COFFEE CHAT: MY WINGS HAVE BEEN CLIPPED…

Good morning!  Let’s gather around with our caffeinated beverages to chat about our weeks, our books, and our perspectives.  Join our host at Bookishly Boisterous to see what others are sharing.

 

• So many thoughts, including my frustrations about the newest Block Editor changes!  I simply cannot easily work around this newest version.  Can anyone steer me in the right direction?  I sent an email to WP Support, but who knows when or how they will respond?
• Meanwhile, I am enjoying my new desk chair, with its lightness and ability to move around while I work.

• To the right, notice my wicker chair by the bookshelves. 
• Meanwhile, outside my window is the noisy sound of the gardeners.  Every Thursday, they mow and use that horrible leaf blower.  Sigh.  Who knew that these sounds would follow me here?
• This week has brought some lovely books to read, however, including Her Dark Lies, by J. T. Ellison.
• Currently, I am reading a print volume of a book that has been on my shelves for a while:  White Palace, by Glenn Savan.
• I am feeling good about getting out and about a bit, but I’ve only been out twice, and can’t really think of too many places to go.  I think I am in “lockdown” mode, unable to actually leave this place.  Sigh.
• Luckily, Amazon continues to regularly deliver books and packages, and apparently these “gifts” make me very happy.
• Meanwhile, I’m bored with the dining room and prefer hanging out in my apartment.  I alternate going there every other day.  This morning I made a mimosa and really enjoyed it.

 

• This mimosa photo was taken at my last residence, when I had this lovely mug…and my Coca Cola table.  Missing that place!
• How are you managing nowadays?  I have had both vaccinations and I’m feeling hopeful.  But…something about the past year of lockdown has clipped my wings.

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How are you managing through these weeks?

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COFFEE CHAT: CELEBRATING?

Good morning!  Let’s gather around with our caffeinated beverages to chat about our weeks, our books, and our perspectives.  Join our host at Bookishly Boisterous to see what others are sharing.

This week has been bumpy, at times, but then a few good things came along.  Like a visit with my granddaughter Fiona yesterday.

Plus…I am loving my current read:  Finlay Donovan Is Killing It, by Elle Cosimano.

Yesterday was the anniversary of our One Year Lockdown!

• Celebration?  Well, we have survived the year, but there were many difficult challenges along the way.
• On the plus side:  I have had BOTH vaccines.  I am still enjoying my apartment, decorating and rearranging and doing all the things I love with books and movies.
• The downside:  I find myself more and more frustrated by the staff here.  I tell myself that they, too, have faced challenges and they might also be sick of us!  LOL.
• It helped to have that visit with Fiona, whose face and lively chatter always lift my spirits.

• The news here:  we will soon slowly begin some outings, and even visits with family in our apartments.  Yay!
• I am happy about the state of the union right now.  More positivity!
• As for the blogging world, you have all sustained me through these difficult times!  Loving this community!

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How are the rest of you managing in these challenging times?

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COFFEE CHAT: SWEET GOODIES, ETC.

Good morning!  Let’s gather around with our caffeinated beverages to chat about our weeks, our books, and our perspectives.  Join our host at Bookishly Boisterous to see what others are sharing.

Good morning, and welcome to another beautiful day in 2021!  I am still moving along, putting up with things that are difficult while enjoying the possibilities ahead.  Of course, the news is full of horrible storms and the aftermath of them…and some are politicizing them.  What else is new?  But…perhaps something will change, and there will be attempts to deal with Climate Change.  Finally.

Notice my Bitmoji surrounded with chocolate.  Valentine’s Day brought out the reminders of everything sweet.

• We had a lovely dinner on Valentine’s Day evening, here in the dining room.  This dessert topped it all off beautifully:

• I haven’t read that many books lately…only two last week.  But I enjoyed The Push, by Claire McGowan, and now I am reading The Perfect Guests.  An interesting tale that grows more intense with every chapter.
• Today is Thursday, so that means the gardener is here, right outside my window, using every noisy machine he can find…and I just have to accept it, trying to tune it out.  What else can we do?
• On Facebook, I have been following my granddaughter Fiona’s many hair and makeup changes.  She is dealing with her boredom in this way.  (It has been months since she could follow her job as a massage therapist).

• Here’s another one:

• Her birthday is on the 21st.  Her cousin Aubrey also had a birthday this month, on the thirteenth.  They are like “twin cousins.”  They are now 24!
• I wish I could see Fiona, at least.  Aubrey is still in New Zealand.  But recently, our facility had TWENTY residents testing positive, so our visits have been terminated.  For now.  The outbreak was in the Memory Care section, and we don’t interact with them.  But the administrators are being cautious.
• I have had both vaccine doses…and hope that there will be protection enough at some point.  Sigh.
• So the beat goes on…

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How are you hanging in there?  What, if anything, helps you through the negativity of our situations?

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COFFEE CHAT: A HAPPY FEBRUARY SO FAR…

Good morning!  Let’s gather around with our caffeinated beverages to chat about our weeks, our books, and our perspectives.  Join our host at Bookishly Boisterous to see what others are sharing.

Another month and a new week have slipped by, but I am just so happy to be moving beyond some of the horrific events of early January…and the whole of 2020.

I got my second vaccine shot yesterday, and so far, no side effects of note.  The usual arm soreness.  But exercising my arm works, and I’ve done that for years after my flu shots.

Today is another shopping day with Instacart.  How did my cupboards and fridge empty out so quickly?

• I finally finished reading The Book of Two Ways, which was tedious at times…but interesting enough to keep me turning the pages.
• Now I am back to reading one of my print books that I started earlier in the week:  The Turn of the Key, by Ruth Ware.  I think it will hold my interest!
• Yesterday I went upstairs to the hair stylist, who is now back!  For however long that lasts, lol.  I got a trim and a curl.

• On Monday I had a “socially distanced” visit with my daughter and youngest grandson.  They didn’t want their photo taken, so I snapped it quickly.  They each made me swear not to post it on FB…so I didn’t.  Except that the blog post will show up there, lol.  Technically not on FB.

• They brought my Happy Mugs!  Below, see my celebration by drinking out of one of them.

• I love those mugs…they are actually thicker than my regular ones, and keep the coffee hot for a while.  My favorite photo is of how they looked at my previous residence in a favorite cupboard.  My daughter kept the bowls and plates, but the mugs are enough for me.

• I am eager to see what February brings us.  With the second shot behind me, I am starting to feel hopeful.

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What are you eagerly reading/viewing/and anticipating?

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COFFEE CHAT: PANDEMIC FATIGUE?

Good morning!  Let’s gather around with our caffeinated beverages to chat about our weeks, our books, and our perspectives.  Join our host at Bookishly Boisterous to see what others are sharing.

 

It has been a couple of weeks since my last post, back when I still felt the exhilaration of the Inauguration and the sight of #45’s back in the wind.  Of course that last bit hasn’t happened, and the Impeachment conviction some of us hoped for probably won’t happen either.  Sigh.  When I go to the news videos lately, I tend to scroll on past.  I don’t want to waste head space on these events!

• In the interim, however, I am enjoying my reading and blogging.  I just finished reading and reviewing an ARC of a book that will come out next week:  The Four Winds, by Kristin Hannah.
• After I finished that rather lengthy tome, I searched my shelves to pick the next one…and actually started reading another, but then moved on to something completely different:  Single Mother, by Samantha Hayes.  I am turning the pages quickly.
• Lately I have been staying in my apartment more and more, skipping most meals and even activities offered.  Then, on Sunday, I went to all three meals and yesterday I went to two.  But today is going to be another “hermit” day…unless something changes.  Why is this happening?  Things should be looking up, right?
• But maybe the news alerts that hint at more violence could be at fault.  Will we never feel safe?
• I know that Pandemic Fatigue could also be the culprit. I have had my first shot, but no word on when we will get the second one.  There are shortages…and who knows what will unfold?
• I miss my people, like all of us do, and I also realize, as the months pass, it will soon be ONE YEAR that I have been locked down here (since March 11!), with no escape except one doctor visit in October!
• Meanwhile, I love looking at my new Mary Engelbreit calendar.

• It hangs next to my kitchen cabinets.
• I have also done my usual blog changes, and created some new headers this week:  First, Potpourri:

Then I changed up my Serendipity blog header:

• You might also notice a few tweaks in this blog header.  So that’s what I do when I feel frustrated, depressed…or just bored.

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I would rather get a mani-pedi, though, which isn’t going to happen any time soon.  How do you deal with Pandemic Fatigue?

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COFFEE CHAT: STRESS ACTIVITIES…

Good morning!  Let’s gather around with our caffeinated beverages to chat about our weeks, our books, and our perspectives.  Join our host at Bookishly Boisterous to see what others are sharing.

On the day after the frightening events of yesterday, January 6, I am still stunned, although not really surprised, either.  We all knew that insurrection was bound to happen when #45 sent so many messages to his followers, urging them on.  Now I wonder:  will there be ANY consequences?

On the brighter side, two new Georgia senators promise changes ahead.

• I am trying to follow my One Word of HOPE…and take it all a day at a time, too.
• I am reading an interesting book:  Shelter in Place, by David Leavitt, in which the characters are hoping to recover from what they consider the greatest political catastrophe of their lives: the 2016 Presidential Election.   An interesting “time capsule” moment, in view of recent events.
• I wonder how things would have transpired if that event had not happened at all?
• Meanwhile, moving along, I finished reading and reviewing my First Book of 2021:  Piece of My Heart, by Mary Higgins Clark/Alafair Burke.
• On January 5, my youngest grandson turned 18!  Imagine that.  I still remember him fondly with his head of curly hair…Because of Covid, I wasn’t able to see him on his birthday…sigh.

• What lies ahead for us?  Other than reading and blogging, I am trying to survive each day, alert, and without burying my head in the sand about the potential hazards, both from the virus and from the political environment.
• I did love watching the latest episode of This Is Us.  I still love that show, after all these years.
• A new movie is now on Netflix:  Pieces of a Woman, a film that promises to be heart wrenching.

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My favorite activities when I am stressed:  books and viewing.  What do you look forward to during stressful times?

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COFFEE CHAT: GOODBYE, DOLDRUMS…

Good morning!  Let’s gather around with our caffeinated beverages to chat about our weeks, our books, and our perspectives.  Join our host at Bookishly Boisterous to see what others are sharing.

As I sip my morning coffee, which is tasting better and better these days, I am feeling more hopeful.  Despite the news some days, and despite the outrage and bitterness that still lurks everywhere.  A light at the end of the tunnel?

Meanwhile, I have discovered HBO Max and I’m loving several shows.

• First I found The Flight Attendant, based on Chris Bohjalian’s book which I loved a few years ago.
• Then, today, comes a movie with some of my favorite stars:  Let Them All Talk, with Meryl Streep, Candice Bergen, Diane Wiest, et al.
• I do love how a great book or movie can pull me out of the doldrums.  I had a great reading week so far, with three read and reviewed!  Currently, I am reading Goodnight Beautiful, by Aimee Molloy, and loving it.
• This new sweater arrived in the mailbox a few days ago, and it is warm and cozy.  That’s not a photo of me wearing it, though, lol.  I am too shy to ask someone to take a photo, and my selfies only work on face shots.

• How is it Thursday already?  I cannot believe the passage of time right now, but I heard someone say that there is actually something real about how that works, the older we get.  Hmm.
• I am a little sick of Christmas shows and movies, though; they have been playing on Hallmark since July, so I am ready to move on!
• But…I did enjoy reading the Christmas Shopaholic book this week.
• And, in other news, First Book of the Year 2021 has been launched:

• My pick for the event arrived in the mail a couple of weeks ago.  More on that later!

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Enjoy your week and your books, and stay safe and sane!

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COFFEE CHAT: GRATITUDE…

Good morning!  Let’s gather around with our caffeinated beverages to chat about our weeks, our books, and our perspectives.  Join our host at Bookishly Boisterous to see what others are sharing.

 

Happy Thanksgiving!  Today will bring some treats to those of us staying put in the residence, as required by the rules.  But mimosas, desserts, and hopefully a turkey will help make up for any disappointments.  Today I have been binge-watching shows on Netflix, like The Crown and the movie Hillbilly Elegy.  I read the book back in 2016.

• I am also reading a NetGalley ARC Take It Back, by Kia Abdullah.
• This week, I finished a great memoir, I’ll Be Seeing You, by Elizabeth Berg.
• An early morning fire in the lobby is a lovely greeting on these cool mornings.

• Dinners, treats, and the ever-growing book stack in my apartment do help to make up for what we lack these days.  But I miss my lovely family members, so when my granddaughter Fiona sends photos via Facebook, I am warmed by the gesture.

• And when my daughter sends a family photo, I feel as though I am surrounded by family members.

• Earlier today, I got an e-mail announcing a new title from a favorite author, so I had to pre-order it.  It is Joyce Maynard’s May 25, 202l release Count the Ways.

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What blessings can you count today?  I hope everyone is finding gratitude in small treats and the treasures found along the way.

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COFFEE CHAT: CREATING A NEW NORMAL…

Good morning!  Let’s gather around with our caffeinated beverages to chat about our weeks, our books, and our perspectives.  Join our host at Bookishly Boisterous to see what others are sharing.

Today is one day closer to Election Day…and I have mixed feelings.  Hope, combined with a bit of anxiety.  But once it is over, if it ever really is, lol, we can move a little closer to normalcy.  Then, of course, the Virus will still be looming and people around us might still be fighting the mask wearing and social distancing.  Sigh.

• Meanwhile, I am reading.  I discovered an HBO miniseries based on a book I own:  a book I had started to read, but didn’t really like.  (That was back in 2014).  But I loved the first episode so much, that I thought I would give the book another try.  The show, called The Undoing, stars Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant, among others.

• The book was published under the title You Should Have Known, by Jean Hanff Korelitz, and after my viewing of the series episode, I started reading it again.  And I am still reading it!  Actually enjoying it.  Funny, that.
• With October almost over, November and December and those holidays previously known as Thanksgiving and Christmas will be ahead of us.  Nothing will be the same as it was, of course, but perhaps we can create something new and hopeful?
• We can mourn the past…or we can try to forge ahead with something new that might even be fun. 
• I celebrated my birthday last Sunday, and instead of visiting my daughter at her home, still off limits, she came for a visit here, socially distanced and masked, and brought Champagne for mimosas and two slices of cheesecake.  Yum!  We couldn’t eat together (because she had to remain masked), but I had my goodies in my apartment later.
• Then I received a cake in the community dining hall, from staff, and shared slices with other residents:

• New ways of celebrating can happen!

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How has your week been shaping up?  Are you looking forward to the holidays, in some form or other?

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COFFEE CHAT: REDISCOVERIES…

Good morning!  Let’s gather around with our caffeinated beverages to chat about our weeks, our books, and our perspectives.  Join our host at Bookishly Boisterous to see what others are sharing.

When I last posted a Coffee Chat, I was still struggling with the Block Editor.  While it still throws me for a loop or two, things are getting better.  I am finding ways to work around the challenges. 

• I will be so glad when 2020 is behind us!  Let’s hope we survive it, and that the election doesn’t bury us in more darkness.  Sigh.
• This week, I have read and reviewed two books so far:  Remain Silent, by Susie Steiner, and Return to Virgin River, by Robyn Carr.
• Then I started reading The Lost for Words Bookshop, by Stephanie Butland.
• On Thursdays, I participate in a Books from the Backlog event, and have rediscovered “forgotten” books, many of which I have since read.  Today I added another Robyn Carr to my device…from the backlog:  The Summer That Made Us.  I can’t believe I haven’t yet read it!  Do you ever rediscover books that are languishing on your shelves and wonder why?
• This week, I also rediscovered freshly ground coffee!  Yes, imagine that.  I inadvertently clicked on coffee beans in my Instacart order, and I was definitely surprised to see those beans when I opened the bag.  I immediately ordered a coffee grinder from Amazon…and it arrived the next day!

 

• I am now blissfully sipping on the best coffee ever!

• In the mood to celebrate fall, I retrieved my autumn wreath from my under-the-bed storage.  My granddaughter Fiona brought it to me last year:

• So, despite the very frightening world around us, I am finding things to savor and cherish.

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How is your week going?  Are you rediscovering/recreating things that bring you joy?

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