Books and Reading

Welcome to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4.   Today we are talking about books and reading. Those that don't read might  consider substituting movies and TV programs. I'm posting a little early this week. (I see there is an issue with the font size in some of my answers. I hope to correct it soon).

 

1.  What book brought out your emotions and why?

A book that regularly brings out my emotions is The Holy Bible, the inspired word of God. It really touches me when I learn and see the way God spoke to his people throughout the Bible, the hardships and tribulations they went through and the miracles that many experienced. I also love the teachings as to how to live as a believer and follower of Christ. Despite the different times we live in today there is still so much relevance in the scriptures for these contemporary times.

As for secular books that brought out my emotions I'm sure there have been many over the years but the ones that come to my mind are: The Kite Runner by Afghan-American author Khaled Hosseini and A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry. These were two masterfully told stories that really brought out my emotions as I read what all the characters went through. I've since read several books by both authors and I've enjoyed most of them.

2.  How has reading changed your life both for good or for bad? What you get out of it?  All in all, I would say that reading has changed my life for the good especially since I was introduced to Jesus and the Bible (reading) in my youth. Reading and learning from scriptures has been an amazing journey throughout my life and my hope and prayer is that more people would come to experience it for themselves. I've also really enjoyed reading books in general throughout my school years though I only really started reading more avidly once I started setting reading goals.  I like reading books of substance.  Books that are more weighty and take time to read rather than lightweight books that take only 2 hours to breeze through.  This preference obviously impacts on how many books I can read in a year and I have to remind myself of that. Sometimes I do feel like a slacker when it comes to the quantity of books I read because some people literally read hundreds of books in a year. I try to challenge myself a bit in how much I read but I'm also very mindful of the need for time to do many other things so my annual reading goals are on the modest side.  Since I've been keeping a record of the type of books I read, I've discovered that I have a preference for historical fiction but I also like to intersperse this kind of reading with reading to learn new things.  For example, I borrow cookbooks to get new recipe ideas, self-help books for the latest information on women's health issues, craft books for new patterns and so on.  I get a lot out of reading books and supplement my learning with a lot of on-line reading. I can scan through or read hundreds of articles in any given week. This kind of reading helps me keep current on a lot of things of interest.

3.   What character(s) do you love and which do you hate and why?

I'm not sure I really hate or love characters from books. My feelings don't usually go to particular characters but rather, to particular stories. I love historical fiction books best as the stories often unfold through hours of reading and give time for better development of the story line and the characters in them. Though my feelings about particular characters don't often surface, I do recall feeling great emotion about Anna Karenina in the book of the same name. I remember watching this story long before reading it.  The film was an old black and white movie with the titular role played by Greta Garbo. The film made a huge impact on my young mind because I saw that in certain countries and at certain times in history, the lives and options available to women were very limited.  So much so that dear Anna throws herself in front of an oncoming train to escape her situation. I was deeply saddened by this. There is a lot more to this story that I can recount here but the story has many issues to unpack and Leo Tolstoy is/was a masterful story teller. Of course, the lives of women in many countries continues to be limited or restrained today and I feel  very blessed to have been born in Canada where I've had the freedom to pursue my life as I've wished. I don't take it for granted.

When it comes to the Bible, I have one 'character' I love and that is the Apostle Paul. I never get tired of learning from the books he authored and I have learned so much from them.  A particular favourite passage is Galatians 9 and the listing of the works of the flesh and the fruits of the Spirit.  When I was a young child, I learned a song about the fruits of the spirit and I often love to sing it to myself  as a meditation.  It helps and guides me and makes me glad that I have access to the wonderful and loving guidance of the Holy Spirit and through the scriptures.

4.    What book or books  do you think everyone should read once in their life time?

The Bible and as many of the classics written by authors such as Jane Austen, Charles Dickinson, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Leo Tolstoy etc. There are too many wonderful writers of the classics to list.  I also think it's a good idea to read a few authors from other countries to be exposed to other ideas and cultures in the hopes of bringing broader awareness and understanding of one another.  Books are a good way to learn and become aware of new things.

Those are all my thoughts for today. Thank you for stopping by!

Tuesday 4 ~ Light

We are experiencing a heat wave this week and Tuesday will be very hot. After that it will cool a bit each day. I'm not sure what the rest of the summer holds since our warm weather came very late this year unlike last year where we battled constant heat and wildfires or smoke from wildfires. It seems that kind of weather has moved on to central an eastern Canada, parts of USA and Europe. Please stay safe and cool wherever you are.

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 Welcome to another Tuesday 4 by Toni Taddeo.

 

Let's talk about light, okay? You light up my life.. shine a light in the darkness, Miller Light. All kinds of light but how about at home?

1. Are you afraid of the dark? Is night or day your favorite time?

I'm not afraid of the dark in general; only if I am alone walking in the dark anywhere. Late at night or very early in the morning are my favourite times because it tends to be cooler and quiet. 

 2. Do you have night lights in your home?

I have a night light that plugs into the socket in my bathroom. When I use it I don't have to turn the hallway lights on if I get up in the middle of the night. I don't always use it though because light keeps me awake.

3. How low do you set your air conditioning?  Do you adjust it through the day?

I don't have any air conditioning though I wish I did. I do have a few fans and I turn them on and off all day long during hot summer days or when the air is stagnant.

4. Do you keep any outdoor or indoor lights on all night?

I don't keep lights on outside all night. In fact, it is forbidden by the strata by-laws to have light bulbs outside. I pretend I don't know that and I have a few solar lights in the garden to enjoy at night when I look out. Inside I only have the bathroom light which only throws light once it's dark. I don't use it all the time as light tends to keep me awake when it filters through the cracks around the door.  

Late at night I read or knit and sometimes watch TV. It seems I concentrate better when virtually everyone else is sleeping. (The photo shows 3 books I'm currently reading).  Thanks for stopping by!

Books, Books, Books - This is What I've Been Reading

I set the reading bar low in 2022 because I wanted to do other things. I haven't actually done the other things I had planned or hoped to do, but there is still time. This year I've read the following books. Forgive the lack of a good picture but it was the best I could do with the screenshot. My favourite reads out of these were the Ken Follett book (I've loved all of his books) and the Maye Musk memoir. It was very interesting to learn who raised Elon Musk and also to learn how Maye Musk and her family moved from Canada to South Africa and what brought her back to North America.

 

I'm reading several other books as shown in the photo below but am am really only focussed on the novel A Spool of Blue Thread. I've also placed a few books on hold though I'm trying to restrain myself so I can do some sewing. Perhaps if it gets too warm I won't be able to sew until the Fall but then I have the issue of less natural light. We shall see. There is the added issue of not yet finding patterns I would like to use for the items I want to make and like last summer I've been buying more clothing so I don't actually need anything more.

I hope your reading plans are going well and that you have something interesting to keep your mind occupied.  Weather where I am is hot this week.  I find I can't do much when the air is too still. That's when I sit and read or watch the television whilst sitting with open windows and fans blowing.

Until next time, keep well and keep safe. 

The Last Week

 Hello friends,

Thank you to all who left well wishes and comments on my last post. I truly appreciate your beautiful words.

I trust you are well and enjoying summer/winter wherever you are in the world. There is so much going on around the world.  Most of it is not that positive so it's important we do what we can to safeguard our mental and physical health to help us cope. Some of the ways I safeguard mine are through enjoying nature (the sky and gardening), reading, short walks and some self-care now and then (exercise, prayer, deep breathing, relaxation, slow routines, mani-pedis and massage). I was blessed to do most of the above this week. All the photos in this post were taken this week.

Today (July 10th) was a lovely day.

 

I had my second booster shot a few days ago. All went well save for a sore arm on the second day after the shot. Not everyone in my province has had their first booster shot yet let alone their second shot. They have to be eligible first and eligibility is generally based on health status and age. For some reason the head doctor here makes the age cut off very high unlike all other jurisdictions in the country. I think that is wrong headed but I'm not the one making the decisions.  Just the other day however I read that the government has opened things to everyone aged 12 and older to get a booster shot in the fall when Covid cases are expected to increase once more. 

Jonah had his 2 vaccinations in Kenya and that was good enough to travel and enter Canada when he travelled in May.  But like most insurance there is a waiting period to get a health card here in the province of BC before he can register for his booster shots. Once the waiting period is over he can complete health card registration provided he has received the permanent resident (PR) card issued federally. 

Canada is very backlogged in virtually every area of service due to the pandemic so PR cards and other things are taking months to receive instead of a week or two. We were happy that Jonah's card did indeed arrive at just under 2 months wait time and he has been able to register or apply for the last bits of documentation he needs.  It's a huge relief since many people are experiencing significantly longer wait times.

 

Jonah has been very busy getting accustomed to life and work here and he has been enjoying both.  The other day he joined the work party at the community garden to help repair the raised beds that were falling apart and to do some extensive weeding around the plots. Weeding and general upkeep of the community garden area is the responsibility of all gardeners who have a plot but most of them don't seem to do much. Maybe they don't know that they have to volunteer 4 hours of time over the summer to the work needs of the garden. I certainly didn't know until the new chairman pointed it out a few weeks ago. Basically, Jonah's garden work on Saturday fulfilled the volunteer hours required for this year.  In addition, my nephew's girlfriend put in several hours of work a few weeks ago so we have more than covered our volunteer work hours requirement for the year.  We only have one plot which my nephew's girlfriend has planted and tended this year.  I'm hoping next year she will be able to get her own plot because she loves the gardening process. I hope they don't say she is disqualified due to living too far from the neighbourhood.

 

My left leg is still giving me problems though I do see signs of improvement here and there. I'm trying to make sure I take time to do the exercises and the walking recommended by the physiotherapist.  It's been a difficult balance  because it doesn't take too long before I've overdone the walking. I had such a day on Friday when Jonah and I went out to do our business. I came home very tired and spent the rest of the weekend indoors to recover and get the housework done slowly so I can be ready for the week ahead. I also spent some time outside in the garden. When I wasn't outside I left my patio door wide open and enjoyed seeing the little hummingbirds come by.  I also enjoyed the chirping of birds. They were very active this weekend. I don't remember hearing them last summer when there was so much smoke in the air. That couldn't have been good for their little lungs at all.

I finished reading this new book French Braid by Anne Tyler.   It was a quick read and I enjoyed it although it was far from one of my favourite reads.  Unbeknownst to me I also started reading another book by Anne Tyler just a few days before.  That one is called A Spool of Blue Thread: A Novel.  I thought the two books seemed quite similar but French Braid seemed to flow a bit better and so I finished it first.

Last, but not least, I finally made time on Wednesday to get a mani-pedi. I've been needing a good clean up of the nails for quite some time but don't like to pay the prices or sit for so long. I was glad I did get there as the young woman who worked on me had a very pleasant personality and I asked her to give me an extra long hand massage because she asked me to wait for my manicure while she worked on another client who was there with a friend. I agreed to her request and she gave me a nice long massage when she returned to work on my fingernails. 

In the "old" days one would always get a wonderful hand and foot massage as part of the mani-pedi. Nowadays you mostly have to pay a premium for these services.  If a salon does happen to include a massage with their basic service it is usually nothing to speak of.  Often you don't even get one especially since they started using gel nail polish. While I was waiting for the nail tech to be free, I enjoyed a nice, long massage on the massage chair.

It's been a busy week despite the leg issue and I'm expecting another busy week ahead. 

I wish you all a wonderful and happy week where ever you are in the world. 

Stay safe. 💓💓💓

A Busy Week and Some Beautiful Skies

It's been a very busy week and I'm looking forward to a bit of rest over the weekend. It was also a very beautiful week weather wise with some fabulous skies.

 

I completed reading the next books a little quicker than I wanted because two of them were due at the library. They could not be renewed due to their tremendous popularity. I love using my library but sometimes it's difficult to read popular books when there are long wait lists for them.  If there is no wait list for a book, the library has increased renewal options to three times (9 weeks) rather than two (6 weeks).  I'm very happy about that.

The Dressmakers of Auschwitz introduced me to a new angle on the Holocaust.  Apparently there were many Jewish women who toiled and sewed for the wives and women who were part of the Nazi regime.  The author of the book painstakingly pieced together the story of these women and paid homage to their contributions to war resistance efforts. It was not an easy task since the Nazis burned a lot of the incriminating evidence when they realized they had lost the war.  This is definitely a very eye opening and interesting book which goes into considerable detail about the textile operations at Auschwitz.

 

 

The Man Who Died Twice is a very engaging book. It is a complicated murder mystery and I guess it is book #2 of a two part (to date) series. I didn't read book #1 and I think this book stands on it's own. It is described in part as a humorous book but it isn't "split a gut" or "laugh out loud" funny. Subtle humour is sprinkled throughout to balance the numerous murders. I understand that Steven Spielberg is turning this book into a major motion picture.

 

Wish You Were Here is another excellent read. I am surprised I enjoyed this book so much after reading several negative reviews. The book was written after the author's experience in contracting Covid-19 and it  deals with what a patient experiences after contracting and surviving Covid and having been put on a ventilator.  Perhaps it is too soon for most people to appreciate such a book but I was very engaged in the story line throughout.

The storytelling is top notch and besides the great story telling, I was very interested in the topic of lucid dreaming that many Covid survivors experience. Another tidbit I picked up from the book is the concept of generational trauma. This is a new to me concept,  having only just heard about it in the past month or two.  It is only mentioned in the novel and not discussed in any detail.

Apparently the Japanese have done research on the idea of generational trauma. The subject piques my interest due to the recent findings of several massive child burial plots at multiple Indian Residential School sites in Canada. The intergenerational trauma suffered by many residential school survivors is of keen interest to me and one I hope to learn more about.  I'm interested in better understanding the lingering affects of trauma, not just on the person directly traumatized but also on their descendants.

Besides reading, I recently enjoyed dinner out at a vintage restaurant (pictured below). Don't you love the individual booth jukeboxes? The play list is full of old hits and I often dance in my seat when I hear the songs start up.  It's fun!

I've also been busy this week with health issues, both mine and my "baby" brother's.   He had his second eye surgery on Wednesday.  He has now completed two eye surgeries and things seem to have gone successfully though it will take a few more days healing.  As for me, I finally have the 'go ahead' to do some treatments on my neck and back which are suffering after the accident I had in late September.  There are numerous reasons why the treatments didn't happen sooner. I won't go into details. It is good timing now for things to move forward since I'm currently experiencing a lot of neck and back issues.  As for my ear, I've been told that the hole or tear in the drum has miraculously healed itself. I don't know how it happened but the specialist said that once the ear canal environment is made more healthy, holes or tears can sometimes heal on their own. Just to be sure that things remain that way, I have a follow up appointment in 3 months. One thing she did tell me after reviewing the CT scan more closely is that it looks like I had a fracture in the back of my jaw. I'm not surprised because the impact I had was very significant. I also had the fracture in my cheek area. I'm not sure that it is fully healed but it looks a lot better. My cheek doesn't exactly look normal but the surgeon and I have agreed that I won't be moving ahead on any facial surgery due to possible complications, primarily infections.

I made another trip to the library to pick up a few more books. I forgot to get a photo of two other books I have in my stack so I actually have 6 books on the go.  That's a little too much for me. I wasn't going to read much this year and I'll reach my very modest target when I finish the current book,"Burke's Law:  A Life in Hockey" by Brian Burke.  Brian Burke is well known in the hockey field but I only heard of him when he married a local journalist, Jennifer Mather.  I think he met her after he was hired as the Director of Hockey Operations for the Vancouver Canucks. I'm not fully sure because I didn't get to that part of the story yet. I only know they married and lived here for awhile before moving to the USA (they are now divorced).  I only follow hockey a bit here and there but I am finding the book, and the man, very interesting.  The book is full of interesting hockey history too.

I will still be limiting my reading this year so I can focus on a few other things.  First I need to complete the current stack of books I'm reading.

Joining in with Skywatch Friday this week. Thank you for stopping by!

 

The Temperature Has Dropped

It's been a very busy week and it isn't over yet. At least it's been a productive week so far. I've been doing a lot of catch up to paperwork, appointments, old tasks and a little cooking, cleaning, knitting and reading in between. 

I completed a few books this past week or so and started on a number of new ones. All of the books are very interesting.I'm still reading An Arctic Man.  It isn't such a long book but it is chock full of information and new place names so I only read a bit at a time.

The late Andre Leon Talley is someone I used to see interviewed on television quite a lot so when I heard he had passed, I wanted to read some of the books he wrote in the latter years of his life. The Chiffon Trenches is quite an information packed book and shows me how widely this man was travelled and how many people he knew in not just the fashion world but the world of high society. He tells it like it is about certain people and some have called him catty for doing so. Honestly I don't know how you can write a truthful book and not come across as somewhat catty if the people you are mentioning were not so nice.  Apart from all of that I enjoyed the book a  lot and I personally didn't find anything in it that was so badly maligning anyone. In fact, I think he tried very hard to speak to the positive things about everyone he knew. 

(As always you can click on photos for an enlarged view).

Very interesting & informative and all about those in the fashion/society world.

 

I've started the middle book and the end book, Burke's Law, all very good.

I am constantly uncovering new to me stories about Jewish experiences during WW 2. The book The Dressmakers of Auschwitz was very eye opening. I had no idea that there were Jewish women whose skills as seamstresses were in much demand during the war and at internment camps no less.  This particular book is not a novel but is based on real life experiences of several women whose skills were in demand and their heart breaking stories.

Opened my eyes to a new to me story about the Jewish women who sewed for the Nazis.

A few dishes made recently.

Beef stir fry and a lot of vegetables over steamed noodles

Roast chicken,Caesar salad, mixed mushrooms/onions/asparagus

Taco Soup

Baked salmon, quinoa, mixed veggies (mushroom,/bell pepper/broccoli/onion)

 

Late at night while it's cold I make a hot cup of tea and do a little knitting. I am always in need of new dishcloths and I also gift them to friends near and far.

 

Earlier this week I heard the weather report of possible snow in Vancouver. It didn't happen as anticipated but the temperature did drop two nights ago. The first few photos show the fresh snow on the mountains and a fairly clear sky with beautiful patches of blue.

Fresh snow on the mountains on Tuesday night

It was a clear day to see the mountains in the distance.

I love the snow covered mountain tops.

Then tonight, the snow really started to fly. I snapped this photo as I was returning from a quick grocery shopping expedition. I tried to capture the snow in video but my short films are poorly done.

Wednesday night the snow was flying as I ran an errand to the grocers.

I'll end here and wish you a fantastic rest of your week.

Wednesday - Hump Day

Hi everyone, It's been another busy day. After a very slow start and being behind on everything I managed to end the day with a satisfactory amount of work accomplished.

After dinner the dishes were done and sink shined.

I ran some vinegar through the coffee maker. It's been clogging a lot.

I washed the inside of the stove's glass door. Cleaning of the oven will happen in spring.

Roast pork tenderloin was the star of Wednesday's dinner.

I always love a medley of roast veggies tossed in oil and herbs.

I finally made some spicy, roasted chick peas.

It's Anti-Procrastination Day in Fly Lady Land. I didn't actually plan the tasks I completed today because I was feeling very sore from a bit of exercise I did this week. I'm so out of shape because all I have been doing for awhile is walking. I just added some strength training back to my regime. I hope I can sustain it for awhile. I've also added this 'pink' drink to my daily intake. Does anyone know what it's called? I started a few days ago primarily to help balance my blood sugar. It seems to be working. Of course for most people low carb eating works too but my low carb eating is not consistent so I need other strategies.

All in all, it's been a busy week so far and I've decided to take the day off from cooking tomorrow. There is enough left over chili from yesterday to feed us.  There is also sandwich and salad fixings ready for use if need be. 

Last but not least, I'm on the last one third of the book, Arctic Man recommended by Red at the blog Hiawatha House. At first I wasn't 'feeling' the book but I'm really enjoying it now.  It is fascinating insight into early 'white' contact with Eskimo people, now called Inuit.  I'm also enjoying learning about the early economy of Canada's far north, the activity of the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) and the mode and manner of travel between very remote and distant, not to mention cold, places I will likely never get to see. The simple map provided at the beginning of the book was very useful and I made good use of it. I think I almost wore the book out flipping back and forth to the beginning. I wish everyone could read this book especially those that are enamored of the writer Farley Mowatt. Ernie Lyall, the writer of  Arctic Man wrote this book in part because he wanted to set the record straight about a number of incorrect statements made by Farley Mowatt in his writings about the north country. I'm glad he did because his writings are also an important contribution to Canada's history.