Just finished this (it had popped up on a couple of booklists) and I found it very enjoyable.

"A breezy, big-hearted treat, especially if you've ever wondered about the inner workings of America's national treasures - neighborhood bookstores." 

"This novel has humor, romance, a touch of suspense, but most of all love - love of books and bookish people and, really, all of humanity in its imperfect glory."

I puttered in the yard for a bit this morning, topping off the pool and watering plants on the porch before putting some serious elbow grease into cleaning up the flagstone walkway. While I did get a lot of dirt shoveled and cleared away, there's still more left <sigh> for 'next time'.

Found the pictures Lisa requested; a childhood friend of hers won an Emmy, and she wanted some pix from the old days.  I sent her a bunch from her 9th birthday party (where the girls swam in the pool, baked cookies, played games with balloons, etc.) that sure made me smile.  Hope the two of them also enjoy the blast from the past.  (Since nobody ever "fixed" the scanner for me I had to actually snap pix of the photos in the album and then e-mail those.)

This morning's workout at the gym went well, and I'm thinking that I'm almost back to where I was before vacation.  To help things along I've also started doing a (very) few exercises here at home, and my plan is to keep adding to them.  

When I leave the women's locker room, I pass by the bottom of the stairs to the second level.  There was a man there on his knees, so I stopped and asked him if he was okay.  Turns out he had just picked that spot (!) to do some push-ups, and was resting between sets - but the mom in me was afraid he had tumbled down the stairs!

Yesterday I had popped into the tile warehouse over by the cabinet place with the granite sample James had gotten for me, but was soon overwhelmed and didn't stay long.  On my way out, some other folks tile shopping mentioned that I should try the tile place a few blocks away, so I did that today after the gym.  Glad I did - got some excellent help from David.

This afternoon I raked the little front yard - or at least a good part of it, until I filled up one can.   Irrigation should be arriving in an hour or so, and I could drag the other can over and do some more raking to fill it.  But I'm hot (and sweaty) and tired - so I decided not to bother.  Wouldn't want there to be nothing left for Tom to do when he gets home, right? <g>

After I finish sweating so I can take a shower,

I'll start prepping dinner since I need to finish up early.

Yesterday when I went out front to water, I surprised Mr. Peacock on the front porch.  Today, this is what I saw when I went to close the front door before heading out on some errands.

It's been lovely having the doors open these past days.  The weather, however, is warming up fast, and for the next week so I probably won't have the doors open except in the early morning.

It was a productive afternoon of errands.  First stop was Walgreens, where I printed up some pix of the jelly roll quilt (as a stand in for the reveal at the next Foothills meeting.  Next stop was the post office, where there was not much of a line... though not many windows were open, either.  Then I scoped out Luisa's new location, which was a little hard to find.  Unfortunately for me (but fortunately for her) she was all booked; I'll need to make an appointment for a pedicure so we can catch up.   

I picked up the granite countertop sample (which will be a large help when deciding on the floor tile) and we now have a date for the kitchen cabinet install the beginning of November.  But what I didn't realize is that they won't be able to start making the counter tops until after the cabinets are in and everything gets measured again (in case things don't quite line up with walls) which means another 2-3 weeks waiting on those.  So obviously we won't be cooking our Thanksgiving turkey here!  I will, however, be cooking dinner tomorrow before my Yom Kippur fast, so I made a needed stop at Winco before heading home.

Lisa called tonight with good news.  She is now officially licensed as a foster parent - and could have a child as early as this weekend!  We didn't talk long (she had other calls to make to share her good news) but assume when she knows more we'll hear more.

I have been watching the Vietnam documentary each night, and (as expected) most of the iconic images that were seared into my memory from that time (the Viet Cong being shot in the head, the young woman kneeling over the dead student at Kent State, the naked girl fleeing after being burned by napalm) made an appearance during various episodes.  Another photo (from LIFE Magazine?) of a woman wailing over a body, her deep grief starkly visible as saliva streams from her mouth, has also stayed with me, but primarily because at the time I had a mixed reaction to it, and that greatly disturbs the person I later became.

I want to watch last night's Evidence class, but as of this morning it still isn't available.  Not sure how long it takes to post them, so I'll wait a day or so until I 'complain' to Andy; he's still busy in court with his Federal case, which is still ongoing despite his original thoughts that it would only last a few days.

When I went out to feed Pokey dinner last night, there was a cute little bunny nearby.  Of course it froze when it saw me.  I hoped to be able to approach between it and its 'escape' route so I could give it some of the lettuce and apple.  But as soon as I moved, it did too.  And guess who was faster?

In the animal department, I forgot to mention a scary event that occurred Tuesday.  Mike was out in their backyard (smoking his smelly cigar) and their Chihuahua Latina was out there also when a coyote came over their 6' block wall and grabbed her!  (Years ago I watched a coyote standing in our Back 40, and when it saw us come out it simply sailed gracefully up and over our 6' wall with no 'running start' and absolutely NO difficulty.) Marcie, in the house, said she heard Latina let out a scream of a nature she'd never heard before, and before Mike had had a chance intervene the coyote dropped her and fled.

Latina was covered in saliva and seems to have sustained a minor leg injury, but (other than still being totally freaked out) is okay.  Marcie immediately ordered wolf urine to sprinkle around their property perimeter, which should arrive today.  (And, if like me, you're wondering what wolf urine costs these days <g> it's about $30 for 16 oz.)

Tom called last night from Idaho, where he's visiting Carlo.  It's cold there and he was bundled up, but they were still hoping the weather would allow them to go fishing today.  He says he's missing our weather and may head home this weekend...so I gently <g> reminded him that he usually says that, but once he's home for a few days (and temps will be flirting with triple digits again for the next week at least) he usually complains about the heat. (At least he did admit to that.)

One of my errands today is to drop a package (the ZEN trail mix that I had bought for Neil but forgot to bring with me) at the post office for Terry.  Her package to me (the replacement eclipse t-shirt) arrived yesterday.

I wanted to swing by Lynn's today (Thursdays are good for her) and print up my Spool Quilt label - but I am having difficulty working one up on Paint because the new version on my laptop is making it hard to center each line.  (I never had trouble with the old version on my old desktop!) And while I Googled about how to do that, NONE of the "explanations" actually addressed that issue.

Gave Ann a call this morning.  Tomorrow would have been Bev's 67th birthday, and it will no doubt be an especially difficult day, so I wanted to give her an extra hug!

Marcie picked me up this morning for the Sew Day at Foothills.  She had brought adorable appliqued and embroidered animal alphabet blocks that just needed to be pinned together.  Originally she planned to donate that quilt to Charity when she finishes it - but when I saw the time and effort that had gone into it I convinced her that it would be better utilized as our raffle quilt for next year.  

Lisa called "just to chat" and we ended up talking for well over an hour.  It was lovely sitting outside on a bench in the shade (with my thermorest) and I got the update on her trials and tribulations with her rescue lizard Blaise.  We also talked a lot about her continuing progress through the fostering application.

After quilting Marcie insisted on treating me to lunch, and we went to Zupa's; I love their soups and salads.   We both opted for the half salad, half soup combo, and left there quite satisfied.  Back at the house I showed her my mesh bags ("adorable!") and a couple of UFOs, and she agreed that the fabric I just bought at Sheri's will work great with one of them.  Marcie needed a small piece of fabric for a project, so to 'save her a trip to the fabric store' <g> I pulled out a couple of my scrap tubs and she found exactly what she was looking for.

This afternoon I can get some more reading done for class - and then maybe a little sewing.  I actually did a little last night, the first time since before I left for Colorado!

It's been a productive afternoon of studying.  While I still have some additional reading to do in order to be all caught up, at least I'm caught up on the actual class lectures.  And a little more than an hour into class I got quite a surprise when Andy was getting ready to go over some of the assigned case problems, where he questions some of the students.

But before actually starting Andy digressed a bit, saying, "My older sister is auditing this class." (I can only see a few students on the video, and several of them turned and looked in the back as if expecting to see me.)  He mentioned that he had gotten an e-mail from me last week 'complaining' that I couldn't hear comments from the students, and assumed that anyone watching the videos to make up classes would have the same issue.  So he asked the students to make an effort to speak up.

But before he continued with class, he added, "My sister's name is Bobbi, and she lives in Phoenix, AZ.  She never went to law school, but I have told her that had she done so she would clearly be the best lawyer in the family" [laughter] "and I mean that." [more laughter]  "Hi, Bobbi." [loud laughter]  After the briefest of pauses, he concluded with, "I'm still her baby brother." [at which point the class responded AWWWWWW, followed by lots of laughter]

I had a chunk of time before I had to leave for the gym so I thought I might as well get started with the Evidence class from last night.  Andy began with a disclaimer to the effect that the next rule we are going to cover, over several classes, is probably the most difficult - and not just for law students, but also for attorneys and judges!  It seems that Rule 404, which deals with Propensity, is most frequently cited in appellate cases.

Jim continues to challenge me at the gym - but since I can definitely see/feel results it's all worth it.  He has some clients that cancel often, and then are discouraged because they are not seeing results.  At least I show up consistently!

Afterward I popped over to Walmart.  Who knew finding potting soil would turn out to be so difficult?  Their Garden Center had ONE "choice", a small bag - primarily because the area has been turned into a Christmas Department.... in September! 

The ONLY places that should be displaying holiday merchandise now are fabric stores and craft stores, for obvious reasons.

I made one last stop, at the 99 Cent Store, to pick up some apples and lettuce for Pokey.  In line behind me was Estera (with Julianna and Tommy) so we got to chat for a bit.

Now it's time to get back to class!

Yesterday afternoon I spent several hours reading for Evidence class.  And yes, it's getting a little more complicated; it's those pesky exceptions, written into every rule, that keep turning black and white into gray!

  In the evening I watched the next episode of The Vietnam War,

and then the premiere of The Good Doctor. 

Shaun Murphy, a young autistic surgeon who has savant syndrome, relocates from a quiet country life to join the surgical unit at the prestigious San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital -- a move strongly supported by his mentor, Dr. Aaron Glassman. Having survived a troubled childhood, Shaun is alone in the world and unable to personally connect with those around him, but he finds his niche using his extraordinary medical skill and intuition to save lives and challenge the skepticism of his colleagues.

I like the premise, though there were definitely things that strained credulity.  Coincidentally, the book I am currently reading, Love That Boy by Ron Fournier, is an "illuminating and touching book [that] gives us the great gift of letting us know and appreciate the Asperger's world of young Tyler Fournier." 

Below is an interview with the author, a political columnist.

http://www.npr.org/2016/04/16/474485668/political-columnist-ron-fournier-talks-new-book-love-that-boy

Yesterday afternoon and evening I was clearly feeling the after-effects of Sunday's workout, and I woke up still sore this morning - though of course it might work itself out.  

Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is the pain and stiffness felt in muscles several hours to days after unaccustomed or strenuous exercise.

It was actually a tad nippy in the house this morning, and when I got up at 6:00 I felt the need to slip on a light robe!  It is going to warm up over the next few days (and threatens to reach triple digits again by the weekend) but we all know that the end of the brutal summer heat is once again in sight!

Did some work out in the front yard this morning - sure am enjoying our glorious weather.  These past couple of days I've been able to have the doors open (and the A/C off!) for the first time in a LONG time, and am taking full advantage of it before the temps climb again.  Meantime, in Ottowa, Karin reports that it's ridiculously hot up there: 101!

I've done some laundry, emptied the dishwasher, taken care of a number of phone calls, and even gotten some cleaning and mucking done around the house.  Just goes to show how productive I can be when I get a reasonable amount of sleep!

I thought that 20 minutes would give me plenty of time to swing by the library and drop off a DVD (I forgot to bring it with me yesterday) and still get to the gym in time - but not if I got caught at every red light.  The good news is that once there I surpassed my goal and made it all the way through the remaining 45 minutes! 

While I was gone this summer, one of my lucky bamboo plants "hid" from Tom and bit the dust.  So after today's workout I swung by the weekend-only indoor 'swap-meet' at 43rd and Thunderbird to replace it.  (Of course first I stopped in next-door at The Other Quilt Shop to see Sheri - and bought a yard of fabric - and then had a nice long chat with her and Kevin.)  But when I went next-door to shop at the bamboo booth, I discovered that the entire building is now empty.

No word on where they've moved.  Too bad, since they always had such a nice selection - and at reasonable prices.

Four books were waiting for me at the library yesterday, even though I'd only gotten a notification about one.  (Notification for the other three did show up later in the afternoon.)  However, Target doesn't seem to carry potting soil any more, and (naturally) that was the most crucial item on my list;  I have a number of plants that desperately need repotting, and had hoped to get that accomplished today.

Did finish reading Beartown when I got home (and definitely enjoyed it)

and luckily had ample choices of what to dive into next. 

Friday night I had assumed the next segment of the Viet Nam documentary would air - I've been watching every night since it began on Sunday - but it didn't seem to be on.  It didn't continue last night, either, but seems to be back for tonight.  Unfortunately somehow I accidentally erased Wednesday night's segment (which I watched at the time, but of course will be missing when Tom watches the series.)

It's another lovely day, so it made sense to work outside this morning.  (And I much prefer that to housework!) One of the things I tackled was scraping all the grass that was growing in the accumulated dirt at the end of the driveway.  It took longer than I expected, but now it does look a whole lot better. 

George Carlin had a different take:

Inside I took care of a lot of little chores, like spackling holes in the hallway wall after I removed the thumbtacks/nails that had been used to hang the kids' artwork.  Slowly but surely I'm getting closer to being able to hang some quilts!  Of course the wall could definitely use a coat of paint now... but then that's pretty much the case everywhere in the house. 

The frig was overdue for a cleanout, so I tackled that today.  Pokey was the appreciative recipient of some fruits and veggies that have seen better days.

Now I'm off to the gym for Boot Camp, with a goal of making it through the first half hour.