Little Whale Cove
Depoe Bay, Oregon
March 2022
Happy Spring! Living in a forest, you wouldn't think that we'd see a lot of spring color, but some of the rhododendrons and red flowering currants are beginning to bloom and a few of our neighbors have daffodils, tulips and hyacinths that are blooming. I'm just glad the deciduous trees and shrubs (elderberry, scotch broom, etc.) are starting to leaf out again. Who knows, maybe the daytime temp will start climbing closer to 60 than 50.
I had a decent month of reading with two big winners (Setting Free the Kites and Water Like Stone) that I'm still thinking about. I love a good book that lingers long after I've finished reading it.
Books Read (click on the title for my review):
Water Like a Stone by Deborah Crombie (4.5/5)
Setting Free the Kites by Alex George (4.5/5)
The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller (3/5)
The Women of the Copper Country by Mary Doria Russell (3/5)
Anne of Avonlea by L. M. Montgomery (3/5)
Movies & TV Series:
Murder in Provence - Loved it! Both Roger Allam and Nancy Carroll are wonderful. Now I want to go to Provence.
The Chelsea Detective - Another fun new series!
Line of Duty (Season 2) - A little confusing in the beginning, but very good and suspenseful!
Spooks/MI-5 (Season 4) - I love this show. The entire cast is fabulous, but Nicola Walker is my favorite.
Puzzlemania:
Late to the Party:
I don't know when or how I stumbled upon Elyse_Myers on Instagram, but she is so funny, wise and inspiring. I might have binged on an entire year's worth of her IG posts. :) She's also on Tik-Tok, but I can only handle so many social media platforms, so I watch on Instagram.
Other News:
I used to be a runner. I started "jogging" when I was around 12 and really got into it in my 20s and 30s, running in numerous 10Ks and two half-marathons. Sometime around my 40th birthday, I began to have problems with one of my knees, so I gave up running and started biking. Every so often I would try to run again, but my knees always complained. Several weeks ago, I decided to give it another try, this time on a treadmill. I didn't have any problems, so I continued, running a couple of miles every other day. I am now up to three miles and hope to get to four without any problems.
I've been using our air fryer quite a bit lately, trying out some of my favorite recipes to see how they do in the air fryer. We have an oven in the RV, but it's fueled with propane (which burns hotter than electric or gas) and is fairly small. The air fryer is a good alternative for cooking while on road trips. I'll also use it if it's raining or too windy to fire up the grill. So far, my favorite items to cook in the fryer are salmon, cheeseburgers, "fried" chicken sandwiches, chicken parmesan, Tator-tots, and flatbread/pizza. I've tried flat iron steaks and they turn out very moist and tender but lack the searing/grill marks. I especially love the easy clean-up of the fryer. Do you have one? What are your favorite things to cook in yours?
We're kicking off the month with a trip to Nashville via Seattle. This will be the first time we've traveled by plane in over five years. We can't wait to finally see our daughter and son-in-law. Thanks to the pandemic, it's been 2 1/2 years since we've seen them! We're counting the hours!
I am so excited for you to see your family and to travel!
ReplyDeleteGood job on the running on the treadmill. My main problem is that I get bored if I don't have a good TV show to watch while I do it. Perhaps I need to watch one of the TV series that you suggest; they all look so good!
It's definitely boring to run inside on a treadmill, but I think it's easier on my knees. I've been watching MLB spring training and March Madness (muted) while listening to my running music.
DeleteFingers crossed that our flights aren't cancelled on Wednesday... We're flying on Alaska Airlines.
Enjoy your time with your daughter and SIL. You seem really disciplined about exercise - how great that your knees have been cooperating. Mine are pretty bad. I count it a good day if I take just 2 Motrin a day. Hopw April is a good month for you.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Diane. Fingers crossed our flights don't get cancelled...
DeleteI'm trying to stick to an exercise routine. It helps that my husband goes to the gym with me (and that we can walk to it - it's in our neighborhood rec center). Keeps us both committed. The only time my knees bother me is first thing in the morning when I walk downstairs to get my coffee. After that, they're fine. Sorry yours give you trouble. :(
Before I moved where I live now, I lived at a forest for 20 years. I enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read any of those books, but have the Montgomery book.
I watched CODA last year when it first came out and I loved it. Might have to do a re-watch. I haven't watched any of those shows/movies either.
I LOVE that puzzle!
I used to run, but I also had issues with my knees, so now I walk at least 3 miles, usually 5 days a week . I recently bought a new bike since I gave mine away, but I haven't had a chance to go biking yet. Hopefully soon!
My oven has an air fryer, I have a Ninja air fryer, and an Instant Pot Omni Plus Toaster Oven which does so much more that air fry and I love it. My favorite thing to cook in it is any meat using the rotisserie function.
So happy for you! I can only imagine how excited you are to see your daughter and son in law!
Vicki, we love living in a forest, although it can be a little worrisome during fire season.
DeleteI love that puzzle, too. However, it was REALLY difficult and took us three weeks to complete. I love that it's by a Ukranian artist.
I try to walk on alternating days from when I run and I usually get in 3+ miles. I haven't ridden my bike in ages! I miss the great bike trails in Nebraska. Oh, well. I'd rather live by the ocean even if it means not biking.
Take care.
I'm impressed with your books and reading! I had a slowish March in the reading department. LOVE that puzzle and your puzzle board.
ReplyDeleteCan't run and right now can barely walk. I fell on the stairs and when I landed I aggravated a previous knee/meniscus injury. I am hoping with some rest it will heal as we are meant to go camping next week. If you know any exercises to expediate healing I am welcome to suggestions! Thanks for the good wishes on Doug's cataract surgery.
Thanks, Tina. I gave up on a few books, but still had a decent month. Setting Free the Kites was an unexpected pleasure. It was so good!
DeleteIsn't that puzzle amazing?! It was purely coincidental that we chose to work on one by a Ukrainian artist. I had the people of Ukraine in my thoughts the entire time I was working on the puzzle.
I'm so sorry to hear that you fell and hurt your knee. I don't know of any exercises to help, but Advil will reduce any inflammation. Maybe ice cream, too? ;) I hope it heals quickly so it doesn't interfere with your upcoming camping trip. Going any place fun?
You've been doing a little bit of everything in March. You've had several good books. (I think I need to look for Setting Free the Kites.) You've started running again, and that's going well. Your puzzle is stunning.
ReplyDeleteI grew up in a forest, so I know the pleasures of living there. I hope you will take some photos of the flowers when you get a chance. Most of those need a cold climate so we never see them here.
Your upcoming trip sounds fantastic...I'm excited for you! Enjoy your time with your family.
Thanks, Deb. I'm excited to see my daughter & SIL. It's been far too long! Hope the stormy weather across the south doesn't interfere with our travels tomorrow.
DeleteIt's always so interesting, how different each part of the country is. Our forests in NC have a lot of spring color, with dogwoods, redbuds, azaleas, and rhododendron blooming, not to mention the "spring ephemeral" wildflowers like trillium that bloom before the trees leaf out.
ReplyDeleteMy knees started bothering me on my runs just before the pandemic started. I think I probably just need to get them strengthened back up on the elliptical machine (I have always gotten a horrible stitch in my side when I run on a treadmill). I haven't gotten brave enough to get back in the gym yet though. I've started feeling an urge to run when I'm out on my walks now that spring is here though. I may attempt the gym soon.
Our RV has a microwave/convection oven and we do use the convection oven part. I tend to forget about it when I'm cooking but my husband uses it a lot. It works well but I feel like it heats up the whole camper.
I hope you have good weather for your flight. That line of storms just passed directly over us and it was pretty nasty. I think there are supposed to be more tomorrow. But since you'll be well west of us, maybe they'll be past Nashville in time for your flight to land.
Have a great, safe trip!
Jen, we have trilliums, as well! And some azaleas, which I forgot about. I guess there's more color here than I thought. I just look out our windows and see nothing but green. Not a bad thing, that's for sure!
ReplyDeleteI wonder if my legs/quads got strengthened riding the Peloton and that helps save my knees from aches and pains. Who knows. I just hope it lasts.
Our microwave in the RV is also a combo with convection, but I've never tried it. I suspect the air fryer will heat up the interior of the coach, too, but I love the ease and clean-up. Of course, there's really no where to store it, so it goes in the shower until we need to use that! :)
I've been watching the weather reports all day while sitting here in Seattle (hanging out with my stepmom for the day). It looks like the storm that will hit TN tomorrow will be over by the time we land at midnight. I hope. I'm just glad we're not driving the rv out there! That would be more scary for me.
There's so much to love in this post. That forest pic. So green and mossy. We don't see much green here and what we do see turns dirt brown with the drought. I am so happy that you will get to see your family soon and Nashville always looks like a fun place to visit. Your reading was pretty good too. My reading has improved a lot! I just have to keep the books coming and not lag in between readings.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter is having a rough time in Missouri. It's stressing me out a lot. My day will be pretty good and then wham, anxiety. It's hard when you love the program but not the location.
Thanks, Ti! I remember how brown everything looked in SoCal when we lived there. We love the lush, green forests in Oregon and couldn't be happier living here.
DeleteI'm sorry your daughter isn't enjoying Missouri, but I understand. It's so different from where she grew up. I hope things improve for her but at least she knows it's not forever.
Your salmon looks delicious. And per your recommendation, I just checked out Elyse Meyers on Instagram. And suddenly, two hours have gone by, LOL. You're right...she's funny and wise and real. Hope you have a great trip to Nashville!
ReplyDeleteLaurel, I love salmon and I've been using the same rub for decades. It's fool-proof! Glad you're enjoying Elyse Meyers. She has some funny posts/stories, as well as powerful messages about body image and not conforming to the demands of our peers. She really cracks me up.
DeleteWe're having a wonderful time in Nashville/Franklin! We head back to the PNW tomorrow. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the weather isn't too terrible when we are in Seattle and Portland. Portland had snow this morning!!
That's great about your running! I'm so envious ... I used to love running too. But the knee problems got me. Wow that puzzle is grand and elaborate. Amazing. How long did that take you to finish?? I'm sure it would take me a month. We loved the MI-5 show & many seasons years ago ... terrific! And we also liked Line of Duty. CODA was good ... and I'm curious about the Provence show ... b/c the scenery must be wonderful. I still hope to try an Alex George novel ... so he's on my radar. Thanks for your update here.
ReplyDeleteSusan, I'm back from a trip to TN and while I had great intentions of keeping up with my workouts, I never once used the hotel gym. :( I'll have to go slow returning to running so I don't wind up with an injury, but I also want to get back to riding my Peloton. The monthly fee is going up next month, so that's a good incentive to stop ignoring it. ;)
DeleteThat puzzle took about 3 weeks, as I recall. It was tough!
Hope you get around to the Alex George book. I just finished another winner (The Absolutist by John Boyne) that I need to review.
Um, I thought I'd check out Elyse Myers and spent 20 minutes I didn't have scrolling back through her reels, lol. Now I'm following her too thanks to you! I love that puzzle!
ReplyDeleteStacy, isn't she funny and insightful?! Glad you're enjoying her reels.
DeleteI am so excited for you to see your family again! What a happy reunion that will be!
ReplyDeleteI am also happy you enjoyed Murder in Provence! We did as well. I think we might start the Chelsea Detective soon!
Thanks, Erin. We had a wonderful time in Tennessee. It was so great to see our daughter and son-in-law!!
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