Little Whale Cove
Depoe Bay, Oregon
January 2022
Has anyone else noticed that the days are getting longer? The sun is now setting closer to 5:30; almost 45 minutes later than this time last month. Yay!
January came and went in a flash. I spent the first week or so on jury duty, but still managed to do a lot of reading, puzzling, blogging, yardwork and walking. For fun, I also tallied up how many days we traveled in our RV and was a little surprised that we were gone for 77 days. Quite a difference from 2020!
I had a great month of reading with several winners and only a couple that were just okay. Two of my choices were rereads (one for pleasure and one for book club) and I was happy that the one for pleasure stood the test of time and was just as enjoyable the second time around.
Books Read (click on the title for my review):
Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher (5/5)
One Two Three by Laurie Frankel (3/5)
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson (3/5)
Now May You Weep by Deborah Crombie (4/5)
Taste: My Life Through Food by Stanley Tucci (5/5)
The Outsider by Stephen King (4/5)
If It Bleeds by Stephen King (4/5)
Gave Up On:
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
Movies & TV Series:
Blue Murder (Season 2) - Good, but not great. Light detective series.
Jim Gaffigan: Comedy Monster - Pretty funny! I laughed out loud several times.
Bodyguard - Gave up after a couple of episodes.
Being the Ricardos - I enjoyed this much more than I thought I would.
Munich: The Edge of War - I probably won't remember a thing about this in a month.
The Lost Daughter - I love Olivia Coleman, but this was such a sad, bleak story. I wound up watching it over the course of several days.
Puzzlemania:
Other News:
We had quite a windstorm at the beginning of the month, but thankfully, no trees fell in our yard. These type of storms are always intense since we are surrounded by huge trees.
We also experienced a tsunami watch (second one we've had since moving here in 2017), but we're far enough from (and high enough above) the coastline and weren't too concerned. I did see some big swells later that day, though.
Thanks for reading!
I've never served on a criminal jury like this, but I imagine it must be exhausting. I'm glad you felt justice was served.
ReplyDeleteWhew. Those winds. That's nearly hurricane force winds, I think.
I'm glad you had such a good reading month.
Deb, it was mentally exhausting. The case had been previously tried but that jury was not unanimous, so it had to go before our jury.
DeleteYes, those winds were pretty strong. Thankfully, they were only gusts and not sustained.
Curious which books were rereads? I almost never reread unless it's a bookclub pick that I don't remember. I wasn't going to read Taste but have since requested it from the library. Your puzzles look like such fun, do family members help or is this just a you thing? We watched The Tender Bar and enjoyed it as well.
ReplyDeleteI been called to jury duty but, never selected to serve --hmmm. One more year and I'll have the option of refusal - aging does have a few minor benefits. Those winds you have had are scary despite what I consider mild temps this time of year. How cool your lovely daughter and her sense of fashion has paid off. I have always been a big time shopper - even in retirement. Hope February is a great month.
Diane, the rereads were Winter Solstice and Major Pettigrew's Last Stand. The latter was a book group selection. The Pilcher book was due to you! :) Hope you enjoy Taste.
DeleteMy mom and I work on the puzzles, but not at the same time. My husband has no interest in them. :)
I have now served on four jury panels. My husband has been called, but I don't think he's ever been on a case. He turns 70 this year, so unless he's called before his birthday, he'll probably opt out.
We were thankful that those winds were "just" gusts and not sustained. They were still pretty intense!
Those were crazy winds you had! So glad you came through safely—it's always scary with big trees around. You had a busy month, including jury duty. I've never been called and would find a criminal case emotionally difficult (given that I don't even like reading or watching mysteries that involve bad people doing bad things...unless it's something like Monk, lol). How wonderful that your daughter is doing what she loves!
ReplyDeleteLaurel, thankfully the winds weren't sustained like those you get in Florida! I've served on 4 jury panels over the years and they've all been pretty intense (spousal abuse, major drug bust, and child sexual abuse). I'm glad I'm finished for 2022.
DeleteHow cool that your daughter is a fashion influencer!
ReplyDeleteYou read some great books this month and you did it all while doing an intense jury duty. 171 years is intense!!
Helen, we're quite proud of Amy. I would love her figure and clothing budget! :)
DeleteYep, 171 years is intense, but there were 19 separate counts of varying degrees of punishment. He definitely got what he deserved.
77 days! Woohoo!
ReplyDeleteI love your new header photo.
87 mph? That's scary. Windy days always make me edgy and I've probably never experienced wind speeds like that.
I seem to be a favorite of our courthouse since I get a summons as often as I'm eligible. Luckily I've only had to actually serve once and that was a civil case that was honestly a waste of time. I know everyone is entitled to a jury of their peers but a criminal case would really bother me. Kudos to you and the others for serving and taking your duty seriously. And I'm glad you feel justice was served.
Congratulations to your daughter!
Jen, I was really surprised we had traveled that many days!
DeleteWe've had wind storms like this when we lived in Nebraska, but those were more sustained/straight-line winds rather than gusts. I don't know which is worse, but they sure make me anxious.
I wouldn't be surprised if I got called for jury duty again next January. Our county is fairly small, so there isn't a huge pool to select from like there is in big cities.
Not sure what has changed with my computer or your blog, but I'm not able to comment today. I now see a banner where the comment field is usually located which says Content not available. Please allow cookies by clicking Accept on the banner. But there's no place to click "Accept." I'll see if my husband can help me figure it out. :(
So many great books in January, it will be hard to top that in February!
ReplyDeleteFun puzzles, too. I especially like the nutcrackers and puffins. My daughter's boyfriend finished the 1000-piece Woman in Gold puzzle today. We started it over Christmas, but it was WAY too hard for me! I did finish a 500-piece puzzle with various feathers. That one was fun... I should start taking pictures of them.
It must have been difficult to sit through that trial! I'm glad justice was served, but how frustrating not to participate in deliberations after all that effort. Are you out of the jury pool for a set period of time now?
Congratulations to Amy... you deserve to be proud!!
JoAnn, I may not read as many books in February, but so far I've already had a couple of winners.
DeleteThe nutcracker puzzle was crazy with all the mouths, moustaches and eyes. The puffins puzzle was much easier, but it only had 250 pieces compared to 1000. Ooh, we've done that Lady in Gold puzzle and it is hard! Yes, please take pictures of your puzzles. I'm always looking for new ones to try.
It was quite a letdown to not be involved with the deliberations of the trial. I had taken so many notes and was eager to discuss the case with my fellow jurors. I'm just glad they voted unanimously for guilty on all 19 charges. I won't have to serve again for the remainder of the year, but I wouldn't be surprised if I got called again next January.
Holy cow that sentence!! That must have been a horrific crime for sure!
ReplyDeleteA tsunami sounds terrifying to me. Glad everyone was safe.
Congrats to your daughter, that is awesome!
Erin, it was a terrible crime that took place over several years, so there were numerous charges, each with lengthy sentences. I'm thankful for the guilty verdict.
DeleteWe weren't too worried about a tsunami since it was only a watch and not a warning. Plus, we don't live right on the ocean bluff, so we aren't really in danger. Our biggest concern is an earthquake. We are surrounded by lots of trees and if this area gets "the big one," it will be devastating.
Wow your daughter & her collection seem awesome, congrats! What a month you had with this jury duty - ugh that crime seems awful. Gosh how disturbing. It's good to put it behind you. You must be sending us your Wind there ... as we have had weeks of wind, which seems strange. And it's warm now, almost spring-like this far north. I'm loving the extra light & longer days. We liked The Tender Bar movie ... and the performances in the Ricardos was good but the script seemed quite unhappy. The old MI-5 series is really great ... we were sucked in many years ago. And those puzzles look amazing. I need to start one. Have a great February!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Susan. Amy has had her fashion blog/influencing gig for several years now and Rod & I are so impressed and proud.
DeleteYeah, that trial was pretty awful, especially the videos interviews that we were required to watch. Glad it's over and done with.
Sorry you are experiencing so much wind. That's one more thing I don't miss about living in Nebraska. Springtime was always super windy. Weird that you are having warm temps so early in the year.
We're on to the third season of MI-5. Fun to see a few of our favorite actors make appearances (B. Cumberbatch, Hugh Laurie, Nicola Walker).
We're currently working on a Georges Serault puzzle, which as you can imagine is quite challenging!