Book Review: The Copper Beech

I read this in two days. I've ready Maeve Binchy before and have a love hate relationship with her. Some of her books (Quentins, Scarlet Feather) I adore. Others I hate (Firefly Summer). This was a winner.

Each chapter reads like a short story. Each story describes one persons story within a small mid-century Irish town. The uniting theme is a giant copper beech tree that grows in the school yard where many initials are carved. It's a pretty light, fast read and yet you fall in love with and get to know the characters intimately.

The final chapter occurs some years later and lets you glimpse the lives of all the characters as adults, or in some cases older adults. It's charming. A great read!

Happy summer reading.

Book Review: The Ladies Lending Library

I didn't like it. It sounded like it might be a good summer read, and I grant, the location of the story is ideal. A lake in Canada, a beach and all along it summer cottages. After that, the story is merely depressing and confusing. The title of the book sounds great, but it has next to nothing to do with the actual story...whatever that was. I'd give it a miss...BUT

Happy summer reading!

Friday Fill-In

As always, many thanks to Wife of A Sailor for hosting Friday Fill-In

1.What is one of the things you always do special when your husband returns from a deployment? submitted by Keep Calm and Soldier On
Technically we haven't done a deployment yet. Lots of separations for various reasons (including him flying around in combat zones) but not a deployment. Whenever he comes home from a long stint away I cook one of his favorite foods. Or bake a favorite dessert. Sometimes we'll take a little day trip, but he usually wants nothing more than to be at home, curled up on the couch with a movie and popcorn. Fine by me!



2.What do you do to help your spouse and/or yourself re-adjust after a deployment or long separation? submitted by Diapers, Dogs and Deployments
Even after several months apart we have as yet to experience any real reintegration issues. I do try to keep in mind that he's probably going to be really tired, and that it'll take time to return to "normal" (lots of unpacking and laundry and remembering I'm cooking for more than one and I no longer have sole control of the TV...) But usually within a day or two it's like he was never gone.


3.Are you a crazy coupon clipper (I’m becoming one, so share your secrets with me)? submitted by Married My Airman
I wouldn't say I'm crazy, but I do try to use them. I usually find them online from places like couponmom.com, the website for the item itself or just a google search. I have been thinking about getting the Sunday paper just for the coupons...


4.What’s your most treasured memory of you and your spouse (not counting your wedding – that’s a given)? submitted by Scrubs, ACUs and One Crazy Ride
I can still remember our first kiss. :) Seeing him get into and then complete pilot training was also pretty awesome. And honestly, our car trips. I love long car trips with him. We travel well together and have some of the best talks.
 5.If you could live anywhere overseas, what would you pick and why? submitted by Little Moments Like This
This one is easy. England. I've always wanted to visit, and as for living, well, at least they speak English! :-) There is an exchange program for his plane there as well, so it's a possibility.

Grandma and Grandpa's Visit

As I was anxiously awaiting pictures to add to the posts on our recent string of visitors, it occurred to me that I had none of my Grandparents visit. I've now been to so many of the places we take our guests so many times I've ceased to bust out the camera. (We also need a new camera, but that's a whole different post!) So here goes the update on our out of town visitors in reverse order!

On Saturday afternoon Grandma and Grandpa arrived and we drove home and grilled out. After a plane ride no one is in the mood to do much, so we just spent a quiet evening at home and played cards that night. Although we were unaware at the time, the boys had started a streak of card game wins that night.

Sunday we took them to our local church. They really enjoyed it and got to meet some folks from out small group. Then they took us out to lunch at one of our favorite places. That night for dinner I made a roast chicken to celebrate Mothers Day. (Please note that I missed my Momma!!)

Monday J had to work so I took the 3 of us to Napa. We are members at Mumm and get to tour and taste for free. Since we also happen to think it's one of the prettiest places to see in Napa, we stopped there. After Mumm we got lunch at another favorite, Gott's Roadside. Since the hamburgers and shakes were declared amazing I think it was a successful venture. It was a fun day and we had really nice weather to be out in.

Tuesday was a quiet day in. J was again at work, so Grandma and I played some games, Grandpa got in a nap. It was nice to just relax.

Wednesday we hit the road again. There is a small air museum  on base and we spent a few hours milling around there. We met J for lunch at a Mongolian BBQ place just outside of base. It's one of his favorite places to eat and Grandma and Grandpa enjoyed it too. After lunch J headed back to work while we went to tour the Jelly Belly factory. Who doesn't like lots of free candy?

The rest of the week, Thursday and Friday, were pretty quiet. We had to be home on Thursday so I could help J get ready to leave for a mission and then drop him off. After J was gone the rest of us played cards and just hung out. Friday was another quiet day. Lots more cards. Since the boys card team was broken up we thought the girls might have better luck...but Grandpa just kept winning. Friday night they took me out to Olive Garden and before you knew it, Saturday was here and I was putting them back on a plane in Sacramento.

Sorry there aren't pictures, but it was a nice visit. Glad we got to see them both.

Book Reivew: A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail

Funny. That's my overall description of this book. Two middle aged guys who know next to nothing about hiking set out to complete the AT (Appalachian Trail) at over 2,000 miles.

Environmentally "preachy". That phrase was used several times during our discussion at book club this morning. There are long, rather dry, passages about how the wild is vanishing. Birds and trees going extinct. The national park service instead of helping the situation, speeding it merrily along. It's not that I disagree or find it unimportant, but it's not a subject I enjoy pursuing in my leisure time. (Who am I kidding, it's not a subject I ever pursue, at any time!)

Perhaps my biggest gripe with the book were the other, rather long and dry passages, about evolution. Up until chapter 15 he stuck a paragraph here, another one there expounding on how much the NE United States has changed over the past 40 billion years... Then in Chapter 15 I started skipping entire pages devoted to the topic. He mostly presents it as fact, which its not, and it just rubbed me the wrong way.

The bottom line; I enjoyed the book. It's witty and short and an easy read. I'd like to read something else by him. Another consensus we reached at book club; Bill Bryson is a mans author! Is the man in your life looking for something to read?

Happy reading.

He's been busy!

J is officially done with his first semester of graduate school at the University of Oklahoma (via. an online course). He took 2 classes and got A's in them both! Two master's classes while flying C-17 missions all over the world and completing Squadron Officers School in correspondence made for an interesting last couple of months! He has very wisely chosen to take only one class during the summer session. I'm very proud of my industrious and intelligent pilot!

Another major event that occurred in the last few weeks was J's first real mid air refuel. He's practiced in the simulator, I've seen him do it. But he was finally allowed to get his first "plug" in real life. He did marvelously well! It terrifies me if I think about it too much...but I'm very proud.

Book Review: Murder on the Orient Express

I've seen several movies and PBS specials based on Agatha Christie's famous murder mysteries, but I've never read any of them until now. This was a book club book and one that I thoroughly enjoyed!

It's short and easy to read. It's fast paced and suspenseful. The ending is a real twist! The characters are instantly engaging and funny. It's a who-done-it staged on a grand train that gets stranded in deep December snows in Europe during the 1930s. Obviously, the murderer must be one of the stranded passengers ... or is it? I already have several more of her novels on hold at the library to read over the summer.

Happy reading!



If you'd like a good movie to watch (after reading the book of course!) this version is absolutely fantastic!

Book Review: Growing A Farmer

I saw the author of this new book on the Martha Stewart show. I've been waiting for quite awhile on the list at the library to read this. I really enjoyed it! It's part biography, part how-to run a small farm. This book begins in downtown Seattle in the early 1980s and follows a young restaurateur as he becomes seriously disillusioned with the food he is serving people. It follows him on a two decade long journey building a small, self sustaining farm on an island outside of the city. It is an educational read covering topics such as vegetable gardening, cheese making, raising bees, slaughtering pigs, cooking, composting, etc. If you're at all interested in local food, community agriculture, farming, or cooking this is for you! It's got some dry spots...not sure I ever wanted to know the every detail of the life of a dairy cow, but it can also be very humorous.

Happy reading!

Alone Again

So much for getting the blog updated between visitors. I apologise for my lack of posts! This past Saturday my Grandparents left us after a week long visit and the house is empty. J is away on a mission, so it's just the cat and I.

I promise to sit down and choricle our visits, but it will have to be delayed just a bit longer. J wiped and updated our computer right before he left last week and has yet to upload things, such as pictures, back on.

Yesterday I spent most of the day after returning from the airport cleaning the house. So while the house may be empty and quiet, it's at least clean and tidy for the week.

Today I babysat the twins I've been watching for a couple in our squadron. Such cuties! They kept me busy and the day went by quickly.

I'm fairly busy this next week. I have a book club meeting, and several squadron social events to welcome our incoming commander. I'm also planning on doing a lot of reading!

I will update my latest book reviews, and hopefuly J will be back sooner rather than later so I can get my pictures uploaded.

May = Summer?

The past few days it's been sunny and hot. Not your typical spring hot, but really hot. Yesterday it topped off at 91 degrees. Looking at our extended forecast I think summer is here. There is no rain forecasted and we probably wont see any again until the fall. The lowest temperature in the foreseeable future is in the 70s. So hello May and hello summer I guess?!

The past week my dad has been visiting so I've been busy and not logged on to the computer. I will post pictures, hopefully, end of the week. We had a good fun visit, and it was nice J could be around to do some things with us as well.

J has been busy at work. His new job has kept him home for almost a month! But he's been flying some day, local and short overnight missions as well. I think he is going a little stir (or office) crazy and wants to get himself back out on a trip sometime soon.

The next two days will be spent grocery shopping and house cleaning because on Saturday we've got round two of visitors arriving! My grandparents are flying in for a week.

I have finished two books recently. I'll try and get some book reviews up by the end of the week. (I did add them to my 2011 reading list in the lower right hand column.) Otherwise look for me after the 15th!