Good morning, friends. Sorry about my recent disappearance, it was totally unintentional... life just got in the way. Our 4th of July weekend was amazing, but exhausting. We hosted gatherings/dinners on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, entertaining 20 - 30 people each day... mostly family, and a few friends. Thankfully everyone helped with the food. Everything was perfect, even the weather, but by Tuesday morning I was ready to collapse!
We've also been without air conditioning. After FOUR service calls in ten days, it is still not working. A new fan motor was finally ordered and will (fingers crossed!) be installed on Monday. I was a hot, cranky mess much of the week. Thankfully, we have a reprieve today. It's cool and rainy... what a relief! Things may get ugly again if that new motor doesn't solve our problem. Heat and humidity are forecast to return with a vengeance this week.
As for the books...
Finished this week//
The Children Act by Ian McEwan
What a wonderful, thought-provoking novel! McEwan never disappoints. I'll post a book brief this week, and already have plans to read Amsterdam soon.Current reading//
Nobody's Fool by Richard Russo
Yes, I'm still listening to this one. Despite the slow progress (the audio is over 24 hours long), I am loving every minute and in no hurry to reach the end. But with under three hours to go, that will happen within the next day or so.Up next//
Shelter by Jung Yun
This book has gotten rave reviews from several trusted bloggers. My library hold came in on Friday, and I plan to get started this afternoon.The week ahead//
Planning/packing for vacation (Santa Fe, then on to a wedding in CO) is top priority, but we're also having a couple of windows replaced... and, of course, the continuing saga of the air conditioning. I'm hoping that means there will be plenty of time to read!
Daughter #1 and Twin A move into their new apartment in Manhattan this week. Daughter #1 has hired movers for the 50-block trek uptown. Twin A is clearing out her room here at home. She'll have plenty of time to get settled before beginning her new job next month... exciting times! Unfortunately, I have to wait until after the wedding to see their new place.
How was your week? What have you been reading?
This post will link to It's Monday, What Are You Reading? hosted by Kathryn at Book Date.
OMG..the AC..fingers crossed for you!
ReplyDeletePatty - It was awful a couple of days last week and today I actually have the windows closed... crazy weather!
DeleteI have heard really good things aboutNobody's fool. I look forward to your commentary on it.
ReplyDeleteMisbehaving machines can be so frustrating. Hopefully you will gt that air conditioner fixed soon.
Brian Joseph - I just finished Nobody's Fool this afternoon and loved it. The audio is my favorite of the year so far!
DeleteI'm sorry about your AC - we're having the same flip-flopping weather here and it's very hard to cope with. At least living closer to the coast has kept the really really hot weather at bay. Off to put The Children Act on reserve!
ReplyDeleteAudrey - It's actually chilly here today... I had to put socks on. Crazy! I'm going to try to read Delta Wedding in August. Any chance you'll be reading then?
DeleteNo air condition! That sounds awful. We had a fan motor go out a few years ago an it was a couple of days before we could get it fixed and I wasn't sure we were going to make it! And we have 2 units so at least the downstairs was cool though the upstairs was in the high 80s. I don't think I've ever read an Ian McEwan book but I really should. Enjoy your vacation and the wedding and have a great week!
ReplyDeleteKatherine - It was bad here without air last week, but nowhere near as awful as it must be in your area! If the new motor doesn't take care of things I don't know what I'll do... maybe go stay with my parents!
DeleteGorgeous lake photo! And how awful about the AC...I would be a cranky mess, too.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, I still remember the day I moved into my foothill house in the mid-nineties. It was June, and there was no AC, but the evaporative cooler was supposed to work nicely up there. But it was on the wrong setting, so we were sweating like crazy, with fans, while we unpacked and arranged furniture. And then discovered the proper setting. LOL.
I hope yours comes tomorrow and you enjoy the week.
Wow, two of your girls in Manhattan! That must be exciting for them.
I loved The Children Act, too, and enjoyed the movie Nobody's Fool. I should read the book.
Thanks for sharing...and for visiting my blog.
Laurel-Rain Snow - I'll be on the phone every hour tomorrow checking the status of that fan motor! We'll be in the low 80s Monday and that will be manageable, but rising through the 90s the rest of the week.
DeleteThe Children Act was excellent. I'm glad to have three more of McEwan's novels on my shelf. I've been collecting them for years.
I'm not sure how we lived before air conditioning. Not well.
ReplyDeleteDeb Nance - I've never delay well with heat and humidity. How did our grandmothers do it??
DeleteYour Fourth sounds like a blast but even with all of that help, it is exhausting to host that many people! Hope that motor does the trick for your a/c. We women of a certain age to not handle the heat well when there's no a/c! How did our grandmothers handle it?!
ReplyDeleteLisa - "We women of a certain age to not handle the heat well"
DeleteLOL, you've got that right! How did I get to be this way???
I'm sorry about your maintenance problems. It's the one thing that makes my emotions go haywire. I don't know why I get so angry, but I do. Here's hoping your problem is solved soon. Have a happy vacation.
ReplyDeleteMargot - I just hope there are no shipping delays. They overnight expressed the fan motor and I'm sure those repairmen are already afraid of my reaction if it's not here tomorrow!
DeleteWhat a beautiful picture over the water! Glad you had a great 4th, that does sound tiring though! And the AC- fingers crossed they get it working ASAP. It can be brutal when the AC goes...
ReplyDeleteHope your reads are good, and have a great vacation!
Greg - The 4th was great this year- concerts, parade, fireworks, and a craft fair in addition to all the food and family. Nothing like it!
DeleteI'll add my hopes for your a/c problems. I can't even think about having no a/c. I'd go to a hotel. Seriously. We're having heat indexes of 110 here with actual temperatures in the high 90's. Such a humid summer so far this year. Don't know how the women in days past managed.
ReplyDeleteGood luck to your daughters on the new living arrangement. And hope you guys have a good time on your vacation 'out west'. I guarantee that NM and CO will have lower humidity for you. Wish I was in NM right now. Humidity in Ruidoso is 19% and here in Austin 55%. LOL
Kay - We're nowhere near that warm here, so no AC is more of an uncomfortable inconvenience than a crisis. I've been to Santa Fe a few times and love it (my BIL and family love there). We'll spend a few days with them, then meet several member of my family in CO for the wedding. Hope you're having a good summer, and I'm glad to see you on Litsy!
DeleteThe house that I'm hoping to buy has AC issues, which will have to be resolved before I move in obviously. My AC here at the apartment went out last month and it took the management three long hot days to fix it. I did not cope well with that.
ReplyDeleteColorado should be lovely! A friend who's staying there just emailed that it was 37 degrees last night. Too bad you don't have a layover in Houston :)
Lisa - I didn't know you were buying a house - congratulations! That is so exciting... and I'm sure the AC issues will get resolved so a purchase can go through. Texas is one of a handful of states I've never visited, but I hope to address that in the next few years :)
DeleteYour 4th of July weekend sounds like a lot of fun but I can see why you were exhausted.
ReplyDeleteHow exciting for your daughters! It seems that everyone in NYC hires movers but I can see why.
Have a fabulous trip!
Kathy - The 4th was so much fun. I can't believe all the activities (and food!) we managed to cram into one long weekend!
DeleteNo AC this time of year is a rough go. My son is moving (still in the same NYC neighborhood) but moving is always such a hassle here, I wish your daughters the best of luck.
ReplyDeleteDiane - I'm sure lack of AC would be even worse in NYC. The first summer my oldest daughter was there, she stayed in a NYU dorm with no air-conditioning... on the 16th floor, no less. We were visiting one weekend and it was so bad, she stayed in the hotel with us. This will be an exciting week for my daughters. Can't wait to come down and see the new apartment!
DeleteVicki - This would be a real crisis if we were still in Florida. I am uncomfortable now, but it would be truly unbearable down there!
ReplyDeleteYou've had a very full week and I don't blame you for taking some time off from blogging. Not to mention the heat. Being here in central Texas I can't imagine being with A/C! Hope it is all sorted out soon and you've got some interesting books on your nightstand!
ReplyDeleteIliana - If I don't hear from the AC people within the next hour, I'll be calling them again. Our motor should have arrived by now... sigh. At least the books have been good lately ;-)
DeleteYay - I'm so glad you've got Shelter coming up! I hope you love it :)
ReplyDeleteSarah - I just started Shelter and it got my attention pretty early!
DeleteI guess you have been busy/stressed! Dante Fe is a favorite place to visit, I've been about 5 times. Enjoy. I hope you like Shelter as much as I did. Good luck with the AC.
ReplyDeletesorry typo - SANTA FE is a great place to visit.
DeleteDiane - We've been to Santa Fe several times... my brother-in-law and his family live there. It's always a favorite destination!
DeleteYou have certainly had lots going on. I couldn't do without the air conditioning, my word, we've been known to stay at a hotel if the heat is too intense!
ReplyDeleteLooking. Forward to vacation photos if you post them. I have always wanted to visit the south west and see NM and Colorado, exciting!
Great reading choices , I have recently discovered Litsy and have some of your book on my to-read list.
Tina - I'm happy to have found you on Litsy! We had our AC fail once in FL and did go to a hotel (that was in July, too) ... no way around it down there!
DeleteGood luck with the AC. Your vacation plans sound like fun too. Come see my week here. Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteKathy - Hoping to have the AC back by tomorrow morning at the latest. Fingers crossed!
DeleteI hope you air con is fixed soon! I have had the opposite problem here with my boiler breaking down. This week I've been reading historical fiction Master of Shadows by Neil Oliver and classic, science-fiction Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne.
ReplyDeleteJessicabookworm - You know, I've been thinking about science fiction ever since you mentioned it in your recent post. At least that's a start for me ;-)
DeleteI hope your A/C is up and running today. It is so stressful with out it. Sounds like you've been having fun anyway. Enjoy your up and coming events. Beautiful photo of the lake!
ReplyDeletePat -There was an emergency today (another customer without water, so that takes priority) but I'm hopeful for tomorrow. It's a perfect 75 degrees, and I wouldn't have turned it on anyway...
DeleteOh boy. I don't know what I would do if I didn't have the AC running on demand. When we had a big bad storm a few years ago and we didn't have power for a week, we stayed out of state temporarily, even worked from home that week. So yeah, I totally understand how miserable you must be.
ReplyDeleteHope the move goes great for your daughters! And yay - looking forward to reading Amsterdam.
Athira - It wasn't bad today, but it'll be back in the 90s by tomorrow or Wednesday... that's when I really get cranky. My oldest daughter is a little stressed (this is her first time handling an adult move) but I'm sure they will be fine. Seems strange for me not to be there though. I'm looking forward to Amsterdam, too!
DeleteHope you have a "cooler" summer with the A/C fixed soon. Enjoy packing for your trip-- Santa Fe is on my wishlist for vacations. We missed passing through it when we drove through the southwest to get here.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious about Shelter. Heard good things about it.
Rita - Still no luck with the AC today, but it's very comfortable without it. Tomorrow and Wednesday may be another story. My husband's brother and his family live in Santa Fe. We've been there a few times and it's a great place to visit!
DeleteOh no, sorry about the non-working AC. We have used ours this year more than in the last few years. Enjoy your trip.
ReplyDeleteNise' - They finally fixed it this morning... not a moment too soon!!
DeleteGorgeous photo!!!
ReplyDeleteNo air - oh no!! I would cry. I am such a baby about heat. Lol. Hopefully yours is restored soon! It sounds like you have been having a great time. Glad you had some fun times lately, and I am glad you are having the down time needed to recover! :)
Erin - They were here this morning and fixed the air... it only took 5 service calls! Grrr!
DeleteExcellent about the apartment in NYC. What fun for them. Santa Fe should be hot, eh? Beautiful country though. You can't go wrong with McEwan. I'm a fan. Amsterdam is good too. I'll wait for your report on the audiobook of Nobody's Fool. I think you'd enjoy Curtis Sittenfeld's novel Eligible on audio too. Check it out. Enjoy your week. A/C saga.
ReplyDeleteSusan - I think Santa Fe will be pretty warm, but hopefully the humidity will be low. It makes such a difference! Finished Nobody's Fool yesterday and loved it. Will move on to Everybody's Fool soon. The AC was finally fixed today - hooray!!!
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