It's raining in Vicksburg; I have two teenagers playing with the game unit my husband bought as an excuse for a birthday present, this weekend (yeah, right . . . I really longed for a game unit) and we're watching an animated weather map in lieu of proceeding on to the pool (because I figure I'll just have to fetch them when swimming is canceled, anyway, judging from the looks of that big yellow-and-red mess on the radar). In the meantime, I might as well do some wahooing. I'm trying to single-handedly turn the word "wahoo" into a verb. Think I'll succeed?1. Maybe a little weird, but I'm very grateful that I'm not a butterfly after seeing the cat, below, turn the beautiful butterfly at upper right into the shredded mess shown in the two lower photos:
Yikes! It's hard to believe he managed to fly after that walloping. I was trying to move to a position that would allow me to photograph the butterfly and cat in the same frame when kitty boy leaped approximately five feet, grabbed the insect right off the leaf and munched down. I've seen quite a few butterflies with tattered wings, this week; now I know how they got in such terrible condition.2. I'm glad I don't live in Mexico:
3. Wahoo for swim relays! I love watching the swim kids do relays. My son isn't in this particular photo, but it's one of my favorites from last week:
4. Wahoo for another great issue of Estella's Revenge!!! And, I'm not saying that just because I wrote some reviews. Relatives by birth or marriage should avoid my "confession" article, as it's probably distressing enough just reading this blog.
5. Wahoo for the ridiculous quantity of books I acquired, last week, all of which I am referring to as "birthday gifts," whether new, used or stolen. Just kidding about the "stolen" part.
Top to bottom:
Opus: 25 Years of His Sunday Best - Berke Breathed (the genuine gift from eldest)
The History of Love - Nicola Krauss (PBS - waited a year for this one)
Among Other Things I've Taken Up Smoking - Aoibheann Sweeney
The Septembers of Shiraz - Dalia Sofer
Salt - Jeremy Page
The Spanish Bow - Andromeda Romano-Lax
Last Night I Dreamed of Peace - Dang Thuy Tram
Vivaldi's Virgins - Barbara Quick
Lottery - Patricia Wood
An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England - Brock Clarke
---The last 8 books were ARCs I found on a cart that said "FREE BOOKS" at the library
Top to Bottom:
I Could Never Be So Lucky Again - Gen. James H. "Jimmy" Doolittle (PBS)
The Cobra and the Concubine - Bonnie Vanuk (thanks to Susan at West of Mars)
Stumbling on Happiness - Daniel Gilbert (actually bought this one at Borders)
Mr. Dixon Disappears - Ian Sansom (PBS)
Garden Spells - Sarah Addison Allen (ARC from library)
The Misalliance - Anita Brookner (library sale purchase - snuck that one in, yesterday)
Seven Loves - Valerie Trueblood (also thanks to Susan at West of Mars)
100 Oklahoma Outlaws, Gangsters and Lawmen: 1839-1939 (purchased at Sam's Club)
The Double Bind - Chris Bohjalian (PBS - I love PBS!)
Not pictured: The copy of Moloka'i that arrived in the mail, today - squeeeee! I love PBS!
Kiddo did have swim practice. We're home and the radar is becoming ominous, again, so I'll just hush. Up next will be a review of Dying in Style by Elaine Viets, which I finished this morning.
May your day be wahooey, wherever you are.
Bookfool
The History of Love - Nicola Krauss (PBS - waited a year for this one)
Among Other Things I've Taken Up Smoking - Aoibheann Sweeney
The Septembers of Shiraz - Dalia Sofer
Salt - Jeremy Page
The Spanish Bow - Andromeda Romano-Lax
Last Night I Dreamed of Peace - Dang Thuy Tram
Vivaldi's Virgins - Barbara Quick
Lottery - Patricia Wood
An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England - Brock Clarke
---The last 8 books were ARCs I found on a cart that said "FREE BOOKS" at the library
Top to Bottom:I Could Never Be So Lucky Again - Gen. James H. "Jimmy" Doolittle (PBS)
The Cobra and the Concubine - Bonnie Vanuk (thanks to Susan at West of Mars)
Stumbling on Happiness - Daniel Gilbert (actually bought this one at Borders)
Mr. Dixon Disappears - Ian Sansom (PBS)
Garden Spells - Sarah Addison Allen (ARC from library)
The Misalliance - Anita Brookner (library sale purchase - snuck that one in, yesterday)
Seven Loves - Valerie Trueblood (also thanks to Susan at West of Mars)
100 Oklahoma Outlaws, Gangsters and Lawmen: 1839-1939 (purchased at Sam's Club)
The Double Bind - Chris Bohjalian (PBS - I love PBS!)
Not pictured: The copy of Moloka'i that arrived in the mail, today - squeeeee! I love PBS!
Kiddo did have swim practice. We're home and the radar is becoming ominous, again, so I'll just hush. Up next will be a review of Dying in Style by Elaine Viets, which I finished this morning.
May your day be wahooey, wherever you are.
Bookfool
Happy belated birthday! I'm just catching up on my blog reading.
ReplyDeleteThe only book I've read, let alone heard of in the first stack is The History of Love, it's brilliant (now, why don't I own it? Must rectify that!)
Oh, that poor butterfly. I had to scroll past it quickly.
That poor butterfly! I wonder if they have pain receptors in their wings...I always wonder about things like that.
ReplyDeleteI don't envy the poor people in Mexico. The resort that me and Megan went to in May was literally buried completely a few years back by Wilma and they had just re-opened about a year ago. Unfortunately, it looks like Dean hit right where the resort is. They probably have to go through this all over again. We talked to some of the staff and they said that after Wilma, there was no way to get a bull dozer or anything to where the resort was, so they literally had 100's of people with the blueprints to the resort and shovels digging it out of the sand.
What a stack of books!! I haven't heard of a single one of them...honestly, I haven't even heard of any of those authors, so I'll have lots of reviews to look forward to and lots to add to the wishlist ;)
LC,
ReplyDeleteThanks! I'm falling behind on my blog reading, too. The storms aren't helping with that, but we're really happy to finally have some rain.
Oh, great! "Brilliant" is just the word I want to hear. I noticed a couple of those ARC titles have just been officially released. In fact, Garden Spells was prominently displayed at somebody's website . . . . Borders, maybe? I can't remember. I just began reading it and I'm enjoying it immensely. Jenclair at A Garden in My Pocket reviewed The Spanish Bow, recently, and loved it. And, I think Lotus of Lotus Reads reviewed The Septembers of Shiraz. So, I was excited to see both of those.
Yes, poor butterfly. That's the one thing I dislike about pets - you can't get them to override instinct.
Chris,
ReplyDeleteThat's why you're a well-educated fellow; you're curious. :) I don't know about pain receptors, but I do know that the scales that give butterflies their gorgeous colors are made to come off as a defense mechanism. That's why the colors come off on your hands, if you touch a butterfly's wings. Interesting, yes? I read a book about butterflies, last year. They have a hard life and a short one, if they're lucky to even emerge from their cocoons.
Mexico has been hit hard, in recent years, hasn't it? So fascinating about people with blueprints and shovels.
Really? You hadn't heard of any of those books? You're too sheltered, darlin'. Must get out and blog-hop, more. LOL
I always enjoy your Wahoo! Wednesday posts, Nancy. :-)
ReplyDeleteYou know, I sometimes give my husband books as gifts that I want to read. Of course, I think he might like them too, but it is possible my alterior motive is more prominant. Haha
Poor little butterfly!
Oh! I need to check of the latest Estella's Revenge. Thank you for the reminder.
That's a long list of books you've got there. :-) You definitely are deserving of them though. I enjoyed reading Septembers of Shiraz. And History of Love and Double Bind are two I hope to get to perhaps sometime next year.
I need to sit down in my TBR room and weed out some of the books I am no longer interested in reading. I was thinking of taking some to my favorite local used book store to see if she'd want them. I'm giving up my idea to auction them off on E-Bay and while I like the idea of PBS, I'm trying to lower my book intake book, not increase it. It's a goal, anyway. :-)
Have a good evening, Nancy.
Wendy,
ReplyDeleteThanks. Some days it's really hard to wahoo, but I try because it's apparently quite an upper for other people (although, it's mostly intended to force me to look for the good things in my life).
Sneaky, getting your husband books so you can read them. That doesn't really work for me, since my hubby is dyslexic and only reads a handful, each year. Obviously, I have plenty, though. :)
I thought I'd seen at least two reviews of The Septembers of Shiraz! Thanks for the reminder. I knew the review(s) I read were positive, so I was really excited to find an ARC.
I need to do some weeding, also. PBS helps me get rid of books I've finished and acquire books on my wish list inexpensively, so I'll continue to use it. But, there are times that a lot of books come in at once and I almost wish they'd stop. It's just a matter of when they become available.
Thank you! You have a good evening, too!!!
Hurry up and go here: http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?from=R40&_trksid=m37&satitle=lisa+snellings+clark&category0=
ReplyDeleteonly 6 little purple poppets left!
Chris,
ReplyDeleteThanks. There were 4 left when I got there. I'm going to be in trouble. LOL You've reminded me that Poppet needs to do some traveling, poor thing. Since the mushroom climbing, Poppet and Simone have been trapped indoors, sweating in their long robes and hoods.
I know, I've been missing their travels :) She has some amazing stuff up for sale right now! I love the Oberon and Titania poppets...if only I could afford those...but those usually go for over $200..I've seen them sell for well over $300! She just added 15 more purples, so you would've been safe. Glad you got one though ;)
ReplyDeleteI want to read The History of Love. I've heard all kinds of good things about it. Maybe I need to browse around for it soon.
ReplyDeleteI love your Wahoo! posts. They always make me smile and feel wahooey.
I don't know about wahooey but it sure is wet and wild here today!
ReplyDeleteI haven't had a chance to check out the new issue of Estella's- must do that soon.
Congratulations on all your book loot!
P.S. When I saw Chris' note about the purple poppets, I went over to ebay. And well I've finally succumbed. The purple ones are so cute!
Chris,
ReplyDeleteI'm just happy I got a purple. I'm going to have a multi-colored Poppet house, soon. Thanks for the link. Some of those more expensive Poppet items are definitely tempting, but I still have a kid in college. Maybe when I go out in the real world and earn some real money (assuming that ever happens). :)
Nikki,
It took forever to get a copy of The History of Love from PBS and it looks brand, spanking new! Cool! If you do get a copy, let me know. I'm hoping to squeeze that one in, soon; maybe we can compare thoughts.
I'm very happy if I've made you smile. A little wahooing can go a long way. :)
Nat,
It's wet and foggy, here - not really wild, just heavy. But, I'm glad to have some rain and it's not in the 100's. That's worth celebrating.
Thanks. I'm going to have fun with my new books. I've already started Garden Spells and am enjoying it.
Oh, boy! Purple Poppet will go perfectly with your boys' fur. Poppets love to be sniffed by fur buddies. They're very calm. LOL
Happy belated birthday! I went ahead and sent your book out, and then came back home and read your blog and found out that your birthday was this week. Cool though, because I sent it out Priority mail. So hopefully it will get to by Saturday?
ReplyDeleteWow. That butterfly did get pretty messed up. Do they grow another set of wings?? Poor thing. The pics you take area soooooooo cool. They turn out great.
I don't remember the last time I've seen an outdoor pool. FOREVER. It's weird to imagine, that people actually swim outside. In the pool. The pool outside. That's not indoors.
Obviously I've been in the woods too long.
Lexie.
Yummy nummy books! And that butterfly makes me sad, but I can say with some certainty that the cat is fierce!
ReplyDeleteLexie,
ReplyDeleteYou had me laughing out loud about the pool! It's cooling off here, finally, but cooling off means 80's. I have a feeling you'd have about a 2-day outdoor swim season if anyone bothered to build an outdoor pool (and then it would probably crack from the cold).
I hope the book makes it soon! Now that you've told me about studying it, I'm really looking forward to reading it!! Thanks for the birthday wishes. :)
Butterflies have very short lives - I don't think they have time to grow new wings. So sad. But, it's really fascinating seeing the creatures interact. I've been taking photos of wasps nudging butterflies and fighting with a velvet ant - and now the cat and butterfly. There's so much life outside!!! I love it.
Andi,
ReplyDeleteI'm a spoiled brat, aren't I? Seems like once I removed most of the family from the picture and decided how to determine what to call birthday gifts, I made out like a bandit. :)
Yes, that butterfly had a rotten day. The cat is so sweet - he's a head-butter. He rams his head against your legs and begs loudly till you rub him. Such a funny guy. I had no idea he could leap that far or I would have chased him off.
I love that action picture at the pool. And your header is so pretty, it looks like a perfect fall day (even though I know it's blistering hot).
ReplyDeleteI just got a copy of "Lottery" from the library, so I'm glad to see I'll have someone to discuss it with (eventually).
Wow Nancy you did really well on the books I think. Several of these I thought about ordering but never did so you must let me know how they are. I am glad you at least felt like wahooing this wed. After the weekend that you had I am not sure I would have been able to.
ReplyDeleteKookie,
ReplyDeleteThank you. Relays are the coolest for photographs.
Those leaves are black because they've been roasted - kind of funny that the header photo does have a fall-like appearance, isn't it? :)
Oh, cool! I'll try to slip in Lottery very soon, then. That will be fun!
Paula,
Thanks. I'll definitely let you know what I think. Garden Spells is fun. Have you got that one? Merrill will love it - it's set in North Carolina and it's got a lovely, magical feel.
I had a little trouble wahooing, yesterday. But, I decided I needed to work at it. Just taking the time to look for beauty is a lift. It helped. So did everyone in AN2R, of course. I appreciated all the hugs and support. :)
OH my gosh! I have been wanting to read Double Bind for awhile. I think it's waiting at the library for me. We'll have to swap notes.
ReplyDeleteAmy,
ReplyDeleteI've heard mixed reactions about The Double Bind. I'm going to try to read it ASAP, so that if I dislike it I can put it right back up on PBS. :) Yep, we'll have to compare notes.
*laugh*
ReplyDeleteI saw the Bonnie Vanak before I saw the thanks for it and got all excited, thinking you'd found her on your own.
Be sure you let me know how it is; it's definitely on my wish list. I've got SO many books to catch up on right now. Ugh!
Susan,
ReplyDeleteIt might be a while before I get to it - sounds like we're both in the same boat. I have lots of challenge books I need to get finished and out the door. And, to think, I was trying to "un-challenge" myself. Oops. LOL
Wow! I never saw my cat go after a butterfly, so she's made a mess of lizards, grasshoppers, mice and birds.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to read Septembers of Shiraz.
Dewey,
ReplyDeleteI think I've had cats go after butterflies, but that particular cat doesn't actually belong to me. He totally ignored him when I hollered at him to let the poor butterfly go. Fortunately, my cat's an indoor girl, now, so I no longer get the yucky gifts. :)
Septembers of Shiraz looks terrific. If you get to it before I do, give me a holler. I want to know what you think.