Shelley Starts Again in 2024 - chapter two

I'm Shelley, retired primary special education teacher. Mum to 2 rescue boys who are finally settling in and now own the place: (Hurricane) Theo and (my very) Owen. They will grace my threads from time to time because, well, just because!

My reading plans for this year, such as they are, is to read more off my own shelves in order to get them moving, as well as to read more Canadian authors. I seem to say this every year but, I meant it this time (I seem to say THAT every year, too!;-)

As some of you may know, my mum passed away 2 weeks ago after a long and rough battle with cancer, dementia, among many other health issues. She was 90, and faced it all with grace and good humour. I suppose it helped (in a weird way) that her dementia helped keep her from actually being very aware of what she was going through. Ignorance is bliss, in a warped sort of way. She is at peace now, finally.

She was also an artist and when I first moved her to assisted living, and was emptying her condo of her things and files, I found a bag of greeting cards she had made many years ago from one of her paintings. I kept them but never did much with them. I decided to use them as thank you notes to people who reached out to offer condolences, especially the surprising many from my childhood; friends and former neighbours. Marianne suggested posting the painting so here it is:

Weather has been nothing short of nuts around here (and I expect, in many other places too). Major snow last Friday, enough to require shoveling. Practically spring today.

So, from last week, junco and cardinal in a snowstorm:



Then, from today, goldfinches (the males in spring garb!):



I still can't stand that my pics are so fuzzy. On my phone (camera) they are sharp and clear. I try to crop them before uploading but that seems to do nothing to fix my problem. I may have to relearn how to use my actual digital camera, which I have barely touched since getting a phone with a camera.
Whatever....

Apart from sleeping an awful lot since getting home from Montreal, I have actually begun reading again. I finished The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter by Hazel Gaynor, which I think I mentioned (if not reviewed) on my last thread. I like Gaynor's writing: historical fiction, always based on true, relatively unknown events and people.

I am also still reading These Precious Days by Ann Patchett. It is a library book and I recently renewed this and 2 others I have at home that I did not bring to Mtl with me. I am hoping to finish this one by the weekend and make some headway on the other 2.

I have totally fallen off the threads over the last couple of weeks so I am going to draw a line in the sand and start fresh. I will try to get back to the threads more regularly going forward from here.

I have been playing wordle just haven't been posting.

How dare I forget The Boys!?

Shadow cats:

And one more, of course:

Happy new thread!

Thanks, Jim!

>1 jessibud2: That is both a lovely tribute to your mum, Shelley and a very impressive piece of art.

Your mum is looking down with pride upon a daughter who took care of her with love and devotion to the very end.

Happy new thread. x

Happy new thread, Shelley. What a vibrant painting in >2 jessibud2:!

>2 jessibud2: Oh wow! Absolutely gorgeous.

>7 jessibud2: Awww. Buddies for life. How cute :)

Happy new thread

Happy New Thread!

Since I lost track of your last thread completely, I am checking in early on this one in the hopes that I can keep up.

Have a wonderful Wednesday, Shelley. I love the pictures of the boys!

Thanks, Paul, Kathy, Anita, Lily, Stasia. My boys have been amazing and a real comfort to me. It never ceases to amaze me how intuitive animals are to our feelings and emotions. I knew that, of course, from having lived with animals (my many cats over the years and the dog I grew up with) but it's still a wonder to me, every time.

Your so welcome Shelley. (p.s. Im supposed to be in class but my sibs & parent haven't woken up and i tried to wake them up)

Wordle 1,012 6/6 - Sheesh. meaty, trick, stout, stuff, studs, stung

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>17 jessibud2: Took me six also! I used your guess 4 word, too! Not the most fun Wordling, that’s for sure.

Happy Wednesday!

Karen O

Thank you, Shelley, for that comforting, beautiful Museum Quality Painting!

Happy Wednesday, Shelley. Happy New Thread. I love your Mother's painting up there. Thanks for sharing. I also love the feeder shots. I NEED to get thistle for my finch feeder. I am way overdue.

Happy new thread, Shelley. Your mom's painting is lovely. The weather is bonkers here as well. On Monday, I was wearing a parka carrying an umbrella! Still, we need all the rain/snow moisture we can get.

Hi Shelley my dear, Happy New Thread dear friend.

>18 klobrien2: - I think many people took 6 guesses today for wordle, Karen. Strange, isn't it?

>19 m.belljackson: - Thank you, Marianne. I am going to post one more by her. My taste and style in general, isn't the style she painted, but there are a few I really liked.

>20 msf59:, >21 BLBera:, >22 johnsimpson: - Thanks, Mark, Beth, John.

My taste in style of painting has always run more toward realistic, almost photographic style, which is not at all the way my mum painted. But hers evolved over many years and very early on, when I still lived at home, she painted one in particular that I really loved. I have always had a soft spot for paintings (and photos) that make me feel I could walk right into them. This one hung in our house for many years but she promised me it would be mine one day and it is. It hangs above my computer table so I see it every day.

>24 jessibud2: That is lovely, Shelley. I can see why you'd want to have it in view constantly.

Thank you, Paul. I do have one other of hers on my wall in the living room but this one will always be my favourite.

>24 jessibud2: Wow.

>2 jessibud2: That is a gorgeous painting, Shelley. Your mum sounds like she was a wonderful person and what a lovely tribute to her. Another gorgeous painting at 24 and I can understand you have hung it where you can see it every day. Your boys are beautiful!

Shelley, I am sorry for your loss. I know you spent so very many hours traveling to see her, meeting with the resources when you felt she was not receiving the care she deserved, and mainly simply loving her in the best way possible -- by caring and being there. You did an amazing feat. Now, please allow yourself time to rest.

>24 jessibud2: Love it Shelley. Although very different, it still reminds me a bit of Andrew Wyeth.

Sleep is good for you, you need to allow yourself emotional as well as physical recovery time Shelley.

>24 jessibud2: I love the painting.

Thank you, Linda, Deb, Linda, Caroline, Beth.

I am still sleeping more than I usually do but I am slowly starting to get back to doing things I used to do before I had to stop making plans for anything that had a future date, in case I had to leave. I have done a few webinars (one more in about an hour), and I even signed up for a few films in an upcoming film festival.

Caroline, interesting that you say that. My mum introduced me to Wyeth (I discovered his 2 other artist relatives on my own), and I know she was influenced by other artists such as Mary Cassatt and others.

Well, better than my 6 of yesterday but still, a very guessy-guessy time of it today. Pure luck that I got it at all.

Wordle 1,013 4/6 ocean, dream, wheat, speak

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>24 jessibud2: Another inviting and loving painting to draw people in - thank you for sharing a friendly winter scene!

>24 jessibud2: The perspective reminded me of this painting, which I cannot identify definitively.


I uploaded this from somewhere years ago, to a folder on my desktop that I used for a slideshow screensaver. The caption that came with it attributed it to Annie Dillard and called it "Christ in the Desert Monastery". A full hour of internet searching this morning failed to find the image on-line; it doesn't strike me as Dillard's style, and I couldn't even find a picture of that monastery with a view remotely like this. So who knows.

>35 laytonwoman3rd: - Yes, Linda, I love that perspective of depth, that feels like you could step into it and walk right through it. Sadly, I didn't inherit a single cell of my mum's talent to paint or draw. If I had, I suspect this might have been a style I would have been drawn to (no pun intended).

>24 jessibud2: I do not blame you for hanging it over computer table where you will see it all the time. It looks lovely.

I watched a webinar book talk this morning, about author Nuala O'Faolain and her memoir, Are You Somebody? I have read one book by her, many years ago, but it wasn't this one. The talk interested me anyhow. The presenter was excellent and she played clips of interviews with the author from both tv and radio, during her career. I am now going to seek out the book. I learned a lot too, such as the many many changes in Ireland since O'Faolain's death in 2008. One comment someone made really struck a chord: as Ireland seemed to move forward over the years in regards to women's rights, places like the US and other countries who are leaning sharply *right*, are seeming to move backwards. A sad commentary on humanity, in general, it seems...

>38 jessibud2: I read the O'Faolain memoir years ago, and was a bit unmoved by it. I think it was very timely, and probably spoke to Irish women, particularly, of the time and place, but it didn't work for me.

>39 laytonwoman3rd: - Interesting, I just looked at the LT reviews and I think only one was remotely positive. Yet, during this talk I listened to, they did say she named-dropped a lot and I suppose that unless you were familiar with the Irish people she spoke about, that part would have meant nothing. Still, I think now that I have this background into her early life and the times she grew up in, I may get more out of it than others who read it cold, with no background insights. I will give it a try. I have no hesitation abandoning books that don't work for me, thank goodness!

>39 laytonwoman3rd:, >40 jessibud2: I read her memoir in 2005, and it was the name-dropping that did me in (just 2 stars). She also had some stream-of-consciousness writing that didn't work for me. I have a note that the portions about literary life in 1950s-60s Dublin was interesting, though. But you may find more to appreciate since you listened to the talk.

deleted by me. I repeated myself from a previous post. I am not concentrating. Time to shut down and go read for a bit, I guess!

Shelley-- Sorry to hear about your Mum passing. Thank you for all the concern and care you are sharing on my thread. Not an easy time. Love your Mum's artwork and how nice to have that as a reminder of her. : )

>43 Berly: - Thanks, Kim. Keeping you close in my thoughts as you travel this road.

Well, this went fast!

Wordle 1,014 2/6 meaty, realm

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Your mother was a talented artist- lovely paintings!

Happy new thread, Shelley. Love the pictures of your mum's art. Nice that you have hung them in view. I still have the pictures from my dad's and mum's art endeavours to hang up but through one thing and another they haven't made it onto my walls.

I'm thinking of you today!

Thank you, Cyrel, Meg, Linda.

World Nature Photography Award winners:

https://www.cnn.com/travel/world-nature-photography-awards-c2e-spc/index.html?ut...

Wordle 1,015 4/6 ocean, crows, cover, force

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Wordle 1,016 4/6 ocean, patio, sabot, taboo
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Belated happy new thread, Shelley!

Thank you for sharing your mothers paintings, she was a gifted artist.
Smiled at the shadow picture of the cats, perfect composition! :-)

>52 FAMeulstee: - Thanks, Anita. That Shadow Cats photo is a favourite of mine. It was an unexpected and delightful moment. They do love their sunbeams and I happened to be in the right place at the right time!

Wordle 1,017 5/6 meaty, pious, clock, wrong, frond Odd pattern, there... Thought for sure I was going to bomb.

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Wordle 1,018 5/6 ocean, ember, rhime, femur, serum

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Checking in on you, Shelley. I hope you are doing OK.

Thanks, Stasia. I just this minute left a note on your thread!

I am trying to keep busy now that I have the gift of time back. For the last several years, and especially, the last months, I was unable to really make plans at all in case I would need to go back to Mtl (as I often did) but I am trying to make up for that now.

>56 jessibud2: The gift of time is so precious Shelley. Enjoy wallowing in it and making plans, but don't feel you have to fill every minute. Rest and recuperation are good uses of time too.

>57 Caroline_McElwee: - Thanks, Caroline. Last evening I went to a talk at the local Botanical Gardens, all about hellebores, one of my favourite plants. I have 4 different ones in my own tiny space. The woman who gave the talk (with slide show pics of her own garden!), also invites the public to come visit her gardens at her home. I intend to do just that! I also learned quite a bit that I hadn't known about this hardy plant. The Botanical Garden is only a 10 to 15 minute drive from my house so I didn't mind at all going out to drive at night in the rain. I usually don't drive at night unless I have somewhere specific to go because my night vision isn't the greatest. Anyhow, it was a great outing.

Today, I am going with a friend to something called a British *High Tea*, sponsored through our retired teacher's group. It was a tad pricey but we decided we're worth it and it sounded lovely. It's at a Tea Room. I shall report back later how it was. It's a rainy cold day here this morning but we have decided to dress up and pretend we are in England, and have ourselves an elegant time! :-)

I have nothing booked tomorrow and only one film on Friday.

Wordle 1,019 3/6 meaty, track, plait

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" we have decided to dress up and pretend we are in England, and have ourselves an elegant time! " I love it! Enjoy.

>60 laytonwoman3rd: - It is cold and raining cats and dogs here today, Linda, so very British weather indeed! ;-)

Oh, Yes. -High Tea! Let me know the name of the establishment.I hope that it is wonderrful. My friends at the pottery studio told me about a nice High Tea at a new distillery in the Leslieville area . It is only open for High Tea on Sundays, however.

This one is in Thornhill, Cyrel. Inside a mall, rather difficult to find if you don't know where to look but it should be nice. It's called the *After Queen Tea Shop*. I will report back later.

Wordle 1,020 3/6 ocean, which, climb

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I'm ticked at the NYT. Starting today you have to have an account to see your Wordle stats. At least I can still play, however badly.

>56 jessibud2: As I get older, I appreciate more and more how precious time is! I am glad you are keeping busy.

>65 kac522: - I did not know that, Kathy. I recently cancelled my online subscription to The Atlantic but so far, have kept the NYT (online only). There is only so much news I can consume and I need to cut back, really.

>66 alcottacre: - I am trying, Stasia. I am a loner by nature, not always comfortable with too much *peopling* but I know I need to rebalance. Trying to ease my way back...

I just finished Ann Patchett's These Precious Days, a collection of essays. I really liked them a lot. Some were short, some longer, a few quite long. Some overlap, most stand-alone. I felt drawn in by almost every single one of them. I should probably try some of her fiction. In my little journal books where I log titles I've read over the years, I see I read Patron Saint of Liars many years ago. I have absolutely no memory of it at all but I am guessing I wasn't all that keen because I have not attempted any other title by her since. Until this one. Time to recalibrate...

>68 jessibud2: If I remember correctly, I read about 20 pages of Patron Saint of Liars and then threw in the towel, although I don't remember why. I did enjoy Bel Canto, but I haven't tried anything else by her. I recently picked up Tom Lake at a library sale, and hope to get to it this year. I think it features Thornton Wilder's Our Town, which is one of my favorite plays.

I would bet Patchett's essays are good, just by the sheer fact of being a bookstore owner. It's sort of the way I feel about Margaret Atwood. I think her essays and non-fiction (lately) are better than her fiction, although I liked a few of her very early novels.

>69 kac522: - Well, I would highly recommend These Precious Days, Kathy. Some of the essays were poignant, some amusing, some laugh-out-loud funny, and everything in between.

I am one of the few, I suspect, who is not an Atwood fan. I was turned off, in fact, by a couple of her early novels and never bothered going back. I may attempt her essays at some point, though. I also cannot listen to her voice at all. Monotone, drone-like. Oh well. She certainly is smart and prolific, that's for sure.

Wordle 1,021 5/6 meaty, trick, griot, print, wrist

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Loved today's Canuckle, even if it took me 5:

Canuckle 692 5/6

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>72 kac522: - I have forgotten about Canuckle, Kathy. Since getting home from Mtl the last time, I have only kept up with wordle. Hopefully soon, I will add back Canuckle and Connections. My brain just hasn't been up to it.

I went to see a documentary film today, https://hotdocs.ca/whats-on/films/you-can-call-me-bill. A sort of one-man retrospective and discussion about life, by William Shatner. I loved it. Next week, I am going to see https://hotdocs.ca/whats-on/films/remembering-gene-wilder. Can't wait.

On the subway downtown, I started a novel I bought on my last trip to Montreal, at my other favourite bookstore, Bibliophile. It's relatively new (published 2021) and is called The Lost notebook of Edouard Manet by Maureen Gibbon. So far so good. I like historical fiction, especially about art and artists.

>70 jessibud2: Yeah, not an Atwood fan either. Part of that, I suspect, is all the nonCanadians wanting to laud our National treasure, meh!

How was the high tea, Shelley? I love those and have gone to several in different places like The Empress in Victoria.

>74 Familyhistorian: I read some older essays (1990s?) by Atwood in which she feels conflicted about that very aspect. She gets tired of being asked on talk shows, books reviews, interviews, etc. about being THE woman writer and THE Canadian writer and THE Canadian-woman-writer. She was constantly asked to review new books by Canadian and women writers (good and bad), and felt that, on the one hand, she wanted to promote them as much as possible, and on the other, her tremendous responsibility of "representing" (if that's even possible) all Canadian women writers.

>73 jessibud2: Today's Canuckle: raise, tread, peach, angel, annex

I thought of you with today's word, because it was specifically about Toronto: The Annex is a neighbourhood in downtown Toronto, Ontario. One of Toronto's oldest neighbourhoods, the Annex's Old World feel will transport you back in time. The Annex is so called because it was one of the first districts north of Toronto as it existed in the mid-19th century to be added ("annexed") to the city. The neighbourhood includes the stunning University of Toronto campus and a modern mix of trendy eats, art galleries and one-of-a-kind shops.

>74 Familyhistorian: - High Tea was really nice, Meg. The place is very tiny and packed to the rafters with *stuff*. I suspect anyone with even a bit of claustrophobia might not have enjoyed it. I took some photos and will try to get them posted over the weekend. The tea and the food were lovely. The only other High Tea I ever had was in Victoria, BC, at the Empress! I was 18 or 19 at the time and was with 2 friends. It was fun!

Kathy, The Annex is now part of what I consider pretty much downtown. I live in North Toronto and it's way south of me. I was down there just this afternoon to see a movie. Lovely old area. Have you ever been to Toronto?

Ok, I will jump back on the bandwagon for Canuckle tomorrow! ;-)

Also not an Atwood Fan, Shelley. I've only read her book The Handmaiden's Tale. I wasn't thrilled. Maybe if I tried some of her other books. Many people are very keen on her though. I really enjoyed The Patron Saint of Liars, but I didn't care for The Dutch House, so I guess she is hit and miss for me.

>77 jessibud2: From the description, the Annex sounds so interesting for a little day trip. I've never been to Toronto. In fact, I've only been to Canada once, on a car trip around Lake Superior over 40 years ago. It was a lovely trip, but the biggest Canadian city we passed through was Thunder Bay, and it's a pretty dim memory at this point.

Doing genealogical research I found that ancestors on my dad's side came from Ireland to Barrie, eventually moving to the Erie, PA. And my mom's father as a boy immigrated from England to Winnipeg and then to Chicago. But I've never been to any of those places myself.

Lessons learned. One of my heroes, Jane Goodall, turns 90 this month. I have read most of her books, and have seen her speak in person, 3 times. She is one of those people who has, with quiet strength, made a real difference not only in the world but in our understanding of ourselves. Here is a short interview with her that exemplifies this:

https://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2024/01/21/gps-0121-goodall-at-davos-on-conserv...

Wordle 1,022 4/6 ocean, lunch, pinch, finch

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Canuckle 693 4/6 meaty, trial, tonal, total

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🔥 streak: 1

www.canucklegame.ca

Fun Fact:
On April 8, 2024, a spectacular and rare celestial event is set to unfold over Canada, the United States and Mexico – a total solar eclipse. As the Moon aligns perfectly between Earth and the Sun, temporary darkness will sweep across parts of the country, captivating countless spectators. In Canada, the solar eclipse's path of totality will pass through some cities and towns in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland, plunging them into darkness for a few minutes. People outside the path of totality will be able to observe a partial solar eclipse, during which the Sun is not hidden in totality.

High tea sounds lovely.

I also loved These Precious Days and have also enjoyed fiction by Patchett. I thought Tom Lake was very good most recently.

>82 BLBera: I did buy Tom Lake not too long ago and hope to get to it soon. *Our Town* is an old favourite so I am hopeful.

Glad the high tea was good Shelley.

I saw an add for the Shatner docu, will look out for it.

I too have kept up with Jane Goodall's work. One of the three Lois Leaky primate ladies. Dian Fossey (Gorillas) and Birute Galdicas (Orangutans) being the others.

Atwood is a big favorite of mine, especially her earlier work. But it's so good that we all have different tastes!

Glad that you enjoyed your tea. Sounds fun!

>80 jessibud2: Thanks for the link. I am almost done reading Reason for Hope.

Hope your Sunday is a good one!

Some bad and careless inattention here today. Let's blame Theo, who was only trying to help while sitting on my lap...;-p. At least we didn't bomb.

Wordle 1,023 6/6 meaty, cairn, amiss, plaid, voile, voila

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Not a whole lot better in Canuckle:

Canuckle 694 6/6 ocean, quilt, lumpy, shuck. slurs, slugs

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www.canucklegame.ca

Fun Fact:

Doug and the Slugs are a Canadian pop music group formed in 1977 in Vancouver, British Columbia. They had an upbeat, Motown-influenced pop-rock sound and were known for their fine musicianship, lighthearted melodies and exuberant live shows. The band enjoyed a number of Canadian top 40 hits in the 1980s and had four gold-certified albums in Canada.

Wordle 1,024 4/6 meaty, where, freed, breed

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Today's Canuckle was harder than it probably should have been, given the explanation.

Canuckle 695 5/6 ocean, trail, harpy, auger, umbra

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🔥 streak: 3

www.canucklegame.ca

Fun Fact:

Happy Total Solar Eclipse Day! Today, Canada will experience its first total solar eclipse since 1979. Only during a total solar eclipse, when the Moon blocks all of the Sun, does a smaller, darker conical shadow called the umbra project onto Earth. The width of the umbra (the path of totality) and the penumbra (the partial eclipse zone) depend on the moon's distance from Earth during the eclipse. The path of the umbra for today's total solar eclipse will be about 185 kilometres wide. All of Canada will see at least a partial solar eclipse, but parts of Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada will experience totality.spoiler

Patchett and Atwood fan here! Also Wordle and Connections. I hardly ever seem to get the easiest grouping first, LOL. You high tea sounds like great fun and I love that you dressed up for it. : )

>89 Berly: - Well, *dressed up* is relative, isn't it? I meant, no sweats and t-shirt, lol.

Wordle 1,025 4/6 meaty, melon, merch, merge

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Bombed in Canuckle today though I came close:

Canuckle 696 X/6 tulip, ocean, creed, chewy, check, chefs

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Fun fact:

Medicine Hat, Alberta is home to the world's largest chess board! The chess set measures 5.89 metres on each side and the king pieces stand almost 4 feet tall. The board was entered in the record books in 2009, four years after its completion by the Medicine Hat Chess Club. You can find the chess set in a courtyard outside the Medicine Hat Public Library in the summer months.

Is there a *Constitution* for journalism? If there isn't, there ought to be. And this is why we need journalism more than ever. From today's AWAD (A Word A Day):

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
It's my duty to see that they get the truth; but that's not enough, I've got to put it before them briefly so that they will read it, clearly so that they will understand it, forcibly so that they will appreciate it, picturesquely so that they will remember it, and, above all, accurately so that they may be wisely guided by its light. -Joseph Pulitzer, newspaper publisher (10 Apr 1847-1911)

Wordle 1,026 4/6 ocean, roost, trout, broth

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Canuckle 697 5/6 party, theme, tours, twink, twill

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🔥 streak: 1

www.canucklegame.ca

Fun Fact:
Coast Salish peoples include a variety of First Nations living along the Northwest Pacific Coast in British Columbia. In traditional Coast Salish society, blankets held much importance. They were generally white twill-weave or twined featuring repeated geometric designs, and were thick and heavy. In addition to serving many practical functions, twill blankets were a primary medium of exchange and they held much spiritual significance.

Wordle 1,027 4/6 meaty, chide, broke, louse

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Oh, Shelley, I'm so sorry to see the news of your mom's passing. Rest her soul. Her paintings are beautiful. How lucky you are to have them. Sending hugs to you.

>7 jessibud2: Buddies! They are adorable.

Coincidently, I was just looking at my copy of Are You Somebody? a few weeks ago, and thinking I should read it (finally). It's not a book or an author you see mentioned very much.

Thank you, Joanne.

Re O'Faolain, she died some years ago and I don't actually know how many books she wrote. I read one book by her many years ago, My Dream of You and liked it a lot though I have no memory of it, lol (I know the title because it's in the little journal books I write such things in) but none since, including Are You Somebody. I still may seek it out at the library at some point. I currently have a few library books I need to get through before I go looking for others.

Well, this came out of nowhere!

Wordle 1,028 2/6 meaty, whiny

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>96 jessibud2: Wow! :D

>96 jessibud2: Excellent Wordle-ing!

Karen O

Great wordling, Shelley! Took me 4 tries.

Am in the process of doing my books read stats, Shelley and must confess I cannot figure out what books you have read.

Anyways have a lovely weekend, dear lady.

>97 SqueakyChu:, >98 klobrien2:, >99 vancouverdeb: - Fluke, pure fluke. But I'll take it! ;-)

>100 PaulCranswick: - Just skip me, Paul. I have hardly done any reading at all so far this year. Just 14 books so far in 2024. In fairness, my mind and energies have been elsewhere, as you know. I am hoping to make up some ground as the year progresses but so far, I am still dragging my feet, sleeping a lot and the going is very slow. With any luck, I may finish #15 this weekend.

I now return you to my regularly scheduled wordle, including careless inattention mistakes:

Wordle 1,029 5/6 meaty, enter, cheep, sleet, steel

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I now return you to my regularly scheduled wordle HA!

Connections, for a change, was easy-peasy today for me:

Connections
Puzzle #307
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I have not got back to Connections and missed Canuckle altogether yesterday. Maybe today. Still chilly and rainy here today and I may just nap and read. Not that I lack in things to do, chores-wise, indoors but ...not in the mood.

I subscribe to the online newsletter The Marginalian which always filled with wonder and love of books, thoughts, words, illustrations. Today's edition is especially wonderful for those of us who love words, especially obscure words. Enjoy:

https://www.themarginalian.org/?mc_cid=0c41908236&mc_eid=97c8c4944f

(that group/image of the starlings, by the way, is called a *murmuration*)

Wordle 1,030 3/6 ocean, chimp, blimp

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I should have got this sooner:
Canuckle 701 6/6 meaty, apple, laser, lades, lakes, lanes

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Fun Fact:
Did you know that 5-pin bowling was invented in 1909 by Canadian Thomas F. Ryan in Toronto? Bowling alleys have a rich history in Canada. Hamilton's Skyway Bowl is home to City 10-pin - the oldest bowling league on the planet that has been rolling for over 120 years! Since opening in 1930, Commodore Lanes & Billiards in Vancouver is one of Canada's oldest surviving recreation centres. Steelheads and Strikes in Arnprior is the oldest, continually operating bowling alley in the country, with the original lanes dating back to the 1930 as well. If you can spare some time to play, go hit the lanes and give bowling a try...it may be right up your alley!

Anyone else watching the Billy Joel special on TV? His 100th performance at Madison Square Garden, I believe. He still sounds as good as always. I always loved his music.

Wordle 1,031 3/6 meaty, price, equip

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Whew!
Canuckle 702 6/6 meaty, truck, until, quoth, stout, spout

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Fun Fact:
The Spout Path is a challenging and rewarding hiking trail in Newfoundland that is part of the East Coast Trail. It features dramatic sea cliffs, sea stacks, a historic lighthouse and five waterfalls. The Spout Path is named for its most interesting feature, a wave-powered geyser that shoots a misty spray several metres into the air at regular intervals.

>107 jessibud2: I tried to watch the special last night, but here in MN they were showing Tracker…?. I’m going to go see if I can find it today. I’ve always loved Joel and his music!

Karen O

Wordle 1,032 5/6 meaty, chain, whamo, blank, shank

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Looks like I lost your thread for awhile, Shelly. Glad I found it again, though late to wish you a happy NEW thread. Hope you’re having s good week!

Hi Mary. Good to see you here!

We've had a few sunny warm days and I did something I ought to know better than to do at this early date. I went to the garden centre yesterday. And of course, when you (read: "I") go to the garden centre, you (I) do not leave empty-handed. Sort of like going to a bookstore...

I thought I might be early for my faves, ranunculas, but I was surprised to learn I was nearly too late. I bought 4 of the very last ones they had, 2 large pots and 2 small pots. Also some lettuce plants and some seed packets.

Today is cooler and rainy. I am going to a seminar at the Botanical Gardens this evening, called *Plant This, Not That*. Hopefully, it will teach me something before I start digging....

My hellebores are all coming up! I have 4 and 2 are in full bloom, the other 2 in various stages of budding. Pictures to follow shortly.

I managed to finish another book last night. This one is a library book so it will go back later today. It's called My Father's Brain by Dr. Sandeep Jauhar and, no surprise, is about his father's descent into Alzheimer's. I started it awhile back and have renewed it twice because my reading slowed for awhile there to almost nothing.

As a physician (he is a cardiologist), he writes with honesty and candor. He combines the clinical/medical background to the disease that I found enlightening and informative; despite all the reading I have done since my mother was first diagnosed, I learned things that I did not know and I found some of those insights very helpful. But he also reveals his personal side and it isn't always comfortable to read. Jauhar is the middle of 3 siblings. His older brother is also a medical doctor who lives in NY as he does, near their father; their younger sister lives in another state. What I found uncomfortable (for me) to read was how impatient he often was with his father. I can understand it, certainly, but maybe naively, I thought that as a doctor, he would have more compassion and patience, knowing and understanding what was going on, medically. Yet, all that said, I was able to relate to a lot of what he went through even though his father's situation was very different from my own mother's.

I learned, for example that: "Alzheimer's is often divided into 7 stages...stage 3 - mild decline. Stage 5 - moderate to severe dementia. Help required with most ADL(activities of daily living). Stage 6 - needs constant supervision. Stage 7 - final stages of disease. Loses ability to respond to environment, loses ability to swallow. "In the final stages, all dementias look alike. The whole brain is affected. Patients generally can't speak"

- The final sequence of end-stage disabilities seems to reverse the order of a young child's first developmental milestones, as one would expect with the progressive erasure of the most fundamental networks in the brain. In David Shenk's book, The Forgetting, he says, "Alzheimer's unravels the brain almost exactly in the reverse order as it develops from birth."

The quote from the book that perhaps resonated the most for me was this. Something I think no one wants to openly admit but I would be willing to bet everyone who has gone through this with a close family member has thought, at one time or another:

"For the first time in months, it occurred to me that he wasn't unhappy. Because his decline had become so difficult to witness, I had hoped in my darkest moments that fall that he would die. But perhaps I was suffering over his condition more than he was. His world had shrunk, but so too had his desires, his perspective, his expectations of what constituted a worthwhile existence. Who was I to say how he should feel about his limited life? As long as he knew me and the people who loved him, perhaps that was all that mattered."

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I actually have a pile of books on my bookshelf that are all related to dementia, grieving, dealing with what we all deal with as we travel this endless journey with a loved one. This was the last of the library books; the rest are all ones I own. Do I want to continue reading them now that I am more or less finished this journey? I don't know. I do, and I don't. I do want to learn as much as I can because, a) I like learning things I don't know, and b) I have seriously begun to think of my own future and what implications all this knowledge might have for myself. It has changed everything for me, and how I plan my own next steps. No one in my family has had dementia before so heredity has nothing to do with it. The demographic is growing and the chances of developing some sort of dementia are exploding. I don't have a Shelley to advocate for me or deal with everything I have had to deal with in caring for my mother. I need to do whatever I can while I can before I get anywhere close to that point. As my mother used to say, knowledge is power.

Yet, maybe I also need to give myself a break in my topics of reading. The urgency has diminished, true, but still.... we'll see. It's not like I lack for choice of books....

The ranunculas I purchased yesterday, 2 large (red and yellow) and 2 small (both red):



And, my beloved hellebores, in the shade garden. The dark beauty, it looks reddish with the sun backlighting but it's almost black and I love it:


This one is from the *Wedding party* series, I forget its actual name:


The last 2 are slower, just starting to bud and leaf out:

Beautiful plants! (I went to Costco and bought a rose bush and planted it yesterday.)

Wordle 1,033 4/6 meaty, trice, title, tithe

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Thanks, Cyrel. I have no luck with roses but my next door neighbour is mad about them and has some gorgeous ones! What colour is yours?

>113 jessibud2: Still so sad, Shelley - can you recommend titles of the Dementia books that really helped?

Those of us dealing with family and friends will appreciated this.

Joy with all our early blooming Hellebores!

>113 jessibud2: Powerful review, Shelly! Both the words that you quoted and your own words resonated so much with me. My mother suffered from dementia at the end of her life. I remember those symptoms and feelings very well.

I started out, after my husband’s death, with trying to use “grief reading” as a way to move through the grief (one can’t go around it!) I still seek out books on grief or memoirs of people who have lost loves. But what helps me more these days (1+ years on) are the bits and pieces I encounter out of nowhere, where I might not expect them. Music, especially, has wonderful surprises.

Online hugs to you, Shelly!

Karen O

P.s. I requested My Father’s Brain. Thanks!

>118 m.belljackson: - I will list a few, Marianne. I will admit that I haven't read them all right through, just dipped in and out as I could.

Travelers to Unimaginable Lands - read
My Parent's Keeper - read parts
My Mother, Your Mother - read parts

2 I own but have not yet read, but still want to:

With the End in Mind
Remember

>119 klobrien2: - One of the reviews (the last one) of the Jauhar book on LT (if you click on the title) is a very good and comprehensive review. Worth reading, Karen. I also find memoirs very good. Everyone is different and everyone reacts to and processes grief differently but I find it helpful to read about how other people go through hard times. I find it helps me put my own into some perspective.

Thank you - the only book we have is where memories go - why dementia changes everything - by Sally Magnusson.

Written in 2014, an update would be welcome to her compassionate approach
"to hold on to my witty, storytelling mother..."
...so many pages folded over!

My LT Review is from 2018.

>121 m.belljackson: - Thank you for that. I will see if my library has it. Another good one is another book by Lisa Genova, Still Alice. That one is fiction though the earlier one I mentioned, Remember, is not.

Well, considering I had 3 of the 5 letters right off the bat, this did not go well. Plus, my usual inattention mistake in guess #4. Whatever.

Wordle 1,034 5/6 ocean, peace, cater, lacey, facet

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>113 jessibud2: A pause in that reading perhaps Shelley.

>114 jessibud2: Just beautiful.

>114 jessibud2: These are lovely, Shelley.

>114 jessibud2: I love those dark hellebores, Shelley, a beautiful picture!

Gorgeous hellebores, Shelley! And beautiful pictures of them. I have yet to put in a gardening in at our place. We do have some lovely Tiger Lilies that will bloom, perhaps late May or early June . I need to get to the gardening centre. We have limited space since there is no " yard " area in front our townhouse. I guess there is a small green space, that has heather and azaleas. So we usually just get a hanging basket and some containers with flowers a little later in the year.

>127 vancouverdeb: - I am also in a townhouse, Deb, and my space is small, too. Over the years, I have slowly removed grass and expanded the front space with soil to plant flowers. In the back, even less space but again, I removed grass (nothing to mow, lol) and replaced it with soil and have managed to create a nice little garden on either side of my patio. But I also use hanging baskets or just annuals in pots to intersperse with the perennials so it always looks full. Very full. Perhaps, too full? ;-)

As long as there is colour, I am happy. Fragrant plants are a bonus, plus I buy tomatoes in summer, either already potted or small ones to plant. I think I will cut back and just do the one or maybe 2 potted ones this year. The soil here in the ground is very clay-like and hard to work with. I amend it by adding better soil and compost or fertilizer but physically, I am finding it harder as I age so am looking to figure out how to do less but not have to compromise with being happily surrounded by plants and flowers. We'll see how that goes!

Wordle 1,035 4/6 meaty, adage, share, raise

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Canuckle 706 4/6 maple, entry, steel, shelf

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The Scotian Shelf is a geological formation, part of the Continental shelf, located southwest of Nova Scotia, Canada. It covers an area of 120,000 square kilometres, is 700 kilometres long and has an average depth of 90 metres. The Scotian Shelf contains the ecologically important Scotian Shelf Large Marine Ecosystem (LME) and the Scotian Shelf Waters (SSW).

I really like the look of the ranunculas, Shelley, especially the yellow ones with the full flowers.

>130 Familyhistorian: - I have had to cover them all at night for about a week already, it's that cold here at night. We woke up to brilliant sunshine this morning but it's -1C. It looks like the chill should be gone for good by the weekend, though. About time, it's nearly May. And a squirrel chomped on one of the red ranunculas the other day, leaving me a stem and the petals scattered across the patio table top. Just can't win...

Wordle 1,041 3/6 meaty, pinto, intro

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I have been wordling just forgetting to post, lately. Streak (on the laptop) is now up to 41, my longest so far.

>114 jessibud2: What wonderful colours! Hope you kept them protected from the frost last night.

>132 figsfromthistle:- Hi Anita. I am hoping that tonight is the last of the nights of frost. Today's beautiful sun will give way to rain again but I'll tale it in exchange for warmer temps.

>131 jessibud2: Nice wordling, Shelley. I managed to do today's wordling in three as well.

For those who love words and nature and have read or seen the beautiful books The Lost Words and The Lost Spells by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris, there was a wonderful interview with Jackie Morris recently on postcrossing.com.

https://www.postcrossing.com/blog/2024/04/15/inside-a-butterfly-s-wing-jackie-mo...

>135 jessibud2: Thank you for posting that link, Shelley. I love Morris' artwork! It reminds me that I still have some of Robert McFarlane's books waiting for me to get to them. . .

I found the discussion on Atwood and Patchett interesting. I love Patchett's Bel Canto but nothing else she has written has quite achieved my love for that one (although Tom Lake comes close). I echo your praise of her essays. Atwood, on the other hand, has been very much hit-and-miss for me - more miss than hit.

Have a wonderful weekend!

I just pulled McFarlane's The Wild Places off the shelf yesterday. I loved The Lost Words so much.