Wednesday, August 28, 2024

Wonderful Wordy Wednesday

Hey if you leave a comment about a book you are reading, please tell us know what that book is! Eastside Cats, that means you! Always curious and maybe I might want to read it too.

I survived the excessive heat warnings locally for the past two days. About the only time I stuck my nose outside was to grab the mail from the box, which is just outside the door. Getting cooler with less humidity the next few days. 

Next week it is really supposed to cool off which is good as the public schools are back in session next week. Some of the private schools started this week and then cancelled classes because of the heat. Most schools around here do not have air conditioning.

The first blanket done since spring. After I did my knitting bit I was in the mood to grab the crochet hook. Plus the weather was a bit cooler so not so bad to have a lap full of yarn. I was getting my oil changed at the dealer last week, another lady was knitting a sweater. I just had a book along to read while I waited.


 

A Deadly Dedication, book 4 of the Open Book Mysteries. It's Penelope's first Guy Fawkes Day in the UK. She joins friends for the evening of bonfires and fireworks. After dumping the trash she literally stumbles over a dead body. It's the guy who wants to open a shop to sell gourmet foods, which would cut into the local shop's business. Was it natural causes or murder?

Being Henry a nice memoir by Henry Winkler. On his career and life, the ups and downs of being an actor. Easy read.

Anne Boleyn & Elizabeth I a recounting of mother and daughter, queen consort and queen regnant. Two women who were both way ahead of their times. Showing leadership as women in a man's world. Being feminist long before that word was in use.

Happy Reading.

Monday, August 26, 2024

Mini-ManCat Monday

We have a theory that cats are planning to take over the world, just try to look them straight in the eye...yup, they're hiding something! - Dog Fancy 

Dang right we cats are taking over the world! Mum is joining in too. Cats and cats mum's taking over come November! Big blue wave!



 Mum actually took some new pics in the past week. 


I was sitting on mum's lap at the time. She was watching something on the moving picture box. 


The hots are back for this week, so wearing this won't be needed. Mum likely won't work on it much either. Too much warm stuff in her lap. Well besides me!


Mum finally cut down her weed! She wanted to get pics of the flower when it was in bloom. This is a wild thistle and is considered to be a bad weed but the bees do love the flowers! Mum tried to get pics of bees on the flowers but every time she did the bee flew away.



Have a wonderful week everyone. 

Wednesday, August 21, 2024

Wonderful Wordy Wednesday

The weather is cooler again, nice for having open windows. Listening to the birds sing, but not so early in the AM now. Heck, the sun doesn't rise until after 6 AM now and sets before 8 PM. 

The guy came to bury the new cable feed on Monday. When he was done he came to the door to tell me he was done and that I had a squirrel that was blind. Nothing I can do about that, but I watched on Tuesday and did see this little guy. Eyes always shut and he has some skin issues too. I did see him run up a tree, but not sure when he came down. When I got my best look at him he was in full sploot on the patio.



Avoiding the political stuff again this week. I did turn on the TV on Monday night hoping to get the late news. I hit the final speech of the night and felt like I was being shouted at rather than being spoken to. I didn't last long with the speech, I could feel a headache coming on fast.

I have books to read, plus there is baseball to watch tonight and the rest of the week. That can keep me occupied and away from the poly-ticks.  I know who I am voting for, don't need all of the hype.


The Girl on the Carpathia, Kate is getting away from the US and going to Europe. On her voyage, her ship, Carpathia, comes to the aid of the Titanic picking up survivors and returning to New York. What is Kate running from and why? Will she be able to resolve her past with her future. Nice book, interesting story. 





Happy Reading.  

Monday, August 19, 2024

Mini-ManCat Monday

If I die before my cat, I want a little of my ashes put in his food so I can live inside him. - Drew Barrymore 

Then you will get pooped out too! Blech on getting fed ashes!

Mum smacked me in the face the other night. It was an accident, but still! She was getting the blankie all nice on her sleepy spot. I decided it was time for me to jump up, but then mum put her hand out to make one final adjustment and SMACK! She felt bad, made sure I was OK. I didn't hold it against her. Once she finally laid down, then I joined her for cuddles. 

Me just chilling out in the tower while mum sat in the reading chair and readed her book the other day. 

Mum got the crow-shay going already. She finished one blankie and then started on this one. Nice colors mum, goes well with my furs.

Mum found this at the yarn store yesterday. It looks good unlit or with the light. Mum actually didn't bring home any new yarns either! Amazing right?! Said she just needed a new hook. Yeah, mum is a hooker!

Mum watched some of the feetsball game last night, well she had it one. She wasn't paying much attention to it. 

Have a good week everyone.

Wednesday, August 14, 2024

Wonderful Wordy Wednesday

Interesting past week. On Saturday I turned on the TV and NOTHING! No signal and finally got a technician here on Monday to sort it out. Seems some critter had been digging and eating the cable! They should make those cables not so tasty! You can see the new cable looped, a company will come and bury it in the next week.



You can see how chewed up it is. The other multi-strand copper wiring is the ground for my emergency generator, which is not energized at all. I figured squirrels etc. but yesterday I had a groundhog waltz across the patio to this spot. So seeing the piled up rocks, I figure it was the ground hog who did this. Will need to talk to my pest control guy about what to do to prevent this happening again.

Needless to say with two days and no TV I got lots of reading done!


The Book of Cocktail Ratios, see another book below by the same author on cooking ratios. Cocktails are by nature a ratio of liquor and mixes. Although Wisconsin's favorite cocktail, brandy old fashioned, is not included. I'll let my local bartender mix things for me!

Little, Crazy Children is a true crime story. Teenager Lisa Pruett is killed by stabbing in a backyard near her boyfriend's house. Evidence collected don't point to the boyfriend and police look to find someone who can fit the evidence. The selected suspect is found not guilty on trial. Did the police do a good job? Did they truly follow all the leads, push her teenage friends on their stories? Interesting book.

The Fury author is the one who wrote The Silent Patient. A story of murder in five acts. Close friends, a spouse, a son, a lover and few others are on a private Greek island. Elliot is a writer and the narrator. Is he making this up or relating what actually happened.

Ratio: Simple Codes behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking. Most experience cooks and bakers use weight rather than measurement for their ingredients. So the ratio method of using so many parts of flour, water, sugar, eggs etc to get the basic batter or dough. Then adding in all the variations to make it better. Cookies, add chips or nuts. I don't do that much scratch cooking or baking, but this was an interesting read. 

 

Although my friends are all into books too! So that is a good thing. 



Right now I am a Chaotic Good. Using an appointment card.

Happy Reading.

Monday, August 12, 2024

Mini-ManCat Monday

 The cat has too much spirit to have no heart - Ernest Menaul 

Well, the 'Lympics are over but we didn't get to see the last couple of days. Seems our moving picture box picture provider isn't working and then they didn't show up on Sunday to fix it when they said they would. Mum has a verbal that they will be here early tomorrow, but the email says 3-4 in the afternoon. 



 Mum had to dig into the old pics to find a couple of nice ones of me playing on the tower. Next to the reading chair. She did lots of reading with no moving picture box to watch. 


Mum got two of the pink hats done and mailed out to a few of our fellow cat mum's. Wear them and mum says vote blue! Mum gets to vote on Tuesday for stuff. 

The weather is still nice, lots of open windows. We like that!

Have a wonderful week.

Wednesday, August 7, 2024

Wonderful Wordy Wednesday

Last week of the Olympics, although I have been limiting the number of hours I watch. Mostly the recap in the evening. The weather has turned to more pleasant, lower temps and humidity. I got most of the lawn mowed on Monday morning, then rain on Tuesday. So I guess today is the day I need to finish getting the grass down to a reasonable level. 

So my day is computer stuff, reading, lunches out with friends and then TV with Olympics. Oh, plus a bit of knitting, working on my third pink pussy hat!


Charlotte Illes is Not a Detective another person described this book as if we could look in at Nancy Drew if she still did sleuthing as she got older and in the age of social media. While the book isn't really aimed at young adults, I couldn't get into it and didn't read it.

What the Dead Know - very interesting, author was an investigator and administrator for the New York Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) for 22 years. Relates her life including alcoholism, mental health issues, along with the ins and outs of her life at OCME which included processing the 9/11 sites.

Zero Days another page turner from Ruth Ware. Jacintha "Jack" Cross and her husband run a business that tests software and business security for weaknesses. After a routine assignment goes a bit haywire, Jack arrives home to find her husband murdered. Police think Jack did it and she takes off to find the real culprit and why they targeted her husband.

I Know Who You Are written by the investigator who helped identify the Golden State Killer. One of the earliest people who worked at investigative genetic genealogy. Tools in which DNA from crime scenes are uploaded to public genetic databases hoping to find a familial match. Author started more with helping adopted people find birth families. 

On the above, I think it depends on the book. Fiction I don't think you need this stuff. Non-fiction, yes!



All of the above at some point in my life. Current bookmark is the appointment card for my next haircut!


Happy Reading.

Monday, August 5, 2024

Mini-ManCat Monday

 Her function is to sit and be admired. - Georgina Strickland Gates 


 Yeah, I am a handsome lad. Mum tells me that all the time!


 The hots are still here, but the weather guessers are saying they are going away in another day. I hope so, cuz I want open windows. Mum wants it cuz she really needs to use the grass eater. 

Mum got another fishy fry last week and you better believe she shared it with me. She had some shrimps one day too. Yep, I got tastes. 



Here are all of the hats mum made this summer to give away so peoples can keep their ears all warm. These go to the same place the blankies go. 

Then she has been working on these pink things, something to do with polly-ticks. You may be seeing them on your humans soon. Beware. 



Mum says they are pussy hats and yeah, that is mum under that hat.

Have a good week everyone!