On Tuesday

 

Orange Tree

This year's oranges are very small and tangy, but, I picked two on Tuesday and daughter enjoyed them.

Tuesday was a good day.  The winds weren't quite as strong as were forecast and we didn't have any strong gusts of wind where I live.  I brought in the emptied trash and recycling bins, added a few more items to the car, started the car and let it run for a bit (don't want to have to evacuate and find that the car engine has run down!), watched a few online videos, had a long chat with aunt C, and read a book I borrowed from the online library.  

Brunch was scrambled eggs (with a little fresh chives from the garden), bacon, and toast.  Orange juice to go with it.  I had planned to have leftover pasta with ham for dinner, but, daughter and I finished the leftover pasta as a late night/early morning snack before we went to bed.  So, I deviated from the meal plan just a bit and had ham steak with vegetables (broccoli, sliced carrots, potatoes, corn on the cob cut into circles).  Fresh oranges for dessert along with some chocolates.

There's some ham and vegetables leftover for daughter's lunch, tomorrow.  Dinner will be turkey keema curry (I kept the ground turkey to thaw in the fridge).

On Tuesday, I am grateful for:

- The winds weren't as strong as forecast
- The firefighters are containing some of the fires
- The weekly trash collections are still taking place
- Fresh oranges from the tree
- We are still safe from the fires

Tuesday's joyful activity was reading a library book.

Plans for Wednesday include tending to the garden with M.

To Review or Not to Review

That is the question!  

Every now and then, I write a review of a book I've read.  I don't post these reviews for any reason other than I enjoy reading other bloggers' reviews of books and I hope that my readers might enjoy reading my reviews, too.  Plus, sometimes, it's good to look back and remember reading a particular book.

So, imagine my surprise when, earlier this week, I received an email from a book publicist, stating that she came across my blog through the review of the book, The East Indian and suggesting another book, a debut historical fiction novel, that takes place during the British Raj, set in India, but, from the perspective of an American missionary family based on the author's real family history.

The publicist provided some information about the book, but, what really got me all excited was an offer to send me a copy of this book for me to review on my blog!  I had never imagined something like that happening!

To say that I was interested is an understatement.  BUT, and I hate that there is a but, I was nervous about needing to give out my name and mailing address to a complete stranger.  Yes, I've taken a chance and done that, once or twice, but, with the recent news of computer hacking and data breaches, etc., I felt I needed to be cautious.  

So, I emailed her back and declined the offer, saying I will try to obtain a copy of the book from the library (provided the library gets a copy when it becomes available; I've checked the library website and they don't have this book yet) and then, read and post a review.

She replied saying she understood my reluctance to give out my address, and offered to send me a PDF copy of the book, instead.  That sounded like an acceptable alternative, but, then, downloading an attachment from an unknown person has its own risks in terms of computer viruses, doesn't it?  I had one bad experience with malware, clicking on an attachment that I thought was valid!  So, I am going to decline that offer, too.  I will, once again, say that I hate this need to be so cautious!

However, since I feel so honored to have been approached by this publicist, I am going to do something I haven't done before - I am going to post the information on a book I have not read yet!  

The following excerpt is from the email that the publicist sent me:

"Award-winning poet Joanne A. Howard is debuting her first historical fiction novel inspired by her family’s history as missionaries in India. A commentary on colonialism that has impacted Indian society for generations, packed into an engrossing read for fans of The Poisonwood Bible and The Inheritance of Loss.

Sleeping in the Sun (She Writes Press, Oct 22, 2024) follows young George Hinton and his Indian servant, Arthur, in British-ruled India, as scandalous truths unfold around a mysterious family friend who comes to live with the Hintons. Told from two different perspectives, Joanne interweaves the experiences of someone with privilege and someone without, while displaying rich descriptions of the Indian landscape. Sleeping in the Sun will transport you to another time where British influence in India only benefited one group of people.

About the book: In the last years of the British Raj, an American missionary family stayed in Midnapore, India. Though the Hintons enjoy white privileges, they have never been accepted by British society and instead run a boarding house on the outskirts of town where wayward native Indians come to find relief. Young Gene Hinton, it’s a chance to make friends with Arthur, his family’s Indian servant. When Uncle Ellis, a high-ranking British judge, suddenly arrives and announces he’ll be staying indefinitely in their humble house, life as Gene knows it is interrupted. Also skeptical is Arthur. Then an Indian woman appears on their doorstep—and, after growing close to her, Arthur learns the sinister truth about the judge. He must now decide where his loyalties lie—and the Hintons must decide if they can still call India home."

It does sound like an interesting book, doesn't it?  I do hope the library will get a copy.  If not, I might have to break my own rule about not buying any more books!

What do you think?  Do you think I am being too cautious?  Would you have accepted an offer of a book to review?  

On Thursday

Passionfruit Drink

On Thursday, it was sunny and warm (high of 91F).

I made a passionfruit drink from the six passionfruit that my vine produced.  I scooped out the pulp, strained the juice to remove the seeds (will try to grow them), added some water and a little sugar to make the drink.  

I did a load of laundry (my bedsheets and a few other items) and hung everything up to air dry.  Everything dried in a matter of a couple of hours and I remade the bed using the same sheets to avoid the trouble of folding them and storing them in the linen cupboard.  It's called being lazy efficient!  LOL.  

I took two ears of corn from my garden over to neighbor S.  She wasn't home, but, her older daughter N was at home to accept them and, in return, she gave me a packet of spicy ramen noodles to give to my daughter on her next visit home.

I borrowed yet another book from the online library and spent much of the day reading it.  I am allowed to borrow 15 books a month from this online library (that number doesn't change even if you return the books before they are due) and I have borrowed, and read, my 15 books for this month!  Of course, these are light reading, romance novels, but, I am amused to have read 15 books in 15 days.  No, I was not procrastinating on doing housework and paperwork, etc., while I read; of course not!   

I had pancakes for brunch and I ate the majority of them with dhal curry and one with pancake syrup.  For dinner, I cooked a pot of rice and ate some of it with leftover green beans, okra, and ground turkey.  

On Thursday, I was grateful for:

- Another sunny and warm day
- Working appliances
- Electricity to run the appliances
- Homegrown passionfruit
- Being able to borrow books from the online library

Thursday's joyful activities included being able to share some of the corn with neighbor S and reading.

Plans for Friday include picking up my new lab requisition form from my primary care physician's office, going to my oncology appointment, and tending to the garden with M who is due back from his vacation.

How was your Thursday?  What are your plans for Friday?

It's Another Rainy Monday and a Meal Plan of Sorts

Uppuma (Indian-Style Cream of Wheat)

It was a rainy day, today, with some high winds in the afternoon.  Mostly light rain, slowing down to a drizzle, but, a wet and grey day.  

For brunch, I made my version of uppuma or Indian-style cream of wheat, which is a savory breakfast dish with curry leaves, dried red chilies, and other additions such as vegetables and nuts.  I added the last of a jar of roasted peanuts; if I didn't have peanuts, I would have added cashews.  I had listed uppuma on my meal plan a couple of weeks ago, but, didn't make it then.  I also made another freshly squeezed juice drink to have with my brunch - oranges, lemons, and passionfruit, diluted with water and sweetened with sugar as the juice was rather tart.  

I spent a good portion of my day reading one of my library books.  In between, I put away the last of the load of laundry I had done earlier, washed a pair of wool knitted socks by hand, cleaned up after Dancer, took the trash and recycling cans to the curb, watched news and some TV programs on one of the public TV channels.  

Dinner was soup and a deli meat sandwich.

Later, I video chatted with my daughter.

Today, I am grateful for:

- Rain for the garden
- Working appliances
- Hot water on tap
- Library books
- Video chatting with my daughter

Today's joyful activity was reading.

February Week 3 Meal Plan Options:

I am not following my meal plans that closely, but, I like seeing the options written out!

Brunches: Uppuma (Monday), French toast,  the last of the yogurt flat bread with chicken curry, soup, a sandwich with the last of the deli meat, peanut butter toast, scrambled egg and toast, muffins (if I feel like baking)

Dinners: Sausage stir fry with rice or pasta; baked chicken with corn and snow peas; baked salmon (from the freezer) with sides of rice and broccoli; leftovers!

Those are the meal plan options for this week, unless I change my mind and have something different!  LOL!

How was your Monday?  What are your plans for the rest of the week?  Are you doing a meal plan this week?

There are more flowers on the peach tree, now:

Peach Blossom

Sunny Saturday

The Latest Library Book

Saturday was sunny with a high of 62F.  But, I hadn't put the heater on at night, so, the house was a chilly 54F when I woke up!  Needless to say, I put the heater on and kept it on at 65F all day!  

I called my half-sister and chatted with her in the morning.  Then, I did a load of laundry and went ahead and dried it in the dryer, rather than hanging it up to dry inside the house.  It felt like a guilty luxury to use the dryer, especially with the heater on!  But, I wanted to get it all done right away without having laundry hanging all day.  Then, I put it all away, taking care to turn the hangers to the regular side as I returned the washed garments to the closet.

I finished reading the library book shown above, earlier in the week.  It is a novel (fiction) about a man who kept all the things he found that other people had lost, dropped, discarded, misplaced. or left behind.  Anthony Peardew was an author of short stories, who, having lost both his fiancée and a special medallion she had given him, began to collect and keep things he found, a button, a puzzle piece, a hair tie, and even a biscuit tin filled with what appeared to be the cremated remains of someone that had been left on a train seat, keeping meticulous notes about each object, describing the object, recording where it was found, and when.  When he died, he left his house and his collection of lost objects to his assistant, Laura, with the request that she tried to find the former owners of the objects and returned the objects to them.  The story then focuses on Laura and her attempts to find the owners of the lost objects.  There is also, a secondary story woven in between, of Eunice, who also finds a shiny object in the street, on the day she went for a job interview and decides to keep it.  

At first, I found the style of writing a bit confusing as there were stories within stories, especially when it came to the individual objects.  I was also unfamiliar with some of the slang terms used by the British author and I had to look up what Estuary English was although I was able to gather that it was a form of pronunciation from the context.  

However, I enjoyed the book and the stories told within it, and how various, seemingly disparate, threads came together at the end.  

I spent a good portion of the afternoon reading another library book, "On Gold Mountain" by Lisa See, about the story of her family's experiences as Chinese Americans, starting with her great grandfather who, as an herbalist, came over from China to treat and tend to the Chinese who worked to build the Central Pacific Railroad.

Brunch was two slices of bread, toasted.  Dinner was breaded frozen shrimp, fried, with homemade peach chutney as a dipping sauce.  Yogurt with palm treacle and half a granola bar for dessert.  I'll probably eat some fruit for a snack before I go to bed.

On Saturday, I was grateful for:

- A sunny day
- Working appliances, including the heater, washer, and dryer
- Library books
- Being able to read
- Phone calls and video chats with family, exchanging emails with friends

Saturday's joyful activity was reading.

Plans for tomorrow include reading, maybe another load of laundry, and watching a football game!  LOL.  The Green Bay Packers were my team (I had spent six years in Green Bay and that's where I learned about American football), but, they lost to the San Francisco 49ers.  So, since I am now in California, I'll cheer for the team from California!  

How was your Saturday?  What are your plans for Sunday?  Will you be watching the Superbowl?

Another Book On Decluttering

Making Space, Clutter Free

I had previously read the author's other book, Make Space for Happiness, and wrote briefly about it, last November. That book identified seven "emotional clutter magnets" - purpose, love, connection, wisdom, confidence, self-respect, and ease.  The author's premise is that these emotional clutter magnets lead to the acquisition of stuff that end up cluttering our homes, even after we've decluttered, earlier.

In that book, the author referred to the seven "emotional clutter blocks" she had discussed in her previous book and I thought I should read that book, too.  I requested the book from the library and picked it up a couple of days later, but, with Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, and the Almsgiving, I couldn't finish reading it right away and renewed it a couple of times.

In "Making Space, Clutter Free" the author describes some of the decluttering situations she has dealt with and identifies the following seven "emotional clutter blocks" which keep us from decluttering:

#1 My Stuff Keeps Me in the Past 
#2 My Stuff Tells Me Who I Am
#3 The Stuff I am Avoiding
#4 My Fantasy Stuff for My Fantasy Life
#5 I'm Not Worth My Good Stuff
#6 Trapped with Other People's Stuff
#7 The Stuff I Keep Paying For

She goes on to explain what each clutter block means, what the clues are, and how to get over the block; I am afraid that I could identify with most, if not all, of these clutter blocks!  Yikes!

The book also includes a "Clutter Freedom Quiz", which I found very helpful.  She lists nine rooms (although the book says there are ten rooms; earlier in the chapter, she mentions a couple of other rooms including a TV room and an office, which were left off the quiz) with five yes/no questions each:

Garage
Entryway
Living Room
Dining Room
Kitchen
Kids' Rooms
Master Bedroom
Clothes Closets and Dressers
Bathroom

Each "Yes" answer is worth 10 points; you add up all the Yes points, divide by  the number of rooms (this is where the book said there were 10 rooms, but, I counted only nine).

1-15 : You've got a good handle on your possessions, but the trick to staying ahead of it is tune ups.  Devote a few minutes each day to putting away, not putting down, and you'll stay clutter free

16-30 : You have stepped into the danger zone.  If you don't get a handle on your clutter soon, you will no longer own your stuff - your stuff will own you

31-50 : Don't panic ... drill down to see what's under the clutter.  Why can't you let go of stuff and why do you keep bringing in more stuff into your home? 

I adapted the rooms listed to the rooms in my house.  I don't have an entry way because my front door opens directly to the living room, but, I applied the entry way questions to the living room and considered the family room (which is not listed) as the living room.  I also applied the questions for the kids' rooms to my spare bedroom, which is my home office/crafts room/guest room and which has become a bit of a dump!  

Most of my Yes answers pertained to the kitchen and my spare bedroom  a.k.a The Dump!  

The book goes on with decluttering steps for each room  and closet/cabinets, etc., and how to plan for life altering events such as downsizing.  The author's methods involve taking everything out of cabinets and closets and sorting through them all, putting back only what you want to keep.  I tend to find that to be overwhelming - I'd rather declutter a shelf at a time.  

But, I could identify more with this book than with the author's other book, "Make Space for Happiness", which I read, last year.  I have identified the areas I need to work on and I will do that, next.

Have you read this book?  If so, what are your opinions on it?  If not, is it something you might consider reading?

Weekend Reading

The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See

This book was mentioned in another book that I read (On the Curry Trail), last year,  I requested it through the library soon after that, but, put it aside over the holiday season and renewed it twice before I sat down to read it, this weekend.

The story is about a girl, Li-yan, from the Akha people, one of the many ethnic groups in Asia, including China.  She and her family live in a remote mountain village in the Yunnan Province in China, steeped in their ancestral traditions and the tea they grow and produce.  The year is 1988, but, the modern world has not encroached on them, until, one day, a stranger arrives in a jeep, the first automobile any of the villagers have seen.  The stranger is in search of a type of tea called Pu'er tea.  The book follows the story of Li-yan as she becomes one of the first persons from her village to get an education and makes a life for herself, outside her village and yet, bound to it at the same time.  She has a baby out of wedlock with a boy her family disapproves of and Li-yan rejects the traditional customs of her people, which would not have allowed the baby to live, and gives up her baby girl to be adopted.  Some things are rather predictable, as Li-yan longs for the daughter she gave up for adoption (she does go back to the orphanage to reclaim her, but, it was too late, the baby had been adopted by an American couple) and the adopted girl, growing up in California, wonders about her birth mother.  But, there were many interesting twists and turns to the story, too, which kept it from being too predictable.  There is a happy ending, of course.  

I enjoyed reading this book.  I learned a little bit about the Akha people and their traditions and how the changes brought about by modernization can both improve and destroy a more sustainable way of life.  An increased demand for their tea brought more income and electricity, running water, motorcycles, etc.  But, at the same time, that same high demand for tea brought about more quality control requirements, which led to the villagers getting rid of their livestock and it became easier to buy produce than grow it themselves, etc.

One of my favorite chapters of the book was when a group of the adopted girls, now in their teens, were in a group session with a counselor and were talking about their experiences, parental expectations, especially when it came to academics and music, stereotyping, etc.  It was as if I was listening to my daughter and her group of Asian friends (none of whom are adopted, but, all are children of first generation immigrants, all subjected to high academic expectations by their parents, all expected to play at least one musical instrument) talking!  I recommended the book to my daughter, without telling her too much about the story; if she reads it, I know she will nod her head in agreement when she gets to that section of the book!

I now have to finish reading my other library book, the one about decluttering!   I'm about half way through with that!  Both book are due on the 16th!  

Have you read The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane?  If so, did you like it?  If not, is it something you might want to read?

 

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?

Rainy Wednesday

Homegrown Butternut Squash

A rainy day, today.  Very gloomy and chilly, too.  It didn't rain until around 11:30 a.m., and just when M pulled into the driveway, it began to pour with rain!  I told him it was too wet to do any gardening, but, the rain eased a bit and he insisted on doing some cleaning up around the garden.  We also harvested the butternut squash; there is more rain in the forecast and I didn't want the squash to rot in the rain.  It measures a little over 7 inches in length and weighs about 2.5 lbs.

About 2.5 lbs.

I don't know if that is the average size of a butternut squash or not, but, considering the fact that I grew it from a 10 year old packet of seeds, I'm thrilled to have it!  Now, according to what I've read, it needs to cure for one week before it is ready to be cooked and eaten.  We will probably have it roasted with our Thanksgiving meal!  I hope it will taste good!  If it does, I might consider getting a new packet of seeds and planting more butternut squash, next year.  

After M left, I went to the library to return one book and borrow another.  Later, after a brunch of leftover rice and curries, I did a little paperwork and filing, dusted the family room, and settled down to read.  I also called former neighbor T to check on her and to thank her (and her daughter) for the birthday card they sent me. 

It's been a chilly day, but, I've been reluctant to switch on the gas heater and have been using the electric space heater, instead.  I think Saturday will be the day when I'll turn the gas heater on, to warm up the house before my daughter comes home.  It will be another cool and rainy day, according to the forecast and she will want the house to be warm.

Today, I am grateful for:

- The rain - always needed and appreciated
- M helping with the garden
- The butternut squash we grew
- A safe drive to the library and back
- The electric space heater and electricity to run it

Today's joyful activity was harvesting the butternut squash!

Plans for tomorrow include tidying the kitchen and sorting out the spare bedroom which has turned into a storage room!

How was your Wednesday?  What are your plans for Thursday?

Sunny on Tuesday

 

Make Space for Happiness

It was mostly sunny, today, with some clouds moving in.  There's rain in the forecast for tomorrow!

Yesterday (Monday), I had dusted the living room and dining area.  I was going to dust the family room, today, but, I didn't.  Instead, I brought in the trash cans after they had been emptied, went through this week's grocery ads (it paid to hold off on buying the coffee my daughter likes when it was on sale for $7.99 a package a couple of weeks ago; this week, it's on sale for $5.99 which is my current stock up price), did two loads of laundry, picked a few green beans and one ripe cherry tomato from the garden, watered some of the plants in the front garden with water I had collected in buckets while waiting for the shower water to warm up, etc., had a phone call with one of my cousins and exchanged texts with another, and finished reading this library book, pictured above.

This book examines the acquisition cycles that keep our homes cluttered and identifies seven "emotional clutter magnets" that attract clutter.  These clutter magnets pertain to seven important feelings which are: purpose, love, connection, wisdom, confidence, self-respect, and ease.  Then she goes on to describe how we try to assuage those feelings with  buying things that become clutter and suggests how to fulfill those feelings in ways other than buying things.  

All very good insights and useful, proactive steps to take, but, I found it difficult to connect with this book.  Why?  I think it is because of the author's premise that we are constantly buying things.  I used to buy things - mostly books, decorative items, collectibles, craft supplies, etc. No so much clothes, but, definitely fabric for my various sewing projects.  They were things that I enjoyed having.  I no longer buy a lot of things.  I have stopped buying books, I no longer buy decorative items and collectibles, and I rarely buy craft supplies unless I have a specific project in mind (I bought yarn to knit sweaters a few months ago, after I more or less used up my yarn stash).  My current clutter comes from items I have bought previously or was given over the years, which I have continued to keep.  

Apparently, the author had written a previous book about the seven emotional clutter blocks which prevent us from letting go of our possessions.  I think that is the book I need to read, because that's where I am right now - stuck with being unable to declutter what I have.  I have requested that book, Making Space Clutter Free, from the library and am waiting for it. 

In the meantime, I received an email notification this evening that another library book I had requested has come in.  So, the plan is to go to the library tomorrow to return the book I finished reading today and borrow the new book that's waiting for me. 

Today, I am grateful for:

- Phone call and texts from cousins 
- Weekly trash collection services
- Library books and free library services
- Working appliances
- Video chatting with my daughter

Today's joyful activity was reading.

Brunch was leftover rice and curries; dinner was a tuna salad sandwich (went off the meal plan, a little bit!)

Plans for tomorrow (Wednesday) include M's visit to tend to the garden (if it is not too rainy), a trip to the library, dusting the family room.

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

Wednesday

Blue Skies

On Wednesday, the Santa Ana winds blew again and blew all the clouds away, so, I had clear blue skies.

M was here earlier than usual, today; I had forgotten that he starts on his rounds earlier in the day during this time of the year to "race the sun" as he says and finish the gardens before it gets too dark.  He brought me more gardenias from his garden!  I didn't "arrange" them, this time, just put them in a vase (an ice bucket that I had decided not to declutter) with some water.  

Gardenias from M's Garden

He also brought me a cutting from a holiday cactus plant:

Holiday Cactus Cutting
(Schlumbergera truncata)

There are three kinds of holiday cactus plants.  There is the very popular Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera x buckleyi) which usually flowers in December, the Crab or Claw cactus (Schlumbergera truncata), which is also known as Thanksgiving cactus in the US because it flowers in November close our Thanksviging and Christmas cactus in Canada, because their Thanksgiving (in October) has already passed by the time the plant blooms, and the Spring or Easter cactus (Rhipsalidopsis).  In addition, there is also Schlumbergera bridgesii, which used to be called the Christmas cactus, years ago.

The best way to identify these different holiday cactus plants is by looking at the shape of their "leaves" which are actually the stems and called phylloclades and the flowers when they bloom. The Christmas cactus and the Spring or Easter cactus both have smooth, round, scalloped edges and the Thanksgiving cactus have pointy, serrated edges.  Going by my observation of the stems of my plant cutting (and the fact that the buds are forming in November), I am going to identify it as Schlumbergera truncata or Thanksgiving/Crab/Claw cactus.  If and when it blooms, I will be able to better identify it (basically, Schlumbergera x buckleyi or Christmas cactus flowers have pink to brown anthers; the Schlumbergera truncata or Thanksgiving cactus flowers have yellow anthers. 

According to what I've read, the best time to take a cutting is after the plant has bloomed and not when it is setting buds as this cutting is doing, but, we shall see if it roots and grows.  And here ends the botany lesson!  LOL.

In the afternoon, I picked a few green beans (all from one plant) and four cherry tomatoes:

Wednesday' Garden Harvest

I spent most of the afternoon and evening reading my library book that is due tomorrow:

Library Book: On the Curry Trail

The author writes about how, curry, which originated in India, spread to other parts of the world and how it changed according to the available ingredients and tastes of the people who made it.  The book was divided into four sections which looked at a different parts of the world where curry is made (Asia, Africa and the Middle East, Europe and Oceania, and the Americas) and featured a recipe from the countries in that area.  Before each recipe, there was a little history about how curry and the ingredients that went into making a curry, the spices that create the special blends known collectively as curry, reached that area, though trade, through the spread of religion, especially as Buddhism spread from India to other parts of Asia, through colonizers (especially the Portuguese, Dutch, British, and French) introducing various ingredients from other parts of their colonies, through colonizers such as the British bringing indentured workers from India to work on various plantations in other parts of their colonies once slavery was abolished in their home countries, through immigration (I know I brought a jar of curry powder with me when I came here!), and the similarities and the differences.  I enjoyed reading those parts even more than I enjoyed looking at the recipes.  The recipes were interesting, too, and the directions were well written.  I do wish that the recipes were accompanied by actual photographs of the finished dish rather than the colored drawings.  There wasn't a single photograph in the book.  Maybe the author didn't want to cook and photograph each dish or maybe it was a cost cutting measure.  I don't know; but, I do know that I would have enjoyed seeing an actual photograph of the different dishes.  

Today, I am grateful for:

- The Santa Ana winds didn't do any harm to my garden or property
- M tending to the garden and bringing me flowers and a plant cutting
- Daughter felt well enough to go to work
- I haven't felt any side effects from the booster 
- Library books

Today's joyful activity was reading.

Plans for tomorrow include a trip to the library to return the book.

How was your Wednesday?  What are your plans for Thursday?  Do you like seeing photographs of the dishes in a recipe book or don't you mind if there are only drawings?  

A Visit to the Library and a New Book

 

The Woman in the White Kimono

Recently, one of the bloggers I follow, Lady Ella (her blog is a private one, so I won't post a link) had posted a review of a book she had read.  She writes excellent book reviews!  Based on her review, I recommended the book to my daughter, who loves all things Japanese.  Then, I checked my library's online catalog.  My neighborhood branch library didn't have a copy, but, the City's library system had several copies in other branch library locations; I put in a hold request on July 5 and asked that a copy be sent to my neighborhood branch library for me.  A week later, on Wednesday, July 12, the library emailed me to notify me that the item I had requested was waiting for me at the branch library.  

M was here on Wednesday morning, tending to the garden, but, Wednesday afternoon, I went to the library!  It was the first time I had been to the library since the the pandemic and the first lockdown!  I had driven to the library's parking lot to drop off my mail-in voter ballots, on a couple of occasions, but, I had not gone inside the building.  I went in wearing my mask, went directly to the holding shelves located in the "reading area" with newspapers and magazines, picked up my book, checked it out, and was out of the building in about 5 minutes!  I was not brave enough to browse in the stacks on this visit, although I was tempted to grab a few magazines that were right there, below the holding shelves.  But, I might browse a bit when I go to return the book.  

The book...First of all, I generally prefer non-fiction to fiction and when I do read fiction, I prefer historical novels (and love stories by a couple of favorite authors, both of whom are now dead!)  Having said that, I came home from the library, sat down to read, and read until I had to stop reading because my eyes hurt from crying!  I had read about 2/3 of the book by then.  I had a few other things to do on Thursday and the book sat unread.  But, I finished reading it on Friday.

I am not good at writing book reviews and have never been in a book club, but, I really enjoyed reading this book.  It is a story (apparently based on several true stories) of two women, connected through their very different relationships with one man and family secrets.  There are two narrators, one of whom is in 1957/58 Japan and the other in present day America, until the very end of the book, when they are both in present day Japan.  But, there are parts of the story that could have been set anywhere else in the world at just about any time, even in the present day.  The story really resonated with me for one reason or another.  

I don't want to give away the plot, but, if you think you might want to read this story, I found it to be a very engrossing book, although, by no means "light reading".  Apparently, it is the author's first novel; I think it was very well researched and on the whole very well written, too.  Yes, I recommended it to my daughter.  She was unable to locate it in her local branch library, but, she is planning to look for it at the main library.  

Thank you, Lady Ella, for reviewing this book and getting me interested in reading it, too,   And, yay me for taking a trip to the library, at long last!