Sunday, March 19, 2023

A Mid-March Sunday Salon


Hello, friends. It's a cool, breezy Sunday on Sanibel and another week of hurricane recovery is behind us. Since the FEMA deadline has passed, there is noticeably less debris along the streets. Most residents and businesses have cleaned out and carted trash to the curb, and the haulers have worked diligently on a final pass. At the moment, the island seems to be a giant construction zone - full of building, demolition, and vegetation contractors. 

Meanwhile, the red tide situation has improved enough for us to enjoy several sunsets on the beach.... and that makes it all worthwhile!


Current reading//

It occurs to me that I've been reading longer books this year. That hasn't been a conscious decision, but many books on my TBR pile are well over 400 pages. Maybe that's why I haven't finished anything this past week?


I'm just over halfway through this recently released 450 page novel. So far, it is very different from The Great Believers, a favorite in 2019, but the pages turn pretty quickly.



by Maya Angelou, narrated by the author

Why has it taken me so long to pick this up?  I have both the ebook and audio but am mostly listening... Angelou's narration is wonderful!


On the blog//


In the kitchen//

I've been making a lot of crustless quiches lately using this basic skinnytaste recipe. Instead of the ham and broccoli, I substitute whatever veggies or meat/veggie combo I have on hand. My current favorite is spinach and mushroom.



Gimme Some Oven  has been a trusted recipe source for a while and this week I tried her Lemony Tortellini Soup... which seemed perfect for spring. It was good, but got even better by the second day.


The week ahead//

We have several appointments on the schedule... lawyers, insurance, etc. I also need to book a mani/pedi. I'm looking forward to an evening get-together with friends,  a few sunsets at the beach, and since it's March, more college basketball!🏀🏀🏀


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.






36 comments:

  1. I should read some of Maya Angelou's books. I think I've read 1 but I can't remember the name of it, so maybe I didn't.

    I've been a fan of Gimme Some Oven for a few years.

    I worked a few hours both yesterday morning and this morning. Now I plan on relaxing until tomorrow morning.

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    1. Vicki - I don't think I've read anything by Maya Angelou, but am so glad to finally read this now. My daughters may have been assigned this book in high school... wonderful, but tough in spots.

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  2. Good to hear that Sanibel is recovering!

    best… mae at maefood.blogspot.com

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    1. Mae - It will be a long road, but this is a resilient community.

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  3. Oh, yes, I'm sure your special island is indeed a construction zone! Definitely worth those beautiful sunsets! You are the second book blogger to wonder why they waited so long to read one of Angelou books. I must get to one of hers!

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    1. Miaismine - Maya Angelou's book is excellent, though some parts are sad and disturbing.

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  4. Oh, those trees look so sad. But you still have gorgeous sunsets...

    I'm reading longer books this year, too, but I don't mind. It's nice to sink into a meaty book and not feel like you have to say goodbye to the characters before you're ready. It's been a week since I finished Signal Fires and I'm still have over 100 pages of my current read.

    I'll have to try that crustless quiche recipe. We eat a lot of eggs, but it would be nice to have a leftover quiche for lunches.

    Hope you have a good week, JoAnn!

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    1. Les - I used to read so many long books, but over the last few years my average length has been around 350 pages. It's kind of nice to get back to that. Once I finish Rebecca Makkai's novel, Demon Copperhead will likely be next.

      I think Signal Fires is one of those that make it hard to move on to another book - so, so good!

      The last crustless quiche was made with all the odds and ends left in the refrigerator... a yellow squash, part of a zucchini, some baby bella mushrooms, and half a bag of spinach. Just had some for lunch today!

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  5. I feel like I’m reading longer books this year too! I hope you have a great week ahead.

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    1. Jodie - I sometimes have a hard time settling into new books and, reading longer books, I don't do it as often!

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  6. Two great recent reads: Little Miseries and Demon Copperhead. I feel like the reading year can only go downhill after such a fantastic start. :)

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    1. Amy - Demon Copperhead will likely be next up for me, but I haven't heard of Little Miseries. Off to look it up...

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    2. Do check out Little Miseries! I don't know why more people aren't talking about it. It's fantastic.

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    3. Amy - Just purchased the ebook. Now to figure out whether I read it before or after Demon Copperhead...

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  7. I love the sunset photo! I'm glad the cleanup is progressing, and you get to enjoy the beach again.

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    1. Aj - Sunsets make it all worthwhile for me! The cleanup is progressing, but the rebuilding will go on for years...

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  8. I'm glad Sanibel is recovering. One of my high school classmates lives there and has been sharing updates too. Since I read mostly on my Kindle, I often get into a book having no idea how long it is. I've had some surprises! Come see my week here. Happy reading!

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    1. Kathy - How cool that you have a classmate here! There are so many people here from the midwest. We had a couple that stayed next door every winter when we still lived in the condo. They live in SD now, but he grew up in Duluth.

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  9. Whenever possible, I love to listen to the author read her own book.

    I'm so glad your island is recovering. They are still busily replanting live oak trees on Galveston after Hurricane Harvey's seawater killed so many.

    Beautiful photo!

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    1. Deb - I try to listen to an author read their work if I possible can, too. It always adds so much!

      I never really thought about how destructive the saltwater is to vegetation until we had to deal with it here. Our property primarily has native plants and all over the island they have done SO much better than non-native varieties. Many can tolerate short periods in saltwater and we still have our fingers crossed that they will recover.

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  10. I like it when authors read their own nonfiction books, too. (At least, usually. Lisa Scottoline's voice, I didn't warm to, although I like her humorous essays.) Michelle Obama and Helen Ellis were recent standout readers for me over the past couple of years, and I always like listening to David Sedaris and A.J. Jacobs read their own books!

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    1. Laurie - I remember reading at least one Helen Ellis book. Wish I'd known she narrated it. I never just read David Sedaris... always have to listen to him!!

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  11. So wonderful to see progress I'm sure and what a beautiful sunset. The crust less quiche looks delicious and I've had good luck with recipes from Give Me Some Oven. I also love tortellini soup so I'm always looking for new versions. I hope you have a wonderful week!

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    1. Katherine - I've made that crustless quiche so many times, I have the recipe memorized! Gimme Some Oven never lets me down. I've tried quite a few of her recipes, too.

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  12. Recovery from a hurricane is long hard work. The quiche's sound yummy. I know the Maya Angelou is a well recommended book but I know nothing about it. I should find out.

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    1. Kathryn - Our island will be rebuilding, repairing, and replanting for years... and I'm sure it will be better and more resilient when we're done!

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  13. So happy to hear that things are moving along on Sanibel!

    That soup sounds delicious! I make a White Bean Tortellini soup which is a favorite around here, but now I need to try that lemony version!

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    1. Erin - I think this soup needed a little something more... might try adding white beans!

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  14. It must feel good on the island to have most of the clean up done even though the construction will continue for quite a while.

    Maya Angelou is amazing!

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    1. Helen - My mother just started reading Maya Angelou's book today and is already loving it!

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  15. Sounds like things are moving along well on Sanibel. That's great news. Interesting books on your list. Enjoy your reading and have a great week!

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    1. Yvonne - Slow steady progress seems to be the name of the game around here. We're in it for the long haul!

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  16. Thanks for the tip on the Maya Angelou audio - it sounds like one I'd like. I just finished Memphis and I was taken with the author's storytelling. I think you read that one. I got caught up in the college basketball too. So many good close games and we don't even follow the basketball season ... until Now, LoL. I'm pulling for all of the residents on Sanibel and hoping the trees and vegetation will return too. Enjoy your week.

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    1. Susan - I finished Maya Angelou's book last night... so moving. Can't believe it's taken me this long to read her! March Madness starts up again tonight and I'm sure we'll have a game on this evening. There is certainly slow, steady progress here, but we will be at it for years. We're all trying to celebrate the little victories along the way.

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  17. So glad to hear there is major progress! And, thank you for the recipes. I really want to try the tortellini soup!

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    1. Iliana - Hope you like the tortellini soup. This recipe is different from the one I usually make and we enjoyed mixing things up a little!

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