A Month in Summary - February 2019

Little Whale Cove

Depoe Bay, Oregon

February 2019

Wow! What a month. Winter finally showed up and we had snow a couple of times, although nothing that required a snow shovel or ice scraper and certainly nothing like the storms we used to get in Nebraska. But even with the colder temps I managed to stay very busy. The other morning I realized that my calendar hasn't been this full since my daughter was in elementary school! The only difference is that instead of gymnastics, soccer, acting and piano lessons, mine is filled with yoga, pickleball, mah jong and book club. I even found time to drop in on a bird club (we spotted 4 eagles!) and a gardening club, both of which were fun and informative. With all these social activities, I'm surprised I had time to get in much reading, but I did and all five books were very good. We watched a lot of movies and TV series in the evenings and I finally got back to some puzzle time, which always starts out as a frustrating endeavor, but quickly turns into a compulsive activity. Instead of "just one more page," I find myself thinking, "just one more piece!" Lastly, February 13th marked the 13th anniversary of my blog, which started out as Lesley's Book Nook, transformed into Prairie Horizons and eventually evolved into Coastal Horizons. I'm not sure if I'll continue for another 13 years, but I don't have any plans to quit anytime soon. Thanks for reading!

Books Read in February (click on titles for my review):

A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny

Whiskey When We're Dry by John Larison

Becoming by Michelle Obama

Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom

After You by Jojo Moyes

First Lines:

In the height of summer the guests descended on the isolated lodge by the lake, summoned to the Manoir Bellechasse by identical vellum invitations, addressed in the familiar spider scrawl as though written in cobwebs. Thrust through mail slots, the heavy paper had thudded to the floor in impressive homes in Vancouver and Toronto, and a small brick cottage in Three Pines. (A Rule Against Murder)

I heard it said God moves on the water. Well, I have looked for Him there. My thirst grows with his flood. (Whiskey When We're Dry)

When I was a kid, my aspirations were simple. I wanted a dog. I wanted a house that had stairs in it--two floors for one family. I wanted, for some reason, a four-door station wagon instead of the two-door Buick that was my father's pride and joy. I used to tell people that when I grew up, I was going to be a pediatrician. Why? Because I loved being around little kids and I quickly learned that it was a pleasing answer for adults to hear. Oh, a doctor! What a good choice! In those days, I wore pigtails and bossed my older brother around and managed, always and no matter what, to get As at school. I was ambitious, though I didn't know exactly what I was shooting for. Now I think it's one of the most useless questions an adult can ask a child--What do you want to be when you grow up? As if growing up is finite. As if at some point you become something and that's the end. (Becoming)

The last class of my old professor's life took place once a week in his house, by a window in the study where he could watch a small hibiscus plant shed its pink leaves. The class met on Tuesdays. It began after breakfast. The subject was The Meaning of Life. It was taught from experience. (Tuesdays with Morrie)

The big man at the end of the bar is sweating. He holds his head low over his double scotch and every few minutes he glances up and out behind him toward the door, and a fine sheen of perspiration glistens under the strip lights. He lets out a long, shaky breath disguised as a sigh and turns back to his drink. (After You)

Movies & TV Series:

House, MD - We finished re-watching Season Four and I'm still enjoying the show, but maybe not quite as much as the first time I saw it.

The Last Jedi - Meh. Not the worst Star Wars episode I've seen, but not my favorite.

Solo - Honestly? I don't even remember if I liked this one or not. We watched it early in the month.

Sherlock - We are now caught up, having just watched all of Season 4. The final episode was quite creepy and disturbing!

Collateral - A 4-part British TV series, starring Carey Mulligan. Very good!

First Man - Good, but on the verge of becoming too sentimental. It's been years since I watched it, but I prefer The Right Stuff. I also liked Apollo 13 better than First Man. Maybe it's just that I don't care for Ryan Gosling. On the other hand, Claire Foy was excellent!

Hellboy - I was pleasantly surprised by this action hero movie. Yes, I'm ready to watch II.

Mars - After watching First Man, we found this on Netflix and pretty much binged on Season One in a few short days. I just discovered there's a second season! Yay! I loved the historical segments (2016 versus 2033) and could easily watch this a second time.

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - If it weren't for the great cast (Martin Freeman, Zooey Deschanel, John Malkovich, Bill Nighy, and Alan Rickman, to name a few), I don't think I could have sat through this entire movie.

The Night Manager - We watched the first two episodes of Season One and I'm still on the fence. I like Hugh Laurie, but I'm not sure I care for him in this show. I do like Olivia Colman, however!

The Escape Artist - Next to Mars, this may be my favorite of the month. I love David Tennant and he was exceptionally good in this 3-part series. It's a very intense drama that had me holding my breath on more than one occasion. Loved it!

Puzzlemania:

This 1000 piece puzzle was pretty challenging! It took us two weeks to complete.

Mah Jong - Early this month, I taught two of my friends how to play and four of us have been getting together once a week to play for a few hours. We laugh, drink wine, eat chocolate and have a wonderful time. It's become one of the highlights of my week.

Pickleball (not my photo - we play indoors) - This has become my other favorite activity! I went to a neighborhood clinic for beginners and was immediately hooked. We've played a few times and I even got Rod to go hit the ball with me the other day. It's a great workout and a lot of fun!

So, as you can see, it was a fun-filled month! With warmer weather on the horizon, we're beginning to think about some RV road trips.