Sunday Salon, April 23

Weather: raining. Ugh. Will it never end? We had only one day with good weather this whole past week. .

Hydrangeas: Don and I ran out yesterday morning before it started raining and FINALLY pruned the deadheads off the hydrangea bushes on our side yard. We have the perfect location to grow huge bushes of our favorite flowers. They get so heavy with blooms the branches usually droop. The photo was taken a few years ago in Italy. We found an abandoned hydrangea garden next to the train station at Orta San Giulio.

Kindness, Love, and Hamburgers: Today we had a special service at church to say goodbye to our youth director. He is going off to serve in the Peace Corp in Comoros. (See map below.) And we had a cute little dedication ceremony where the children gave him posters they made that had message to remind him of them. One kid's message was: "Kindness, Love, and Hamburgers," all things she hopes he can find in Comoros. Isn't that sweet?

A week of appointments: Tuesday and Thursday I took both cars for their tune-ups, Wednesday we met with our financial planner, Friday I had an appointment with my hair dresser. Some weeks are just mundane this way.

Books completed this week:

• The Body Eclectic: An Anthology of Poems edited by Patrice Vecchione. All the poems were about body parts. Some were just delightful. Click the hyperlink for my review.
• When We Collided by Emery Lord. A look at mental illness and what it is like for someone who loves a person who is mentally ill. Very well done. Look for my review this week.

Currently reading:

• The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. A much talked about YA novel about the tension in a black community with the police. It is very well done and I hope it is read widely. Audio: 60%
• Dear Bob and Sue by Matt and Karen Smith. The Smiths visit every National Park and send emails back to their friends. This is a book club selection for this week so I need to go, go, go. Print. 10%.

Watched on TV (Sometime during the week):

• The Voice. I love this show.
• Dr. Who. The new season is finally available on BBC America.
• Rachel Maddow. Every night.
• Hello, My Name is Doris, movie on Amazon Prime starring Sally Field.
• Baseball, Mariners.

Not a very exciting week, but we don't always need thrills to have a satisfying life. Thanks for reading.