Fave Pic Our cats could qualify as cuddly therapy cats during these cooped up weeks.

Highlights of the Week  I don’t know.  A month ago we scheduled work that needed to be done in our basement and still unfinished dining room and we decided to go ahead with the 2 day remediation since they wouldn’t really be in our living space.  The 2 men came in through the front door already in masks and had direct access to the basement and dining room.  They were here all week 😦  I was less than thrilled at the chemicals and the noise for every day of homeschool.  I’m thankful it’s done and hope we can accomplish a bit more this week.  I actually kind of like home schooling.  As it is he’s only out another week unless the governor decides to extend it.  I’ve already written to him telling him how I feel about it.

Having Jason working from home means that the three of us can have lunch breaks together which has been really nice. We’re hanging in there as best we can as the cases and deaths around  our community continue to climb.

Finished Reading (review), review on Monday

Currently Reading  ‘

Watched 

Watching Season 3 of Ozark, Survivor, and the Tournament of Champions on the Food Network.

Games Played We cleaned up our game cubby and are playing a game up a day until we’ve played them all once.  This week we played – Rails and Sails Great Lakes, Labyrinth, Clue Grab & Go, Jacks, Hedbanz, Ticket To Ride New York, Yamslam, 20 Express.

I’ve linked up with the Sunday Salon this week.  Stay healthy, my friends!

How Not To Die Alone. Finished 3-22-10, 3.5/5 stars, fiction, pub. 2019

Unabridged audio, 7 CDs

Andrew’s day-to-day is a little grim, searching for next of kin for those who die alone. Thankfully, he has a loving family waiting for him when he gets home, to help wash the day’s cares away. At least, that’s what his coworkers believe.

Andrew didn’t mean for the misunderstanding to happen, yet he’s become trapped in his own white lie. The fantasy of his wife and two kids has become a pleasant escape from his lonely one bedroom with only his Ella Fitzgerald records for company. But when new employee Peggy breezes into his life like a breath of fresh air, Andrew is shaken out of his routine. She doesn’t notice the wall he’s been safely hiding behind and their friendship promises to break it down.   from Goodreads

I loved the quirkiness of Andrew and this book as a whole.  His job was to go in to homes of people who died alone when the next of kin was not obvious.  He goes into their homes and through their personal things to find information about who to notify or barring that, money to pay for their burial.  I have no idea if the system in the US works the same way.  It was both morbid and fascinating.

Andrew is 42, never been married and lives in an apartment overrun by his model train set up (not too far off what I pictured for Gage’s future during his model trains years).  The only problem is that Andrew has been making up a family and home life for years.  His boss and co-workers think they know all about his family and look forward to meeting them at an upcoming work function.  Add to that mix Peggy, a new office mate who he has a bit of a crush on.

I did get frustrated with Andrew (how could you not?) and found the middle of the book a little too meandering, but the characters were fun and Andrew’s life from beginning to end was one worth rooting for.  I’m glad I listened to this one.

Fave Pic Lots of fun family game time this week.  Our current favorite is Rail and Sails Great Lakes.

Highlights of the Week What a week, right?  Gage is finally healthy and now we have to stay home.  But, it nice to finally have my kid back to his happy self after  a month+ of sickness.  If we’re friends on Facebook you saw that my horrifying mistake when making dinner led us to discover that Gage may have outgrown his dairy allergy!  Yay!  And if we’re not friends, let’s connect.  This is technically Gage’s Spring Break  so the teachers can prepare lessons, but we got a packet of assignments last week so we started those.  Gage loves a schedule and worksheets, both of which have helped make this week better.  Jason had to go downtown for work one day but now he’s working from home indefinitely.

Finished Reading (review) (review)

Currently Reading  

Currently Listening   I’m like 5 minutes from being done.

Puzzles Finished  When we had to rid our house of everything a year and a half ago I had a lot  of unopened puzzles, so I threw away all of the boxes and plastic, but put the pieces into ziploc bags.  Now we have lots of mystery puzzles.  It’s fun to try and figure out what we’re puzzling.  You can see how many more we have left.  Plenty for the quarantine!

Watching   They made the kid happy.

We’re also caught up with Survivor.  As the weeks have been stressful, I’ve switched from the Hallmark channel to the Food Network for my comfort food.  It’s a bonus that Gage loves the shows too (not like the Hallmark channel, lol). He loves Restaurant Impossible with Robert Irvine.

Plans for the Weekend  More of the same.  Some families are choosing to not to have the kids visit grandparents at this time and I understand that.  I also understand the importance of the visits for the littles and olds.  Gage has had a few visits with my parents and he will have another this weekend.

Stay well, my friends.

I linked up in Sunday Salon at Readerbuzz.

  Morning Meditations.  Finished 3-19-20, self-help, 315 pages, pub. 2020

Do you ever wish you could take a moment from your busy day to reflect on life’s larger questions? Do you wonder how you could experience your relationships differently? Or how to prioritize your goals? It can be challenging to reflect on our own experiences, to lean on the wisdom of others, and to draw inspiration from the world around us. Now you can . . .. without a big commitment of time.

Morning Meditations is filled with more than 150 bite-sized entries about some of life’s most important questions about the nature of change, stress, mindfulness, gratitude, relationships, self-esteem, and health. Carefully curated from the writings of some of the world’s leading mental health practitioners, the passages offer insight and comfort, as well as prompts for further thought.    from Goodreads

Broken up in to several categories like change, mindfulness, and self-esteem this book is full of ideas to get you thinking.  The multiple categories were scattered (like two Stress entries in a row, a needed thing at this time, I think!) and the entries were short.  None were more than a page and a half and most were on one small page.

When I first started reading this I thought it would be perfect for people on the go who didn’t have a lot of time but still wanted to delve a little deeper into their behaviors or beliefs.  Now, it seems, most of the country has plenty of time, but I think it’s still beneficial to keep our minds focused on our goals and our relationships.

I’ll leave you with one entry so you can get an idea of what’s included.

Dear Edward. Finished 3-16-20, 4.5/5 stars, fiction, 352 pages, pub. 2020

One summer morning, twelve-year-old Edward Adler, his beloved older brother, his parents, and 183 other passengers board a flight in Newark headed for Los Angeles. Among them is a Wall Street wunderkind, a young woman coming to terms with an unexpected pregnancy, an injured vet returning from Afghanistan, a septuagenarian business tycoon, and a free-spirited woman running away from her controlling husband. And then, tragically, the plane crashes. Edward is the sole survivor.

Edward’s story captures the attention of the nation, but he struggles to find a place for himself in a world without his family. He continues to feel that a piece of him has been left in the sky, forever tied to the plane and all of his fellow passengers. But then he makes an unexpected discovery–one that will lead him to the answers of some of life’s most profound questions: When you’ve lost everything, how do find yourself? How do you discover your purpose? What does it mean not just to survive, but to truly live?   from Goodreads

The Adlers were moving from New York City to Los Angeles when the unthinkable happens and Eddie is left the lone survivor of the plane crash.  Taken in by his aunt and uncle the three try to find some normalcy.  Eddie becomes Edward and because of his miracle status is able to navigate his early teen years in his own way.  From the beginning he latches on to Shay, his next door neighbor, and she becomes his lifeline.

More than just a coming of age story for a boy who loses almost everything, it also tells the tales of the other passengers on the doomed plane.  The military man who is going home to the drugged out Wall Street guy making the moves on the flight attendant, the stories add to the heft of Edward’s new life.  Their lives become a part of his own.

The two points in time, current day and the hours in the air on the flight, alternate with suspense building for why the plane came down and what his miraculous survival means for Edward’s life.  In the end, Edward turns 18 and we find out what happened on the flight and I was left both sad and hopeful.  The dual story lines do seem like a downer, but Edward’s search for meaning and in the people who reach out to him after touched my heart.

Fave pic

Highlights of the Week – It’s over.

Currently Reading   This looks like a broken record.  Gage was home sick, I was sick.  Not much got done.

Currently Listening

Finished Watching Altered Carbon Season 2 on Netflix.  Not as good as the first season, but some good stuff in there.

Plans for the weekend Most everything is closed here.  Ohio has 5 confirmed cases of Coronavirus and they’re all here in our area so we are limiting ourselves to the house this weekend.  I’m working at the Ohio primary elections on Tuesday and I’m not thrilled about the exposure.

I’m hoping some of my positivity will come back next week.  Share some of your happiness with me.  What were your highlights of the week?

Fave Pic  Enjoying the sunset on a healthy Sunday.

Highlight of the Week  Well, the book sale I went to last Sunday was great and I got a chance to meet and exchange notes with another Cuyahoga Library Friends President.  I was even able to invite her to a local meetup on Tuesday that she didn’t know about.  The rest of  the week has pretty much been one I’d like to move on from.  After 10 days on antibiotics Gage had one day of happiness before waking up with the flu on Wednesday.  He’s lost his voice and some of his coughing makes him throw up.  He was able to to nap for almost 3 hours yesterday.  I’m not sure he’s ever been this sick 😦  And Jason woke up sick on Friday.  Pray for their health and mine!

Books Read  (review)

Currently Reading 

Currently Listening   So quirky!

Movies Watched Now I need to get my hands on the the EL Doctorow short story it’s based on and the Nathaniel Hawthorne short story that started it all.  I’m curious to see the trajectory.

On the Small Screen  We’re halfway through season 2 of Netflix’s crazy cyberpunk series Altered Carbon.  I liked season 1 but it took me a little longer to get into this season.

The Water Dancer review

My 30 Day Challenge Update

Plans  for the Weekend  We’re having a kids book sale this morning at the library that I’m in charge of so that will take the me until mid afternoon when I will be back home trying to heal my kid and my husband.  I feel like this healing business has been on my weekend agenda for awhile.

What’s going on in your neck of the woods?

We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices.  Finished 3-5-20, children’s non-fiction, 4.5/5 stars, 96 pages, pub. 2018

Fifty of the foremost diverse children’s authors and illustrators–including Jason Reynolds, Jacqueline Woodson, and Kwame Alexander–share answers to the question, “In this divisive world, what shall we tell our children?” in this beautiful, full-color keepsake collection, published in partnership with Just Us Books.

What do we tell our children when the world seems bleak, and prejudice and racism run rampant? With 96 lavishly designed pages of original art and prose, fifty diverse creators lend voice to young activists.

Featuring poems, letters, personal essays, art, and other works from such industry leaders as Jacqueline Woodson (Brown Girl Dreaming), Jason Reynolds (All American Boys), Kwame Alexander (The Crossover), Andrea Pippins (I Love My Hair), Sharon Draper (Out of My Mind), Rita Williams-Garcia (One Crazy Summer), Ellen Oh (cofounder of We Need Diverse Books), and artists Ekua Holmes, Rafael Lopez, James Ransome, Javaka Steptoe, and more, this anthology empowers the nation’s youth to listen, learn, and build a better tomorrow.      from Goodreads

So much love in and for this kid’s book!  First, it’s just gorgeous.  The cover is great and each 1-3 page entry is illustrated by a different talented illustrator.  Just flipping through the book, before even reading a word, you will be drawn in.

This treasury was started after the 2016 election and the editors saw how distraught their grand-niece and other kids were.  How they felt all of the hate spewing down on the marginalized and they were scared, confused, and worried.  This is a book to comfort, inspire, and motivate.

The stories and poems included this this collection are a joy to read.  There are personal stories, advice, and poems.  I have a list of favorites and I’ll share a few.  I’m so glad that this was on our library’s recommended list for winter.  Be sure to check it out.  It’s so beautiful you might even want a copy to keep not only for the kids in your life, but for you!

  Since Nobody’s Perfect…How Good is Good Enough?  Finished 11-8-19, Christianity, 94 pages, pub. 2003

Surely there’s more than one way to get to heaven? Bestselling author Andy Stanley addresses this popular belief held even among Christians. But believing that all good people go to heaven raises major problems, Stanley reveals. Is goodness not rewarded, then? Is Christianity not fair? Maybe not, he says. Readers will find out why Jesus taught that goodness is not even a requirement to enter heaven – and why Christianity is beyond fair. Andy Stanley leads believers and skeptics alike to a grateful awareness of God’s enormous grace and mercy.  from Amazon

Since I’ve added morning devotional reading this year I have been able to read a variety of books, spanning different religions and beliefs.  This one felt the closest to the church I grew up in.  I’ve seen Andy on tv late at night after talk shows go dark and I always find him  engaging, much like I felt for most of this small book (it’s one of six but I only read the one).  I liked the way he talked so politely of people who believe differently.  Yes, by the end he took a more dramatic tone, but I never felt disrespect.  He believes he is right about the way he sees Christianity and that’s fine by me.  He made some great points and made me think.  Good things for a morning devotional.

If you like him on tv, you’ll like this and probably his other books of this set.