Monday, December 30, 2019

Such a storm last night!

A terrible storm overnight woke me often, but could not keep my eyes open. It was not thunder, lightening or rain that woke me, but just plain noise. Finally I rolled over to see if the alarm would ring soon, and the alarm should have rung almost two hours before.

Le chat can no longer attract my attention in the morning, if he even ever tried. He now spends his nights elsewhere in the house. It's the same as removing a fifteen pound bag of sand from one's ankles. Shin's. Knees.

I moved through the house cursing clocks set askew by the power outage. I have two "atomic" clocks that keep the proper time. One is battery, one is electric. Neither is an alarm clock! Think about moving to the kitchen for the morning coffee, and time is flashing green all about you. Not a good start.

At lunch time I decided my current book, The Old Ways, by Robert Macfarlane is not for me. Shame. I've read so many of that genre. Not to mention, the front page after front page of two and three line praises of the book leaves me thinking I should soldier on. Which I will not. It moves to the right pile, and from the left I will next select Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods.

Tomorrow I'm going to New Year's Eve breakfast with Lynn and Jim. None of us are still up at midnight, and wouldn't know where to go if we were.



Spoiler alert: I'll be done with cerise this week, and on to a new color. I took down plum and turquoise green. Or any other color. I'm happy to compile votes. Also, that turquoise green is less like any color by that name! But I can't decipher it.

And since I was out and about today, here are the "ponies" for Dave. They're working on a new piece of the field.


And now I'm off to work on the new tab, Good Ideas.


44 comments:

  1. I've tried a couple of Macfarlane's books. They drove me crackers...so pretentious.

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  2. I'm not familiar with Macfarlane. I love the horses. They are very beautiful.

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  3. We are having a ferocious wind storm. A hot wind storm. And yet more fires are raging.
    When will it end?
    Love the horses and will not see the New Year in. She knows her way without my support.

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  4. Bill Bryson should be a good read

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  5. We had one cat that we referred to as "alarm cat". She would come to our room very concerned if we weren't up by a certain time. She did not understand weekends. Was it a wind storm that you had, hopefully not the ice storm some are getting. -Jenn

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    1. Absolutely no precipitation, but everything lose went airborn.

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  6. I've gotten to the point, since most of the books I get these days are from the e-library, that if I can't get into a book after a few pages, I don't try to struggle through it; even some I was waiting for a long time to get. Too many good books out there to waste reading something that is not to my liking. We have a battery operated alarm clock just for that reason in case power goes out.

    betty

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  7. Ever since I stopped working at the bar I stay home on New Year's Eve. All that are out are the crazies who drive after too much to drink. I'l take my chances in the living room thank you.

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  8. I wish you a happy good year Joanne.

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  9. I LOVE that turquoise colour, but if that's green, then I'm Queen Victoria! it looks so blue, like the Caribbean sea. I simply must have teatowels in that colour! Next year though.

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    1. I'm going to have my sister, of the unerring color eye, take a look at it. Next time I order, I'll ask for labels. Unless they cost more. Those Frenchies (with apologies to Debra).

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  10. Hari OM
    I've had MacFarlane recommended to me several times, but every time I go read the 'blurb', I just know it is likely to bore me to death. A Walk In The Woods is a lovely read (made a good movie, too). I received two lovely books for Christmas; Corvus and Scottish Cats (poems). I had a book sent to me a few months back that I just haven't been able to get into to, but the writing just doesn't pull me in. I'll give it one more try in January, then may have to surrender! (Things In Jars.)

    Dad and I will sit up with the ceilidh on the telly, then a lie in tomorrow. Happy New Year dear lady! YAM xx

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  11. Super horses/ponies photograph. It would make a great painting or picture on one of your towels or a tablecloth?

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    1. Mark runs his farm on those two horses. They are a matched pair of Belgian draft. I think in this picture you can especially see that broad draft horse back that turned the American prairie into the world's bread basket. And the dust bowl.

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  12. I have an old spring-wound alarm clock on the night table for all the reasons you elucidate. It is reliable and has the kind if jangle you can't ignore.

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    1. I must find one that does not tick! Actually, I have a little battery powered travel alarm, but do I ever set it? No.

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  13. At least you got a two hour lie-in. Love the new colours and the waistcoat.

    Happy New Year Joanne.

    LinX

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  14. You should enjoy A Walk in the Woods. Seems to me that we did it in audio form back in the day.

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  15. Those atomic clocks are all operated by an evil Time Lord in a mountain cave somewhere, aren't they?

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    1. No, it's in Boulder, Colorado, in an appropriate building. My brother-in-law's father had on his bucket list, seeing the atomic clock. His son could not persuade him there was nothing to see. Eventually Dad settled for "too far to drive."

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  16. Our cat Jack was banned from the bed last night. I love sleeping with him but he attacks Mr. Moon's feet which is really not conducive to good sleep. Still, I will miss his warm bulk next to my hip, holding my covers in place.
    New Year's Eve breakfast sounds perfect to me.

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    1. Toby is the first cat I've ever banned. He does not comprehend "beside me". He simply takes a giant flop on, and I'm not strong enough to dump him. At least not the second time. He also does not comprehend "out", and it's become an argument, and worse.

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  17. None of our household clocks is atomic (except the computers and iPad and smartphone), so they all have to be changed twice a year. It drives me mad.

    I read Just Mercy on your recommendation and thoroughly enjoyed it. The film is about to come out here as well.

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    1. It's the next up movie for my movie neighbor and me.

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  18. Bill Bryson is supposed to be a very entertaining writer, I hear, although I've never read any of his books. Happy New Year, Joanne!

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  19. Oh No! A flashing kitchen! Power outages are awful.
    I am glad the lights are back on for you.
    Have a Happy New Year!

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  20. Sounds like a nasty storm! I don't stay up until Midnight to ring in the New Year especially when I'm in the States and still on UK time!

    Happy New Year to you!

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  21. I loved the Bryson book. HOpe it works for you too.

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    1. We hardly got a brush from the storm at my house. My neighbours the next consession over saw some wickedness though. For once I am thanking the ridge that causes us other problems.

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  22. May I wish you a Happy and enjoyable New Year with just the right sort of adventures!

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  23. We had a humdinger of a storm yesterday, too. Nothing like the sound of ice being blown sideways against your windows by gale force winds. I get so frustrated when a book that has gotten such glowing reviews turns out to be a clunker. There are so many good books and so little time to read them! Have a very happy new year, Joanne. (The Bryson book is a good choice!)

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  24. I envied A Walk in the Woods adventure. He painted a wonderful of places I'd like to go.

    I got a few cookbooks: Great British Baking Show (gr-daughters), The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook (one of my gr-daughters), and The Medical Marijuana Dispensary Cookbook (my nephew who goes to University of Colorado. I know I will use the first one, but the second definitely not, and yes on the Marijuana.

    Holistic on the migraines helps.

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  25. I have been trying to read a certain book for many months now. I keep putting it down - thinking to get back to it - but just don't find myself drawn back. My friend told me that I have to read it to the end as it is 'unbelievable' (I think that's what she said). I am trying. The book is a NY Times "one of the 10 best sellers of 2018"???
    Well, it's NY Eve and the weather is actually pretty nice here today. It's cool (53F) and sunny. Wishing you a safe healthy happy 2020 Joanne!

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    1. Just read the final two chapters for the unbelievable ending. Maybe it will draw you back into the story enough to get through more of it.

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  26. I hate the flashing clocks. It takes forever to reset them.

    Happy New Year, Joanne.

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    1. And much of that time is spent fiddling with the buttons, trying to figure out the sequence to press them.

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    2. My bedside clock is super easy; hold down the button tat says "clock" then in turn hold the hour button until the desired hour is reached then the minutes button ditto and then just release the clock button and press it once. Done. it's the only digital clock in the house since my microwave gets turned off at the wall after using it.

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  27. I tried, for the longest time, to find A Walk in the Woods at the library. Finally found it at a used book store, and read it this summer. It was enjoyable, but I found it to be tedious after a while.

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    1. I just started it. I am exactly up to acquiring a walking companion. Thought it a good place to park my marker.

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