All Hallow's Eve

Wednesday is visiting us this month.  Kids that approach for candy get to hear her playing the organ

Yes, Ray has new LED lighting on the house. He can program anything  from  his phone. Orange one night. Purple  another. Or both colors pulsing.  Spooky

Indoors, I have some fun decor

Have a safe and amusing Halloween. Boo!  Don't eat too much candy. 
 

Halloween Week - Boo!

October Spooktacular fun at our house

Ray's new pet spider

 The pumpkin heads got relocated this year.  Instead of hanging from the pergola, they get to spend time with our yapon holly tree. 

Hope it's a scary week. Watch out for black cats crossing in front of you. 

Finally Friday - Under the Harrow by Flynn Berry

 Nora takes the train from London to visit her sister in the countryside, as she does often. But when she walks into Rachel's home, it's quiet.  No dinner aroma. Instead, she finds herself at a murder scene. 

C.S.  Lewis  wrote in A Grief Observed   We are under the harrow and can't escape

Flynn Berry's Under the Harrow follows Nora's stunned and adrift path.  back blurb - An unsolved assault in the past has shaken her faith in the police, and she can't trust them to find her sister's killer. Distressed and in danger, Nora's fear turns to  obsession and she becomes as unrecognizable as the sister her investigation uncovers. 

A riveting psychological thriller and a haunting exploration of  the fierce love between two sisters, the distortions of grief, and the terrifying power of the past, Under the Harrow is a fabulous  debut novel. 

Indeed, I've read and reviewed more recent  novels by Flynn Berry. However, going back and reading this, her first, I'm even  more  impressed  by her writing. 

Whatever Wednesday - Tell No One by Harlan Coben

 Tell No One by Harlan Coben is a reliable well written thriller.  This author knows how to keep you turning pages, and there are a lot of twists and turns. 

Elizabeth and David Beck always return to the Lake place that has been a key  to their lives since childhood. But on their thirteenth wedding anniversary, Elizabeth is kidnapped and murdered. David is left for dead. 

But....after eight years, an image of Elizabeth appears on David's computer screen.

back blurb:  Is it just a practical joke? Is Elizabeth alive? Beck is chasing a ghost whose messages hold out a desperate hope - and warn him to tell no one. But soon Dr. Beck himself is being hunted down...

Whew!  Coben kept me guessing. The pace is heart pounding, and the end is satisfying. 

Monday Moments - Grief is for People by Sloane Crosley

 And wow - this book, Grief is for People by Sloane Crosley, hit me in the gut. So well written and Sloane put into words so many deep feelings. And it was funny too. Pathos and wit are a great combo. 

First her NYC apartment is broken into and prized possessions are stolen. Only gone one hour, she now questions her sense of security. 

Second, one month later, her very best friend, Russell, chooses to commit suicide.  Why? Absolutely Why?

Cover blurb - She's propelled to right the unrightable, to explore what constitutes family and possession, all while the city faces the staggering toll of the pandemic. 

p. 34  Grief is for people, not things. People like Russell, and people like me now, we don't know where sadness belongs

p. 38  Right now, every time I try to separate these losses, they come back together. Hideous sisters, they are keeping each other company in the dark. 

p. 41  Pairs of shins move up and down the stairs, giving me a wide berth. Strangers. Strangers who can spot the difference between a bad day and a break in life. 

p. 63  Therapy seems  futile, as does travel, nature, sleep, television, music, comedy, theater, art, cooking, exercise, reading, and sex. 

She is a writer by trade with a sharp sense of humor. As she writes this book, she struggles to hold on to the past and to work through a consolation of sorts.  I really "enjoyed" this book, in that it spoke to me. It's like Sloane Crosley and I were hanging  out and talking. And that's good writing. 

Finally Friday - More Myriad Gardens

How's this for a stunning  view of the conservatory at Myriad Gardens in Oklahoma City?

Nifty planter creations

Stunning

Oh yeah - conservatory waterfall

 Gorilla in the mist....no, just Ray

Finale of Whatever Wednesday Gardens

I  was not  paid by the Oklahoma  tourism board for all  of this promotion.  Remember I was stir crazy from my rotator cuff surgery.  Tired of our lovely home and ready for some new views.  Ray could not deny me a trip.  He drove.   He paid.  He  had fun.   See how much fun he's having.....

I'm doing  well.  If you keep the sling on,  folks are very sweet about opening doors and offering help.  

Weird exotic plants.  A  tad risque!??

 A grand finale bloom.  So gorgeous. 

I hope you enjoyed our two or so weeks visiting Oklahoma City.  Step outside your zone and you'll be surprised. 

Monday Moments - More gardens

I love a perfect lily pad pond

So pretty

Exotic plants

Can't go wrong with a Jane Goodall quote.    (Nature....take care of her!!)

 A view in the conservatory from the third tier.  This place was spectacular.

Finally Friday Tune-Up

 The Piano Tuner by Daniel Mason is luminous.  It's quite the imaginative story as he takes you into the jungles of Burma. I felt sweaty and I swear there was a mosquito buzzing around me. 

It's  1886 and Edgar Drake receives a commission from the British War Office. He, a shy middle-aged married man, is asked to travel to Northeast Burma (into a war zone) and repair a rare piano. His piano tuning skills are renowned and the eccentric army surgeon who owns the piano requested his service.  

This strange tale takes you into the jungles and introduces you to a man with a lot of mysterious power in  the region. Doctor Carroll's  mission and work is questionable, and yet the man is fascinating. Edgar is drawn into his world and the magic of Burma. He tunes the piano and yet, despite missing his wife, he's not  in a hurry to leave. 

Mystery, intrigue, music, enemies, animals, moving the piano via the river. Shots can ring out. The book gives a taste of history, the British trying to tame a country.  But that country seduces, the heat closes in, and the jungle has it's own beat.  Kudos to the writing, the characters, and the underlying musical tones. 

Whatever Wednesday - Myriad Gardens in OKC

So, on our  weekend jaunt to Oklahoma City, a total gem was the Myriad Gardens.  This botanical garden covered 15 acres and you could just walk the grounds for free.  Yoga was happening on a Saturday morning. It was a lovely park.  You had to pay for the conservatory and that was SO worth it.

Me

Ray.   Lots  of little water features

 The Crystal Conservatory beckons

OKC was a three hour drive for us and we enjoyed a Friday/Saturday trip.  Sorta backyard....

Don't laugh at what you don't know.  OKC was very tourist friendly and fun.  Who knew??

Monday Moments - Celebrate me tomorrow

 Tomorrow, Tuesday October 8th is my birthday.   I was a happy little girl

Happy enough adult

Me with my brother  David.  We still get along and have  a good time when we can get together.  He's up in PA, so the jokes are mostly via text.   Or he's bragging about his Wordle streak. 

I didn't grab a pic a my sister Lori for this post.  She's ten years younger, so I didn't want her youth to divert attention from me (snicker). 

Me with Dad back in the day.   

I miss him  daily since  he passed at 93 in  May. 

And here I am on our recent  jaunt to Oklahoma  City.  Rotator cuff surgery is the added bonus to 2024. Not a stellar year, but still smiling.  PT is  going  well and  I've  had no  pain. A hardy damn Yankee from PA who lives in TX.

You see plenty of pics on this blog featuring me and Ray - we do have a lot of fun.   No  big  celebration planned this year. He's been my star, taking good care of me. I'll make it another year or so at this rate - ha!

Cheers all.  Raise a glass, eat some chocolate cake, and celebrate with me.  Thanks. 

Finally Friday - OKC Sculptures

 The Bricktown area of Oklahoma City is very cool. They've a small canal that runs through this  section and you can ride the water taxi. There are  restaurants and shops  to enjoy too. 

Plus some very nifty sculptures

Very dramatic

As you can tell, we had a pretty day to walk around this very tourist friendly  city

and  then there's  this huge portrayal of the Oklahoma land rush.  There is energy in the sculptures and you can  practically hear the horses pounding  the  earth. 

Quite the history and stories told

Whatever Wednesday - Edith Head Costume Exhibit

 Ray and I had our jaunt  to  Oklahoma  City. A  key goal was the Museum of Art featuring the costumes of Edith Head.  She  was THE Oscar winning costume designer in Hollywood.  Her heyday was the 1940s and 1950s, but she worked up until she died in 1981.  She was petite but powerful and known  for  her signature look (see me with her above)

Gloria Swanson in Sunset Boulevard wore this  gown.

Grace Kelly in Rear Window.    Grace was apparently a favorite actress for Edith to work with. 

For me, I had to see this exhibit. It was a sign from  my father who loved that Hollywood era. He would have spent plenty of time reading every detail posted and he would have seen all of the films involved. 

It was wonderful.  And you see how tiny the actresses were - waistlines were ridiculous.   The fabrics and accessories were rich.  I wanted to touch every costume.