This & That
Tuesday, May 31, 2022
May Books
Thursday, April 28, 2022
April Books
I might finish one more book before the end of the month, but I don't think I will as I'm still finishing the one at the bottom of this list and don't plan to read a lot the next couple of days unless our plans fall through. Anyway, I've also been spending time on another Wordle-type game, Sedecordle. Just what I needed!
As Bright as Heaven by Susan Meissner -- When Pauline and Tom decide to leave their hometown for Philadelphia, they leave behind the grave of their infant son who was born with a bad heart. They and their three daughters go to live with Tom's Uncle Fred who owns a funeral home. Later with the Spanish flu hitting the city, the family is inundated with corpses and a need for pine boxes. (If you didn't watch them, the caskets were stolen off the stoop!) But more than just that happens...flu hits the family and schoolmates and neighbors. This book made me cry as it brought back memories of loved ones and acquaintances lost from our own recent pandemic. I had to look back at when it was written because it was so covid-pandemic-like with talk of churches and schools shutting down, of people wearing masks, even a bit about vaccines that were rapidly developed that I thought it had been written since 2020, but it was published in 2018. Good book.
Thursday, March 31, 2022
March Books
I can hardly believe it's time for March books already! Let's see, this year I started playing Wordle, Quordle, and Octordle daily (well, since mid-to-late January). Andrew often enjoys helping me.
Also, I've lost two great-uncles (grand uncles, if you prefer) this year on my dad's side. I went to the funeral for one yesterday. The other was mid-January.
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Monday, February 28, 2022
February Books
Facing the Dawn by Cynthia Ruchti -- This book was very clean compared to the first book on this list which was filled with the F-word and lots of immorality (if you grew up like me and are conditioned to believe sex outside of marriage is immoral.) This book was the anti-that book. It was ok. Not the greatest story, but decent and a good message about dealing with grief and reminders of God. Mara's husband left her and their three children to go on a trip digging wells for people in Africa for FOUR years. Mara struggles with resentment at Liam because she feels overwhelmed, and their children miss their dad. A few tragedies happen abroad and at home. Thankfully Mara has a good friend or two to help through the hard times.
Sunday, January 30, 2022
January Books
Sunday, January 16, 2022
2021 in Review
I used to do this most years, but got out of the habit. Niki's post reminded me and since I had time, I did it!
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
sister-in-law had a baby boy in September
4. Did anyone close to you die?
my uncle died from covid, and his daughter died three months later (not from covid)
Miss y'all |
5. What countries did you visit?
6. What would you like to have in 2022 that you lacked in 2021?
7. What date from 2021 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
staying covid-free, I reckon
Pfizer #2 |
9. What was your biggest failure?
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
11. What was the best thing you bought?
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
14. Where did most of your money go?
15. What did you get excited about?
16. What song(s) will always remind you of 2021?
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. Happier or sadder?
ii. richer or poorer?
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
20. How will you be spending Christmas?
We ate lunch next door with Andrew's parents, brother, his wife, and her dad. Later we went to my sister's house to hang out with my family.
Christmas 2021 |
21. What was your favorite TV program?
22. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
23. What was the best book you read?
I read over 200 books so it's hard to remember what all I read. I just skimmed through about five or six months of my books and remembered I liked these quite well. But there are others that were really good, too!
24. What was your greatest musical discovery?
25. What did you want and get?
26. What was your favorite film of this year?
27. What did you do on your birthday?
29. What kept you sane?
30. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
31. What political issue stirred you the most?
probably the January 6th stuff; all of the "Big Lie" talk
32. Who did you miss?
33. Who was the best new person you met?
34. Tell a valuable life lesson you learned in 2021.
Not all who claim to be pro-life want to inconvenience themselves enough to protect vulnerable lives, and not all who are pro-choice want to "follow the science" when it comes to abortion. There's a lot of hypocrisy and room for improvement among most all of us, but this topic just stood out to me in 2021.
Thursday, December 30, 2021
2021 Ends and December Books
I don't think I'll finish another book before this month - this year - ends so I'll go ahead and post this today.
2021 has been quite the year with a lot of good times, but also some losses in recent months. August and September were terrible for covid losses. At one time I counted about ten or twelve people I either knew, knew of, or there was just one degree of separation between me and them (meaning, for instance, a cousin's friend who died in South Carolina.) By far the greatest, most personal loss for us was my mom's middle brother in September. He spent his 65th birthday in the ICU, and died fifteen days later. Some days it's hard knowing that he's no longer here (though the thought of him in heaven with Mema and Pop and his cousin Shayne, who died earlier in the year from his heart, makes us joyful.) In early December this same uncle's daughter died, not from covid, but related to issues she had had for a couple of decades. She was only 35.
In much better news, I got a new nephew, Jonathan, just days after my uncle died. He's a real sweetie!
And now for the December books...