10/31/22
Filed under:
General
Posted by:
Ann @ 3:52 pm
The lawn mowers have been retired to the shed until next spring; the trees are mostly barren - after a spectacular month of vibrant fall colors. We’ve had our first snow of the season, followed by several days of Indian Summer with temps in the low 70s. I’ve completed my garden winterizing, my winter clothes are back in my closet and my summer things packed away for the next 6 months. I cherish this time of the year as it allows me a bit more time to pursue my writing.
We’ve had an exceptionally busy but good month. Our beautiful granddaughters are frequent visitors and for that we are ever so thankful. One granddaughter will graduate from Mansfield U. in December with a teaching degree in Elementary Education. She was hired last week for a full time second grade teaching position at an area school, beginning in January. She’s happy and excited; all the family shares her joy! Another granddaughter started her first professional position in Occupational Therapy last week in Olean, NY. She’s also excited and loves it.
We visited our youngest granddaughter who is a freshman at U of Pittsburgh, main campus for dinner on October 19th. She’s premed, loves her classes and the whole college experience. It was wonderful to see her again. We also spent cherished time with our newly widowed friend in Pittsburgh while there.
My Nurse Practitioner sister and I attended the Johns Hopkins’ A Woman’s Journey last Saturday. It was inspiring and educational as always, we’ve attended these for several years. This was the first in-person one since the pandemic. It was fun to get away for the weekend and good to return home again.
I hosted our October book club meeting. We had a lively discussion about Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. Everyone liked the book and enjoyed the twisted humor, as well as the provocative gender and sexual discrimination. Several shared their frustrating experiences of discrimination during their work lives. I definitely recommend this novel, it’s a fun and interesting read.
I also read three books sent to me for review by Story Circle. You can read the reviews at the following Story Circle links:
https://www.storycircle.org/book_review/the-sharp-edge-of-mercy/ The Sharp Edge of Mercy, by Connie Hertzberg Mayo, is an historical fiction about a young woman in NYC in 1890; who wants to be a nurse almost more than anything. The characters are well developed and the plot weaves a page-turning story that the reader hates to see end.
https://www.storycircle.org/book_review/midstream/ Midstream by Lynn Sloan, set in 1974 with reflections back to the early1960s, the protagonist, Polly, is in constant turmoil as she strives to keep her job and get some respect in her work life. As her maturity evolves, so does the respect of her peers. It’s an interesting and inspiring novel.
https://www.storycircle.org/book_review/the-land-between-us/ The Land Between Us is the first book in the Wonderful West Virginia series by Bonnie O’Bannion. I loved this novel and plan to read each one as they are released. The characters are well developed and the plot intriguing as the characters evolve and their lives intertwine. It was an excellent read.
We watched a good movie on Prime, The World’s Fastest Indian, starring Anthony Hopkins. It’s definitely a 5 star movie. A friend recommended it to us; and what a fun movie it is. It’s the true story of Burt Munro, a New Zealander who bought a 1920 Indian cycle and tweaked it for years before winning New Zealand and Australian motorcycle races. Then worked his way across the Pacific on a cargo ship to challenge the Americans. The movie was released in 2006. (I admit my interest was likely piqued since my father had an Indian motorcycle before WW2, we have photos of him standing proudly beside his blue cycle.) It is really a good way to pass an evening and truly a feel good movie.
We’re still enjoying Madam Secretary on Netflix. It is exciting and well done, excellent cast with fast paced plots - almost all based on real events over the years, handled by fictional characters.
Till next time, stay safe and keep reading my friends. And maybe watch a movie or stream a series or two.
Later, Ann
Leave a Reply