flight paths discussion

can February really be fun?
Let's make it so!

Actually, looking at my new set of books for the coming week, I don't see too much fun there. I seem to be on a war roll:
Forty Autumns: A Family's Story of Courage and Survival on Both Sides of the Berlin Wall is memoir by Nina Willner documenting her mothers escape as a teenager

Once We Were Brothers by Ronald H. Balson is fiction with all the uncomfortable facts

and the sci fi which is supposed to be my fun read so far is all about war and its evils. Well what did I expect, having read the beginning of the series, Chaos Walking 2 In 1 Omnibus by Patrick Ness this one is
Monsters of Men

Even The Freedom to Be by A.H. Almaas focuses on the war we wage with ourselves.
At least I have some comfort in poetry as I am blown away by Dennis Lee Not everything he writes appeals-if I only encountered his riffs I would not have been so impressed but the title poem in Nightwatch is as good as it gets.

I now have holds on Holy Wild and on the third volume of the trilogy by Tsitsi Dangarembga and Im #7 for the body keeps the score

February is one the hardest months, especially for those with SAD. I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone else is into as we begin the ascent to spring.

maybe we should have another thread for all our music notes? with links!

resounding silence!!
does this months fun theme not resonate?
hope everyone is okay!!!

Good morning! We did a lot of visiting this weekend and had friends over for dinner on Saturday. Good times.

I also finished another carving: a hillbilly dude. He turned out better than I expected, so I'm quite pleased.

I've started 2 books this past week:
A Thread of Grace and the second of the USA Trilogy, 1919. I am enjoying both but have been pulled into 1919, so that's my main book this week.

Magdelanye, I hope you enjoy Holy Wild. I'm glad your library has it.
Years ago I worked with a woman who was divided from her family because of the divide that went up between East and West Germany. Her mother had sent her & her sister out of the city where they lived to buy food from a farm. They took the train for what was to be an overnight trip. Well, that was the night the divide went up and she and her sister couldn't go back home. They were on their own from their teen years because of this. They landed on the West side; the rest of their family were in the East side. The two groups barely saw each other again as those in the East weren't allowed to leave and getting visas/permission to travel into the East wasn't often given.
Once We Were Brothers is on my radar. I'll be looking for your thoughts when done, Magdelanye.
Fun Sci-Fi:
The Martian
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
Wool Omnibus (I want to continue with the rest of the trilogy soon)

Have you read Dune? It seems a bit polarizing but I really enjoyed the world building and the story.

The weather has been quite nice this week. I've been out for 2 runs already and haven't been rained on once. LOL. Today is iffy. I don't think the snow will stick (it's too wet) but the weather forecast is still saying we'll get a lot of snow by tonight. Time will tell.

Tai Chi today. A morning class and an evening class. I can't say I'm enthused about it right now but once I get started things will be good. :D

yes its snowing here and piling up. Hope you dont have too much trouble getting to your classes Petra. Im glad i went to the village yesterday and should be ok up here for a while.
Have you discovered Patrick Ness yet?
I have Wool at hand to read after i get through Monsters of Men. And have you read Mieville yet? I have almost the entire Heinlein oeuvre in storage.
Writing this on the fone so keeping it brief.

oh yes of course ive read Dune.
Im one of those who love Dune but not the sequels. Loved the movie too..

It's more rain here than snow at the moment, although it is slowly turning to more snow. Getting to the morning class was fine; the jury is out about tonight's class.

I had to look up Patrick Ness and, no, I haven't read any of his books.

I got as far as Children of Dune (or maybe the one after that), then gave up. Great concept; poor writing (if I recall.....it's been years). I did like the story arc of the "big picture" of what Leo was doing. Sometimes I think of going back to read/reread the sequels and find out how the story ends.

I have read Mieville's Embassytown and really enjoyed it. I have a bunch of others on my ereader, too, that I'm looking forward to reading. Of those you've read, which are your favorites?

I'm going to nestle down this afternoon with reading and (maybe) some carving. A steaming cup of tea is also on the agenda.

Happy February!!

Sounds like you both have a lot going on! Our family has been running on all cylinders lately and I'm getting a bit run down, so it's time to curtail some of our activities.

@Petra that sounds like the perfect afternoon!

I'm currently reading The Innocents. It's a beautifully written put but the last 2/3rd of it are becoming quite disturbing. Eek.

On deck I have 2 Canada Reads contenders Small Game Hunting at the Local Coward Gun Club and We Have Always Been Here: A Queer Muslim Memoir and I also have Chop Suey Nation: The Legion Cafe and Other Stories from Canada’s Chinese Restaurants. I'm looking forward to reading them all, although it's been noted to me that Small Game Hunting takes a while to get into.

The only Mieville book I've ready is Perdido Street Station. It was for the Steam Punk theme of my book club at the time. I would never have picked it up but absolutely loved it.

Yes to Perdido Street Station. That and the Scar are my favorites. some of them i had to really struggle to get into they are all so different but there is always a Eureka moment when it all falls into place.
I have heard various reactions to small game hunting. Be interested in your opinion Megan. I'm #7 in line for it at the library. I have Radicalized ready for pickup if i can get there. The snow has been falling fast and fluffy so I hope i can make it before the time limit.
I have yet to read the sparrow...long on my tbr. I do hate having to read a library book when i have my own beautiful copy.

Just finished Once we were Brothers.
The writing is a bit pedestrian but it serves the story well and in the end it was very moving. Im still sniveling

Hi all!

I read Perdido Street Station and loved it. I've heard of Ness but have never read any of his work. For a while, I was reading a lot of Steampunk but I think that that was my favorite.

So far, February has not been pleasant for me. Politically of course it's been a disaster and I'm taking it personally. Also, my (hopefully in- the-near-future ex-) husband and I had a clash (about taxes--we never talk otherwise). So I've kind of gone underground.

I'm having trouble concentrating on reading but I continue to make progress with Little Dorrit--it's good to leave our century and my country for a while but 19th century England was no joke. Sadly, many of Dickens' critiques are still relevant.

I've also started Beloved which is very interesting so far (I hesitate to use the word "enjoying" for what looks to be a painful story).

Magdelanye, you wrote something about my being a SF reader. I don't think of that as one of my favorite genres but upon thinking of it, I realized that I have had many favorite reads that were SF.

I read Dune and loved it but did not like what I read of the sequels (to be fair, I didn't finish any of them).

I always love to hear what you all are reading!

Magdelanye wrote: "Actually, looking at my new set of books for the coming week, I don't see too much fun there. I seem to be on a war roll:
[book:Forty Autumns: A Family's Story of Courage and Survival on Both Sides..."

I loved The Body Keeps the Score. Somewhat disturbing (at least to me) but fascinating and ultimately quite hopeful.

Sorry you are having issues with your old husband Ellie. It can be so draining. I won't go into a rant here regarding how awful they are because Petra and Megan seem to have lovely ones.
Right now I'm listening to Florence Price who, I have just been informed, pursued a musical career in the 30s after her divorce made it necessary to work to support her two daughters.

Beloved is actually my favourite TM.
Just beginning A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum a Palestinian woman living in America. Not sure where it is going but part of it is set in Brooklyn.

Hope you made it to your class last night Petra.
I am missing chi gong and am considering trying out the closest thing in town that I can get to which is chair yoga. Which doesn't thrill me somehow. Today I'm going to see if I can get out a bit as rain that cleared a lot of the snow has stopped for now.

May everyone keep well.

It's a drizzly, icy day here today, so I'm staying home. I did get to the library this morning but that's the extent of my travels.

I never wanted to get married, so it's rather surprising that I am. My parents had a difficult marriage and somewhere along the line I decided I didn't want a man deciding my life for me, so I didn't want to marry. Yet, when I met my husband, I knew within a week that I would marry him if things worked out. I don't know how I knew and he lived half way across the world, so I didn't think things would work out but I knew I'd marry him if it came to that. Funny (as in strange), don't you think?
Anyway, I haven't ever looked back and we make a good pair. He is one of a kind, though......as am I. He doesn't decide anything about my life; we always discuss things and come to an agreeable decision and move forward to the agreed plan. I think that has made all the difference but I'm not sure.

Sounds like Perdido Street Station should be my next Mieville read.

I did go to tai chi class last night and it was a good session. Magdelanye, we sometimes do chi gong exercises as well. The instructor likes to occasionally mix them into our warm up routine. I like them but we do them so seldom that I don't know them well.
Hmmm....I'm not sure if chair yoga would interest me either. However, it may be different than it sounds so may be worth checking out. Will the facility allow you to sit in for a session to see if it's a good fit for you?

Had trouble getting a carving pattern enlarged today. Went to Staples. The booklet states "enlarge by 120%". The lady wouldn't do it because of copyright issues. I understand and agree with copyrights but if the book states "enlarge the pattern", doesn't that imply that a photocopy to enlarge is allowed?! I think the two go hand in hand but the lady refused to do it. So I did it myself at a "serve yourself" copier.
So I'm now ready to start a rather large carving (10" tall). It'll be my tallest one yet. I won't start it right away because I don't have a piece of wood large enough but I'll start it relatively soon.

Keep warm everyone!

It's still too dark to see whats going on out there but it is still, a good sign, for I'm hoping that the reading room will be open today to return books. I will be testing my discipline not to take out any more from there as I have books waiting at the library in town and a seductive pile in my overflowing library box.

Petra, what kind of wood do you use for your carvings? Where do you usually source it>
I live in the woods, remember, though everything is very wet at the moment.:-) There is lovely arbutus growing all along the road, and of course plenty of driftwood by the ocean.

So interesting to hear how romance trumped (excuse me, I guess thats now a dirty word) your resolution not to marry Petra. Much more to tell I am sure.

It's interesting that after the brief mention of chair yoga between us that today I am given an ad about it. Have you seen it? A rather glam woman in what appears to be a ballet outfit with a long flowing skirt lifting her leg high while holding the back of the chair. I almost clicked on it! But I will do my own research.

Reading A Woman Is No Man and even I who basically am in agreement with her POV am getting tired of the constant repetition of the basic facts, Yes, the system is not fair to women, even over here. Even when confronted with new evidence it is not such a surprise. I hope it will pick up.

Then there is the book of essays that I am considering. In Praise of Messy Lives: Essays by Katie Roiphe. The extensive publicity around her that I found when I investigated indicates that I, as one who abstains from television and news commentary and especially twitter etc I may be very late to her party. And I'm not sure what to think of her. I started out open, and was somewhat excited to discover she is the daughter of Anne Roiphe who I spent a long time reading Generation Without Memory: A Jewish Journey in Christian America. I love her picture as the most unlikely looking university professor, but is she just a professional brat?

Megan you might find Pema Chodron helpful. Forgive me if Ive already mentioned this. This morning I watched the third in her mini series/ Its a delight to behold her.
https://www.theawakenetwork.com/pema-...
Namaste!

@Ellie, I'm sorry you're having issues with your husband. Interpersonal relationships are so stressful. I hope you find peace and happiness in short order!

@Petra, that's such a lovely story about you and your husband.

My husband is an amazing guy. He has grown so much in the last 10 years I've know him. We're not perfect and there are definitely hard days, but we are two very sensitive people on a journey together and we're committed to making our relationship grow.
I don't think being married is for everyone that's for sure, there are so many ways to live life, it isn't necessary to be a square peg in a round hole.

I did chair yoga at a work lunch seminar. It was pretty good, not a great workout but a decent stretch. I'm trying to get back into qigong, which I really enjoy. My husband and I are also doing Yoga with Adirenne's 30 day yoga challenge in the evenings. It's free on youtube.

Magdelanye, you must get up early. It's a peaceful time when the world is still dark and we can reflect on our upcoming days alone and in quiet.

Marriage does mean a lot of discussion and agreements to agree to. Sometimes it's difficult when both sides have opposite views.
(LOL at the trumped joke)

Mostly I use basswood for carving. Amazon and Lee Valley have small pre-cut pieces that are pricey but handy and all I knew about when I started. I've recently found out about 2 other suppliers in my neighbourhood where I can buy larger pieces for a really good price but I need to have a bandsaw to cut them down to size.
I also carve on cottonwood bark and am always on the lookout for pieces when I walk along the river. Cottonwood bark washes up as driftwood quite often, although I haven't found any yet.
These are the two woods I use consistently, mostly basswood.

Pine is good, too. I've used it once. It's surprisingly difficult to find in the stores.
The instructor of the carving group occasionally brings in small wood pieces for projects he is instructing on and these have led me to try teak, tiger maple and a dark wood (black walnut?). These are all rather hard woods to be carving and work well only for small pieces.

My sleep patterns are idiosyncratic and warned against by most experts but as I may have mentioned I am lucky to sleep 4 hours in a row. I might get up to pee and go right back to sleep, but the next time it happens I will need to listen to an audiobook or actually read for a couple of hours and then sleep for another 2 or 3. Prime reading and writing time when there are no likely disturbances.

Petra, I'm sure a small bandsaw would be lovely valentines gift. It sounds like you are really loving developing your skill. Does the wood have to be cured in a certain way? I always thought cottonwood trees only grew in the deep south. You didn't mention arbutus. I should think it would be perfect. There are all kinds of evergreens up here.... you now have another reason to visit may it be that I am still here in the summer. I am loving my cabin but the thought of the landlords annual visit makes me feel like I need to find some place more secure.

How are you enjoying the fruits of your labours Megan? referring to the recent renos It does help to love our surroundings when we are trapped indoors. The snow is almost all gone here except in shady patches that dont get sun this time of year. I walked to the village today no problem and the library is not charging for the days they were closed
How do you manage to both of you do yoga off a computer screen? I am trying to picture it. I have enough issue with just simple things like sitting still and typing. You must have you tube premium because an advert every 10 minutes can be such a rude interruption.

And of course: I got a lift home up the hill with my groceries from Shannon who without prompting, out of the blue said theres chair yoga on Friday mornings at the hall and be on time because they start promptly and its a drop in, easily affordable.

Ellie I hope your business with your ex has been concluded to your satisfaction and that you are able to focus on something else of your choosing, like reading, and going to plays and open mics. You are so lucky to have a daughter to accompany you on excursions. It seems like another life when I had seasons tickets to a cinema club and the ballet and volunteered for all the major festivals. I havent seen a movie in years maybe a decade. But I still volunteer for music festivals!

I feel for you, Magdelanye. When I have nights where I don't sleep for more than 4-5 hours, the next day is a sleepy one. I can't imagine that each and every day. I wish you night's of restful sleep.

I think the basswood is just kiln dried, like lumber is, but I'm not sure.

Cottonwood is just picked up from the ground or riverside, brought into a dry space and allowed to dry for a few months.
We have cottonwood trees here, along the river. The cottonwood seeds fly through the air each spring. It's like fluffy snow when it lands. Thing is, I don't know what a cottonwood tree actually looks like, so I can't really determine which trees by the river are the ones I need to check for some bark falling off.

I don't know if arbutus is good for carving. I'm really unfamiliar with what is a good wood (soft enough for the knife to cut through) and which aren't (too hard).

How apros po that you got a ride from someone who knew about the drop-in chair yoga in town! I say give it a try and see if it's something you're interested in.

Ellie, I hope things are well and sorted. Hugs.

Thanks all for the kind words. I think things are better (for now). He has agreed (after almost 11 years of separation) to a divorce. I still believe marriages can work, that two people can be a solace, support, and companion to each other. I am happy to hear of the happy marriages in this group. It gives me hope. For me, though, I'm happy to be single. Marriage is a gift but no marriage is better than a bad one.

Petra, I also loved the story about your marriage. I too never wanted to get married but then in my late 30s I fell in love. Maybe more importantly, I suddenly wanted children. My husband gave me that gift so I can't regret the marriage. But it's definitely time to move on.

I love Pema Chodron; I find her both a comfort and a challenge as well as a wise and helpful teacher.

Lately I've been using a guided meditation by Thich Nhat Hanh for my meditation. It's 30 minutes so it's a bit of a challenge but I was stuck in my silent meditations and this has been enormously helpful.

Magdelanye, lack of sleep is so difficult! I feel lucky these days; I usually do have to get up at least once a night to pee but then I fall back asleep quickly so it doesn't bother me. When I was working, I frequently had insomnia and only slept for 3 or 4 hours. So these days, sleep feels like a luxury.

Also, definitely try the chair yoga. What have you got to lose?

Petra, your description of the cottonwood is so poetic! I could practically see it. I hope you continue to enjoy your carving.

I'm still having trouble concentrating so my reading is frustratingly slow. But I've been able to get into Beloved which is an amazing book. And I continue to find Little Dorrit soothing and a great escape.

thats so odd Ellie. I too was separated for a decade before i got divorced with a do it yourself kit and the help of a friend.
Im glad you have some good books to drop into.
I love TNH and was blown away by his gentle intensity.
No one answered my question about Katie Roiphe. Does that mean im not quite as not-quite-with-it, and nobodies heard of her?

Magdelanye wrote: "It's still too dark to see whats going on out there but it is still, a good sign, for I'm hoping that the reading room will be open today to return books. I will be testing my discipline not to tak..."

Magdelanye, it is funny--the coincidence of the time of separation as well as the "do-it-yourself" divorce kit (I'm counting on my daughter's help: I hadn't wanted to bring her into it but she was horrified by the $1700 lawyer fee and insisted. She's so much better than I am with figuring forms and bureaucratic instructions).

Katie Roiphe: I've only read The Morning After: Sex, Fear, And Feminism. If I remember correctly, I hated it. Again, if I'm remembering correctly, it was quite controversial and took the position that most date rapes were just bad decisions on the part of young women unwilling to take responsibility for their actions. Very against contemporary feminism which she felt focused on women as victims. I reacted very badly to it--and to her. I thought that she was a young woman of great privilege and little empathy. I found her arrogant and condescending. Of course, I believe she was very young when she wrote this book. She may have tempered some of her opinions, or at least her arrogance.

I was sorry because I love Anne Roiphe and came in with a favorable bias toward the daughter. And then too she (the daughter) hit on several sore spots of mine. I may have taken the whole thing far too seriously.

I've been running around all morning, gym, errands, talking to people and so on. I have stuff I was going to do tonight but I'm thinking of canceling everything and just staying at home and reading. Both the "kids" will be out and I'll actually have the place to myself! I feel a little guilty just staying home but I've also felt bad that I'm not reading more. So I could just spoil myself and spend the evening reading.

I'm finding all this talk about chair yoga intriguing. With two hip artificial hips, that might be worth my exploring. :-)

Magdelanye, I don't know Katie Roiphe, so can't comment. Ellie's description doesn't endear me to her.

Here's a video of cottonwood in bloom: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=...
I have the sound off on my computer so haven't listened to the audio. Hope it isn't boring. The video does show the "snow" in all it's glory.

Ellie, there's no guilt in enjoying an evening at home, alone and doing exactly what you want to do. We all need time alone, by ourselves, to do exactly what we want to do. I hope you had a wonderful evening, whatever you chose to do.
The number of books I read per year has dropped since I retired. That's mainly due to not listening to audio books on my commutes anymore. I hadn't realized how many books I listened to in a year.
My reading time has not increased since retiring. The time is filled with other activities.

I didn't realize you have 2 new hips, Ellie. I think they've been quite useful in allowing your active life to continue. It's wonderful that modern medicine allows us these opportunities. I have a friend who has had 2 knee replacements and it's made a wonderfully positive change to her quality of life. She can do so much more and is no longer in pain.

Petra, you're so right. I feel like my new hips are a miracle. I could barely walk before, working was so difficult. Now I have no pain and can go to the gym three times a week!

I enjoyed myself last night. Just settled into Beloved. Also I'm reading Leonard Cohen's posthumous collection, The Flame, a few pages at a time.

everything seems to be pointing towards this: https://www.facebook.com/169019040491...
in case the link doesnt work for you, its the ad that started popping up after Petra discussed the subject of chair yoga with me/
I too applaud Ellies decision to go with what you really want. sometimes its great to stay home. Other times I do have to kick myself out the door because of an opportunity that wont be available later, like my books will.
You are remembering right about Katie Roiphe and thats why i dithered so much before committing to Messy Lives.And why I questioned her credentials. But i think i need to read this and will keep you informed
Actually im planning on opening up the machine and doing my updates so i may have a bit more to say later

I plugged in just as it was getting dark and its hard to accept that almost 4 hours have gone by, writing 2 reviews and listening to a webinar, doing a bit of research, nothing much. In honour of the full moon I did change my sheets but I did not go out into the mild sunshine all day.

Going back to the oddly compelling Love Lives Here: A Story of Thriving in a Transgender Family by Amanda Jette Knox. Life is really stranger than fiction.
Just bracing myself to get into Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead

Petra what is the smallest size for carving?
The wood around here is still so wet but I have seen green shoots and one bright orange crocus pushing up

Hope everyone had a good weekend

Magdelanye, I loved Drive Your Plow. I started Flights but, as is often the case, got distracted by other books--I hope to finish it.

I had a fun weekend--a quiet Saturday night followed by a busier Sunday: shopping (I don't like to shop but desperately needed a few new clothes) and a movie--Birds of Prey which I found to be fun. Also, I was happy to see that Parasite won an Oscar--I loved it.

Magdelanye, I was thinking of you: I woke up this morning at 1:30 and that was it for the day. But I'm still going to go to the gym and try to make some progress on Beloved.

I wish I were some place beautiful. Hopefully, I'll be able to spend a few days somewhere pretty soon.

Petra, I hope you post pictures of your new carvings. I'd love to see them.

Petra wrote: "Magdelanye, I don't know Katie Roiphe, so can't comment. Ellie's description doesn't endear me to her.

Here's a video of cottonwood in bloom: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=......"

Thanks for the video. So lovely. I finally watched it--just beautiful.

Happy Monday everyone!

@Ellie, I want to see Birds of Prey, I'm glad you enjoyed it.

@Magdelanye, I am enjoying my new renos. We've put a ban on renos for 2020 (except maybe painting a couple closets), so we're just enjoying resting in our house for a while.

On Saturday I went to a play/musical about a secret group of female operatives fighting Nazis in occupied France. It was a truly bizarre play, I kind of liked it!

I'm still working through Small Game Hunting at the Local Coward Gun Club. I really enjoy character driven books and this book is FULL of characters!

I have no idea who Katie Roiphe is, so I guess I need to do some research.

Sorry! I forgot to address the youtube comment. We have a smart TV, so we have youtube on our TV, so there's enough room for both of us to have our mats out and see the TV. There's a couple ads at the beginning and then there aren't any ads for the video which is nice.

well megan i didnt realize that was possible but it makes sense and it sounds very nice.
Im sitting on a rock in the sun in front of the library where i just picked up among other treats Holy wild and Radicalized.
im stoked!
Glad everyone who reported had a good weekend. Time is racing!

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone!

Thank you for making me feel so welcome in your group. I really appreciate all of you. :)

Hope everyone has a wonderful day!!

Happy Valentine's Day!
I don't like Valentine's Day as a celebration, so no flowers or chocolates for me or hubby today. I do, though, celebrate all good relationships, be it love or friendship and am grateful for every one of you here, my family and my hubby. Happy Valentine's day.

Ellie, I will post a picture of my latest carvings today. Thank you for asking.

The sun is brilliant today! It's wonderful. I'm going for a run soon. It's been awhile since I've run in such brilliant sunshine.
On my runs, I am listening to Written in My Own Heart's Blood, the 8th of the Outlander series. This series is so very good. I like the characters, the plot, the twists, the idea, the family saga.....all of it.
My gripe on it: the author wants this series to be 10 volumes long and it takes her many years to write each volume. The 9th will be release sometime at the end of this year. So my gripe is I may not live long enough to complete this series and may never know what happens. I started this series in my 20s! I should be able to find out how it ends and have my questions answered, don't you think?!! LOL! She's got to stop writing books for other series in between these. Concentrate on this series! LOL.
I'll come back and haunt her if I can't read that final volume. :D
I've tried to spread the books out so that I keep up with the publishing of new volumes. This is the second time I've caught up to her and have to wait for the next volume.

I've also just started the third book of the U.S.A.: The 42nd Parallel / 1919 / The Big Money. There's something compelling about this trilogy and yet there isn't a single character I really like or any heroic deeds. These people live superficial lives, consumed with shallow things. The author seems rather jaded about our purpose in life.

I hope everyone has a terrific day.

Whatever your take on Valentines day, I hope everyone on flight paths is enjoying the sun. I can imagine Petra how glad you must be to look forward to getting back into your regular running.
I havent ventured into the Gabaldon series, mostly because of the issues you raise. Definitely an incentive to keep living for both of you!
I am interested in seeing more of your carving. And what is the minimum size for your purpose?

Megan you are certainly appreciated here as well!
Hows small game hunting coming along? I am curious but content to wait for this one. I LOVE the ploughman in spite of how I hated the whole title.

Ellie I am aghast at how much I am enjoying KR after being so ready to dis completely.
Finally was able to begin Wool Omnibus
Holy Wild leaves me speechless

As promised, here are a couple of carving photos:

These are the first 3 Guys that I carved. From left to right is the 1st, 2nd and 3rd in order. The first is 3" tall, the second is 2", the third is 5 1/2":


These are my current projects:
There's a finished mouse to show what my mouse should look like in the end. I did not carve the finished mouse; one of the people in my carving group did and it is my guide.
I decided to give the Hillbilly dude a dog, so here he is with his (unfinished) dog.
And my 4th person (2" tall).

The little guy in the center of the top picture was turned into a keychain, which I've hung from my rearview mirror in the car.

very cool Petra. These seem small enough that maybe they could be carved from a stout twig!

That's my hope for one day, Magdelanyne. I will try twigs one day, too. The little guys would be great to carve on them, if the knife will cut the wood. I need to learn more about the different woods and which are able to be carved (and how to recognize said wood in the forest).

Belated Happy Valentine's Day to everyone---I hope it was lovely.

Magdelanye, I'm glad you're enjoying KR. Maybe I'll try this book. She may have matured since her first book and it's been a long time since I read the other.

Megan, you are so welcome here. I'm very glad you've joined us.

Petra, I love the carvings! Thank you for sharing them. They're adorable. What a wonderful way to spend your time, with love and skill. And wood (I love wood). I have no talent whatsoever with my hands and I greatly admire those who do. It's a great thing to create beauty and pleasure. And obviously so much more to learn about wood and its relationship to the knife than I would have thought.

I'm still having difficulty focusing and my reading is quite slow. But I'm enjoying what I am reading. Although "enjoy" may not be quite the right word for Beloved--it's a difficult and painful book but absorbing and beautifully written, with so much heart as well as skill. I read only a few of the Leonard Cohen poems a day. I enjoy them more that way--otherwise one tends to blur into the next. I watched the documentary about him and Marianne again last night with my son who also loved it. He's a fascinating figure whose work I love.

I'm also going to start work again in an online 1:1 "workshop" with the poet/teacher I worked with in the past. I'm hoping it will get me writing again, providing a structure (and deadlines) that will help me focus. Since retiring, I've had a good time but have not been writing and I miss it. I hope this helps.

I hope you are all well and happy today.

Ellie, I'm glad you're going to continue with your writing. Now that you are more rested, the words will come. I have faith.

Thank you all for the kind words about my carving. It's a fun way to spend some time.

I donated blood today and am now at home enjoying some tea and pastry. Got to keep my blood sugars up, right?! LOL.

Ellie I remember a bit of resustance i had to overcome before ii succumbed to the spell of Beloved. The last part goe by too fast.
Petra I now seem to be sussing out the fallen branches along my walks to and fro. Today has turned lovely and the green shoots seem to be pushing with more urgency.
Spent the day yesteday finishing up Wool only to discover of course there must be a sequel. I noted you really enjoyed it Petra and was actually a bit shocked to discover some people quite hate it.. Just hope they have that sequel at library.

Today I've rather attacked The Singers Gun because it's due tomorrow along with wool. Not that I expect to be able to return it tomorrow as that involves a trip to town which is not probable, but its nice to be relatively caught up and ready for the off chance that the opportunity will arise.

Ellie congratulations on finding a course that fits for your writing process.
Last week I wrote a few strange poems
but this week i am reading Holy Wild and Im speechless

Magdelanye, there are 2 sequels to Wool. I keep hoping to read them but have to go to the library in the next town to do so. I'm really glad you liked it. It's a good story, isn't it?

Yes, Holy Wild was awesome.

LOL! I also look at the branches I see along the trail now. I have two in the garage, drying out, that I plan to try carving to see if they are good carving wood. Suddenly wood is everywhere! LOL!
Ellie, I like wood, too. As a kid, I enjoyed the trees and wood when we were out camping. I was always running my hands along the trunks, enjoying the feel of the wood.

Magdelanye, congratulations on writing--I think that that by itself is an light in the darkness. Would you consider sharing them with us?

I hope this course will help. I have a great deal of trust in Michael, and that's important to me.

I must investigate Holy Wild, although Beloved and Little Dorrit are taking up all my time. I've decided to relax and stop worrying about speed--it's a huge shift for me. I always took for granted my ability to read quickly. But it's more important to me to appreciate what I'm reading and read what I want without concern for speed and how many books I "consume".

And thank you Petra for your kind words and support. We shall see but I've already started and that's a good sign. I was able to spend a couple of hours in a Starbucks downtown--it helped to get out of the house and write elsewhere. I feel a little frightened but also excited. I'm going to use the time traveling tot the gym to "work" on the poem and then write when I get back home.

I almost wish it were colder. This warm weather is weird and disconcerting. Also, I enjoy the feeling of curling up on a cold day and abandoning myself to books.

I'm so glad to be a part of this group!

By the way, who wrote Holy Wild? I'm looking it up and there are several books with that title.

I had to go back to see what Magdelanye was writing. Sorry, I missed that comment.

Magdelanye, it's wonderful that you're writing poetry. If you feel comfortable sharing, I'd love to read some.
Ellie, the same goes for your poetry also.

Holy Wild - Ellie, this is the one.

Ellie, you must feel a little bit like J.K. Rowlings when you write in a coffee shop. Isn't that how she got started? LOL.

I usually try to go out for a run on Wednesdays (weather permitting). It's a beautiful sunny day but I'm feeling a bit sore and stiff from Tai-Chi yesterday (he worked us hard last night) that my brain is telling me to put off the run until tomorrow. I'm not sure whether to listen to my brain or not. Hahaha...

Petra wrote: "I had to go back to see what Magdelanye was writing. Sorry, I missed that comment.

Magdelanye, it's wonderful that you're writing poetry. If you feel comfortable sharing, I'd love to read some.
..."

I say, Listen to your body. :-)

I do feel "hip" writing in a coffee shop. I just need a case for my new laptop so I can bring that with me.

Thanks for the link.

On the topic of writing, I just finished writing a review of Leaven of Malice by Robertson Davies. It's probably not particularly good, but I wrote it.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Malcolm, that's a really good review. The Salterton Trilogy is my favorite of Robertson Davies' (so far...I've got another to read yet). He's a wonderful storyteller.

I prefer the Deptford trilogy (especially Fifth Business), but Salterton is also fabulous.