Sunday Salon...St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! May the luck o' the Irish be with ye all year.

The photo is the St. Patrick's Day troll earrings I wore to school on Friday.  Only two students commented on them.  One male teacher said that he didn't know if he was "allowed" to say anything about troll earrings. Being careful not to offend, I guess. I think they are funny.

Weather: It is sunny but cold right now. It snowed a few flakes yesterday.  So we are experiencing our typical weird March weather. I am just about to run outside to deadhead more hydrangeas. I should prune the rose bushes but probably won't. Woops, I missed the sun, now it is sprinkling.

Yesterday: My husband and I moved books in my library for a few hours. As I reported on Fridays post I made a decision to incorporate the reference books into the regular collection which means moving nearly all of the nonfiction books.  A Big Job. We are done through the 500s (Science) which sounds like I am half way done but the library has tons of 900s (History) books. I am so grateful to Don for giving up four hours of his Saturday.

Yesterday evening: we watched the UO Ducks win the Pac-12 Basketball Tournament against UCLA.

Today: We started the day helping out at the homeless program at our church.

This week in the library: Jane Austen Week! I'll be showing Pride and Prejudice every lunch period for a week in honor of  200th year anniversary of that book. We also play games, have trivia contests, and award prizes. It is my favorite event of the year. Any Austen fans (or soon-to-be Austen fans) are welcome.

Spring yard: the hyacinths are blooming. I don't know how I missed them popping up but they are in full bloom now. The flowering plum is ready to burst, it will be in full bloom by next Sunday, I'm sure.  The candy-tuft is looking quite pretty with its white flowers. And the small-leaf rhododendron (looks like an azalea) is just starting to bloom on the side facing the house (guess it is warmer that direction.) Flowers are everywhere. As I drove around today I noticed lots of daffodils, camellias, and flowering trees.

Books currently reading:

• The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin this is for an upcoming book club in a few months but the book came in from the public library so I am reading it now.
• Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James is like visiting old friends.
• Prodigy by Marie Lu.  Sigh.  Need I say more

Books completed this past week (remember I didn't complete any books the week before)-

• The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. Audiobook. Fabulous. Check out my review.
• Emma by Jane Austen. Whoop! I finished it (after one year of reading!) Final update here.
• One Hundred Demons by Lynda Barry, graphic biography. Look for my review soon.
• Dead to You by Lisa McCann. Here's the review.
• Four-Star Movies: the 101 Greatest Films of All Time by Kinn and Piazza. Make your own top movie list and join in the discussion here.

Lenten prayer focus of the week: for people who struggle with depression or addiction.

Scripture today: John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

From the kitchen: New England boiled dinner again today.  Hey, it's St. Patrick's Day.  We can have the same dinner two times in one month!

Musical selection of the Day: "Sull'aria" or "Che Soave Zeffiretto" a duet from The Marriage of Fiagro by Mozart. This is the song that Andy Dufresne plays for the prison yard in Shawshank Redemption. I've been trying to figure out the song for years. I found the answer in the Four-Star Movies book and immediately purchased it on iTunes. Here it is for your listening (and viewing) enjoyment:


The actual song in the opera

 or the song with beautiful scenery. Take your pick.




Or the actual scene from the movie. Heck, listen to all three. Happy Sunday.