It's another Sunday morning in Sanibel... 80 degrees at 8:15 AM, 90% humidity, and a 'feels like' temperature of 88. This is the warmest early morning yet and a sure sign the we're heading into summer. Despite these temperature, it's still surprisingly comfortable in the shade and on the beach. But it's also easier to justify a little quiet time in the middle of the day for reading!
Finished this week//
The Past by Tessa Hadley
Currently reading//
Cape May by Chip Cheek
This is debut novel, set in 1957 Cape May, features a newlywed couple from Georgia honeymooning in the deserted New Jersey resort town during the off-season. I was expecting something like On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan (which I loved) but that's not the case at all. I've passed the 50% mark and don't think this is going to end well...
And speaking of not ending well, I'm also still reading The Mueller Report and it's riveting!
Nearing the end of Volume I, I continue to be amazed/alarmed by the many points of contact between Russia and the Trump Campaign, Trump business world, and Trump transition team.
Despite all the interactions, Russians frequently encountered bumbling ineptness (ineptitude?) from team Trump. An email from Cohen was never received because Cohen mistyped one letter in the email address. As Putin, through the Russian Embassy, tried to congratulate Trump for his election victory, Hope Hicks forwarded the message to Kushner for evaluation because we ”Don’t want to get duped but don’t want to blow off Putin!" And there is much more.
Fascinating stuff here, folks...
Listening to//
by Beth Macy
This book provides a sobering overview of the opioid crisis in America today and how we got here. I've got a little over an hour left in the audio and should finish today or tomorrow.
On the blog//
Book Brief: My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
A question about comments//
Do you allow anonymous comments?
I currently have the 'who can comment?' setting on anyone. This includes anonymous comments. Although I moderate comments on posts more than a few days old, there has been a surprising increase in the number of spam comments.
The more restrictive setting is "user with Google account"... is that the setting most of you use?
Does anyone who comments here NOT have a google account?
Despite using the least restrictive setting, I know some readers still have trouble commenting. When using an Apple product, I am only able to comment on other blogger blogs if I use the Google Chrome browser. Safari doesn't work. It's all very frustrating.
The week ahead//
As our time here winds down, we don't have an awful lot planned this week. The air conditioner is getting serviced, I need to pick the paint color for a bedroom, get the handyman here for a few odd jobs, and start cooking to fill my father-in-law's freezer for the summer months. I would also like to take a trip up to St. Petersburg to visit the Chihuly Collection and possibly The Dali Museum.
How was your week? What have you been reading?
I feel the same way about Tessa Hadley’s books. It still sounds like it’s lovely to be there even with that humidity. We are cool and rainy here today. That sounds like a ton of cooking!
ReplyDeletePatty - I'm on the library hold list now for Late in the Day, Hadley's latest. Have you read that one? My task for the next few days is to come up with a cooking game plan. Need to figure out what to make, then divide it up into a few days of heavy cooking ;-)
DeleteI liked The Past also. She writes well and puts more than the usual amount of insight into a family story. In 1957 I was ten years old and living in Princeton, NJ.
ReplyDeleteJudy - Can't figure out why I haven't read Hadley before. The combination of writing and insight is exactly what I look for in fiction. Cape May is very evocative of time and place. Our travels have never taken us there, but I'd love to see it one day.
DeleteI wish it were a little bit warmer (and less windy) here at our beach campground! We're only in the upper 50s during the day, but the wind makes it feel colder. I love the picture of the egret (heron?) standing on the shore. I got a similar shot of a Great Blue Heron two days ago. They are such majestic birds!
ReplyDeleteI don't mind slow, contemplative novels, especially if the writign is good. I'll have to look for a copy of The Past at my library.
I do allow anonymous comments, but like you, I moderate those and have seen an increase over the past few months. There are many more in my spam folder (caught by Blogger), but it's a nuisance that these others are getting through. It's so obvious that they aren't legit.
Your preparations for departure sound like mine, but rather than cook to stock someone else's freezer, I cook for roadtrips so I don't have to spend a lot of time cooking when I'd rather be out hiking, biking or exploring new locations. Our three-week trip ends today. It's always bittersweet to head home, but I'm hoping we can get another trip in this summer (not our ideal choice of time to travel since school is out and the campgrounds are busy), but if not, we have another two-month trip down to CA and back this fall.
Hope you get to the Chihuly exhibit. I've only been to one (Dallas Arboretum), but I would love to see the one in Seattle. Maybe this summer when we're up that way.
Sorry for such a long comment!! :)
Les - We saw a Chihuly exhibit at the Biltmore on our drive home last May and I loved it! The building in St. Petersburg houses a permanent collection and was specifically designed to showcase his art. I'm hoping we get up there Thursday or Friday.
DeleteI'm laughing at our cooking/freezing preparations being reversed. My FIL will be 92 this summer, lives independently in a senior community, and has food service available, but doesn't like to use it. He'll go in a pinch when we're in NY, but much prefers leftovers when we're here and freezer meals when we're away.
Judging from the instagram photos, you've had another wonderful trip! I'm hoping we can swing a San Diego to Santa Fe trip this fall, but that will probably depend on what we decide to do about listing/selling the house in NY. Fingers crossed.
My spam comments have skyrocketed over the past month. Such an annoyance, but I hate to add another hurdle to the difficulties so many already have with commenting on Blogger :(
The bird in this photo is a great egret. I'll miss them, along with most of the other shorebirds, but at least we have quite a few herons on the lake in NY.
I like the warm temperatures but the humidity does me in.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I want my husband to get his hands on the Mueller Report - I'd hear all about it over and over again. I still think about Dopesick. It's tragic.
Kathy - I'm with you on the humidity! I try to do outdoor activities in the early morning or evening now, and stick to the shade as much as possible during the day. Dopesick is a sobering read... it'll stick with me for quite some time, too.
DeleteI can take the heat but not the humidiy. Right now we're having rain and high winds with sevwe thunderstorm warnings.
ReplyDeleteVicki - We had a quick downpour this afternoon, but no thunder. That didn;t do much for the humidity though...
DeleteThank you for the update on the Mueller Report. Please continue to share your thoughts about the report.
ReplyDeleteWe've had brilliant spring days the last few weeks, with highs around 80---perfect Texas weather. The rain came at night, which was lovely.
Dopesick is another book that sounds like a book I need to read. I want so much for our world to be better than it is right now.
Deb - Your weather sounds ideal! Dopesick is an eye-opening read. Central Appalachia is ground zero for the opioid crisis.
DeleteI'm just about done with Hadley's most recent book, Late in the Day, which I'm loving. I'm planning on reading The Past next.
ReplyDeleteAmy - I'm so happy to hear that! My library hold for Late in the Day should be coming up within the next month or so.
DeleteIt's hard for me to fathom temps in the 80s - right now where I'm at it's in the 50s and raining!
ReplyDeleteAngela - It's just about summer here. Doesn't seem fair when so much of the country is still trying to get a nice spring day :(
DeleteI hope you get a chance to visit the museums. I miss going to see art exhibits. We get some in my city but when I lived in Dallas we had many more coming through. You've got some fascinating reads going on and hope you continue to enjoy them!
ReplyDeleteIliana - I usually get my dose of art and museums when visiting our daughters in NYC, but it's so good to have options here, too!
DeleteI've been using Chrome too for most of my blog commenting too. My Sunday Salon.
ReplyDeletePussreboots - Chrome finally solved my commenting issues. What a relief!
DeleteI have a wordpress blog, The spam filter is very good but I don’t allow anonymous comments. I have a blogger profile that I use to comment on blogs. It’s convenient because I stay logged in, and when you click to view the profile there is a link to redirect people to the blog. I comment from my iPad on Safari. I had issues commenting a few weeks back but clearing the cache helped with that.
ReplyDeleteHave a great reading week
Shelleyrae - I'm surprised safari is working on your ipad. Mine is getting old, so that may also be part of the problem.
DeleteJoAnn, like you I use "blogger" and also allow anonymous comments but moderate on posts older than 2 or 3 days. I can't comment on blogger posts from my iPhone which is annoying, but, it's weird, I can comment on those from MAC using Safari, but, then I do use Google email addresses - weird. Wordpress is no problem from either device.
ReplyDeleteDiane - This is all so strange. I never have problems commenting on Wordpress, but seems like I'm jumping through more and more hoops with blogger. For now, I'll keep moderating older comments and still allow anonymous comments. Thanks for the input.
DeleteI can't wait to pack away my sweaters ... but not quite yet. I have Cape May on my list, but I'm guessing the honeymooners are never the same after that trip. I can't remember my comment settings, but it might me no anonymous comments???
ReplyDeleteBeth F - Cape May features the wildest honeymoon I've ever read about... and in more graphic detail than my typical reads!
DeleteHmmmm...I'm not sure about your comments question. I don't allow anonymous comments though. I also am a Mac user, but I NEVER use Safari. I just find that Chrome is so much easier for everything.
ReplyDeleteI admire your dedication to getting through The Mueller Report. I fear I'd be too depressed!
Susie - I may just switch to Chrome for everything, too... it's a pain to switch back and forth. Finished Volume I of The Mueller Report today. Bring on Volume 2!
DeleteLooks like great weather. I could use some heat and sun but would be willing to skip the high humidity. I admire you for reading The Mueller Report. Come see my week here. Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteKathy - I'm just tired of reading opinions about what's in the report... I need to tackle this and make my own decision!
DeleteThe picture of the beach looks so peaceful. I wish I was there right now :) Cape May looks like a good book. I've been there a few times and loved it.
ReplyDeleteYvonne - I ended up finishing Cape May and will post a book brief next week.
DeleteIt sounds like you are having a great spring! And good for you for reading The Mueller Report! That is a huge undertaking!
ReplyDeleteI'll have to check out The Past!
Erin - The past was really good, but requires some patience on the part of the reader.
DeleteCape May is on my wishlist. My weekly updates
ReplyDeletePussreboots - Cape May was actually a pretty quick read. I'll post a book brief next week.
DeleteCape May is one dark, crazy, intense book. I loved it. Can't wait to hear your thoughts when you're finished.
ReplyDeleteYou've inspired me to read The Mueller Report, too. I feel it's my civic duty.
Can't help you with the comment issue but that does sound frustrating indeed.
Melissa - Cape May was dark and crazy... and I couldn't put it down. Had a couple problems with it, but what an engaging read! That's how I feel about The Mueller Report, too. Who knows if/when we'll actually get to hear from Mueller himself, so this is the only way I'll know exactly what he found. Volume 2 is incredibly damning, while Volume 1 makes them look stupid and inept. Not a pretty picture!
DeleteYou crack me up! I don't think I could read that report beach side!
ReplyDeleteTi - The pages turn pretty quickly, just like a good beach read! LOL ;-)
DeleteJoAnn,
ReplyDeleteGosh--Am I ever late in responding to your Sunday musings. I'm so glad you're finding The Mueller Report riveting. Gives me that little extra push I need to dig into it. And as "up to the ears" as we all are with this situation in the WH, I applaud you for noting it as very important reading.
I'm picturing you in the kitchen putting together those casseroles and other meals for your father-in-law. And without adequate air-conditioning?? I hope that's being fixed soon.
Best wishes!
Judith - And I'm just as late responding to your comment! Hoping to finish The Mueller Report this afternoon. It's surprisingly well written and pretty clear in its intent, I'd say. Our AC is working fine, thankfully...the service this week was just annual maintenance.
DeleteTeam Trump makes my blood boil on a daily basis. I still think they're guilty guilty guilty. Hard to stomach them on the beach though ....
ReplyDeleteSusan - Same here... every day you think it can't get worse, and it does :(
Delete