Crazy Ladies by Michael Lee West

Sometime, somewhere I had picked up this book and read the first chapter - but I didn't remember that until I started reading it again.

I bought the book because 1) it is titled Crazy Ladies, which is the name of my Kirkland book group, and 2) it was cheap (thank heavens).

The first chapter is good. It sucks you right in. The rest of the book was so-so. It had some good spots, but most of it was just okay. Don't waste your time unless you have nothing else to read.

Too much time to think

These are the sorts of things that run through my mind while working in the yard when I don't have my ipod-type gizmo to listen to.

1. Why doesn't the yard look in reality like I imagine it should in my mind?
This is a parallel question to the one that I ask myself each day when I look in the mirror. That 18 year-old self just never really looks back at me anymore. What happened to her? I blame all the people in my life who prepare such wonderful foods for me. Of course, my lack of self-discipline has nothing to do with it. But I digress...

2. When is it gardening, and when is it weeding?
I feel the word gardening implies a productive result, as in vegetables and/or flowers. Things that beautify the yard. The word weeding (notice that the word "weed" is indeed a four letter word) implies more preventive measures. Preventing morning glory, clover (my new nemesis), and other exceedingly fast growing noxious items from taking over the yard. That way, were I to have some vegetables or flowers that were actually growing, they could appear. Gardening implies success. Weeding is my reality - a never-ending job that never feels successful. Especially when I walk into the yard to do an area that I thought would only have a few weeds (see question 1 above) and all I see are weeds.

3. Where does the phrase yard work fit into all this?
Yard work is the phrase I use when speaking to others about my weeding. Seeing as I am never gardening, yard work is a nice euphemism for weeding that hopefully will prevent me from foaming at the mouth and ranting like a madwoman to innocent bystanders as I am wont to do when discussing weeding.

4. Which are worse, snails or slugs?
a. I grew up in southern California, right on the coast. There were lots of snails there. Here are my memories of snails: 1. a disgusting crunching sound when they were stepped on, and foul guts splayed everywhere when that happened. 2. having boys or other hooligans throw snails at me.
b. I lived in the Seattle area for over 20 years. That is indeed the Slug kingdom of the world. Slugs look disgusting, and who wants to touch them? Certainly not me.
c. Slugs are at least open about their travels - they are easily spotted, and easily avoidable.
d. Snails hide in and under things, especially damp weeds, providing undesirable surprises while getting rid of said weeds.
e. Bottom line: I would much rather pick up and place in my bucket snails which are in the way than slugs which are in the way, so I guess in this particular case snails are better.

5. Which is the better weeding environment, dry or wet?
I usually think a wet environment is hands down a better situation to weed in. The weeds come out much more easily. However, there are some drawbacks: snails, various insects which love a nice damp area, a wet bum when I stand up, and faster growing weeds. Even with all that, I think wet is better than dry. I might change my mind after weeding the area I worked in today for many more days.

Obviously it's time to recharge the batteries of my ipod-type gizmo.

Death on the Lizard by Robin Paige

This is another in the Charles and Kate Sheridan mystery series. I have really enjoyed this series. I read somewhere that this is the last book in the series. Too bad. I will keep my eye out just in case it's not true.

A new one on the way!

Our good news of the week: Beth is expecting a baby - due the end of January. Here's a picture of our next beautiful grandchild.

Scrabble

Wednesday Ray was here for the night. It is always so fun to have him here, but time seems to fly by when he is here. Luckily on Wednesday he got here early enough that we were able to get in a good game of Scrabble. He won of course. We both had some fun words, but no blow-out scores. It made me think of the game we played not long before he left on his mission. Here's a picture of Ray's word of a lifetime:

It's the real thing. Quixotic, covering both triple word scores, and of course using all seven of his tiles. 284 points for one word - 26 for the word, times 3, then times 3 again (two triple word scores) plus 50 points for using all of his tiles. We just had to take a picture of it. It was so satisfying to him that he wouldn't play Scrabble again for a long time, because he felt he had already achieved perfection in the game. Thankfully that feeling has worn off and now he will play again.

The Colts have come to town!

Saturday's conversation went something like this:

Beth, very casually: The Colts are coming to town today.
Me, very excitedly: What??!!! Which Colts?
Beth: Martha and Mike
Me: Why didn't you tell me? How did you find out? (and several other questions she had no time to answer)
Beth: Marilyn said in her facebook account that she was excited her parents were coming in three days, and that's today.

I immediately grabbed my cell phone, and in less than 10 seconds had Martha on the phone.
Me: Where are you?
Martha: (pause), (but then because she cannot lie--) Wyoming
Me, in a very demanding voice: Why didn't you tell us you were coming?
Martha: We were going to surprise you.
Me: Can you surprise us and stay with us?

Long story short - they can't stay with us, and Michael, Marilyn, and Martha will be paying for that in my book for a long time. But, happily they wanted to come on Sunday for dinner, so we had several ecstatic hours together. It just went too fast.

Martha is Ray's cousin, but really she was my sister in heaven, and we found each other here on earth because I married Ray. (Another reason Ray is so wonderful.) Our families melded together about 14 or 15 years ago, when they lived near us for about 18 months. Since then the kids hardly know who their real parents are (smile).

For the Linford clan: Martha tried to convince us all to fall down in shock when they knocked on the door, a la Opa, but I'm just too creaky in my bones to manage that. Instead we screamed and hugged when they came, which was even better.

Nightshade by Susan Wittig Albert

Ooh, I've been waiting to read this book, the latest in the China Bayles series. It was worth the wait. I think it is my favorite book of the series.

This time the story is told not just by China, but also includes McQuaid's point of view. It's a great enhancement for a couple of reasons. It gives a little more depth to to story, and it is good to have McQuaid filled out more as a character. This is a good formula!

I have been itching to read some mysteries lately. Now I'm off and running. I just need to go pick the next one off my bookshelves, which are running over with mysteries. Thank heavens for used book stores!

Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin

I heard about this book while sitting at the endodontist's, waiting for my husband to have his root canal. The receptionists and I were exchanging books to read, and they both highly recommended this book.

I found the book very interesting. I've read a few books that deal extensively with the politics and life during Mao's regime. This book is approached from an entirely different angle. It is an autobiography of an average boy in China who lived during Mao's rule. Li Cunxin grew up in extreme poverty in the Chinese countryside. By a fluke he was chosen at age 11 to go to Beijing to train in ballet. The book chronicles his childhood, extremely exacting ballet training, and eventual defection to America. I liked it.

Okay - truth be told, and I almost couldn't add this part, but I think I must - this book has helped me enjoy So You Think You Can Dance more than I would have otherwise. I also think SYTYCD helped me understand a few parts of this book better. There, it's out. Yes, I'm a fan of SYTYCD.