Wednesday, September 28, 2022

Wonderful Wordy Wednesday

 I have shown previously how I keep track of what I want to read and where I find the books I want to read. So how do I keep track? A spreadsheet!

Now I use a spreadsheet. Early on when I started it in 2014 was a Word document. I numbered every 5 books to keep track. 


Then last year my feeble brain kicked in and I thought, "Why am I not doing this in a spreadsheet?" Let it do the counting. I also now not only put the book title but the author as well and the date finished. 

This one file now has all my previous lists. New tab for each year so no going through multiple files to find something. 


I also recently came across a group of people who while reading a book series will go back and re-read all of the previous books when a new one comes out. Really? I would consider that a waste of time to be constantly re-reading books. Far too many new good books to read. 

Here are my accumulated files of reading lists. Keep them in case I am trying to remember a book title. 



Yes I am organized. Just the way I am! I started this when I discovered I was reading books I had already read!

I count 21 lines below. My score is 14 of 21. 



Monday, September 26, 2022

Mini-ManCat Monday

As to sagacity, I should say that his judgement respecting the warmest place and the softest cushion in a room is infallible, his punctuality at meal times is admirable, and his pertinacity in jumping on people's shoulders till they give him some of the best of what is going, indicates great firmness. - Thomas Henry Huxley

Yeah, we cats get what we want! I bugged mum yesterday at lunch cuz she had grilled chick-hen for lunch. Well, I want some too. I finally got some, but she made sure it was the inside part as the outside part had garlic on it. 

We had some crazy weather yesterday afternoon. The weather warning thing kept sounding but the worst sure didn't come by us. It got all dark, but no winds, no hail and very little rain. 


 Here is a pic of the finished blankie mum was working on last week, and yes she has started a new one. She needs to keep her hands bizzy while she watches feetsball. .


Me, chowing down on the chick-hen. It was delish!

Feetsball Report

The Pack - they did it. In the battle of the 12 guys, our guy ARodg out did Tom B. The Pack scored two TD's early and kept the other guys from scoring most of the game. The other guys had a chance to tie it right at the end, but missed out getting the 2 points they needed. They got penalized for not getting the play off on time. It was a nail biter at the end, but a PHEW, we won!

It starts on Caturday, TOCK-TOBER! So start planning your tock shots now and show them off on the 20th to cellybrate my late, grate bro Derby. He was known for showing his tocks. 


You all have a wonderful week.

Wednesday, September 21, 2022

Wonderful Wordy Wednesday

 A few more of the Facebook favorites from last week. 

My Two Elaines by Martin Schreiber is a book about his wife and Alzheimer's. Schreiber was Wisconsin's governor for a while. Elaine has since passed. 

How a little black dress weaves it way through the lives of nine women.
Non-fiction and while true reads like a thriller. Saving ancient documents from Al Queda.
From one of my favorite non-fiction authors. Like all of his books.
I think this was the first book I ever read by Jennifer Robson. I have now read all of her books.
I was initially drawn to this book by the bright green color of the cover. First book I had read by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Now another favorite author.
Probably my longest time favorite novel. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I still have my paperback copy that I bought back in grade school. For a while I was reading it every year I liked it so much. I also have the DVD series where Colin Firth played Darcy. Probably the best adaptation of the book. Long enough to keep the details of the book.



Monday, September 19, 2022

Mini-ManCat Monday

 You can feel an awful fool standing at the bottom of the garden yelling pussy, pussy, pussy across a totally deserted meadow. Especially when you realise that pussy, pussy, pussy is watching you, with benign interest, from the shelter of the garden shed. - Marcia Fischer

Well I don't go outside so mum doesn't have to be outside calling for me. 

Second, Happy Purrthday to my Auntie Kellie. She is one of my care takers if mum has to be gone for a longer time. Purrs to you Miss Kellie. Hope you are having fun camping in Door County this week. 

Oh yeah, it is Pirate Day too. Arrrgh. I will be off sailing later on The Good Ship Sassycat. 


 Mum with her crow-shay, me on her lap and all ready for Packer feetsball last night. 




A few leaves on our tree that are just beginning to turn to fall colors. Mum says some trees down the street are showing more colors. 

Mum has been watching lots of stuff on the Queenie. Today will be the funeral, mum is recording it and won't get up super early to watch it. Farewell Queenie. 

Feetsball Report

The Pack - well, ARodg still owns Da Bears! The team looked really sharp this week. Da Bears may have scored first, but The Pack scored more in between their scores. The announce team was a bit off. At the end of the game the guy announced that Da Bears won the game. WRONG. 

Mum had a laff on ARodg's hair cut. When he puts a hat on his hair sticks out at funny angles. Mum says he looked like an old man who can't comb his hair. 

That is all from here. Have a good week everyone.



 

Wednesday, September 14, 2022

Wonderful Wordy Wednesday

Been quite a week since my last book post. The death of Queen Elizabeth was quite a momentous event. Became a bit of a news junkie for a few days. Listening to so many talking heads, some of whom couldn't get their facts or people straight. Maybe the nerves of live TV, but basic history of a person should be correct, names of previous monarchs and dates of Elizabeth's life . (Jumps off soapbox.) 

Back in 2018 on FaceBook I got challenged to list some of the recent favorites I had read. I will add them here. 

Amazing read this memoir, getting inside the head of an autistic person. 

The hurdles endured by a minority, getting into what is often a white only profession.

Book the movie was based on. So much detail that the movie couldn't contain. After I read the book I got the DVD to watch. Helen Mirren stars.

Nicholas Sparks is known for his fiction, but this is a non-fiction account of time  he spent with his brother. I got into this when I saw my Aunt Mary reading it when I visited in 2016.

Have the tissues ready for this one. Made into a movie as well, but the book provides more detail and a sub-plot that was dropped from the movie. The author is an amateur race car driver in the same national club I belong to, Sports Car Club of America. 

Compelling story of how these guys worked their way into the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

 


Monday, September 12, 2022

Mini-ManCat Monday

He shut his eyes while Saha [the cat] kept vigil, watching all the invisible signs that hover over sleeping human beings when the lights are put out. - Colette

I had to help mum get to sleep on Caturday night. She was up and down, then at 1:45 AM somebody called mum's phone. They didn't leave a message. Mum was so tempted to call them back early, but she didn't.

She got all of her usual Sunday stuff done AND since it is now feetsball season, yeah we had to watch feetsball. 


Plus since it is feetsball season mum got out yarns and started to crow-shay during the games. 

Feetsball Report

It was a super rainy day and me and mum watched Da Bear game from Shy-town. They actually won the game and to cellybrate they ran on the field and slid into the puddles!

The Pack - they didn't look good at all playing the ViQueens. Oh mum says we have a King now, they should be the ViKings. The Pack didn't score at all in the first half and barely managed to score once in the second half. They played bad last year in the first game, so we shall see how things go. 

Next week we play Da Bears on Sunday night at Lambeau. 

Have a good week everyone!

Thursday, September 8, 2022

The End of an Era

 Today we got news that Her Majesty the Queen ran off to the human bridge. For me and mum she is the only Queenie we have ever known. 




The Bridge must be a crazy place tonight. All sorts of woofies and horsies, reunited with their mistress. Lots and lots of corgis and dorgies, all kinds of horses, racy ones, riding ones, carriage ones. 

God save our gracious Queen!
Long live our noble Queen!
God save the Queen!
Send her victorious,
Happy and glorious,
Long to reign over us,
God save the Queen.


Wednesday, September 7, 2022

Wonderful Wordy Wednesday

 People have often commented on how many books I am able to read. Yes, I read fast but there are other factors here too. 

First, I am retired. My time is my own to do what I want and I want to read. So I don't have to spend hours commuting to work or working. While I was working I would have been lucky to read a book a week.

Second, I am not a daytime TV person, no distractions from game shows, chat shows and cable news. So my morning is usually spent doing chores, running errands, meeting someone for lunch. The afternoon is usually reading time, evening is TV. Exception to daytime TV is weekend for sports.

Third, I take time to read. No, I MAKE time to read. My afternoons, after lunch is my time to sit down with a book. If the afternoon is quiet I may get in 2-3 hours worth of reading. I have one friend who is an early riser. She reads when she gets up before her husband gets up for the day. Another reads before bedtime. Whatever works for you, just make the time to do it, even a short time.

I know with our library reading program they have us log how many minutes we read. There goal for adult readers is 3 hours per week. So just 30 minutes for 6 days in week. Overall the challenge is to read 1000 minutes, same goal for teens. Kids in the reading program are supposed to log 800 minutes in 8 weeks. 

My reading truly increased as the pandemic started. Heck, had to stay home, needed something to keep me busy. So books helped fill the time. Plus crochet projects! Here are my totals since I started keeping track in 2014.

                2014        55

                2015        63         

                2016        82     retired in July

                2017        95     

                2018        120     

                2019        129        

                2020        151   

                2021        181

                2022                    so far! 

 

Back in grade school we had to keep track of books we read too. I am sure there was a minimum but I don't know what it was anymore. Each page allowed you to put on 25 books per school quarter, I usually made it into the second page for each quarter. Obviously I was reading age and reading level appropriate books, but still many more than some of my class mates. What did I read, anything with horses, so Walter Farley for one. Mysteries, like Agatha Christie. Classics, Jane Austen, Bronte sisters, Thomas Hardy. 

   


















 

 

Monday, September 5, 2022

Mini-ManCat Monday

It is a very inconvenient of kittens (Alice had once made the remark) that, whatever you say to them, they always purr. - Lewis Carroll

Yep, I like to purr and mum likes to hear me purr. 

Today is a holly-day in Mericky. Although for mum, now that she doesn't work it doesn't mean a day off from work. 


 Me hanging out on mum's lap. Looks like we had a basey-ball game one. But it is now feetsball season, so next weekend we get to watch The Pack play!

After mum got all the fevver feeders full on Caturday she sat down for a few minutes, then notice this little lady flying around. So she came inside to get the flashy box with the zoomer lens. Nice to see her!

Have a wonderful week all.