Saturday Reading Wrap-up: 2022

 It's the last day of the year and since I didn't finish any books this past week, and I'm not likely to finish the book I'm reading today, I thought I'd just go ahead and wrap-up my Year in Reading.  

I started the year with a goal to read 75 books.  I missed it by 3.  Which actually isn't that bad, considering that when I started the year I had no clue that I would be spending the last 6 months of the year working full time.  

If you want to browse through the books I read in 2022, go here: 2022 - Books Read.  (And there's always a link to all my years' Books Read posts on the left side of this blog, underneath my book links.)

Nothing really surprising in the list.  What's surprising to me is how few of the books on my list I actually remember reading.  I mean, I totally forgot that I read The Three Musketeers this year, but it's on the list, so it must be true.  (Wait, I think I remember reading it now.  Derp.  It was read on the Kindle.)

Toward the end of the year, I read a lot of hardcopy books.  Since I was working again, I had the extra scratch to feed my used-book habit.  Loads of unread books on the shelves and it takes less time to grab one of those than sort through ebook listings to find books I want to read.  

I ended the year with two unread ebooks and an unread e-short story sitting on my Kindle.  Maybe I'll start the new year with those.  

In book buying, I picked up 109 new books in 2022.  80 of those were ebooks, leaving 29 hardcopies.  I read or attempted to read most of them.  There are 6 I haven't touched yet and one I don't intend to read because it's for my collection of old writing books (English Grammar and Composition, c1963). Two of those I might not read any time soon - a Hemingway and a book about Frederick Douglass.  I bought those for my collection of literature.

On the 'attempted to read' side, I DNF'd 31 ebooks and 7 hardcopies.  3 hardcopies are going back to thrift stores - 2 because I either had another copy of the title and one because I decided I didn't want to read it.  (Having already DNF'd the first book, I did not want to start the second.)

I could go through and sort all the genres I read, like I've done in the past, but I don't want to.  Suffice it to say, there's a ton of mystery, crime, suspense, etc.  Feels like I read more SF and literature than usual. 

And that's about it.  I'm not sure what 2023 will bring in reading.  Maybe I'll set it for 50 this year and hope for reading a book a week.  We'll see.

How was your reading year?  Did you reach your goals?  

Thursday This n That

 Yes, I am aware that it's Friday. 

I woke up late yesterday. I drank coffee, smoked a cigarette, took a shower, made my lunch, got dressed, and headed to work. Woo.

I'm doing genealogy again.  For some reason, I'm drawn to death certificates. I find it interesting to see how people died.  So, I already knew about the one grandfather who was crushed between two trains on Thanksgiving.  I found out one of his brothers was strangled to death by an overhead door.  Another grandfather was killed in a mine collapse in the salt mines in Detroit.  (Yes, there are salt mines in Detroit.)  He was one of six men trapped.  They got his and another two bodies out, but three guys are still down there.  Like I said... interesting.  Or I'm just morbid.

There are three bald eagles that hang out near work.  I regularly see them and hear them as they're flying in lazy circles over the woods.  It's pretty awesome.

The area hit record highs yesterday.  It got to like 70 degrees.  After last week's negative 6.  I expect another round of the crud to hit the area shortly.  I haven't gotten any of it yet.  Knock on wood.

I was so pooped after work yesterday, we had TV dinners.  Banquet has upped their game from the last time I bought those.  Better flavors and textures.  Last night, we had chicken fingers with macaroni and cheese and corn.  Yum.  Last week, we had Salisbury steak with mashed potatoes, and the potatoes weren't like sawdust.  Yay.

I desperately need to go fishing.

Well, it's 7 o'clock.  I should probably go get dressed and make my lunch. I hate going to work.  Oh, I don't hate working... just the going.  I'd really rather just sit around in my jammies than get dressed, hop in the car, and drive to the office.  :shrug:  But who wouldn't?

And on that note, I'll let you go.  Have a great day, wherever you are.  

Monday Update - Week 51

Obviously, no update yesterday because it was Christmas.  Yeah, that's the ticket.  We actually did something a little different this year and started celebrating Christmas on Saturday.  Three whole days - because I have today off - of eating ham.  I also made a pineapple upside down cake. Yum.

Yesterday, I gave myself a present.  I paid for a month of Ancestry.com and spent most of the day swinging in the family trees.  Got one branch of Hubs' tree back to a man born in 1548 Manchester, England.  Woot.  Also, I think I found Mom's one cousin who she lost track of years ago.  And I found a picture of Great, Great, Great Grandpa Homer.  

Yes, he's holding a rather large snake and sitting next to what I think is a buffalo skull.  (If the pic blows up big enough, you might see those aren't paintings around him - they're display cases full of dead critters.)  He was a lawyer before the Civil War and after, he became a taxidermist.  I also learned he was severely wounded at Antietam, which might explain the change from law to stuffing animals for fun and profit.

The big news of the past week, you know other than Christmas, was the cold snap.  It got down to negative 6 degrees F here.  Thursday, we had ice and then snow.  I went to work and ended up coming home after only 90 minutes because I didn't want to get trapped at the office.  I made it to work on Friday and worked a whole day, so it's all good.  Of course, when I got to the office and stripped out of my layers of outdoor clothes, I discovered it was FREAKIN' 52 inside the office.  We got the heater working in short order (lucky my co-worker knew what to do), but it didn't warm up the office enough to shut off again until almost 2.  Our own 'furnace' (it's a heat pump), ran non-stop for like 72 hours and couldn't get the house above 66.  Enough, Mother Nature, you're drunk.

I have to spend some time today getting spreadsheets ready for 2023.  Other than that, not much else is going on.  How was your holiday weekend?  

Saturday Reading Wrap-up - 12/24/22

 It's Christmas Eve.  Know what that means?  I have one week left to finish enough books to reach my goal.  Unfortunately, I started the week off with two DNFs.  Blerg.

I picked up a suspense and a romance this week in ebooks.  And I have a Christmas short story waiting for me to read, too.  No new hardcopies this week.

Books Read:

72) Irish Red by Jim Kjelgaard (12/24/22) - Kids' Literature - 5 stars. I hadn't read this one before, but I love BIG RED.  I've had this one for years, and I don't remember where I got it or what I paid.
Review: "Not quite as awesome as Big Red, but still a very enjoyable and positive book. Get a copy for your kids! (And read it yourself. LOL)

71) The Island of Dr. Moreau by HG Wells (12/17/22) - Literature - 5 stars. I hadn't read this before, but it's Wells, so yeah, not exactly a new-to-me author.  Picked up for a dime from a thrift store.

DNFs:

12/20/22 - mystery. 25c.  What happens when a mystery is written by a stifled literary genius, a soul crying out to write flowery prose but forced to write stuff that will sell?  Gale force boredom of the long-winded variety.  No need to get all poetical there, dude, just give it to me straight. 

12/18/22 - suspense. 50c. Yup, I gave up on Hammer of Eden.  I didn't like any of the characters, so I really couldn't care less what happened to them.  :shrug:

Currently reading... I didn't start a new book yet.  I need to download those ebooks and the short, because we we without internet for a couple days.  Blerg.

What was on your reading list this past week?

Monday Update... Since I Keep Forgetting Sundays

It occurred to me on Saturday that I had forgotten to do a Sunday Update last week. I had every intention of rectifying that yesterday.  And then I went and forgot again.  Derp.  So here we are on Monday morning with not a whole lot of time and not really that much to talk about.

It's gonna be a weird week at work because I volunteered to change up my shifts a little.  No biggie.  But instead of going in at 9 today, I'm going in at 8. Tomorrow and Wednesday are 9am.  Thursday 8, Friday 9. :shrug:  You probably didn't need to know that, but typing it out helps me remember.

I picked up Christmas dinner yesterday.  Ham.  It's not exciting, but it gets the job done.

For reading news, see Saturdays.

In baking news, I made chocolate cake cookies with mint patties pressed into them.  I'm taking some to the office and leaving some for home.  

The weather is supposed to be gross this week.  Snow and frigid temps.  Blerg.  Oh well.

No activity.  And I gained a few pounds, which is weird, but it is what it is.  Maybe I'm finally past the stress reduction.  I'd rather not gain it ALL back, though.  Weight: 164.2.

I heard from Owl yesterday.  She's doing well and sounds happy.

And that's about it for the excitement that is my life.  Now, it's time to take a shower and start the 'getting ready for work' process.  Have a great day, everyone!

Saturday Reading Wrap-up - 12/17/22

 Not the most exciting of wrap-ups, but hey, it's somethin'.  

I have 5 books left to read in the next two weeks to reach my goal.  I'm skeptical.  I know, reading 5 books in two weeks ought to be a breeze for me, but working has severely limited my reading time and gumption.  I'll make a valiant effort, though.

No new books this week.

Books read: 

70) The Ringworld Engineers by Larry Niven (12/13/22) - SF - 5 stars.  Larry's not new to me and this book has loads of reviews.  Bought for 25c at a thrift store.
No Review.  What could I possibly say about this that hasn't already been said?

No DNFs

Currently reading... The Hammer of Eden by Ken Follett, in hard cover.  I'm not sure I like this one, so this might be a DNF on next week's list. I'll figure out today whether I'm going to finish it.

What was on your reading list for the week?

Thursday This n That

I'm going in late today, but I'm running late anyway. And I forgot it was Thursday.  Derp.

Well, the moms both got and opened their Christmas gifts.  They're both happy with them.  Yay.  I found these neat mugs on Etsy with states on them. Each mug has two states - the one we're in and the one they're in - connected with flowers and filigree stuff.  Very pretty.  So they're there and we're here, but we're still connected.  :sniffle: 

And the cards I sent out should be arriving at their locations.  I know one of my nephews in Michigan got his.  Yay.

Yesterday, on my way home, I saw one of my neighbor's dogs running down the road.  I stopped and yelled her name and told her to get home.  She turned and headed right for their front porch.  Good girl!

I was out smoking the other day and heard eagles.  When I looked up, there were three of them circling.  Awesome.

And that's all I've got for today.  Mostly because I need to get ready for work, but partly because I don't lead that interesting of a life anymore. LOL

What's on your list today?

Saturday Reading Wrap-up - 12/10/22

I got a little distracted this morning.  On FB, I saw one of those List Challenge thingies that was called Confessions of a Book Hoarder and it asked which books you'd read of the lister's 735 books.  I was all like 'those are rookie numbers'.  But since we moved, I don't really know how many books I actually have.  And I thought 'what a fun rainy day activity!'and I am in luck because it is raining!'.  Being the totally book nerd I am, I grabbed a notepad and a pen and got to work.  I finished the west wall shelves - 385 books.  With the 5 shelf case sitting at about 150 books, I can guesstimate that the north wall (two 5 shelfers) has another 300 books.  There's probably like 200 in the living room and another 100 in the spare room.  So, I'm guessing around 850.  (I'll let ya know if my guess is right once I finish counting.)

GRAND TOTAL = 952 (not counting my 'stock' or books set aside to donate, which would probably be another 80-100)  Hubs says if I can keep it under a thousands, it's good.  ROFL.

Anyway, here's my week in reading...

No new books.

Books Read:

69) The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly (12/4/22) - Legal Thriller - 5 stars. New to me but not underappreciated. Picked up for 25c at the thrift store.
No Review.

68) Sea of Untold Stories (Ghost of Pinkerton #2) by Andy DeJong (12/4/22) - Paranormal* - 5 stars. Not new to me because I read Book #1, but definitely underappreciated.  After the author contacted me to let me know this book existed, I scooped it up at full price: $1.99.  If you're reading this, Andy, I would've paid more.  Raise your prices. Do at least $2.99 and get the higher % royalty at Amazon.
Review: "This book is AWESOME. Another genre-bending romp with all the gang. Twists and turns abound. Loads of fun for everyone. Is it weird? Yup. But the writing is sound and the plot flows, and that makes it easier to wrap your brain around the weirdness. Too cool.

No DNFs.

Currently reading... Ringworld Engineers by Larry Niven.  

What's on your reading list this week?  

2022 - Books Read

Hello!  Welcome to the list of all the books I've read so far this year.  It's in order so the most recent one is at the top.  * means ebook and # means it's both new to me and underappreciated (as in it has less than 50 Goodreads reviews).  Feel free to follow along.

New for this year: When I know it's in audio format, I'll add an exclamation point (!).  Oh, and I never mentioned this before, but if the book is in a series, I don't usually put the series title.  This post would take on behemoth proportions if I did that, too.  Sometimes, I'll put a number indicating where the book is in the series, if it's not the first.  

Oh, and my goal for 2022 is 75 books, same as last year.  Here's hoping I make it this year.

72) Irish Red by Jim Kjelgaard (12/24/22) - Kids' Literature
71) The Island of Dr. Moreau by HG Wells (12/17/22) - Literature
70) The Ringworld Engineers by Larry Niven (12/13/22) - SF
69) The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly (12/4/22) - Legal Thriller
68) Sea of Untold Stories (Ghost of Pinkerton #2) by Andy DeJong (12/4/22) - Paranormal*
67) Shakespeare's Christmas by Charlaine Harris (11/29/22) - Mystery
66) Hogfather by Terry Pratchett (11/26/22) - Fantasy
65) Enter the Witch by Andris Bear (11/20/22) - Paranormal Mystery*
64) Under the Assassin's Moon by Silver James (11/20/22) - Paranormal Romantic Suspense*
63) The Time of the Hunter's Moon by Victoria Holt (11/19/22) - Romantic Suspense
62) Last Pen Standing by Vivian Conroy (11/4/22) - Cozy Mystery
61) The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare (10/30/22) - YA Historical Romance
60) Cop Out by Ellery Queen (10/29/22) - Mystery
59) Tunnel in the Sky by Robert Heinlein (10/28/22) - SF
58) Murder, She Knit by Peggy Erhart (10/23/22) - Cozy Mystery
57) Elephants Can Remember by Agatha Christe (10/21/22) - Mystery

56) For Love of Mother-Not by Alan Dean Foster (10/16/22) - SF
55) Assassin's Moon by Silver James (10/9/22) - Paranormal Romantic Suspense*
54) Grumbles from the Grave by Robert A. Heinlein / Virginia Heinlein (10/9/22) - NF
53) Seal Moon by Silver James (9/30/22) - Paranormal Romantic Suspense*
52) No One's Safe by CJ Grayson (9/28/22) - Suspense*3
51) Rescue Moon by Silver James (9/24/22) - Paranormal Romantic Suspense*
50) The Miser's Dream by John Gaspard (9/18/22) - Mystery*3
49) Faytown Calling by E. Nathan Sisk (9/15/22) - UF Noir*3#
48) Shadow Stitcher by Misha Handman (9/5/22) - UF Noir*#
47) Order Bound by E. Nathan Sisk (9/4/22) - UF Noir*2# 
46) Seashells, Spells, and Caramels by Erin Johnson (8/28/22) - Paranormal Mystery*
45) Sorcerer Rising by E. Nathan Sisk (8/26/22) - UF Noir*#
44) Last Train to Nowhere by KC Sivils (8/14/22) - SF Noir*2#
43) Sins of the Fathers by SW Frontz (7/31/22) - Suspense*#
42) Fastening the Grave by LA McBride (7/29/22) - UF*#
41) Tapas, Carrot Cake and a Corpse by Charlotte Denver (7/24/22) - Cozy Mystery*
40) Crossed by Death by ACF Bookens (7/22/22) - Cozy Mystery*
39) The Daemoniac by Kat Ross (7/17/22) - Paranormal Historical Mystery*1
38) Death Warmed Over by Kevin J. Anderson (7/10/22) - Paranormal Noir*
37) Blood Water Falls by TG Reid (7/9/22) - Suspense*2
36) Dead Ringer by Kat Ross (7/3/22) - Paranormal Historical Mystery*5#
35) Murder on a Silver Sea by LouLou Harrington (6/26/22) - Cozy Mystery*3!
34) Murder of Angels by Jack Gatland (6/17/22) - Suspense*2
33) Dead & Buried by TK Eldridge (6/12/22) - Paranormal Suspense*#
32) The Hash Knife Outfit by Zane Grey (6/9/22) - Western#
31) Web of Lies by Sally Rigby (6/3/22) - Suspense*
30) Unlucky Charm by Kimberly Gordon (5/29/22) - UF*
29) Feels Like Home by Evelyn Adams (5/27/22) - Romance*
28) Murder by the Cup by Abigail Lynn Thornton (5/26/22) - Paranormal Mystery*
27) Cry From the Grave by Carolyn Mahoney (4/30/22) - Suspense*
26) Grimstone by Brad Magnarella (4/27/22) - UF*#
25) Letter from the Dead by Jack Gatland (4/24/22) - Suspense*
24) Witchy Reservations by Stephanie Damore (4/22/21) - Paranormal Mystery*
23) Space Murder by NL Haverstock (4/20/22) - SF Mystery*
22) The Golden Gate by Alistair MacLean (4/19/22) - Thriller
21) The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas (4/14/22) - Literature*
20) A Brazen Curiosity by Lynn Messina (4/10/22) - Historical Mystery*
19) Magical, Murderous Cupcakes by Skylar Starx (4/6/22) - Paranormal Mystery*#
18) Murder in Cherry Hills by Paige Sleuth (4/5/22) - Cozy Mystery*
17) Rebel Tribe by Ramy Vance / Michael Anderle (3/27/22) - SF*#
16) The Redemption Man by James Carver (3/25/22) - Suspense*#
15) The Breaking Point by Daphne du Maurier (3/21/22) - Suspense/Short stories
14) Song of Shroud and Storm by B.E. Sanderson (3/20/22) - Epic Fantasy*#
13) Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (3/12/22) - Literature
12) Dark is the Grave by T.G. Reid (3/7/22) - Suspense*
11) A Spell in the Country by Heide Goody, Iain Grant (3/4/22) - Paranormal Mystery*
10) True Blue Murder by Elise M. Stone (3/2/22) - Cozy Mystery*#
9) Once Upon a Crime by Mona Marple (1/23/22) - Cozy Mystery*
8) Faking It with the Demon by Rhiannon Hartley (1/22/22) - Paranormal Romance*#
7) The Side Hustle by Colin Conway (1/20/22) - Suspense*
6) The Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum by Kirsten Weiss (1/18/22) - Cozy Mystery*
5) The Preacher's First Murder by KP Gresham (1/12/22) - Mystery*#
4) Murder in White Lace by Karen Sue Walker (1/11/22) - Mystery*
3) The Light of Western Stars by Zane Grey (1/9/22) - Western!
2) Never Say Duke by Erica Ridley (1/4/22) - Regency Romance*
1) Black's Beach Shuffle by Corey Lynn Fayman (1/2/22) - Noir Crime*#

Thursday This n That

 I woke up this morning with a swoop in my hair.  I could do something about it, but it's raining today and my hair is going to freak out anyway.  :shrug:

Let's talk for a second about the extreme myopia of some people. You say there were no female action leads before your pampered self wandered onto the screen.?  Sigourney Weaver was kicking ass when your parents were still playing with dolls.   And by the way, sweetie, it wasn't you.  It was the story.  You're no action hero.  Sigourney kicks ass is whatever movie she's in, even if she's not actually kicking ass. 

Ooo, that reminds me.  Have y'all ever seen the movie Copycat?  Just watch it.  I caught it on TV the other day and it's still as good as the first time I watched it.  Sigourney kicks ass.  And Harry Connick, Jr. is a delightfully creepy villain.  Yep, that's right, I said villain.  Watch it.

Apropos of nothing, it's a tight spot when your sense of self-preservation comes up against your sense of justice.

I have this weird quirk where I'll say something and then repeat myself. 

... and then repeat myself.

Since 2020, I've been making myself orange juice with tonic water. I'm not sure if the quinine is actually doing anything, but I haven't been sick, so I'll keep at it.  Two bouts of the crud and one pass of the 'rona have swept through my office and I haven't gotten anything.  :knocks on simulated woodgrain:  So, I started jokingly saying 'shut up and drink your tonic' around the house.  And now that's what I call the beverage. I kill me.

When I was in college, I had a friend who would, instead of saying 'knock on wood', say 'knock on simulated woodgrain'.  (Because his car has a simulated wood insert on the dashboard.)  Thirty years later, I'm still saying it that way.

I sometimes wonder whatever happened to that dude.  Unfortunately, he has such a typical name, ton of hits come up and none of them are him.

I've found others of my old gang.  One of them owns a bar in the city where we went to school.  The heavy metal thrasher who introduced me to bands like Jane's Addiction is a teacher now.  I wonder if that last guy still wears two different colored contacts and earrings in all the holes in his ears.  ;o)

Ah, the old days.  Some of them were good.

Got anything on your this n that today?

Sunday Update - Week 48

We're on the homestretch of 2022.  Not that I'm anxious for 2023.  I'm just stating the obvious.  I have a flair for the obvious.

Nothing much new going on here.  I didn't write, I didn't bake, I didn't do anything active.  I did read some, but I talked about that yesterday.  Basically, I worked a lot.  I worked the day-job and when I got home, I worked the pay-job. (End of the month, lots of spreadsheets.)  

Yesterday was Wallyworld.  When I arrived, the parking lot had an inordinate number of police vehicles.  For a split second, I wondered if there was something awful going on inside, but then my brain went 'Shop with a Cop'.  Sure enough, the second thought was correct.  And it gave me a happy to see all those police officers shopping with all those kids.  My favorite part was seeing an officer with a boy of about 9-10, strolling in the camping/hunting/fishing gear.  The burly officer with the little girl in the clothing section looked awkward.  For the most part, though, it was all happy and joy.  I smiled through most of my shopping experience, despite the store being packed.  

I did not smile at the end of the checkout.  $239.  And some kid behind me touching all my stuff on the conveyor belt while his parents did nothing.  Dude, not cool.

Everyone seemed to enjoy the decorations we put up at the office last Friday.

Oops... I started this like 3 hours ago and then I got distracted.  Oh, well.  Not really much else to talk about.  Have a great day and an awesome week, everyone!

Saturday Reading Wrap-up - 12/3/22

 Four weeks left in 2022... 28 days... And I still have 8 books to read to hit my goal.  Looking at it another way, I only have 8 books left, which isn't too bad considering when I made the goal I hadn't dreamed I'd be back to work full time.  Go, me.

I picked up a new ebook this week.  A few days ago, I woke to find a strange email in my inbox.  Turns out it was from an author I'd read in 2018 and he'd seen my gushing review. He wanted to gift me the sequel.  Well, I hadn't even known the sequel existed, so I rushed right over to Amazon and bought me a copy.  (Then I went back and thanked him for his offer and for letting me know the sequel was there. He seems like a cool guy.)  Anyway, I'm all kinds of excited to read this. 

Books Read: 

67) Shakespeare's Christmas by Charlaine Harris (11/29/22) - Mystery - 4 stars.  I've read Charlaine before, but not any in this series, and it's not underappreciated.  Picked up from a thrift store for 25c.
Review: "Fun story and thoroughly enthralling until like the last page when it felt sort of flat. All in all a good read, though."

66) Hogfather by Terry Pratchett (11/26/22) - Fantasy - 5 stars.  I read quite a bit of Pratchett when I was younger, but I never read this or any of the other 'Death' books.  Not underappreciated.  Picked up from a thrift store for $1.
No Review.

No DNFs.

Currently reading... The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly.  But I'm going to set it aside today so I can read that ebook I snagged.  

What was on your reading wrap-up for the week?

Thursday This n That

It's amazing how the absence of one toxic person can lighten the tension for so many other people.  Don't be the toxic person.

I still have turkey leftovers. We've eaten turkey for lunch and dinner every day since Thursday.  Hubs wants to freeze the rest.  Sounds like a plan.  I am about turkey'd out here.

Okay, so today's the first of December.  Where'd the year go?  Now I have to start thinking about Christmas and year-end.  Blerg.

I did already find a couple of neat things to order, but they don't have delayed shipping, so I need to order them so they arrive at just the right time.  I am not good with planning this kind of stuff.  I may just order the stuff this weekend and the moms will get early present delivery.  

The young gal at the office is getting married this month.  She invited me to the wedding.  I passed the invite along to Hubs, already knowing the answer because his answer would be the same as mine - nope.  I thanked her yesterday for the invitation and let her know we wouldn't be coming.  And explained why - we are hermits.  She's cool with it.  I mean, it was super nice of her to invite us.  I'll get her something nice as a present.

Which reminds me that I need to pick up assorted cards when I hit Wallyworld on Saturday.  I need a card for the wedding and one for a birthday, and probably more xmas cards. (I need to do xmas cards this weekend.  Blerg.)

Okay, is it just me or does it seem like it was just June???  How did we get to December here?  

I heard geese yesterday.  They sounded like they were pretty far up, but I couldn't see them.  And the sky was exceptionally blue yesterday, too, so I probably could've spotted them.  :shrug:  Head along south goosey-bros.  See ya in the spring.

And on that note, I'm gonna let ya'll go.  Have a great day!