Lola's Anniversary and National Beagle Day

Eight years ago today, Lola came to live with us--a better anniversary than the last one I mentioned. We had six years of love with her. 

Today is also Earth Day and National Beagle Day. So, Lola (and Jace and Spike) we salute you. 

The Mets Are Looking...

Good! 

I didn't expect to be writing that; it seemed unlikely since their dismal start. In Atlanta, they won two of three. In the game they lost, they came back, but couldn't complete the deal losing 5-6.

Tonight, they beat the "red hot"--previously undefeated--Kansas City Royals winning 6-1.

LGM!

Remembering Lola

Two years ago today, we said goodbye to Lola. We miss her. 

It breaks my heart to think about her life before she joined Jeff and me at around age 5. She had clearly been abused but knew only love with us. Okay, full disclosure: I once smacked her with a manilla file folder. She had been peacefully sleeping while I wrapped Christmas presents. Suddenly she got up and started chewing my wrapping paper. Chewing miscellaneous things was her biggest fault. 

Here are some photos of our sweet girl. 

We love you, Lola.

Creative Block

I've been disappointed with myself over my lack of writing. I had recently started journaling more frequently. I hoped that would jump start some writing for me. 

On Sunday, I sat down in front of the computer to write about Sylvanus Merwin. I had started a new chapter about a month ago but couldn't open the file. I wasted at least an hour trying to figure out what to do. Finally, I gave up. The file was about 200-300 words, so it wasn't that great a loss. But since it had been a month, I had to go back to my notes and then pulled out two books to check a few things. Needless to say, I didn't get much written. But I can't let up.

It's not just the writing. Lately, I've been reviewing some copies of Art Journaling. Yet I can't seem to get myself to bring out my art materials. I'm too tired, or I don't know where to start, or it's too messy. You get the picture.

I just have to give myself permission to write and make art, and then do it. 

First Week in April

It was a bleak, rainy, and cold week--not what I wanted for the first week in April. We even had an earthquake in the area (New Jersey.) When the sun peeked out on Thursday, it was the first time I'd seen it since Easter Sunday. I'm sick of wearing a sweatshirt, a hat, and a pair of gloves on walks with Jace. At least, we've got two nice days coming up. I need to focus on them.

The Mets play reflects the crappy weather. They lost their first five--swept by the Brewers, before notching a win in the finale against the Detroit Tigers. They did win their series against the Reds. Now onto Atlanta, and that's scary. I have no idea what to expect from the Mets this year. Let's just say, they're always surprising.

Our taxes are done, and we're due to get about $3000 back. I signed off on the paperwork on Monday and returned with Jace to Danbury dog park. I love to watch him run around. We'll go to Rowayton dog park after it dries out a bit. Maybe next weekend. 

New Bird Photos

 

This is the new barred owl at the New Canaan Nature Center. This it the first time I've seen him on this perch. He still hasn't been named. I thought of Jem tonight. I'll have to share it. 

This is Phoenix a red-tailed hawk. He was in a separate aviary for months. It's nice that he is finally in the main aviary. Now, we don't have to shlep to the other aviary with a bucket of water and his food. More importantly, visitors can now see him with the other birds. 

Book Five: Harvest Home by Thomas Tryon

I got up this morning and decided to read. I take a medication on Monday morning and can't eat or drink anything or lie down for a half hour afterward. I recently realized I'm reading too much on my phone instead of reading books. Five books for the first quarter of the year isn't a good rate with a goal of reading 40 books, but I'm not going to sweat it. 

Anyway, back to Harvest Home: I picked up the book because I remember liking the TV mini-series starring Bette Davis back in 1978. I have mixed feelings about the book. The story was a slow moving one. I'm okay with that, but don't think it was necessary to read so much detail about Beth's childhood. But the last hundred pages or so were compelling. I finished the book as I ate lunch.

Then there's the writing. Some language is very florid--I often had to re-read a line or two. I also had to look up words several times. Tryon lost me with something to the effect of breasts straining against the woman's blouse--it's such a cliche. It reminds me of the dangerous amounts of leg and breast in some early Preston & Child books. 

The story itself was good enough to outweigh the annoying writing style. 

An Avian Anniversary

Two  years ago today was the first time I cared for the birds at New Canaan Nature Center. The previous week I had shadowed Derick, the Director of Animal Control, and took notes.

When I started there were six birds: Hedwig, Gus. and Jasper--owls, Ralph--a turkey vulture, Glory--a bald eagle, and Tupelo--a red tailed hawk. Since then, Hedwig, Glory, and Jasper died. The center added Phoenix--a red tailed hawk, Mort--a black vulture,  and recently, a barred owl like Hedwig. I'll get pictures of Phoenix and the still unnamed barred owl soon. 

Rainy Day Blues

One of the first things I do in the morning is check the weather forecast on my phone. It's especially important on gloomy mornings like today. The forecast for today: rain likely to continue for several hours--a similar forecast to Saturday's even though Saturday's rain was more severe.

It feels as if it rains all the time. I keep thinking of that song, "Though April showers may come your way, they bring the flowers that bloom in May..." Then there's the Mad Magazine version of the second line, "they bring the plumbers for floods in May..." Hey, it's only March, and our ground is already saturated. Can we let things dry out? Today, Jace and I were able to  out for one long walk, one short walk, and two pee breaks. That was a great outcome based on the forecast.

Overall, a dull day. I did a short workout at the gym--no cardio. I canceled a lunch with my friend Elaine, because I just didn't feel that great. Truthfully, I probably would have gone if the weather were nice. The dreary rain was the tipping point. Instead, I spent the afternoon inside: did some light cleaning and paperwork with Jeff.  

Waiting for the sun. Waiting for the sun.

Monday Musings about a March Weekend

Saturday, I visited the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in NYC with my brother and his girlfriend. Unfortunately, it was a rainy day--the woman checking our membership said the museum is always packed on rainy days. I found the people taking pictures of the art and of each other in front of paintings very annoying. We probably would have stayed longer if it hasn't been so crowded.  I enjoyed the art especially Van Gogh's Starry Night and Dali's The Persistence of Memory. I also liked Hopper's Gas, and Monet's Water Lilies.  I impressed myself with how many of the other artists whose work I could recognize: Picassso, Klimt, Pollock, Mondrian, Seurat. We had a nice pizza lunch afterward in a restaurant we had to ourselves.

Yesterday was the 22th anniversary of the day that Spike came to live with us. He is often in our thoughts, especially on his birthday and anniversaries. We'll always miss him. In the past 22 years, we've only been without a dog for eight weeks: four between Spike's death and Lola's arrival, and another four between Lola's death and Jace's arrival. 

A week from today is April. Hopefully, April will bring warmer weather for good. April also means the year is one-quarter done. I need to take another look at my goals. I continue to fail at writing. I need to figure out just what is wrong.

Stream of Consciousness Friday

It's been a rough week. I don't want to go into details, but Jeff and I had a fight, we're dealing with a lot of paperwork, winter has made its reappearance, and I'm having sleeping problems.

Let's look at the good things. I took our tax paperwork to the accountant on Wednesday. I took Jace with me. We went to Danbury Dog Park which he loved for a half hour (we left at his choice) and then we went to Schenk's Island. 

I have some fun things to do soon. I'm going into NYC tomorrow to see art, and I'm meeting a friend for lunch next week. The cold isn't going to last--it's spring. 

I saw a bizarre Easter decoration today.: a bunny astride a dino bunny? I don't understand this at all. Can it be a modern cartoon that I don't know? At least they seem happy.

Easter outdoor decorations are nowhere as big as Christmas and Halloween decor. I've seen egg-shaped wreaths and lights before, but nothing like this. 

Here's a sign I've seen walking Jace. I thought it was a clever take on the normal no-poop sign.

But it's not as good as this one. 

Spring Is Here

It arrived last night at 11:06.

It doesn't feel like spring. Winter had one last trick (I hope) up its sleeve. There's talk of nighttime temps in the 30s and snow flurries.  

I can handle it; it won't last long.

.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

 

Jeff and I marked the occasion by going to Sedona Tap House for lunch: pulled pork and Kobe beef sliders, greens, shoestring fries, and Guinesses.

I've always considered myself more Irish than any other ethnicity. I look Irish; my last name is Irish. The other ethnicity I was conscious of is German. 

Then I took a DNA test from Ancestry.com. The results were a surprise: 

• Scotland 50% 
• Ireland 19%
• Sweden and Denmark 11%
• England and Northwestern Europe 11%
• Wales 7%
• Germanic Europe 2% 

Still Irish enough to celebrate. 

And happy half-way day Jeff. 

Book Four: The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

I picked up this book while walking with Jace. A house on Magnolia Street had free books on a bookshelf in the front yard. That was about a year and a half ago. 

I had heard of the book, but not much about it. Sometimes, I wondered why I had picked it up. I'm glad I did--I really enjoyed this coming of age story and hope to see the movie.

Lily Owens is a fourteen-year-old girl living on a farm with a peach orchard with her cold and abusive father in Sylvan, South Carolina in 1964. Lily longs for her mother who died ten years earlier. Her only friend is Rosaleen a black woman who Lily's father hired to cook, clean, and be Lily's "stand-in mother." 

After an encounter with local racists when Rosaleen is attempting to register to vote, Lily helps Rosaleen escape from the hospital. They make their way to Tiburon, South Carolina and the home of the Boatwright sisters where Lily hopes to find out more about her mother. 

Lily is a compelling narrator--I love how she sees the world around her. 

I realized it for the first time in my life: there is nothing but mystery in the world, how it hides behind the fabric of our poor, browbeat days, shining brightly, and we don't even know it.

If the heat goes over 104 degrees in South Carolina, you have to go to bed. It is practically the law. Some people may see it as shiftless behavior, but really, when we're lying down from the heat, we're giving our minds time to browse around for new ideas, wondering at the true aim of life, and generally letting things pop into our heads that need to. 

Happy Pi Day

In honor of all things pi, I picked up a pizza pie at Letizia's for dinner. It was another beautiful day, and Jace and I had walked the Norwalk River Valley Trail in Wilton. 

Springing Forward and Other Miscellanea

I've been discombobulated since springing forward on Saturday night. Can't we just pick an hour and be done with it? I was sluggish Monday and Tuesday; I don't like getting up when it's still dark; I'm starting dinner later than normal. Hopefully, I'll be fully adjusted by tomorrow.

We're enjoying a few nice days--sunny and warm. I took Jace to Cove Island Park again Tuesday and Winslow Park today. Tomorrow we'll go to Cranbury Park or the Norwalk River Valley Trail in Wilton.On the way home, I'll get a pizza in honor of Pi Day. 

Sounds like a plan. 

The First Daffodil

It's not a particularly clear image, but it's the first spring bloom that I've found on my walks with Jace. It was along the corner of a fairly active neighborhood street among the trash and painted indicators of water mains. 

The daffodil was the highlight in another bleak, chilly, rainy day.

A Sign of the Times

Walking with Jace this morning, I noticed a sign "Welcome spring" on a Magnola Street house. It may be a bit early--13 days to be precise--but knowing spring is imminent helps to deal with four the bleak, chilly, rainy days in the past week. It also helps that I saw daffodil and crocus buds this morning. 

I was thinking of putting my winter boots in their off-season storage spot, but I don't want to tempt fate. 

13 more days. 

A Taxing Time

I was supposed to get all the tax paperwork together last week--a goal I made for myself. I don't do the taxes myself anymore (too many mistakes.) I just needed to make sure I had everything and got the papers organized. I had previously put papers received in the mail in a manilla folder and other items in an online folder. 

I remember specifically telling myself last Monday that I really didn't have to work on taxes that day. I don't remember specifics after that, but I managed to find excuses and reasons to procrastinate the rest of the week.

Today I finally sat down, printed up a few documents, but realized that one of my 1099s was missing. Unfortunately, this was not one I could easily print from a website. After logging in with a new password and codes and not finding anything, I called and discovered the 1099 had to be ordered. I'll be able to get it online in three to five days. 

If only I had done this last week, I could have the document by now.

Oh well. Lesson learned. 

What We've Been Watching--Anthology Edition

Fargo Season Five: We've watched all five seasons of this show. I've liked them all, but don't think Seasons Three and Four were anywhere near as good as Seasons One and Two. This season felt like a comeback. First, one of the stars is Jennifer Jason Leigh who I love. Usually, I don't pay attention to the references to the film. But it was fun to watch how a resourceful woman like Dot reacted to a similar kidnapping that Jean experienced in the film. Actually, Dot was more than resourceful; you had to wonder what secrets was this seemingly mild-mannered housewife holding? 

True Detective Season Four: This is our first time watching True Detective. Jodie Foster is a local sheriff in a small Alaskan town north of the Arctic Circle. Seven scientists from a remote research station are missing, and six bodies are later found in a "corpsicle." A woman's tongue is also found at the research station from a five-year-old homicide. Things get stranger from there. Jodie Foster is brilliant; her costar Kali Reis is very good. It was good to see John Hawkes again.  

Both series had supernatural elements that I felt were unnecessary, but also intriguing. I'll watch both next season.

Thursday Thoughts: Leap Day Edition

I wish I had been more mindful of the date during the day. It's not often you get a gift of time. I wish I had done something more meaningful, instead of laundry, walking Jace, and going to the gym. Funny I was so psyched for the beginning of March--you'd think I'd pay attention to the calendar. I realized the date when I was at the gym, then forgot about it. 

I feel cheated by the weather. Yesterday was warm but bleak and rainy. It was supposed to be nice. At least Jace and I got to Cove Island Park on Tuesday. And next week is supposed to be warm. 

We started watching Shogun last night; it was really good. It was nice to see two episodes but I still wanted more. I can't help but compare it to the 1980 version with Richard Chamberlain. I'd like to re-read the book. 

March will make its first appearance in two hours. I'll greet it tomorrow. 

Jace Visits Cove Island Park

Jace has been with us for a year-and-a-half, but today is the first time I took him to Cove Island Park in Stamford. I don't know why it took so long. 

At  any rate, today was the day. It was spring-like with sun and temperatures in the 50s. Jace loved Cove Island. I thought a lot about Lola because she had gone there many times before, especially when Jace jumped up and walked on the wall by the water. Lola used to do that. 

We have two more months to visit this season. We'll go back. 

What We've Been Watching--Part One

The Fall of the House of Usher--we watched this back in November or December. I thought I had already posted about it, but I had only written about the Vincent Price version. The mini-series by Mike Flanagan modernizes Edgar Allan Poe's story and includes elements from other Poe works. I liked that the Ushers ran a pharmaceutical firm manufacturing and selling a highly addictive opioid that wasn't supposed to be addictive a la the Sacklers. I was especially impressed with Bruce Greenwood's performance as Roderick Usher, especially because he was a late replacement for Frank Langella. 

Breaking Bad and El Camino--it took us a long time to watch this--not hard to understand because the series ran for five seasons. It didn't sound like anything I would want to watch--a frustrated high school chemistry teacher is diagnosed with lung cancer and begins to manufacture and deal meth. But the characters were compelling, the stories were addictive, and the actors were brilliant.  

A New Version of Frustration Dreaming

I've written about frustration dreams many times before. Last night's dream was a low-tech version. I was in an office and couldn't get a cup of coffee. At one point, the only coffee available was with cream that had turned; it was grossly unappetizing. Later I couldn't find a coffee cup. 

Strange how dreams manifest themselves. I wonder what Freud would say.

Book Three: The Woman Who Ran for President The Many Lives of Victoria Woodhull by Lois Beachy Underhill

This is the story of a feminist and suffragist who is almost forgotten today. I had heard of Victoria Woodhull in college; it was probably in the course Women and American Society. I remembered that her thoughts on love and marriage went beyond the more conventional views of most of the other suffragists and that she had run for President. I didn't know anything else about her. Nor did I hear anything about Woodhull during the 100th year anniversary of women's suffrage in 2019.

Victoria had a challenging childhood after her father lost his fortune and her mother was ostracized from town society. Both parents were physically abusive. Victoria was often left in charge of caring for her younger sisters. She probably hoped for a better life when she married at 15. Unfortunately, her husband was a chronic alcoholic. 

Yet Victoria persevered to become the first woman Wall Street broker, the first woman to testify before Congress on women's suffrage, and the first woman to run for President. 

I enjoyed learning more about Victoria Woodhull. Shamefully, other suffragists ostracized her for her extreme views on free love and sexual freedom for women. 

She deserves to be remembered.

Seven Positive Things

I've been thinking about easily I let things ruin my mood, even my day. So, I want to focus on positive things for this post, starting with last week.

1.    Jeff and I had a nice Valentine's dinner. I mentioned the menu here: filet mignon, scalloped potatoes, shitake mushrooms, creamed spinach, romesco sauce, with a vodka gimlet cocktail, and Faithful Hound wine. For dessert we had chocolate and mango ice creams with raspberries. 

2.    I had a nice lunch with my friends Elaine and Marti last Thursday. 

3.    Before our lunch, I went to the Greenwich library to check a reference in a book relating to Merwinsville that I missed before. I also got our favorite crab cakes from this place and found our favorite vodka in the liquor store next door.

4.    Yesterday Jeff and I had lunch with my brother Jim and his girlfriend Liz. We haven't seen Jim since Christmas Eve. I'm not sure when we last saw Liz. We went to Sedona Tap House, which is one of our favorite places. We hadn't been there in a while either, so it was especially nice. 

5.    On my morning walk with Jace on Friday, I felt a whiff of spring. The day was overcast and rather bleak. Patches of snow lay on the grass and snow was piled in the corners of parking lots. But the whiff was enough to make me happy.

6    The Mets have won their first spring training game (after losing yesterday.) I'm not sure what to make of the Mets this season. I'm tired of them breaking my heart. 

7.    The new Shogun mini-series starts on Tuesday; I'm really looking forward to watching it. 

Full disclosure: I wanted to make a list of ten positive things, but seven is as far as I could get. I'll be on the lookout for more positive things.

Longing for March

Another week has passed--with two snowstorms. I'm happy that next Friday is March. I know we have another month of winter, and winter weather may ignore the calendar. But getting through February is hard, and I'll celebrate it. 

I haven't been happy with my year so far. I've barely been writing and done very little blogging. It's been eight days since I've been to the gym. I'm still reading my second book of the year. I was on my seventh book by this time last year.  

I need to make some changes. To be continued. 

Tuesday Snow Day and Other Miscellanea

We're currently dealing with the biggest snowstorm of the season. Today is my day to care for the birds at New Canaan Nature Center, but I didn't go. I feel guilty about it, but it's better to be safe. At least winter is half-way over.

I made sure to go food shopping yesterday. ShopRite was crowded, but not as bad as I expected. I focused on things for tomorrow--Valentine's Day. we're having filet mignon, shitake mushrooms, scalloped potatoes, and creamed spinach, a gimlet, and Faithful Hound wine. We'll even eat by candlelight. I can't remember the last time we did that. 

It's been over a week since I last posted. That's pitiful if I want to maintain a presence here. I started a post about TV shows that we've been watching. I had been hoping that blogging would kickstart some other writing for me. So far, no good.

At least I've done some creative things. I've been working/playing in my art journal. I may not have much to show for it, but it makes me feel better.

More on Books Read in 2023

I did a rough breakdown of 29 books that I read in 2023.

History--10 books

Historical Fiction--six books

Mystery/Suspense--eight books

Writing--one book

Popular Culture--one book

Fiction (a catchall category for the rest)--three books

In 2022, I read 35 books.10 were history, eight nonfiction, nine were mystery/suspense, three were pop culture, two science fiction, 2 were collections, and one general fiction. 

In 2021, 10 history, two historical fiction, seven mystery/suspense, seven science fiction, one fantasy, four memoir, and two general fiction for a total of 33 books.

I am a little surprised that I'm consistently reading more history than the other categories. Within the history category, I've read more about Tudor history than other eras. Many of my selections are from books I got at library sales. Could those sales just have better history selections? At any rate, the book I just started is another in the history category.

Maybe a trip to browse the books at the library or a bookstore is in order. 

Book Two: The Second Chance Shop & Other Stories by Bette Bono

I'm a fan of Bette's writing--I always enjoyed listening to her stories in class.  This is her fourth book and second story collection. All the stories were good, but I enjoyed the stories in the first collection Neighbors & Other Stories more.

Short stories are great for reading before bed. I should seek out more collections.

2024 Goals

I've been avoiding and/or procrastinating about goals for this year. I guess I'm hung over from 2023 failures. 

I'm two-thirds through my version of Dryuary. Going forward, I'll drink less during the week. (I know that's not specific enough to be an effective goal, but it will do for now.) I'm going to be more mindful of what I drink as well as of what I eat. 

I'm going to continue with my gym goal of 150 gym visits for 2024.

I'll stick with the reading goal of 40 books for the year. Maybe I'll have better luck in 2024. I read an article recently that opined that the type of books read are more important than the number of books read (to be continued in another post.)

Write 150-200 blogposts. I fell short of my goal of 200 posts for 2023. I guess three to four posts weekly is fine. 

Other writing--here is the hard part. I don't want to overthink this. Let's start with writing 200 words a day. 

Art goals? Let's start with something this week in my art journal. 

Maybe the time is right.

Walking the Dog--Jace Edition

I was talking with someone whose dog had recently died. She was saying how freeing it was to not have to take her dog on walks. She also suggested we move to a place with a nice back yard so I wouldn't have to walk Jace at all. 

Walking Jace is one of my jobs. And walking Jace is a priority. It may not be the first thing I do each day, but it has to be done (multiple times) each day. Of course, there are days when I hate the idea of even going outside, especially when the weather is bad or I'm not feeling well. But, that's the deal.

Luckily, I like walking; it's a great form of exercise. I like feeling that I'm part of the neighborhood; I don't get that by driving around.. I like that people recognize us and wave or say hi. Most of all, I like meeting other dogs.

I also like that I'm doing something good for myself by walking. About two years ago, a bone scan indicated that I have a 25 percent change of sustaining a broken bone. Walking can help slow bone loss in the legs. 

It may sound corny and cliched, but a positive attitude really helps here. I know Jace loves his walks; I get some time with him; it's good for me. I even enjoy them myself...most of the time. Now, after two weeks of clouds, rain, an\ fog, I'm looking forward to seeing the sun again on our walks.

2024 Book One: American Brutus John Wilkes Booth and the Lincoln Conspiracies by Michael W. Kaufman

This is the fifth book I've read about John Wilkes Booth including My Thoughts be Bloody about the rivalry between John Wilkes and his brother Edwin. 

This book focuses on the Lincoln assassination and its aftermath. I was most interested in Kaufman's accounts of the investigations and trials of the conspirators. 

Of course, investigative methods of the 1860s were primitive compared to those of today. But the investigations were sloppy regardless of the era. There was competition rather than cooperation and coordination among the various investigators. Detectives' notes were sloppy and fragmented; evidence was lost.

The trial was held by a military commission whose members initially focused on attempting to tie Booth's actions to Confederate officials. The lead prosecutor was also the commission's legal advisor--conflict of interest much? The defendants had trouble obtaining legal counsel and the counsel once obtained had insufficient time to prepare. The government made all the rules and changed them at will. Testimony was taken behind closed doors. Evidence was withheld from defense attorneys, and some prosecution witnesses were outright lying. 

I liked this description of the aftermath of the assassination. "Like a slow-burning flame, awareness of the shooting built momentum as it swept through the house, and the audience, at first at a low simmer, started to boil."

American Brutus is a fascinating, in-depth account of a tragic era of American history--another book I wish I could discuss with my father.

Tuesday Miscellanea

After a week of sub-freezing temperatures, it's warming up. The "January thaw" has stopped the "Arctic blast." It's so nice to shed the snow boots and the heavy winter coat.  At least for a while. Temperatures will be flirting with 60 at the end of the week. The thaw is timely as one-third of the winter is now over. 

I returned to the New Canaan Nature Center after missing two weeks. I was sad to learn that Jasper died. I thought he was one of the younger birds there. I'll have to get more of the story,

Then Tupelo flew at my head. That was a bit of a shock; he's never done anything like that before.

Today we watched Murder on a Honeymoon (courtesy of TCM.) It's a fun mystery and the third of the Miss Withers/Inspector Piper movies and the last one starring Edna Mae Oliver. The cast includes Leo G. Carroll and Lola Lane. It was horrible to see Willie Best credited as Sleep 'n' Eat. 

I'm almost done with my book American Brutus. My next book will be Bette's latest.    

TCM Presents: Roadblock (1961)

I was scrolling through the TCM schedule and saw Roadblock starring Charles McGraw and recorded it. 

McGraw is insurance detective Joe Peters who encounters a beautiful "chiseler" Diane Morley (Joan Dixon) at the airport when he's returning from a successful business trip. He's attracted to her but she tells him he's not in her league and she's aiming for the World Series. 

They meet again in Los Angeles and suddenly they're in love. But Joe doubts he can keep Diane on his $350 a month salary after she's been with a rich gangster. Suddenly the (previously) straight shooter Joe gives Diane's ex inside information to rob a train for a third of the take. Then suddenly chiseler Diane decides she doesn't need all that money after all. 

It's a good film, that's weakened by the characters' sudden decisions that go against everything previously established in the film. 

McGraw is perfect in the lead. I had never seen Joan Dixon before; I thought she did a good job. One of the co-stars was Louis Jean Heydt who I wrote about here.

Author Speak

I went to another Author Speak for Bette Bono and her latest collection The Second Chance Store & Other Stories. Previously, I've attended two others. Bette has now written two novels and two short story collections. I'm envious yes, but I need to use her example as inspiration. 

2023 Goals Review

I achieved only two of my annual goals.

I am proud that I finally made 150 gym visits for the year. I figured that goal was reasonable based on three visits a week. Last year was the first time I even got close at 143. I realized at the beginning of December that this could be the year I achieved my goal. And I did it, even though I had to go the gym the last six days of the year to do it.

The second success is my version of Dryuary. I didn't drink from January 2nd until Valentine's Day. A side goal was to drink only on weekends. I didn't succeed there (especially around the year-end holidays) but I am drinking much less often during the week, and I'm happy with that. 

Now onto my failures (sigh): reading, blogging, writing, and making art.

I wanted to read 40 books this year: I only read 29. I read 33 in 2021 and 35 in 2022. I'm disappointed that I regressed, but I feel a little better after reading this. Apparently, I'm in the 90th percentile of book reading U.S public. Not too shabby.

Another goal was to write 200 blogposts; I wrote 148. I find it easy to let days go by without posting. I read somewhere you should post at least three times a week. I barely missed that. 

Let's move on to writing and making art. I failed miserably here. My writing goal was to spend at least two hours a day writing, editing, researching, blogging, journaling and in that time produce 200 new words. I did this--maybe--a handful of times.

Another goal was to spend two hours a week making some kind of art. Another big failure. 

I need to continue to think about 2024 goals. 

Family Time

I had a family-oriented weekend with a baby shower for my niece? (my nephew's wife) on Sunday. Jeff's sister (the mother-in-law) came by Saturday night to spend some time with Jeff. We ate Chinese take-out for dinner. 

As I was driving home from the shower Sunday afternoon, one of my cousins called. I phoned her back when I got home, and we talked for 45 minutes, after not speaking for over a year. I had also heard from a nephew Saturday afternoon. 

Maybe it's a sign that we'll all have more family time in 2024.

Books Read in 2023

1.    Social Crimes by Jane Stanton Hitchcock

2.    Your Corner Dark by Desmond Hall

3.    Mystic River by Dennis Lehane

4.    The Tudors in Love by Sarah Grirstwood

5.    All This, and Heaven Too by Rachel Field

6.    The Cabinet of Dr. Leng by Preston & Child

7.    Caught in the Revolution by Helen Rappaport

8.    An Imperfect Spy by Amanda Cross

9.    The Princes in the Tower by Alison Weir

10.    Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

11.    In the Time of Butterflies by Julia Alvarez

12.    An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

13.    Booth by David Robertson

14.    Votes for Women American Suffragists and the Battle for the Ballot by Winifred Conkling

15.    The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

16.    Catherine of Aragon The True Queen by Alison Weir

17.    The Last Tsar The Live and Times of Nicholas II by Edward Radzinsky

18.    Killers of the Flower Moon The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann

19.    Round Up the Usual Suspects the Making of Casablanca--Bogart, Bergman, and World War II by Aljean Harmetz

20.    The Accidental Suffragist by Galia Gichon

21.    South The Story of Shackleton's Last Expedition 1914-1917 by Sir Ernest Shackleton Edited by Ernest King

22.     bird by bird Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott

23.    One for the Money by Stephanie Plum 

24.    Manhattan Noir Edited by Lawrence Block

25.    Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel

26.    Dead Mountain by Preston & Child

27.    The Sisters The Saga of the Mitford Family by Mary S. Lovell

28.    The Sisters of Henry VIII by Maria Perry

29.    The Well of Lost Plots by Jasper Fforde

My goal was to read 40 books this year. Obviously, I fell way short. I've been thinking about why I failed. There wasn't just one reason. I read a lot of things online rather than books. Some books took me a long time to finish. There were times I just wasn't thrilled with my options. I wish I could have at least made it to 30.

My favorite book, by far, was Kindred. I also loved The Cabinet of Dr. Leng, bird by bird, and Dead Mountain. Honorable Mention: Killers of the Flower Moon and Round Up the Usual Suspects the Making of Casablanca.

2024 So Far...

...sucks. Blunt, but true. The main thing is that our friend is in the hospital as I mentioned. It was worse than I realized: he was in intensive care. The weird thing is that we had just seen him for the first time in about a year two days before he was hospitalized.

Compared to that, everything else is a minor annoyance. I haven't been feeling well--I've been exhausted. I can't seem to get out of my way to accomplish anything. 

Even as I write this, I feel guilty for being so petty, when our friends are dealing with so much. 

Welcome 2024

Trying to be positive here after my last negative post about 2023. 

We had a nice, quiet New Year's Eve: Chinese takeout with our friend Cynthia, and switching between all the New Year's Eve shows. We liked the Nashville show the best, although I was happy to ace the Vanderpump Rules quiz on CNN (was there any doubt?)

Today I made Christmas breakfast again. Later a dinner: duck breast with a berry sauce, sweet potato, and a vegetable medley with broccoli, red pepper, carrots, and garlic.

I was thinking that 2024 is a blank slate to be filled with positive things. 

Unfortunately, I just heard bad health news about a friend of ours. Sigh.

2023: Good Riddance

2023 wasn't a good year. Many of our family and friends have had health problems, although the younger generation had good news (births and pregnancies.)

I actually scrolled through 2023's posts looking for good news. I didn't find anything noteworthy, which is sad. It's not that the year was an unrelenting disaster, but the good wasn't anything great. 

Maybe it's the wrong attitude--to look for great things. I should be happy with the good and work harder to get to the great.