Update on Reading Challenge 2023

Hi friends, Every year I set a reading challenge. It helps me keep moving forward in my reading. I remember when I started the challenge I was just coming out of a lengthy period of very poor concentration and could barely read a page before great fatigue would set in. I've come a long way since then.

This year my goal was to read 50 books or 20,000 pages.  Fifty is a much smaller number than I've set in previous years. I was flexible and didn't mind reading more if time permitted; especially since 50 books wouldn't likely reach 20,000 words.  I wanted to read more than a few books but not be so pressured that I didn't have time for anything else. 

I've read 63 books to date for a total of 23,169 pages, thereby exceeding my goal. In fact this is the most words I've read in any given year since I started keeping track over a decade ago.  The good news is I didn't feel any pressure whatsoever to read.  I'm currently reading 3 more books (Project 333: The Minimalist Fashion Challenge (224 pages), Coming Home to Eat:  The Pleasures and Politics of Local Foods (336 pages) and Accessing the Blessings of Heaven's Currency:  Withdrawing Power from Your Heavenly Account for Answered Prayers (196 pages).  Once I finish there will be another 756 pages to add making a grand total of 23,925 pages for 2023 if I've done the math correctly.  If I have time I will read another book or two between Christmas and New Year's Day.

I enjoyed a number of books in 2023 and others not so much.  But as each year goes by I'm challenging   myself to read new genres or expand the scope of my reading within a particular genre.  For example,

• Confederacy of Dunces (hard to classify but seems to fit into comedic satire)
• The Removes (historical fiction based on expansion of the American west and the mistreatment of Native Americans)  
• The Sorbonne Affair, (murder mystery),
• There, There, Valley of the Birdtail, Bad Cree (all written by indigenous authors)
• Remarkably Bright Creatures (fiction centred around friendship between humans and an octopus). 
• One Drop (biography written by the daughter of a man who passed all her life and the impact of finding out her real roots).

I enjoyed Valley of the Birdtail a lot, followed by Remarkably Bright Creatures and The Sorbonne Affair, but I would recommend all of the above books for various reasons.

Having reached a reading milestone in 2023, I'd like to say I'll continue reaching new heights.  The truth is, I'm not quite sure what reading goal I'll set for 2024.  I suspect it will be a more modest goal because there are a lot of other projects I would like to get to but we will see.

I hope you too have had a successful year of reading. Happy reading in 2024!

 

YOUR 2023 BOOKS

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Christmas Festivities ~ Handel's Messiah

Each year, the highlight of the Christmas season is attending the annual performance of Handel's Messiah.  There are usually several different performances around the city put on by different symphonies and choirs. This year I elected to attend the concert put on by Early Music Vancouver.

I enjoyed it a lot.

Sorry I could not take any photos or video recordings once the concert started but here is a short piece from the conductor of the Pacific Baroque Orchestra which falls under the umbrella of Early Music Vancouver.

I hope you are enjoying your Christmas season so far. 

Blessings and love.

💖💖💖

Ready for Christmas

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

I hope you are all well and enjoying the lead up to Christmas. 

Personally I've been sick for well over a month with some kind of cold and flu bug. The primary irritant for most of this time is chest congestion and phlegm in the throat. Just when I think it's going away it seems to come back.  I have to go to the doctor next week for a prescription refill so I'll ask about this too.

Other than that I've been busy with a number of things in preparation for Christmas. Despite being sick, I've managed to do a little decorating, write and post most of the Christmas cards (I may have 1 or 2 more to send), and prepare, wrap and mail Christmas presents that need to go in the post. Some gifts will be hand delivered.  Others will be opened here at home. 

I don't have that many presents to buy but as always I get a bit carried away thinking of yet another gift I should buy or make.  I enjoy gifting people, especially at Christmas. Even if it is just a small gift, it's always nice to think of someone else.  I didn't forget the people of Kenya and have sent some small monetary gifts to help with various needs.  I've promised to write about the Kenyan missions again in this space but haven't had the time to fully prepare the post.

Here are a few photos of my decorations and small tree. 

While I was decorating I also took the time to clean out the tubs where the decorations are stored. I put together a large shopping bag of decorations I don't use and no longer need.  

Indoor & outdoor lights & tree bulbs

Later this week, I'm looking forward to a Christmas concert.  Next week, I'm getting together with different friends and relatives and attending church services. I've also got a busy time of end of year appointments at the dentist, doctors and related lab work. 

It always seems to be a busy time no matter how much I try to prepare in advance to make it less so. In any event, I'm very pleased to have gotten all the decor, cards and gifts out of the way so I can enjoy the rest of the season.

Merry Christmas to all of you and have a wonderful and Happy New Year.

December 1, 2023 - Sky Over Vancouver

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

Happy new month of December to you. I hope you all had an excellent week and are looking forward to the Christmas season. 

I took these photos on Wednesday as I made my way to a particular produce store in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver to see what kind of fresh produce I might find there. The store is very well stocked and has all the basics one would need. I was looking for a variety of fruits and didn't quite find what I wanted. In any case, I had a nice outing and I took all these photos for you.  They were taken between 4:00 and 6:00 p.m.  I tried to snap as many photos as possible before it got really dark.

Linking up with Skywatch Friday today. Thanks for stopping by!

Tuesday 4 ~ Hooray for Hollywood

Hello and welcome to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4.

Hollywood magic is well named. In Druidism the holly and it's wood were used in magic. Magic wands were often made of holly wood.   Lightning will not strike holly so it is often planted next to homes to protect it. The word holly comes from the word holy and the holly tree was sacred in times past.  Today Hollywood still churns out 'magic' and 'spellbinding' displays as well as 'stars in the firmament' who entertain, mesmerize and influence us. 

Let's talk about it....

1.  Do you have a few favorite holiday movies you enjoy watching year after year? Do you make some popcorn to eat while you watch movies at home?

Yes, I love watching Miracle on 34th Street with a very young, Natalie Wood. I also love watching It's a Wonderful Life with Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed.  More modern Christmas movies I enjoy are the Home Alone movies, the Grinch movies and The Holiday.

I didn't always make popcorn to eat while watching movies at home but now I do.  My late sister used to do this with her children every weekend and I got into the same habit whenever her children were visiting.  I continue the tradition even when watching movies alone.

2.  Have you had a celebrity crush? Can we ask who it was? 

I've never really had a celebrity crush though when I was younger I thought Rock Hudson was handsome. Later I thought Robert Redford to be very good looking, especially in the movie, The Way We Were. But I can't say I had a crush on either of these actors.

3.  Do you have  favorite actors/actresses whose movies you don't want to miss and what movie would you say is your all time favorite from those stars?

I watch for movies by a few actors and actresses such as Daniel Craig in James Bond movies, Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible movies &  many different actresses such as Julia Roberts (Nottinghill), Emily Blunt (The Devil Wears Prada and The Girl on the Train), Kirsten Dunst (The Two Faces of January, Marie Antoinette & Spider Man), & Catherine Zeta Jones (Zorro).  There are probably more but there is no standout favourite of mine in acting.

4. Have you met any famous Hollywood people in person or would you like to?  Why or why not?

I've never met any famous Hollywood people in person although once I was walking on Denman Street in downtown Vancouver when the actress Audrey Landers passed by me.  She was acting in the very popular television show, Dallas, at the time.  I think she'd been a guest on what was then the Alan Hamel talk show which was filmed in a nearby studio.  The talk show and the studio are both long gone.  What struck me was how much makeup she had on. I guess when you're on television you need to wear a lot of makeup to look 'normal' but in natural light you look clownish.  I don't have any desire to meet any famous people since I don't follow any of them.

Skywatch Friday ~ November 22, 2023

Most of these photos were taken on a walk I took in the neighbourhood on Wednesday night.

I don't usually walk these particular streets to the east of where I live but I was attending a Meet Your Neighbour event in the general neighbourhood.

As you can see from the mostly bare trees, our fall season is largely over.  After a few days of rain today cleared a bit. We're supposed to have a few sunny days this week. That's always a treat at this time of year.

This last photo was taken on Monday night after a grocery store run. 

Linking up with Skywatch Friday. 

Happy Thanksgiving to my American blog friends and visitors.

Thank you for stopping by!

Tuesday 4 ~ Thankful

 Hello friends and welcome to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4.  

Thanksgiving Day is about here. Let's talk about the holiday and thankfulness.

1. Whether you are from the USA or not, thankfulness is beneficial to a nation and people.  Is it a natural thing for you to think of being thankful or is it something you must be reminded about?

We had Thanksgiving in Canada in October.  It is natural for me to be thankful for everything both in good times and in bad even if we didn't celebrate Thanksgiving on a specific holiday. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

2.  Plimoth Plantation is the site of the original settlement and everything is authentic to the 1600's including how they speak. Have you been to Plymouth Rock?   How about the Plimoth Plantation (yes that is the proper spelling). Would you like to go visit these places?     What places are you thankful for having seen?      

I've never been to Plymouth Rock or to the Plimoth Plantation. I don't have a particular desire to go to these places but if I ever had an opportunity I would take it since I love seeing new places and learning more about history. I have travelled to many countries and to several of them on more than one occasion. Sometimes I wish I had spread my travelling to more countries instead of returning to the same places on more than one occasion. I hope that I will still have an opportunity to visit more new places if the Lord tarries and if it is safe to do so. I am thankful for the many places I have been able to see around the world.

3. Do you tune into the Macy's Parade?

No I do not. It isn't part of the Canadian ritual and in fact, these days I don't really watch parades even at home.  When I was a youngster I did enjoy them.

4. What will you be eating on Thanksgiving Day this year?

This year we had ham roast for dinner with potatoes and brussels sprouts and various condiments like pickles and so on.  I can't remember if I made scalloped potatoes or mashed potatoes. I think I made red, garlic potatoes. One thing I do know is that as the years go by, we tend to eat less and less at holiday meals and just in general. I can no longer eat a huge meal at one go and nor can my loved ones it seems.