Goodbye 2021: Another Year in COVID

I had such high hopes for 2021 at the beginning.  Surely it had to be better than 2020, which basically delivered a whole steaming pile of death, destruction and mayhem (and some significant savings on commuting).  But in fact, 2021 has given us a crazy roller-coaster of whiplash moments that frequently left me feeling like I was a cat watching a game of ping-pong, quietly muttering to myself, “make it make sense…”

There were some silver linings in 2021 though, mixed in with some heartaches.

In May my heart broke when a long-time friend and ex-boyfriend died of a massive heart attack after spending ten days on life support.  Although we were no longer that close, there was a time when he meant the world to me and it was so hard to see him taken so soon.

I also caught Yellow in May, a stray cat who my old neighbor had been feeding, and brought him inside.  Over the last seven months, he has decided that the indoor life is really pretty good.  He sits on my lap, sleeps on the bed curled up with me and doesn’t even mind Cora.

In June, I took a vacation to parts of Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and even a bit of Wisconsin.  The weather was hot and sunny, and good company made for a great trip.  The lakes are warm enough that you feel like you are swimming in lukewarm bathwater!  And the little sunfish come up and nibble on your legs…  

I worked almost exclusively remotely until July, when we all spent 2 months back in the office on a full-time basis.  Now, I’m back working two days a week from home, which is nice as gas prices are crazy with inflation lately.

In August a girlfriend and I got away to the Oregon Coast for a week of agate hunting, trying new restaurants and breweries, and sightseeing.  It wasn’t that warm, but it was still glorious!  We had such a good time!

I took two weekend getaways to the Washington Coast, one in May by myself and another in early December with a girlfriend.  Beach-combing and sightseeing were on the agenda, and were good for the soul.

I did several Sunday Fundays with girlfriends, weather permitting, and found new places close to home to explore.

Sadly, 2021 saw people be viciously mean to others.  A lot of people have stopped living by the Golden Rule, and somehow feel that they now have a right to judge others they don’t agree with.  Unfortunately, the internet helps with this, as people feel more comfortable sitting behind their keyboards and expelling their verbal diarrhea on others.  It has been hard to see.  In the end, we will all be judged by God and him alone, so I hope people take a step back and move back into kindness in 2022.  I have had to step back from people like that, as it just isn’t worth my sanity.

With so much time at home, I finished 11 puzzles and read 38 books! 

We are closing out the year with two big snowstorms and frigidly cold temperatures.  As I write this, the 23 degree temperature is warmer than it has been all week!  Which isn’t a big deal other places, but it is rare that we deal with the threat of frozen pipes and black ice here.  It really is pretty though when you aren’t out in it…

Given that 2021 did not indeed turn out to be the comeback year that I was hoping for, I must now cast my gaze towards 2022 and sternly notify it that it must, indeed be better.  May 2022 bring you blessings…

Book Review: B is for Burglar

B is for Burglar, by Sue Grafton

The second book in the Kinsey Millhone private detective series tells about Millhone’s search for Elaine Boldt, a well-to-do woman living in California, with a second condo in Florida.  Kinsey is hired by Boldt’s sister, who hasn’t seen her for a while and needs her signature on a form regarding the settling of an estate.  What Kinsey believes will be an easy, quick buck, turns out to be nothing but.

In the end, Kinsey works through a number of twists and turns, including a mysterious woman living in Ms. Bolt’s Florida condo, a fire that killed her California neighbor, and a burglar who seems intent on preventing Kinsey from finding the truth. 

It was a quick read and very interesting, and Kinsey’s love interest in this book was much more subtle than the first in the series.  The audiobook reader, Judy Kaye, has a distinct voice and easy way of moving through the book, enhancing the read.

3 stars.

The Christmas Lead Up

I’m not a fan of the holidays.  There, I said the quiet part out loud. 

I would love nothing better than to just travel on Thanksgiving and Christmas every year.  But alas, as COVID drags on, and I still have to work, and the weather is terrible in the Pacific Northwest, I’ll be teeing up for another one.  Whee.  Once I retire, I swear, I’ll be hitting the road for the holidays!

I can’t really explain why I don’t enjoy them.  It’s just so much pressure.  Decorating.  Baking.  Shopping.  Wrapping.  Standing in line at the post office (ugh that one is overwhelming; thank God for Amazon). On top of the fact that it is one of the busiest times of the year for my work.

Shopping for a turkey or ham that is suitable for one or two people is an exercise in futility.  In my ordinary life, anytime I make food I have to eat it for the next week, but what the heck am I going to do with a 10 pound turkey?  My mom and I still have a bunch of ham in the freezer from Thanksgiving.  Maybe we’ll just pull that out.

Then you see everybody forced into the holiday cheer, and stressed, and cranky and taking it out on you.  I have a couple of exes that did that with a particular gusto.  The days of walking on eggshells.  Dealing with the drunken rants.  Not to mention that having a partner at the holidays shouldn’t mean double the work for me.

Coraline peeks from her favorite spot

One of my previous bosses enjoyed the holidays so much that she forced her management team into a performance of the Twelve Days of Christmas at the annual holiday breakfast.  That was awful.  She probably never had any inkling that some of her staff would have merrily lined up for a root canal to get out of that torture.  Did I mention that there were hats required too?  What makes people so clueless?  Especially at a holiday party that has no booze? 

I should have gotten an Oscar for my acting that morning.

So anyway, if you are like me and the holidays leave you feeling like you want to flee, and lay on a warm beach somewhere away from all the people, please know that I understand.  You are not alone.  Maybe we can share a room; bring lots of books.

Book Review: A is for Alibi

A is for Alibi, by Sue Grafton

Sue Grafton has a whole series of Alphabet Murder books, starring the cool headed, semi-anti-social private detective Kinsey Millhone. I started at A and was soon swept up into the story of Nikki Fife, who spent 8 years in prison for the murder of her husband, Lawrence Fife. Nikki hires Millhone after she is paroled, telling her that she is innocent, and wants to find out who really murdered her husband.

Millhone isn’t quite sure what to think, but she sets off to discover the truth, digging up old leads, looking through the old case files, and falling into bed with the deceased husband’s former law partner. Because of course, every good private detective falls into bed with one of her witnesses.

There are a number of twists and turns, and in the end Millhone solves the crime and gets her man. It is an easy, light read, and the abridged version flies by on three CDs.

3 stars.

COVID Diaries: Day 634

Well, after three atmospheric rivers, and a lot of flooding all over the county, the weather systems are calmed down for a little while.  One man died, many farmers lost a lot of their livestock, and thousands of homes and businesses will need to be gutted and rebuilt.  The county is dotted with sinkholes and roads that are eroded away from the rushing water.  

The flooding finally made it to my hillside street, in the form of a blocked culvert that started overflowing into the street, and sending a lot of gravel out of the neighbors’ parking areas and into the street.  Fortunately, it didn’t erode underneath the street.  Really, since that is all that happened near me, I have nothing to complain about.

Then we moved onto snow.  I woke up Monday morning to a dusting of the white stuff, but it didn’t create any issues for my morning commute.  It snowed again a little on Thursday morning, but not enough to even stick.  Friday night brought a new storm of wind and rain, and plenty of snow in the mountains.  It made a mess of my yard, bringing down a couple of big branches that I’ll need to cut up and get rid of.  The yard work never ends this time of year!

I really get tired of the constant battering of wind and rain on the coast this time of year.  But given the tornadoes in the Midwest, I probably still have nothing to complain about here. 

Last weekend my friend Shelley and I took a long weekend and went to the coast.  We rented a room in a little motel, then got upgraded to a two bedroom suite with a full kitchen because the TV wasn’t working.  We beach combed,  and checked out the sights along the coast.  It was a nice getaway, despite the rain and cold.  We bundled up and managed to do ok. 

I’m not ready for Christmas, but I did manage to get my ornaments made for my family’s homemade ornament exchange; for me, who has no crafting skills whatsoever, this is a big accomplishment each year!  I’ll try to remember to share them all once I receive the ones from my aunt and my cousin. 
 
2021 has been a brutal year.  Our insurance broker at work always says that you are bound to have one or two bad years out of every five.  I’m hoping I can apply that to life as well.  I hope you all are hanging in there; there is a light at the end of the tunnel!  Just a few more weeks; 2022 is bound to bring something better! 
 
I hope you are all well. 

Book Review: The Last Juror

The Last Juror, by John Grisham

John Grisham has been writing for a while, and his history is pretty fascinating.  He started his career as a lawyer and practiced for about 10 years before his first book came out.  He gained popularity soon after and mostly quit practicing law.  He now has written 35 books, and almost a dozen have been made into movies.  This was the first of his books that I have read, but I have seen a few of his movies over the years and liked them.

The Last Juror is about the trial of Danny Padgitt, a young man from a large corrupt family, for the rape and murder of a young widow, Rhoda Kassellaw.  The widow had two young children, who at least partially witnessed her rape and murder.  The Padgitt family has a long history of buying off the local lawmen and judges, but no one knows if they will be able to continue that streak after such a horrific, brutal crime. 

Willie Traynor is the editor of the local paper, a 23 year old college dropout who is looking for his way in the world.  Traynor covers the trial, and over time, earns the trust and respect of the local community that he is now a part of. 

The book is set in the 1970s and 1980s, and explores small town American, racism and political corruption.  Grisham’s storytelling style weaves these central themes into the story effortlessly, as he explores Willie Traynor’s budding friendship with Miss Callie Ruffin, the last juror selected for the Padgitt trial and the first black person to serve on a jury in Ford County.  Traynor has to slowly work his way into the community, which has a distrust for outsiders, but over the years, they begin to see him as their own.

There is plenty to digest in this courtroom drama/thriller, and his descriptions make you want to take a drive on the back roads of the deep south.

This book was another of the CD audiobooks that I have been working my way through, and it is narrated by Michael Beck, whose style I really enjoyed.

4 stars. 

Book Review: Two for the Dough

Two for the Dough, by Janet Evanovich

Janet Evanovich is a popular writer of crime fiction; this audiobook was one of the CD audiobooks I have been working my way through.

Stephanie Plum is an inexperienced bounty hunter trying to break into her new career. She is eager and curious, but honestly not very smart.  As a result, her search for her latest criminal suspect, Kenny Mancuso, is fraught with mistakes and near misses.  Somehow we are supposed to believe that a criminal who has no problem murdering others, somehow can’t manage to kill this bumbling bounty hunter.

It was mildly entertaining, but not enough to actually spend money on the book.  The audiobook is narrated by Lori Petty, which may be the best part! 

2 stars.

Circus Trip 2018: Navy Football

Day 62, Saturday, September 15, 2018
Naval Academy Football Game, Annapolis, Maryland

After we visited the Lincoln Cottage at the Soldier’s Home, my friends Jason, Kathrin and I got to do a thing!  Something I would never pick to do on my own.

A football game!  But not just any football game.  You see, Jason is an alumnus of the Naval Academy at Annapolis and he had season tickets to their football games.  And even though football is not really my thing, I had a lot of fun.

First we stopped in at an Amish market for tailgating supplies.  We got sloppy joes, cheeses, wings, and soft pretzels.  And of course, booze, but not from the Amish market.

When we arrived, we found Jason’s designated space and had a mini feast.  And then we went a wandering…  We found Jason’s former boss, who was hosting a big tailgate party and we had fun socializing and meeting people.  There was lots of laughter!

Then it was time for the game, so we made our way in and found our seats.  Navy was playing Lehigh University, a college from Pennsylvania.  But the game…  Yeah, it was football.  There really isn’t much more to say, right?

I was fascinated by the tradition.  Jason explained that all first year midshipmen have to attend all the home games, in their dress whites.  And every time Navy scores, the midshipmen have to run onto the field and do the number of pushups to equal the score.  So when the score is 7, they run out for 7 pushups.  When the score is 21, they have to do 21 pushups.  And on and on like that.  Did I mention that the final score was Navy 51, Lehigh 21?  That is A LOT of pushups.  I bet those young men and women were exhausted!

Jason also explained that every midshipman is required to participate in a sport.  Golf, basketball, swimming, cheerleading – whatever you choose, but you have to choose something.  Makes sense in a career where they want active minds and bodies.  What a holistic education!

After the game, we drove to downtown Annapolis and went to a pub type of restaurant.  We got appetizers and chatted for a while, then took a stroll down some of the streets of Annapolis.  It was my second trip there, and I still wish I had more time.  Such a fun day!