Tuesday, November 28, 2023

Resuming Regular Programs

Keeping Mummy Company

Daughter went back on Sunday.  She and her friend P had a safe drive back, although it took two hours longer than usual due to the post-Thanksgiving traffic. 

I spent most of Sunday doing a couple of loads of laundry, taking photos for my November garden post, blogging, watching a few online videos, and reading. 

Library Book

I finished reading this book I had borrowed from the library.  Another blogger had mentioned reading it and it sounded interesting.  It is a novel, based on the compilation and publication of the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary.  The publication of the Oxford English Dictionary was a mostly male dominated enterprise.  However, there were some women who contributed, too.  Women like the wife of the editor who cared for their 11 children and ran the household while supporting her husband's efforts; three of their daughters who worked as assistants to their father with sorting the words that volunteers submitted; two sisters, one of whom was a published author, who, between them provided 15,000 quotations for words listed A and B (each word selected to be published had to have supporting printed quotations); and the daughter of one of the men in charge of publishing the Dictionary, who assisted her father.  Their contributions weren't really recognized at the time.  The novel is partially based on the contributions these women made to the publication of the Dictionary. 

In the book, the main character (a fictional character) Esme, is the daughter of one of the lexicographers assisting the editor.  At the start of the book, she is a child, playing under the sorting table where her father and other lexicographers sort and research the words that are being mailed in to be included in the Dictionary.  One day, a scrap of paper with a word written on it flutters to the ground and ends up under the table where Esme finds it.  No one seems to notice that this piece of paper had fallen, no one seems to miss the word, and Esme takes it.  Eventually, she realizes that not all the words being submitted make it into the dictionary and that the words being chosen to be included in the dictionary often didn't include words that pertained to women or words used by common people, especially if they had not been published or were considered vulgar, etc.  She sets out to collect these words that weren't being included in the dictionary, the "lost words", with the intention of compiling her own dictionary of lost words.  In the meantime, her own life evolves as she goes from being a child playing under the sorting table to an adult whose life is touched by the suffrage movement and World War I.

In general, I prefer non-fiction to fiction, but, I found this novel to be quite interesting.  I liked how the author wove in historic facts into the story.  

After I finished reading this novel, I started reading the book about decluttering.  I have finished reading the first half of that book and so far, I am finding it interesting, too.

Today, Monday, I did another load of laundry, ran the dishwasher, ordered a refill on one of my medications, took the trash cans to the curb for pick up on Tuesday morning, visited friend R (a quick, curbside visit with masks on) to drop off some packages she had ordered and had delivered to my address as well as a packet of Japanese curry sauce that my daughter had bought for R to try and some fruit I had bought for the Thanksgiving dinner, and stopped at the library on the way back to return "The Dictionary of Lost Words".  I also read for a bit and watched some TV.  

Meals over the weekend were mostly leftovers or snacks!  I had a bit of an upset tummy on Sunday, so, I had cream crackers for breakfast, half a bagel with a little butter for lunch, and scrambled eggs on toast for dinner.  Today, my tummy was fine and I had the other half of the bagel with butter for brunch, rice with leftover beef curry for dinner, and mandarin oranges for snacks.

I haven't made a meal plan for this week, but, I plan to make some soup with the turkey bones, some turkey fried rice, and, of course, there will be milkrice for brunch on Friday (December 1).  

I am grateful for:
- Daughter's friend gave her a ride back to Berkeley
- They had a safe journey back
- Library books
- A quick visit with friend R
- Dancer keeping me company

Today's joyful activity was reading.  Speaking of joyful activities, I reviewed my Autumn/Fall Joyful Activities list and while I didn't do some of the activities listed there (such as scrapbooking), I did other activities many times (such as arranging flowers) and I enjoyed doing those activities. 

Plans for Tuesday include putting gas to the car and picking up my medication refill.  

How was your Monday?  What are your plans for Tuesday?

20 comments:

  1. I'm glad your daughter had a safe journey back and I'm sure you were relieved to hear from her after the long drive. That sounds an interesting read although I must admit to preferring non-fiction myself. Dancer looks very cute up there on the stool probably thinking everything is back to normal now :)

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    1. Thank you, Eileen; yes, I was starting to get worried when 8 hours had passed and I still hadn't heard from her.
      I used to read a lot of fiction, at one time, but, then, I became more interested in non-fiction.
      Dancer is missing my daughter - he keeps going into her room and meowing, as if he is looking for her.

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  2. Several years ago, I read this book about the making of the English Oxford Dictionary, "The professor and the madman: a tale of murder, insanity, and the making of the Oxford English dictionary" by Simon Winchester. It's a nonfiction book, but is very interesting. Since you've been thinking about dictionaries, you might enjoy it.

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    1. Thank you, June; you are the second person to mention that book to me! The library has a copy of the book and I shall place a hold on it. :)

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  3. I read The Dictionary of Lost Words and really enjoyed it, but I love reading well written fiction.
    I am glad you had a wonderful visit with your daughter. We enjoyed having our son and DIL here. It is so nice to fill the house with the sounds of others here, plus it shakes up our normal routine, which is lovely

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    1. I'm glad you, too, enjoyed reading this book, Anne.
      It was lovely to have my daughter home for a visit; she'll be back for Christmas and the New Year and I'm looking forward to that! I'm glad your son and DIL were able to visit you and hope the coming year will bring many more family visits, especially by a certain little girl who is very dear to your heart!

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  4. Somebody else recommended that book. Must check out library

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    1. I enjoyed reading it, Angela; I hope your library has a copy. :)

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  5. That book sounds interesting but not my sort of book, I've a slump in reading lately so hopping from book to book, but have settled with an Elizabeth Berg book, and I'm really enjoying it.

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    1. That's good that you've found a book that you are really enjoying reading, Chris. Life is too short to read books that we don't enjoy! :D

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  6. Dancer looks tranquil. Perhaps he is meditating on words about cats that need to be in a dictionary! I might check to see if our library has that book. Is December 1 coming so soon!! 😲

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    1. Dancer had just finished going around the house looking for my daughter! He keeps going into her room and meowing! How do you explain to a cat that his other human has gone back to her apartment?
      I hope you enjoy reading the book if you are able to find it.
      Yes, December 1 is just around the corner! I am looking forward to it because I have an Advent calendar, sent by a friend, to open up on the 1st (and each day after that until Christmas!) :)

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  7. Glad your daughter made it back safely. Poor Dancer, missing her! The book sounds interesting. Have you read " Reading the OED"? It's an interesting memoir by someone who spent a year reading the entire dictionary! It was years ago when I read it.

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    1. Thank you, Celie. Yes, Dancer is definitely missing her and moping. I haven't read the book you mentioned, but, earlier today, I noticed that the library had a copy of it. I want to finish reading the 2 books I've borrowed before I check out any more books, but, I'm making a list of books to borrow after that! :D

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  8. Sounds like you are right back on track after your holiday festivities.
    I was going to make some turkey soup but then decided to make a sort of turkey chili. It turned out very good and we have been eating that for a few days.
    I have my tree guy coming to take down a few limbs and cut some branches away from overhanging the house.
    All the yard waste was out last night so as not to miss the pickup like last week. 23 bags/buckets for the 2 weeks combined. That's the end of the heavy raking for November as most of the leaves are now off of the trees. I do keep a couple of buckets to compost down over a year or two, rotating the contents. But I don't have the space to handle it all so it gets put out for pick up.

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    1. I'm trying to get back to regular routines after the week long break! :)
      Turkey chili sounds good! I haven't had any chili in a long time!
      Well done getting all the yard waste bags out for pick up! M just filled up another bin full of tree trimmings from when he pruned the bottlebrush tree. I still need to call and schedule my eucalyptus tree to be trimmed! That's on the December to do list! :D

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  9. I'm happy to hear that your daughter had a safe return journey. I don't know about you, but I can't settle until I get the call to know mine is okay. Having said that, she usually forgets and I end up ringing her instead :)
    The book sounds interesting. X

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    1. Thank you, Jules. Yes, I feel anxious until I hear from my daughter that she has reached her apartment, safely! I usually keep the altar light on from the time she leaves until the time she calls to say she has arrived. This time, it took so long that I even texted her, 30 minutes or so before she called to say she reached her home safely! We generally text each other whenever we leave to go somewhere and get back. She worries about me as much as I worry about her! :)
      I enjoyed the book. :)

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  10. Yes, back to regular programming and I am back to being behind on my blog reading! lol
    I'm glad your daughter had a safe return trip even if it was longer than typical. How long does it normally take her car journey to LA?

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    1. I'm behind with some of my own blog reading!
      Thank you, Debra. It usually takes about 6 hours to drive from LA to Berkeley or from Berkeley to LA. It's about 400 miles, mostly through flat agricultural lands but, there are some mountains and a mountain pass (elevation 4,144 ft) to get through, as well, just to keep things interesting. :)

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