Life has been busy and I’ve really gotten behind on everything. Hannah had her first birthday last week:
Seriously, I was so busy and worn out over these last two weeks I barely got any reading or knitting done. Adding to the energy drain was my second dose of Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine and three weather fronts that barreled across the state last week. I am grateful that the snow that these storms dumped was manageable this time, but each one took a toll on my joints and breathing. That’s okay though… did you notice that I got my SECOND VACCINE SHOT!!! This is just huge! I am starting to schedule medical appointments right and left as it is finally time to get some attention for my very badly behaved hip and breathing issues. Bring it, Mother Nature. I am ready to take you on!! The Blue-Faced Zebra is emerging from a year of strict lockdown and is on the move again!!
Also, it is now spring and the birds are back and I am so happy to see green shoots of grass again. It has been a really long year, but it is finally getting a little better.
Knitting
I’ve been pretty sporadic with the knitting and I’m kind of limited to simple stuff right now because my hands are NOT HAPPY with all of the running around and weather events, but still I am making some progress.
Garden
Poor garden. It has been so neglected lately, but the plants are still hanging in there. The best thing that is happening garden-wise are the microgreens that I have growing under the lights with the orchids.
Books
I finished up several books over the last two weeks; let’s just chat about two of them, okay?
I was so in love with World of Wonders when I started reading it. I just loved the way the author blended her joy with the natural world with her family and life experiences. Then as I read more I began to become less charmed as her interactions with nature seemed more forced and some of the magic was slipping away in her writing. By the end of the book I had gotten over her and was thinking that I could do better job writing about my own love of nature and my blended experiences. The author shared experiences from trips around the world; for me the continual moments of joy that have been my encounters with nature that are truly home grown. I was thinking of all of this as I drove east last week and passed a big herd of pronghorn antelope grazing in the Plains Conservation Center near my house. Pronghorn antelope!! I love pronghorns… I could tell you stories about pronghorns… I hadn’t seen pronghorns for at least three years, and there they were, two large groups, just as I was thinking about writing about my lifelong love of all things biological. It’s a sign. Be prepared for some upcoming “Tales of a Biogeek” on the blog.
Now to chat for a few minutes about We Begin at the End. Why did I read a book with a quote on the cover about breaking readers’ hearts? Oh, it also said that it was impossible to not keep turning the pages. Well, that part was also true. This book, constructed so cleverly that even the most astute mystery reader will miss some of the underlying themes, is a tragedy of Shakespearian proportions. The town in this book and the inhabitants are, quite frankly, broken. Badly broken to the point of being almost incapable of functioning, and yet they do somehow. Tragedies in the past have set in motion a series of events that bring unintended consequences that are both catastrophic and ironic for all of the main characters. My heart was broken, but at the same time there was a type of peace and balance in the ending. What a mess these people made of their lives; what a story this book tells. I miss my book group sooo much as this was absolutely a book that should be talked about with other readers.
Hey, did you know that today is National Respect Your Cat day? Yeppers, it is. Here are all the cats in my life in their most “You may now respect me” poses.
Hannah and my Grandkitties Jonesy and Maya will now accept your respect!!
Have a great week everyone!
Read a little, knit a little, and garden like your heart can’t live without it.
Yarn, Books & Roses 
Your sweater is looking beautiful!
Thank you! When the sleeves are finished it will be really fabulous… (approaching sleeve island…)
Ugh sleeve island. I’ve started doing my sleeves in tandem so when I’m done, I’m done
I thought about that, but these sleeves have fair isle…
Maybe a treat for the end of each sleeve
Cheesecake!!
Sounds good to me!
Happy 1st birthday to the lovely Miss Hannah! Congratulations on your second shot, and hope that your upcoming appointments are helpful 🙂 Have you ever read Suburban Safari by Hannah Holmes? If not, you might like it 🙂
Hannah: Thank you! I had a nice tuna cake and fresh catnip in all of my toys.
I just looked up Suburban Safari and it looks good. Thank you for the suggestion. 🙂
Glad you had a lovely birthday, lovely Hannah 🙂
I think you will enjoy it!
I am sorry it has been a rough patch, but heartened to see that you can attend to various medical requirements now you have had your second vaccination.
It is a good thing to be able to get more medical care; yay, vaccines!! My last appointment with the cardiologist really underlined how bad things are right now; he insists that I get more cardio going and I said… my face is blue, I have a torn tendon in my hip, my joints are on strike, but sure, I’ll get right on that! I don’t think I’m going to have a good relationship with this cardiologist… Anyway, now I am going for another MRI and then it is straight to the hip specialist I go!!
I wish you as well as can be
OMG that sweater!! Wow it’s gorgeous! Thanks for the book talk–I’m adding We Begin at the End to my list to check out!
Isn’t it the best pattern?! I am so in love with this designer right now.
Happy Birthday, Hannah! Your mama has knit some beautiful things, don’t you agree?
Hannah: who cares about the knitting. I’m a fan of the paper bags the yarn arrives home in!!!
Today she crammed herself into my paper yarn bag and destroyed it within two minutes of coming in the door from the yarn store…