Another week in sunny, and finally warmer, Florida has flown by. The condo closing here went off as planned and worries of last-minute glitches evaporated. We also made progress on the condo closing in CT - signing up with gas and electric companies, working on insurance, and researching cable/internet providers. We're getting there.
We made time for fun last week, too. I walked most days, went out to lunch with my SIL, enjoyed a neighborhood happy hour, and made it to the beach for a couple of sunsets. Overall, a very good week!
Recent reading//
by Gilbert King
What an intense read! It took me a couple of weeks to get through my Black History Month book, but it ended up being a 5-star read/listen combination. Hopefully I'll get a review up by the end of the week.
Current reading//
By Sarah M. Broom, narrated by Bahni Turpin
I picked up this 2019 National Book Award winner during audible's latest 2-for-1 sale. It's described as "A brilliant, haunting and unforgettable memoir from a stunning new talent about the inexorable pull of home and family, set in a shotgun house in New Orleans East." Bahni Turpin, as always, does an amazing job with the narration. It's very good so far.
I picked up a couple of print books from the library yesterday and have a few more from my shelves set aside. Later this afternoon, I'll read the beginnings of each and decide which one to continue in print.
In the kitchen//
I mostly stuck to familiar recipes last week... Thai Basil Beef from Half Baked Harvest Super Simple cookbook (a favorite lately), Crispy Onion Chicken, and Blueberry Baked Oatmeal Bars. I did try a new recipe for Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup from allrecipes magazine, but none of the recipes matched up when I looked for it online. This one was the closest.
The week ahead//
The winter "season" is officially here! My sister and BIL arrive tomorrow for the week and I'm so excited to spend time with them... it's been a while. Twin B and her boyfriend fly in Saturday for two weeks. They will be working remotely while here, but it will be good to have them around!
How was your week? What have you been reading?
The Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz.
It's Monday, What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date.
I am actually headed to Florida on Friday for a work conference just outside Orlando. It's going to be in the 80s and I am looking forward to meeting colleagues in person!
ReplyDeleteHelen - It looks like the weather will be perfect this week.. hope you will get free time to enjoy it!
DeleteI also made Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup last week. Interesting coincidence!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad to see how much you enjoyed Devil in the Grove. Wonderful.
It's great that you have finished with the closing on the condo in Florida. I am sure that was stressful!
Deb - Isn't that funny that we both made Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup. Tina mentions in the comment below that she did, too! Devil in the Grove was such an interesting read, but difficult, too... sound like things were pretty bad after WWII in FL as far as civil rights were concerned.
DeleteI'm glad the closing went well, that's a relief to put behind you! The Thai beef sounds great and coincidentally I also madee a lemon orzo soup! But I have not posted on the food blog for awhile so maybe I ought to share that one.
ReplyDeleteReading has been my thing lately and I loved Taste by Stanly Tucci, the Paul McCartney tome called The Lyrics and I am immersed in Diana Gabaldon's book Tell the Bees That I am Gone.
Tina - I've made quite a few recipes from that cook book and all but one have been winners. My daughter uses that cookbook frequently, too.
DeleteMy reading has been a little slow this year... doubt that will change over the next month while we have so many visitors. At least I'm enjoying the books I have been able to read. Glad Taste was a winner for you, too!
I'm happy your condo closing went smoothly and it will be nice to have a summer game plan in place soon as well. I love Bahni Turpin as a narrator, I try to listen to whatever she does. She does seem to narrate a lot of YA books though it seems. Enjoy your company this week.
ReplyDeleteDiane - It's a relief to have that condo closing behind us! Fingers crossed things proceed smoothly in CT, too. Bahni Turpin is one of m favorite narrators, too... she's doing a great job with The Yellow House.
DeleteGreat to hear you had a productive and fun week, enjoying the sunny weather and closing up the condo. My own week was a blur of work, sleep and stormy weather, but when I wasn't too tired I have been re-reading Eldest by Christopher Paolini. Take care, happy reading and I hope you enjoy your upcoming time with family and loved ones. 🙂
ReplyDeleteJessica - I was following the news as Eunice was making her way through the UK - yikes!Hope you're enjoying the reread of Eldest and fingers crossed that the week ahead is calmer.
DeleteSounds like a great week! Glad the closing went well.
ReplyDeleteDevil in the Grove sounds fascinating. Glad you enjoyed it.
Enjoy your week and your company!
Getchen - Devil in the Grove was just fascinating. Hope I have time for a proper review this week... fingers crossed!
DeleteYay! I'm so glad the sale of the FL condo went smoothly. Those final hours are always so stressful! Now to get the CT place set up for your summer arrival.
ReplyDeleteI brought home a few books from the library the other day, but continue to read from my shelves and may wind up returning the others unread. I can always check them out some other time.
Enjoy your visitors. We have a few relatives coming out here in early May and early June, so I've been busy with planning our road trips around those visitors. We'll head to Bend & Sisters (OR) in mid-May for a week or so of camping, but I still need to think of where else to go for the remainder of that trip. We're also planning a trip to Nashville in early April. Finally get to see our daughter and son-in-law. We can't wait!
Hope you have a great week with nothing but gorgeous weather and beautiful sunsets.
Les - I'd had the worst feeling there would be a last-minute problem with the closing but, thankfully, that was not to be.
DeleteI love our library here and DO want to read the books I brought home. The problem is I can never leave the library without an armload of books... even when my plan is to read the books I already own! The bulk of these will be returned unread, too :(
It must be exciting to be planning road trips again. We'll be traveling in early April, too. We'll spend a couple of weeks getting things ready in the condo. Not going to get ahead of myself though... I'm so happy to have my sister and other relatives here for the next few weeks!
I'm glad your condo closings went well. Good luck with the CT stuff.
ReplyDeleteHope you have a great week!
Thanks, Yvonne. It's going to be a busy couple of months ahead.
Deletewow, Half Baked Harvest Super Simple sounds very good. I see it's at my library, will check it out. Have a wonderful week with your family
ReplyDeleteEmma - The author of Half Baked Harvest Super Simple has a couple of other cookbooks I'd like to check out. Her recipes are generally very good.
DeleteThanks, I'll check at my library if they have anything else by the same author
DeleteYay for getting the condo closing behind you! Just in time to enjoy this warmer weather. I really need to find a Half Baked Harvest cookbook. I've seen several mention of her recipes and they all sound amazing. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteKatherine - Closing on the condo was a huge relief! My sister, daughter and I have all ben enjoying cooking from the Super Simple cookbook.
DeleteI’m glad to know your closing went well.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the time with family!
Wishing you a great reading week
Shelleyrae - Thanks! Hope you have a great reading week, too
DeleteEnjoy your cdondo! We were looking for one here too in the midwest but the only ones we liked seemed to have major issues - termites in one, unstable foundation in another. We have give up for the moment.
ReplyDeleteHarvee - This is such a crazy time to be buying or selling real estate. Good luck... hope things get better soon.
DeleteSo glad the closing went well and that the condo is moving forward!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Angela. It's definitely progress.
DeleteI've missed a few weeks and now I am lost! Are you moving back north? I will have to go look and see!
ReplyDeleteThe Skillet Chicken Bulgogi sounds delicious! We make a version of Bulgogi and it is my husband's favorite meal. I will have to try this one too.
Erin - We had my in-law's condo here in FL, but after we sold our house in NY we bought a house here. We remodeled the house, moved in, then sold the condo here. Now we are planning to close on a condo in CT... where we can escape the heat, humidity, and hurricanes of FL summers@
DeleteNice that you are having visitors down there. I like lemon orzo soup minus the chicken because we are vegetarians. It's nice to take a stroll on the beach and watch the sunset.
ReplyDeleteMia - I think this soup would be just as delicious without the chicken!
DeleteSounds like you had a good week. Glad the closing went well. I need to check out that cookbook. I'm in a cooking rut. Come see my week here. Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteKathy - A crazy week, but definitely a good one! Off to check your post now...
DeleteYour week sounds really good, and I'm glad the real estate issues are going well.
ReplyDeleteI am curious about The Yellow House.
Enjoy your week, and thanks for visiting my blog.
Laurel-Rain Snow - The Yellow House is just okay so far. I"m sure it will get more interesting as Hurricane Katrina approaches.
DeleteCongrats on the condo closing. Hope all is well. Happy reading. My Monday bookshelf is up!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.lyndonperrywriter.com/2022/02/book-date-monday-amreading-feb-21.html
Thanks, Lyn.
DeleteI have to say that your picture of the path to the beach spoke to my heart. I am SO READY for spring and summer...and trips to the beach!
ReplyDeleteHave a great week! - Melinda @ A Web of Stories
Melinda - We are so happy to live here and enjoy that walk every day! Hope winter lets up for you soon.
DeleteYay, enjoy the family time!! My daughter and 2 friends are here for spring break, my daughter will be here 2 weeks, her friends a week. Not much reviewing and stuff getting done around here, but that's okay. https://cindysbookcorner.blogspot.com/2022/02/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-6-22.html
ReplyDeleteCindy - Sounds like your house will be full of family, too. The reviews can wait... enjoy your time together.
DeleteI'm glad the closing went well!
ReplyDeleteMy husband's cousin just visited my in-laws in Naples so their season is starting too. Unfortunately, cousin and FIL both got covid after their visit. My MIL was sick first but she swears her home covid test was negative. They're all vaxxed and boosted. We were very worried when we heard that my FIL was sick because he's a chain smoker but he pulled through at home. He felt really bad but at least it wasn't life threatening. Cousin felt like he had the flu but he's okay now too. So scary!
We're trying to work out some logistics for some repair work on our RV when we finish in Charleston and may end up in Naples ourselves in April. We shall see. Hopefully if we go, we won't take any cold snaps with us and there won't be any wildfires!
Have a great time with your family and enjoy that warm weather!
Jen - I'm sorry to hear your family got covid, but what a relief it wasn't life threatening. I don't think most people realize how bad "mild" cases can make them feel.
DeleteHope you can get to Naples to see your inlaws in the spring. It's been very dry here and we've already had a couple of high risk fire days. We're looking at record highs today and not much humidity... my BIL, especially, loves this weather.
So glad everything is going well with the condos and sounds like you have some fun times coming up!
ReplyDeleteJinjer - I'm glad we'll have a summer place to escape FL heat and humidity. Lots of work to do to get it ready... should be fun.
DeleteIt sounds like everything is coming together well with the condos. Devil in the Grove does sound good. I am glad you enjoyed it! I hope you enjoy your visit with your family and have a great week.
ReplyDeleteWendy - I especially liked Devil in the Grove for the local history aspect...sad, but intense!
DeleteGorgeous views for the beach! Jealous. Glad things are working out smoothly with your move. I've been wanting to read the Yellow House for awhile now. I should do it! Hope you enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteHeather - Thanks. The Yellow House is an interesting memoir, but it seems like it's taking me a lot time to read it...
DeleteWe have been away - sorry to get to your post late. I hope you've been having fun with your sister this past week. Where does she live? I read The Yellow House when it came out ... and thought there were good parts to it ... but found it a bit uneven as well. I'm not sure for me it lived up to all the hype but I did like her family's story in New Orleans.
ReplyDeleteSusan - It was great having my sister here last week... we had such a good time! Twin B and her boyfriend are here, working remotely, for two weeks now. There hasn't been much time for reading or blogging, but I did finish The Yellow House. Unfortunately it was just okay for me, too. I'm surprised it won the National Book Award.
DeleteReal estate stuff just never goes smooth does it! We've been waiting on an appraisal for a property here for weeks now - apparently banks like to leave things to the last minute as well.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I've heard of Devil in the Grove but you've made me curious about it so I'm going to check it out.
Athira - We had the CT closing today, so at least all the real estate transactions are complete. Now we just have to get the place set up and furnished!
DeleteDevil in the Grove was excellent! It paints a pretty bleak picture of the FL criminal justice system during the Jim Crow era.
Busy month for you! It's stressful to buy and sell real estate so I'm glad it worked out for you. I've heard of a few of your books and have French Braid on my wish to read list. I've heard good things about Devil in the Grove but never read it. I am behind on reviews also but not going to stress about it.
ReplyDeleteMia - Yes, it's been a busy month. Glad you're not stressing about reviews either... we'll get there eventually.
Delete