Saturday, March 28, 2020

The Long Winter, Books That Give Comfort, and Active Coping Calendar




How are you doing? What are your days like? I am spending a lot of time watching the birds out my window. It's spring migration season here, and I hope to see birds here soon. Our pecan tree hasn't leafed out yet; it is only when leaves appear on our pecan tree that I know spring is really here. 







"If we can't go to the parade,
let's have one here."
---from Ways to Make Sunshine

I imagine you can understand when I tell you that I have only been able to read children's books this week. I finished four, but my hands-down favorite was The Long Winter. There was something about reading about the time the Ingalls family was trapped by a series of terrible blizzards for months without supplies coming in that was very reassuring. Dear Martin and Ways to Make Sunshine were both great reads, too, filled with strong characters that give me hope during these bleak days. And what kid wouldn't enjoy reading about clueless Timmy Failure?

I hope I can read some adult books next week.







Migrations: A Novel by Charlotte McConagny is the story of a woman following the migration of the last of the Arctic terns. I'm not sure if I can read about this right now.





From the New York Times: Celeste Ng, Ann Patchett, Min Jin Lee and Others on the Books That Bring Them Comfort. Authors share books that give them comfort during difficult times. I found many favorites on their lists.





I pulled out a DVD I found some time ago, and we watched it last week. It is Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould, and it's led to a little obsession with Gould himself. 


I'd love to hear your recommendations for some good tv and movies.



The monthly calendar for April from Action for Happiness suggests daily ideas for Active Coping, to help with all the issues we face. Download your own calendar here.






Good Thing #1:  My grandson, Wyatt, had a wonderful (albeit tiny) birthday party. My granddaughter, Annie, loved the standee I made. My daughter-in-law put it in Wyatt's room after the party. It was a happy day.



Good Thing #2: My backyard vegetable garden. Kale, enough for a salad with feta cheese and blueberries every night. Brussels sprouts, delicious roasted in the oven in olive oil. Cherry tomatoes just starting to make. Beans and carrots and peppers and basil and rosemary and cucumbers. Bountiful.




Good Thing #3: It Will Get Better by Hezekiah Walker. I want to know where this man buys his clothes.

Please share your week with us.


                              

I'm very happy you found your way to the Sunday Salon. There are no requirements to linking up at Sunday Salon; Sunday Salon is simply a place for us to link up and to share what we have been doing during the week and it is a great way to visit other blogs and join in the conversations going on there. 

Some of the things we often talk about at the Sunday Salon:

  • What was your week like?
  • Read any good books? Tell us about them.
  • What other bookish things did you do? 
  • What else is going on in your life?

Other places where you may like to link up over the weekend are below. Click on the picture to visit the site.


My linkup for Sunday Salon is below.

61 comments:

  1. My wife and would like been so jealous of your vegetable garden...and she loves kale Me? Not so much, but who knows? Maybe I'll learn to like it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's nice that the kale is so abundant. I don't worry that we will run out of food...at least kale.

      Delete
    2. It could be Brussels sprouts. 😉

      Delete
  2. great looking garden and it looks like you have plenty of great books
    sherry @ fundinmental

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Like most of us, I have a lifetime supply of books on hand.

      Delete
  3. You would think this time would be a reader's dream come true but it seems we're all having trouble focusing on books. I keep wondering how we'll know when it's safe to go out in public again.

    Your garden is lovely - there's nothing better than fresh vegetables!

    I'm glad precious Wyatt had a celebration.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Your garden looks fabulous, I'm learning to like kale. More so when it's mixed with other salads or when it's cooked. Have a lovely weekend.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We have blueberries and cheese with our kale usually.

      Delete
  5. I find that I sit out in my garden and watch birds as well. It feel therapeutic.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I added a bag of bird seed to my grocery order. Watching the birds is something that calms me.

      Delete
  6. Beautiful garden! Things are starting to flower here and I have tulips! I'm a bit afraid the storms tonight will take them out but I'm crossing my fingers that it doesn't. I think The Long Winter was my favorite. It was either that one or These Happy Golden Years but I think The Long Winter was the one I reread so many times the cover fell off. Have a great week!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope you will take lots of photos of your tulips and post them.

      Delete
  7. I love listening to the birds. I do not see many from my windows, but I can hear them. Our tree outside was full of blossoms a week or so ago and is shedding now. Happy Birthday to your grandson! This past Friday I was busy testing and preparing moving most of our staff home to work. It will be on a rotating basis as we are required to have staff in the office at all times. I will have to go in every week--half in the office and half working from home. I wish it could be working from home completely, but I guess I will take what I can get. I haven't been reading much. I come home from work and have so little motivation to do much of anything other than put the television and cuddle with the couch with my little girl.

    I hope you are well and staying safe!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think you should spend your time at home watching tv and cuddling with your daughter.

      Delete
  8. I enjoyed Timmy Failure too, and it was only in my LFL about 30 min.then was snatched up. I LOVED the Glen Gould video and it is in my LFL now. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm not surprised about Timmy Failure. So glad you enjoyed Glenn Gould.

      Delete
  9. I haven't been reading as much as I thought I would. I just can't concentrate right now but it sounds like everyone is in the same boat. Stay safe!

    ReplyDelete
  10. What a wonderful vegetable garden! The flowers in my tiny pollinator garden are just beginning to bloom and seeing life in the garden just makes me feel so much better. Stay safe :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. I'm embarrassed to say that I haven't read Glenn Gould, but I have donated a keyboard to my nephew a while back and he is practicing his music skills. Proud aunty.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't think Glenn Gould is well known. He was a child prodigy pianist and he became a recluse as he aged.

      Delete
  12. Deb, your pictures with your family are wonderful! Love that you shared them. And the one of your garden looks great too. I will say that nature is moving along as per usual at this time of year - flowers, bugs, oak pollen, snakes....LOL!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Kay. The pollen here has been at high levels lately.

      Delete
  13. Loved the pictures of your cute grandchildren and your garden. I have a few children's books to catch up on, hopefully this week. I need to check out hat April calendar as well. Stay safe Deb.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Your garden looks great. My tummy doesn't like raw kale. I've been eating a lot of spinach salads with walnuts and cranberries. As for a tv recommendation, Call the Midwife returns tonight on PBS. I love the show.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've never tried growing spinach, but I think I may try now.

      Delete
    2. I've never tried growing spinach, but I think I may try now.

      Delete
  15. I am loving Little Fires Everywhere on Hulu, which has new episodes every Wednesday...until it is done, of course.

    I finished reading Wallis in Love for my Nonfiction Reading Challenge. I signed up for six books...and now have concluded three of them. My next one will be a different kind: The Watergate Girl.

    Currently I am reading a book about a sarcastic/ironic wife whose husband is edging her out of the house and the marriage: Been There, Married That, by Gigi Levangie.

    Stay safe. Love the birthday standee.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I shall look for Little Fires Everywhere after it finishes its run on Hulu.

      Delete
  16. I love that the Active Calendar has adapted to suit the current crisis. Fresh vegetables are really expensive right now between the aftermath of the fires and floods and now all this, I usually buy a lettuce or two a week and they are $5 each, so no lettuce for us right now. it’s smart to have your own supply, and your garden looks robust.
    I’m glad you were able to enjoy your grandsons birthday.
    I’m not sure we’d share the same taste in tv but lately ive been binging old favourites including Leverage, Covert Affairs, Haven and Eureka :)

    Wishing you a great reading week, and good health

    ReplyDelete
  17. I completely understand reading kids books. I'm having a very difficult time focusing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I checked out a couple of light ebooks yesterday. Let's see if I can get into them today.

      Delete
  18. Your vegetable garden looks great. If we had a place to plant something here I would too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There are gardens for people who don't have a lot of space, though I don't know a lot about them.

      Delete
  19. Love the photo of your grandson (such a cutie!) and your garden! I haven't been reading much lately, but have been listening to audiobooks on my walk. Stay well.

    ReplyDelete
  20. WOW! That's an amazing garden, Deb! Do you have problems with critters digging or eating the veggies? We have so many squirrels and chipmunks, not to mention deer, raccoons and birds. Oh, and there's that thing about needing sunshine. Our yard is VERY shady, so we really have no place to plant a vegetable garden. I'll just admire yours. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We have squirrels and birds but they don't bother our garden. Maybe they prefer the seeds and nuts we put out for them? We have quite a bit of shade, too, but the excellent soil we have seems to compensate for that.

      Delete
  21. Your veggie garden looks good! We've been seeding over the past month and have just started hardening off some of them for planting out. Looking forward to the crops come summer! :)

    I'm glad your grandson had a good birthday with everything going on.
    Hope you have a good week!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have never heard the phrase "hardening off." I think I need to look that up. We've had our garden for almost thirty-five years, but we have only had a hotbox for a couple of years. I've never tried collecting my own seeds. I'd like to try that.

      Delete
  22. I'm jealous of your garden! We have a very shady yard with clay soil. Every few years I get inspired to do some container gardening, then I spend ten bucks to get one tomato and remember why I don't usually do that.

    I was dancing along within a minute of starting that video. What great energy (even if it freaked me out a little to see all those people shoulder to shoulder).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Two years ago we built raised beds and got completely new soil to fill them. What amazing gardens we have had the last two years!

      Delete
    2. Ah... that explains it! Yes - I'm very much hoping that we get some plants, too:)

      Delete
  23. Wow, those veggies look fabulous - your garden is way ahead of ours. And although I would like to grow some veg this year, our garden centres are all shut, so I can't see that happening unless the local supermarket sells some tomato and courgette plants. Your grandchildren look adorable and I hope you all stay safe and healthy in the coming weeks and months, Deb.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We are in a semi-tropical climate, so I imagine that puts us ahead of you, veggie-wise. I hope you can find some garden plants.

      Delete
  24. I wish I had your garden! Mine still has snow in it. I’ve been reading a ton of Sherlock Holmes because I can’t focus on the heavy stuff right now.

    Aj @ Read All The Things!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The spring is our best season for growing things here. We probably have warmer temps now than you do in the heat of summer.

      Delete
  25. I'm not able to read much though it should be an ideal reading spell, I just keep drifting. I've been meaning to clear out/clean up stuff and that too gets postponed.
    Strange times we live in.

    ReplyDelete
  26. The Long Winter has stuck with me all these years. Last time I read it was about a decade ago.

    ReplyDelete
  27. I have been reading and listening to old favorites along with my April review books. We had snow on Sunday which still is lingering today though the temperature should melt some of it by day's end. No gardens for us for at least another month. Come see my week here. Happy reading!

    ReplyDelete
  28. What a cute crown on your grandson! Thanks for sharing some 'good things'. I'll have to take a look at the active coping calendar. I've been doing fairly well, tucked up alone at home and reading and blogging, but I think April will be another long month...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My daughter-in-law prepared for his party for months. It's sad we had to limit who could attend. Nevertheless, I'm glad we could be there.

      Delete
  29. That veggie garden is bounteous! Yum! I had a hard time keeping the neighbor dogs out of my garden last year and nothing grew very well. But I still have flowers popping up right now and that's making a huge difference. Stay healthy!

    ReplyDelete
  30. Thx for sharing that NYC article about the comfort books of various authors -- quite interesting. Our TV watching now includes Season 3 of the Crown ... and Season 8 of Homeland which I'd recommend .... we are also getting thru Oscar best movie pics from last year. Stay well.

    ReplyDelete

I hope you will leave a comment so I know you have visited. If you stop by my blog, I will always stop by yours.

Note: Disqus commenting is only available on the web version of the blog. Please switch to the web version if you are using a mobile device.