The Sunday Salon 5/31/15: What Happened to May?

Well, that was quick. May always seems to be a busy month. Years ago it was First Communions, Confirmations, recitals, concerts, and sporting events. Now we have progressed to graduations and moving kids around. And let's not forget about Mother's Day and Memorial Day.

After attending Twin A's boyfriend's college graduation and party last Saturday, I was thankful for the rest of the long weekend to recover, but Tuesday I was back on the road to help her move out of her apartment. Yesterday we loaded the SUV and my husband drove her (and the guinea pigs!) to Manhattan. She will live with Daughter #1 while working a summer internship at L'Oréal. There was no room left for me, but that means I am enjoying a quiet weekend at home. No complaints!

In the midst of all the packing, unpacking, and repacking this week, we hosted a greyhound sleepover. This  allowed Zelda (on the right) an opportunity to meet Red Angus, a recently retired racer who will be staying with us for 10 days while his new family is on vacation. After a few tense moments (for me) and several growls (from Zelda), they reached a tentative understanding. Zelda remained standoffish, but Angus seemed pretty happy to be here. He'll be back tomorrow... and I am hoping they'll be pals by the end of his visit.


Finished reading//

Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy (a read/listen combo)

Wow, what a story! Review coming soon.

Current reading//

The Seven Sisters by Margaret Drabble

Quiet, but enjoyable. It's rainy and cool today, perfect weather this book.

New Books//

Chowderland by Brooke Dojny

From Netgalley. Requested for my husband, who loves seafood in a bowl.

The Tin Horse by Janice Steinberg

Another $1.99 kindle deal. I need to stop buying and start reading these books!

In the kitchen//

I finally tried Trish's Molasses Glazed Chicken Thighs this week. The whole family loved them, and I ended up making more just a few days later!

Today I'm cooking a Boston-Style Creamy Clam Chowder from Chowderland... should be ready by the time hubby gets home from NYC. I'll review the cookbook in an upcoming Weekend Cooking post.

On the blog//

Tuesday Intro: The Sevens Sisters
Beach Bag Recommendations, 2015 Edition
Review: Shotgun Lovesongs by Nickolas Butler

Around the internet//

I'm in a classics mood this week. O's review of Wives and Daughters  by Elizabeth Gaskell and Cat's review of The Kill  by Emile Zola both make me wish I could read a lot faster!

The 2015 Audie Award winners were announced Thursday night. Audible.com provided a live stream of the event, but I was only able to watch part of it. Have you listened to any of the winners?

It seems like it was all BEA, all the time this week. Between twitter, Instagram, and the Armchair BEA blog posts, it was almost as good as being there.

Did you see that  Flannery O'Connor will appear on a new postage stamp?  I was disappointed yesterday when my post office was sold out of the Maya Angelou stamps (despite the misquote), so I'll make it a point to check for these on the June 5 release date.

How was your week? What are you reading?

Saturday Snapshot: One Last Christmas Gift

...or possibly an early Valentine? These lovely greyhound bookends, on back order during the holiday season, arrived Thursday. Somebody knows me very well!

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by:
Alyce from At Home With Books


Find details and more photos here.

The Monday Mention: Comet's Tale by Steven D. Wolf

Comet's Tale: How the Dog I Rescued Saved My Life 
by Steven D. Wolf with Lynette Padwa
Algonquin Books , 2012
257 pages
source: library

Comet's Tale is a truly heartwarming story of a man and his dog. As Steven Wolf's spinal health deteriorated and simple activities became insurmountable tasks, his rescued greyhound, Comet, was called to the life of a service dog.

The book begins as Comet 'chooses' Steve. It talks about Comet's adjustment to life as a pet, her eventual training (its highs and lows), and the compromises Steve makes due to disability. I loved reading about Comet's devotion to her master, and frequently found myself smiling and nodding my head in recognition of what I have come to recognize as nearly universal greyhound actions, habits, and mannerisms.

Comet's Tale prompted me to reflect on the many ways Zelda has enriched our lives, and it reaffirmed the decision we made two and a half years ago to rescue a retired greyhound. This is a book any dog lover will enjoy, but for greyhound owners like me (or anyone considering adopting a retired racer) it is a must read.

My rating:

TSS: The Second Sunday of Advent

Good morning and Happy Sunday. How have we arrived at the second week in December already? Advent is a season of preparation, and that's precisely how I've spent every spare moment this week - making lists, shopping, writing Christmas cards, and decorating. As a result, it's been pretty quiet at Lakeside Musing with only two posts (The Makioka Sisters for The Monday Mention and Top 10 Tuesday highlighting books on my Christmas list). But I have it on good authority that Santa read the second post, so there may be a few books under the tree this year after all.

Current reading:

Without Reservations  by Alice Steinbach

Reading a few pages before nodding off to sleep just isn't conducive to finishing books. No matter... I'm closing in on the two thirds mark and savoring every page.

Current listening:
The Power of Habit: Why We Do What we Do in Business and Life  by Charles Duhigg
Random House has added the author to their Open House line-up.. what a happy coincidence!

Anticipating:
A trip to New York City later this week for the Hurricane Sandy-delayed Random House Open House.

Planning ahead:
I'm thinking about the direction my reading and blogging will take in 2013.  James' TBR Double Dog Dare will certainly figure into the mix, but changes are coming. Look for a full post as the new year begins.

Inspiration:
It's been years since my last adventure in knitting, but my brother posted a photo on my facebook wall that could push me to dust off my needles. Zelda would most likely find this reindeer hood beneath her dignity, but I think it's adorable.

photo credit

Today's plans include cleaning and laundry (how exciting!) and more decorating. Later we'll have dinner with my family. If all goes well, there could be some reading and blog-hopping, too. Do you have a long to-do list today? Are you reading anything good right now?

The Grapehound Wine Tour

The Grapehound Wine Tour is an annual celebration of greyhounds and greyhound adoption. It was held last weekend in New York's Finger Lakes region. We've been a greyhound family for just over two years, and have been curious about the event. Last Saturday, we decided to head out to the vineyards and see what it was all about.

Atwater Estate Vineyards served as home base, but wineries all around Seneca Lake open their doors to greyhounds and their people.

I love this logo. It's on the souvenir wine glass, too!

Zelda made some new friends.

Vendor tents offered everything greyhound.

We enjoyed gorgeous scenery, wine tastings, and

greyhounds galore!

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by:
Alyce from At Home With Books


Find details and more photos here.

Weekend Cooking, hosted at Beth Fish Reads, is open to anyone who has a food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up over the weekend.

Wordless Wednesday: Greyhounds at the Race

Maybe we should have entered Zelda after all...

Thanks for the photo, Carrie.

Wordless Wednesday

Zelda goes for a ride

The Sunday Salon: TBR Double Dare Strike Out, New NOOK, and Zelda Update

Not one strike, but three. Twenty-nine days ago, I took up James' dare to read from my shelves for three months. Today, I admit defeat.

Strike #1:  My library hold of The Forgotten Waltz by Anne Enright arrived. The plan was to read a few pages, send it back, and check it out again after the dare. I read the whole book.

Strike #2:  The Odds by Stewart O'Nan, pre-ordered months ago, appeared in my mailbox. I will start reading it this afternoon.

Strike #3:  I bought a NOOK Simple Touch and downloaded Clarissa for our group read (not technically a strike since the book is already on my shelf). Then, at Sandy's suggestion, I impulsively downloaded a sample of 11/22/63 by Stephen King... it's only a matter of time before I click 'buy now'.

So much for the TBR Double Dare. But, early dropout status notwithstanding, I will still continue to read from my shelves as much as possible.

The new NOOK:
On the plus side, I love my NOOK Simple Touch! It's very lightweight and easy on the eyes. I'll never try to read a book on my iPad again. Just looking at the pink case makes me happy, but will I need a 'wardrobe' of them?  Kate Spade has some very attractive, albeit pricey, offerings.

I've had great fun exploring the Girlebooks link Audrey sent. Lady Audley's Secret  by Mary Elizabeth Braddon was my 'practice download' and there are several others that caught my eye, including Selected Stories by Katherine Mansfield.

Are there any other websites I need to know about? Or NOOK tips in general?

Zelda update:
Zelda is not happy wearing the dreaded Elizabethan collar, but her paw is finally beginning to heal. This week she started to put a little weight on it... very tentatively, of course, but a good sign. The vet has prescribed another two weeks of antibiotics and we'll reassess the collar in another week. It looks like Zelda is going to make it!

I finally decided to visit the doctor this week, too. Antibiotics are helping some with the sinus infection and bronchitis, but the killer cough lingers. It looks like another day on the couch for me - reading, blogging, and drinking tea.  Are you up to anything exciting today?

Of Vacations and Veterinarians

What a difference a day makes. Saturday morning, I woke to the sound of waves and watched the sun rise over the Gulf of Mexico. Sunday, it was twelve below zero as the snowplow roared down the road. I'm ready to go back to Sanibel!

It was a very relaxing week. There were walks on the beach and bike rides, but mostly I ate, drank, slept, and read. I finished Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow for book club and Where Angels Fear to Tread by E.M. Forster. I'm at the halfway mark in Every Last One by Anna Quindlen, read the first few letters in Clarissa by Samuel Richardson, and made a significant dent in the pile of New Yorker magazines.

Everything was perfect until I received a call from the kennel just before we boarded the plane to come home. Zelda injured her paw/pad and they were taking her to the vet. By the time we landed in New York, I had a message from the vet. Thankfully there were no broken bones, but since greyhounds have very delicate legs, there was no extra skin to stitch the laceration together. Her wound was cleaned and covered, antibiotics and pain meds were prescribed, and a plastic boot was fashioned from an IV bag to keep the bandages dry in the snow. Zelda is hobbling around on three legs and we're slated for return vet visits two or three times a week for the next couple of months. We have an appointment later today and I'm anxious to speak with the vet in person. Once Zelda start to heal, I'm hoping they'll show me how to change the dressing. I love our vet, but would rather not visit three times a week all winter. It may be a few more days before regular blogging resumes.

Poor Zelda...

Wordless Wednesday: A Dog's Life

Sunday Salon: The Dog Days

And so we begin the Dog Days of Summer..

...forty days of especially hot and humid weather with little rainfall, according to the Farmers' Almanac. The name came from the ancient Greeks. They believed that Sirius, the "dog star," which rose with the sun at that time, was adding to the sun's heat. They also believed that the weather made dogs go mad. The Romans tried to appease Sirius by sacrificing a brown dog at the start of the dog days. For the Egyptians, the arrival of dog days marked the beginning of the Nile's flooding season, as well as their New Year celebrations. 

"Dog days" has been adopted by the stock market because the markets tend to be slow and sluggish; it's also come to mean any period of stagnation or inactivity. (from today's Writer's Almanac)

The dog days of blogging are apparently here, too. With two graduations, senior ball, Father's Day and a short trip, June passed in a blur of activity.  I read only two books and listened to one more, but haven't gotten around to reviewing any of them. Sunday Salon posts fell by the wayside, too.

So, what am I reading now? I've just started The Gap Year by Sarah Bird and finished few short stories by Guy de Maupassant.  Room by Emma Donoghue is my current 'car audiobook' and Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin is loaded on the ipod.

Paris in July is finally underway! To get things started, I'll post my thoughts on A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway this week. I also highly recommend the movie Midnight in Paris.

Blogging may continue to be sporadic throughout these dog days of summer. Hopefully, reading will continue as normal. We have a very low-key day planned today and I'm looking forward to a couple of uninterrupted hours with The Gap Year this afternoon. Tomorrow will be full of July 4th festivities - a road race in the morning (I'll be a spectator/cheerleader), followed by a parade, party, and fireworks. It's truly one of my favorite holidays!

By the way, that's not Zelda lounging on the float. She's a little nervous in the kiddie pool, but I came across a wonderful website featuring other greyhounds enjoying the water.

Enjoy the holiday weekend!

Wordless Wednesday: Two Graduates and A Greyhound

'Twas the day after Christmas, when all through the house....

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse hound.

Christmas 2010 is now a happy memory. A lazy, quiet day followed... other than a little reading and a brisk walk with my husband (it was too cold for the dog), there was minimal activity.  A couple of the girls never took off their new jammies. Zelda, like the rest of us, relaxed in a favorite chair, but she was the only one willing to be photographed.

My main accomplishment was finishing Freedom. What an amazing book! Franzen's writing has left me utterly in awe. I plan to gather my thoughts this week.  A few other reviews need some attention before the end of the year, too.

This is also the time for tallying stats, sharing year-end lists and observations, and planning for the year ahead. I have a couple of posts in the works, but my main focus this week will be on helping Daughter #1 prepare and pack for her semester in London. Weather permitting, she leaves January 5.

Tonight I'm trying to decide what to read next: one last library book (The Doctor's Wife) before the TBR Dare begins, or Major Pettigrew's Last Stand for my January book club meeting.  First, I'll catch up with some of your blogs.  How have you spent this 'day after'?

Wordless Wednesday: Zelda

"Did somebody say cookie?"

Wordless Wednesday: July 7

Zelda loves the lake, too!

The Sunday Salon: Summer, finally...

photo credit

Summer has arrived! Time to kick back, relax, and read by the lake... right? That's what I keep telling myself as I make the list and pile up a huge stack of books. The reality, however, is that I actually read less during the summer months. Even audiobook time dwindles. There are family activities, gardening chores, and usually a few short trips (mostly college visits this summer).

So this year, I'm taking a different approach. It will be a "no pressure summer"... no reading or blogging commitments. I'll still visit Paris in July and possibly start the Japanese Literature Challenge, but beyond that I'll read whatever catches my eye, whenever I have the time. As far as blogging goes, I'll aim for a couple of posts a week here and one at Lakeside Kitchen.

This week I finished Cheri by Colette and loved it! My edition also contains The Last of Cheri, so I will read that soon and review them together.

I started A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg and began recommending it to friends after reading just the introduction. Now, at page 70, I am confident this book will be a keeper! The recipes look wonderful, too.

My week started in New York City. By the time we got home, I'd missed the first couple of days of Audiobook Week at Devourer of Books. There was a catch-up post on Wednesday, a query about earbuds on Thursday, and a list of audio favorites on Friday. The House at Sugar Beach by Helene Cooper is my current audiobook.

Saturday's Weekend Cooking post was at Lakeside Kitchen. I love Wegman's, their Menu magazine, and discovered a couple new products for summer meal shortcuts.

On the home front, yesterday marked Zelda's one month anniversary with the family. After a couple of sleepless nights and a trip to the doggy ER, her transition to life as a pampered pet has been a breeze. We love her sweet, gentle disposition and silly antics. She loves being around us, and insists on following me from room to room. Zelda really enjoys her walks around the village, too, and has made quite a few friends.

My parents and siblings are visiting this afternoon. It will be a hot, muggy day, so we'll definitely get out on the lake before dinner. Later this evening, I'll get back to A Homemade Life. What are you reading today?

The Sunday Salon: Hurry Up Summer

It's been quiet at Lakeside Musing lately. A new dog in the house requires a huge time commitment, and if that dogs gets sick, it becomes even greater. Zelda arrived just over a week before our trip to the 'doggy ER' last Sunday. Four hours, $400, and a few tests later, we were back home. Zelda, freshly pumped up with fluids, received a diagnosis of hemorrhagic gastroenteritis, a week's worth of antibiotics and dietary supplements, and I began boiling chicken and rice for her next meal!

Thankfully, Zelda bounced back just as quickly as she became ill. A couple of days later, we began reintroducing dog food along with the chicken and rice. The last chicken will be fed tonight.... we'll see how she feels about a breakfast of just dog food tomorrow! Aside from the digestive issues, she has adjusted seamlessly into the household.

This is the final week of school and Regent's Exams for Twin B. Summer at the lake officially begins Friday afternoon. We can't wait!

As far as reading goes, I finally finished a book! The last 50 pages of The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton were turned while sipping my morning coffee. This was a very entertaining, plot-driven novel and I thoroughly enjoyed it. My book club meets for discussion on Thursday, but I'm not quite sure what we're going to talk about. Will need to give this a little thought...

The House at Sugar Beach by Helene Cooper is my current audio book. Cooper was born into a privileged Liberian family and enjoyed what seemed to be an idyllic childhood before civil war forced her family's exile to America. The book is read by the author. It took a couple disks to get used to her flat delivery, but I really enjoy when she speaks in the Liberian dialect.

This week also mark the conclusion of our Wuthering Heights Wednesday read-along hosted by Jill at Fizzy Thoughts. I've really enjoyed this experience, probably even more than the book, and will post my final thoughts on Wednesday.

As for my next book... we'll see what strikes my fancy later this evening. What are you reading today?

Out walking the dog...

Zelda is here and as sweet as can be! She's a quiet, well-mannered girl that seems to like nothing better than a nice long walk followed by a tummy rub. The holiday weekend ahead will provide the perfect opportunity for some "family bonding". See you next week...

The Sunday Salon: This and That

Good morning! As you read this, I'm on my way to New York City... again. I wish I could report that it's to attend BEA and the Book Blogger Convention, but we're actually moving my daughter into an NYU dorm and then heading straight home. She has an internship at ESPN and is also taking a class at NYU.

On our last trip, we discovered that her dorm is literally two blocks from the Strand Bookstore, and Shakespeare & Co. Booksellers is a few block in the opposite direction! She's thrilled, and I'm just a little envious. When you're taking a break from BEA and browsing the bookstores, if you happen to notice a tall redhead with her nose in something Austen-related, chances are it's Daughter #1!

I did manage to finish one book this week, Molly Fox's Birthday by Deirdre Madden, but am having a hard time gathering my thoughts for a review. For now, I'll just tell you I loved it and hope to be able to expand on that later in the week.

My next priority is The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton - our June book club selection. The audio has been on my ipod for the past two months, but I haven't managed to listen to it. For some reason, I haven't been listening to anything at all! My sister loaned me her copy, so maybe a combination read/listen will begin this week.

There are four more installments of the Wuthering Heights Wednesday read-along hosted by Jill of Fizzy Thoughts. The serial reading of Wuthering Heights seems to have fallen into my short story space, so Short Story Monday participation has been spotty at best the last month or so.

On the home front, end-of-the-year activities begin in earnest this week with the first round of concerts and awards assemblies. Twin A's school year ends June 4, but Twin B won't finish her Regents Exams until June 18. Let's just say she's not happy at the prospect of going to school for an "extra" two weeks!

We're also expecting more news about our retired greyhound, Zelda. She arrived on Saturday and we're anxious to hear how she weathered the long trip and how she's settling in with her foster family. If all goes as planned, we'll bring her home in another week or so.

There will be no reading for me today, but I hope you can spend some time with your current book. Enjoy your Sunday, and safe travels to all attending BEA!

The greyhounds are coming!

The GUR (pronounced "grrrr" and standing for Greyhound Underground Railroad) pulled out of the Orlando, Florida station Thursday evening. On board is the dog that will eventually become our new pet. An amazing string of volunteers, each driving anywhere from 3 to 10 hours, has arranged a complicated series of meetings and hand-offs that will land the dogs in central New York sometime Saturday. Another week or two of 'foster care' will follow before they are united with their new families... hopefully by the end of the month.

This is Zelda (known as Superior Zelda at the track), the dog that has been selected for our family. She is almost 4 years old, weighs 59 pounds, and has raced 99 times, most recently on May 8. For the last couple of weeks, she's been in a Florida foster home learning about life as a family pet.

Our plan was to keep the dog's track name, unless it happened to be something totally unacceptable (like Frogg Togg, as one of them is called). I think Zelda will be just fine... it makes me want to reread FSF's Tender is the Night! We're very excited.