Sunday Thoughts

 The sunflowers have been such fun.  Throwing bird seed out into the snow during our unusual February freeze has provided the hardy sunflowers a chance to show how determined they are.  I pulled up most of them, when they sprouted--now, I almost wish I'd left more!  Sunflowers really do love the sun and don't seem to mind the heat, and their cheerful faces are good for my attitude.

Incoming Mail

 Outgoing Mail

Nightmare Catchers:  still playing with these little monster dolls.  Finding more "stuff" that never went into projects and trying to see if I can fit them into the Nightmare Catchers.  Aside from finding all sorts of things like prairie points, stray hexies, and embroidered cloth beads that I hope to work into future creatures, the dolls amuse me for hours.  All of them have messages or phrases embroidered on their backs and the lavender "backpacks."  

Books/Reading: 

The Satapur Moonstone, the second book in Suhata Massey's Perveen Mistry series (reviewed here), was my favorite recent read. 

I also enjoyed Martha Wells' Elements of Fire, but not nearly so much as her science fiction Murderbot Diaries series.   

 I've abandoned several books, and some books have been just OK, fine for passing the time, but not great, but I have a bunch more books waiting in my Kindle queue and am hoping there will be some compelling ones to keep my mind engaged when even a little weeding is too hot to contemplate.

 Many of my reading blog friends are participating in the 20 Books of Summer challenge.  I'm not; although I read every day, I don't choose books a bunch of books in advance for a challenge.  What I do, however, is look at my friends' reviews and add books that sound good to me to my list. :)

Have your read some good books lately?  Are there some that you look forward to reading? 

In other reading, this article is something that I've always felt to be true:  IQ Tests Can't Measure It, but Cognitive Flexibility Is Key to Learning and Creativity.  I've known several people who struggled with academics, but over and over again proved to be great problem-solvers.  I also liked this article about fluid and crystallized intelligence.   

Have your read some good books lately?  Are there some that you look forward to reading?  What else is keeping you occupied this summer?

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The heat and humidity continue. As bad as it is here, (the humidity doesn't allow sweat to evaporate) the temperatures in the west and northwest are frightening.  The heat dome is another one of those circumstances that are like dominoes waiting to fall.  Drought and dried up reservoirs, fires, crops that won't survive and will be abandoned in the fields, and each of those leading to other dominoes falling: loss of income, wildfire damage in communities and forests, curtailed electricity, shortages, higher prices, heat exhaustion and heat strokes.