Purple Rain, Books and More

 

Purple Rain is finished.  Pleased with how it turned out, and it wasn't the easiest to work on.  Squares were very different in size, some weren't squares, but rectangles as well.

These are the squares, or what a friend calls pieces parts.  I ended up moving a few squares as I was edging them for size.  You can immediately pick out the 2nd square from the right on the bottom row as one that got switched out in the final design.  This is the 4th one I completed while hubby and I were wintering in Hilton Head.  And you can probably also see some of the rectangles got turned a different direction to make things fit together better.

Wow, this was a real eye opener to me.  I know we've seen tv shows and movies where elite military personnel get by with things the rest of us would not; but I didn't realize how true it is.  Sad statement.  These guys we're suppose to honor, to thank for their service are drug traffickers, murders, steal from us.  This is the largest military base in the country and it's apparently not very honorable.  The police in the area are corrupt as well...not that that fact surprises me.  We've seen too many video's of police off the rails in recent years to think of them as friends like we were taught in our youth.  Seth Harp, the author is an Iraq Vet, and investigative reporter.  I gave this book 5 stars, had a hard time putting it down.  On Goodreads it has a rating of 4.08.  If you read it, please let me know what you think.  A friend lives not far from the base and when I was telling her about this book, she said she wasn't surprised.  It doesn't have a good reputation.

I found, The Resistance Knitting Club by Jenny O'Brien to be fascinating.  It's no secret I like WWII books with strong female characters; but I had no idea how knitting was involved in undercover work.  As a knitter, I found this truly fascinating.  Sweaters, scarves, hats etc with coded messages knit into the garments.  A family finds out their Grandmother was part of the resistance in Churchills secret army.  Morse code and knitting stitches.  I gave this book 4 stars and it's Goodreads rating is 3.93

Ben Sasse is a United States Senator and he seems to think the problems we currently have aren't political.  He thinks people are lonely.  I found his thinking a bit pie in the sky and fairly disconnected with everyday life.  I gave this book only 3 stars, while it's Goodreads rating is 4.17....so obviously, I'm in the minority on this book.

Typewriter Beach by Meg Waite Clayton was an interesting read and quite entertaining.  It takes place in Hollywood, Carmel by the Sea to be exact.  A pregnant star, a Hollywood fixer, and a Blacklisted writer.  Lots of secrets.  I gave this book 4 stars, but Goodreads rating is only 3.67.

I hate that this jerk is from my state of Ohio.  His comments sure haven't aged well, have they!

I thought this photo was quite powerful.  All names of men in the Epstein Files, and to date ........still no one has suffered any consequences for their disgusting activities.

People well organized on a beach...I think in California, but I saved this picture awhile ago and now am not sure of the location.  Should have written it down.

Still standing with Ukraine!

I absolutely LOVE this sign.

January, Projects, Books, Memes and Stuff

 

Not sure why the colors on this are so off.  I tried to edit it but, that didn't help.  It looks like there's orange and yellow in the squares.  This is Peppermint that you probably remember from my previous post.

These are the true colors.  The pictures are oriented differently, as the 1st picture is on a twin bed, and I'm limited with space.  The mint green yarn I'm edging with those is really pulling it all together.  I plan to do a large border around it, as it's a bit on the smaller size, and perhaps end with a ruffled or scalloped edge........will see how the volumn of yarn holds out.

These colors are a little off too, but not much.  It's just a bit darker in this picture.  We're having a very cloudy day here, so guess that makes since.  When I posted this corner to corner project last it measured 26 in diameter and it now measures 41 inches.  I had 83 stitches on the needles in the previous picture and now have 138....so, some good progress.  You can see the darker ball of yarn which if this becomes an afghan will be the middle section.  My plan is to continue with the lighter version and see how big it is before deciding if it will be a shawl with just the current lighter version or an afghan blending the 2.

I'm embarrassed to say I didn't know Goodreads had these cute graphics with ones stats at the end of the year.  As many years as I've been using Goodreads, I never looked.  I've not yet made a goal for this year, trying to decide if I want to or not.

This was probably the best one in that it shows you your reading pattern?  I thought perhaps I should get a lottery ticket with my double numbers, lol.

This was a short read, only 3 hours for the audible version, which I highly recommend, as it's read by the author and she has a really lovely voice.  I found, We Should All Be Feminists extremely interesting.  Would love to know if any of you have read it and what you thought.

I've read a good number of serious/heavy topic books of late and decided I needed a little fluff to clear my head.  Yes this is a beachy, love story........but, the twist is the baggage many families carry.  Highly recommend this book who's back story is long long standing friendship and Invitro, and cancer.  So...not really a total fluff book.

Told you I had been reading serious content of late.  This is a true story folks.  I've read a lot about WWII, the war, the camps, the Nazi's, women code breakers; but didn't know much about the Dutch Resistance.  "Seducing and Killing Nazis" by Sophie Polderman is a very interesting and educational read.  I highly recommend it.

Bimbo Barbie is truly disgusting.

AND some memes I thought worth sharing.  AND Where are the EPSTEIN files!!

I stand with Ukraine and Greenland!

The end of Christmas, packing stuff up for another year.  All of this took place before we left town for the winter, so my post is not in chronological order.

A New Project, Reading About the Past to Understand the Present!

 

Started this corner to corner project a few days ago, and I currently have 83 stitches on the needles and it measures 26 inches across.  LOVE the colors.  Have had this yarn probably 2 years?  My favorite local yarn shop was going out of business, so I purchased a fair amount of yarn with guesses about how much I needed and or what I would make with it.  It's called Marble.  I bought 3 large balls of this and 2 that seems similar to me, but darker in colors.  My initial thought is to start and end with this and use the darker blend for sections 2 and 4 and this lighter for section 3...so every other section.  But, I'm not sure if there's enough yarn to make an afghan, given the yardage on each ball.  Sooooooo, I'm knitting this to see how much I get from 1 ball, and may continue with that plan and or once I see how far this goes....it might become a trainangle shawl.  The colors and textures would well for a shawl, as well as an afghan.  Only time will tell.

Snow number 2!  This is about 4.5 inches, and as luck would have it this hit the day we left town for a couple of weeks in Hilton Head, just after the Thanksgiving weekend!!  I'm a happy camper to have missed it, since I'm not a fan of snow or cold or winter for that matter.  My neighbor across the street took the picture and said......you got out at a good time.  She knows me.

A fascinating read.  I had no idea we, the USA smuggled books into The Soviet Bloc during the Cold War to help mold descent among the peoples of the U.S.S.R.  The brave people involved were incredible.  10 million books were smuggled in.  To read about this when here in our country currently the far right is banning books every single day is extrodinary.  Please put this on your to read list.

A backward island,, a dysfunctional family, an alcholhic actress and hiden treasure linking the present with the past.  LOVED this book, very entertaining.  Oh and let;s not forget a love story!

Wow......a long book.  The audio of World Enemy No 1 is 17 hours.  A very interesting look at WWII and how Nazi Germany, and The Russian Bolshevik's manipulated their own people, as well as the rest of the world about who was the aggresor, who was the victim in WWII, who suffered more and who gave more.  Very insightful.  Quite a lot of history to absorb.  After reading this, I did some googling to understand better what I read/listened to.  Highly recommend this book.  trumpie dump is trying very hard to use the same playbook about manipulated public opinion.

84 Years ago yesterday.  A day to pause and remember!

Still standing with Ukraine.

Blogging about my French Adventure HERE!

Another Completed Afghan, Audio Books, Memes to Help Us Laugh

 

If you've seen many of my afghans, you know I rarely make one that has a pattern.  In part because I'm using up donated squares made from lots of different people and rarely have many of the same color or design.  This is obviously the exception to the norm.  They were squares from the different people, but I did have multiples of the color or similar color.  The pink in the right corner for example is lighter then the diagonal strip of dusty pink, but it works.  I also prefer working on ghans that aren't patterned.  Fits my personality better, lol.  

iT'S oriented differently here, but this is what it looked liked as I was designing it.  I've named this one Summers End.  Had a hard time coming up with a name; but thought the darker dusty rose, the darker green etc looked liked flowers at the end vs bright colors in spring when everything is new and fresh.  Like all the afghans it will donated to Home for Families.  Counting my pictures, it looks like I've made 106 of these over the years from donated squares, plus about a dozen that I made without donated squares.

 I've read several of Mary Trumps book and have enjoyed them all.  She really had to work at it coming from such a dysfunctional family.  Her father Freddy one of 5 children of Fred Trump's (Donald's Father), had only room for 1 winner in his family, so the kids were pitted against each other constantly.  Freddy was kind, sensitive and had his own interests other than his Father, Fred's obsession with real-estate.  He wasn't cutthroat and vicious enough to satisfy his father, so Mary grew up watching her Dad be constantly humiliated by his father.  That's what drove him to become an alcoholic.  Her parents divorced and she had to find her own way.  Much insight not just in retelling of her story (and The Felon's), but the added insight of a good behavioral psychiatrist.  A good read.

Some memes I thought worth sharing.

Some folks are so creative when they make the memes.

Lord knows we need to laugh so we don't loose our minds with all the horrible things going on.

And who doesn't LOVE Kermit!!

These are 2 books I recently returned to library without finishing.  I was 3 or 4 chapters in for both books, and just couldn't get into them.  I was tempted to force myself to finish the 2nd book, "The Serviceberry" as it's only a 2 hour book; but NO!  I see no reason spending time reading a book that's not enjoyable, or educational that you just can't get into.  Clearly my opinion does NOT match others, as the 1st book was rated 4.32, and the 2nd book rated 4.38 on Goodreads.  If you read either book, let me know what you're thoughts were.  I only rated each of these books a 1 star, because you can't give them a zero.

LOVED this book!  Put this on your list.  It's a fascinating story about a very strong woman who played an immensely important role in FDR's Presidency.  She was initially involved with FDR when he was The Governor of NY.  She was a Hungarian Jewish Immigrant who advised FDR and was The First Woman to be Assistant Secretary of Defense back in 1950.  This woman worked behind the scenes and accomplished so much for so many years, her story now needs to be known.  

On the blogging front, you may notice my blog log decreasing in size/or numbers of blog names listed.  as I've been deleted some folks from the list.  Why?  Because I like reciprocal blogging.  You visit and comment on my blog, I always visit your blog and return the favor.  In reverse, there are folks who no longer seem to be returning the favor when I visit them.  This does not include folks who are taking a break for health reasons etc.

Pink Lollipops, Civil War, World War II, Mothers Day

 

Pink Lollipops in the beginning.

Oriented differently due to the bed size (twin).  All squares edged to equalize sizing and tied ready to be joined.

Drying, click to enlarge to see the little scalloped edge.  The pictures for this ghan somehow ended up in the wrong folder on my computer, so not sure how long ago I made this one, but think it was last December.  So, a bit late sharing with you.

Two beautiful bouquets from my Darling Daughter for Mothers Day.

I thought maybe the florist had made a mistake when 2 boxes came, but she says no.  First one is displayed in the living room, and 2nd in the bedroom.  Aren't they gorgeous!  Hope you all had a wonderful Mothers Day filled with love.

Some signs I've seen posted on social media around the country at various protests.  I thought they were worth sharing.  People are quite creative in their contempt for the many horrific things that have happened so far under this administration.

An interesting read, though not my favorite Ann Patchett book.  Lots of food for thought about the secrets of scientist living on the dime of drug companies doing their research in dangerous and unhealthy conditions in the Amazon.  Who's beholden to who?  Lots of mystery as this story unfolds.

The build up to the Civil War.  Once Lincoln was elected the turmoil started.  Some wanting war, some not wanting war, some thinking they could just vacate the union without consequences.  Inner turmoil, Major Robert Anderson a slave owner himself, but loyal to the union.  Big Ego's of too many men and the mistakes made that caused the worst war our country ever fought ....in terms of the death toll and the families torn apart fighting on opposite sides.  Highly recommend this book.

Mary Trump, the Felon's only niece is a highly qualified psychiatrist who explains how we're all suffering from PSTD from the 4 years of Donald J. Trump.  AND things are so much worse now, as this book was written about his first term.  She also discusses how we've got to come to grips about the things purposely done during and after slavery to keep an entire race down.  A very good read, put this on your list.

Back to my World War II genre, this book tells the story of 2 extremely different women who were war correspondents.  One is a follower, one a very strong woman.  One pushes Nazi propaganda.  Add this one to your list.

Stats are down on all fronts from March, steps are down 253,997 for an average of 8,466 per day, Miles  down 105.72 for an average of 3.5 miles per day.  Only 4 planks done for the month and likewise only 4 leg lifts.  Where did the month go?  Geesh.  I know I had a couple of appointments, and a couple of travel days, but still a very disappointing month.  Reporting this and I'm 12 days into May, which aren't looking better.  Must see what I can do the remainder of the month to bring things up a bit.

Spotted this t-shirt on Facebook, saved the image as I think it says it all.