What I'm reading Wednesday...

Twenty-second challenge finish of the year.

('Found family trope' is defined as characters who choose to make unrelated people [characters] their family.  You may know this already, but I had to look it up.)

This was very good.  I enjoyed this sequel every bit as much as its predecessor.  And I was really excited to see that the author has decided to make this a trilogy.

Twenty-third challenge finish of the year.

('Breaks the fourth wall' is defined as one or more characters breaking from the story to address the reader directly, ie Jane Eyre saying, "Reader, I married him."  You may know this already too, but my friend, the PhD, didn't, so I thought I'd mention it also.)

This was my new book club's May book.  I'm counting it for the challenge as well, since I was able to borrow it from the library.  

I was a bit perplexed by what prompt to put it under.  Google says it does not break the fourth wall.  I disagree, as I felt that the character of Marcellus was always talking to me directly.  :)  When I saw that another challenge participant also listed it as 'breaking the 4th wall prompt,' I decided I could too.

I really liked this book so much.  The only reason I didn't give it five stars is because I don't believe I will go back to it to read it again.  But if the author ever comes out with a sequel, I will definitely read it.

Twenty-fourth challenge finish of the year.

Again, I really enjoyed this book.  The only reason I didn't give it five stars is because I doubt I will go back to it to re-read.  

It doesn't exactly have a diary entry, but it reads like one.  Having only 66 pages, it is a fast read.  The forward, illustrations, and editorial comments add to it.

It has been on my Kindle since 2014, so I am elated to have given it its due by reading and appreciating it finally.

Tuesday treasure...

I think I'm going to be doing a new post for Tuesdays.  Just about the best things I find or experience on Tuesdays.  That is usually the day I volunteer at the library, so often it may be about books.

I was looking through some recently donated books while I was working there today, and was SO excited to see this one.  They Call Me Ranger Ray by Ramiro "Ray" Martinez, retired Texas Ranger.  He is a bit of a legend in Texas, and he lives in a nearby town.  I was filling in at a business in that town when he came in with his wife, and both of them are incredibly personable and pleasant to talk to.  We chatted about the small town where Carey and I obtained our marriage license at the courthouse where Ranger Ray Martinez worked on a big political corruption case.  At the time, I had no idea that he was famous for a case that had nationwide coverage.

And what makes it an extra special treasure?  It's an autographed copy!  I mean not to me, but still.  LOL

Just thumbing through the book, I wanted to read it cover to cover right then.  But I have some other must-do priorities at the moment, so will have to wait awhile.  If I was a loving wife, I would let Carey have first dibs on it.  No promises.  ;)

2025 Frugal Friday File, April 25...

 

1.  Carey is working hard getting ready for a fall garden.  When we bought the house, it had a fenced in garden area (tall fencing to keep deer out) which we have never used.  We've had container tomato plants, but he finally was ready to go to the effort of preparing the garden.  Maybe he's worried about availability of produce too?  

    I know gardening is not necessarily frugal (when you have to start by buying a tiller), but he has been reading and working on it most diligently.  Our county offices provide free mulch, so he went and got a pickup load free of charge.

2.  I was able to reserve our next book club selection at the library.  Others were ahead of me, so I was not at all sure that I would get it in time.  Happily I now have it in my possession and started it today.

3.  I deposited four checks that were partial refunds from insurance company for chiropractic care that I prepaid out of pocket.

4.  I have had a shut down on energy and motivation lately, which makes meals an unwelcome chore.  I ordered four subscription meals for this week.  Not cheap, but definitely less than eating out.

5. Last weekend the youngest granddaughter was home for Easter and wanted to know if I had tips and bags for piping cake icing, and if I could teach her how to use them.  My mother had gone through a phase of learning cake decorating, then she passed on all her supplies to me when the kids were little and I did more of that sort of thing.  

Chloe arrived, baked, and decorated.  It was a fun day with her.  I taught her everything I know (not a lot), and referred her to YouTube for further tips and tricks.  Then I had her take the box of decorating tips and couplers home with her.  They were free to me in the first place, and I was happy to pass them on.  And it kinda gets me off the hook for the future.  LOL

On the menu this week:

Saturday:  Easter dinner with the family...Crawfish Boil

Sunday:  Homemade Hamburgers, Deviled Eggs

Monday:  Spanish Rice

Tuesday:  subscription meal

Wednesday:  subscription meal

Thursday:  subscription meal

Friday:  subscription meal

What I'm reading Wednesday...

Twenty-first finish of the year.

Part of the Agatha Raisin Mystery series.  Quick, pleasant read for light escapism.  Don't have to put a lot of thought into it.

The Hunter by Tana French

Now I'm reading this sequel to one I read last month.  Happily, I was able to borrow this e-book from the library.

2025 Frugal Friday File, April 18...

 

1.  I made a menu and grocery list.  Will pick them up at 7 a.m. tomorrow.  Some of it will go in freezer to stock back up, butter, bacon, and sausage for instance.  

2.  Haven't been out of the house much this week.  Except for volunteering at the library, I didn't have one thing scheduled.  The quiet week was heavenly!

3.  We celebrated our 49th anniversary yesterday without a single gift.  Too much crap around here as it is.  We did go out for Tex-Mex at our nearby favorite local place which is quite close to us.

4.  Except for a few ebooks and groceries, I haven't bought a single thing in weeks.

5.  Paid our electric bill this week, and it was the lowest so far this year.  It will start going up just like the thermometer from here on out.

On the menu this week:

Saturday:  Mexican Cornbread Casserole

Sunday:  Family supper at Kasey & Beau's

Monday:  leftovers

Tuesday:  leftovers

Wednesday:  Quiche and Salad

Thursday:  out for anniversary

Friday:  leftovers

What I'm reading Wednesday...

Twentieth finish of the year.

I've loved Daphne Du Maurier's work since I was a teenager.  My favorite of the ones of hers that I have read is The House on the Strand...it was the beginning of my love of time travel.

But for some reason I could never read Rebecca.  I have picked it up, probably, half a dozen times over the years, and for some reason could not get past the first chapter or two.  I think maybe because I thought I knew what it was about from seeing a short clip of the movie.  I mean, that original 1940 movie seemed pretty campy, but again, I've never seen the entire movie.

I decided to give it one more try, and I could barely put it down.  It was a little dated, but it was really good.  Now I will see if I can find the 2020 version of the movie to watch.

2025 Frugal Friday File, April 11...

 

1.  I emailed the congressman who says he represents me.  He doesn't, at least not very well.  I reminded him how he could do a better job...for about the umpteenth time.

2.  Met with our financial adviser for our regular annual review.  Good to see him again (he's my former boss).  Made sure that we are on track to preserve our assets in these crazy times.  

3.  Rudy's vet appointment went well.  He woke up feeling much better this morning, but we wanted to keep the appointment to rule out some things in case he got worse again over the weekend.  They took an ex-ray to look for enlarged organs, or a blockage of some kind.  When I went to the desk to pay the bill, we had a $160 credit on the account (for a consultation that I prepaid and had not needed to have done), and a $40 discount.  That was a welcome surprise.

4.  Made it on time to the book club, and had a fabulous time.  My friend made a great brunch.  Such a fun group.  One of them volunteers at the animal shelter, which I have been thinking I might call to see about volunteering.  It was nice to be able to ask her questions about the layout of the facility, what kinds of help they might need, etc.  Another of the group lives right around the corner from me.  We had met before, so it was nice to have an extended time to get to know each other.  

5.  I have not been wanting to cook lately, at least not every day.  I visited the meal subscription we had used in the past (when I was still working full time), and I was pleased to see that the prices had not gone up noticeably since back when we had used them.  I ordered three meals for this week, because they are much less costly and healthier than eating out.  It was a nice break.

On the menu this week:

Saturday:  leftovers

Sunday:  Bombay Salad with Shrimp

Monday:  Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes with Brisket

Tuesday:  meal subscription 

Wednesday:  meal subscription 

Thursday:  meal subscription 

Friday:  takeout burgers

What I'm reading Thursday?...

Nineteenth finish of the year.

I can't lie...I skimmed a lot of this book.  The personal story of the main character, Daisy Lawrence, and her husband and family was so very interesting.  If the book had focused more on her story, and less on the technical details of the war, it would have been a much easier and more enjoyable read.  However, as it was written by Daisy's daughter, and she was trying to honor her mother's passion for Bletchley Park and the work that was accomplished there, I understand her decision to include the details.  

Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister

I also finished Wrong Place Wrong Time.  I enjoy time travel, and this one had an interesting premise, but I did get a little bored at times.  However the plot twists did surprise me, and it was enjoyable.  

I'm not counting this one for the 2025 Challenge.  I'm sure I could have selected a prompt that it would have filled.  But since I made the decision to only count books that have been long-term inhabitants on my Kindle, or that I am able to source free through library, Little Free Libraries, or gifts/borrows, I'm going to try to stick with that.  I went into this year with a goal to buy fewer books until I have put a dent in the books that I already own, and if I give myself an inch, by letting myself count recent purchases for the challenge, I will take a mile.  I know myself.  LOL

But I have had to purchase two books for the book club I am joining (tomorrow (Friday) is the first meeting I will be attending) and I am promising myself I can accomplish my goal as well as the book club books.

I am feeling a little afraid that I may miss the book club tomorrow, as Rudy is really acting un-Rudy-like.  Listless, not taking food or water, warm to the touch, some stomach upset, and generally unable to get comfortable.  I was able to get him an appointment to see the vet tomorrow (Friday) morning at nine.  So I'm hoping the vet can get it figured out, so I can make the eleven thirty book club without feeling too guilty.  If the news is dire, I will have to miss book club. He was feeling a bit better before he went to bed...ate and drank a little, and showed interest in the deer outside for the first time all day...but definitely want to keep the appointment with the weeken upon us, and as bad as he seemed all day.

Weekending...

This was our first view of the marchers.  We parked about a block away, and could see the crowd we would be joining.  Quite a busy day for the city's downtown, as they were also hosting the Final Four.

We had lovely cool and breezy weather.  I would not have been surprised if it had been ninety-plus degrees, so the fifties was lovely.  There was a big crowd.

This was the flipside of my sign.  Out of my sight, out of my mind.  I was surprised when the person behind me tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Hi, stranger."  It was very nice to have her respond to my sign and know I was surrounded by like-minded people.  :)

I walked a lot more than I thought I could.  When I could see down a side street that the beginning of the line was a block over and returning to the main square, I did cut across and cut the line.  I was afraid I might not be able to make the whole route, as we had inadvertently gotten in the 'long route' group, and I don't do well on uneven surfaces, so I felt like it was better to be safe than sorry.

It really lifted my spirits to take part.

2025 Frugal Friday File, April 4...

 

1.   Found the motivation to make a menu and a grocery order.  

2.  Prepared a full 6-quart slow cooker full of Rudy food on Tuesday, refrigerated it overnight, then packed it in containers for the freezer.  We mix it with his kibble, so it lasts about six weeks.

3.  We did our research and went car shopping.  Found one we wanted, but made the mistake of sleeping on it.  Called back the next morning at nine to ask them to get it ready for us, but it was gone.  I take complete responsibility for this.  If our car didn't have a valid reason that it can no longer be counted on to be reliable, we would not even be considering replacing it right now.  And I've just not been in a place to deal with the insanity behind, and the results of, tariff panic right now.  But as a result, still no money plunked down for a car.

4.  At medical appointment this week, my weight was down another five pounds.  That's about 40 pounds down since I retired two years ago.  I still drink one or two sodas a day.  We almost always have ice cream in the evenings.  I am not dieting. No pharmeceuticals.  I'm just not eating convenience foods five days a week like I did when I was working.

5.  This week I was unexpectedly invited to join a book club for their April brunch next week.  I was told I didn't need to read this month's book, but I wanted to understand the gist of discussion, and the book was Wrong Place, Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister which has a time travel element (which I love when it's done well).  I looked online for a cheaper copy, and also checked the library without luck, but I didn't want to cut it too close, so I splurged, paying $11+ for ebook on Amazon. 

    I'm trying to be more social, and this book club is one a current friend has been a member of for many years.  She's having the brunch at her house, so I shouldn't be too anxious about walking into a new location.  I'm counting the cost of the ebook in the 'self care/personal growth' column of the budget.  :)

On the menu this week:

Saturday:  Family supper at Kasey & Beau's

Sunday:  homemade meal from the freezer - Enchilada Casserole

Monday:  frozen pot pies

Tuesday:  out for fried frish & shrimp

Wednesday:  Sushi (grocery store) and Asian Cucumber Salad (homemade) 

Thursday:  Shepherd's Pie

Friday:  Salmon, Rice Pilaf, Green Beans

What I'm reading Wednesday...

 

Seventeenth finish of the year.

I stayed up all night reading to finish this one without even getting drowsy.  May not be for everyone.  There were a lot of tears, but there was a WHOOP of laughter that I don't think I will soon forget.

Best book of the year...so far.

Eighteenth finish of the year.

Told in verse is not my favorite kind of reading, so I didn't have any in my personal collection yet to be read.  I looked at my library, and on Amazon.  I was able to borrow this one through Kindle Unlimited.  It is YA (Young Adult) which I usually don't read.  I thought it was very good.  There was a surprise towards the end of the book that I was not expecting.

It is listed as having 253 pages, but being in verse they were not densely-filled pages, so it was a relatively quick read.

Now I have started on...