Nehalem River
Nehalem, Oregon
November 2020
My month of reading hasn't been the best and I blame it on the election (and the distraction of the post-election drama), as well my husband's shoulder replacement surgery. All went well and he will be in a sling for six week, followed by three months of physical therapy. I guess it's a good thing we're not planning to go anywhere this winter.
I'm going to extend my participation in the Nonfiction November challenge and see if I can make some headway on the remaining stack of selected books. So far, I've read almost three and given up on three others. December is usually a very busy time of year and my reading tends to drop off, but who knows how this year will turn out.
Books Read (click on the title for my review):
A Field of Darkness by Cornelia Read (4/5)
Educated by Tara Westover (2/5)
Under a Wing by Reeve Lindbergh (2/5)
Abandoned:
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt (after 100 pages, decided I wasn't interested)
Confessions of a Counterfeit Farm Girl by Susan McCorkindale
Name All the Animals by Alison Smith
First Lines:
There are people who can be happy anywhere. I am not one of them. When the house on the next street went up in flames for the second night in a row, I wondered again what the hell I was doing in Syracuse. (A Field of Darkness)
I'm standing on the red railway car that sits abandoned next to the barn. The wind soars, whipping my hair across my face and pushing a chill down the open neck of my shirt. The gales are strong this close to the mountain, as if the peak itself is exhaling. (Educated)
In kindergarten, one of my brothers told a friend on the playground that our father had discovered America. At about the same age, I dreamed that he was God. (Under a Wing)
Movies and TV Series:
Game of Thrones (Season 8) - We've made it a tradition to only watch GoT while we're camping in our RV and we finally finished the series this past month. I'm ready to watch it again!
DCI Banks (Season 5) - We finished this series, too. Highly recommend!
The Queen's Gambit - We loved this series! Anya Taylor-Joy is a remarkable actress. (Ha. I just noticed the small bottles of liquor on the chess board.)
Bancroft - Not your typical detective series, but very good.
Puzzlemania:
We're currently working on this 1500 piece puzzle and it's taking forever, but I'm not willing to give up.
Outings:
We had lots of trips back and forth to Albany for Rod's pre-op and surgery for his shoulder replacement. Thankfully, we were able to take the RV and stay nearby, especially since he had to be at the hospital by 5:45 am (and it's a 90 minute drive from home). Due to COVID, we weren't able to stay in a hotel (as Rod had to quarantine prior to surgery), so we are very happy to own an RV!
I hope everyone had a pleasant Thanksgiving. It was certainly a unique holiday, wasn't it? Since it was just the three of us (and I wasn't even sure if Rod would be out of the hospital or feeling up to eating a regular meal), I skipped the traditional turkey dinner and grilled a pork tenderloin and served it with risotto and sauteed zucchini. It was definitely a lot easier, with very few dishes to wash. I wonder if I can get away with the same menu next year? Nah.
Last month I wrote, "The pandemic continues to rage on. To date, we have seen daily numbers reaching almost 100,000 new cases, which is astonishing." One month later and we've hit over 200,00 new daily cases. Sadly, it's going to be a bleak winter for many. Please, wear your masks and stay safe.
I hope Rod continues to make progress and that your mom is doing well also. All those puzzles tempt me but, I'm sure the cats would have a field day with all the pieces LOL
ReplyDeleteMy reading has been all over the place. I started too many different books it seems but, all have merits so I need to focus.
Hope December is a good month. We hope to have a hot chocolate, wine, coffee and Christmas cookies gift exchange outdoors or garage the weekend before Christmas if the weather cooperates and we have a mild day. In New England that is wishful thinking.
Diane, thanks for thinking of my mom and Rod. Yes, I think cats & puzzles would make a terrible combination! :) It's still hard to focus on reading, isn't it? Maybe January will be our month. Good luck with your cookie/gift exchange. I hope the weather is perfect for you. Take care.
DeleteWhen I grow up, I’m going to allow myself to abandon books. In the meantime, I plod on, furiously. It must be something compulsive. I guess.
ReplyDeleteMy mother had a partial shoulder replacement in August, and she is almost fully recovered now. The surgery is so good now; really, what one needs is a good helper, and I know Rod has that! xo
Beautiful pictures of the trees and water, as always. They soothe my soul.
Meredith, I don't always abandon books, especially once I've invested a lot of time with those I'm not enthralled with. I'm always hopeful that they'll improve as I push onward.
DeleteI'm happy to hear that your mother's surgery was a success. Rod has 4 more weeks in the sling and then he begins PT. He's really anxious to get back to playing his guitar, so I know he's motivated.
Yes, trees, water and mountains sooth my soul, as well.
Take good care. xoxo
I cannot imagine working on a puzzle with that many pieces--at least, not in a house with cats. Glad the surgery went well, and hope your husband recovers quickly!
ReplyDeleteJenclair, I realize this is the second 1500 piece puzzle we've done and I think it's too much. I love working on puzzles, but when the time spent on one puzzle drags on for over a month, it's too much. Thanks for the good thoughts for Rod. I see improvements with each passing day, so he's doing well.
DeleteVicki, it was a beautiful day by that river and I would have loved to have paddled down it in a kayak. Your Christmas meal sounds perfect. I may just do a turkey breast instead of the full turkey since nobody really cares for the dark meat. I hope you'll share a picture of the puzzle once you're finished. I'm always on the lookout for new ones. Thanks for the good wishes for my husband's recovery. I think the pain isn't as bad as last week, but it will take some time, that's for sure.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad to hear that Rod's shoulder surgery went well. Please give him my best wishes for a good recovery. I'm sure he's anxious to get back to playing his guitar!
ReplyDeleteI was interested to see that you abandoned Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. I loved that book! I even read it again a couple of years ago when we were returning to Savannah and enjoyed it just as much the second time around. Maybe it's because I love Savannah so much, and it adds another dimension to the city. Don't bother with the movie...it was terrible! That was the first movie that Eric and I saw 20 years ago (!!) and we both hated it. But he really liked the book when he read it.
Take good care and stay cozy. OX
Laurel, he is very anxious to get back to his guitar! He has a post-op appointment in the morning (we're back in the RV, near his doctor's office in the valley) and we hope all is healing properly. 4 more weeks in the sling and then on to physical therapy.
DeleteAh, yes. I read quite a bit of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and I probably should have stuck with it, but I found my mind wandering and it simply wasn't holding my attention. Maybe if I ever get to Savannah, I'll change my mind and give it another try. Thanks for the advice about the movie. I was considering it!
You two take care, too! xoxo
I am very glad you have that RV!! Certainly made everything a lot easier. I hope Rod continues to improve and that physical therapy goes well once he starts. What a time we are living in.
ReplyDeleteI was just thinking about Christmas dinner. If we don't eat out at a fancy restaurant then I usually make a prime rib roast. The last two years I cooked because the fancy place we normally go to had some staffing issues and ran out of food too. I was not pleased with how management was treating their staff and wrote a letter to corporate about it. We have a tradition of going out for dinner and then seeing a movie on Christmas night. That won't happen this year. As you know California is under a strict stay at home order. We have been told to stay home unless it's essential and now everyone is defying it to be difficult. Which of course, makes it so much work. LA County had 10K+ new cases just yesterday.
We are battling high winds again and I keep getting messages from Edison that the power could be shut down at any time. I am restless from that, work as this is my last week before my long winter holiday break but everyone is throwing stuff at me in these final days making it unpleasant. I just want to read and drink egg nog.
I know we will all get through this. I know the holiday will be good even without plans. I never want to rush the passage of time so I will sit with what I have and make the best of it.
Ti, we love camping with the RV, but it has really been a blessing to having it for these appointments during COVID! Yes, it's a crazy time we're living in, isn't it?
DeleteA prime rib roast sounds delicious and I may do that for New Year's Eve. I did that a year or two ago, but I'll stick with the turkey for Christmas this year since we missed it on Thanksgiving. We used to go out to see a movie on Christmas Eve for many years. Now we prefer to watch movies in the comfort of our own home. Gosh, the numbers in CA are just crazy right now. I have family in San Diego, Manhattan Beach and Santa Rosa and I'm so worried about them. And then there's the worry of fires. My brother was without power last week (in Escondido) due to fire danger and had to spend a few nights in a hotel. It's time for 2020 to call it a night! Only 4 more days and then you are free for your long break. Hang in there!
I was one of the few who wasn't that taken with Educated either. Disappointing when so many loved it.
ReplyDeleteWe plan to watch Queen's Gambit after we get through our Christmas movies. We've been alternating choosing a Christmas-y movie or short audiobook, and that's been nice.
I am glad you were able to stay in your RV for your husband's appointments.
Deb, I'm glad to know that I'm not alone in my opinion of Educated.
DeleteOooh, you are going to love The Queen's Gambit! Such great acting. I'm hoping to watch Elf later this week. Might also add Love Actually to my list.
Yep, I'm glad we were able to use the RV for these appointments, too. We're back in it tonight for tomorrow's appt. Our little home on wheels. :)
Glad to hear surgery went well, hope the patient makes a speedy recovery!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Heather. He had his 2-week post-op appointment yesterday and all seems to be healing properly.
DeleteI'm glad to hear Rod's surgery went well and his recovery is progressing. This is an ideal time to own an RV!! Good job with Nonfiction November, too. I abandoned quite a few books last month, but it was mostly because things have been so crazy here. Hope your December is off to a good start. Stay safe!
ReplyDeleteJoAnn, Rod's doing pretty well. He had a post-op visit yesterday and has been cleared to start PT, which is encouraging. Yes, it's been wonderful to have the RV during all of this since it's quite a hike over to the valley for these appointments.
DeleteI'm still focused on nonfiction, but can't say that any have been outstanding. I may only get one more read before the end of the year. Then it's on to my stack of "Books I've owned forever and REALLY want to read, so what's holding me back?" :)
Thanks for popping in. Hope you continue to be safe and that your FIL is improving. Big hugs! xoxo
I hope your husband is healing well. I didn't know you could get a shoulder replacement, amazing.
ReplyDeleteI read some of the same books you mentioned and found Educated interesting and horrifying. The DCI Banks series I have only seen one DVD but I have read all 26 books in order. The books are different as Alan Banks is described as 5'9" and smiles alot more. Loved the series.
You asked about the camp kitchen we used at Thanksgiving and here is the link:
https://www.campingworld.com/folding-aluminum-grill-table-629980.html?cgid=camp-kitchen#start=18&cgid=outside-rv%2Ftables%2Fcooking-tables
It comes with a case and packs up well.
Tina, his shoulder is healing well and he should be able to start physical therapy in the coming weeks. I haven't read any of the DCI Banks books, but I may try after some time has passed from watching the shows. Ha. I can't imagine Banks as 5'9" or smiling a lot. :) Thanks for the link to the table! It's backordered right now, but I'll keep an eye out for it. Take care!
DeleteYou've had a busy past month but I'm glad the surgery is over & your husband is on his way toward mending his shoulder even though it'll take a while; but it's good he had it done quickly. And the election has been so much extra unnecessary drama ... I've been distracted for months (of worrying)! I'm so relieved to survive it & that we are done with those 4 years. Your puzzle is like a mega-puzzle. I almost quit one during the Pandemic but somehow didnt give up though I almost did. I wish you very happy holidays in Oregon!
ReplyDeleteSusan, it was a busy month! Makes me grateful that December is rather quiet this year. I plan to do some baking this week, but other than that, gifts have been ordered and shipped, the tree is decorated, a few cards have been sent and I plan to curl up with my books for the remainder of the month. Merry Christmas to you, as well!
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