What I Just Finished Reading: Since last Wednesday I have read/finished reading: Silence in the Library (A Lily Adler Mystery) by Katharine Schellman, The Falcon at the Portal (An Amelia Peabody Mystery) by Elizabeth Peters, I Shall Not Want (Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne Mysteries) by Julia Spencer-Fleming, and Portent in the Pages & Poison in the Pudding (The Inn at Holiday Bay) by Kathi Daley.


What I am Currently Reading: I just finished reading the last book last evening, but today I’m going to start Necessary as Blood (A Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James Mystery) by Deborah Crombie.


What I Plan to Read Next: Heir, Apparently by Kara McDowell, unless something else comes in at the library that eclipses it.

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Book 53 of 2025: Silence in the Library (A Lily Adler Mystery) (Katharine Schellman)

I enjoyed this book! ( spoilers )

This was a good book and I've already requested the next in the series. I'm giving this one five hearts.

♥♥♥♥♥

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Book 54 of 2025: The Falcon at the Portal (An Amelia Peabody Mystery) (Elizabeth Peters)

Good book! ( spoilers )

I enjoyed this book and have requested the next in the series. I'm giving this book five hearts, despite my one disappointment.

♥♥♥♥♥

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Book 55 of 2025: I Shall Not Want (Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne Mysteries) (Julia Spencer-Fleming)

Good book! ( spoilers )

I enjoyed this book and have already requested the next. I'm giving this book five hearts.

♥♥♥♥♥

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Book 56 of 2025: Portent in the Pages (The Inn at Holiday Bay) (Kathi Daley)

It’s been a while since I’ve read anything in this series, but I was looking for something easy to read after I finished the last book, so I looked through my Kindle library and chose this one. (Technically, I chose a different one that I DNF’d before I got more than a dozen pages into it, so this was my second choice.) This is the sixteenth in the series, to my surprise!

I enjoyed this book. It was a quick comfort read. I was happy to be reintroduced to the characters again. ( spoilers )

There wasn't a whole lot of suspense or concern for the characters, but it did what I wanted it to, which was help me kill a couple hours in an enjoyable fashion. I’m giving it four hearts, and I might even go on and read the next in the series.

♥♥♥♥

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Book 57 of 2025: Poison in the Pudding (The Inn at Holiday Bay) (Kathi Daley)

After reading the other book, I decided to keep on with the series. This one was an enjoyable story, but a predictable mystery. Thankfully I read this series more for the characters and location than I do the mysteries. ( spoilers )

I'm giving this book four hearts.

♥♥♥♥♥

I decided to watch this show because of Taron Egerton. I’ve seen the first two eps and enjoyed them. ( spoilers )

I decided to give this show a try mainly because of Jensen Ackles. It's pretty good, though I don't think I'll get fannish about it. And so far I don't have any deep comments about it, but watching the first four eps was a good way to spend some time. ( spoilers )

Happy belated The Original No Kings Day.

I had mom duty from 8am to 3pm. Before I left I hand-washed some dishes and changed kitty litter. I returned a book to the library on my way there. While I was at mom’s I went for a walk. (I had eyed up this walk previously, thinking it would be close to my half-mile walks, but this was the first time I tried it. It turned out to be .65 mi, but it was a nice walk. Aside from the horrid sidewalks. The village really needs to fix the sidewalks, which have been in poor condition since I was a child, and probably before that.)

When I got home I did more hand-washing of dishes, grilled steak for Pip’s supper, shaved, and tossed a load of bath towel in the washer (AND dryer!).

I started the next Amelia Peabody book.

Temps started out at 57.4(F) and reached 77. It was a lovely day, sunny with a strong breeze.


Mom Update:

Mom was doing okay today. ( more back here )

I had the morning off of ‘mom-duty’ because of appointments. I told my sister S I’d be there by noon definitely, but would try to get there earlier, just so I didn’t have to rush. I got there around 11:30am.

I had a chiropractic appointment this morning (to go over results of last week’s tests and an adjustment) followed by a pedicure (I cancelled the last appointment because mom was still in the hospital so I really need it as I have an ingrown toe nail issue that needs addressing almost every visit). I chose a pretty lilac purple for my toes. I also got in a walk around the park.

I was also relieved early because my one sister has ‘summer hours’ and gets out early, and since she wasn’t staying the night, she bridged me and our other sister. I was home early enough to grill baby back ribs for Pip’s supper (saving the frozen GF pizza for another night). I also did a load of laundry, emptied the dishwasher, hand-washed dishes, and scooped kitty litter.

I started the second Lily Adler book, watched an HGTV program, and showered.

Temps started out at 66.7(F) and reached 84.4 that I saw. It was beautiful today, hot but not humid and there was a lovely breeze. A perfect day, really.


Mom Update:

Mom was up and sitting at the table with my sister, who was putting together a puzzle, when I got there. Mom didn’t seem that interested in the puzzle, but she was eating a yogurt. She later got on her tablet and then ate some rice krispies. I turned on Matlock while I was eating lunch, but it was a bust because it was two eps that my mom didn't like to watch (with Matlock being locked inside a prison to solve a crime).

I asked my sister S about scheduling for Friday and she was like, I can barely think about Thursday. *rolls eyes* I told my sister A (can't recall if I mentioned it to S) that I want to have a meal free to cook something for the holiday, either lunch or supper. I'm happy to spend the day there as long as I can get off early enough to grill (and it better not rain). We'll see what happens.

I was at mom’s by 6:45am so I didn't have much time to get things done before I left. I did manage to fold a load of laundry, hand-wash some dishes, cut up chicken for the dogs’ meals, scoop kitty litter, pack my own lunch, and dropped Grant at the garage. Whew!

My sister called to tell me she got out of work at 2:30pm and could relieve me early, so I was able to get home in time to actually cook supper! I planned to grill something, but it started to pour the moment I got inside the house, so instead I got sauce out of the freezer to defrost and we had spaghetti. I also baked chicken for the dogs, did the usual amount of hand-washing dishes, and did a load in the dishwasher.

I started and finished reading the next Clare Fergusson book and watched the rest of the Hannah Swensen movie.

Temps started out at 72.1(F) and it was only 73 when I got home ~3pm since the storm was moving in, but it had to have broken 80.


Mom Update:

In mom’s own words, today she was ‘whooped’! ( more back here )

I arrived at mom’s at 6:15am, so, as you might imagine, I didn’t get a lot done before I left. Mom agreed that she would like to get out of the house and go for a ride, so I was able to get my shopping done at Price Chopper while she people-watched in the parking lot. (We also took the groceries to my house so I could put the cold stuff away, and stopped to fill her gas tank and for me to pick up a book at the library on the way back to her house.)

I was relieved at 5pm. I stopped at the library again to return a book I finished reading this afternoon. After I got home I did a load of laundry (washed and dried), hand-washed dishes, scooped kitty litter, and took a shower.

I finished the Duncan Kincaid book I was reading and watched the first half of the new Hannah Swenson movie.

Temps started out at 54.1(F) and reached 89.2 (at 5pm when I got home; Pip said it had gotten up to 93). I’m really glad I wore shorts even though it was a cool morning, because it heated up quickly.


Mom Update:

Mom felt alright today. ( more back here )

Another long day. Hopefully the final one. Today was Ian’s graduation party. Thankfully I did not have to be to mom’s as early as I feared so sister A could leave to get set up for the party. She said I could get there between 9 – 10am, so I split the difference and got there at 9:30am. Then I took mom to the party. Sister S relieved me at 7:30pm.

I did manage to get stuff done before I left the house: two loads of laundry (one dried and folded), hand-washed some dishes and did a load in the dishwasher, scooped kitty litter, took the dogs for a short-ish walk, and dropped a book in the library return box on my way to mom’s. I did more hand-washing of dishes when I got home and tossed some laundry into the dryer.

I watched the current ep of Murderbot, finished my book and started another (Fugitive Telemetry, finally). And, of course, attended Ian’s graduation party.

Temps started out at 64.4(F) and reached 87 (according to Pip). He couldn’t have been far off because it got HOT. (It was still 79.2 when I got home after 7:30pm.) My sister had moved Ian’s party from a tent at her house to the local fire house because we were supposed to have scattered thunderstorms all day, but we didn’t get any.


Mom Update:

Mom did well yesterday. ( more back here )

I had to be at mom’s by 7am so my sister A could get to work. I was not looking forward to today because it was going to be a long one. (As will the next two days.) Ian’s graduation was tonight. I didn’t originally plan to attend because I thought families would be limited due to space in the auditorium. Also, my sister never mentioned it, which backed-up my thought. Apparently there are no limits, so since both of my other sisters are working, I stayed with mom all day and drove her there that evening. By the time I got home ~8:30pm I had “put in” over twelve hours today.

I filled my gas tank after dropping Grant off at the garage; hand-washed some dishes and scooped kitty litter before heading to mom’s. (I also cut up chicken for the dogs’ meals and packed my own ‘lunch bag’.) After I got home I threw in a load of laundry to wash while I did up the dishes in the sink and then got ready for bed. After ‘decompressing’ for a while with some games on my phone I got to bed just before 10pm, which is late for me. I slept like a rock, though.

I read more fanfic and more Amelia Peabody.

Temps started out at 66.6(F) (which is weird since the high is only supposed to be 68) and reached an unknown high, as I was never home to check. It was much cooler than the previous 80s/90s days. Yes, I can complain when it’s too hot AND when it’s too cool! I want a nice median temperature. It’s already summer and we never got spring!


Mom Update:

Mom was feeling a malaise this morning when I arrived. ( more back here )

I had a chiropractic appointment this morning. It was my annual exam in addition to an adjustment. I don’t recall if I mentioned it, but my lower back, left side, has been hurting me for a couple of weeks. I figured it was spending more time in the car driving to the hospital, sitting in those uncomfortable chairs in mom’s room, etc. Today when he did one of the scans, bright red lines appeared indicating trouble on the left side low back region. I was like, I knew something not-good was happening there! One of the comments the chiropractor has made in the past is that he needs to adjust something different on me every time; I never come in with quite the same issue. One week, sacrum, another week, mid-back. I keep him hopping.

I hit Walmart, Price Chopper and the Pharmacy while I was downtown and got in a longer walk around the park. Before I left the house I heated up a ham steak on the stove and frozen peas in the microwave for Pip to heat up for supper tonight. I also did the usual amount of hand-washing dishes and scooped kitty litter.

I read some fanfic and more Amelia Peabody.

Temps started out at 75.6(F) and reached at least 88.0. That was the temp when I left the house for mom’s just before 11am, but Pip said it got to 92. Less stifling than yesterday and there was a breeze that had a coolness to it. I still wouldn’t have wanted to be out there all day. Just walking to the mailbox was uncomfortable.


Mom Update:

Mom is doing okay; no major ups or downs today. ( more back here )