Ruth's reading notes

Somebody please remind me periodically that I am not required to read every book that my hands touch.

I keep the public library catalog open next to my LT tab so that I can just order stuff that sounds interesting. Sometimes, when it arrives, I'm scratching my head why. I used to work at the library (I know - lucky me!) and it was even easier to look at materials as they passed through my hands, but those were somehow less guilty times. I recently moved furniture around to devote a whole bookshelf to library materials. Got the piles up off the floor.

Today, I managed to return a full dozen without reading them. What a relief.

Forty more left. I'll never get around to reading my old favorites!

I'm going to use this not so much as a reading log, but for sorting purposes and trying to track any progress with taming the mountains.

Wish me luck.

Does your library system allow you to put books on hold, and freeze the holds? Freezing the holds means you won't get the book until you unfreeze the hold. Then you can unfreeze your mountain of books in a manageable way.

Our library system will allow you to freeze up to two years. I didn't know this until ALL 40 or so of my holds became unfrozen at the same time. (I was out of town and neglected to move the freeze date forward.)

Good luck. At least you're just borrowing them, not buying them, which is what I'm trying to curb.

The fault really lies with the library, not with you. If your library system didn't have so many of the books you want to read, you wouldn't be forced to accumulate them.

LOL.

Luck! :)

Wow you can have that many out? We're limited to 20 here!

I can have 25 officially, and if I do the checkout at a person, and not a machine, and explain that I have several as a reading volunteer, they let me have more. (Not a good idea! I need to try to get the number down before we travel in May.)

Hah. The people at mine are the most unfriendly in the world, I'm certain that no excuse would ever get any of them to override the limit. Also, you can't check out with them, you must use the checkout computer things. They will only help (grudgingly) with checkout if there is some problem.

Oh, I HATE HATE HATE self-checkout. We are losing so many jobs to automation.

Thankfully, my library hasn't yet gone that route.

And its lending policy is 100 items at a time, and 50 items on hold.
Checkout is for a month (1 week for films and magazines) with two renewals allowed. Many of the libraries in the state of Ohio belong to the consortium. The branch manager often thanks me for keeping their cargo numbers so healthy.

Our main public library allows us to keep books for 3 weeks. If no one has a hold, we can renew twice, for a total of 9 weeks. I don't know what the book limit is, but I've had about a dozen out at a time in the past.

I actually like the automated check out, as when the lines are long, I just sidle on over, use it, and get out, fast. :)

The library does not yet have an automated "shelving robot", so I don't think the jobs are going anywhere, not yet, not as long as they still buy and lend REAL books.

One thing that our library offers is "Elf", a web-based software program that emails you reminders when your books are due. You can also request a hold through the system, which is very simple (yippee!).

>8 2wonderY: It's actually very handy, and frees up those working to deal with actual stuff that needs a person. There are ...9? or 12? checkout things in my library. Returns are the same, RFID enables people not to have to bother with that routine stuff, it just gets "read," and then slides down the conveyor into a bin, ready to be shelved when someone has the time. Damn, 100? That's nuts!

My library is 20 items (10 for a child's card), 3 weeks (including movies), one renew of another 3 weeks (excluding movies), €9.50/year. They do automatically send an email a few days before the stuff is due back.

Oh and for the record, a shelving-robot would do at least as good as, if not better than, the morons who work in my library. I do not understand why they work there if they have no desire to actually do their jobs, but I want to beat them over the head with all the books that they do not shelve properly!!!

Polymon, it could be that it's not those who shelve the books that do it incorrectly, but the patrons who try to be helpful by shoving the book back, somewhere, even if three shelves from where they originally found it...

Our library is paid for by taxes, but if you rent a DVD, it's $1.00 for three days.

And there are overdue fines, although not really expensive.

>11 fuzzi: No, aside of the fact that it's way too common, and that I've noticed books in a wrong location for 3 trips in a row before finally fixing myself, I've watched them do it.

>10 .Monkey.: Sure it frees up people, but it also allows justification of shorter staffing. We don't want human workers to become redundant. Not that it wouldn't be nice to have more time to read and garden, but I do like my paycheck too.

We've lost manufacturing jobs to Mexico and China, and the corporations don't care that they are not paying a living safe wage in those places. NPR recently mentioned $43/week wages south of the border. THAT is why the plant moved.

Automation does the same thing - initial capital investment and then low operating costs. Widgets.

Someone being good at their job and doing it well is related, but a seperate issue.

>13 2wonderY: Think what you will, but there is always a line of people (I honestly cannot fathom what for, I never saw such lines in my former libraries and those were where you were checked out by people!!) waiting to be helped. They have not reduced staff, they have improved efficiency.

1> Any progress lately?

If/when I start a reading thread, it'll be in this group. You all would be the most likely to beinterested in what I am reading. I am trying to keep beter track. I think I am up to 69 books read so far this year. None of them difficult, time consuing reads, not up to that right now.

>15 MDGentleReader: I am not aware of any "rule" stating the need for our reads to be "time-consuming" or difficult: read what you like, enjoy, and when you get some time, tell us about them...if you want. :)

When I was a librarian and bookseller, I would encourage tweens to read So You Want to be a Wizard, selling it as even better than Harry Potter. I re-read it periodically and just this week listened to the audio version. I think it is powerful writing about some essentials of existence, and the audio brought tears to my eyes. Diane Duane has been a prolific writer in fantasy, some just formulaic, but I think she's hit it right on with this series. Some of the later ones are even more powerful in their own way, but this one alludes to a creation myth, and the language involved in creation and maintaining creation as intended. The narrator, Christina Moore, does justice to the material and the characters. They sound just like the do in my head. Remarkable.

After finishing my re-read of The Rosary I thought I'd lighten it with a dessert of Through the Postern Gate, which is a much quicker read.

The action spans only seven days, moving along swiftly with light-hearted piquancy. Barclay holds to many biblical references and it is a given that her characters have a deep and real Christian faith.

The seven days alludes to the seven days of creation, but also to the number of days to bring down the walls of Jericho. She also flirts with the stone being rolled away for a new creation.

Again, the heroine's self-concept as not suitable is an obstacle and the hero's pure intentions and actions clear the way. Sigh. Oh to have a suitor who is so perfect and true.

I see another Barclay title is The Mistress of Shenstone. I hope to come across it someday and further hope it's about Myra Ingleby (from The Rosary) with her musical servants.

>18 2wonderY: I have The Mistress of Shenstone. I haven't yet read it.

My one quibble (as I'm trying to remember The Rosary from 4 years ago) is that Barclay paints the relationship problems between the main characters as completely the woman's fault, and her complete responsibility to mend. I think, given what we know about both characters, they each had a hand in their relationship woes.

edited to add: What did you think?

edited again to see if touchstones are fixed. Looks like they are.

That's an excellent point. These books don't really reflect reality.

The heroine's self-concept and self-doubt is what stands in the way of the romance. Otherwise, she is as perfect as the hero. Her inner qualities as wife and mother have never been exposed to the world nor to herself. The fact that the hero leaves when bidden and makes no further attempts is actually seen by the author and the heroine as a sterling quality and is the tipping point for falling in love with him.

That trope holds in both novels I've read.

Just received The Wheels of Time, and it is about the marital problems of Deryck Brand aluded to in The Rosary.
His young wife, Flower, is the first seriously immature character I've encountered in Barclay's work.

Sadly, it's a very slim volume.

Ah, insomnia. I just entered my copy of The Following of the Star. Then I decided to play with the "Will you like it?" feature. Librarything predicts I will love The Following of the Star. Then I chose a random, current, dystopian YA. Librarything predicts that I won't like that. Then I picked out something modern from one of our threads. Librarything thinks I will probably like it. I wonder how it does that?

I just started The Following of the Star tonight. It is about David Rivers, a minister who has given his life to missionary work. After five years in Africa he's back in England to restore his health. The opening of the book describes the small country church that Rivers is tending for six weeks. If you've ever been involved in any small community for a length of time her descriptions will be familiar. . . and amusing. So far I am liking the book. I think, even though I quibble with at least one thing in each of Florence L. Barclay 's books, I really like them. The characters are pure of heart, and the prose is yummy. I also have read The Mistress of Shenstone this week. It's relatively short. When I finish The Following of the Star I will have read the three Barclay books that I own.

I don't think we are going to make your "to read" stack any shorter.

Oh dear, book bullets...

Okay, I've finished The Following of the Star and wrote a review of it. 15 other people have this book but no one yet has written a review or rated it. As librarything predicted, I loved it. Per Wikipedia Barclay wrote 11 books; I have three of them. I will be on the lookout for the other 8.

The Wheels of Time is actually Barclay's publishing debut; perhaps first published in a magazine, it's 57 pages. I'll bet it was written co-timely with The Rosary, as it elaborates an incident mentioned in passing, concerning a minor character's history. Jane and Deryck are best friends from early days, and she understands him somewhat better than his childish wife does. Jane gives Flower exceedingly good advice on cherishing Deryck. And the story provides the plot device to allow her to suffer through the advice and learn the lesson thoroughly. While there is great truth in the story, I thought it too pat, too easy. But, appealing to an emotional age, I can see how it launched her writing career.

I'm trying to finish Who Moved the Stone? because it's overdue and can't be renewed. Also, it's a subject I find fascinating and it fits into TBSL, first published in 1930. Grabbing a few slender minutes before falling into exhausted sleep and lunch breaks too.

Morison comes at the question of the Resurrection by examining the original literatures and trying to fill in the gaps - 'the rest of the story' as it were. His analysis satisfies me. I generally read scriptures wondering about the sources of certain stories. For instance, Mark is possibly a witness to Jesus' suffering in the garden and his arrest - the young man who escaped without his breechcloth. (see Mark 14:51)

Morison takes the fragments of all the actors that we know and knits them together and fills in some of the gaps with logic and psychology to evaluate how true the Christian claim might be. He admits that the exercise was first taken on with the intention of seeing the Resurrection disproved. The evidence convinced him otherwise.

He critiques a couple of other authors, primarily Kirsopp Lake, who is a nay-sayer.

I've got several newer books on the same subject. I'm wondering if any more recent authors examine Morison's take.

After bringing a short pile of books into the house yesterday, I couldn't resist starting The Lion's Mouse by C.N. & A.M. Williamson.

If you'll remember, this husband and wife team have written multiple motoring romances.
This is, sadly, not one of those.

It's more on the order of Lord Loveland Discovers America, mostly because of it's absurd plotline.
It's a melodrama and a mystery. Roger Sands comes to the aid of mysterious Beverley Sands, and proposes marriage in Chicago, having met her at the beginning of a train trip from out west. She is fleeing some untold peril and has a mysterious parcel she entrusts to his keeping. She is unwilling to share her story with him, but does marry him. A year or so later, they are outrageously happy, but her past is catching up with her.

>27 2wonderY: so, is it good?

I haven't decided yet. It seems too serious. The Williamsons are ususally quite witty, and I've seen nothing of that yet. It will probably depend on how well the mystery plays out. The title, of course, refers to an Aesop's fable. Beverley rescues a young Irish woman from despair and poverty. She, Clo, is the mouse.

I'm more than half way through The Lion's Mouse and I have to say I'm not really enjoying it. The pace and the suspense have picked up, and that sealed envelope with the papers in it is getting passed around quickly, and more villains are coming out of the woodwork. If I were a mystery fan, I might appreciate it more.

I will probably offer it to the next interested person.

Done with The Lion's Mouse, and it just didn't satisfy. Not one tidge of deliberate humor in it. So I dug out The Lightning Conductor to make sure I still like the Williamsons. Yep, just as delightful as I remember.

Found another motoring romance of theirs online: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/17342
The Motor Maid

>31 2wonderY: I have The Motor Maid on my Kindle TBR.

I've read the first 5 chapters and can't wait to download the rest of it. Classic Williamson.

I always enjoy the Discworld novels, but I can’t keep straight which ones I’ve read.

The Colour of Magic – I’ve tried and abandoned this. Except for the creativity, this one really is awful. It just keeps going and going. I might need to try to listen to it.

The Light Fantastic - ??

Equal Rites – I just finished reading this and love several parts. Pratchett has a way with words, ain’t so? Here we’ve got Granny Weatherwax escorting young Esk (the eighth son of an eighth son – er, not quite) to the UnSeen University to become a wizard, after training her up as a witch. Esk has inherited a wizard’s staff. She meets Simon, a wizarding student who brings new Einsteinian concepts to magic. Granny befriends the University head housekeeper and gets Esk a job below stairs.

Small Gods

Lords and Ladies – I think I’ve read this. The beginning is familiar. A young Esmerelda Weatherwax is tempted to enter a stone circle by the fairy queen. Decades later, the fairies attempt to invade the human world, during the Dance. A group of apprentice witches are out of their depth.

Men at Arms

Soul Music – This one sounds familiar, but it might be an animated version that I’ve seen. Death’s granddaughter, Susan, takes over the family business temporarily.

Interesting Times

Maskerade

Feet of Clay – features City Watch Captain Sam Vines, but I think I’ve met him in a later book

Hogfather - ??? Death takes over for a missing Hogfather

Jingo

The Last Continent

Carpe Jugulum – vampires

The Wee Free Men – possibly my intro to Discworld and my favorite. Tiffany Aching meets the little blue men.

I've only just started to read Pratchett. I found that The Colour of Magic worked very well on audio, which was unexpected, because I normally don't enjoy having fiction read to me. I listened to the version narrated by Nigel Planer. I read The Wee Free Men in print, and thought Tiffany and the little blue men were wonderful.

Sorry, double post.

>35 SylviaC: I wondered that. I may try it on audio. I know the above list is very incomplete. I found it in one of the books I had on hand, both of which, it turns out, I had read before.

During this last week's vacation, I loaded up two boxes of library books to go with me, because I never know before-hand what I'm going to want to read.
Returned a dozen or so yesterday, so I'm down to 20 check-outs. (But ILL books will be pouring in again soon.)
I read portions of American Eden and Beatrix Potter's Gardening Life, enjoying parts, but not feeling able to claim that I actually read them.

I'm holding on to Sharon Astyk's Making Home, loving every moment of her wisdom. I may buy a copy, or perhaps try another of her titles.

Did I tell you that I missed my exit TWICE while I was listening to What the Dog Saw? The second miss was my own driveway!!!! So I haven't been listening to it in the car anymore.

I just finished reading a contemporary urban fantasy and had a hard time letting it go. I read it straight through the weekend to the exclusion of everything else except eating and sleeping.

A Madness of Angels is set in London, and the magicks are all lovely. Griffin differentiates magicians and sorcerers. Sorcerers use the wild magic found in all of existence, and they can be gathered from all of the senses as well as collected from the detrius and history of a place. There is a litterbug monster and we met the London dragon. Graffitti has magical qualities. The book is a tour de force of descriptions. It's quite powerful. This is the first in a series, but I will be pacing myself. I can't afford to dive into another one soon. I wouldn't get anything else done.

Adding one of my old tomes, I saw this "review" and just had to flag it:

'So, this woman in the Victorian club specializes in lesser-known female Victorian authors and she recommended a bunch of books to me. Neat thing to specialize in, huh? I realize some of these are less lesser-known than others; she does too.

BTW I am going to repeat this message for several other books, so...get used to it."

and went to the guy's profile to see if he really did use it multiple times. Yep. I think it's an import from a GoodReads account, and he used the review space for his notes and comments - many are just notes about where he heard about it, or a link to a published review.

But at times, he's pretty funny himself, though crass. I found myself flagging and thumbs upping the same comments once or twice. Quite an impressive list of books read and actually reviewed. People are complex.

568 reviews, and about a third of them are not. AlCracka

I checked out AlCracka's reviews. I liked The House of Seven Gables better than he did but his review was true and very funny. The one on The Insidious Doctor Fu Manchu is outrageous and hilarious and true too.

I'm glad you enjoyed him too. What a character!

I have so much non-fiction to get through, I'm having a hard time settling on a novel, but several fantasies have come in from the library that look very good. Two I've cracked open are Alias Hook, which is about Neverland from the pirate's perspective; and Stray Souls, by Kate Griffin, the author who wrote A Madness of Angels. This is much different, and has many whoop-out-loud funny bits, though set in the same universe.

I usually have 35 or so books from the library, but I worked diligently to sort and screen them this past week, and I've gotten the pile back down to a managable 14 books - 3 audio books (ooops, need more!), 1 picture book, and the rest non-fiction, but a couple just there for the photography.

I quit Alias Hook because it went depressingly into Hook's early background and didn't spend enough time on the amazing dynamic which kept Hook in Neverland solely because Peter Pan desired it to be so.

35 books??? Wow. I think I have 4-5 from the library this month.

I am reading one from the library right now about the rivalry between Affirmed and Alydar, Duel for the Crown. So far it's interesting, and I am enjoying it.

>24 SilverKitty:
>25 2wonderY:

I just found a copy of Returned Empty by our favorite Florence L. Barclay. I probably won't have time to read it for a while. Have you seen this one, 2wonderY?

No, and I'm envious!! Do post about it when you get the time to read it.

What with the dearth of library fiction on my shelf, I picked up one of my own tomes this morning and I'm enjoying it like crazy.

Paynton Jacks, Gentleman was published in 1893. The premise of the great divide between nobility and common man is almost too foreign, separated by so much time and distance. Paynton and his father Josiah are English. The book gives the first fifty pages over to Josiah. Josiah began life as the lowest of the low - he sold cats-meat out of a basket on the street, and it wasn't even his basket. His grasp of the market and good sense led him to become a rich man, and his single wish is to provide his son with all the advantages of the gentleman's life. With the help of the local schoolmaster, he puts Paynton into the right schools and also takes lessons himself so as not to shame his son - he puts a coat of paint on, as he phrases it.

Paynton returns from a world tour at age 25, and has decided to run for a spot in the House of Commons. The author, Marian Bower, doesn't give him too much of an advantage. He's not handsome or particularly brilliant, but he has a certain earthy confidence and good instincts. He's been associating with "the nobs" all along, but there has always been a tension there - accepted by some and reviled/teased by others.

This is a romance, but it's also about class and ability. It's a good'un.

>47 2wonderY: The odd thing about this acquisition - the thrift store I was in rarely has books that are more than 5 - 10 years old. They have one small shelf of "old books" and usually it's things like dictionaries, or classics that are still in print today. It was an exceptionally odd place to find Florence L. Barclay.

Well now, since they found a willing buyer so easily, maybe they'll stock some more! No, I know what you mean; the traffic in the old books is getting harder to stumble upon.

It's a good thing I already have my lifetime supply.

I finished Paynton Jacks, Gentleman. It was good all the way through. Paynton is a man you can really admire. Though he winced once or twice, he never hesitated to bring his father with him into better society. And boy, Josiah still showed the education of the gutter in his speech and mannerisms, though he worked hard to correct them.

The author doesn't wrap it up all neat and tidy like most romances. Extra points for that. The finest writing was the first part. Josiah jumped off the page, he did. Excellent.

I gathered a box of books together to donate to the local book sale. I made a list so that I could de-access from My Library. I found that many of them had never been added. Starting on box #2.

Oh. Also I'm down to only a dozen library books. Yay!

Have fun!

I've missed a few books, I'm sure, when I've cataloged them.

For some reason I had read the bulk of The Princess of the Chalet School but the book escaped me before I finished it in full. So I read the conclusion last evening. Nice. Ready for the next one.

But I'm in the middle of Nevil Shute's Pied Piper and finding it better and better. I was about to give it up, as John Howard's story didn't seem compelling until mid-way. I'm glad I stuck with it. Mr. Howard has reached Chartres and spent the night with the Rougeron women, and they are planning the next leg of the journey. What a sympathetic character he is!* I had no idea the speed of the German invasion of France or its characteristics. That is also quite interesting.

*I was charmed when he was first visited in his hotel room by Mr. Cavanagh:
"The old man bustled round and cleared a heap of books from the only other chair in the room."
That is my space entirely.

>53 2wonderY: Princess is a good one! I'm looking forward to getting my unabridged copy from Girls Gone By this autumn, as I've only read the armada version. It's still a great story though, even shortened.

I've started reading The Mistress of Shenstone, and it is about Myra Ingleby, who was Jane's lively and funny friend in The Rosary, but she is much changed. Dr. Deryck Brand has showed up on her doorstep because her friends are concerned about her emotional health.

>47 2wonderY: I did read Returned Empty and found it. . . odd. It is the story of Luke Sparrow, who was left at an orphanage as a baby. He is exceptionally capable in life, but can't seem to connect with others. On his 30th birthday he is traveling by foot when he feels drawn to a particular house. When he approaches the porch, he is motioned in by people who seem to know him.

The house is owned by an older lady, Lady Tintagel, whose husband is long dead. As the story unfolds, Luke finds out that he is the long dead husband, come back as a baby right after the husband's death. Lady Tintagel has prayed to have God return her husband to earth.

When this was revealed, I wondered where and how Barclay would take this story. She was (as far as I can tell, both by her biography and other stories) a devout Anglican and reincarnation does not fit into this world view.

There are about three pages of Bibical justification for the possibility of reincarnation (starting on page 108, for future reference for me), and bunch of speculation on how reincarnation might work (with a Christian world view) but that still seems. . . odd.

While Lady Tintagel is ecstatic, Luke is horrified. She sees her husband, and he sees . . . an old lady. Yet, he eventually comes to know that all she says is true. To come to grips with this he goes out to the sea for a swim, and Lady Tintagel becomes concerned for his safety. She prays that God will take his life for hers. He is spared from drowning and she collapses and dies within a few days.

He leaves with two of her older servants. He later serves in WWI and is killed.

I will probably pull some of this text when I do a review for this book. While many of Barclay's usual themes are here (self sacrifice being one of the biggest), reincarnation as a major plot point just seems weird!

Reincarnation is not supported by the Bible, as far as I can tell.

"And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:" Hebrews 9:27

I'm a bit more than half-way through The Mistress of Shenstone. It started out gloomy, had a very nice middle section and has just dropped back into teeth gnashing stupidity. I hesitate to reveal more until I read the resolution.

So Barclay is not a guaranteed good read. Uneven bumps in the road. It actually makes her more interesting.

I can't recall now what made me order the audio book Love Wins by Rob Bell, but I'm enchanted. I ordered it again so that a friend could listen to it, but I went rapidly through the three discs again myself. It's the most charming and cogent explanation of Christianity I've heard in a long time.

I will be buying both the hardcover and the audio version for my own library, and I think I will make the listening of it a requirement in my will.

I have Velvet Elvis on my shelf too, and again, I can't recall why it's contents led me to own it. But it was another I read and then desired to own.

Hadn't read anything else by Rob Bell but he appears to have ruffled feathers in the Evangelical community when Love Wins came out in 2011. Actually, it seems much more than feathers, quite the uproar. I've ordered several magazine articles and may read one or two of the response books. But I think I know what I'll find. Bell is accused of Universalism. But I tend to fall on that end of the spectrum myself. And his arguments are compelling. It IS all about love.

Pursuing my Maxfield Parrish mood, I ordered a couple of Alma Gilbert compilations.

Maxfield Parrish: A Treasury of Art and Children's Literature is mostly a replay of other books, sometimes the original stories are greatly redacted by Gilbert, and the art reproduction is not the best.

But The Make-Believe World of Maxfield Parrish and Sue Lewin is fascinating. Again, the art quality is lacking, but that's not the point of the book. Sue Lewin was Parrish's mistress and go-to model for many many characters in his paintings. Documented with photos of the model, it's possible to find her again and again in various poses and costumes, and even sitting in for male characters.

Yikes! Library books are out of control again. I've got a short stack of gardening and construction books that I need to make notes from before returning. And now we're researching topics relating to putting on a wedding (not mine!)

Too many interests, many fed by conversations here...

I'm currently listening to The Rosie Project and it takes high marks in a very good reading year.
Also reading several Rob Bell titles and the controversy he stimulated by one of his books.

Also a biography of The Smothers Brothers, Dangerously Funny.
I must have been just a tad too young to understand their ground-breaking work.

Still haven't finished London War Notes but I've dipped into Countrymen which is more politics so far rather than the common man stories.

Two books on alternatives to the industry-standard burial choices and a book of essays I haven't been able to concentrate on, but find endlessly fascinating - When I Was A Child I Read Books.

Someone recommended The Apex Book of World SF edited by Lavie Tidhar.

The second story's first paragraph blew me a way:

"She’s teaching. Maths and science at the village high school. The school itself puts the word derelict to shame. A building so run-down our own country’s squatters would find it uninhabitable. Windows are an illusion, walls that are more crack than brick, benches that should be reported to Amnesty’s human rights watch and a roof that doubles as a communal shower in the wet season."

Jetse de Vries’ Transcendence Express

Nice paragraph...

My sainted husband used to read the Travis McGee series, and I too enjoyed them once in a while long ago. I decided to re-visit them and listened to the first one in the series, The Deep Blue Good-By, and found it too intense for my tastes. It does set the stage for the melancholy but principled McGee, and perhaps I'll pull one of the later titles before abandoning the project. Hoping Mr. McGee lightens up just a tad.

I've been seeing buzz around these parts for Tim Gautreaux, and was intrigued by the title Welding with Children, and got it from the library. The title story was admittedly good, but it made me uncomfortable, as I'm a parent, and I too wish I'd done a much better job.
I'm glad I went on to the next story, Misuse of Light. I'm now officially in love with this writer. And although some of the themes of the next stories sound troubling, I trust Gautreaux to gently guide me to wisdom and not pull a Flannery O'Conner or a Pat Conroy trick.

Hey, I found the biography of Florence Barclay online

The life of Florence L. Barclay : a study in personality

is available HERE!!

I've started re-reading Strawberry Acres, and the young people are exploring a great big old house they've just inherited. Behind a locked door, they find an attic room described thus:

"The room was that of a collector of old books, and it had been closed and left precisely as its former owner had arranged it, so far as could be judged by its present appearance....All around the walls stood bookcases, filled with a large collection of books, the greater proportion of them of an age suggestive to the inexperienced eye, of worthlessness, to the more discerning, of value."

That's precisely our anthem cry here.

>67 2wonderY: I like that quote!

>67 2wonderY: Oh, that looks good! Off to put it on my Kindle.

Looks like I'm weather stuck in Kentucky for the rest of the week. We've had to dig out from over a foot of snow, and the roads were just beginning to look safe again yesterday, but it's snowing again and freezing rain is forecast on top of that. This is NOT how I want to use my leave time. I'm at daughter's house, and they are very gracious, but enough is enough. If I had stayed at my cabin Sunday night as I thought I might, I would still be out there frozen solid, as my driveway neighbors don't have equipment for this amount of snow. So it's good I'm in town at least.

Daughter lives at the bottom of a hill and various neighbors would try it's heights, some succeeding, most not till yesterday afternoon. I got out once, late in the afternoon, but couldn't even negotiate the high slush walls at most gas stations. Motorists are playing tag with other vehicles and the poor snowplow operators trying to clear access roads and parking lots.

I finished Exo yesterday. It's the latest Jumper novel, and was excellent. Much science and math I passed over lightly. These are science fiction thrillers, and the main characters, a family through the whole series, are just lovely to spend time with.
I have no tattered books with me, but several other library books. When I Was a Child I Read Books is a collection of thoughtful and densely constructed essays. I am very attracted to Robinson's prose, but it takes concentration to get through them. I'll switch off with Midnight Riot, which I've already listened to in audio. I got the print version to try and pin down the best lines. It is well composed and very funny.

I'd been sweeping and then shoveling in shifts Monday while it was coming down, as I think it's easier to move less snow multiple times than a whole bunch all in one try. When the snowplows finally hit the neighborhood, the next job was moving the higher and hardening snow enough out of the way to allow cars back on the street.

So I'm off to bundle up for the first shift today, and to check out the street conditions.

Don't feel too bad. As you said, at least you are not on the ridgetop, and it's probably not as bad where you are as in New England:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/please-stop-snowing?fb_action_ids=101526462841676...

I don't think they've had this much snow since 1978...

Hey, what's up with y'all? Sure is quiet around here except for the blather that goes on at Pro and Con.

I'm down to 2 dozen library books and a quarter of those are gardening books. But I haven't been able to concentrate much on reading. It's been nice to slump in front of the TV and watch old movies and TV series. And eat chili and warm my feet at the fireplace.

>75 MDGentleReader: it got up to 75F here today...

::ducking::

WhooHOO! That's great!!!

Come on Spring! We've got shirt sleeve weather today, and despite having my eyes dilated this morning I'm still lovin' it.

>73 fuzzi:, >74 2wonderY: Awesome, finally Spring-like weather. 61F here. I'll take it. Friday evening it was 5 degrees where I was.

Have some Spring, from my backyard:

Ooh. Lovely.

I'm down to 20 library books, mostly non-fiction that I can't seem to finish. Too scattered. But I'm proud to get the list this small.

Now that the wedding is over and the clean-up is mostly done, it’s time for a new passion.
Silverplate flatware!

I accumulated many pieces on the cheap getting ready for the event. Now I contemplate lending them out to friends for other festive events. Another lady at work has a daughter planning her wedding next fall. I’m sure there is stuff to be re-used. She’s already been asking about the fabrics and decorative elements.

So, it’s always fun to count and sort and make lists, eh? I first made spread sheets recording backmarks, pattern descriptions and counting up the individual pieces. Then I started looking at patterns on the internet. It was surprisingly easy to discover the names of many of the patterns. But the original uses of the variously shaped and sized utensils is sometimes hard to discern, as that knowledge has faded. Do I have salad forks or dessert forks? What IS that very short seven tined fork? And those skinny spoons with pretty ridges in the bowls. ..what were they used for?

Of course I took the opportunity to begin ordering books in on the subject.

Three books all arrived on the same day.

Yesterday’s Silver for Today’s Table is the prettiest of the three. But it is beyond my league. It deals only with silver pieces, not silverplate. I did learn that the seven tined fork is for anchovies, and a spoon with a spreader edge is meant for jellies. The book consists of large color photos and captions, with little in the way of discussion.

The Standard Encyclopedia of American Silverplate Flatware and Hollow Ware also lacks discussion materials, but it consists mostly of print ads from catalogs and magazines of the times. It is very valuable, as it identifies pieces from the manufacturer’s point of view. Very authoritative. It’s organized by manufacturer’s marks and patterns and then dates. I gathered a LOT of information from here.

Silverplated Flatware is 350 pages of just pattern examples, five to a page. The drawings are well done, giving only the stem design, the pattern name and date of introduction and then values of common pieces. This would be an extremely necessary resource if the internet was not available.

Today a fourth book arrived. Forks Knives & Spoons has a festive air about it. The authors don’t hold back on their enthusiasm. Peri dedicates the book “To my sisters, Laurie, Bonnie, and Cathy, without whom I would have all the family forks, knives and spoons.”
The frontispiece photo is their dog wearing a dinner napkin at his throat and posing (looking at the camera!) in front of a plate full of food with bone handled cutlery perched on the plate. Very sweet.

Now here is the discussion I’ve been looking for. The authors tell about the history and uses of the various pieces and then throw that all up in the air and give us permission to use the pieces in whatever fun and creative ways we desire. And then, guess what! They begin talking about food! A variety of easy and tasty sounding recipes are mixed in with the cutlery talk, with photos of the food and how they’ve chosen to present it with odd and pretty silver pieces. I like this book best of all. It matches my take on what to do with my new collection. Party!

>79 2wonderY: That sounds like a very fun rabbit trail to follow. :)

I'll have to find more excuses to invite people over. Oh! That means cleaning my house...

Merry Christmas, 2wonderY!

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday. It wasn't till today that I wrangled best gifts from daughter and SIL. I made my daughter sew a sack for my pillows. I travel with my pillows. She's had the fabric for months. I fed the kids and cleaned the kitchen to free up her time. Meanwhile SIL downloaded several desired audio books to my computer from his Audible account.

Yay!

>83 2wonderY: I take my pillow with me, too, when I travel...but I carry it in a tall kitchen trash bag.

What type of fabric did she use?

The last bag was made of blue barkcloth - y'know, from old 40s-50s curtain fabric. I loved that fabric, but it finally gave out. This time I found an upolstery weight shower curtain in green/green stripe. And I had her make it in a more generous size, so the pillows don't have to be slithered in. She box sews the bottom of the bag and finishes with a drawstring.

>85 2wonderY: I love barkcloth too. I still have a pile of it waiting to become something wonderful in my house...

>86 MrsLee: A big pile? What color? If I had had more than just the one panel, I might have used it for porch cushions.

Here we are at the end of the year and everyone is trying to come up with their short list of favorites. I've never counted up a years worth of reading in the past, but I decided to try to come up with a rough estimate.

I do add all sorts of random stuff to my catalog - Acquired but not read, Read but not owned, Wishlist stuff, Titles just so I can add a cool cover...

So I looked at the three pages of materials I've added in 2015 and power edited those I've actually read, and came up with 165 items. 19 of those are film media, and 8 were tossed without finishing. Remove say, 10 or so that are picture books or references not read entirely. So, approximately 128 books read.

Rough count, 48 were audio, and sometimes I listened and also read the book, though I didn't double count those.

67 fiction, 63 non-fiction. Most of my fiction reading this year was fantasy. Much of the non-fiction was gardening, socio-economics, history and biography.

Nice mix of fiction and non-fiction. :)

>87 2wonderY: Well, to me it is a big pile, but it is probably only two panels of one type and one of another. The two panels have a cream background with a flower print of green and dusky pink. Geraniums maybe? Can't remember right now. The other panel has a grey background with green and dusky pink flowers. I was always going to use them in the MIL apartment for our home because the cabinets in that kitchen are a very light pinkish tone of wood stain. Never got it done though. It would be great for cushions, but pink is not in my living space at all right now. Still, I'm hanging on to it. I don't know why I love it so; probably childhood memories. They used to be drapes in my grandmother and mother's home.

>89 MrsLee: It's such a happy fabric!!!

Just a side note here. My SIL got me to upgrade to Windows 10 last week. I've tried it and I HATE IT! Nothing's where it should be and it's not at all intuitive to use AND it feels like MS is watching everything I do and making all decisions for me AND AND AND it took my Free Cell game away where I've achieved 93% wins.

So I just figured out how to re-install the original Windows 7 and I'm back to contentment.

Stay with 7! If I have to buy a new computer, I plan to install Win 7 after uninstalling 10.

I have Windows 10 running now, but it was a painful process.

I belong to two libraries but only take one book out at a time as I am a slow reader and want to read or probably re-read from own collection.
Personally I have found that staff will help if approached but otherwise will stand and talk to each other rather that welcome the customers. But then they are no different to many shop assistants these days and considering they are council employees and therefore not being paid a king's ransom, how much should we expect.
Our (UK) public libraries are also subject to financial constraints as their share of reducing the national deficit so we have to be grateful that they are still operating.
Happy New Year to all LT readers!

>94 supersnake: Welcome to TBSL. I think it may be a generational thing. The three younger library assistants all have difficulty pulling their attention away from their screens to greet or acknowledge patrons at the desk. I'm thinking of mentioning it to the branch manager. If they are made aware, they might improve. They are all nice people.

So, my several days at home, not even opening the door to get mail, I spent reading and watching films. Does anyone know of a general group for discussing or tracking films? All I found was the dormant Made into a Movie.

If there isn't one, perhaps there should be.

I watched
the first season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Midnight Clear
The Forbidden Kingdom
Avengers: Age of Ultron
A Dog Named Christmas

and finished 4 books. Not start to finish, just trying to tame my library pile.

My sister sent this to me, said it reminded her of me. Probably because of the wheelbarrow.

>94 supersnake: it should not matter how much a person is paid, they should do the best job they can, imo.

>96 2wonderY: love the picture!

>95 2wonderY: I would love to discuss films and movies, especially if the group wasn't on its high horse about which films we watch and discuss. I love both the classics and the new action/adventures and some of the very campy films in between. Now that they are allowed to be cataloged here, it seems appropriate. Let me know if you start a group, or, if we should just all invade the group that exists and try to bring it to life again. ;)

My son's girlfriend gave me a DVD of the Daniel Craig Bond films, or at least three of them. Watched them with my friend over the New Year weekend. We both thought them an improvement, at least in the treatment of women, over the old ones. Rollicking fun. Now I want to see if the Pierce Brosnan films also have a different attitude towards women.

>98 MrsLee: I contacted the creator of that group and he's willing to edit the group description, but he wants us to write the text. I'm in the midst of audit requests and can't put my mind on it properly. Can you help?

Here's the group page: http://www.librarything.com/groups/madeintoamovie

No time at the present, but will try to think on it ASAP.

Also, I want to poke around in the threads a bit. Seems kinda high handed to do something before being familiar with the people! :)

>99 2wonderY: I don't think the first paragraph in that group description should be changed, it's delightful. I think it would be better to add a second paragraph to open it up to movie discussion and cataloging now that this form of media is encouraged on LT. Something like:

Now that LibraryThing is catalog friendly to alternate forms of media, this group is also open to discussions of any movies which members enjoyed/disliked enough to talk about and or purchase/catalog.

That is very stilted, perhaps the group creator could do a better job. Or maybe there doesn't need to be any change in the description? Since you have a dialog going with the creator, perhaps you can get their views on the matter. In looking back at the threads, I see that I was a member of that group back in 2008! No memories of this. :/ Anyway, I've joined again and plan to start some threads, eventually.

>101 MrsLee: The administrator of the group was quick on the first reply, but nothing since. Ah well. I may go ahead and start a film viewing thread there anyway, even without the re-dedication. For me, this is film season.

I've gathered up all my library items and returned a bag-full, and I'm down to 44 items. A couple of films, half a dozen audio books, that many more fiction, and the bulk of it is non-fiction, most of which I won't be reading all the way through. Will intend to return a dozen items by the end of this long weekend.

>102 2wonderY: I notice there have been some responses to the threads we have commented on, so the group isn't dead, just tired perhaps? I am, at the moment on a journey back through Middle Earth, so I don't really want to start a thread on those movies. So much has been said, and people are rabid about their like/dislike of them. :)

Huh! I spent the weekend re-watching the whole epic, having finally purchased the film set.

>104 2wonderY: I've paused between the Hobbit and the LotR set because I really want to read; having only finished one book so far in January. Not sure why, but I feel so tired this month. I keep going to bed earlier and earlier which really cuts into my reading and movie time!

>105 MrsLee: consider getting a check-up: you could have a low-grade infection (UTI, sinusitis, etc.) and not know it.

I listen to my body. When it says "go to bed with a book", I obey...

:) Yeah, I'm trying to get an appointment. Easier said than done, apparently. I miss the days when you called a doctor's office and somebody answered.

>107 MrsLee: I remember house calls...argh.

>107 MrsLee: >108 fuzzi: my doctor is going to a concierge set up. Guaranteed same day or next day appointment, e-mail and phone access. Have to pay a lot up front, though. Very thorough physical is also covered by the fee.

>109 MDGentleReader: I'd not heard of that set up. However, as the deductible on our insurance policies go up, I'm using cash more. I had horrific muscle spasms on Wednesday last week, and had to go to my chiropractor a few times. If I'd used my insurance, the first visit would have been applied to my deductible, and probably drained my pocket of $200 or more. However, they have "cash" plans, and my first visit with everything was $75. I went with cash.

I'm posting this in two groups because I feel I have friends here. You haven't heard from me in a week. My dad's kidneys are failing. He has been mostly not lucid, but seems to want to end. He is refusing food and fighting any treatment. All prayers are welcome. His name is Howie.

>111 2wonderY: Been there. This is a hard, hard time. Praying for God's best for you and your family.

I'm so sorry to hear your news. I'll keep your dad and you and your family in my prayers.

Thank you! Unexpected rebound today. From end of life planning yesterday to possible discharge in a few days. Dad is out of pain and enjoying food.

Still praying.

Praying for your dad and for you and the rest of your family.

Adding my prayers, for strength, healing and hope, for all of your family. Glad for the rebound!

Better and better. Creatinine keeps coming down. Dad has come out of his confused/obstructive state and, while he isn't all there yet, his remarkably sly humor is glinting out. He used to do the most torturous crossword puzzles in ink, and that kind of word stringing seemed to be a pattern in his answers. He was quite entertaining, and he thought we were as well.

>118 2wonderY: Good to hear that the moxie is coming back a little!

>118 2wonderY: So glad.

So glad to hear that your dad is recovering! Best wishes for him, and for the rest of the family.

Glad to hear your dad is doing better!

We've had a nightmarish couple of weeks. Medical team discharged him but into a geriatric psych ward because of his beginning dementia. Bad idea!!!! They "observed his baseline" and supposed to be starting med trials to see whether his cognition and memory could be improved. Instead, they tried to make his day cycles match up with "the norm" which drove him nearly to pieces. He was losing ground and fast. I was allowed to spend one night to evaluate whether we could handle his growing issues. I was appalled. He paced the ward most of the night trying all the locked doors. Of course he was sleep deprived, which caused all sorts of confusions during the day.
Personal care facilities were rejecting him after reading the nursing notes as too difficult.
We removed him yesterday against medical advice, and just in time, I think.
He had a wonderful night's sleep, ate a good breakfast and is calm and oriented. He was able to answer most of the home nurse's questions himself, except for the hospital stays time span.
He's at a sister's house, and other family is nearby. Temporary till we get him built up again. None of us is in a position to do this long term. I'm second oldest and I still have four years before I can retire.

>123 2wonderY: I'm glad you got him out of that situation. Hang in there.

Praying for you.

Were they able to okay some dementia medication?

Sorry that worked out so badly for him. My husband and I have had expience of hospital care doing far more harm than good for our parents, too. I hope your family is able to find a good solution soon.

No! Very unimpressed with the psych approach. All their attempts at normalizing him were for convenience, not allowing him to resume his own internal rhythms. He kept deteriorating and so any med trials were forgotten.

>126 SylviaC: A bright spot yesterday was a personal care home with religious affiliation came to do an assessment yesterday morning, even knowing we were taking him home. They said they had a spot for him no matter his level of need. She saw him at his worst. I can't wait for her to see the difference.
Important for dad to participate in choosing where he lives. Otherwise unhappiness and paranoia.

>128 2wonderY: Well, that's a ray of hope, anyway. I hope the place checks out with your father, and with your family.

>128 2wonderY: very nice. I imagine that made you feel a lot better.

Still praying here.

Finally got back to my own bed after 12 days on couches. Texted sisters that I'd gotten home and laid down without even changing into jammies. SHTF. Dad was refusing to sleep on the level nearest a bath. He'd rather sleep in her LR and negotiate steps in the middle of the night. Mary ready to give up the experiment (they have a long negative history), Pat ready to quit her job and take him to his own house, Jean dashing over to do damage control. I called and said give Dad the phone. I got him to move, disgruntled and cranky. We were hoping to restore him to his old self, and we were much more successful than anticipated. He's been docile and directable. We seem to have the old cranky guy back.

THANKS for your prayers!

>131 2wonderY: cranky is good!

I can *so* relate, as my father slept on the den couch after being released from the hospital, and I slept in the recliner next to him as he was too unsteady to walk to the bathroom unaccompanied...which he did hourly. Wow did my bed feel good once he was able to walk by himself...

Still praying, here.

Hospitals are the worst when it comes to dealing with the elderly with dementia and other handicaps. My mother really suffered in the hospital before going to a nursing home. My father sees her every day and my brother and I come by to make sure all is well. Its wonderful to have a loving family that is willing to work together. I hope things improve with your father.

Keeping you, your dad and your family in my prayers. I hope the ups and downs will become smooth soon.

Oh, my goodness what and up and down time you have had of it. I am glad that your Dad is back, crankiness and all.

When you describe your sisters I see you all in a raft, one pulling her oar out now and again, another one trying to take the raft in an entirely different direction. It does sound like, though that everyone in the raft is aiming for the place that will provide the best life for your Dad. That is not a given in families. Still, tough times.

Our society in general treats folks considered over the prime age very badly and folks with disabilities, especially mental. I've never understood that, we all aim to get to that point ourselves - consider the alternative, after all. If folks would just tap into a little empathy and consider just how very important it is to be able to have some control in one's life I really feel an awful lot of this would go away. Hospitals are places where we go when things are going badly and we are vulnerable, whether a patient or not and where poor attitudes on the part of the staff can lead to poor medical and quality of life results.

I could go on, but won't.

Meanwhile, I will keep you and yours in my thoughts and prayers. Hugs.

A Sunday 5 am trip to the ER initiated by dad because he couldn't pee. Imaging the bladder, it was because it was empty! He forgot that he'd just gone!
Two sisters went on that trip, and they spent it re-bonding with humor and laughter.

Dad is ready to move on, and wants to go to a personal care home. He must think the beds are better. We do have one willing to take him.

Problem is, psychiatrist has written a letter that he is incapacitated, so that my sister could activate her financial power of attorney and get her name on a bank account. The bank looked at the very thick and official looking document expressing my dad's legal wishes and said it wasn't in the proper format for the state of Pennsylvania. !!! So, who can write checks? The bank has seen the doctor's letter. Do we need another letter? A conundrum.

>136 2wonderY: bureaucracy....sorry to hear you're running into it.

Instead of telling someone that their form is wrong, why not show them how to make it right? Idiots.

I'm glad that you and your sisters are handling the situation with humor.

>136 2wonderY: My heart goes out to you. We now have mom living in an attached apartment at our house. I keep thinking of the line from "All About Eve" by Bette Davis, "Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night!" That's how I view these next years.

Busy week. Dad was looking and sounding great when I left Sunday evening.
Monday - He was admitted to hospital again - both stents blocked completely, severe pain.
Tuesday - Replaced the stents, dad in good spirits, much better bounce-back from surgery than the last time.
Wednesday - Random outraged call from a brother who has yet to visit dad - "Why are you putting dad's house on the market?!" (We aren't.) Call from the hospital that dad thinks he's being kidnapped. Three siblings head to the hospital and I called and talked to him. Couldn't dissuade him from his intent to leave hospital today. He said the nurse was on his side. Hoping the others have better success in person.

Oh, my goodness, I feel like I've been on a emotional roller coaster and I am just reading about your week, not living it. Hugs. I hope they find out what is imbalanced in his body that causes your dad to feel such fear. And that your one brother chills out. I wish you moments of peace and joy amongst all the drama in your life. Spring is, after all, still doing its thing.

We propped the back office door open yesterday welcoming in the sunshine and flower scents. So, although I haven't been able to enjoy my own gardens, that helped.

Dad didn't sound afraid, just not comprehending why he couldn't walk out now. The doctor asked me if he was confused after the last procedure (different hospital, different team) so he understood that it was probably an after-effect of the anesthesia. And dad is hard of hearing. They were probably discussing his discharge and he couldn't put it into context with the recovery plan and then when they moved him to a different room, he felt railroaded. He assured me that nurse Pam was going to overturn the doctor's orders.

There are ten siblings, six in the area. Two of those six have absented themselves from the whole caring for dad process. They are the two who will cause us grief when it comes to administering the estate. Of course.

We had issues with my father mishearing/misunderstanding what was being said to him in the hospital. Besides being sick, anxious, and disoriented, he was also blind, and thought the doctor was talking to him when he was talking to the patient in the next bed. He refused to remain in the hospital, even long enough for diagnosis.

I hope your dad regains his equalibrium, and his health and independence improve.

>139 2wonderY: hang in there, we're still praying.

>142 SylviaC: Oh! How completely disorienting! Poor man! How frightening.

I've spent two nights in hospital with dad this weekend. He was completely out of his mind Friday. The psychotropic meds seem to be gone. He still is suffering the last vestige of improper mindless prescribing - they routinely give Colase, without any reference to the facts. Many trips to the bathroom have been necessary. My body gave out after the 7th trip and refused to respond even when I heard him getting up. Thankfully, he was able to get there safely, negotiating with foley bag, and call aides to get him safely back to bed.

Discharge today.

>144 2wonderY: bless your heart. Some medical staff are wonderful, and others are more akin to Nurse Ratched.

>141 2wonderY: I think that medical training removes some humanity from people who endure it. If medical staff would stop and think for a minute, any reasonable person would be more cooperative if someone who take the time to explain what is going to happen and allow participation in decisions wherever and whenever possible.

>144 2wonderY: Whew! Tough times. I hope he does better away from the hospital. I knew about psychotropic drugs being overused, never occurred to me that something like Colase (had to look it up) would be overused.

Hugs.

Ah, I see I mis-spelt Colace. I would bet that every hospital patient has it on their meds list.

I've created a Hospital Care Plan that we will laminate and carry along with his insurance card, detailing what is NOT going to happen. I'm sure there are other standard practices that are just as obnoxious and we've not bumped into them forcefully yet.

And then some staff members are wonderful.They listen, respond, apologize, answer all questions, print out materials, facilitate, and run errands like making tea for me.

>147 2wonderY: I found the correct Colace. Sometimes ignorance is bliss.

May any future hospital stays be few and far between and the hospital staff among the wonderful.

Hugs.

I'm going to try to not have to go to Pittsburgh for at least another week. I was going to try to get to KY, as I haven't been to my property there since February. No gardening for me this year. And OY! the mowing will be a challenge.
But daughter #2 is coming to visit daughter #1 nearby, so I think I'll work that angle and see the grands as well.
I promised my dad to come back next weekend. Though there are 3 sisters who care for him constantly there, he has become pathetically dependent on me for uplift.

I am reading, but not much of that either. My bed calls loudly. Thank goodness for audio books in the car!

>149 2wonderY: I've noticed that whatever children are not around at the moment, even if they have just been visiting, those are the children who are most missed by my mom. Seems like she's only really happy when we are all there, all the time. Hard to satisfy that. :)

We went antiquing on Saturday and my daughters took me out for Mothers Day/birthday dinner. I've mentioned several books I bought in the acquisitions thread.

But I also found a small poster that is a perfect reminder for my family for this year:



One of my brothers just lost his job and he has some serious health issues too. We need to get him moved back to Pittsburgh from Cleveland now too, in the next two months.

>151 2wonderY: I like.

My dad sailed through green light laser prostate surgery today. He had almost cancelled because he was frankly terrified of what he understood as the expected pain, bleeding, clots, and assorted other agonies of the procedure. He was given twilight sleep rather than full anesthesia, and it made a great difference. He was able to come home today minus the catheter. He's not a bit mind clouded, has had little blood or pain, and is already exclaiming about the improved hydraulic pressure. Doctor said the prostate was twice the size he expected it to be.

He's been gaining strength rapidly since his last hospital stay.

>153 2wonderY: Wonderful news all the way around. I am so very glad.

Hugs.

>153 2wonderY: I'm so glad that went well! It's good that one of his hospital experiences finally went well.

>153 2wonderY: excellent news! A spouse of a friend had laser prostate surgery and did really well, too.

>153 2wonderY: Great news! You must be very relieved.

I see that I haven’t written here for some time, and a couple of you have kindly pm’d me asking how we’re doing. So I’ll try to give you a short update.

Dad went back for 30 minute outpatient procedure that turned into 3 hours on the table and three days inpatient where he caught pneumonia and Legionnaire’s.

My sister built him back up to the point that he was able to hike a woods trail one day over Memorial Day weekend.

But the constant heavy antibiotics and his active neglect of hydration combined to send him back to the emergency room again in renal failure. When they inserted a catheter, what came out looked almost like chocolate milk, it was so thick with blood and Candida yeast infection. With IV fluids, his kidney numbers improved, but dad had ceased to eat, first from nausea, then deliberately, and he was in a much weaker state after 2 weeks in hospital. We went past palliative care to hospice care on Tuesday and brought him home. Hospice people are angels. Truly. Our time this week has been full of extremes of sorrow and giddiness, as we hang out with dad and tell family stories. I think he will pass in a day or so. Today he has had several periods of lucidity and expressions of love.

This season has been a blessing for the entire family. Bonds have been renewed and strengthened. We've gotten to know the next generation much better too. Past hurts are being healed and forgiven.

Thank you dear people for your prayers and kind words.
I'm almost asleep at the keyboard, so I'll write again when I can.

(((((Ruth)))))

You and your family are in my prayers.

Best wishes for peace and comfort for your father, your family, and you. Hugs.

Thinking of you today, and hoping for peace, love and rest for your family.

Hug

Holding you and your family in the light.

Keeping you and your family in my prayers.

Wishing you and yours comfort and peace.

We are on day nine of hospice. Dad was in intense pain for two days, two nights, then pretty much comatose for several more, but still refusing anything by mouth until yesterday.

Hospice says there is often a rallying before the final decline. It looks remarkably like a full recovery. Miracle? Fasting cure? We don't know, and hospice says just wait and see. Since we can't keep up this intense care from family much longer, I will be exploring nursing home placement tomorrow. Reluctantly, because we cannot expect the hands-on sustaining work we've been doing.

After a week of no food or water, his body completely wrung out, he gets up from his bed and asks for grapes, and then root beer! He wants to get started on his tax return tomorrow.

Please, no rejoicing yet. I'm not sure I can keep handling this so crazy heights and depths yo-yoing.

>166 2wonderY: Sounds like a typical rallying at the very end to me.

Hugs.

>166 2wonderY: you've been on my heart, and in my prayers.

Still thinking of you.

*gentle hugs, and a shoulder to cry on, if you need it.*

Keeping you in my prayers.

I'm keeping you and your family in my prayers.

Groan! We got brother Howie moved yesterday. He lost his job, so he is moving into dad's house. We had decided the smallest truck would be adequate. Well, let me tell you, it was close. It wouldn't have been possible if brother John hadn't been in charge. What a pro.

On the unpack, we had six siblings together - more than since Bob's funeral. Pat arranged for a storage garage last minute when we realized the volume exceeded space cleared at dad's. Judy came with food and cold drinks and then hung out with Howie all evening. He was feeling pretty shaky emotionally as well as physically. We got his bedroom set up, the AC going, and his bibles unpacked. He sounds much better this morning. I greeted him as "a recovering Clevelander." He can now wear his black and gold (Pittsburgh) without fears.

Friday with dad was an excellent day. He had a large segment of lucidity. Pat and I hung out with him and Leona came for a visit. We all noticed how shiny and new he seems - dad, version 2. He's been through the crucible. He was concerned with other people's needs, made generous money gestures, was funnier than ever. Then he cautioned us to keep the levity about death and the spiritual a secret, that it might not be appropriate. I accused him of being too old school and reminded him of who he knows in heaven - "Do you expect them to be solemn?" Big grin.

Family needs to re-group. Several of us need to go back to work, a BIL is having knee surgery, and Mary and her household are at the limit of their resources. Dad is going to a nursing home nearby, still on hospice. He is okay with this. We don't know yet what the next step is.

>173 2wonderY: one day at a time, Ruth.

Did you have any flooding issues? I've been watching the news reports and wondering about 2wonderY...

No. I've been so out of touch with the larger world, I hadn't even known about it happening. Just made a couple of panicked calls. Daughter and grands in Kanawha County across from a creek. No answer. Other daughter says they are okay, not affected. Last thanksgiving, their waterways got into houses nearby.

Oh my! Pausing to breathe and send prayers up for the victims.

It's not been front page news, due to the Brexit vote. That got the headlines, WV was a brief mention.

We are praying for them, too.

Took dad to a personal care home I had found over a month ago. He found the place charming. They are cleaning the room and re-arranging furniture to his liking and we will move him tomorrow.

He continues to improve.

>177 2wonderY: Charming is good. I really like that they are re-arranging the furniture to his liking. Improvement is good.

Hugs.

>177 2wonderY: wonderful news!

I got back to the office this week, and more importantly - MY OWN BED!

After falling into it three evenings in a row as well as catching mid-day naps, I might be caught up.
Still going to Pittsburgh this weekend to make sure things are going smoothly.

Hey, back to some reading...

Randomly ordered audio book Some Girls Bite and found it so so awful, I couldn't finish the first disk. So I came back and read more of the reviews, scratched my head and put it in again. Yep. Awful. But now I want to read it for the sport of it. I'm in a cranky mood and I want something to complain about.

Dad's back in hospital and notes on Ativan/Haldol didn't reach in time, so he's in a drug fog. GRRRRRR! I'm staying the night.

I'm listening to a Harry Dresden story too, and SGB compares very shabbily in the steamy scenes as well as action scenes and just the minutiae of Chicago life.

Okay, here are a few examples.

Main character lives in an old brownstone (with attached garage!)

Impoverished supply of décor details. Oak seems to be the height of her imaginative powers, which is okay in the brownstone, but not in the block sized chateau of the vampire headquarters.

She probably doesn't actually know what gingham and chintz are; she refers to chintzy rugs, in an attempt to describe an old fashioned room.

I laughed out loud when she said "her eyes dilated to pinpoints."

The narrator isn't quite equal to the material either. She pronounced mansard as if it was two words, and liqueur was "likker."

Oh, and main character is studying Camelot literature, so of course she can identify Japanese katana swords in passing.

>181 2wonderY: SO sorry to hear it. Will continue to pray.

Another restless night. Ah! They've figured out that even with a catheter in, he insists on standing by the toilet to pee. The aide kept insisting I should get some rest and my body agreed. 2:30 am and I feel better, found 4 staff attending him.

He finally agreed to pain meds, so he may settle down now.

You'll note that I'm back online today.

Last week was a rough one. Dad had several psychotic episodes, social worker was pursuing commitment. I could punch her out! Psych unit said to address UTI. We got the problem under control with Seroquel (we hope) and dad is back in personal care home, but not happy, refusing to get up and eat. Family trying to cover most of the days and urge him out of bed when he can.

I'm temporarily back at work - till the next emergency.

It's terrible that this is all proving to be so traumatic to your father and to your whole family. Peace and comfort to all.

>184 2wonderY: That is outrageous! I am glad the pysch unit knew what they were about. Heartbreaking all around.

{{{{{2wonderY}}}}}

So difficult to live crisis to crisis, for everyone.

>184 2wonderY: ((((((hugs)))))

Sorry we missed you. Prayers continue.

Came up to check on things Friday and Dad is fading. Siblings not seeing it because he has bouts of feistiness and they haven't been away - that sort of look is gradual, hard to see the changes.

I asked hospice nurse her opinion. She did a Palliative Prognostic survey. With the staff telling her dad is eating adequately and oriented, she estimated 6 weeks. When I gave her our notes which contradict, she said closer to 3 weeks.

Big family meeting, and we've decided to take him home; I'm taking a leave of absence to make that possible. I'm the only one in a position to do so. Four of us will share the time, with myself and a brother in residence. A sister will bring us food, as we are not particularly adept at those matters.

Belly distention and possible bowel impaction (again!) Waiting for x-ray report.

>188 2wonderY: Wishing you all well. Having family to work together at such a time is a very big thing. Both my parents chose to spend their last months at home, and my wonderful aunts dropped everything to come and help both times. I don't know how my brother and I would have coped without them, and an excellent home care system.

Will be thinking of you.

>188 2wonderY: My heart goes out to you and your family.

Thank you all. We finally got things in place to take him home tomorrow. His 86th birthday is Monday, but he is so weak, it probably will not register.

>191 2wonderY: prayers continue, most words I could offer are meaningless in that sort of situation.

We got Wi-Fi at dad's house, so we aren't quite as isolated as we were. My brother or I would slip over to the library for a few minutes to check our emails, and that was it.

We hosted a family picnic Sunday so that grands and great-grands could see dad. The crowd stayed outside, with a couple at a time going in to visit quietly. A SIL who'd been a fishing companion came and dad beamed. He also very much loved the hugs from the youngest greats. He stayed awake the whole afternoon. Since then he's been mostly sleeping, can't stay awake long enough to swallow a bit of watermelon. He gets active late evening when we're ready to call it a day, and not clear enough in the head to be persuadable.

Hoping he can wake enough when a couple of old co-workers come in a day or so. He perked up hearing their names.

>193 2wonderY: so lovely that you are giving your dad and the folks he cares about a chance to visit.

Hugs.

>193 2wonderY: Sounds like a wonderful day. I'm glad your dad enjoyed it.

My sister came in for the weekend to help my brother, so that I could go home to get my mail, pay bills, mow my yard, oh, and perhaps check in on my employment.

Another sister called this morning. A brother who has distanced himself from family is also at death's door in California, with liver cancer. Sister #3 is flying out to hold his hand and make whatever arrangements are needed.

Dad is still fading. God! I had no idea this could take so long. How much more flesh needs to melt away before his heart quits? His eyes open and he still fights any meds, even pain medication, but he's not here anymore.

>196 2wonderY: I grieve for you, for the long process, but can see where it is giving people a chance to say goodbye.

It's too bad the estranged brother isn't able to visit. God bless your sister for doing the right thing.

>196 2wonderY: Warm and comforting thoughts to you and all of your family.

Dad passed into eternal life early this morning. Hallelujiah. I can almost hear the party from here.

>199 2wonderY: you have my sympathy on your loss, and my congratulations on his graduation to Glory.

May the Lord give you comfort for your sorrow, and help you as needed.

>199 2wonderY: Love to you.

Peace and comfort to you and your family.

strength wished for you

Sympathy and hugs.

My sympathy to you and your family!

Thank you all for your prayers and comfort. It was a wonderful funeral, with 40+ people blowing bubbles across dad's grave. He would have approved 100% as he always kept a batch of his own bubble mix ready for parties.

The adult grandchildren all had a chance to get reacquainted and our cousins came in as well. We sat all day reminiscing and looking at piles of old photos.

See the poster up at http://www.librarything.com/topic/171926#5567663

We're not done yet. Charlie is not expected to survive the week. Sadly, he refused to speak to his own son, who flew out to him.

I am accompanying another brother to his divorce hearing today.

>206 2wonderY: sounds like my husband's family: they stop talking to each other for decades. His aunt would not speak with her own daughter at her brother's funeral.

Prayers continue, and hugs across the miles.

I'm glad the funeral was a positive experience. I love the idea of the bubbles. Your dad must have been pretty interesting to know.

Wishing strength to you and your family as you get through the next hurdles.

Sending you sympathy and prayers, and hoping that brighter days are ahead for you and your family. Your father's funeral sounds as though it has added some more special memories for you.

Brother Charlie passed away early this morning. What a crap week. Saturday is the 12th anniversary of Mom's passing.

My other brother's divorce hearing resulted in a final decree. Finally! That has been torture for him.

Okay, I think I'm done with family news here. I really really really appreciate all you people's support through these months. Thank you for your prayers and well wishes and sympathy. Blessings to you.

Praying for comfort for you and all your family.

Go ahead and share your news, that's what we're here for.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5jlPL1tNDY

oops, moving to the new thread...