"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, July 4, 2021

Sunday Salon---4th of July Edition


Weather: Odd. Last Sunday and Monday we were broiling, it was so hot. Then the marine layer of clouds moved in and cooled us down. Temperatures have been in the 70s since then but the cloud layer is very odd for this time of year. We were glad for the cooling, though, don't get me wrong. This is better than that.

"What to the slave is the 4th of July?: Descendants of Frederick Douglass read his words (and more)

How will you celebrate Independence Day this year? In years past we would join neighbors for a block party in front of our house. The children would run around with sparklers until one guy would pull out the big fireworks and it felt like the whole world was exploding. No block parties are planned this year. Hmm. Is it because of COVID or are we all aging, our children grown and gone, or we just can't be bothered? I hope that our neighbors don't spend the whole day and night setting off fireworks. Our poor dog was in distress yesterday, and it was only the dress rehearsal for the real thing.

How are we celebrating the 4th of July this year? I won't call it celebrating, but we are painting an old wash basin stand which we are repurposing as a storage unit for our newly remodeled bathroom. We just finished painting on the second coat of paint and will wait 24-hours until we can reinstall the hardware. Speaking of hardware, here is a photo of the filigree work on the brass handles. I didn't even know they were like this until taking a closer inspection. After we finish the painting project it is likely we will spend time organizing "stuff" back into the bathroom we moved out for the remodel. Stuff, so much stuff.


Fire: Everyone is worried about fires caused by fireworks this year. The ground is so tinder dry. We need an alternative to fireworks. How about drones? Watch this video of what was done in Sacramento with drones. Here is the news about what is/isn't happening in our area. (KOMO News)



The CDC is not just concerned with COVID: This graphic notice has been drawing lots of chatter on Twitter today. Don't let a person with diarrhea in the pool. Good advice. (Watch the girl on the slide.)

Reading:

  • Completed
    • We Are Not Free by Traci Chee. A 2021 Printz Honor winner. Japanese American forced incarceration during WWII. Fourteen youth talk about their experiences in this novel which is based on facts. Well done and touching. (Audiobook)
    • Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler. the Pulitzer Prize winner in 1988. Sometimes books don't stand the test of time. This is one of them. (E-book)
  • Currently reading
    • This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger. A book club selection about four orphans in 1932. I've only read 20 pages and have already highlighted three phrases. (E-book, 4%)
    • The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arunhati Roy. Another book club selection set in India. I confess to be dragging my feet on this one. (Audiobook, 7%)
    • The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich. Another book club selection (books always seem to arrive in batches from the library.) This is also the 2021 Pulitzer Prize winner. (Audiobook, 0%)
  • Challenges -- I made progress on every challenge this past month.



Advice to pet owners on the 4th of July: (Follow link to article at Spectrum News 1):

  • Keep pets inside and create a safe place for them (next to you, under the bed, in a crate.)
  • When they must go outside, use a leash.
  • Keep fireworks away from all pets.
  • Make sure pet's ID is up-to-date.
  • If pet does run away, start looking for it right away.
  • Be observant and proactive. Don't let the pet's fears go from bad to worse. Help your pet out by being as soothing as possible.


We, too, tried to entertain our grandsons in a kiddy pool in our backyard during recent heat wave. "The fun" lasted less than 15 minutes. Ha!

Lucky for us, too, since I didn't go grocery shopping yesterday. We will be having pasta for dinner.

To my International friends, have a good day, which just happens to be July 4th.

-Anne

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