For Today...Teaser Tuesday

FOR TODAY... Hosted @ The Simple Woman’s Daybook
Outside my window... it's hotter than Haitii

I am thinking... I should turn the air on, my husband will be complaining that it's too hot.

I am thankful...for a cool breeze.

From the learning rooms... I learned last week that I'm not sixteen, and can't finish everything I want to in one day, so this is day two in my husband's office.  It's shredding time. I did windows yesterday.

In the kitchen...General Tao Chicken with peppers and couscous

I am wearing...really comfy clothes, for cleaning

I am creating...WELL,  I'm creating order.  I hope!

I am going...no place.

I am wondering...can you die from a broken heart?  Last week during my visit with my mom, her table mate got very upset because my mom had me and her daughter was not there.  She speaks Italian mostly, with the odd word in English, it was heartbreaking for me, for all. Don't get me wrong, the daughter often is there when I'm there, just not that day. This is when I'm thankful my mother's dementia is so progressed that she doesn't seem to know what is happening. I understand completely how heart breaking it is not to see your child.  When my eldest moved out I thought I'd run out of tears. Now I'm just mad.

I am reading...All Shall Be Well, Deborah Crombie.
Here's my teaser: "Then we discovered that Jasmine had asked a young friend to help her commit suicide, but had backed out at the last minute, I ordered an autopsy."  Teaser Tuesday

I am hoping...to get the laundry done and finish this dang room, and my poor cat gets rid of all these hairballs, poor thing can't seem to get past it this season.  

I am looking forward to...getting back to my painting, it's really starting to look like something..

I am hearing...bird chirping, they NEVER shut up. They've had me awake since 4:30 a.m.  I've started to have evil thoughts. (yes, this is still the same from last week, they seem to have gotten stronger voices) I love animals but give me a break.  I had such a hard time hearing the 6p.m. news, I finally set my cat on them, of coarse he doesn't know what to do. But they quieted down for a bit.  Heaven forbid if I put the sprinkler on, their all have a shower.  It's like the local splash pad at my house.

Around the house...just stuff, 

I am pondering... adding another day between Sunday and Monday.

One of my favourite things...a newly cleaned room, desk tidy, no filing to do, for at least five minutes, you know when my husband comes home he'll have to stand at the entrance with his cases, and junk. What am I saying he'll be dumping them on the table.

A few plans for the rest of the week: same ole same ole, I'm off on retreat for Friday .

 Here are photos I'm sharing with you.

The corner of our pond, the Irises are in full swing and as you can see the water lilies are doing well also.

This is suppose to be my moonlight garden, I wanted a moonlight garden, because it's often dark before I sit to enjoy it.  Well! Those white flowers you see seduce me each spring.  They really are invasive, and you can't leave even one or this is what happens.  They look so good right now, but in a week it will be just a mess.  Last year I THOUGHT I pulled each one out.  What to do? And see those evergreens, well they were all planted at the same time and were the same size, some grew tall and some did not.  I think my only option is to have a gazebo built in that spot and hide the runts.  Wait till I tell handy Andy.


One of my favourite sayings... If you can't beat em' join em'.

Prayers for Sale... Happy Mother's Day

I just finished reading Prayers for Sale.

Product Description

Hennie Comfort is eighty-six and has lived in the mountains of Middle Swan, Colorado since before it was Colorado.  Nit Spindle is just seventeen and newly married.  She and her husband have just moved to the high country in search of work.  It's 1936 and the depression has ravaged the country and Nit and her husband have suffered greatly.  Hennie notices the young woman loitering near the old sign outside of her house that promises "Prayers For Sale".  Hennie doesn't sell prayers, never has, but there's something about the young woman that she's drawn to.  The harsh conditions of life that each have endured create an instant bond and an unlikely friendship is formed, one in which the deepest of hardships are shared and the darkest of secrets are confessed.

My thoughts:

I believe I put this in the TBR pile when I was reading the Civil War Challenge and I've only just got to it now.  While the story takes place in   1936 well after the end of the war, some of the memories of the horror linger into the hearts and minds of the characters, certainly the Punch Line as it were happened during the Civil War, and I must say, I was not expecting what the end brought forth.  A well written, quickish read, a few tears, and a great deal of colloquialism, some of which will make you smile loudly.  I enjoyed my visit with Hennie and Nit, and thought what a good read just before Mother's Day. 

Secret Daughter...

 Product Description, from Amazon.ca
On the eve of the monsoons, in a remote Indian village, Kavita gives birth to Asha. But in a culture that favors sons, the only way for Kavita to save her newborn daughter's life is to give her away. It is a decision that will haunt her and her husband for the rest of their lives, even after the arrival of their cherished son. Halfway around the globe, Somer, an American doctor, decides to adopt a child after making the wrenching discovery that she will never have one of her own. When she and her husband Krishnan see a photo of baby Asha from a Mumbai orphanage, they are overwhelmed with emotion for her. Somer knows life will change with the adoption, but is convinced that the love they already feel will overcome all obstacles. Interweaving the stories of Kavita, Somer, and Asha, "Secret Daughter" poignantly explores issues of culture and belonging. Moving between two worlds and two families, one struggling to survive in the fetid slums of Mumbai, the other grappling to forge a cohesive family despite their diverging cultural identities, this powerful debut novel marks the arrival of a fresh talent poised for great success.

My thoughts.
I liked this book.  I was happy to see that a mother is a mother regardless of what the circumstances are.  I read this book mostly because it was a new Canadian Author for me, even though the book setting is California and India.  I learned a great deal again about India and relationships in that setting once again.   I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars.  

Photo of book I own.

I'm back...

It's been a very long time since my husband and I have had a sucessful vacation, well since our honeymoon,.. 33 years ago.  Most of our down time was spent in personal development, or personal hobbies.  For my husband it was a hunting trip with the Latvian Anglers and Hunters, or a shoot with the Latvian shooting club, or a police conference of some kind or other, all of which gave him a break from his stressful job, but did nothing for me or US.  I on the other hand slipped away for a scrapbooking weekend or a painting seminar, or work related training.  So.... our home and kids have never been without us, or we together just vacationing, not sightseeing or attending meetings.  Well for years my sister and her husband have asked us to join them on a restful vacation and this was the year... WE DID IT!.  It was most restful, and enjoyable, lovely and warm and like Vicki I would rather be reading at the beach.  There is something about the soothing sounds of ocean waves, and a cool breeze and a warm sunshine, and swaying palm trees and waiters catering to my every whim in the refreshment department.  I haven't pulled apart my luggage yet, still freezing out any creepy crawlies that might have found a home in our clothes (I'm a little annul), and it's - 20 degrees here in Canada, but I'll post a few photos later in the week.  In the mean time, I finished several books, the first of which was Jim the Boy, Tony Earley

My Thoughts:  This was a nice little story.  It didn't grip me into wanting to read it in one sitting, in fact I needed to "focus" on just it.  I've yet to train myself to read more than one book at a time.  I loved that Jim's uncles stepped in to be his "dads", I love their sense of responsibility, and love for him.  I didn't always like Jim, but then again he was a 10 year old boy, perhaps it was a more realistic portrayal than I expected. If you need to read a nice little story then by all means pick this one up,  I would suggest this to a young reader.  For me it was just MEH! ( I borrow that term from Jenners)

The Sandlwood Tree...

My first finished read for 2012 The Sandlwood Tree  A new author for me, and wonderful read.  I've been sort of curious about India, and this helped satisfy that curiosity, somewhat.  I still have a few question, well more than a few.  I must have been asleep during this time period in history, oh wait, maybe I was little.  Anyway I loved it.  Apart from the interesting story line, the historical aspect was most interesting.


thanks to Nise for her recommendation of the book.

Teaser Tuesday...

 Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 My teaser from The Sandlwood Tree.

There is nothing more delightful than to sit in the sunshine, wrapped in an Indian shawl, & admire the distant peaks.  Those mountains!  When God gave us speech, he did not expect us to talk about the Himalayas.  They appear like a mirage, a hallucination painted on the sky & at the sight of them one can only bubble foolishly or remain silent.