Another fine, fine bluegrass festival in Wickenburg yesterday.  So many talented musicians assembled in one spot - all that was missing was a dance partner. It was a little chilly in the morning and again in the later afternoon (sure was glad I dressed as warmly as I did!) but during the middle of the day the sun broke through the clouds and I came home sunburned.

And what a pleasant surprised upon my return home - 

Alex had finished draining the hot tub (the last bit has to be bailed by hand), cleaned the entire structure, and then refilled the tub!  (Sometimes he surprises me, though since he also enjoys using the tub that might have been on his mind...)  Today I'll check to see why there's no power (maybe just have to flip the breakers?) and then I can heat it up and 'dive' in!  I certainly enjoy it during our winters...and am very happy my view out the window is not like hers!

Right now it's raining so I'm glad I don't have outdoor stuff planned.  (Too bad, though, for all the folks in town for the big race today at PIR.)  I had hoped to do some finishing up on a couple of quilting projects (that I'd put off because they need special attention) but since I've been up since 3:30 a.m. I'm not sure I'll trust myself to do those today.  Might just be a really lazy Sunday, a day to curl up with a good book or movie!

Right now I'm thoroughly engrossed in My Name is Mary Sutter.  (Historical novels are my favorites!)

In this stunning historical novel, Mary Sutter is a brilliant, headstrong midwife from Albany, New York, who dreams of becoming a surgeon. Determined to overcome the prejudices against women in medicine—and eager to run away from her recent heartbreak—Mary leaves home and travels to Washington, D.C. to help tend the legions of Civil War wounded. Under the guidance of William Stipp and James Blevens—two surgeons who fall unwittingly in love with Mary’s courage, will, and stubbornness in the face of suffering—and resisting her mother’s pleas to return home to help with the birth of her twin sister’s baby, Mary pursues her medical career in the desperately overwhelmed hospitals of the capital.

Like Charles Frazier’s Cold Mountain and Robert Hicks’s The Widow of the South, My Name Is Mary Sutter powerfully evokes the atmosphere of the period. Rich with historical detail (including marvelous depictions of Lincoln, Dorothea Dix, General McClelland, and John Hay among others), and full of the tragedies and challenges of wartime, My Name Is Mary Sutter is an exceptional novel. And, in Mary herself, Robin Oliveira has created a truly unforgettable heroine whose unwavering determination and vulnerability will resonate with readers everywhere.