My insanity

I had a pedicure this morning! I hit Agway (for dog treats) and Price Chopper (to pick up a couple things for mom) while I was downtown. I also picked up Chinese for lunch. I folded a load of laundry, hand-washed dishes, cut up chicken for the dogs’ meals, paid some bills online, and scooped kitty litter.

I finished a Kindle cozy and started another. I also typed in 2,900 more words on my fic!

Temps started out at 68.0(F), which was amusing since the high for the day was supposed to be mid-60s. So imagine my surprise when I saw that the temp ~11:30am had dropped to 59! I saw it reach 61.5 in the afternoon before it started going back down again. (Even weirder, I just looked at TWC app and it says today’s high is supposed to be 86. Where did that come from?!!) To make the day even more fun, it rained off and on most of the day. We need the rain, but very dreary. (According to Pip, the rain gauge showed 1.5" of rain.)


Mom Update:

Mom was doing okay today. ( more back here )

What I Just Finished Reading: Since last Wednesday I have read/finished reading: Death at the Manor (A Lily Adler Mystery) by Katharine Schellman, Clue in the Carriage House & Witness in the Wedding & Christmas in the Candlelight (The Inn at Holiday Bay) by Kathi Daley, and One Was a Soldier (Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne Mysteries) by Julia Spencer-Fleming.


What I am Currently Reading: Heir, Apparently by Kara McDowell.


What I Plan to Read Next: I have more library books in my hot little hands, so probably the next Amelia Peabody.

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Book 73 of 2025: Death at the Manor (A Lily Adler Mystery) (Katharine Schellman)

I enjoyed this book. ( spoilers )

This was a good book and I'm giving it four hearts.

♥♥♥♥

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Book 74 of 2025: Clue in the Carriage House (The Inn at Holiday Bay) (Kathi Daley)

Good book! ( spoilers )

I enjoyed this story and am giving it four hearts.

♥♥♥♥

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Book 75 of 2025: Witness in the Wedding (The Inn at Holiday Bay) (Kathi Daley)

Okay book, mostly because I got really annoyed by some of the ‘guests' early on and even when I found out what was going on I couldn't let that go. ( spoilers )

I mostly enjoyed this story; I'm giving it four hearts.

♥♥♥♥

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Book 76 of 2025: One Was a Soldier (Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne Mysteries) (Julia Spencer-Fleming)

I was worried that I wouldn't like this book because it dealt with some difficult subject matter, but I ended up enjoying it a lot. ( spoilers )

This book ended up being really good! I'm giving it five hearts.

♥♥♥♥♥

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Book 77 of 2025: Christmas in the Candlelight (The Inn at Holiday Bay) (Kathi Daley)

I enjoyed this book. ( spoilers )

Good book, despite my niggles. I'm giving it four hearts.

♥♥♥♥

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DNF'd: The Case of the Haunted Hotel (Ghostly Glenwood Mysteries) by B I Skinner


I've broken 75 books already! I'm close to my goal of 100, so maybe I will surpass that. Or, perhaps when I get to the end of one or two of the series I'm currently reading, I'll return to fanfic so I can complete my comment bingo card. Or maybe I'll catch up on all the tv I've been leaving hanging. (Resident Alien, I'm looking at you.)

I hit Walmart while I was downtown and got in a walk around the park. I stopped at Stewart’s for gas and milk on the way home. (One of the things I had to pick up was wasp/hornet spray because Pip discovered - by getting stung three times - a wasp nest in the roof area of the front porch, where Midnight spends a lot of time. (TBF, Pip never completely closed up that roof area, so it's really his own fault. o_O))

I got two loads of laundry washed, dried AND folded!!, hand-washed dishes, emptied the dishwasher, baked chicken for the dogs’ meals, cut up chicken for the dogs' meals, and scooped kitty litter.

I posted my SFFest fic, finished the Clare Fergusson book, and talked to mom on the phone. We went to Texas Roadhouse for supper with friends!!!

Temps started out at 68.2(F) (and sticky) and reached 91.0.


Mom Update:

Mom had her first chemo treatment today (Monday). ( more back here )

I washed, dried and hung up Pip’s uniforms, hand-washed dishes, made myself French toast for breakfast, stirred up tuna salad (without the usual celery) and added sliced cucumber for lunch at mom’s, and scooped kitty litter. After my visit to mom I washed, dried and folded another load of laundry, hand-washed more dishes, did a load in the dishwasher and shaved.

I printed off my SFFest fic and gave it a re-read. I finished the Kindle cozy and started the next Clare Fergusson.

Temps started out at 70.2(F) and reached 82.4.


Mom Update:

Mom was doing okay. ( more back here )

fandomgiftbasket rides again! Sign-ups open on August 23. Check out the Dates, Rules & FAQ post for more information.

I just signed up to participate in sunflower_auction to benefit Ukraine charities. I'm offering four fandoms:

Murder, She Wrote (tv): Jessica
Teen Wolf (tv): Peter/Chris and/or Derek/Stiles
MCU: Clint/Coulson and/or Steve/Bucky
Hawkeye (comics and/or tv): Clint/Coulson and/or Kate/Yelena

Will write: AUs and tropes (give me all the baby left on doorstep or different professions or met differently or coffee shop AUs), getting together, established relationship, kid!fic, curtain fic, fluff, crossovers . . .

Won't write: Major character death; partner betrayal; D/s; BDSM; A/B/O; bodily substances play (unless they’re a vampire); unhappy ending; explicit sex (sex is okay, but I’m less interested in writing super long sex scenes as I get older); character bashing.

I'm also willing to finish a WIP or write a sequel, so talk to me about that before you bid.

Also, for my f-list, I am willing to write in other fandoms not listed on the creator bid sheet, so talk to me about that before you bid if you might like something else!


Creator sign-ups are open through August 13; bidding opens on August 18. Check out this post if you want to participate.

I had a chiropractic appointment this morning. I hit Price Chopper and the Pharmacy while I was downtown and got in a walk around the park. I paid a short visit to mom on my way to visit my aunt. (A day early, but I am planning ahead in case I need to spend most of the day with mom tomorrow, post-procedure.)

I did a load of laundry (washed and dried), hand-washed dishes, baked chicken for the dogs’ meals, changed kitty litter, took the dogs for a walk, and paid a couple of bills online.

I took a nap and started the next Lily Adler book.

Temps started out at 49.8(F) (it was amusing to watch the temps bounce from 49.8 to 50.0 and back again, though I was not amused by such low morning temps; this is freaking fall weather) and reached 87.4. It got warm enough that we turned the AC back on in the bedroom. I do appreciate having AC when the temps get high, but I enjoyed the nights when we could just leave the windows open to sleep.


( Have some photos I took today on the walk with the dogs: )


Mom Update:

Mom had the procedure to put the port in today. ( more back here )

I had a massage this morning, which was amazing! My first in a while and very much needed.

I hit Panera for breakfast (they didn’t have any souffles *sobs* but I got a breakfast sandwich on ciabatta, which elevated the sandwich) and to use their wifi. Between Panera and massage I hit Trader Joe’s, B&N, and Bath & Body, and got in a walk. (Originally I was going to walk inside the mall, but the weather had turned so nice that I was able to walk outside.) I got lunch at Applebee’s after the massage and stopped a the car wash on the way home.

I didn’t get many chores done because I was gone most of the day (left ~6am and got home ~3pm). I dried and folded the laundry, hand-washed more dishes, scooped kitty litter, and showered.

I grilled ribs for Pip’s supper, but I accidentally picked up the wrong kind (definitely ~not baby back ribs) and (according to him) they tasted awful. I felt bad and offered to chuck them, but he said he’d eat them at the garage. He had some veg and the moz cheese sticks I brought home from Applebee’s for him to round out the meal.

I finished the Duncan Kincaid book.

Temps started out at 48.0(F) and reached 75.0. There was sun and a breeze. Another perfect day, imo.


Mom Update:

I did not see mom today, but I called her a couple of times. She sat on the porch a couple times (see above re: beautiful weather), walked to the mailbox on her own, and had a visit from her BFF. We didn’t talk about what she ate.

Mom has her port put in tomorrow aternoon (which is now today, Wednesday). All good thoughts welcomed and appreciated.

I can’t believe we’re this close to the end of July already!

I hit Walmart and CVS (for mom’s potassium) while I was downtown and got in a walk around the park. I threw a load of laundry in the washer and hand-washed dishes before I headed downtown and hand-washed more dishes when I got home. I also went for another short walk with Pip and the dogs before lunch and cut up chicken for said dogs.

I visited mom after lunch and stayed until my usual time of 3pm. I stopped at Stewart’s for milk and gas on the way home. Coming home meant yet more hand-washing of dishes, tossing the laundry in the dryer and folding it, later tossing another load in the washer, scooping kitty litter, and shaving.

The other day mom suggested that I take a day off to get things done and it put a thought in my head. So today I called and scheduled a massage for tomorrow (aka, today!). It was sudden, but my thought was that I might need to spend more time with mom on Thursday, after her port procedure, and next Tuesday (my usual massage day) would probably be out because it's the day after chemo.)

I started the next Duncan Kincaid book.

Temps started out at 61(F) and reached 76.1.


Mom Update:

Mom was doing okay. ( more back here )

I did a load of laundry (washed, dried AND hung up!), hand-washed dishes, and scooped kitty litter before heading to mom’s ~10am. I stayed until my usual time of ~3pm. I washed, dried and folded (I can’t emphasize enough how big a deal it is that I managed to get a load dried and folded!) another load of laundry, hand-washed more dishes, and showered after I got home.

Supper was *drum roll* BBQ chicken quarters!! When I stopped to get the pulled pork yesterday, I had asked about the chicken bbq they held pretty regularly and was told next Friday, so Pip and I decided that's what we'd have for supper next Friday. Somehow I must have jinxed us, because Pip's buddy showed up with more BBQ chicken quarters yesterday, lol! So we're having chicken this weekend. Not sure if that means it's off the table for next Friday. o_O

I watched the second ep of Strange New Worlds and an HGTV program, and finished the Rivers of London book.

Temps started out at 69.8(F) and reached 92 (according to Pip; it was already over 80 when I left the house mid-morning, so it’s very possible). We had some very short bursts of rain; not enough to do more than wet things pretty good.


Mom Update:

Mom was feeling better today. ( more back here )