Sunday... err... Monday Update

 It's Memorial Day, so you know what that means, right?  It's Monday but it feels like Sunday.  And I'll be screwed up all week as to what day it actually is.  Awesome. :note sarcasm:

Anyway, there hasn't been an update in a while because 1) I keep forgetting and 2) there's really nothing much going on in my life that you don't already know about.  I work, I come home, I wrangle kittens and I watch TV.

I had an interesting (for varying definitions of interesting) thing happen yesterday.  Well, two things really.  First, I got online to find all my saved passwords had disappeared, so I had to re log into everything (after a virus scan, of course).  While I was waiting for the scan to run, I did check my email.  Nothing there.  So, being bored, I decided to clean out my spam folder.  There was an email from an old boyfriend, asking me to properly attribute a photo I had posted to FB as being a photo taken by him.  The photo was from a trip to Yellowstone in 2003* and I have no way of knowing whose hand my camera was in when any of those pics were taken. (And neither does he, by the way.)  Anyway, once I was sure my 'puter wasn't infected with anything, I got on FB and deleted said photo along with any other photo that may have potentially been taken by him.  Problem solved.  I also went back through my blog archives and deleted same.  :shrug:  No skin off my nose to delete them and it was way easier then trying to determine which ones were his and which ones were mine and putting verbiage with each.  Plus, I don't need or want his name splashed all over my social media for all eternity.  

Oh, and the virus scan came up clean, so here's hoping it was just my old computer and the fact that nothing supports my Windows version anymore.  I suppose eventually I will be forced to use the latest Windows version, but I like 7.  It works for me and, like the car I've had for 20 years, I'm comfortable with it.

Let's see... what else... Oh, the deer are super fat-pregnant.  Should be any time now that we'll be seeing fawns.

Other than that, not much going on.  I think I'll go call my mom and then maybe do some gardening.  We'll see.  Have a great day.  

And remember, if only for a moment, why we have this three day weekend and all the freedoms we enjoy.  

* Yes, Mr. Petty decided to claim a photo taken twenty years ago on what was basically a 'family' trip.  :eyeroll:  He must be an extremely sad and lonely old man.  =o(

2023 - Books Read

It's that time again.  If you didn't already know it, I log every book I read throughout the year.  I've beem doing it since 2007. This is that post for 2023.  I start it when I finish the first book of the year and I keep moving it as I go along.  And there are links to all of these posts on the left side, underneath the books I've written.  

* = ebook
# = new to me and underappreciated (which means I haven't read this author before and it has less than 50 reviews on Goodreads)
if there's a number there, it's the book's place in a series (I do this if I remember, but I usually don't)

The book list is newest first, but they're numbered, so you can kinda guess that.  Last year, I had a goal of 75 books and I only got to 72.  This year, I'm going with a 50 book goal (because I'm now working full time.)  Feel free to play along.

Anyway, let's get this party started...

16) In Too Deep by Tracy Alvarez (5/21/23) - Romance*
15) Dead Set by Martin Shannon (5/15/23) - UF*
14) Never Turn Your Back on an Angus Cow by Dr. Jan Pol / David Fisher (5/11/23) - NF
13) The Shivering Sands by Victoria Holt (4/30/23) - Historical Romantic Suspense
12) The Wrong Victim by Allison Brennan (4/4/23) - Romantic Suspense
11) Cloudy with a Chance of Witchcraft by Mandy M. Roth (3/31/23) - Paranormal Romance*
10) Rainbow in the Mist by Phyllis A. Whitney (3/28/23) - Romantic Suspense
9) Blind Man's Bluff: The Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage by Sontag & Drew (3/24/23) - NF
8) The Road to Paradise Island by Victoria Holt (2/6/23) - Historical Romantic Suspense
7) Delicious and Suspicious by Riley Adams (1/31/23) - Cozy Mystery
6) Three Men Out (Nero Wolfe) by Rex Stout (1/20/23) - Crime
5) Domino by Phyllis A. Whitney (1/17/23) - Romantic Suspense
4) Spinsters in Jeopardy by Ngaio Marsh (1/14/23) - Mystery
3) Kill Shot by Vince Flynn (1/8/23) - Political Thriller
2) What Lies Beneath by Adam Croft (1/2/23) - Suspense*
1) Snowflakes and Sparks by Sophia-Leigh Robbins (1/1/23) - Romance*
0) The Cat Who Came for Christmas by Silver James (1/1/23) - Holiday Paranormal*

Saturday Reading Wrap-up - 5/12/23

 Well, it's certainly been a while since I did one of these things.  Frankly, I haven't been reading a lot or doing much with books, so you haven't missed much.  Here's what's gone on since last I posted a Reading Wrap-up.

I picked up 3 books - all hardcovers.  I got a NF, a compilation of HG Wells stories, and a compilation of stories by James Herriott.  I read the NF already.

Books Read: 

14) Never Turn Your Back on an Angus Cow by Dr. Jan Pol / David Fisher (5/11/23) - NF - 5 stars. New to me but not underappreciated.  I picked this up for $2 at the thrift store.
Review: "I love the show and I loved this book."

13) The Shivering Sands by Victoria Holt (4/30/23) - Historical Romantic Suspense - 4 stars. Not new to me and not underappreciated.  This one I also got for $2 at the thrift store.
Review: "This one was a little hard to get into but it ended up being enthralling. Too bad I don't have as much time to read as I used to, or this wouldn't have taken me so long."

12) The Wrong Victim by Allison Brennan (4/4/23) - Romantic Suspense - 5 stars. Not new to me or underappreciated (although I always feel more people should be reading Allison's books). Another $2 at the thrift store.
Review: "Ms. Brennan nails it again. The story is enthralling. The characters are kick-ass. The layers in this are delicious."

No DNFs... who has the time for that? LOL

Currently reading... Well, now I haven't quite decided that yet.

I don't expect anyone to tell me the books they've read over the past 6 weeks, but feel free to tell me what's been going on in your reading world.

Random Update

First thing in the morning is a bad time to blog.  I have kittens to wrangle and coffee to drink and I have to smoke out in the sun porch now, so I can't exactly sit here while I'm doing it.  Then I have to get ready for work and whoosh, out the door I go.  Nights ain't all that great either.  I get home from work and I'm a totally toad.  Eat dinner, watch a little TV, maybe read a few pages of someone else's words and then I'm off to bed.  Weekends?  Well, there are errands to run and I spend a lot of time decompressing away from the computer.  Cuz like I sit in front of a computer all day long at work.  So it's not like I'm quitting blogging.  I still want to blog.  I just don't have the energy or the brain power to do it as often as I'd like.

And there ya go.

I haven't been reading much.  I haven't been baking at all.  We won't talk about activity.  And I weigh around 160.

They changed the office hours at work a smidgen, so we're not open until 5:30 now.  Which means I get home a half hour earlier M-Th.  Yay.  

Sawyer has this thing where, right after Hubs cleans the litter box, the dang kitten jumps in and then attacks the litter.  Totally ruins the feng shui in there.  Weirdo.  He's also our soccer star.  And he's obsessed with the ceiling fans.  Finn is our quiet boy, except when he talks to himself.  Walking around the house meowing little meows under his breath. He also likes to play in my hair, which occasionally turns into attacking my hair.  Scalp ouchies.  Bummer.

We've been hearing coyotes a lot lately.  Which does not bode well for the fawns should they arrive early.  Hopefully, the 'yotes will move along before the actual fawning begins.

Well, that's about all I've got time for this morning.  I'll try to remember to stop by on Thursday.

Thursday This n That

Hey, look at that... I forgot to post on Sunday.  Well, crap.  I mean, it's not like there's anything going on in my life or anything.  But still...

And hey, look at that... I forgot to post this even though I wrote most of it Thursday morning... So, read this like it's Thursday.  k?

The coyotes were serenading me again last night.  It was, of course, a full moon.  At least it looked pretty full.

The boys are rambunctious this morning.  Devil babies.

I ordered some kitty probiotic stuff.  There's a powder to add to their food and a bag of treats.  We'll see if that helps with the potty issues.  They're fine in every other respect.  They're eating, they're drinking. They have bright eyes and shiny coats.  They are certainly not lacking in the energy department.  So, crossing all of that off the list, it must be an issue with their gut bacteria.  Thus, probiotics.

We're expecting storms later today.  And the sky this morning is red.  Jus' sayin'.

My customers love me.  

I'm reading that book by Dr. Pol - Never turn your back on an angus cow.  Wise words.

And now it's Friday night and I'm too tired to do much of anything but veg in front of the TV.  Have a great weekend, everyone!

Thursday This n That

 Yeah, I know it's Friday, but I was busy yesterday.  It was take the kitties for their wellness vet visit.  They gave us something for Sawyer's sniffles and something else for Finn's intestinal issues, and something for both of them for general health, I guess.  They made it down and back with minimal meowing, no pooping and, most importantly, no puking.  The appointment was super quick and we were home before 10, which was good because I wasn't due in to work until 11.  

The stuff they gave Sawyer for his sniffles went down like a dream.  The stuff they gave Finn for his tummy was a fuckin' nightmare.  And he's my good baby.  I thought his head was gonna start spinning around he was freaking out so bad.  Thanks for that, doc.  And now he doesn't trust me.  Double thanks.  And the stress of the whole ordeal has made his poops worse.  Blerg.  Since the doc assured me it couldn't be parasites, I'm just going to hope he grows out of it.  And I'll probably try my sister's recommendation and start mixing cat food with the kitten food.  

It'll all work itself out.

Speaking of work, it's all starting to smooth itself out as well.

Not smoking at this desk is driving me nuts.  The force of habit is strong.

Speaking of smoking, I do it.  And I'm gonna keep doing it.  Why do people feel the need to make comments on it when they would think it rude to make comments on any other personal habit?  It's verboten to walk by someone eating and tell them that their hamburger is going to kill them.  It's tacky to keep reminding people who drink about what alcohol is doing to their liver.  Or that they could kill someone on their way home.  And you'll never hear someone telling someone else that they're perfume stinks.  But smokers are fair game?  Bah.  And feh.  I'm perfectly respectful about smoking.  I don't do it around people.  I police my butts.  Hell, if I'm smoking outside and someone who isn't smoking is nearby, I try to blow the smoke away from them.  Or I walk away.  

The deer are fat pregnant.  Soon, we'll have fawns.

And on that note, Hubs is up and I should probably go find something else to do for the few minutes I have before I have to get ready for work.  Have a great day, y'all.

Sunday Update - Week ?

 The weeks... they blur together like... things that blur.

Work is work.

The cats are in the middle of a wrestling match ranging all over the office.  Time out for litterbox.

This morning Hubs couldn't believe we've only had the cats for two weeks.  But yeah, it's only been two weeks.  Like I told a co-worker, it's like having toddlers with knives.  I think my two most used verbalizations are 'Be a good boy.' and NO.  They're going to the vet on Thursday for a wellness check.  I should probably trim their claws beforehand.  I mean, they're good kittens, but they are kittens.  

To say I'm distracted would be putting it mildly.  I have work, which takes all my concentration M-F (and some on the weekends because I can't make it stop) and I have the kittens who take all the rest of my brain power.  I thought briefly about writing, but that's about the extent of it.

I'm reading the same book I've been reading for two weeks now.  Every time I open the book and get settled, I have a cat on my lap... sometimes two.  

No baking.

No activity.  Weight 159.2

And they're back to wrestling again.

The birds are singing their brains out.  I love Spring.

The deer are all fat pregnant.  

And I think that's about it for the update.  Have a great week, everyone.