It is overcast with more rain expected this afternoon. And warm! What a difference from last week. There is a cat in my lap, resting and purring peacefully, and not trying to interfere with my keyboard (for a change).
Mail: Mail has been even slower than usual lately and unpredictable. Some of the problem, of course was the deep freeze that closed streets and highways, but ever since DeJoy took over the USPS, things have not been the same.
Incoming
Annie's letter posted Jan. 19, arrived on Feb. 22.
Even considering the days without delivery into account,
that is a long delay for a letter posted in the U.S.
Postcard from Carrie
Outgoing
Here is an example of unpredictable:
I wrote back to Annie immediately (mailed Feb. 24)
and the letter within a week!
She said it must have had a tailwind behind it.
And a postcard to Carrie--that I obviously failed to scan before putting it in the mail. I could have sworn I scanned it, but can't find it anywhere. Did I "file" it wrong? Am I simply confused? Short-term memory gone?
Books/Reading:
I recently finished The Music of Bees and loved it. I have a cousin who is a beekeeper and my garden is planned with bees and butterflies in mind, so the information about bees was educational and fascinating, but the characters were wonderful and the story was uplifting. We all need a feel-good book once in a while.
Here is where I eat breakfast and lunch with my book or Kindle. A book of some sort is a constant companion. :)
When I was a kid, my father was strict about not reading at the table, but when he was out of town, Mother wasn't too concerned. There are benefits to sitting down to a family meal that I appreciate, but if I am alone, there is always a book.
I don't know when the photo was taken,
but I love it!
How are things with you? My weeks are pretty much the same, except for that unusual week of snow and ice. We are back in the 70's now, but I know many are still dealing with winter storms.
Good books? Interesting projects?
Just finished Romantic Outlaws, a dual bio of Mary Wollstonecraft and her daughter Mary Shelley. Highly recommended. Author is Charlotte Gordon.
ReplyDeleteI will have to check Romantic Outlaws out! Both women are fascinating! Glad to see you have finished your retreat and rejoined the social whirl. :)
DeleteThe couple photographs is precious. Beautiful postcards
ReplyDeleteThe couple's shirts are so clever and sweet! A testimony to love and patience :)
DeleteI love your watercolor of the town on the envelope. I have been making little houses-so my eyes perked right up-but your painting is beautiful! Your reading spot at the pretty table is so nice. I love the art on the wall too. Going to check out the bee book-thank you!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Debra! I'm enjoying using the sketchbook ideas on envelopes. I think you'd really enjoy The Music of Bees!
DeleteI get a preview of my mail that is coming that day or the next. I usually get it all. But a letter or a postcard from friends is always what seems to go astray somewhere between scanning for a preview and actual delivery.. Why isn’t it the junk mail that goes astray instead?! I just love the neighborhood you painted! And the characters on the roofs crack me up! I also read while eating when I eat alone. That’s usually breakfast and lunch. Love the couple and their shirts. It certainly would be confusing if they didn’t walk on their specified side of each other. Ha.
ReplyDeleteI should try the mail preview! It has mostly been the unpredictable element that confuses me. A letter to N.O. may make it in a week or a month. Who knows? I love having a book companion for lunch. :)
DeleteRicky just got the broken pipes in the cottage fixed today, Sunday, so we are finally back to normal at our house. We had no water for about 11 days and add in the snow and ice here in the Deep South, and it was surreal. I think our neighborhood and city really showed everyone how to handle adversity. Through the volunteer network, Ricky and I provided transportation in the snow and ice for a young woman and her sister who the young woman has adopted but the teen-age sister suffers with mental illness--as if our weather wasn't enough of a challenge. I really didn't get much read during our storms, one light novel I found on my shelf. I have no idea where it came from. I also finished reading the autobiography of Howard K. Smith, the reporter and newscaster of years gone by. Turns out he was from Ferriday, LA.
ReplyDeleteI was so glad to see that you finally got water! You and Ricky were shining stars in the Highland community, and I enjoyed your daily updates. I have to admit laughing at your gymnastic accomplishments, but was so glad you escaped injury in that episode. Your ability to laugh and tell stories is as worthy of a gold medal as the difficulty level of your physical display of prowess when you slipped. Score: 9.99!
DeleteThat's a charming little street you watercoloured! I also tend to read over breakfast and lunch, if I'm alone. Not dinner, strangely!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Rachel, I'm having fun with my cartoons. My husband is usually home for dinner, if he isn't, I read then, too. :)
DeleteWe've had some sunny weather, too. So nice after such a rainy winter!!
ReplyDeleteWow. That's a long time for Annie's letter to arrive! Completely unacceptable.
I'm looking forward to reading The Music of Bees. So many of my books are serious reads and as you say, we all could use a feel good book every now and then.
I like that brick wall in your dining area. We don't read at breakfast, but 99% of the time we read at lunchtime.
Great photo of that couple with their baseball jerseys. :)
Life is pretty much the same around here, although I'm out walking more now that it's not so cold & rainy. We'll start to see the whales migrating pretty soon, which is always fun. Have a good week!
I hope you enjoy The Music of Bees, Les. Bees are so important to our environment and to our food supply, it was interesting to see how the plot and characters tackled that problem.
DeleteMy husband is usually gone before I eat breakfast, and frankly, he isn't a good conversationalist in the morning! So breakfast & lunch are prime reading occasions for me.
Lucky you to see the whales migrating! That would be an impressive annual sight.
Oh that picture of the couple is so sweet! And, your mail art of the little neighborhood scene is just so sweet. Now that I'm working from home I typically do get to enjoy lunch with my husband but when I used to go to the office I always have a book with me to read and escape work for a bit :) Glad to see the end of February too!
ReplyDelete