Friday, January 31, 2025

Daily gifts

We had a record-breaking January dry spell that ended last night. Today looked like this (from the clinic in town):
Talk about monotone!
While the clear, cold weather was a wonderful mood-enhancer, we need rain to make the trees and shrubs and flowers and grass grow – to make this part of Oregon look like Oregon. And we need that moisture to fall as snow in the Cascades to feed rivers, lakes, and reservoirs throughout the summer. This week should help those needs, according to the forecast.
I hope it makes our grass grow; the ewes have pretty much eaten it all.

Frost so heavy it looked like snow; we turned around.
A view of Mt. Hood from the saddle.
As the weather started shifting, we awoke to fog and heavy frost in unusual places yesterday morning. 
By this morning . . . well, refer to the first photo in this post.

Besides recent scenic blessings, there have been other gifts as well. Last week a church friend surprised me with this lovely antique piano chair that I had admired at her house. It made a great staging piece for my nearly finished Advent snack scarf.
Unfortunately, I ran out of the yarn I was using for the bind-off. It was one of the holiday snacks, and I have nothing the same color in my extensive stash. So I asked the others who had participated in the holiday snack exchange if they would be willing to part with that snack if they still had it in fiber or yarn form. Someone was, and her singles arrived today. I quickly plied it up tonight, and may finish my scarf yet tonight, too.

Other daily gifts have shown up in my IG/FB posts, shown below.
"Almost 180° of  color this morning! A bit past its prime because my phone was dead, but still glorious."
"Chuckie, begging for attention (he got some.)"
"Our God is so creative!"
"My black beauty has filled out a lot since I got her!"
"The sarcococca is powerfully aromatic all around–and INSIDE–the house right now."
"Good night."

"I love our downtown!"

The big news of the week is that I met with an orthopedic surgeon on Thursday who is willing to replace both my knees in one big operation. He says I meet his requirements of age, health, and fitness for doing it, and sent me on for labs and an EKG immediately afterwards; I meet with an anesthesiologist to go over the results next week. I don't have a date for surgery yet; the surgeon said March or April. I'm going to vote for April or even May, as my mom thinks her move-in date is May 1 and mentioned she'd appreciate me driving her in her car from TX to NE. And I really need to get my flock of 15 sheared and skirted before then, too. Now if Rick would just find someone else to run his office and a place to move it to....

ETA the other good news of the week: DS is gainfully employed again. Hallelujah!

That's it for now from . . .

Wednesday, January 22, 2025

Never say it can't get more challenging

during early morning chores before work
heading home after work

Hi, blogpals. Isn't 2025 shaping up to be . . . something else? There's no point in talking about the raging bull in the White House elephant in the room; our country as we know it will either survive or it won't. All human institutions will fail before "the great (for those who love Him) and terrible (for those who don't) day of the Lord."  Is this part of that failing? I don't know; I'm no prophet, just another sinner needing the armor of God for protection. Ephesians 6:11:13

Without my faith, I would surely quail/fail at all that life is throwing at us this year so far. I've already mentioned that Rick's office manager cut her hours to halftime at the beginning of the year (and didn't work at all last week because her husband had surgery) and that the clinic has to be out of the space we've rented for almost 30 years by end of February. And no, there is still no plan in place for dealing with either of those major developments; have I mentioned how much my DH hates change? I am hoping to get both knee replacements done in the next six months, but obviously can't be laid up recovering while working five days a week or before we move the vet practice – or before my mom moves. (Great news – she finally got word that a two-bedroom apartment in the 55+ complex she's had her eye on is opening up at the end of February or early March! Alarming news – that's not long for her to deal with all her stuff and property and move from Texas to Nebraska with help from me, her ablest-bodied daughter!) Still, I am hoping to schedule surgery at my orthopedic appointment next week so I am on the docket. Crossing fingers that he'll be willing to do both at once; the other two surgeons I've consulted won't.

In the meantime Rick (with a little help from DS, who is still unemployed) is still working hard to get the shop finished as we will surely need it for storing some of the clinic stuff, if not using it for the clinic itself. He has been prepping for the concrete floor to be poured, which will hopefully happen soon.
compacting gravel at night

On top of chores and what housework I can manage, I am still squeezing in a little spinning and knitting, a weekly agility class with Poppy followed by a shortened visit with my cousin/cherished friend, and an occasional ride on Stella, who is getting fat from lack of exercise. And I'm still searching for pretty/positive/peaceful things to post to IG/FB; heaven knows there are enough of the opposite to find on social media! First, the IG/FB posts:
"Went with DH to x-ray a pretty horse on a preetty place on a pretty day." (three photos)



"Moody sky on my way home tonight."

"Dramatic sky on my way home from church today."


"Gaze with me upon our morning view."

"Mt. Adams in the morning."

"Yesterday was the first clear, sunny day all week–and my first time at hoe in daylight since the Sunday before. Got reacquainted with a few of my sheep and let the horses out for a much-needed romp." (three photos)



"I can't imagine a life without a dog or two."

"Good morning! Inside, a matching red glow in the wood-burner is keeping us warm."

"Not my usual 'dawn from our deck' photos today. These are 'dawn during chores and on my way to work' photos." (four photos)

Second, spinning and knitting updates:
first turtle spun in 2025


still working on my Playful scarf using my Advent snacks

That's it for now from . . .

Wednesday, January 08, 2025

My 2024 book list

But first, my pretty/peaceful/positive posts to IG/FB from January 3 through today.
Remember that pile of pretty little skeins? They are linking up with some grey homegrown, homespun Shetland to become this!

Haven't seen much color in the eastern sky in awhile! (two photos)

A new Slow Fiber & Fashion project for 2025.
After the grey, muddy weeks we've endured, this is a welcome sight!

Good morning!
The only kind of 'snow' we have, and that's just fine with me.

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For the few who may be interested, here are the titles and authors of the audiobooks I listened to last year, according to Libby. (I decided that typing them out was preferable to sharing the 51 screenshots it took to capture them all!) Like Leigh, I have listed them with no reviews, no links, no pictures of book covers. You will see lots of authors* repeated; if I listened to one and found it intriguing or engaging, I looked for other books by the same author. (If not immediately available, I place them on hold – for which Libby has a limit of six – or tag them with "to listen" – I have over 100 titles so tagged). I love well-done histories, historical novels, and works by and about other cultures (BIPOC, if you will), as these genres have done the most to expand my world view. 
*I have already exhausted all the available works by some of my favorite authors in previous years.
January
Bossypants,  by Tina Fey
Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk, by David Sedaris
Maybe Someday, by Colleen Hoover
Ross Poldark, by Winston Graham
Bury the Lead, by David Rosenfelt
In a Dog's Heart, by Jennifer Arnold
Sudden Death, by David Rosenfelt
Top Dog, by Maria Goodavage
The World According to Bob, by James Bowen
Play Dead, by David Rosenfelt
Philomena, by Martin Sixsmith
People of the Book, by Geraldine Brooks
Dead Center, by David Rosenfelt
Uncommon Type, by Tom Hanks
New Tricks, by David Rosenfelt
Dog Tags, by David Rosenfelt
Leader of the Pack, by David Rosenfelt
One Dog Night, by David Rosenfelt
February
Exile Music, by Jennifer Steil
Maybe Now, by Colleen Hoover
Purgatory Ridge, by William Kent Krueger
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Anne Shaffer and Annie Barrows
A Long Petal of the Sea, by Isabel Allende
Unleashed, by David Rosenfelt
A Man Called Ove, by Fredrik Backman
Who Let the Dog Out?, by David Rosenfelt
Lost and Found Cat, by Amy Clarice Shrodes and Doug Kuntz
This Side of Wild, by Gary Paulsen
Nubs, by Major Brian Dennis, Mary Nethery, and Kirby Larson
Balto and the Great Race, by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel
A Baxter Family Christmas, by Karen Kingsbury
Refugee, by Alan Gratz
Washington Square, by Henry James
The Japanese Lover, by Isabel Allende
Hounded, by David Rosenfelt
Outfoxed, by David Rosenfelt
Dona Gracia Saved Worlds,  Bonni Goldberg
Bronze Drum, by Phong Nguyen
Archer's Voice, by Mia Sheridan
One Summer in Savannah,  by Terah Shelton Harris
The Keeper of Stories, by Sally Page
The Pecan Man, by Cassie Dandridge Selleck
The Lassie Files, by Nick Pirog
Fifty Famous Stories Retold, by James Baldwin
March
Miracle and Wonder: Conversations with Paul Simon, by Malcolm Gladwell & Bruce Headlam
David and Goliath, by Malcolm Gladwell
The Tipping Point, by Malcolm Gladwell
The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder, by Rebecca Wells
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, by Rebecca Wells
Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell
The Twelve Dogs of Christmas, by David Rosenfelt
Collared, by David Rosenfelt
Rescued, by David Rosenfelt
Blink, by Malcolm Gladwell
Deck the Hounds, by David Rosenfelt
The Eyes and the Impossible, by Dave Eggers
The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks, by Shauna Robinson
Bark of Night, by David Rosenfelt
Muzzled, by David Rosenfelt
Twelve Days of Christmas, by Debbie Macomber
Dachshund Through the Snow, by David Rosenfelt
Silent Bite, by David Rosenfelt
The K Team, by David Rosenfelt
Animal Instinct, by David Rosenfelt
Dog Eat Dog, by David Rosenfelt
Best in Snow, by David Rosenfelt
Citizen K-9, by David Rosenfelt
Good Dog, Bad Cop, by David Rosenfelt
Holy Chow, by David Rosenfelt
Santa's Little Yelpers, by David Rosenfelt
April
Lucky Jim, by Kingsley Amis
A Most Agreeable Murder, by Julia Seales
One Day in December, by Josie Silver
The Longest Ride, by Nicholas Sparks
The Best of Me, by Nicholas Sparks
A Walk to Remember, by Nicholas Sparks
Every Breath, by Nicholas Sparks
Three Weeks with My Brother, by Nicholas and Micah Sparks
The Rescue, by Nicholas Sparks
A Bend in the Road, by Nicholas Sparks
Nights in Rodanthe, by Nicholas Sparks
Safe Haven, by Nicholas Sparks
The Lucky One, by Nicholas Sparks
The Last Song, by Nicholas Sparks
Dear John, by Nicholas Sparks
The Notebook / The Wedding, by Nicholas Sparks
See Me, by Nicholas Sparks
Flop Dead Gorgeous, David Rosenfelt
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, by Jamie Ford
The Many Daughters of Afong Moy, by Jamie Ford
Two by Two, by Nicholas Sparks
True Believer / At First Sight, by Nicholas Sparks
May
Pure Joy, by Danielle Steel
Songs of Willow Frost, by Jamie Ford
Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand
Love and Other Consolation Prizes, by Jamie Ford
Honey ad Spice, by Bolu Babalola
The Choice, by Nicholas Sparks
The Almost Legendary Morris Sisters, by Julie Klam
The Levee, by William Kent Krueger
In the Midst of Winter, by Isabel Allende
The Guardian, by Nicholas Sparks
Island Beneath the Sea, by Isabel Allende
Ripper, by Isabel Allende
The Auburn Conference, by Tom Piazza
Marvelous, by Molly Greeley
The Water Dancer, by Ta-Nehisi Coates
The Surgeon's Daughter, by Audrey Blake
This Tender Land, by William Kent Krueger
Three Sisters, Three Queens, by Philippa Gregory
Return to Valetto, by Dominic Smith
The Last Painting of Sara de Vos, by Dominic Smith
June
Murder on the Orient Express, by Agatha Christie
The Light Between Oceans, by M.L. Stedman
Ordinary Grace, by William Kent Krueger
A Long Way from Home, by Peter Carey
Parrot and Olivier in America, by Peter Carey
His Illegal Self, by Peter Carey
Amnesia, by Peter Carey
The Corrections, by Jonathan Franzen
The Discomfort Zone, by Jonathan Franzen
'Twas the Bite Before Christmas, by David Rosenfelt
Vincent and Theo, by Deborah Heiligman
Point of Retreat, by Colleen Hoover
Girl with a Pearl Earring, by Tracy Chevalier
A Single Thread, by Tracy Chevalier
At the Edge of the Orchard, by Tracy Chevalier
The Lost Girls of Paris, by Pam Jenoff
News of the World, by Paulette Jiles
Boys in the Trees, by Carly Simon
The Orphan's Tale, by Pam Jenoff
Falling Angels, by Tracy Chevalier
My Friend Anne Frank, by Hannah Pick-Goslar and Dina Kraft
City of Thieves, by David Benioff
July
GO AS a RIVER, by Shelley Read
My Dear Hamilton, by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie
The Exiles, by Christina Baker Kline
The House Girl, by Tara Conklin
Too Much Happiness, by Alice Munro
The Return, by Nicholas Sparks
A Piece of the World, by Christina Baker Kline
The Ninth Hour, by Alice McDermott
The Nineties, by Chuck Klosterman
Cilka's Journey, by Heather Morris
The Heiress, by Molly Greeley
Demelza, by Winston Graham
Clearing in the Wild, by Jane Kirkpatrick
The Daughter's Walk, by Jane Kirkpatrick
Three Sisters, by Heather Morris
The Light in Hidden Places, by Sharon Cameron
August
Simon the Fiddler, by Paulette Jiles
Under the Henfluence, by Tove Danovich
Merle's Door, by Ted Kerasote
Shotgun Lovesongs, by Nickolas Butler
The Captured, by Scott Zesch
Jeremy Poldark, by Winston Graham
The Speckled Beauty, by Rick Bragg
Where I Come From, by Rick Bragg
My Southern Journey, by Rick Bragg
The Most They Ever Had, by Rick Bragg
The Four Winds, by Kristin Hannah
The Fraud, by Zadie Smith
Recitatif, by Toni Morrison
Warleggan, by Winston Graham
Dark Unwinding, by Sharon Cameron
A Spark Unseen, by Sharon Cameron
Hang the Moon, by Jeannette Walls
An American Marriage, by Tayari Jones
The Black Moon, by Winston Graham
The Untelling, by Tayari Jones
Whose Names Are Unknown, by Sanora Babb
Dear Henry, Love Edith, by Becca Kinzer
Pearl in the Sand, by Tessa Afshar
The River We Remember, by William Kent Krueger
September
The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, by John Le Carre
Swing Time, by Zadie Smith
Firekeeper's Daughter, by Angeline Boulley
One Tuesday Morningm by Karen Kingsbury
Sisters Under the Rising Sun, by Heather Morris
The Four Swans, by Winston Graham
Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen
At the Water's Edge, by Sara Gruen
Ape House, by Sara Gruen
The Guest List, by Lucy Foley
Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde
The Paris Apartment, by Lucy Foley
Warrior Girl Unearthed, Angeline Boulley
A Dangerous Business, by Jane Smiley
Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison
Perestroika in Paris, by Jane Smiley
The Hunting Party, by Lucy Foley
A Stranger's Game, by Colleen Coble
Monday Morning Faith, by Lori Copeland
The Christmas Lamp, by Lori Copeland
Strands of Truth, by Colleen Coble
A Study in Scarlet Women, by Sherry Thomas
October
Brown Dog, by Jim Harrison
Tom Lake, by Ann Patchett
The Stranger in the Lifeboat, by Mitch Albom
The Time Keeper, by Mitch Albom
The Chinese Siamese Cat, by Amy Tan
Go Tell It On the Mountain, by James Baldwin
The Lemon Tree, by Sandy Tolan
Aftermath, by Terri Blackstock
Emerald Windows, by Terri Blackstock
The Phantom Tollbooth, by Norton Juster
Dear Life, by Alice Munro
Lilac Girls, by Martha Hall Kelly
Sunset Park, by Paul Auster
How Much of These Hills Is Gold, by C Pam Zhang
Edge of Dusk, by Colleen Coble
The Big Tiny, by Dee Williams
November
The Violin Conspiracy, by Brendan Slocumb
The Women, by Kristin Hannah
The Mist, by Ragnar Jonasson
The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto, by Mitch Albom
Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston
Truman, by David McCullough
The Johnstown Flood, by David McCullough
The Wright Brothers, by David McCullough
The Great Alone, by Kristin Hannah
Land of Milk and Honey, by C Pam Zhang
Animals Make Us Human, by Temple Grandin and Catherine Johnson
This Other Eden, by Paul Harding
December
The Nightingale, by Kristin Hannah
The Angry Tide, by Winston Graham
Playing the Game, by Barbara Taylor Bradford
Chenneville, by Paulette Jules
4 3 2 1, by Paul Auster
The Best of Franz Kafka's Short Stories, by Franz Kafka
The Midnight Feast, by Lucy Foley
Dog Day Afternoon, by David Rosefelt
Runaway, by Alice Munro

See, spending more of my time sitting in an office has its benefits. I had time to type out my reading list, and my Playful scarf has grown considerably:
That's it for now from (and away from) . . .