The Sunday Post is hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated reviewer book blog, and is a post to recap my bookish and non-bookish things from the last week. I'm also linking up to The Sunday Salon hosted by Deb Nance @Readerbuzz.
Happy Sunday!
I had to work yesterday which has thrown me off. Today feels like Saturday which makes Monday coming tomorrow feel unfair. I work tomorrow and Wednesday and we head down south for the funeral of the friend I mentioned a few weeks ago who died suddenly from complications after they removed a brain tumor. We'll stay with our son and get to visit with them and the grandkids, so some happy to balance out the sad.
Nothing exciting to report here. We were home this week and it's been feeling like summer. Mid to high 80s. My veggies (tomatoes, zucchini, summer squash, cucumber and peppers) are starting to form. We've put up a shade cloth over the cucumber and tomatoes after realizing the heat and full sun stunted their growth last year and they seem to be doing much better. The snapdragon I planted last year survived the snow and is thriving this year!
Snapdragons from the garden
My husband and I went to Trader Joes, which is about 35 minutes from our house, and then a place called High Hand Nursery/Cafe/Brewery for lunch. The nursery was beautiful with a wide variety of plants and trees for sale and they also had some shops. I bought a puzzle, of course!
High Hand Brewery in Loomis, CA
High Hand nursery
This weeks puzzle: National Parks by Cavallini & Co.
We've begun sorting our Italy trip in November and have been watching some Rick Steves on PBS touring Rome.
Read:
(Click on cover for Goodreads listing)
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I didn't get as much reading done as I hoped and I think part of that was because I was struggling with What Happens in Amsterdam and The Busybody Book Club. I had trouble with both female leads for different reasons.
Purchased:
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Cover Your Eyes was part of the Audible Plus catalog and the rest I bought the Audible sale which ends tonight. The Mary Burtons were like $3 a piece. Normally I can get Mary Burton through Kindle Unlimited as a "read and listen" but these weren't available through that or my library. I enjoy her mysteries. I've read the all the books in Blount's Johns Mill Amish series except for the first one and the audio wasn't offered at my library either. They're romances with some danger and suspense and I loved the other stories.
Instagram:
How was your week?
A busy time for you. It can be hard but also freeing when you have a non regular schedule. It seems like you have some great flexibility with all the traveling you do. Love that puzzle. I also enjoy Mary Burton.
ReplyDeleteAnne - Books of My Heart This is my Sunday Post
Moving to Northern California made it possible for me to scale back on work. I no longer have a set schedule since I moved to per diem. I give dates of availability each month and then they schedule me on the dates they need me. So now I don't work as much and I don't have to deal with the horrid traffic I sat in for so many years!
DeleteSo sorry about your friend. I am glad you will get to visit with family after paying respect. Your flowers are beautiful! And how fun planning a trip to Italy. I hope all the major attractions are open for you to see. The last RLS book I read was Weather Girl ,and I have not been drawn to any of her releases since. I struggled with the heroine and how her depression overshadowed the romance. Just not for me.
ReplyDeleteBusiness Casual was my last read before Amsterdam and I rated it 4 stars, but just barely. I had some issues with it, too. Although, I haven't been much in the mood for contemporary romance or rather just romance. I usually like a story with more going on now. Like mystery, thriller, fantasy, women's fiction with a bit of romance is what I'm gravitating to now.
DeleteGlad you had a quiet week and had a lovely garden center brewery cafe visit before you had to work the Saturday. My husband has to do Saturdays now and then and it throws him off, too. Sympathies about your friend passing. Hug those grandbabies and the kids.
ReplyDeleteBummer your reading was only so-so this week. Hope the new haul from the sales makes up for it. :)
Have a good week, Rachel!
Thank you Sophia! The garden/brewery was such a neat place! I want to go back with my sister and some friends. Thanks for your sympathies. I didn't get to hug the grandbabies! I'll explain in my new Sunday Post. I've had a wonderful reading week! Still didn't read as much as I hoped to, though.
DeleteGreat puzzle! We did a National Parks puzzle last year, slightly different but a lot of fun.
ReplyDeleteI love those National Parks puzzles! I think because I want to visit all of them at some point.
DeleteI'm planning on a trip to Italy in December or January with my granddaughter. We are re-watching the old Tucci program, In Search of Italy, and we hope to watch the new program after that.
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry about the loss of your friend.
I think visiting Italy off-season, like us, takes a lot of the stress out of travel. I'm not a fan of crowds and hopefully it'll be minimized by the time we go. We'll have to compare notes! I'll be re-watching the Tucci program, too. I loved it the first time around and it'll give me more hints about where I want to visit. Thank you for your sympathies!
DeleteIt sounds like you have been very busy, Rachel. I also picked up a couple of the Mary Burton audiobooks. I loved the Lauren Blount series, so I know you will enjoy the first one. Have a good week and enjoy the time you are away, both the sad and the happy.
ReplyDeleteYay! They were wonderfully prices and not on my library or KU so I was happy to get them. Yes, the Johns Mill series was so good! I just missed the first one. Thank you, Carla!
DeleteI am so sorry to hear about your friend.
ReplyDeleteSnapdragons are my favorite. :)
Thank you, Erin! Yes, snapdragons are so pretty!
DeleteSounds busy and fun. Hope you have a wonderful week coming.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteThose snapdragons are beautiful! Makes me want to plant some of my own if I thought they would actually grow and not die like plants do when I actually try to grow them. I hope that your trip for the funeral is one that gives closure, but also you do get some happy time with family there. Working on days you're not used to does totally throw off a week! Hope this is a good one!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lisa! I just kind of plant and hope for the best, haha! Proper sun exposure, watering and fertilizer helps. You have some beautiful peonies! I want to plant some! We did have some closure, but still it's upsetting to think of a life cut short. He was only 59 years old.
DeleteYour snapdragons are gorgeous; they're one of my favorite flowers. And I love that National Parks puzzle! That's one I think I'd enjoy putting together. And I'm so sorry about your friend.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I didn't expect such a crop of snapdragons! I planted them last year and they didn't do that well, but they survived the snow and winter and came back with a vengeance! I'll plant more being they seem to behave like a perineal.
DeleteI haven't touched a book in weeks.. the only way I am getting any reading done is through audiobooks. That National Park puzzle is great.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like I rarely read other than by audio lately, too. The National Parks puzzle was a lot of fun.
DeleteI'm sorry for your loss but I hope spending time with your family helps.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Mary! We didn't end up staying with family. More on that later.
DeleteWe had a public holiday this week so I am all thrown out and struggling to keep up with what day of the week it is!
ReplyDeleteI was hoping that What Happens in Amsterdam would be a good read!
Have a great week!
I know! Those holidays are nice, but it does throw the whole schedule off. You might like it more than I do. I think I was an outlier. I haven't been much on just romance lately, so that could be it. You too, Marg!
DeleteAmazing flowers :D
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteWe devoured all things Rick Steves before our trip to Italy last fall. I also recommend watching Stanley Tucci's Searching for Italy - it's from a few years ago (not his new one), where he tours the different regions and talks about culture and food.
ReplyDeleteI loved Stanley Tucci's Searching for Italy! We will be doing a re-watch as well. What was your itinerary, Jen?
DeleteWe started in Rome and hooked up with an amazing tour guide who is a friend of a friend (I'm happy to recommend!). We spent three days in Rome. Then we took the train to Florence where we spent 5 nights. We did a lot of touring, also a day trip via train to Pisa, and a day trip tour of vineyards. We then took the train to Venice where we spent three nights. Great tours, food, etc. I'm happy to provide tour info if you are interested.
DeleteWe are landing in Milan staying a night, onto Lake Como for 2 nights, Venice 2 nights, Rome 2 nights. We've already booked tours that were highly rated, but thank you for the offer! We're staying in Tuscany for 7 nights using it as a base for day trips all over and back to Milan for one night. Do you recommend any dinner places in Rome or Venice? I'll leave a comment on your blog asking.
DeleteSorry about your friend.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I wonder if we have snapdragons here, so pretty
Thank you, Linda. They are pretty! You probably do. Or at least you could grow them by seed. They did really well through our cold winter. Even survived snow. I think they like the cooler temps in the summer.
DeleteWow Rome will be awesome in November! We've been to Rome twice and love it and the area. I love the National Parks puzzle and the snapdragons look beautiful. Though I'm very sorry to hear about the funeral for your friend. That is very sad, ugh. I hope it will be good to meet there with others to console together. Wishing you a safe trip.
ReplyDeleteI'm excited to visit Rome! We'll only be there two nights, but I hope to squeeze a lot of touring in there. We'll be all over the place in Italy. It's our first time so we'll be getting a feel of the area. Thank you, Susan. It was a nice service but ended up being a shorter trip.
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