Sunday Post 143

Hi everyone!

Through Monday, I am linking with the following: 

Reading Reality, who hosts Stacking the Shelves

Readerbuzz, who hosts Sunday Salon

Caffeinated Reviewer, who hosts Sunday Post

The Book Date, who hosts It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Happy 250th Birthday, America! I hope my American friends are having a safe and Happy Fourth of July weekend. If you reside in another country, I hope you are also having a safe and happy weekend!

It's been excessively hot in my neck of the Hundred Acre Wood. We've had consecutive days with "real feel" temperatures of around 116 degrees Fahrenheit. The annual parade that goes down my street on the 4th still happened, but everyone was required to ride in or on a vehicle. No one was permitted to walk this year due to the heat. Our temps were already in the 90's at 9 a.m. when the parade started. Using vehicles helped not only participants, but also spectators because they didn't have to stay outside as long as usual for this event. The parade moved much faster. I did not go outside, but I have a good enough view from my condo. Some of the vehicles were decorated very creatively!

After some storms, we are finally starting to cool down a little. By Tuesday, we'll have highs in the low 80's (but possibly with more storms).

Another event that happened this weekend was Tinker Bell and Fiona observed their Gotcha Day. It was July 3, 2022 when, as kittens, they chose me to be their cat mom. Four years really has flown by. They celebrated with a few rounds of cat and mouse. Fiona played her favorite game of Shadows and Refractions. Bell cannot understand why this game fascinates Fiona so much. Bell just sits and watches her every single time.

Last week, I met with some of my puzzling friends to practice for a competition we're participating in on Saturday. We certainly don't claim to be the fastest puzzlers in all the land, but we do plan on having so much fun trying.

Back at home on the puzzle board, the 1000-piece 80's themed puzzle I recently shared with you is now complete!

This was a really fun puzzle to put together. Instead of sorting (except for the edge pieces and the 1980s label), it was easier to just place pieces generally where they belong. It came together pretty quickly doing it that way.

I have to say, though, I wish Whitney Houston and Murder, She Wrote were included in this puzzle. 

Anyway, it was fun. Here is the info.:

Title: The 1980's

Brand: White Mountain

Artist: James Mellett

Piece count: 1000

Size: 24×30 in.

Sadly, James Mellett passed away on April 12th this year, which happened to be my birthday. He created a lot of cool puzzles like this one. There are several decade puzzles he created, as well as other collage-style puzzles.

IN THE BOOKS

RECENTLY FINISHED

None finished this week.

IN PROGRESS

I read Summer Week 2 in The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year, written by Margaret Renkl and illustrated by Billy Renkl. In this chapter, the author describes her struggle to attract frogs to a pond in her yard. As is the case with most of the chapters, her experience was bittersweet.

I'm very close to finishing an ARC of The Masala Chai Mystery Club, by MJ Soni. I'm enjoying the latter part of the book more than the first. The mystery is strong and there is some edge-of-your-seat action in it. It's a definite page-turner (or page tapper in the case of e-books). However, the frequent swearing is a huge turn-off for me. 

I have less than an hour left to listen to in Death by Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake, written by Sarah Graves and narrated by Susan Boyce. I'm enjoying the mystery overall, and the descriptive writing is strong, but I'm not sure I'll continue with the series. There is some swearing in it, which if you've been following me, you know that kind of language never appeals to me.

UP NEXT

I picked up an ARC of Tides Wait for No Witch (Spelltide Bay Magic Mystery 1), by Natalie Summers. I love witches (the friendly kind!) and sea otters, so I have to read this one. Also, I simply adore the cover. This is still up next.

I will also start listening to another audiobook, but I haven't decided which one yet.

ON THE SCREEN

• The Brady Bunch - I finished watching season 4, at least all the ones that have aired on television. Next week I'll start on season 5, which is shorter than the rest of the seasons. It's also the final season. I'm already feeling sad that I'm almost done rewatching the series. It's going by so quickly.
• A Castle of Our Own - This was Hallmark's final Summer Nights movie in June. It's one of my favorites of the year. It was such an easy, pleasant watch, and it was so good to see fan favorite Brennan Elliott back after taking a two-year break. I don't spend a lot of time outdoors in the summer, but I do enjoy watching movies where the characters do. There were a lot of fun outdoor summery scenes in this one.
• Catch of the Day - This Hallmark movie premiered last fall, but it's clearly set around the 4th of July. So I decided to re-watch it this past week. I didn't love it. It's pretty slow-moving. I thought maybe watching it during the season would enhance my viewing experience. It did slightly, but not enough to put it high on my list.
• Alice in Wonderland (1999) - I had never seen this version, so I decided to watch it after having watched The Way Home series (which references Alice in Wonderland). I thought the special effects were really good, but it was very slow. I prefer the 2010 version.

ON THE BLOG

• Sunday Post - 06/27 - Weekly Recap
• Book Review - 07/02 - Witches, Walkie-Talkies, and Warnings, by Emily Fluke
• Puzzle - 07/04 - 4th of July Cupcakes (and Cookies)

Have a great week!