"Outside a dog a book is man's best friend, inside a dog it is too dark to read!" -Groucho Marx========="The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid." -Jane Austen========="I don’t believe in the kind of magic in my books. But I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book."-JK Rowling========"I spend a lot of time reading." -Bill Gates=========“Ahhh. Bed, book, kitten, sandwich. All one needed in life, really.” -Jacqueline Kelly=========

Sunday, February 16, 2014

Sunday Salon, Feb. 16

Secret Garden Tea House in Sumner, Washington
Weather: Partly cloudy. It was raining earlier this morning and more wind is expected later today.

Friday: No school. A snow make-up day that was built in to the schedule. I spent it inside because the day was super windy and blustery. I only made one trip outside---to retrieve the garbage can lid from the neighbor's yard.

Yesterday: My daughters took me out to a special high tea at a sweet tea shop in a neighboring town. It was my birthday gift from the two of them. We were there for over two hours and drank so much tea and ate so many little delightful foods that we were simply stuffed when we left.
Remains of a tea party at the Secret Garden Tea Party

A day of eating: When we got home my hubby was out purchasing items for a big family dinner. Thankfully he didn't prepare the lovely dinner of roasted pork tenderloin with apples and onions , asparagus, strawberries, and bread until several hours later. Everything was delicious. After dinner I had a piece of birthday cake from my favorite local bakery. Spoiled girl.

Tomorrow: Is another day off work, this for President's Day. I'm not really sure why we have this holiday.

Soups of the week: Chicken Chili Soup and Minestrone. I learned something about using pasta in soup. It is good the first day, not so good the second. I will modify this recipe next time to add the pasta to the soup bowl, not the pot. Otherwise both soups were excellent.

Favorite video of the week : Mobiledia. (Click link.) Rick Mereski spent 44 days traveling 38,000 miles across 11 countries just to film this one minute video. It makes me want to get up and MOVE (travel.)

Books read this week:

  • Inside a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know by Alexandra Horowitz...This was an audiobook selection which was both a positive and negative experience. I was a captive audience while I listened in the car and parts of it were less than thrilling. But because of the format I was able to run it in the background of may life while I cooked dinner and moved around the house and I still caught most of the information. It has caused me to look at my dog differently.
  • Go: A Kidd's Guide to Graphic Design by Chip Kidd...a delightful introduction to graphic design and to Chip Kidd's own art. I was completely fascinated by both the book and the topic.
Currently reading:
  • Earth Girl by Janet Edwards...I have less than 20 pages to go on this dystopian/utopian book.
  • The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman...my current audiobook selection. Thi book is surprisingly scarey.
  • How to Your Children Shakespeare by Ken Ludwig...I am still enjoying this book immensely.
  • The Port Chicago 50 by Steve Sheinkin...I'm reading this for Black History Month.
Have a fabulous week.~