Category Archives: Bookish Talk

Sunday Matters: Doing Alright

Sunday Matters

There’s a lot I could say about our current numbers here in LA County but I will refrain. You’ve all seen the news. It’s not looking great. We are following the recommendations as much as possible. We go out for walks and let me tell you, they are much needed. I’ve never craved sunlight before but these days, it’s all I want. We are doing alright. I told my dentist this past weekend when he asked how we were that we are still employed and healthy. What more could we want?

Right Now:

By the time you read this, my daughter’s audition with PACE University in New York will be in full swing. The three of us, the Hub, the pup and myself will be out and about trying to keep active without running into people. The weather is warm and is supposed to stay that way through most of this week. Should be easy to spend more time outside.

My youth group is on break so my evening is free!! Time for a Christmas movie. Maybe Christmas with the Kranks.

This Week:

Christmas is this week and we still don’t know what we will be doing. We normally go to my In-Law’s place for Christmas Eve but that of course has been called off.

Christmas day my son is off work but if we drive up to see him, nothing will be open so that would be hard meal wise. We will probably just stay home and then drive-up after Christmas to see him for the day. It’s a beach town so a fish taco on the beach is really all we need, you know?

Reading:

You will all be so proud of me!! I am almost done with Pride and Prejudice. It’s like my white whale. Years and years it’s taunted me and no matter how many times I tried to read it, it did not work for me. This time, it’s clicking. Pandemic reading? The need for something lighter? Who knows, but it’s happening! I just need to finish it and review it before the end of the year and I can check that puppy off my list.

Pride and Prejudice

A funny little aside. I was reading it in the park as you can see above. It was beautiful and golden out and everything was so perfect. Then, a bird pooped on my book. Bird poo on my book is so 2020. How fitting. Do not zoom in on my hand as I currently have  HAG hands since I do not have access to my fancy hand cream.

Watching:

We have been creeping our way through my Christmas movie list. Friday night we watched Deck the Halls. We have seen it before but this time I fell asleep pretty early on. Last night we watch Love Actually. Who doesn’t love that Hugh Grant dance scene?

Grateful for:

  • As you get older, you appreciate a good dental visit. No issues this past Saturday.
  • I’ve gotten a lot of “business” out of the way this past week so I am finally in a place to begin enjoying my time off. For a good vacation, you really need a vacation BEFORE the vacation to do all the required things just so you can relax.
  • The vaccine. I’ve heard from many nurse friends and a few teachers that they’ve gotten the vaccine this past week. This is really good news.

That’s it from me. I hope you are all having fun choosing your first book of the year. I’ve chosen mine and will be posting about it soon. Take care of yourselves!! Don’t chance it if you don’t need to go out. We are all getting tired of being at home but make it cozy and pleasant and try to enjoy this forced downtime.

Sunday Matters: Bring on the Christmas Spirit

Sunday Matters

Good morning! I hope you’ve had, or are enjoying a nice cup of something good. It got a little chilly here after our horrible winds died down. The early morning is when I take The Otter Pup for her walk but she’s been resisting because it’s a little too cold for her even with a sweater. She is a funny little pup pup.

Right Now:

Guys, it’s hard to get into the Christmas spirit these days but I am trying to relish the moments. I am off work until January 11th. I am very grateful for this time every year and this is the one year where my calendar is pretty wide open. I can actually participate in that Icelandic holiday everyone speaks of.

During the festive season, gifts are opened on December 24th and, by tradition, everyone reads the books they have been given straight away, often while drinking hot chocolate or alcohol-free Christmas ale called jólabland.

Photo Credit: Jolabokaflod.org

Doesn’t it sound nice?

It’s not looking like my son will be able to come for Christmas. Possibly a day or two before the New Year but we will leave it flexible. He has that new job plus he is moving into a new house since his lease is up where he is renting a room now. I’m trying to decide what our little three-person Christmas will look like. We normally see a movie in the theatre on Christmas night. Not happening, obviously.

This Week:

I have a work holiday party on Wednesday, a book club Happy Hour on Thursday, both on Zoom. It’s textbook return at the school as their term ends next week and it’s nice because the Girl can drive herself down there to do it. My husband and I have dental appointments this Saturday and my daughter has her PACE audition this Sunday. A busy week!

Reading:

You all know my struggles with reading for the past few weeks. I did finally finish the one book I was stumbling through. I was looking at my reading for the year and I am going to make it easy on myself and read just one more book for the year, Pride and Prejudice. It’s a book that has been on my list for so long. I have picked it up and put it down so many times. How can I be a book blogger without reading it? So, I am going to read it and then review it and be done with 2020. Ha!

Now, to figure out what my first book will be so I can join Sheila’s fun event. Will it be a serious book? A fun book? A classic? I am ending 2020 with a classic so probably not but who knows? I feel like the first book of the year sets the tone for the year. Last year I chose A Good Neighborhood and then all that civil unrest hit. Yep, I must choose wisely.

Watching:

I missed Dolly Parton’s TV special but she has her Christmas musical on Netflix, Christmas on the Square. Everything I’ve read about her indicates that she is a really good human. Don’t we need more of them in the world right now? I plan to watch it this week.

I also plan to watch, one by one, all the holiday movies I listed last week. The ones everyone watches this time of the year and a couple of new to me (classics) like Meet Me in St. Louis. My friends on Facebook said they cannot continue to be friends with me if I do not see that holiday classic.

Grateful for:

  • Twinkly Christmas lights. Our neighborhood has more lights than it has ever had. I think people needed a little more cheer this year. I love it!
  • Spiked eggnog. I mean, let’s be real.
  • Birds. Birdsong, to be more specific. We have a lot of critters in our yard and that includes birds. On any given day I have a chorus of birds singing. It’s like a scene right out of Snow White.

Does it feel like the holidays are less than two weeks away? It feels kind of weird, huh? If you need to inject a little holiday spirit into your routine, try one of these:

  • Put your jammies on, make or pick up some hot cocoa or hot apple cider (this, plus whipped cream tastes like apple pie) and drive around the neighborhood to check out the Christmas lights. Make sure to create your holiday playlist ahead of time.
  • No big Christmas cookie baking going on? Then make this one cookie recipe. It’s like Christmas in a cookie.
  • Put some Christmas potpourri on your stovetop to make your house smell like Christmas!
  • We are missing Disneyland this Christmas. My local indie bookstore suggested this Main Street play list which kind of feels like we are at Disneyland! Enjoy!