Sunday Bookends: Dancing in the rain and Vera Wong (not Wang)

/ Lisa R. Howeler

It’s time for our Sunday morning chat. On Sundays, I ramble about what’s been going on, what the rest of the family and I have been reading and watching, and what I’ve been writing. Some weeks I share what I am listening to.

I never got sick after everyone else in the family did the week before last, but this past week I did get some major sinus issues that have left me with blocked nose, a cough, and a full ear that clicks when I talk.

I never had a fever and didn’t feel so great on Friday, but I was better by later in the day when Little Miss and I had an impromptu dance party on the back porch during a rainstorm. Okay, we didn’t so much dance as jump up and down in puddles on the porch and splash each other with the water in the puddles. We also dumped water on each other from the water bottles we’d had at supper, and I convinced The Husband to pretend we were in a Hallmark movie and kiss me in the rain.

It wasn’t as romantic as I hoped since he kept laughing and looking at me like I was crazy, but at least we tried.

Little Miss thought she was funny by filling her water bottle with very cold water and mine with very warm water, so she was doused with warm water, and I was doused with freezing cold water. It backfired the second time she tried it because I poured the warm water over me instead.

Yesterday Little Miss and I headed 30 minutes away for a grocery pick up. We were about two miles outside of town when a little spider decided to do a little crawl in front of me at the top of the windshield and I did my best to stay calm as I pulled the car over to the side of the road. I really thought in this type of situation — with a small spider trotting across the windshield, right in front of my face, that I would drive the car into a field or body of water and I had that opportunity since we were right next to a pond.

Instead, I tried to squish the spider with a chocolate wrapper but then he dropped in front of me and all bets were off. I swatted at his web with a wrapped slim jim (don’t wask), yelled, and then jumped out of the car and swatted some more.

I really wanted to burn the car and call The Husband to pick us up, but I needed to be an adult (something I have to whisper to myself several times a day, “I’m an adult, I can do this.”) so I took a deep breath and continued on, feeling like there was a spider in my shirt the rest of the way.

 I’m really praying it is not a dangerous spider because I have to get in the car again today and I don’t want to be friends with a spider. At least we don’t live in Australia where the spiders are bigger than a human head. I really would have driven the car into the pond if I had seen one of those.

Erin from Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs and I are still holding Drop-In Crafternoons once or twice a month.

We will be holding another one this Saturday, May 24 at 1 p.m.

The crafternoons are events where we gather on Zoom and craft at our respective homes and chat while we work on various projects. There is one woman who creates with beads, another who colors, I sometimes draw or color, and Erin has been embroidering lately. We are calling them drop-in crafternoons because you can drop in and out during the time we are on. No need to stay the whole time if you can’t. Come late if you want or leave early.

If you want to join in, email Erin at crackcrumblife@gmail.com and she will add you to the mailing list.

I was so excited that the new library I’ve been borrowing books from actually responded to a request I had for a book and uploaded Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping on A Deadman by Jesse Q. Sutanto to Libby this past week. It’s the sequel to Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice For Murderers.

The previous library we went to never responded to requests to add books and told me they had no control over it and didn’t know who to ask to add books. I didn’t worry too much about it but was totally shocked when this library added this book. It could have been a coincidence, of course, but either way it was great timing.

I didn’t have as much time to read as I wanted to this past week, but I’ll have the book finished this week. It’s hilarious and engaging. For those who read cleaner books, this one does have bad language, but not as bad so far as the previous book. There is no sex or violence in the books, though.

I am also  continuing All Things Wise and Wonderful by James Herriot as a leisurely read though. I read a chapter or two here or there.

Little Miss and  I are still reading Magical Melons or Caddie Woodlawn’s Family by Carol Ryrie Brink. We didn’t read it a lot last week since we were at my parents a few days helping there but we will be reading it this week and next as we finish out our school year.

The Husband is reading The Accidental Further Adventures of the Hundred-Year-Old Man by Jonas Jonasson to avoid reading a book I suggested he read (Vera Wong’s first book).

I have no idea what The Boy is reading because he is a teenager and hasn’t shared with me lately what he is reading. He is simply trying to get to graduation this week.

Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis, The Clue in the Diary by Carolyn Keene, The Crime at Black Dudley by Margery Allingham, and The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window and Disappeared by Jonas Johassen.

The entire family watched Paddington in Peru last night together and I have to be honest that I was so thrown off by them replacing Sally Hawkins as Mrs. Brown that I couldn’t get into the movie. *joking around alert after this point: If you can’t get the actors back, don’t make the movie! That’s what I say. My husband said he didn’t even notice the actress was different and I guess movie goers didn’t care either because it has a very high rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

I’m a creature of habit. I don’t like changes. Even in my movies, if they are a series.

And Sally Hawkins reason for not coming back was definitely a nice way of saying she feels she’s way too talented for a movie that probably should have gone straight to video.

In all seriousness, the movie was a good children’s movie but nowhere near Paddington 2, which was very well done.

This movie had a different director as well so that might be one reason it wasn’t as good.

It was okay, but just not as good as the first two, in my humble opinion. The special effects were very good in this installment. So there was that at least.

I also watched Miss Austen last week and am looking forward to the third installment tonight.

 I watched Just A Few Acres Farm on YouTube this morning like I do every Sunday after church.

Last week on the blog I shared (not much):

I did make progress on the fourth book in the Gladwynn series, however. I hope to be able to release it in the fall, but we will see how that goes.

Also, Cassie, the book I wrote as part of a set of novellas by several different authors, is on sale this week for 99 cents and you can find it here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D1VW9TVK

Some videos from the YouTube channel this week:

I hope to start sharing longform videos on the channel soon, but I haven’t yet decided how I want to do that so I’ll keep you posted.

Now It’s Your Turn

What have you been doing, watching, reading, listening to, or writing? Let me know in the comments or leave a blog post link if you also write a weekly update like this.

This post is linked up with The Sunday Post at  Kimba at Caffeinated Reviewer, The Sunday Salon with Deb at Readerbuzz, and Book Date: It’s Monday! What are you reading hosted by Kathyrn at The Book Date.

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25 thoughts on “Sunday Bookends: Dancing in the rain and Vera Wong (not Wang)”

  2. I can’t wait to get my hands on the second Vera Wong book! I would have been the same way with the spider… I don’t like to see anything creepy/crawly in the car with me.

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  3. I’d just like to reassure you that not all the spiders in Australia are bigger than a human head. Only some of them! And most of the spiders are harmless! Most, not all! That said, I have had some spider moments like yours over the years!

    And my husband would absolutely not have agreed to try kissing in the rain!

    Have a great week!

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    • I know they aren’t all huge, but there is enough of those big suckers down there that I’d probably faint if one of them showed up in my car or anywhere near me. *wink*

      I’m glad I at least got a peck. Ha!

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  4. I still need to read the first Vera Wong book … it looks fun. Glad you got Book 2. Luckily I dont see too many spiders here but I’m not too freaked if I do happen upon one … I’ve kept arachnophobia at bay … maybe by thinking it could be Charlotte from Charlotte’s Web. That’s my only hope, otherwise I put them in a jar and take them outside. Have a good week.

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  7. I’ve been reading a very interesting book called Mary & Mr Eliot by Mary Trevelyan and Erica Wagner, which publishes the diary of Mary detailing her friendship with TS Eliot, with context provided by Erica Wagner. It’s quite shocking and really well done. I typed out the original diary for Erica back in 2017 so I’d fortunately forgotten most of it in the meantime!

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  8. Sounds like a lot of fun and skulduggery was involved in the rainy weather. Oh dear about the spider. Great the library added the book you suggested. I wouldn’t mind watching Miss Austen but not showing here. I haven’t watched Paddington 1 or 2 but sounds like I could.

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    • We’ve had a lot of rain here so we’ve had to find a way to have fun.

      Miss Austen is a BBC production that they put up on Amazon as a mini-series, but it must be up on some British channels too? Aren’t you in Australia? I thought they showed more British shows there. Hopefully you will get it at some point. I think it came out in the UK in January, but I’m not sure.

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        • Oh I don’t know why I had you in Australia! Apologies. I love how beautiful New Zealand is! When My husband and I watch Brokenwood Mysteries he always says he wants to live there – mainly because he heard you don’t have snakes. 😂😂

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  9. My best friend is scared to death of spiders. She would have been in that pond, I have no doubt! One time, one of my kids brought a motorized spider to school. I had him sneak it into her room when she wasn’t around. Then, he had it crawl across the front of the room. She shrieked! I’m laughing so hard right now just remembering it! Since we live where there are brown recluse spiders, you will find me stomping on shoes that have been in the garage for a bit just to make sure! I’m sure my neighbors think (well, they kinda know from the getup I wear when I take Jack out in the mornings) I’m a little bit crazy! I finally finished the Judi Dench book and have started Bud, Not Buddy for the I don’t know how many times. I love that book, and Erin reminded me of it. We are watching the third season of The White Lotus. It’s a little out there, and yet you can’t look away. The dad is Lucius Malfoy…but he’s definitely aged! I really don’t see evil old Lucius in there at all!

    Mike’s hip replacement surgery is Thursday so I’m doing all the things to get ready for that. You would think the second go round would be easier, but I think it’s worse as I know what to expect. I know he’s dreading it even more than I am. So, I’m not sure if I’ll be able to drop in on the crafternoon or not.

    Have a wonderful week. Sure hope you’re up to 100% this week.

    https://marshainthemiddle.com/

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    • I think if I was your friend at the time, we wouldn’t be friends anymore. Ha!! That is a good joke, though.

      I have heard of White Lotus but don’t think it would be my cup of tea. I never know, though. Sometimes I think I wouldn’t like things and end up actually liking them.

      I’m not up to 100 percent thanks to the inflammation and drainage that was left behind but the weather has been a little nicer so it’s helped. The rain returns tomorrow, though, so I’m bracing myself for some more sinus issues. Blah!!

      I’ll be praying for you and Mike for Thursday.

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  10. Oh!  You sound like you might have been a bit miserable!  Your Friday even sounds so light-hearted.  Oh my!  A spider in the car – where’s Spiderman when you need him?  😊

    I have Wong’s books on my library’s waiting list…it’s a long list.  I looked up Jonasson’s book and added to my TBR on Libby.  I loved the second video! Thank you for sharing the cozy mystery series! 

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