in overtime! No playoffs for him!

Mum also finished making all her peanut brittle to give some furiends this week when she sees them. She kept her eye on me and I didn't get to lick the butter!

Have a good week everyone!

Wonderful Wordy Wednesday

Hello December and three weeks to Christmas! I got my shopping done and the items are on their way. Now I guess I should maybe work on the few cards I send out. Early batches of peanut brittle have been dispersed as well. Will need to make more as I meet up with people in the next few weeks. 

Weather has been cold but no snow on the ground. It is supposed to be above 40F this weekend. I may run the lawn mower across the back yard one more time to chew up the last few leaves. 

Ducky and I both have the sniffles. He was sneezing so much and at times he would blow snot out of his nose, that resulted in a trip to the vet. He was good at actually sneezing while there and showing her what was wrong. A few xrays later she said he didn't have a lung infection but maybe some irritation in the lungs from something. Maybe allergies or something else. Anyway, he is getting antibiotics for a week. 

Been a good time to stay inside and read, cuddle up with Ducky!

Sugar Plum Poisoned the most recent installment of the Cupcake Bakery Mystery series. Mel and Angie try to balance running their bakery, supplying VIP treats for a friend, Shelby, during her concerts AND getting prepared for Christmas. All is well until Shelby's manager is found dead at the concert venue? Who done it?

Standing My Ground is an account of the invasion of the Trump rioters to the US Capital on January 6. Author is a member of the US Capital police. He goes through the actual event and the aftermath, both physical and mental. Moving book.

Grave in the Woods another in the Bruno, Chief of Police series. Bruno is back working, even though he shouldn't after being shot. He needs to recuperate, but then a World War II grave is discovered and severe flooding is a risk to the town.

If a book makes me do this I figure the book is not worth reading and move on to the next one!

Happy Reading.