Share Your Shelf-September

Hello October. 

"I'm glad I live in a world where there are Octobers"~L.M. Montgomery

That quote is from my favorite book and feels appropriate to post here today. It's October and I'm talking books. 

Anne of Green Gables for those not in the know. 

Since it's the first Thursday of the month it's time to share what we've read the month prior. Here's what my bookshelf looked like-

The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark

The novel follows Olivia Dumont, a memoir ghostwriter who has spent most of her adult life distancing herself from her father,  the celebrated horror novelist Vincent Taylor. When Vincent asks Olivia to write his memoir, circumstances force her to reconnect with the father she has worked so hard to leave behind. 

She soon realizes the memoir centers on the 1975 murders of Vincent's two siblings, a decades old cold case in which Vincent was once the prime suspect. As Olivia digs deeper into the conflicting evidence surrounding the murders, she must confront not only a 50 year old mystery, but also the complicated and fractured relationship she has with her father.  

I enjoyed this one very much. Four stars for me. 

The Glassmaker by Tracy Chevalier

This was my book club's September read and I found it a little disappointing. Not bad, but not great either. There's a very strange timeline presented, and I found it distracting and unnecessary. The author wanted to show the changes to the glass making trade over the course of centuries, while keeping the characters constant.  Centuries pass in the real world, but the characters age much more slowly. Once you get the rhythm of this unusual timing the book improves.  

The novel is set on the island of Murano off the coast of Venice and I've been there so was eager to read. I have a beautiful piece of Murano glass (a vase) and thought I'd love this story. It's a work of historical fiction and the plot follows a fictional female glassmaker named Orsola Rosso. We follow her life and work in different eras ranging from 1486 to the Covid pandemic, and read about key events in the history of Venice along the way. 

The Names by Florence Knapp

I really enjoyed this one, and thought the idea behind the story was clever. Cora Atkin is a young mother trapped in an abusive marriage, and the story begins with Cora preparing to register her son's birth. Feeling pressured to name him after his domineering father Gordon, Cora considers calling her son Julian or Bear as these are names that reflect her hopes for her newborn son. The story is told in three alternate narratives, each one based on the name Cora chooses. 

The tale spans 35 years and examines the profound impact of that single pivotal moment, the naming of her son, and how that single decision can alter the course of many lives. 

Please note the abuse is written in a way that makes you feel something visceral, or at least it did me. 

This Side of the Sky: 101 Poems for the Hungry, Hopeful, and Homesick by Laura Wifler 

There's more than one book with this title, so if you're googling be sure you have the correct author. I've followed Laura Wifler on Instagram for a long while now and love her voice. My daughter gave me her book for my birthday and it's one I'm savoring. Five stars for me. 

I'm posting the Goodreads summary here because I think it captures the essence of her writing and this book in particular. 

"Known for giving language to what many women feel but struggle to name, Laura Wifler's debut poetry collection is as riveting as it is relatable.

Written with her signature timbre of startling honesty and unfaltering hope, Laura offers listeners a new way to witness life in This Side of The Sky. Through poetry that is remarkably specific yet wildly universal, Laura explores what it means to grow older in a fallen body, tangles with complicated feelings about grief and suffering this side of Heaven and examines the aches of living in a world that feels both heavy and holy.

In these poems and Scriptures, you'll find

permission to be honest about the pain of life, without losing faith;

a tender awareness of God's nearness, even when life feels chaotic;

encouragement, joy, and comfort in your pursuit of Christ, fortifying your faith even in trials;

a reminder that Heaven is real, and it holds hope for you today.

A trusted and authentic voice for modern Christian women, Laura's poems grapple with the parts of us that know God is real but need reminders that He is moving in our lives, even now. Her compassionate words are ones to tape onto mirrors, tuck into Bibles, send to friends in crisis, and save for days when everyday life feels like too much. Like a hand beckoning, these poems invite us to notice the holy mystery woven through our ordinary days and trust that, even here on this side of the sky, we are held by a God who is both tender and present." 

You might think you don't like poetry (and in fact the book's intro has Laura informing the readers of her reluctance to call herself a poet),  but her poems read like stories and she has a genuine gift for the written word.  Five stars for me. 

If you've shared your recent reads hop over to our host blogs (Joanne at Slices Of Life and Dara at Not In Jersey) and add your link there. 

Climbing The Hodgepodge Mountain

Welcome to this week's edition of the Wednesday Hodgepodge. If you've answered this week's questions add your link at the end of my post, then go say hey to your neighbor there. Leave a comment too because comments make the blog world go round. Here we go...

1. When you think of autumn what sounds come to mind? 

a crackling fire, leaves crunching underfoot, geese honking overhead

2.  Is a trip to the mountains something you enjoy? What's your favorite mountain? 

A trip to the mountains is one of my favorite things and I can't possibly choose a favorite. I  live on a lake surrounded by the Blue Ridge. Boating under the bridge and seeing the main channel open up with the mountains as backdrop takes my breath away every single time. 

My grandparents had a Colorado farm with a view of the Rockies which was truly breathtaking. 

I'm  also really partial to the Great Smoky Mountains which is where hubs grew up, where we've spent a lot of time, and where we have family still. Lots of Smoky Mountain memories in my mind and heart. 

And then I've always been a little bit obsessed with Mt. Rainier. My daughter1 lived in Tacoma for several years when she was first married and you could see the mountain from her neighborhood. Swoon. 

We got up close to it on one of our trips there and she's a beauty. 

Wait. The Alps. I forgot the Alps. How did I forget the Alps? 

The village of Chamonix with Mt. Blanc looming large is pretty spectacular. 

Are all mountains spectacular? I'm going to say yes. Did you come here today to see my scrapbook of beautiful mountains? 

3. What's something that once felt like a mountain, but is now just a molehill? 

Retirement. There's so much to figure out and understand in the early days, and while there are still things to figure out, we've got this. It's no longer a mountain. 

4. Let's play this or that-fall foods edition. Yes you have to choose. 

• pumpkin spice latte or chai latte 
• apple cider or hot chocolate  
• stew or chili
• sweet potato casserole or green bean casserole 
• butternut squash soup or creamy mushroom soup 
• cranberry sauce or gravy 

Here are my choices-

chai latte 

apple cider but only if it's warm, if it's cold then I'll take the hot cocoa

chili, especially the first pot of the season-this meal says fall and football season have arrived 

sweet potato casserole-green beans are my favorite green veg, but not in casserole form

creamy mushroom soup

cranberry sauce 

5. Sum up your September in a sentence or two. 

Festive family birthdays, fun with friends, fierce football games, and fantastic mountain views.

Thirty days has September. Each one lasted approximately 2.4 seconds. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I was with friends this past weekend and we spent an afternoon wandering around our old university. The campus is still so beautiful. 

Question-why are college kids so stressed out? They can literally take a slide from their dorm and grab Chick-fil-A in the student center. 

We were typing papers on actual typewriters for professors who literally measured the margins with a ruler. Then we'd go to Kinkos at 1 AM to make copies because copiers were rare and kind of expensive. Kinkos was open 24/7 for just such a purpose. 

Progress, right? 

But hey, I think the times helped make us strong and resourceful. 

Take Me To The Mountains

Good Monday morning friends. I hope you had a nice weekend and feel rested and ready for the week ahead. I'm linking with Holly (Pink Lady Blog) and Sarah (Sunshine and Books) today for their regular Hello Monday hop. 

I had a really lovely weekend. Time spent with friends who've known you since you were eighteen is so good for the heart, mind, and soul. 

And that's what I had. 

Friday I drove to a friend's house in the nearby city, then we drove about two hours further into North Carolina, eventually making our way to her brother's mountain house. He generously lets us use this gorgeous home with a spectacular view for our reunions. 

We've had a few through the years, and three of them have been in this house, but it's been a number of years since our last mountain retreat. Our get togethers have been different combinations of girls and numbers, and this year there were ten of us staying in the house. 

We were all in the same sorority in college and whenever we're together it's like no time at all has passed. People ask what we do at the mountain house and the answer is talk. We talk. And we laugh a lot. A few tears are usually shed too, because we're all at an age where we're dealing with things and some of those things are hard. 

Being together is such a gift. 

Everyone trickled in on Friday and one of the girls brought BBQ from a place she likes near her Kentucky home. Others brought side dishes and cake because it's not a party without cake. I wish I had a picture but you should know (and are likely not surprised to learn) most of my pictures are of the view from the back deck. 

In fact we sat right there and had appetizers before dinner and it was hard to peel away from this beautiful spot. 

One friend also brought her college yearbooks, photo albums, and the scrapbook she made when she was a pledge which was really fun to see. We laughed and laughed at the memories some of the photos stirred up and we searched the internet for a few friends whose names came to mind who we haven't seen in a long long time. 

We stayed up way too late but we don't care. 

Saturday we woke to another gorgeous day. We had the pumpkin french toast I'd prepped the night before, along with quiche, fruit, yogurt, muffins, basically a breakfast buffet. It was delish. 

We eventually got ready for the day and loaded up into a couple of cars and made the drive down the mountain and in to Tennessee to meet a few more friends for lunch near our old university. When we were looking at dates for this get together one friend said she couldn't make the weekend because she had two weddings to attend. Then she surprised us by walking into the restaurant while we were having lunch. 

It turns out the route they were taking to the wedding brought them right past our dining spot so we all got to hug her neck and briefly catch up. So nice! 

After lunch we went over to campus and walked around. The campus is still so beautiful and we all agreed the weather was glorious. An absolutely picture perfect East Tennessee Day. 

College kids 4 decades later. 

Everyone made their way back to the mountain house, with our car making a quick pitstop on the way up  to grab some chicken and veggies from the market for the grill that night. We enjoyed more porch sitting before a delicious meal and then more cake, more laughter, more late night conversation. 

Sunday morning we awoke to yet another beautiful day. We enjoyed coffee and a very leisurely breakfast because nobody wanted to leave. We all agreed a couple more days on the mountain would be nice, but life calls and we answer. We finally packed up and with full hearts headed our separate ways.

I got home about four, unpacked, took a long shower, then blogged. Hubs made an omelet for dinner and we caught up on the weekend happenings. 

A lot of life has been lived since we girls first met. I'm not sure I could have imagined back when I was a fresh faced college student that more than 40 years later we'd still be drinking coffee together, sharing our burdens and our blessings face to face, laughing at our own hijinks, and supporting one another through every season of our lives. 

What a gift these girls have been. Continue to be. Will always be. 

"There is no greater remedy for the heart, nor sweeter comedy for the soul, 

than the company of an old friend." Bhuwan Thapaliya

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 673

Here are the questions to this week's Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog then hop back here on Wednesday (Sept 30) to add your link to the party. See you there!

1. When you think of autumn what sounds come to mind? 

2.  Is a trip to the mountains something you enjoy? What's your favorite mountain? 

3. What's something that once felt like a mountain, but is now just a molehill? 

4. Let's play this or that-fall foods edition. Yes you have to choose. 

• pumpkin spice latte or chai latte 
• apple cider or hot chocolate  
• stew or chili
• sweet potato casserole or green bean casserole 
• butternut squash soup or creamy mushroom soup 
• cranberry sauce or gravy 

5. Sum up your September in a sentence or two. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Friday Foto Dump

Pictures of random bits of life are piling up in my phone and while I'd love to think I might write whole entire too wordy posts about at least a handful of them I think we all know that's probably not going to happen. 

Let's do a little photo dump and see where it goes. 

I'm going to warn you where it goes is mostly the kitchen but that's okay. Somebody's gotta cook and I find baking therapeutic. I recently spent an afternoon baking cookies and it was lovely. 

It was actually two weeks ago, but recent enough. We'd been invited to dinner at our neighbor's house and she said not to bring anything, but I can't not bring anything so I baked cookies. Then we were invited to another friend's house the next day to watch the Ohio State - Texas game and I brought a tray of cookies there too. 

Snickerdoodles and a peanut butter jumble. 

It's been a long time since I had a leisurely few hours in the kitchen and baking cookies makes me think of my mama in a way that makes me smile. 

The pup went for a swim. It's pretty much his most favorite thing, but he's not in perfect health these days so doesn't happen as often as it used to. 

Hubs grilled the most delicious flank steak recently and we made a grilled romaine salad. Yum! So easy to do and definitely something we'll repeat. Raise your hand if you're happy we're back to eating lettuce. 

We're in our sports viewing era. 

Baseball and soccer and more baseball. 

We made Cubans with some left over pork tenderloin and they were delish. We use our panini maker which works great for these-

Sun coming up-

I take too many pictures of this every day phenomenon, but I can't help myself. 

I spent most of Tuesday in the kitchen and made a pot of pasta sauce, three kinds of quiche for the weekend, and some tortilla roll ups for hubs to take to a card night he had at a friends house this week. I love cooking when I can take my time. 

We went to a dockside concert on a random Monday afternoon because that's what you do when you're retired. There were four musicians on the dock and boaters pull up and people float and listen to music and chat with whoever happens to be floating nearby. The weather was perfection.

Enjoy your weekend everyone!

Linking with Erika and Andrea for today's Friday Favorites 

Falling In To The Hodgepodge

Welcome to this week's edition of The Wednesday Hodgepodge. If you've answered today's questions add your link at the end of my post, then leave a comment for the blogger before you. Here we go-

1. Fall arrives this week in the northern hemisphere. Does it look/feel like fall where you live?What's something you love to do this time of year that makes you feel its officially fall? 

*If you're answering today from the southern hemisphere feel free to sub spring for the word fall. 

It doesn't look or feel much like fall here yet. We've had temperatures in the 90's and the humidity has been thick, but! we're 'cooling off' and will be in the upper 70's later this week and I.am.ready. We're back into the 80's next week so there will be a little more summer before fall finally lands. 

Everything is still green here, but I'm going to the mountains with some girlfriends this weekend and I'm hoping we might see a few pops of color. 

I always miss my NJ yard this time of year. 

Something I love to do that makes it feel like it's officially fall? 

Apple picking. 

I hope we can find a day to do that soon. 

2. What's a small daily task or chore that always seems to fall through the cracks when your schedule gets busy?

Dusting my bedroom. In fact, answering this question inspired me to go dust. 

3. What's something you're falling for lately? 

I bought some wide legged jeans and have to say I love them. I wasn't sure how I'd feel about the fit, but I wore them for the first time recently and several people commented on how cute they are. 

4.  Pumpkin is a popular flavor this time of year.  Are you a fan?

Pumpkin is not my favorite. I like pumpkin bread but am a hard no on pumpkin flavored coffees, creams, and candle scents.  I like to decorate with pumpkins, but can take or leave the flavor in food and drink. 

I do have a good recipe for a pumpkin french toast that my daughter found a couple of years ago and I'm going to make it this weekend. It's just the right amount of pumpkin and makes a nice fall company breakfast dish. 

5.What's something you wish would never change? Explain. 

Our love for this country and the core values of our founding. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

What's everybody watching? We need a new show. 

Weekend Favorites

Hi friends. How was your weekend? Mine was full of fun, family, and festive happenings. Let's recap with Holly (Pink Lady Blog) and (Sarah Sunshine and Books) and their Hello Monday blog hop. 

Backing up to Thursday or as I like to say, my birthday eve. Daughter1 had planned a fun birthday outing for  just the two of us, which was a treat. She has three littles and trying to spend a few hours doing something with just her mama took some maneuvering, but she made it happen. 

She and Little Miss arrived about 9:30 to pick me up. Little Miss was so excited to hand me her card and a box of one of my favorite candies-lemonheads, which she needed to sample. I mean how can you not? They also brought me the prettiest vase filled with flowers. The vase looks like a book, one of my all time favorites in fact-Anne of Green Gables. 

We drove to her sister-in-law's home about an hour away so Little Miss could spend the day with her cousin and her other grandmother while Mama and I had some fun. We went to a kitchen shop I absolutely love (The Cook Station for locals reading here) and it's one of my favorite places to browse. 

How many times can I say the word favorite in a single post? Birthdays are for favorites so pretty sure there's no limit.  

This store carries Vietri and Juliska both which are two of my favorites. I wanted to take this whole set of dishes home for Thanksgiving.

My daughter had reserved us seats in one of their cooking demonstrations which includes lunch. The chef  chats while he's cooking and then you eat what's been prepared. Everyone gets a glass of wine too so it felt like an occasion. 

Today's recipe was a most delicious French Onion Soup with a light salad on the side.  I'll definitely be re-creating his recipe at home. 

Such a nice relaxing few hours where we could chat, which is not something easily done when the kids are with us. I love having the kids with us, but time with a daughter where it's just the two of us is so special. Another favorite you might say. 

We picked the boys up from school on the way home and they all came in to say hi to Pawpaw and we were greeted by this-

Balloons, flowers, and chocolate cake. Yum! The kids were ready to dig in but we told them to come back on my actual birthday and they could help us eat it then. 

I facetimed with daughter2 and her littles and everyone was excited to wish Nana a happy birthday. I love it. Daughter2 sent me Laura Wifler's new book (This Side Of The Sky) and I have been savoring her beautiful way with words.

If you don't follow her online I recommend. Daughter2 and I both love her writing and I was excited to get this in my hands. I'll review it when I recap my September reads in a couple of weeks. 

Hubs made a yummy dinner on the griddle that night, using the left over flank steak from earlier in the week-steak fried rice. I'd made the rice first thing that morning as it needs to sit in the frig for a bit before it goes on the griddle. 

We added broccoli, mushrooms, red pepper, onions, peas and carrots and then soy sauce and sesame oil and the requisite scrambled egg. 

So good!

I woke up on my birthday to a beautiful sunrise. The heat has been obnoxious with temps in the  90's so we spent the morning swimming and...paddle boarding. 

Whoohoo! My first time on the board since my ankle mishap. You should know I'm not a natural and hubs likes to take ridiculous photos of me trying to stand, which is not super graceful, but hey I am up and I am paddling and I am a year older so go me. 

Daughter1 and her crew arrived about noon and we all swam and jumped off the dock and then had lunch on the patio. And cake. Can't forget that! Hubs always gets me a chocolate cake with a raspberry filling because it's my favorite. 

We swam some more after lunch before everyone headed home and then hubs and I had dinner reservations at a place we both love. A favorite if you will. 

Hubs had called ahead and told them it was my birthday so even though I still had half a chocolate cake at home I ate the chocolate mousse the restaurant served me. It had toffee chips all around and wow was that ever delicious. 

The sunset driving home was a stunner too...

Saturday was another scorcher of a day and we were up bright and early to tailgate with friends who had invited us to the Clemson game. 

It was an early game (noon) so we did breakfast type foods as our tailgate menu. I made deviled eggs and sausage balls and hubs brought the fixin's for Bloody Marys. I also brought some fruit and cheese and our host made ham and cheese sliders, cinnamon rolls and pigs in a blanket. They even brought me a small cake, Clemson colors of course, which was so thoughtful. 

Look who stopped by to say hey y'all...

I wore the same shirt I wore to the Tennessee game because it was once again 80 million degrees outside and the shirt is technically more Clemson orange than Tennessee orange. Go Tigers! Go Vols! 

My son-in-law brought the two boys to the game so they stopped by the tailgate before we all went in to the stadium. Game day is a sea of orange and the atmosphere on a college campus during football season is the best.  C-17 flyover the stadium-

We did not play well the first half and were losing into the 4th quarter when lightning moved in and everyone had to leave the stadium We didn't hang around because we knew it would be a long while before the game picked up again, plus the outcome wasn't looking like it would be in our favor, but! Lo and behold they came back and pulled off a win. A wonderful way to wrap up a birthday. 

Did you know birthdays are my favorite?