Story time...

Here's something I learned from my mother...the beauty of a Peanut Butter and Pickle Sandwich!  I've had them with both dill and sweet pickles, and they're good both ways.  But you can't beat a thick swath of peanut butter with good quality Bread & Butter pickle slices piled on.

Here's something else I learned from Mom.  When you put the sandwich fixins on one side of a slice of bread, and fold it in half, it's called a Zeecher.  LOL  At least in my family.

When my mother was growing up on her grandparents' farm in the 1920s and '30s, they would have men who came by in search of work and/or a meal.  One fella, who stayed and worked for awhile before moving on, would come in for meals, and before leaving the table would grab a single slice of bread and slap some of whatever was left from the meal on the bread and fold it in half.  He would then put it in his pocket for later in the day.  

The story goes that nobody in the family had seen this done before.  And that from that day forward the family called folded-over half sandwiches Zeechers, after the first fella they had seen make them: Mr. Zeecher.  We definitely called them that at our house while I was growing up.  Even my dad had started calling them that.  :)

My parents were both in their forties when I was born.  My mother being raised by her grandparents with aunts and uncles still at home, and her grandparents' siblings living nearby, means that I was lucky enough to hear stories of family history that went further back than that of the families of a lot of kids my age. 

What I'm reading Wednesday...

Fourteenth challenge finish of the year.

This one has been on my Kindle since 2012.  I continue to try to satisfy the challenge prompts using books that I already own (and the longer I've owned them the better it feels to complete them). 

At 433 pages, this book took me two weeks to read.  Frankly, that's ridiculous.  Like one of the books I read last year, I can only assume that the print size in the book was tiny and closely spaced to allow a smaller page count.  I thought it would never end.  Carey checked in on me at one point, and I said, 'Not now, I'm at 96% and I just want to finish it!"  An hour later, I finally emerged.

The story, (written and set in the mid 1970s) was interesting.  An elderly brother and sister in Vermont, James and Sally (both widowed), are sharing their childhood home after the sister ran out of money to stay in the home she had shared with her husband.  Their relationship suffers due to their differing viewpoints on society, politics, etc., which is sort of a current issue isn't it?  I could really relate to their struggle.

After a heated argument, the sister escaped to her bedroom and locked herself in.  The brother, from the outside, then bolted her in.  

Neither one would 'say uncle', and it got to be big news (with a little help of the "nosy neighbor character" listening in on the party line phone conversations.

The thing that I thought was unnecessary was the inclusion of a book within the book.  Sally found a novel about drug smugglers in the room and read it as a distraction during her enforced and then self-enforced seclusion in the room.  The entire text of that book was included in this book.  That addition did not add to the story at all, in my humble opinion.  Luckily the sections of the 'other' book were in a bold font, and as the smugglers' story got weirder, I finally just stopped readinng those sections.

October Light won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction in 1976.  It often seems to me that awards go to books that are too...high brow?...scholarly?...to be an entertaining read.  This one did not change that opinion.

Now I am reading:

I'm not far into it, and I'm not sure yet what challenge prompt it will fit under, but this author is a personal favorite.

This and that...

1.  Rudy's comfort is the only comfort that matters.  LOL  This is his preferred spot, making a little nest inside my two knees.  Which is fine except that one of my knees has to be moved every few minutes or the pain sets in.

    He is going to be ten years old in a couple of months, and he doesn't ask for much (except for us to jump when he alerts us that there are deer or squirrels out the window, so open that door NOW!) and to be near us at all times.  

2.We put up springtime decorations on the mantel today.  The wreath is new, and looked too small on its own, so I asked Carey to hang an old window frame behind it.  He's so handy and willing.

    It all looks rather washed out with the light on over it.  The wreath is lamb's ear (artificial).  Its fuzzy light green leaves look nice next to the ceramic lettuce under its right corner.  The chicks on and near the books on the left were an Easter gift to me when I was maybe eight?  Ten?  I think the mantel will stay like this through April.

3.  I have a wellness visit with doctor tomorrow morning.  

4.  I need to gather donations for the creative re-use center for Saturday, and we have no empty boxes to put things in.  :(

5.  I made a double batch of Peanut Butter and Banana Baked Oatmeal today.  When I'm sure it is completely cooled, I will package individual servings to go in the freeezer for breakfasts.

6.  A new pair of Birkenstocks arrived today.  Last summer I wore out a pair, so these are their replacements.  Purchased pre-owned on E-bay, but they look and feel brand new, but at less than half the price ($40!).  I like the bronze-y crocodile print.  (My feet look weird in this photo, but I wanted to catch the reflexive quality of the print, so they are at an odd angle.)

ps:  My current book is going about as fast as Moby Dick.  

What I'm reading Wednesday...

 

Thirteenth challenge finish of the year.

Goodreads has a community page for the 2026 52 Book Challenge group.  It's very helpful for finding book suggestions for each prompt in the challenge.  When I saw this listed for the "genre defining read" prompt, I thought I'd give it a go.  I've seen the movie several times, and was curious to see if the movie changed much from the book.  

I listened to the audiobook, and didn't love the narration (as per my usual).  As a suspense stirtm the ending of the movie was more satisfying than the ending of the book, but other than that it stayed pretty close.

I've started another book, but it is slow going.  I'll wait till at least halfway to decide and how I feel about it.

What I'm reading Wednesday...

Eleventh challenge finish of the year.

I was watching a YouTuber talk about his favorite books of all time, and he discussed this one.  I like a good time-travel story, but what really made it a go for me was that its publisher started with the letter "B" (Ballantine Books).  I wanted to fill that prompt before it got late in the year.

It was okay.  It reminded me a little of Kate Atkinson's Life after Life which also had many repeats of the same life.

This one delved more into the ethics and dangers of using a time machine for medical, governmental, and economic uses.  I found it imaginitive, but it wasn't un-put-down-able for me.

Twelfth challenge finish of the year.

This is next month's book club selection.  I wasn't sure about the first 1/3 of the book, but it did pique my interest as the main character matured.  It was a fairly quick read at 163 pages, but it did challenge my vocabulary, and I had to look up quite a few words; I could elicit the meaning by the context, but I always like to read official definition for an unfamiliar word.

I had a lot of questions that came up, which were mostly answered by the ending.  Still, it was a bit strange.  And yet, I liked it.

What I'm reading Wednesday...

 

Have spent very little time reading this week.  Maybe a quarter of the way through this one.

What I'm reading Wednesday...

Eighth challenge finish of the year.

When the World Fell Silent was very nearly four stars for me.  The history and characters were well done and interesting, but for me it was a bit too sacharine in just a few places.

Spoiler alert: the subject was the catastrophic explosion (and its aftermath) in the Hallifax, Nova Scotia harbor in 1917.  It was the largest man-made explosion in the world until the bombing of Hiroshima in 1945.  Almost two thousand people were killed, and a  further eight to nine thousand were wounded.  Many citizens stood at windows to watch the ship burning in the harbor.  When the munitions it was carrying ultimately exploded, the blast was so great, windows were blown inward, where many curious watchers were blinded by the flying glass.

Ninth challenge finish of the year.

This one, borrowed from Kindle Unlimited, has been on my Kindle for almost a year. 

On the weekend I finished reading this one sitting in a parking lot. I was running errands and was reading while I had a wait, and then I didn't want to stop till I finished.  Why?  Because I was crying SO hard!  It was a ten-napkin cry fest.  Unfortunately I only had five napkins, so when those were used up, I had to just keep blowing my nose into saturated napkins.  Sorry for the disgusting details, but I wanted you to know just how emotionally taxing it was.

It was very sweet, but very sad!  And I am not an easy crier when I'm reading!  My daughter IS an easy crier, so I have already called and warned her against reading it; I just don't think she could handle it.

Now, I may have had that reaction simply because the cover photo looks so much like Rudy.  Still, read at your own risk.  

Tenth challenge finish of the year.

As I was looking for a book to fit this prompt, I believe I found this book recommended on Goodreads.  It was available from Cloudlibrary to check out free, so I gave it a try.  As per the explanation of the prompt, the interior text of the whole book did not have to be a handwritten font, just selections such as letters, journal entries, etc.

What I liked about it:  Once I got into the story a bit, the characters were likable, and the story was interesting.  (However, I do remember rolling my eyes a few times at the beginning.)

What I didn't like about it:  The implied comparison to I love Lucy was a little on the nose when the script-writer character was planning an episode where two sitcom characters working on a candy-factory-packaging line couldn't keep up with the speed of the coveyor belt.  Also there were a couple of instances of the author using phrases too modern for the period setting, i.e. 'toxic workplace' for a 1950s movie studio.  Anachronisms like that always pull me write out of the story which I find irritating.

What I'm reading Wednesday...

 

Seventh challenge finish of the year.

This was a library book.  It is the sequel to These Is My Words (which was the fourth challenge finish of the year).  I was happy to see the library has it.  They also have the third book, and I will read it, maybe even this year, but not right away.

I gave this one half a star less than the first one.  It was very good, but wasn't quite as relaxing a read as These Is My Words.  And I wasn't able to finish it as quickly either.  The text size in the library's hardback was pretty small, and the closer I got to the end, the smaller it seemed to get.  LOL  Just kidding, but the last hundred pages seemed to take me as long to read as the first three hundred pages!

I've also been reading:

Separation of Church Hate

A Sane Person's Guide To Taking Back the Bible From 

Fundamentalists, Fascists, 

and Flock-Fleecing Frauds

by John Fugelsang

Not the easiest read, but very interesting.  It's new to the library, and I'm not sure I can get it finished by its due date; probably not re-check-outable.

What I'm reading Wednesday...

 

Sixth challenge finish of the year.

Wow, a second four-and-a-half-star book so close to the one last week!  I don't usually read much-hyped books when they are brand new, but this one had such a good kangaroo word (correspondent) and joey word (respond) on its cover, that when I saw  the ebook for $1.99 on Amazon a few days ago, I went for it!  And it was really, really good!

What I'm reading Wednesday...

Third challenge finish of the year.

This prompt's wording confused me.  It seems to suggest reading a book which was inspired by a movie.  I chose to just read the book that inspired the top-grossing movie the year I was born.  Kind of dates me, huh?

I've never seen the movie (of which the name differs just slightly -- The Bridge on the River Kwai).  I think I may have walked through the room while it was on a few times...enough so that I can whistle the theme song.  :)  

The book was well written.  The characters were well developed.  It was a good read, but I didn't love it.  

I suppose I should watch the movie now to see how it differs from the book.  Or maybe I'll just ask Carey to read the book, and he can tell me how it differs from the movie.  :)

Fourth challenge finish of the year.

This one has been on my Kindle since 2013.  I was really excited to find something I already owned for this prompt (but had never read) that was written without quotation marks.  It wasn't difficult to read at all, and it was so well done that I didn't even miss them.  It's a novel, based on family history, and the author wrote it as one would write a journal.

I loved it.  I read it within 24 hours.  Enjoyed the writing.  Characters I could root for.  I'm not sure I will read it again, but I may, and I wouldn't mind.  Really good, so four-and-a-half stars.

Fifth challenge finish of the year.

For this prompt, I had to borrow an ebook from the library.  It is the first book in The Rabbi Small Mysteries which was a pretty quick read at only 235 pages.  It reminded me a lot of the PBS series Grantchester, as the relationship between the rabbi and the chief of police was friendly and respectful.  I imagine that in the following books of the series that friendship deepens.  The characters were likeable, and it held my interest.  I wasn't able to download it to my Kindle, so I had to read the entire book on my phone.

I may go back to read others of the series.

This and that...

►I've got so much to do this week, and I just keep putting it off.

►We met with our financial advisor today.  Carey has to start taking his RMD this year.  Made the decisions about how and when it will start, how much taxes to withhold, etc.  Now that I've been retired from there for awhile, it was kind of fun to visit purely as a client.

►I've been thinking about remodeling the master bath for awhile, but haven't mentioned it to Carey.  Today he brought up that we probably should do it soon; remove the garden tub so we could enlarge the walk-in shower, put in grab bars, and maybe add a walk-in tub.  I adore soaking in the garden tub, but it is getting more perilous to enter and exit.  Anyone have experience with walk-in tubs, or thoughts on if it would affect the ability to sell the house eventually?  I'm thinking a walk-in tub may discourage younger buyers.  Thoughts?

►I'm kind of tired of thinking about The Frugal Friday File.  I may drop it from the blog, at least for awhile.

What I'm reading Wednesday...

Note to self:  never say never; yes, I'm 'challenging' again this year. 

First challenge finish for the year.  This one has been on my Kindle since 2011!

I'm hoping I can continue to read down my Kindle library this year.  I decided to start with this one, since I think it may be the oldest unread book on my device.  I wasn't sure what prompt it would fit under, but when I got to the end, the author's bio did list her dog among her family members, so I knew right where it should go.

I only gave it 3.5 stars, not because I didn't enjoy it, but because I reserve 5 stars for a book so good I want to read it again someday, so for a full four stars I have to love it.  The story was good, and I learned a lot about old-time traveling circuses.  But it also had a dual timeline that is just not my favorite writing style.

Second challenge finish of the year.

Story about a little girl who, having suffered a short episode of blindness, is faced with the possibility that it could come back and be permanent.  Her grandfather undertakes a year of museum visits with her to fill her memory with things of beauty if the threat of blindness returns.

I understand that the hard copy of the book has images of each of the art pieces included.  I couldn't get a reserve for a hard copy from the library in time to get it read by book club, so I checked out the audio version.  To see which art piece was being described (one per chapter) I had to search online to be able to see the art as the characters in the book discussed it.  It was a bit of trouble, but worth it.  I really did learn a lot about art and artists.

That said, the art was what I liked best about the book.  I did not find the characters very likable.  It's possible that this was because of the book narration, which I did not enjoy.  But I did not find the title character (child) in the least bit endearing...her mother just seemed to be a whiny put-upon worrier...her father was a ne'er-do-well  alcoholic...her grandfather was loving, but even so, I did not find him that likeable either.

I'm glad I read it, but am ambivalent about recommending it:  a yes for the art lessons, but a no for the story.  

It also kind of bugs me that the the cover art is a portion of Girl With a Pearl Earring that focuses on the subject's very entreating eyes.  I feel like that image with the title of the book superimposed over it is confusing.  I'm thinking that the odds are great that a fair number of browsers come away thinking that the subject of the cover's painting is named Mona (if not Mona Lisa).

I'm interested to know what YOU are reading lately.  Do tell, please!

Breakfast for supper...

I love breakfast for supper much more than I like it in the morning.  We've had two somewhat different breakfasts for supper in the past week or so.  It's pretty cheap and pretty quick and easy.  The first was pancakes with bacon, eggs, and orange juice.  

Tonight's was pulled together when I was late getting started, and had potatoes and sweet potatoes that needed to be used.  I put them in a skillet with bacon and onion.  When the potatoes were tender, and some a little crispy, I put some eggs in a tiny non-stick skillet that I use only for frying eggs.  Served the hash topped with eggs over easy.

Last night I made a menu and grocery order.  I didn't submit it yet in case I thought of something else we needed, but it will be entered forthwith.  It has to be; I'm now out of eggs.

Quilting at the library...

 

Today was quilting at the library day.  I just did not have the energy to load the machine and supplies in the car.  But I figured I could take the fabric for the current chicken block (that I have to have finished by the 16th), along with a rotary cutter, ruler, and cutting mat and at least get it cut out.  

So happy to have that done.  And since I left the machine set up at home, I can start assembling it soon.  

Mine will look like the one the red arrow is pointed toward (green chicken with gold star). 

I undertook this project to hone my skills a bit.  Its pieces are smaller than I usually work with.  Thing is, I don't really want to do a bed-size quilt with chickens on it.  I was thinking I would make a table runner (or two) once the chicken squares are complete (the class is ten months long, and we make one square each month.  But now I'm thinking I will make a placemat from each chicken.  We'll see.

After I finished cutting the pieces for the block, and visited for awhile, I went and spent some time refilling the used book shelves in the area that the Friends of the Library sell donated books in to benefit the library.  So that killed two 'birds' with one trip to the library.  :)