Monday Morning

 Good morning.

I am waiting for sunrise. We will see if the clouds obscure it or make the sky more colorful. In the meantime, there's a chill in the air, and it feels like fall. For once, the calendar and weather are in agreement. Now onto this and that. 

The repairman came and looked at our stove and, of course, he had to order a part. If all goes well, it should be fixed in about a week. It was interesting watching him work. He used his phone and was on the line with someone from GE, exchanging pictures and information. 

Yesterday, I went to book club, where we discussed Theo of Golden that I reviewed last week. Everyone in the club liked the book, with several people giving it a 10/10. We found the biggest difference in opinions came from whether or not you listened to the book or read it. I won't give any more details of the discussion in case someone still wants to read it, but the ending prompted the most differing opinions. 

Last time, I mentioned the Coal Miner Memorial, dedicated to the miners of the area who lost their lives in the mines. We visited this after our rail bike ride in Frostburg, Maryland. Coal mining was a dangerous, very difficult job, and it was sad to read all the names and ages of the people killed and the families they left behind. Many were children, as you were allowed to go to work with a family member at age 12. The visit was both an informative and sobering experience.

The Miner Memorial Park was located next to the rail trail that you see along the fence.

Well, the dawn has broken without much fanfare, with the sky lightening to a dull grey. So instead of a colorful sunrise, I will leave you with a few colorful pictures from around the yard. 

A praying mantis on some basil, which, by the way, I used to make pesto last week (the basil, not the praying mantis 😀).

A volunteer Peruvian zinnia. This is only one plant. The blooms are small, but abundant.

This marigold is also a volunteer. 

This rose bush is blooming despite the feast that bugs are making of its leaves.

A rose bush in another part of the yard is faring better with the bugs.

I finally found the spot where the lantana is happy. It has done well here this year and last year.

The beauty berries have formed. These will be good food for the birds this winter.

The butterfly bush blooms match the color of the berries.

The anemones always provide good fall color. However, they are invasive, and after fighting with them for years, I will probably pull them out.

And speaking of fall bloomers, the mums are just starting. 

In another part of the yard, a grasshopper is hiding among mums that are still buds.

I guess it's time to get on with my day and go feed my sister's cat while she's out of town.

Until next time...

Musings

Our range top is not working. After turning it on, it turns itself off in a few seconds. At first, the malfunction was intermittent, but now it happens every time on every burner. 

It's an induction range, which we really like, but it's too smart for its own good. When we first got the range, it came with a set of pots, and the skillet had a battery with it. We wondered what in the world that was for. It turns out that the skillet can talk to the internet, and then the internet talks to the stove and tells it how to cycle. We have never used that because we refuse to hook our appliances to the internet. (Although I realize that there could be many advantages to that. I basically don't like the idea of being hacked through my stove.)

Another thing the fancy cooktop does is turn off the burner when there's not a pot on it. We really like that safety feature, but now it does it even when a pot is on it. I think one of its computer circuits has gone haywire. 

The repairman is scheduled for tomorrow and hopefully will be able to easily fix the problem. In the meantime, for someone who is not into cooking, I'm surprised to find the non-working cooking top very inconvenient. But the oven works, as do the microwave and crockpot, so we are very blessed that this isn't really a problem. Just a minor annoyance.

BTW, did you notice in my descriptions about our stove, I used range, stove, and cooktop interchangeably. Maybe everyone but me is clear about those terms, but in case not, basically here is what they mean. A cooktop is self-explanatory. The top of the appliance that you cook on. A range includes both a cooktop and oven. A stove can refer to just the cooktop or the cooktop and oven together. Stove and range are often used interchangeably. On our range, only the cooktop is malfunctioning. Or I guess I could also say, on our range, only the stove is malfunctioning. There, did that clear everything up? 😉

When I sat down here to write, I had in mind to touch on a few things that have been going on around here. But apparently, I had more to say about the range/stove/cooktop than I realized. So the pictures of the coal miners memorial will have to wait for another day. 

Until next time...

Book Reviews

 Here are a few books I've been reading lately.

Theo of Golden by Allen Levi, Adult fiction, 2023

What it's about: Theo, an elderly man, moves to Golden, GA. He spots pencil portraits of local residents on the wall of a coffee shop and begins purchasing them. He gives each picture to the person featured in the drawing. Even though Theo is vague about his background, he gets recipients to talk freely about themselves with his quiet ways. Over time, Theo makes a difference in the lives of many people in the town. There is a bit of a mystery as to who Theo really is, but that is secondary to the personal stories of the people of Golden.

What did I think: I understand why this book is so popular. It has a quiet, understated feel that makes it a comforting read. Amongst the problems that the people face, there is a goodness to the overall situations. Also, there are many quotable quotes about life that Theo has learned throughout his years and shares. I think the writing was uneven at times, as the various vignettes are woven into a story, but that did not get in the way of the storytelling. I highly recommend this book, but not if you are looking for an action thriller. It is not that. 

What did others think: Theo of Golden was self-published in 2023. Its sales spread by word of mouth until it was published by a major publishing company in 2025. Then it was on the New York Times bestseller list. At all of the libraries around here, there are hundreds of people on the waitlist.

Her Heart's Desire by Shelley Shepard Gray, Adult fiction, 2023.

What it's about: Her Heart's Desire is an Amish Christian Romance in which Mary, a young 20-something Amish girl, travels to Florida from Ohio for a break. She meets two other Amish girls along the way, and they form a fast friendship, something they had not had before. They find romance and experience personal growth that makes them realize they need a change and that it's time to try new things.

What did I think? This was not the book for me. I found the story and writing very simplistic. Some of that may have come from the sheltered Amish lives the girls were living. I wanted to stop a couple of times, but was determined to finish to say that I have read one of this genre. This was Part 1 of the three-part Pinecraft series. I did not get invested in the characters enough to be reading the other two. 

What did others think? This book was given to me by a friend who reads many books in this genre. The author has written over 70 books to positive reviews and some awards. In this instance, I think Gray was writing a formula novel for which there is a proven market. Amazon gives it an A- and Goodreads gives it a B.

This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page, Adult fiction, 2026

What it's about: Tilly is a young grieving widow whose husband died six months ago from a long illness. Before he died, he worked with a local bookstore to find a year of books for his wife to encourage her after his death. Each month, she goes to the bookstore to get her book for the month. The books vary greatly, but encourage Tilly to live again. She slowly comes out of her stifling grief to move forward with her life. 

What did I think? If the book is about books, you've already hooked me. 😊

I found this one a touching and enjoyable read which explores grief and relationships, including romance. The story is somewhat predictable, but it was interesting to see what the new book was each month. I also appreciated all the references to various books of all kinds. They would make a good reading list. This Book Made Me Think of You was recommended to me by a friend, and I would recommend it, too.

What did others think? This book has several starred reviews and is on Amazon's editors' list of best books for 2026. Goodreads and Amazon readers give it an A.

Not Nothing by Gayle Forman, Children's fiction (middle grades), 2024.

What it's about: Twelve-year-old Alex is sentenced to community service in a nursing home for something he did that was very bad, the details of which are not revealed until the end of the book. He has had a chaotic life with a mentally ill mother and now lives with his aunt and uncle, who are not thrilled to have him. 

Alex comes into the nursing home with a huge chip on his shoulder and anger management issues. However, things start to turn around when he makes friends with Josey, a 107-year-old resident who has not spoken in 5 years by choice and is waiting to die. He speaks to Alex and tells the story of the love of his life and the atrocities of WWII they experienced. Other residents start opening up to Alex, and he is slowly transformed.

What did I think? I enjoyed this very powerful and touching story about the elderly and a troubled boy. Having spent time in nursing homes with both of my parents, I think the description of the characters there was very realistic. While not the main point, there were nods to gender issues and systems that fail troubled families and kids. I was moved by the book and shed a few tears at some of the more poignant parts. I highly recommend it.

What did others think? The book had many starred reviews, and both Amazon and Goodreads readers gave it an A. It was an Amazon editors' pick for Best Children's Books of 2024.

That's it for now.

Until next time...

Pedaling

 Ward and I have been out more than usual recently with weekend outings including a family reunion, an art show, a special line dancing event, a birthday party, a hike, and a cookout. So this weekend, to keep up our streak, we went to Frostburg, Maryland, for a rail bike outing. Rail bikes, for the unfamiliar, are vehicles with four wheels that ride on railroad tracks. They are powered by pedaling. 

We were in a bike like this. There were also two-seaters.

I first saw the bikes a couple of years ago when we stopped at an old rail trail depot. I was very intrigued and wanted to try them. However, the timing never seemed right. But I was determined to make it happen this fall before the weather got too cold. Saturday was the day.

Wally and Theo went with us, and instead of leaving at o'dark:30 to get there by 8 am, we got a hotel in the area for Friday night. We all agreed that it put us in a better mood to enjoy the day.

After a safety talk and check, we were off. Well, sort of. There were about 30 bikes on our trip yesterday, and it took a little while to sort us all out, but soon we were spaced far apart and enjoying the ride. As it turns out, most of the ride was downhill, so we were coasting a good portion of the 2-hour, 15-mile ride from Frostburg to Cumberland, MD. We did not complain.

Ready to go.

Along the way, we saw beautiful scenery including farms, woods, and the Allegheny Mountains. We also crossed two bridges, several highways, went through a tunnel, and did two track switches. It was a nice variety to ride through. The only drawback of the trip was that the breeze from our movement made things colder than I anticipated. Thus, I was often bundled up in my sweatshirt and didn't take as many pictures as I might have wanted. (BTW, the males of the family did not get cold.) But here are some pictures that I did capture.

Both the front and the back seat had a handbrake. We used this mostly to slow down when we were gaining on the bike in front of us. Our four-seater went faster than their two-seater.

The first part of the trip took us into the woods.

Once we were out of the trees, we had views of fields and mountains.

The tunnel was fun...

and the highway bridge was impressive.

They had crossing guards at every road crossing.

A large mural greeted us at the Cumberland station.

At the end, they provided a shuttle to take us back to our cars.

We weren't sure what to expect, but we were all pleased with this trip. The unique experience provided us with beautiful scenery and a fun family time. 

Until next time...

The Rest of our Weekend

 First, a bit of business. Blogger was at it again, as I didn't see any new posts in my notifications for 4 days. I poked around a bit, but I'm sure I missed some of your blogs. It looks like maybe notifications are working again, so I should be visiting more regularly. I hope there are no more problems for a while. But Blogger is free, and sometimes you get what you pay for. Now on with the post.

Last weekend, we went to West Virginia for a family reunion. Here are a few of the highlights.

When I was growing up, we gathered at my grandparents' farm every summer to celebrate my grandmother's birthday. There were 23 of us cousins, and we had a great time running around the hills, but mostly playing in the creek and catching crawdads. Everyone would bring food, and we would usually make ice cream. I had so much fun. After my grandparents both died, we discontinued the gatherings for a few years. But the farm was still in the family, so we started them again. 

A young Theo playing in the creek at my grandparents' farm.

It was very special to me that I could take my kids to play in the creek and experience the big gatherings just like I did. We have continued the reunions over the years, but the crowd has gotten smaller and smaller. However, I'm still very happy to connect with any of my cousins who can make it, and this year was no exception. 

Although not the primary focus of the picture, you can see two things we have at our gathering every year. One is the crock with flowers that has the family name on it (blotted out), and the other is the tablecloth where attendees sign their names and dates.

Next to my family farm is a big farm where my father and his brothers all worked. I had heard for years that a Revolutionary War soldier was buried there. This year, I finally visited and found the markers of Bailey Rice and his wife, both born in the mid-1700s. 

Bailey survived the war and lived to be almost 100 years old. Almost triple the life expectancy at that time.

The other event we hoped to see last weekend was the Sternwheel Festival in Marietta, Ohio. Marietta, Ohio is directly across the Ohio River from Williamstown, WV, where we stayed. The first night we sat on the WV side and listened to the music and watched the barges and boats on the river. Saturday night was a big night of fireworks to celebrate the 50th year of the festival. After trying several places, we returned to my cousins' because of the crowds. And that worked out great. We sat on their porch out of the rain and saw a great show in the sky. We used a live stream for the lower-down displays.  So we didn't actually make it to the festival, but we got to participate in a way, away from the crowds. Just the way I like to do things.

There was a large stage at the waterfront with live music all day.

Sternwheelers lined the banks. There was a race Sunday afternoon that we didn't stay for.

We left Sunday morning planning to get home by 4 o'clock, in time to pick up our entries at the local fair. We entered them Thursday night before we left, and they had to be picked up 4-6 pm on Sunday. Luckily, we made it in time.

Along the way, we stopped at Cooper's Rock State Forest in WV. Fog obscured the otherwise scenic views.

 

Ward got Grand Champion with his Roycroft table.

And I got a blue ribbon for my embroidery sampler.

After the fair, we could finally go home. We were hot and tired, but happy with our weekend of visiting.

Until next time...