Retirement Diaries 2023: Countdown to Christmas

Thanksgiving was a quiet day here.  It is nice to spend time with my mom, although having her so close means I get to spend a lot more time with her now.  I made cranberry sauce, which I love, and a glazed carrot and sweet potato dish, which didn’t wow me as much as I wanted it to.  I will try it again though, maybe with a different glaze.  Mom did the rest of the cooking. 

I didn’t really do any Black Friday shopping, except for a trip to the thrift shop where I got a big Pyrex mixing bowl, and of course, a book.  Everything was 25% off, so the mixing bowl cost $6.38 and the book cost me 38 cents.  Can’t beat that!  I’ll probably be in trouble with my mom because it wasn’t planned much ahead of time and I didn’t see if she wanted to go with me!  Sorry mom.

My family is still doing our annual handmade ornament exchange, although the numbers of participants have dwindled a little over the years.  I had to make five ornaments this year, and I finished them up a few days ago.  I always get the best ideas after I start on my ornaments, and then by next year, I have forgotten them.  I need to have a better system for filing away ideas. 

Yellow seems to be doing a lot better.  The accidents have stopped, and his appetite is better.  He never really eats a lot at one time, so I put the food bowl down for him whenever he seems interested.  Which means he is having three or four breakfasts and dinners each day, which are really more like snacks.  Whatever it takes for the furbabies.  I would love to just leave food out for him all the time, but Cora would eat it and she’s already a pudge.

I have almost met my book goal for the year.  It is 39 books, and I’m currently at 37.  With one month left to go, I feel like it’s doable!  I finished 7 books in November, which is a lot for me.  I’ve definitely been on a reading kick lately, and I’m enjoying it.  I also decided that in 2024 I’m going to do an A to Z challenge; I’ll read one book starting with each letter for the alphabet, which is a total of 26 books.  Plus, I’ll still do my reading challenge of reading one more than the number of books I completed the previous year.  Depending on how many I finish in December, my challenge will be somewhere in the low 40s. 

Last night I got a good chunk of my tree decorated and I put out my nativities.  It certainly adds a pop of festive atmosphere in the house! I can’t believe that we only have one month left in the year!

 

 

 

Book Review: Explorers of the Nile

Explorers of the Nile: The Triumph and Tragedy of a Great Victorian Adventure, by Tim Jeal

I downloaded this book from the library a few years ago, because it looked interesting, but only recently listened to it. 

Explorers of the Nile is a very thoroughly researched and comprehensive book about the famous explorers who embarked on missions in Africa to seek out the source of the Nile River and map its river basin and watershed in the 1800s.  They traveled into the interior of Africa, a remote and dangerous country with no roads, no vehicles, and little in medication to treat injuries and tropical diseases.  These men and women were, quite frankly, badasses.  Jeal details the expeditions of Richard Burton, John Hanning Speke, James Augustus Grant, Samuel Baker, Florence von Sass, David Livingstone, and Henry Morton Stanley, and documents their discoveries in the quest to find the source of the Nile.

The book is comprehensive; going into great detail about the routes these men take, the strengths and weaknesses of their expeditions and their men, as well as the complicated relationships they developed with Arab slave traders in the region, various African tribes, and even their relationships with each other.  Their work is dangerous, from concerns about attacks from tribes, and diseases as they travel through incredibly rough terrain trying to follow what we now know is the world’s longest river.

Before they could even get started, each of these expeditions had to secure funding, collect supplies, procure boats and porters to carry gear, and find ways to communicate with the people they would encounter along the way.  Of course, these are alpha males for the most part, with the egos that go along with it, and they are often in direct competition with each other.  As a result, they backstab and talk badly about each other, and try to convince their sponsors that they are somehow better than the next guy… 

Jeal documents all of this, using letters and records from the Royal Geographic Society (who funded many of these expeditions), with a detail that can be overwhelming.  There is so much detail, and so much information, that the reader gets lost in the minutia (at least this reader did). 

The last few sections of the book detail contemporary issues in Africa in the areas that were explored in the 1800s.  Jeal discusses the consequences and repercussions of opening up the Nile River basin to traders, missionaries and European colonies.  The effects are still with us, as arbitrary borders do not necessarily coincide with the geographical borders of kingdoms and cultural groups that existed before they were colonized.  Uganda and Sudan have become independent nations, but have dealt with civil war, genocide and the continued exploitation of resources.  This section of the book was really interesting, but seemed a bit disjointed and tacked onto the book as an afterthought. 

 I really enjoyed parts of the book, but felt that other sections got bogged down with too much detail.  It didn’t help that the narrator spoke in a monotone, and was not engaging.  Despite being a topic that was really interesting, I had to slog through this one and considered quitting.  I was glad I was finished, but I felt that the excessive detail prevented me from learning more.

2 stars.

 

Circus Trip 2018: Valley of Fire State Park

Day 87, Wednesday, October 10, 2018
Valley of Fire State Park, Overton, Nevada

On October 10, 2018, I was in four different states!  I woke up near Zion National Park in Nevada, crossed into Arizona for a hot minute, saw Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada, and then ended my day in California!  What a whirlwind!  I headed out from my campground about 8:30 after packing up my tent and taking a shower.  My destination that day was Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada.  I got there a little after 9 am, thanks to gaining an hour in a time zone change.

 

Once I arrived, I did the Elephant Rock hike.  It is 1.2 miles through some really cool rock formations, and it was surprisingly empty, I only passed a few other people on the entire hike.  The feature here is obviously Elephant Rock, which I found to be difficult to identify unless you were standing at the perfect angle.  Not all of them can be easy I guess.  Luckily there was a sign! Hint: The first photo below is NOT it!

I drove through parts of the park, checking out the viewpoints along the way.  I saw petrified logs, and a Memorial to a man who died while traveling through the area.  Sergeant John J. Clark was born in 1844 and enlisted in the NY Infantry and served in the U.S. Civil War until he was shot in the hand and contracted typhoid fever.  After he was honorably discharged he moved to Southern California.  In 1915, he was traveling from California to Salt Lake City with a horse and a buckboard wagon, when he apparently got into trouble.  He tied his horse to the back of the wagon, wandered around, then crawled underneath his wagon where he died.  His body was found several days later on June 30, 1915.  It was a reminder to always be prepared for the harsh conditions of the desert.

The cabins were stone buildings built for tourists in the 1930s; there were approximately 9000 tourists annually at that time!  They are neat stone buildings, and there is a beautiful petroglyph panel on the stone face behind the cabins.

Next I went to the Visitor’s Center.  I checked out the exhibits, got some postcards, and planned where I was headed next.  They had a few native snakes and a chuckwalla in their exhibit there; they were neat to see, especially since I didn’t see any while I was out hiking.  Outside, there is a Balanced Rock, so of course I snagged a photo with it.  And guess who I ran into on the way out!?  Carol!  If you remember, I met Carol at Mesa Verde National Park, and spent an evening chatting with her when we both camped at Hovenweep!  Now we met up again purely by accident! 

We decided to go for a hike together, so we drove out the White Dome Road to the Fire Wave trailhead.  The Fire Wave hike was incredible – the colors were amazing!  The hike went out and back to a rock formation with sedimentary layers that looks like of like an ocean wave.  It is only 1.3 miles, so it is a popular hike, but for good reason!  Carol and I enjoyed ourselves chatting and taking pictures of each other.  It was a fun hike!  On the way back we were greeted by a herd of Bighorn Sheep too – I got some good pictures of them. 

 

When we got back from the hike, Carol and I said our goodbyes for a third time, and went our respective ways.  It is always fun to meet new friends when traveling! 

My time in Valley of Fire was far too short – one day I’ll return and do more of the hikes in the park.  It was a really cool place!  But I was heading to Death Valley National Park in California, so it was time to get on my way!

 

Book Review: The Dressmakers of Auschwitz

The Dressmakers of Auschwitz: The True Story of the Women Who Sewed to Survive, by Lucy Adlington

Imagine learning for the first time that Auschwitz, a huge concentration camp in Poland, responsible for the systematic murder of millions of Jews, Poles, and political enemies of the Third Reich in World War II, had a high fashion dressmaking studio.  When I first learned this, I was standing in a used book store housed in a historic general store, in a tiny town in Montana, in the summer of 2023.  I was looking at this book, called The Dressmakers of Auschwitz, and wondering how I had never heard this story before.

The Upper Tailoring Studio was established at Auschwitz by Hedwig Höss, the wife of the camp commandant, Rudolf Höss, who wanted to ensure that her husband’s post didn’t deprive her of the high fashion couture she had become accustomed to.  Within a few short months, a number of SS wives and other prominent supporters of the Reich were having clothes designed and made by 25 seamstresses, most Jews, and all plucked from the inmate population of Auschwitz. 

In a sick, twisted, irony, the fabric for these beautiful, custom designed and sewn creations, came from the bolts of fabric and clothing brought to the camp by Jews who were stripped of their belongings before they were murdered in the gas chambers, or worked to death in the camp.  But the Upper Tailoring Studio was a place of hope as well, as it was a work detail that promised a better chance of survival than most other work at Auschwitz and its sister camp, Birkenau.

Adlington pulled from several first hand accounts; survivor testimonies conducted after the war, as well as her own interviews with the last surviving dressmaker, who at the age of 98, was living in San Francisco.  About a quarter of the way into the book, I realized that she had not yet named the woman she had interviewed.  I refused to skip to the end to find out who she was, but of course, I was tempted!  

Adlington’s research is impeccable, telling the stories of these women before the war, detailing their childhoods and deportations, their time in Auschwitz, and their lives after the war.  She goes into great depth to describe the textile and fashion industry in Europe before World War II, which was dominated by Jewish families and businesses.  She tells the story of how the political climate changed as the war went on, as Jews’ safety and security gradually deteriorated over time in country after country that Germany conquered or allied with. 

This book is about dressmaking, and the Upper Tailoring Studio at Auschwitz, but it is so much more.  It is full of facts and research, and weaves the entire story of how the studio came to be.  There are moments of joy amid the heartache and tragedy, and as expected, much of the book will leave you reeling in sadness and disgust at the barbarity and cruelty with which the Nazis treated their victims. 

It is a unique story of World War II, about women who until this book had largely been forgotten to time, and it is one you won’t soon forget.

5 stars. 

 

Book Review: Read This and Tell Me What It Says

Read This and Tell Me What It Says, by A. Manette Ansay

This is a collection of short stories that has been sitting on my to-be-read shelf for a long, long time… I’m approaching the end of the year for my book challenge, and usually I select a few shorter books that I can read through quickly, in order to achieve my goal.

Ansay is a talented author, developing a rich, multi-dimensional character over the span of a few short pages.  She makes you root for the happy ending, for everything to turn out well in the end, for the characters to find joy and peace in their lives. 

Yet at the same time, the stories are about the day to day lives of ordinary folks, people who cling to their routines and their faith, and who live a paycheck to paycheck existence.  There is often no happy ending as husbands leave wives, as children meet their fathers’ new girlfriends, as women struggle to make ends meet.  These people are real and flawed, and there is a sadness in these stories that draws you in.

I did find the undertone of faith a little bothersome, not because it was there, but because the message was that the character’s faith was useless, that it got them nowhere, and that they probably would have been better off without.  I would have preferred a balance of sad and uplifting, but you won’t find much uplifting in these stories.  Otherwise, these are well written stories that draw you in, and are quick reads.

3 stars.

Retirement Diaries 2023: Thanksgiving Week

The weather stayed fairly warm for the last several days, and so there were three days recently with enough warmth and enough daylight to work on chinking.  I have found that about three hours is about what I can do each day, because holding the caulk gun and squeezing the trigger gets pretty tiring.  Then add in climbing up and down the ladder, or trying to get down low enough to do the lower rows, and the exhaustion sets in. 

It takes a few weeks or months for the chinking to fully cure, but I’m pretty pleased with how well I’m doing and it will help with cutting down on any drafts in the house in the dead of winter.  The top right corner in the photo below shows where I haven’t done yet, so you can see the difference!

I’ve also been able to take some nice walks outside!  Depending on the day lately, I’ve been bundled up in a winter coat, just wearing a fleece, or even wearing shorts!  This time last year there was snow, so I’ll take this year’s weather.

It’s been a few weeks since Yellow’s first trip to the vet, and a week since he had his follow up appointment.  The bottom line is that he has mild to moderate kidney disease and a urinary tract infection.  So not the best news, but it isn’t the worst either.  Ten days of antibiotics didn’t quite do the trick so he got a second ten days (he has two days of pills left to go and he would like you to know he’s not a fan).  The second round does seem to have him feeling better, as he hasn’t had an accident in six days.  Yay Yellow!  Except he did puke this morning (why do they always move to the carpet instead of staying on the laminate!); waking me up out of a dead sleep at 6:45 am.  Not so yay.

I’m switching Yellow’s food to a kidney disease diet, one that I’ve used before when Oliver had kidney disease several years ago.  We will see if it actually gets Yellow’s blood work looking a bit better.  He also got a phosphorous binder powder to sprinkle on his food.  Apparently cats with kidney disease have a hard time processing phosphorous that they get in their food; it is hard on their kidneys.  A phosphorous binder allows them to excrete extra phosphorous without absorbing it.  So far he seems ok with licking the powder off some wetted food.  So far he likes the new kidney food (and hopefully the puking was a fluke).  He has to go back in 3 months for a new round of bloodwork.  Fingers crossed!

Yesterday I joined the land of technological readers and signed up for Libby, the library app for audiobooks.  It isn’t that I haven’t been doing digital audiobooks through the library for the last 15 years, but the old app, Overdrive, has been discontinued.  I liked Overdrive though, because it allowed me to transfer books to my I-Pod.  Libby doesn’t allow for that.  Boo. 

Before everybody starts explaining why Libby is so wonderful, hear me out.  First of all, I don’t have a lot of storage space on my phone, and I like using it for photos.  I don’t want to buy new stuff, whether that be a new phone or a new SD card.  But with no storage, I have to listen in the app, which relies on data and having service.  When I go on my trips, I’m often driving in areas with little or no service, so I will have to download books ahead of time.  See above issue with storage space.  I’m sure I’ll get used to it, but for now I’m annoyed.

It’s hard to believe that Thanksgiving is in two days!  I guess I need to start making some food.  I’m going to make cranberry sauce, and a glazed carrot/sweet potato dish.  I think my mom is doing the rest, and I’m excited to have Turkey dinner!

Book Review: Band of Sisters

Band of Sisters, by Lauren Willig

When I was out in Washington helping my mom get ready for her move this spring, I dropped by the library book sale to find a few audiobooks for the long drive back to Minnesota.  This one looked interesting, so I picked it up!

Band of Sisters is the story of the Smith College Relief Unit in World War I, a group of alumni women from Smith College who establish a relief unit and head to France to help the citizens of France during the war.  Their mission is to help the citizens in the French countryside to rebuild their lives after the battles have raged through their villages and fields.  There isn’t really a template for what they are doing, so after getting the proper approvals from the various governments to do their work in a war zone, they head off to France and get to work.

Eighteen women have an impossible amount of work, but they do it anyway.  Providing building materials to rebuild homes and furniture, medical care, seeds for planting new crops, livestock to provide milk, eggs and meat, books, and perhaps most important of all, hope.  The French are buoyed by understanding that these women care and are helping the French people put their lives back together. 

The women face every burden imaginable.  A lack of supplies, a lack of money, an overwhelming number of people to serve, and even a battle breaking into the territory they are trying to rebuild.  Yet they manage to continue working, and doing it with a positive spirit and resolve.  It really is remarkable, when you consider that these women are for the most part from wealthy families, who have never had to raise livestock, plant crops, cook meals, or drive.  They bumble along at the beginning, but learn new skills and never give up. 

When I began the book, I had no idea that the Smith College Relief Unit was a real thing in World War I.  Although this book is a novel, it is based on the letters written and sent home to their families by the women of the unit.  The author explains at the end that although the characters are fictitious, every major event that occurred in the book is true, and was documented in these letters.  She even provides a way to access the letters for ourselves, as many were published in 1917 and 1918 in the Smith College alumni newsletter and their archives are posted on their website.

Lauren Willig is a remarkable author, telling an unbelievable story about an incredible group of women. 

5 stars.

Circus Trip 2018: Zion Hike

Day 86, Tuesday, October 9, 2018
Zion National Park, Springdale, Utah

After my visit to Cedar Breaks National Monument, I continued on my drive to Zion National Park.  On the way there, I saw a field with bison!  Of course, I pulled over for pictures. 

I have been to Zion once before, so if you want to read those posts, you can find them here: history of the park, Angel’s Landing and other places in the park.

But this time, I was going to spend a bit of time in a different section of the park!  I arrived in the park this time through the east entrance, which is famous for the road that travels through the Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnel.  More on the tunnel later in the post.

Shortly after I arrived in the park, I saw Bighorn Sheep – and there were even some mamas and babies!  So I had to pull off to get some photos! 

After I got my fill of the Bighorn Sheep, I continued to my first destination; I was going to hike the Canyon Overlook Trail.  This trail is shortly before the Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnel and it can be very busy, so pack your patience while driving on this road and looking for a parking spot, as it will be slow going (be sure to only park on paved pullouts or you will be cited).  I ended up having to walk a bit to get to the trailhead; just be careful with the traffic!

The Canyon Overlook Trail is only a half mile long (one mile round trip out and back trail), but what it lacks in length it makes up for in stunning views.  The trail has some switchbacks and is uphill on the way to the overlook, with a few sections that take you underneath a rock overhang.  You also get a different view of the Zion-Mt. Carmel tunnel, and see what an amazing engineering marvel it was to tunnel underneath all that rock.  If you have a chance to hike this trail, don’t miss it! 

I relaxed at the top and enjoyed watching the chipmunks skittering about.  It was a warm, sunny day and it was perfect for a hike! 

After my hike, I drove through the tunnel; that was an experience!  The tunnel was started in the late 1920s and finished in 1930 – it is 1.1 miles long!  When I was there, they were only allowing one direction of traffic at a time, and there are significant size restrictions, so you do have to wait in line to get through the tunnel, but it didn’t take too long.  If you have a larger vehicle, be sure to check the park’s website for restrictions and information about buying a permit.  It’s a long, dark tunnel! 

Of course, before I left, I went to the Visitor’s Center and got my parks passport stamped and I got some postcards.  No visit is complete without that!

It was a quick trip, but such a fun afternoon! 

Book Review: Never Play Dead

Never Play Dead: How the Truth Makes You Unstoppable, by Tomi Lahren

Tomi Lahren is admittedly a polarizing public figure.  She’s an unapologetic conservative in a world where conservative voices are often villainized.  That said, this book really isn’t about her political views, although many of the reviews read like it is (they also read like reviews where the reviewer didn’t actually read the book).

Never Play Dead is a memoir of sorts from a young woman who has risen to be a celebrity for her political commentary.  She is only 31 now, and wrote this book in 2019.  In her young life, she has achieved a lot, starting out at the conservative upstart One American News Network, then moving to The Blaze and finally to Fox News. 

She tells the story of her childhood and how she decided from an early age that she wanted to speak and write on politics. She didn’t come from a prosperous family, and had to work hard to make it through college and land her first post-college job.  And she loudly and proudly supports the idea of working hard to get where you want to be; make no mistake, she does not appreciate lazy people. 

She tells about how her comments on The View, saying she is pro-choice, led to the suspension of her show on The Blaze.  Glenn Beck was furious that she would go against the conservative message by admitting that although she doesn’t support abortion for herself, she still feels that women should have a choice.  After the suspension (with pay even), she sued Glenn Beck and The Blaze in order to be let out of her contract so she could continue speaking out on politics and current events.  At the age of 26, it was a David and Goliath story, but she managed to get a settlement that allowed her out of her contract, and allowed her to retain ownership of any of her commentary that wasn’t associated with The Blaze. 

That experience led her to Fox News, where she continues to speak and make waves.  She will be the first to tell you that she is not an unbiased journalist, but that she is a political commentator.  And that honesty is refreshing in a world where most news anchors claim to be neutral and clearly are not. 

Most of this book speaks to women, but men wouldn’t do too badly hearing her message as well.  It is about standing up for yourself, and being willing to fight for what you believe in.  She admits it isn’t easy, but that is does get easier with practice.  As someone who quit my most recent job because I could not support the unethical actions of the leadership of the organization, this resonated with me.

And it isn’t just her professional life that she speaks to.  Tomi was involved in an emotionally abusive and manipulative relationship, one that she wishes now she had the courage to end long before she did.  She talks about how it isn’t always easy to do what is right for you, but staying in a situation that isn’t healthy won’t do you any good either.

And lastly, but perhaps most importantly, she speaks about today’s reality where people are shouted down or silenced or canceled for their views on the issues facing this nation.  It is a sad reality that we are no longer able to have a civil discourse on issues that we disagree on.  She discusses having friends who are only willing to be her friends in private, or the mistreatment she receives when out in public by people who disagree with her.  To be clear, she doesn’t apologize for her opinion, but she says that she is always willing to have an honest conversation with someone with opposing views, and she has found that most times people aren’t even willing to have that discussion.  Which is sad, because in order to truly be able to resolve conflict and come to a compromise or consensus, you have to be willing to at least listen to another’s point of view.  And that is lacking in the world today.

Yes, she does at times in the book criticize others in the book, but for the most part she does it in a respectful way.  And that’s kind of the point. Turning the other cheek to her doesn’t mean never responding to the attacks she receives.  She doesn’t argue that you should never criticize; but that the vitriol and name calling needs to stop.  She even goes to far as to describe things she has said in the past, and to acknowledge that she was wrong to say it.

So whether you like Tomi Lahren or don’t, agree with her or not, she still has a message that is important for people to hear.

3 stars.

Retirement Diaries 2023: Down Time

I have to admit, the last week or so has been pretty quiet.  The weather has been cold, with highs in the thirties, so no work on chinking – although today it will be warm enough for it.

Yellow seems to be making a slow recovery.  His appetite hasn’t been great, but it might be the antibiotics he is on.  Or the baby mouse he caught (have there been more?!?).  He had his last pill this morning; after he tried avoiding me and hiding under the bed, because somehow HE KNOWS.  His course of eye medication is finished and his eyes are looking a lot better, with less goop.  His recheck and bloodwork are tomorrow, and then he’ll really be mad at me again I’m sure.  He is becoming much more brave around mom’s dogs, coming out into the living room when they are here, which he used to never do.

Remember a few weeks back I was trying to ripen tomatoes and pumpkins in the house?  Well, the results were mixed.  Some of them ripened okay, but several rotted before ever ripening, or rotted as soon as they got ripe.  Would I do it again?  Yes, but I wouldn’t be too disappointed in myself if they rot before they get ripe.   

I finished another book – The Dressmakers of Auschwitz, which was well researched and interesting, but of course heartbreaking too.  My current audiobook isn’t really doing it for me, but I’m committed to making it through it.  It is rare that I don’t finish a book I have started; for some reason it’s kind of a badge of honor for me.  It might take me 5 years though!  This book is about the exploration in the 1800s for the headwaters of the Nile River, which should be a real adventure, but the author has somehow made it dull.

I have been cooking a lot more than I was for a long time, and trying out some new recipes.  Cooking has never really been my thing, but I figure I have the time, so why not now?  My mom and I implemented “recipe night” where once each week each of us have to try out a new recipe that we have never made before.  So far I have made a breakfast casserole, a bratwurst pasta, and something else I can now no longer remember.  It was good though.  I also made banana bread.  Next up I’m making a tortellini soup.  Even when it’s not recipe night I have been cooking more, and mom has been coming over for dinner a few times a week, lured by vegetables and the Hulu show, Only Murders in the Building.

The work to unpack and organize the house is continuing too, although admittedly slowly.  I’m taking my time deciding where I want things and how I want them, and I think I need a couple of shelves for the walk-in closet in the loft.  So I have been perusing Amazon and last weekend checked out a couple of thrift stores, but nothing has truly made me want to click “Purchase” yet.  I’m not in a hurry.

I’ve been working on getting more travel blog posts done too!  I actually only have a few more days of my round-the-country trip in 2018 to blog about, and then it will be time to venture off into more recent travels!  I shouldn’t be too hard on myself for taking 5 years to blog about that trip, as it was almost 4 months, and the last several years have been very busy.  It is nice to revisit the happy memories and photos, but I’m ready to be reminiscing about other adventures!

It’s hard to believe it is almost Thanksgiving and it will soon be Christmas.  Time is flying by, just as it usually does, and I don’t want it to!  I do plan to decorate for Christmas this year, as I haven’t seen my decorations for a few years now!  Plus, I need to get a new trip scheduled soon.  I have been back from Knoxville for almost two months!

I hope you all have a great week!