Wednesday Weather Report #216 - 7/7/21

Friday was Hexie Club and since I (the only working member) had Friday off we moved the meeting to 1pm instead of 6pm so that we could also have potluck. It's a fun treat, only possible because I have Friday's off in the summer :)

The drive home was very armageddeon-y to the East but the sun was trying to break through to the West. I made it home between two heavy downpours.

Twice over the weekend, I walked to our local state park. Mind you, I leave as early in the morning as I can, trying to beat the heat on this long in and out walk. I've still never made it for sunrise - of course it does take ~50 minutes to get to the next picture location with another mile to go so I would need to leave quite early to make that happen. I keep trying...

 

In case anyone still questions how rural my area is: corn and hay fields as far as the eye can see, with one roadside tree there on the left. There used to be a lot more trees as windbreaks but in the fight to grow as much cow/people food as possible, those trees are being taken down to expand the fields.

This was a nice little treat waiting on my favorite bench on the Fourth of July. And yes, I carried it all the way back home to add to my small rock collection.

Turkey Vulture is that black smudge in the middle. LOL

My favorite bench is in the shade on the edge of the river gorge. The hot spells alternated with cool breezes as the thermals rose out of the gorge. If was fun to watch the Turkey Vultures rise and fall with the thermals but it's also a family joke that if the vultures are around, you aren't moving fast enough (they eat road kill, etc) and it's time to move on so I didn't stay long, knowing I had that long walk back home in the sun.

June 30, 2021 :: 80 F
July 1 - 6, 2021 :: 72 - 61 - 69 - 74 - 83 - 77 F

The Bibliophile Files - 7/6/21

Hello and welcome to this month's reading list! We are past the half way mark on both the calendar and my challenge to finish 90 books for the year. Woot!! Thank god for free books from the library - I would go broke buying all these books.   

FINISHED

      The Bookwoman of Trouble Creek - Inspired by the blue-skinned people of Kentucky and the Pack Horse Library Service

      The Lost Apothecary - An aspiring historian finds and researches an antique apothecary bottle found at low tide in the Thames River while on what was supposed to be her tenth anniversary trip to London.

      What Makes Us - this is a nature versus nurture story of why we are the way we are.

      Trell - Based on true events, it's the story of a has-been reporter, along with the help of a neighborhood kid, who solves a murder after the wrong person has been jailed the teen's lifetime.

      Extinction - a multimillionaire tycoon wants to sponsor an endangered species management program while also pushing his (harmful) mining project.

      Lilac Girls - Inspired by the true story of a NY socialite during WWII, this book looks at the intersection of 3 women: the socialite, a polish teenager helping the resistance and a German female doctor at an internment camp. I can't wait to read the next 2 books in this series.

      The Survivors - Going home always brings up the past and The Survivors, statues over a shipwreck, have witnessed a lot of things...

      This is What I Know About Art - from a series of "pocket change" books meant to share knowledge in a quick format. Unfortunately, this was not the topic to glance over, I didn't learn anything or become invested in the author or her career evolution.

      The Music Of What Happens - 2 teenagers revamp a food truck to pay the mortgage before the house is in foreclosure but find each other in the process.

      Sasha Masha - written by a transgender author about a teenager deciding if he is trans himself.

      Crescendo - the story takes place during the Depression. He's a music genius by age 3 but his poor family pushes him away from his talents - which he eventually returns to.

      Poemsia - While I expected a lot more poetry, this book evolved into a lesson on how fast you can rise in social media and how quickly you can also fall.

      Mexican Whiteboy - the half Mexican teen is too Mexican for his White friends and too White for his Mexican friends. He visits his relatives for a summer and learns to fit in between both worlds.

      The Disappearing Act - I thought I had this solved in the first few pages, thinking it was the same "formula" as several other recent books but boy was I wrong. I'm not saying anything else :)

      Dust - Not only should there be a rule about no music in audiobook recordings but there should be a rule about no huge cliffhangars. This book is a followup to Peter Pan but it ends as soon as the characters find out how to get back to Neverland. The problem is, they don't arrive until the next book in the series, which my library system doesn't carry. Grr.

IN PROGRESS

      Salty, Bitter, Sweet

And now it's your turn! What have you read recently? Anything counts: novel, magazine, quilt pattern or cereal box!

Feline Friday - 7/2/21

 Hey Momma - 

Can I catch a ride the next time you mow the weeds grass?!

PS - it’s soooo hard to get good help around here. Momma didn’t notice until today/Sunday that this didn’t publish on Friday as scheduled.  I’ll therefore take the opportunity to wish all my American friends a Happy Independence Day!!!