Sunday Salon---July 2021

The joy of summer. Ian and his cousin, Wayde, running through the blueberry field.

Weather: Sunny and warm; perfect summer weather.

Rita and her boys during today's worship service outside. Can you see Jamie peeking over the side of the wagon?

In-person church: Finally. Finally. We gathered today for the first time for in-person worship service since the COVID-19 lockdown last March. When our state ended restrictions the end of June, we weren't nimble enough to start having in-person services quite yet. Today we worshiped outside, without masks. We even sang. Oh how lovely to worship together again.

More summer fun. Don and Ian preparing for a topless drive.

Grocery shopping and dining out: Today I went grocery shopping without wearing a mask. I almost felt naked. In the last two weeks we've eaten out two times. Nothing fancy-- burgers and pizza -- but we were out in public without a fear of our fellow diners.

Jamie playing peek-a-boo with his auntie.

Carly home: Our youngest daughter flew home  from San Fran this week to attend a friend's wedding. Ah, we miss having her around all the time. She did miss her boys (cats) but I know she was delighted to spend time with her nephews again.

New (old) me: I've had it with grey roots and constantly dying my hair brown to make people think I'm younger than I am. This week I took the first step toward going natural. What do you think? Not sure if you can tell from the photo but the grey highlights are on purpose.

All things bookish:

• Books completed since my last Sunday Salon (click on titles to open reviews):
• The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy---a complicated story but I felt like I was on a trip to India. I ended up really enjoying the experience. (Print and audio.)
  
• This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger---set in the 1930s, it is a remake of the Odyssey story with Great Depression themes. Clever. (E-book and audio.)
  
• Christmas Day in the Morning by Pearl S. Buck---I requested this children's book from the library last November. Not sure what took them so long but I decided to read it in July for fear I'd have to wait another seven months to get it. (Print.)
  
• Currently reading
•  The Cold Millions by Jess Walter. A book club selection. Set in the early 1900s. Audio. 5% complete.
• The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris. Based on the experiences of a real person, a Jewish man, who was forced to tattoo prisoners arriving in Auschwitz. Another book club selection. Print. 5% complete.
• Stitches: A Handbook On Hope, Healing, and Repair by Anne Lamott. I've had this book on my night stand for over a year. Print. 22% complete.
  
• Classics Club Spin: It is time for another classics club spin book. I made a very generic list this time around with a lot of "something by [different author]". The spin landed on Willa Cather. So I hope to read Death Comes for the Archbishop. We'll see if I can find a copy of it somewhere.
  
• Upcoming book clubs this week:
• Tuesday, SOTH Club; my house; I'm the hostess and the discussion leader for The Ministry of Utmost Happiness. I predict few members will have completed the book. Should be a challenging discussion.
• Wednesday, RHS gals club; my house; I'm the discussion leader for this meeting, too, where we will discuss This Tender Land. I think the gals will like, not love, the book but we will have a decent discussion.
  

Vaccine hesitant? Think about the value of vaccines in the quality of our lives. Think about the elimination of smallpox and polio. Think about all those childhood illnesses that no longer are a threat to children: rubella, measles, diphtheria, mumps. Think about others who are immuno-suppressed and can't get the vaccine. Help protect them. Think of this as a 'all-for-one and one-for-all' project. Scared? Ask a friend to go with you and hold your hand. We are counting on you. All of us are in this together. Just do it! On a related note, we just learned that our neighbor has been in the hospital since April with COVID. Since April! It sounds like he is finally on the mend but no one, absolutely no one, wants to be in the hospital for three months for any reason, least of all COVID related complications.

Squirrel nest down: On Wednesday we looked out to see a huge blob of leaves under a tree in our yard. It seemed odd since it isn't autumn and it wasn't windy. On closer inspection we realized that we were looking at a squirrel nest. A friend told us that squirrels knock their nests out of trees when they are finished with them. So don't worry, our furry friends did it on purpose.

A few items to tickle your funny-bone:

This is so clever. I keep looking at it and can't get over how clever these photos are.

Ha. Ha. Anyone who walks a dog knows this one is actually true.

Do you think those folks who keep insisting on flying the Confederate flag will understand this?

And cat owners will agree that this is a likely outcome if their cat were in the operating room.

Ouch.

-Anne