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Up early today thanks to Silas the Cat who for some reason thought it was time to wake us up even though the sun wasn’t even up yet. So I got to see the sunrise which I don’t get to see much these days. The birds are singing this morning and I’m quite enjoying the quiet.

There’s been a lot of happenings in the neighborhood this week. Machines of all sorts have been very loud all week, though, thankfully, it’s all been outside the fence. Inside the fence, our amazing yard guy finished our fire pit and brought some hay bales for us to set up a fall display behind the pit for J-Dawg’s birthday weekend. We will be picking up pumpkins, gourds, and mums at Hughes to complete the look.

There’s not much left to do in the yard though we are still getting tomatoes thanks to my wife’s gardening prowess. I’m so grateful to her for all she does so that I have time to write and read. As such, I was able to get two more books finished this week.

Book 70

Oath and Honor – written and narrated by Liz Cheney.

So much about this woman’s politics I wholeheartedly disagree with, but her incredible fortitude in facing and defying the lies of MAGA, knowing she was committing political suicide, has earned her my gratitude and respect. This book was hard to listen to at times because I felt triggered by the actual audio of events she placed in the book. Listening to it near September 11th didn’t help. All the anger and disgust I felt back then resurfaced commingled with the despair and it was hard to stomach at times. But it was a good reminder about why getting Kamala Harris elected is so very important. Joy and hope are great antidotes for despair.

Book 71

Lush Lives – by J. Vanessa Lyon

This Sapphic romance is about a character who has ties to an actual Harlem Renaissance author. The story revolves around the mystery of who she was and how she was connected to the aunt whose brownstone the MC inherited. I love how well the historical real-life person was woven into the fictional love story.

I’m still a bit behind my book count for the year, but I’m almost finished with two more novels. I’ve also downloaded the next book club book and the most recent library book that dropped off from the hold list.

With so much reading you’d probably guess that not much else has been happening and you’d be right. However, I was required to complete paperwork for my, hopefully final, security background check, which is done every 5 years. So many new questions to answer this go-round.

Some of the questions were very interesting as they were about whether or not I have ever participated in an insurrection or if I have ever associated with anyone who had. These questions have never been asked on any clearance background questionnaire I’ve completed before. I can’t imagine why they are asking them now, said no one.

Also new were the questions about my wife and in-laws. Some of the info for my in-laws Tennessee was able to provide or I had from when we filled out the application for our marriage license. But Uncle SAM requires more info than the State, so I got to learn a few more things about them. I apologized for having to put them through the background check but now that they are family it’s part of the package.

I’m not really worried that anything will pop up to preclude my clearance, but wouldn’t it be kind of cool if they turned out to be notorious fugitives? Now there’s an interesting story line that I might have to explore…hmmm.

Have a great week y’all.

It’s been a pretty quiet week spent finishing up the last of my projects for work before starting with my new supervisor and finishing up three of the books I started last week.

I attended an online “What’s Next?” zoom for SURJ and I’m going to be doing my first phone bank next week, assuming I don’t chicken out. I’m having major anxiety around it so we’ll see.

I went to the new doctor in Pikeville on Monday regarding my blood pressure. It wasn’t that high, so the doc is having me track it for a month and then return with my log and the machine. She thinks it’s possible I don’t have the right size cuff.

I really liked her despite her making me get a flu shot. I told her I just had one and when she asked me when, I said November. She smiled as she reminded me it’s already September and time again. Doh! Time is moving too fast.

Anyway, I think I’m going to make the switch. I like the lesbian NP in Chattanooga, but I hate having to drive an hour for a 15-minute appointment. Pikeville is only 25 minutes, and the drive is a straight shot down a two-lane country road versus the highway drive over the mountain and through the city.

I’ve turned small town–I hate that drive into the city! I don’t mind going with Tennessee, no matter who drives, but the drive by myself sucks, even if it is a chance for uninterrupted audiobook listening.

I feel like I should be writing about big grand things, but one can only be up on their soap box for so long despite being a daughter and granddaughter of preachers. I feel as though I should be doing more–more what I don’t know, but more.

I’m tired though. I’m feeling my mortality and the abuse I’ve put my body through. Likely it is just PMS and Francine’s remnants serving me a one-two punch, but I’m worn out.  Not a good time for it though as we are having a house full of guests in two weeks, and we need to finish up the backyard and clean the house.

And tomorrow starts book club week so I’m not going to get much downtime. I have at least finished all the books, though I’m bailing on one of the clubs until after the election because the meeting time conflicts with the phone bank calls for SURJ.

I watched Wynonna Earp-Vengeance last night and I loved it! Seems there is some controversy but I’m not having it. It was great to see the cast again…like visiting with old friends.  That being said I have got to stop watching so much TV. I’m behind where I should be if I’m going to reach my goal of 100 books this year. I have three started though and I just downloaded one so I’ll hopefully be back on track soon.

Book 67

Road Queens by Mary Janice Davidson

I follow this author’s daughter on TikTok and I downloaded this book after she plugged her mom’s book. I’ve already read some of her books – the Undead Series – and I liked those. This book is not like that series at all, but I enjoyed it anyway.

Book 68

Marsh Madness (Miss Fortune Mysteries #28) by Jana DeLeon

I love this series so much! The Sinful, Louisiana residents are a hoot and the mysteries are fun.

Book 69

The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters

Narrated by: Aaliya Warbus, Jordan Waunch

This was a book club pick and not one I would normally have picked for myself. I listened to it, and it was a bit jarring to hear a male narrator. It’s been a long time since I’ve encountered one of those. It was a good story, and I can understand why it’s been a popular book club selection.

Take care my friends.

This has been a rough week with another school shooting and more BS from the right. How many more children have to die? I get so angry and distraught every time I hear about another mass shooting, ever since Columbine in the state I called home for nearly 50 years.  I can imagine how some people have become desensitized to it, if for no other reason than to protect their psyches. But for me, I feel retraumatized every single time.

And though no one is saying this, it did not escape me that it was a black boy and a brown boy that the white boy killed in this latest shooting. This is just one more reason why my recent connection with the organization Stand Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) feels right.

Not long after Kamala Harris began her run for the White House, there was a slew of Zoom fundraisers to support her: Black Women, Black Men, White Women, White Men, Evangelicals, Republicans, and many more. I joined one such Zoom called White Women Against MAGA sponsored by SURJ. It was a fundraiser for VP Harris, but it was also a call to service as it did not take long for MAGA to make her race an issue.

As I have said before, I have limited options in how I can directly support the Harris/Walz campaign or any of the down ballot candidates like Missy Crutchfield whose main platform includes sensible gun laws. She and several other candidates began their runs for office here in Tennessee after the Covenant School shooting in Nashville last year.

There are far fewer restrictions in directly supporting SURJ and their get-out-the-vote campaign. This September 11^th, I will be commemorating that traumatic day by attending an online training session by SURJ called “I’m in to Defeat MAGA: What’s Next?”

This will be the first of many weekly Wednesday evenings I’ll spend online or on the phone and I’m really looking forward to it, though I admit the phone bank thing causes me some anxiety.

Sadly, this commitment I’m making to SURJ means I’m going to miss the next two months of one of my book clubs and I’m not sure the group will survive my dropping out. That sounds like I’ve got a very high opinion of myself, but as I’m the one with the Zoom account that the group uses and I will be using my account to attend the SURJ meetings, I’m not sure what they will do. To be fair, it has been feeling as though it was on shaky ground anyway.

Hope

My mental health has really taken a hit lately and not just about the school shooting. Discovering the whereabouts of my first me too and having to schedule a doctor’s appointment to deal with my physical health has me reeling too.

And don’t think those two things aren’t related. As my therapist and I have discussed many times, they definitely are related.

The guilt and shame I still struggle with over the choices I’ve made that brought my body to this unhallowed place, and the daunting uphill battle I now face to get back to some semblance of health all feels like too much sometimes.

Despite all of that, I am hopeful.

One morning this week while I was out with the dogs and enjoying my coffee I had the privilege of watching a hummingbird and two golden butterflies flitting around our flowering trees. No, I have no idea what kind they are except that they have pretty pink flowers.

I was also delighted to watch our Jack Russell trying so hard to play with the bigger guest dogs. He was so cute barking around the edge as they wrestled then skittering over to me and sitting between my feet when they got too rough with him.

I love the early mornings in our backyard. The bugs are minimal, the heat and humidity aren’t suffocating yet and the promise of a new day fills me with hope. And now, the days are becoming less oppressive–autumn is creeping in with leaves already starting to fall and the mornings are going to require a jacket soon.

Even with my struggles, worries, and fears, I would change nothing. I love this life Tennessee and I are building.

I wish I was a better version of myself already for her sake, but I’m so grateful she is patient with me while I’m working to be that better version.

Books

Book 66 – “The Invincible Miss Cust” by Penny Haw

It’s a book club book and I loved it! I’m a big fan of historical fiction based on the lives of real women who were extraordinary. This one was about the first female veterinary surgeon in Ireland and England. I can’t wait to discuss it at the library next week.

Take care my friends.

Since we got our fence, I’ve been spending more time outside despite the bugs, which fortunately aren’t as bad as they could be thanks to a good pest control company.

This morning I was out back with Duke and Olive who are visiting for the weekend while their humans are out of town for the long weekend. I enjoyed my first cup of coffee while listening to cicadas and watching the dogs explore and play. It was lovely.

I had already done my morning Sun Salutations, which I do every morning while waiting for my first cup to brew but decided that doing them in the sun would be even more beneficial. It was. It felt good to stretch like that in the warmth of the sun. And I do mean warm. It was already 80° outside at 8:30 in the morning and the humidity was already thick, but I found myself reveling in it.

I love it here. Not just because my beautiful wife is here, which would be enough for anyone, but because this place really feels like home. I belong here like I’ve never belonged anywhere else before. Who’d have thought a brick house with big trees in a small town in Tennessee could have such a hold on me?

I discovered some disturbing news recently and have been processing some intense emotions. I could not be more grateful for having such a safe space in which to do that.

My wife, our pets, our home, my sanctuary and refuge.

I do worry about how easy it is not to leave this space for days on end, to stay in this little bubble. I’m not an extrovert but I am social, so I am grateful for the opportunities to socialize with my book club and American Legion activities.

When I first started learning about the tenets of Buddhism I put all things Christian and Military in my past, but here my ties to both can be my tethers to fit into this community. I’ve done some serious deconstruction around Christianity, and I will never again identify in any way as a Christian–especially not so long as it is so closely tied to Nationalism.

However, there are a few Beatitude Christians (versus the 10 Commandments in the school types) who I’ve met that don’t give me the ick, who understand that Jesus would have hung with drag queens and not shunned them. I find that I can be friends with them and know that my wife and I are safe with them.

As for my ties to the military, my being a veteran gives me a bit of status here. The American Legion and the VFW are respected integral members of the community, and I am very glad they seem to have accepted me.

My honorably discharged veteran plate in the driveway and our flying the American flag allows us to put yard signs up for local Democrats, Missy Crutchfield and Gloria Johnson, without getting harassed.

We don’t have a Harris/Walz sign yet, but seeing as how the Trump flag next door has come down maybe we’ll just stick to locals for now. My wife tells me that flag has come down before and been back up again a few days later so it could just be down for the Labor Day holiday, but here’s hoping they’ve seen the light.

I found out yesterday that my son was what the media calls a double hater and that he wasn’t going to vote at all when his choices were “a race to ruin between a convicted felon and a dementia patient.” He is still disillusioned with the Democrats but he’s going to “plug his nose and vote blue” because he understands there is too much at stake.

I remember voting blue when I was young mostly to spite my dad, who became increasingly more conservative as he aged, to the point of getting newsletters from the Heritage Foundation before he died. I often wonder if he would have succumbed to the cult.

As I became older and having served in the Air Force I found myself more of a centrist and I have been a non-affiliated voter most of my adult life. I was always way too liberal for my military friends but too conservative for the rest of my friends who worked and volunteered for social justice causes. I always voted blue in national elections, but I often ignored the candidate’s affiliation when voting locally… many third-party candidates and even a Republican– twice.

Maybe someday I’ll be able to do that again, vote for the politician, not the party, but not until this stain on our country is a bad memory in the rearview mirror. Until then it’s “Vote Blue No Matter Who” because I want this fence to be an embrace of our refuge not the bulwarks of a fortress.

Books

Only one book finished this week.

Book 66 – “The Invincible Miss Cust” by Penny Haw

This is our local book club book and I loved it! I’m a big fan of historical fiction based on the lives of real women who were extraordinary and this one was about the first female veterinary surgeon in Ireland and England.

Have a great week my friends!

I’m going to need a little help. I’m looking for inspiration for a new name for my blog that reflects my life now. It worked for where I was in my life but doesn’t fit where I am now. I set it up to support my writing “career” which has gone nowhere yet, but I have been a bit busy.

My current attempt is to add – All Grown Up. If you have any ideas, give me a shout-out, please.

Vote Blue No Matter Who

I changed the tag line on my home page too to include a blue dot in a red state. I’ve also updated my username on TikTok to show solidarity with my fellow blue dots. Is there a gender-neutral term for this?

A month ago I felt so anxious and hopeless, a drowning blue dot in a red sea. Today I’m feeling hopeful, inspired by everything I saw during the DNC. It’s hard to believe that the race is so close. In my mind, it shouldn’t be. I cannot understand how anyone can support the other guy let alone vets, queer folx, people of color, women of childbearing age, or any woman for that matter.

Just yesterday I got into a discussion with a retired AF vet on FB when he asked a question in response to a pro-Democrat post on a mutual friend’s page. He asked the poster, or since it’s a public post, anyone, to name one thing the current administration has done to make their life better. I gave him two.

The discussion was civil and respectful–one vet to another–but I had answers with receipts for his questions, he had none for mine. Below are the final words in my last response to him:

“Do you have anyone you love who is a woman of childbearing age? If so, don’t you worry that they might not be able to get the care they need if a wanted pregnancy goes horribly awry?

What about a disabled child or grandchild or one with autism or a special need? Are you okay with them being mocked and made fun of? I have a grandchild with a similar ‘condition’ to Gus Walz and the vitriol spewed at him by those who support the other guy was disgusting and unacceptable to any decent human.

My ‘portfolio’ is way less important to me than my grandchild’s well-being or my niece’s ability to terminate a pregnancy if God forbid she is ever raped or my nephew’s ability to get the meds he needs to live as he is or my future daughter-in-law’s ability to get medical care if she miscarries and her body doesn’t complete the process naturally.

If you have anyone in your life like those I’ve just mentioned and you vote for the guy who you don’t even really like as a person, then what does your vote say to your loved ones? For me, it would be like saying, I want to spend at least a dollar less per gallon of gas, so your life, health, or happiness isn’t really that important to me.”

I find it interesting that he did not engage with me after that. Do I think I changed his mind? No, but I’m grateful for the civility while we interacted. The hatred spewed by some can be so disheartening.

If you are a “vote blue no matter who” person, I encourage you to check out Red States for Harris on FB, Instagram, and TikTok. They are going live on TikTok tonight with several guest speakers including the candidate running for State Senator of my district, Missy Crutchfield.

https://www.facebook.com/61563933866758/videos/1572868926905662

https://www.tiktok.com/tag/redstatesforharris

Books

I did not get any books read this week as I spent most of my non-work time watching the convention. I did start one, but I didn’t get very far. I don’t often DNF books, but I just couldn’t finish this one. I had only attempted it because it was a sequel to a book club book. In our discussion, it turned out that none of us really liked it, but sometimes writers get better with later books, so I said I’d try it and see. Sadly this was not the case. I’ve started on one of my next club’s books and should have it finished and hopefully have another one or two done by my next blog.

Take care my friends.

Hey y’all. I know it’s been a bit since I’ve written my blog and I’m sorry. So much has happened, too much to put it all here but I’ll throw in some highlights and a promise that I’ll start posting more regularly again.

The Honeymoon

In Mid-June we drove down to Perdido Bay, Florida for a much-needed long weekend on the beach–lots of surf and sun and seafood and what’s that other “S” word? Oh yeah, sleep. It was divine. We’re hoping to make trips down there as often as is affordable.

The Garden

We started a lovely vegetable garden, and it had so much promise, but we had a long stretch of too much rain and not enough sun. We are harvesting tomatoes every few days but not much else we planted did well. Tennessee has placed beautiful flowers in the empty spots though so we can still enjoy it.

Other Yard Projects

We’ve done a huge clear-out of the lot, and by we, I mean Tennessee and the guys we hired: gutters cleaned, trees trimmed, bushes trimmed or removed, trash and debris hauled away, buildings and patios power washed, and our wedding arch installed in the fountain garden. A six-foot privacy fence has just been installed and will get a shiny new protective stain in the next few days.

Local Politics

I’ve had the chance to meet two amazing women. First was Gloria Johnson, who is running to unseat Marsha Blackburn for US Senate. She beat several others running against her for the chance in our August 1st Primary.  This was my first Tennessee election, and I am so proud to have been able to participate.

The second woman I recently met and voted for was Missy Crutchfield, who ran unopposed in the Primary. She is working to unseat a MAGA Republican for State Senate in my district.

Both of these women are very inspiring and sensible, not left-wing radicals, who are trying to pull our state more toward the middle again. As my job puts restrictions on my political activities, I’m doing everything I legally can do to try and help them out. Apparently Tennessee used to be a blue state, and it would feel so much safer to live here if it could be again.

And since all politics is local, I am also very proud to have attended several online meetings: “White Women against MAGA” for Stand Up for Racial Justice (SURJ); the “Red States for Harris” initial launch meeting for the rapidly growing grassroots TikTok coalition I’ve joined; and “Organizing for Kamala” after her rally in Atlanta, where I got to hear her speak directly to us.

More to come as we get closer to November but I’m with Her! I got my chucks and pearls and I’ve worn them to show my support. I’m also loving her VP pick though not the disgusting vitriol questioning his military service, especially from other vets.

American Legion

And speaking of vets, I attended my first-ever American Legion meeting in June despite having been a member for 26 Years. I wasn’t sure of my reception given my previous experience with trying to attend a meeting when I first separated from the Air Force and given that this is a very small town in a red state, but mostly they were welcoming. It was fun being a part of the rivalry between services again.

I volunteered to help with the 4th of July booth, which was HOT but fun, and to be on the awards committee, which I’m anticipating.

I didn’t make it to the July meeting, but I’ve paid my dues, transferred my membership, ordered my shirt and cap, and I’ll be there for the August meeting. I’m curious to see if there will be any conversations about politics in light of what’s been in the press recently as regards to vets and their service.

Book Club

There’s so much more I could write about but that’s a lot already. So I’ll end on the book clubs–my local club has grown to 6 women now and I’m hoping for a few more before the end of the year. We’re getting a lot more publicity on FB and in the local paper thanks to the efforts of our local librarian. Fingers crossed.

Here are the books I’ve read since I last posted:

Book 46 – “Improbable Magic for Cynical Witches by Kate Scelsa

Book 47 – “Baskets and Beignets” by Jana Deleon

Books 48- 50 – “Let the Dead Sleep”, “Waking the Dead”, and “The Dead Play On” by Heather Graham

Book 51 – “When Women Were Dragons” by Kelly Barnhill

Book 52 – “Veridian Sterling Fakes It” by Jennifer Gooch Hummer

Book 53 – “The Women” by Kristin Hannah – Book Club Selection

Book 54 – “The Invisible Life of Addie Larue” by VE Schwab – Book Club Selection

Book 55 – “Scorched Grace” by Margot Douaihy – Book Club Selection

Books 56-58 – “Smoke Bitten”, “Soul Taken”, and “Winter Lost”  by Patricia Briggs

Book 59 – “The Ministry of Time” by Kaliane Bradley

Book 60 – “The Comfort of Ghosts” by Jacqueline Winspear

Book 61 – “Making the Rounds” by Patricia Grayhall – Book Club Selection

Book 62 – “The Last Bookshop in London” by Madeline Martin

Book 63 – “Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend” by Emma R Alban – Book Club Selection

Book 64 – “Demon Copperhead” by Barbara Kingsolver – Book club Selection

Book 65 – “The Unwedding” by Ally Condie – Book Club Selection

I’m still on track to finish 100 by the end of the year, but I’ll have to get a least one more read before the end of the month to stay that way. It shouldn’t be a problem.

Take care my friends.

Sorry I missed last week’s blog. Had a busy weekend getting caught up on all the chores that piled up while we were sick. As we were still in recovery mode, there wasn’t any energy left for much of anything else.

Here’s a bit of what I’ve been doing and thinking about lately.

Community

In my SLC Book Club, only my co-leader (also my friend) and I showed up. I know my friends all have lives, but I really hoped this would be a way for us to stay connected. Not that I would object to talking with her one-on-one every month about books, but I hope this was just an anomaly.

I knew moving would take me away from the family/community I had created but I was feeling the loss last week. I think it’s part of what was making me so crabby despite finally feeling better physically. Then I read “How We Show Up” (see below) and I really started to miss the community I had built.

This same friend said she hasn’t felt truly welcomed at Trivia since I left. Tennessee says that my group of friends fell apart with me gone because I was the center of it. At first, I was like that can’t be right because believing that makes me feel like I was being narcissistic.

But I guess it is mostly true when I let myself think about it. That particular grouping of people happened because I cultivated it, not in a self-centered way but by being friends with each of them and all of us finding ways to be together.

The people who were friends with each other before meeting me are still mostly friends, but the full circle fell apart. It makes me sad. I miss them all so much. Some of them I still talk to via Zoom or old-school phone calls, with others it’s the occasional chat or text, but they’ve moved on just like I have.

Don’t get me wrong I love my new life. I am so happy and I’m finally feeling settled now that the move is official, and the wedding is behind us. It’s part of why I’m missing community now that the dust is finally settling.

I am making some headway on building a new community. My local book club had its second meeting last week and it was a small group but we had a lively discussion about the book and learned more things about each other.

It felt good to be there and I hope they continue to come. I would like to find other ways to integrate but for now, it’s a good start.

New Bucket List

My old bucket list was full of exotic places to visit. After reading “The Bucket List” (see below) I thought a lot about my list. So much of it was there because I have had itchy feet for as long as I can remember–always wanting to go to places I’ve never been. I was searching for something, for somewhere to belong.

I no longer feel that way. I’ve found my home, here with Tennessee.

The itchy feet are gone. Now they only itch from bug bites (tip: buy stock in Benadryl). I’m no longer searching, and it feels great.

However, now I need a new bucket list. I still want to do some traveling but it’s about road trips with my wife, not far off places where everything is so different and where I’m pretending to be something I’m not to see if I will fit.

I like who I am now, and I love my life. Finding new things to put on the bucket list has proved difficult and I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not. I’m content with my life as it is so I don’t have many big things I want to accomplish. Everything I think of is more like a to-do list for perfecting the life I’m already living.

For instance, I’ve never been an active participant in growing a garden, but I’ve always wanted to be the kind of person who loves growing things. I could have written ‘start a garden’ but we did that yesterday. Granted, knowing myself as I do, I probably should write ‘harvest from a garden I’ve tended’ since I’m good at starting projects but not so great on the follow-through.

Or I could have written ‘sit and watch fireflies’ but I got to do that yesterday too. I felt like a little kid, giddy with delight as I watched them come out as the sun was getting ready to set. Tennessee takes them for granted because she got to grow up catching them and putting them in jars…a rite of passage I didn’t get to experience.

I do still have a few travel-related experiences on the list: book a sleeper car on a train, stay on a houseboat, go to a jazz club and eat beignets in New Orleans, see a show on Broadway in NYC, experience Fall in New England. Easy to come up with these though the motivation behind doing them is different now.

Also on the list: publish my book, fulfill someone’s wish, and learn to drive a riding lawnmower. It feels like there should be more, but it too is a good start.

Books

Book 38

“Thistlefoot” by Genna Rose Nethercott

A modern retelling of the Baba Yaga myth. Highly recommend!

Book 40

“How We Show Up” by Mia Birdsong

A non-fiction book I listened to for one of my book clubs that I ended up buying a paperback version of so that I could reread and process many of the passages that I read. It was triggering and thought-provoking and I have more work to do.

Books 41-43

“Whispers at Dusk” and “Secrets in the Dark” and “Cursed at Dawn” by Heather Graham

A trilogy kickstart to the international arm of the Krewe of Hunters series. Romance novels with a twist—the main characters are all able to talk to ghosts and this aids these FBI agents, and now their European counterparts, to take down terrorists and serial killers.

Book 44

“The Bucket List” by Rachel Hanna

A lovely straight romance where the protagonist must complete the bucket list of her dead best friend by that friend’s 50^th birthday in order to inherit a beach house and a small fortune. This is the June read for my local book club. It’s a bit of fluff but fun and kind of a needed break after the darker books we recently read.

Books 39 and 45

“Mrs. Pollifax Pursued” and “Mrs. Pollifax, Innocent Tourist”

The last two books in the series by Dorothy Gilman and narrated by Barbara Rosenblat. I really enjoyed this series and I’m sad there won’t be any more.

I’m ahead of schedule on the 100 book goal, not by much, but it will allow for some leeway to tackle some to-do list items around the house.

Take care of yourselves and have a great week!

Whether your kids have two feet or four, I am wishing for you a Happy Mother’s Day!

I sent my mother a solar powered watering can garden decoration with butterfly cutouts and she loved it. My son went to his grandmother’s house to help her with a phone app thing and I thanked him telling him it was a great mother’s day present for me that he helped her.

We got some good news this week–my agency finally approved my move! We no longer have that hanging over us. I cried tears of relief when I found out.

We should be celebrating, and we did, sort of, but I have not been feeling particularly festive. Tennessee and I are still not completely well and this lingering bug has exhausted us both mentally and physically. My mom is just now finally feeling better and my bestie is still struggling like us. Being sick for three or four weeks is sadly not out of the norm for me with my immune issues, but my wife has not experienced it before.

I really like saying that…my wife. It makes me smile every time I think it or say it.

Other good news we received this week is that we finally have an end date for our two house guests. I feel guilty about being so relieved they will be gone soon. They can be so cute and sweet, but they are mostly just exhausting at this stage.

We have been putting off the trip back to Colorado for the honeymoon/happily ever after party with my family and friends back there until we knew when the dogs would be going home, but that date is now much later than we originally planned. This means we are now bumping up against Pride Month activities back home and then the 4th of July.

Neither Tennessee nor I has much vacation time either, as we used quite a bit with our guests and the wedding. The drive to and from Colorado requires at least 10 days to ensure we have time to rest and see friends and we just don’t have the time built back up yet.

So we have decided to take a long weekend and go hang out at the beach, just the two of us. No dogs, no obligations, no chores, and no people unless we decide to leave the room. We’re not sure which beach yet or whether we’ll stay in a hotel or a VRBO. All I know is I want to be able to see and hear the waves from my balcony or porch.

I just want to make love to my wife and listen to the ocean. That’s not too much to ask for is it? Maybe read a little or write a bit.

I have not completed a single book this week though I have four of them started. Two for upcoming book clubs and two just for me. I just haven’t been in the head space to read…too restless.

If I’m honest, I’m feeling the pull of depression. I’m fairly certain that’s just the illness and the aftermath of the wedding excitement, but it has me a bit concerned. This, more than anything, is what has me convinced we need to go to the beach and do absolutely nothing but rest and recover.

We will still go back to Colorado when we’ve built up some leave. I miss my friends and want to spend some time with them celebrating this amazing new life we have made, but for now we need some just us time.

Take care of yourselves, my friends.

For the last couple of weeks, I’ve been asked by many friends how I am and my response has been miserably happy.

Tennessee and I have had our wedded bliss tainted by a brutal virus. Very little on our post-wedding to-do list has been checked off…like the thank-you cards.

We are both so grateful to all who came to support us, those who helped make the day perfect, and those who generously gave us such wonderful gifts. We’ve barely had the energy to eat or bathe, let alone do dishes and laundry.

There were even days I didn’t have the energy to read… that’s when Tennessee knew I was really sick.

We are finally on the mend though so hopefully next week I’ll have something to actually write about.

Below are the books I’ve read since the last time I posted:

Book 32

“Symptoms of Being Human” by Jeff Garvin Narrated by Tom Phelan

This is a YA book I read for one of my online book clubs. It’s about a gender-fluid teenager who writes an anonymous blog about their feelings and experiences at the suggestion of their therapist. Their identity is discovered, and the rest of the book deals with the repercussions. It was an interesting book and I’m glad the queer kid doesn’t die.

Book 33

“That Inevitable Victorian Thing” by EK Johnston

This YA queer fantasy was fun to read. It’s an alternate universe story where the British Empire spread out through the world by changing the way the aristocracy and royalty married. Instead of the intermarrying of European royalty, they married into the royal families of the countries they wanted to ‘acquire’.

The mates were chosen through a computer program that determined compatible DNA matches. This program was deemed a tool of God by the English Church and the man in charge was the Bishop of Canterbury, who also happens to be the godfather of Queen Victoria’s daughter, the protagonist in the story. It’s a love story where the Princess finds her Prince and Prince(ss) Charming.

Books 34, 35, and 37

More Mrs. Pollifax mysteries by Dorothy Gilman and narrated by Barbara Rosenblat

  “Mrs. Pollifax and the Golden Triangle”

  “Mrs. Pollifax and the Whirling Dervish”

  “Mrs. Pollifax and the Second Thief”

Book 36

“The Nurse’s Secret” by Amanda Skenandore

This is the book my local book club selected for May. It’s historical fiction based on a true story about the first nursing school in the US at Bellevue Hospital in New York City. It is told by the accomplished thief who scammed her way into the school which she used to hide from the police because she was accused of the murder of a man who turned out to be one of many victims of a serial killer.

I am married to the most amazing woman!

I couldn’t be happier. It was as near to a perfect day that you can get in this imperfect world. Any of the hitches just made it memorable.

Here are a few pics:

I don’t really have permission to use anyone’s images here on my blog so I’m only posting a few. However, my wife posted a bunch on her FB page so if you’re friends with her you can go see them.

My wife…I just love typing that and saying it. I’m so happy y’all!

I’ll be back next week with my books and other stuff. Be well, my friends!