Eighteen Years and Counting, Plus Sandwich and Wreck

It was my blogoversary on Wednesday, May 27 (aka yesterday). Babies born when I started blogging in 2008 are graduating from high school. Platforms for blogging have come and gone, but hating change, I have stuck with Blogger and have no regrets. I would like to figure out how to download and archive my posts since I know that Blogger will not last forever. Does anyone know how to do this?

I mostly blog about the books I've read, occasionally blog about the travels I've taken, the plants I've grown or tried to grow, and just random stuff.

I love my blog--often I won't know what I want to say about a book until I start typing. Without this outlet, my thoughts would remain the muddled mess that is their comfort zone.

Mostly though, I love the blog because it connects me with other readers whose recommendations and reviews I have come to rely on to enhance my reading life. Thank you to everyone who takes the time to be part of the book-blogging community. You are treasured!

Stats: 1065 posts, with about half about Jane Austen it seems; 7160 comments; >2.2 million views, but who's counting!

I updated my Popular Posts widget to show which posts over time have garnered the most views. I honestly think the Adam Bede one was linked somewhere because why else would it be #1?

Books Read Recently

Sandwich and Wreck, by Catherine Newman - a friend of my daughter's lent me both books, and since so many people blogged about Sandwich last year, I took the plunge. 

Both were wonderful, although I'll give the edge to Sandwich. It takes place over the course of a week in a holiday cottage on Cape Cod. Rocky and Nick and their two adult children as well as their son's fiancé and Rocky's parents vacation together, and in the course of the week we learn about the dynamics of the family, their backstories (aka secrets), and traditions.

I really enjoyed spending time with this family, and I particularly loved daughter Willa, a sweet, sensitive, funny, young woman. I loved reading about vacationing on Cape Cod, which is still on my bucket list.

Wreck continues the story of the family the following year The wreck is a train accident that kills a young man from the town where Rocky and Nick live, and the accident becomes a pivot point for developing family relationships and, for me, a metaphor for Rocky's health issues.

In looking at Newman's author profile on GoodReads, Sandwich wans't her first novel but feels like it is her breakout novel. Has anyone read any other of her novels? I do like her writing style. Easy to read, interesting but not too angsty. Good comfort reading when escape seems the best option.

Spring Notes

Hope everyone has a good end of May, beginning of June! It's been cool and rainy in Colorado, which I love. The garden is in--all I have left to do is throw some zinnia seeds in their flower bed and hope they sprout and bloom before the frost hits us in September!

Bird nest update - something attacked the nest of baby birds on the front porch and there were no survivors--the entire wreath with nest was upside down on the porch floor. Mama bird is bereft and keeps on asking to come inside to mourn her loss. We thought she picked a great location, but Nature can be cruel.  Mama EC Dove is still sitting on her nest by the back door, so hopefully those chicks will survive. Stay tuned for more of Wild America.

Living Room Refresh

We are finally replacing the carpet in the living room with hardwood floors. This is our 32nd year in the house and 22 since our last living room refresh. 

The wood will be delivered tomorrow and then it ages for two weeks before installation. Then we paint, and by then my husband should maybe be done building the new TV table with towers he has been working on (while the boat project languishes). We found a very cool end table at our local antique store that the owner is refinishing, and new couches and chairs are on order. I still need to order area rugs, but we've picked out what we want. 

This is what we're doing instead of going to Scotland in the fall as originally planned.