Second Re-read: The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

I borrowed this book from Norwalk Library in 2019 and bought my own copy in 2023. I knew I'd reread it one day, and now's the time. 

Jeff and I recently watched the series on Hulu and liked it. But I realized that I had forgotten many of the details. Of course, many details differ between the novel and the series. There are new characters and new developments. I don't have any problems with the changes. 

Now, I want to rewatch the series. The Mets season will still be over--that will give me some time.  

Another Reason to Love...

September. 

I look at September as a month of opportunity. I like these ideas. While I don't pressure myself much about New Year's resolutions, September goals are easier. 

My main goal: return to a writing routine. 

I 💖 September

September is my favorite month. Last year, September was stressful--preparing for the move. This year, we're going away for five nights. two in Lewes, DE and three in Ocean City, MD. It took a while to find the right hotels online. I found three or four breweries and a winery in the area; we enjoy going for tastings. I've done a little research on restaurants and have a recommendation from our neighbors. Need to check out some nice stores. Looking forward to this getaway.

***

Labor Day Weekend is over, but summer isn't  But, I'm already seeing signs of fall--acorns along the walkways, leaves tracked into the entryways. (The latter is my least favorite sign of fall.) Despite a few early days with temperature in the nineties, the temperature has moderated. A few mornings have had temps in the 60's.

*** 

I've lost a lot of weight over the past four years (since I got Jace, a coincidence or a cause?) Anyway, I finally got rid of a lot of clothes that I held onto. At one point, I realized I only had two long-sleeved blouses. Then I realized that I didn't have appropriate pants or skirt for a memorial service for our neighbor this Friday.. So, I went shopping today and luckily found something to wear. I never expected to need to get clothes because I was getting smaller, but that's what's been happening. 

Can't wait to our getaway.

Book 13: The Kingmaker's Daughter by Philippa Gregory

I really enjoyed this book until the last 50 pages or so. I became interested in Anne Neville after reading other Philippa Gregory novels and watching television adaptations of her work. Last year I read a biography about Anne.

This book begins when Anne is 11 and she is presented to the Edward IV's new queen, Elizabeth Woodville. Their marriage is an embarrassment and an affront to Anne's father, the Earl of Warwick who was negotiating a marriage between Edward and a French princess.

Gregory captures the thoughts of a young girl as she plays as queen with her sister Isabel and calls Margaret of Anjou and Henry VI the bad queen and sleeping king.  

But Anne has to grow up fast when her father decides to support another candidate as king and uses Anne and Isabel as his tools to make new alliances. 

I disliked the emphasis on witchcraft especially at the end of the novel. Even after she is crowned queen to Richard III,  Anne is haunted by fear of Elizabeth Woodville's curses. 

I still enjoyed this book. 

End of August Summer Thoughts

 Around mid-August, I start thinking about whether I did any summer things. While I was thinking about mid-August, it became late August. I keep thinking about this this song. 

I didn't bother to make a summer fun list this year. But I was thinking of my past lists last week when I ordered a lobster roll (the Connecticut version with hot butter.) Lobster rolls are relatively rare on Maryland menus. I should also make a mojito salad--that also means summer to me. 

Yesterday I went swimming in our condo pool for the first time. What the hell was I waiting for? It felt great to get back in the water even if it was only for a short time. I was inspired by a neighbor who told me the pool will close on Labor Day. I need to get more swimming in. 

Jeff and I have plans for a getaway for our anniversary. We're going to Ocean City, Maryland for the first time. We have a room with an ocean view and balcony. It will be a nice way to close out the summer. 

Book 12: The Holcroft Covenant by Robert Ludlum

This book has an intriguing premise: In the final days of the Third Reich, its leaders secretly sent children all over the world to wait until they came of age to form the Fourth Reich with the aid of over $700 million. 

The key to the plan is Noel Holcroft, the biological son of a high-ranking Nazi officer. Noel is shown the Holcroft Covenant but believes it's for the purpose of making reparations to those who suffered at the hands of the Third Reich and to restore the honor of Noel's father and other officers who attempted to stop Hitler but failed. 

As soon as Noel hears about the Holcroft Covenant from the mysterious Manfredi, he is a target. While he escapes murder, death is all round him. He is also subjected to psychological torture. 

There is a big but coming. The action is relentless--too relentless. It reminded me about the current trends in action films, How many assassination attempts and shady organizations do you need? I think the book could have been a hundred pages shorter (my paperback copy was 500 pages.) 

Then there was a ridiculous sex scene. The woman's breasts are straining against the thin cloth of her blouse, whatever. The only point of the scene was to give the hero an out for having possibly inappropriate sex. He couldn't help himself; she was just too sexy for him to resist. It's bullshit, annoying, and lazy writing. 

Ready to move on.

More from 1930s Warner Brothers

I recently rewatched some old movies.

The Big Shakedown (1934): Chemist Jimmy (Charles Farrell) and fiancee Norma (Bette Davis) are running a neighborhood drug store but not making much money. A representative from a big chain store offers a low bid for the store, threatening that what the chain wants, it usually gets. Enter Dutch Barnes (Ricardo Cortez). His beer business is on the rocks and he's looking for a headache powder. Jimmy mixes up one as good as the brand name. Dutch starts a new business counterfeiting toothpaste and makeup that Jimmy makes. When Dutch moves into counterfeiting drugs, Jimmy tries to quit, but finds it's not so easy. 

Bette is the female lead but has nothing to do. At least, Glenda Farrell gets a catfight and a death scene.

The trailer billed Charles Farrell and Davis the newest love team in their first pairing.  Okay, they must have written that before they saw the footage. Or they saw something that I didn't. (Wonder how Glenda Farrell and Davis would fare.)

Bullets or Ballots (1936): I hadn't seen this one in years. The title comes from a speech by anti-crime crusader Ward Bryant (Henry O'Neill) shortly before he is murdered, but voting has nothing to do with the plot.

Robinson plays Johnny Blake a cop demoted to the outer boroughs who expects a break when his buddy is appointed to a special commission. Instead, he is fired. Luckily, local racketeer Al Kruger (Barton MacLane) offers Blake a job. But, his second-in-command Bugs Fenner (Humphrey Bogart) doesn't like it. 

One thing I really liked about this film was that it was halfway through before it was revealed that Blake is working as an undercover cop. What a relief! He was a good guy all along. The Hayes Office must have been relieved. 

Although four bulled, Bogart is the Robinson's main antagonist. MacLane's Al Kruger is more of a crooked businessman than a thug; he's just a link to the big bosses--supposedly upright citizens. It's Bugs Fenner who kills Bryant and later Kruger. He's also responsible for Blake's death, but Blake manages to deliver money to the big bosses to complete his assignment. 

Joan Blondell is second billed as Lee Morgan, the girl that got away. She's actually a pretty well rounded character--a smart businesswoman rather than the girlfriend waiting for her man. Lee was instrumental in Blake's successful assignment. But she must have been racked with guilt for not recognizing he was near death.  I wonder what happened to her after the film ended.

An Anniversary

Today is our ten month anniversary of moving to Essex--time enough for a woman to have a baby, but I haven't even finished unpacking. Oh well. I wish I had done more, but there really isn't a rush. Moving is a lot of work; I definitely underestimated the difficulty. In addition, I want to have some bookshelves installed in the dining room to make it a combo dining room/library. I need to get working on that. 

Today was an important day for another reason. Jeff and I signed our wills and health care directives. We also agreed to a investment plan with our financial advisors. This is a big thing to cross off our to-do list.

We can be proud of ourselves. 

Celebrating the 86 Mets

Before the start of the Mets game today, the team honored the second (and unfortunately last) Mets World Series winners. They showed clips of games, introduced the staff and players (or family members of those who had died) and ended with the "Let's Go Mets!" video. 

I only became a baseball and Mets fan in 1985 and didn't appreciate how incredible the 86 run was. This morning I put on my Mets shorts and my favorite Mets t-shirt:1995 World Series Destiny (the NY in destiny was the Mets log) in preparation for the celebration.. 

1986 was the year I met Jeff and the year we got engaged. Like most fans, I particularly remember Game Six of the World Series. I had gone to a Billy Joel concert with friends Annette, Marge, and Elaine. We went primarily because Marge's friend George was singing back up that night. It was a great concert. Billy is a big Mets fan and one of the guitarists was a big Red Sox fan. The concert was in New Haven and the crowd a mix of Mets and Sox fans. Billy updated us on the scores during the concert. 

We listened to the end of the game on the ride home. I remember punching the passenger seat in excitement at some of the plays. Elaine had recorded the game and we watched it over and over. 

The Mets played in two World Series since then and fell short in both. 

What can I say? Other than wait till next year.

Welcome August

I'm glad that July is over. 

Let's start with our nation's 250th birthday. It was bittersweet because Trump has been trying to undermine our  constitutional freedoms. 

July brought two heat waves with temperatures in the 100s. In one heat wave, we also had bad air days from Canadian wildfires (which Trump used as an excuse to impose new tariffs on Canada. Ugh.)

I had another bout of colitis. It lasted a few weeks; it's enervating, frustrating, and uncomfortable at best.

The worst of the month is that I was almost scammed. I was vulnerable because we had issues with our anti-virus protection on our computers. I don't want to write much about it; it's embarrassing and infuriating. I made mistakes and missed some red flags. The bottom line, I didn't send them any money, and they didn't gain access to my bank accounts or credit cards. 

On a more positive note, we got grab bars installed in our bathrooms and I got hearing aids. Annette took me up to Havre de Grace for an afternoon. We went on a perfect summer day, went to shops, an artist collective, and antique mall before we enjoyed lunch on the water. I hired a high school neighbor to walk Jace, so I didn't have to worry about him. It was relaxing and fun.

Book 11: In the Garden of Beasts Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin by Erik Larson

Another selection from the Little Free Library. I picked this up because I recognized Erik Larson's name and enjoyed The Devil in the White City. 

This book begins 1933 when William E. Dodd becomes the first United States Ambassador to Hitler's Germany. Dodd is the stereotypical mild-mannered professor. He accepts the position hoping to have time to work on his book about the American South. 

Dodd is an outlier, a man trying to live on his salary, among the wealthy, high society-type ambassadors. He is mocked for bringing the family Chevrolet to Berlin. Dodd's daughter Martha generates a lot of gossip with her partying and love affairs.

While other diplomats and isolationists in the United States didn't approve of Dodd, those in Berlin who saw Hitler's oppression firsthand appreciated him. Dodd understood the political and moral implications of Hitler's rule. After Hitler's army invaded Poland, Dodd wrote to Roosevelt that democracies in Europe could have acted together to stop Hitler as he had urged. Too bad few had listened. 

Ducklings!

I've taken several pictures of ducklings along the Hopewell Trail the last two months. This is the family that I saw I most often. The last time I saw them they were almost as big as their mother. Unfortunately, I didn't have my phone with me that day to take some pictures. I looked forward to seeing the ducks every day. I miss them.

Thursday Thoughts

Haven't posted for a long time. Recently, the backup laptop that I've been using got infected with a virus. That's just the latest excuse.

We have a big item to check off our to-do list: we got grab bars installed in both our bathrooms. I had started research back in February but dropped the ball. Now it's done, and I'm happy with the results. 

We're under another heat dome. Dubious bonus: smoke from wildfires is overtaking the area. 

Bruce, our neighbor across the hall, had a stroke and will be transferred to permanent nursing care. He has a two-year-old dog JJ. Neighbors have been pitching in to help care for him. One neighbor who's been watching him went to the beach for the weekend. Another is watching JJ now, but she needs help walking him. That's me (and Jace.) We've only been on one walk so far, and I was just needed for moral support. That's good. 

JJ has been through a lot this year. Earlier, his technical owner died suddenly from a heart attack. Bruce was JJ's primary caregiver even then. I'm not sure what's going to happen with him. It makes me appreciate that the wills Jeff and I are making have a provision for Jace's care if something happens to us first. 

I've been thinking a lot about Bruce. I remember how he helped me walk/climb over the snow and ice after the January storm. He also helped shovel out my car. He would be happy to know that his neighbors are caring for JJ. 

Book 10: Good Omens The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

I borrowed this book from the library because I loved the TV series. 

As the Apocalypse approaches, an angel Aziraphale and a demon Crowley realize that they enjoy their lives on Earth too much to let it be destroyed. They come up with a plan to thwart the Apocalypse, but then they lose the Antichrist. 

Other characters include the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, the formerly fearsome Hellhound, a witch, and the two members of the Witchfinder Army.

It's a lot of fun. 

Heat Dome Holiday

The temperatures hit 100 degrees on the past two days. It was 95 as Jace and I went out for our evening walk last night. We've got two more days of this weather. Most of the country is dealing with the same heat dome.

I'm happy to be a homebody. I bought fruit and veggies on Tuesday and picked up some prepared dinners from Lovejoy's on Wednesday. Yesterday, I got wine. We're all set. 

I Love B Movies

I've always loved movies. I spent many an afternoon at the Saturday matinee. At home, I watched series such as the Bowery Boys and horror films, including a Mexican vampire series starting with this film. 

Then there was the Basil Rathbone--Nigel Bruce Sherlock Holmes series. The series debuted in 1939. The first two films, The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, had good budgets and production values. The rest of the series were strictly B movies--updated to World War II with lots of quotes from Churchill. The films were loosely based on the stories and novels (I read all of them.) Yes, the series made Watson was a lovable bumbler and the pro-Britain speech gat a bit thick (but hey, it was against Hitler, so I can't complain) but I loved them.

I love the Warner Brothers Nancy Drew series (four films) and the Torchy Blane films (nine.) I will gladly rewatch all of those films when they appear.

Recently, I've been watching some Charlie Chan movies. I was surprised to read that there are 49 films, with the first in 1926. Most of the films available are with Sidney Toler and a few with Roland Winters. I remember seeing Warner Oland in the role, but haven't come across any of his films recently. I'm keeping my eyes open hoping to catch one of  best in the series such as Charlie Chan at the Opera.

Thankful Thursday Thoughts

This post is inspired by Thankful Thursdays on The Frugal Girl. It's an especially good exercise today, because I felt lousy all day. 

As I told a neighbor the other day, I'm thankful every day that we moved here. After 37 years in Norwalk, I was sick of Prospect Ridge and sick of Norwalk. I wanted to go south, but not too far south. (Okay, maybe the warmer weather we wanted didn't pan out so far.)  We wanted to be able to get a bigger--more reasonably priced home.

This place had all the must-haves: two full baths, washer and dryer, balcony, over 1000 feet. Plus so much more. We have a dining room. a laundry room, and a sitting area as part of our primary bedroom. We have extra kitchen cabinets, drawers, and counters personally built by the previous owner. We even have a boat slip.

We have a wonderful trail and boardwalk down by the water. It makes me happy to see the Middle River and wildlife every day. 

We have good neighbors. 

I'm so glad we moved. 

Midsummer, Summer Solstice, and Father's Day

Summer officially begins today in the Northern Hemisphere with the Summer Solstice --the lightest day of the year. I prefer to say the lightest and darkest rather than the longest or shortest day of  the year. 

This year it's also Father's Day. We decided to go to Pooles Island for some beer. We considered Key Brewing, but knew we could go inside at Pooles, so that decided it. Pooles also has a good selection. 

There was a crab focused food truck. This was better than the limited kitchen it previously had onsite or the short list of restaurants that would deliver. Jace was a hit, though today it was with guys, except for a mother-daughter duo just before we left. 

I can't think of Midsummer without thinking of Cassandra.

Concert at the Pool

On Tuesday night, our condominium hosted the first of three summer concerts in the parking lot by our pool. There was a food truck (I tried crab cake eggrolls) a lemonade stand, and a cornhole game (featuring the Ravens logo.) The weather was perfect.

At first I thought the singer/guitarist was meh. He grew on me as he played more songs I liked later in the program. He played an eclectic selection ranging from Lionel Richie to Johnny Cash to the Who and Led Zeppelin. I was intrigued when he played Folsom Prison Blues by Johnny Cash and then Pinball Wizard by the Who to the exact same music. 

After the concert, I asked how he came up with that. He credited another singer whose name he didn't remember.

Intriguing. 

Book 9: The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley

I found this book while browsing the Science Fiction section at the library. 

Dietz enlists in the infantry during the war against Mar; she wanted to become a hero. The soldiers are broken down from mass into light for interplanetary travel. But some soldiers, including Dietz, experience combat drops that differ from those of the of the platoon. They are members of the Light Brigade. 

The concept of "getting busted down to light" reminds me of the Star Trek transporter system. But it's much less understood and safe. I enjoyed the book, but it was a little long.

I remember reading Kameron's blog in the mid 2000s. I read about some of her work about Nyx and God's War. When I picked up The Light Brigade, I read that she had written several books--several award winning books. 

I have to admit it made me feel inadequate. I'm struggling to write. Maybe seeing Kameron's success will give me the kickstart. I need.