Victoria Zigler's Blog: Zigler News, page 11

The Afternoon Tea Book Tag - #AmReading

It’s been a while since I’ve done a book blog tag, but today I’m doing the afternoon tea book tag, which is a tag Cat over at The StrawberryPost did on her blog recently.  It’s a short tag filled with delicious food and, of course, books.  I love doing these things, because they’re fun and you get book recommendations at the same time.

 

Anyway, you can check out Cat’s post here if you like.  I’d love it if you play along too, either by posting your answers in the comments section below or posting it on your blog or social media.  If you do it anywhere but the comments section of this post though, please let me know where so I can check out your answers, since I’d hate to miss them.

 

For now though, let’s take a look at my answers.

 

I’m trying to stick to recent reads to answer the questions, just to narrow selections down a bit.

 

1.       Finger Sandwiches – A book you savoured every minute of

 

“The Insurgent” (The Colony, #2) by Teri Polen.  I’d been dying to read this one since finishing the first book in the series (which is called “Subject A36” – in case you’re interested) and it definitely did not disappoint.  It’s an excellent dystopian/sci-fi series.

 

2.       Scones – A book everyone should own

 

I always hate to answer this question, because I don’t feel there is one book everyone should own.  Everyone has different reading preferences after all.  For example, there’s no point me recommending a fantasy book as one someone who dislikes fantasy should own, and no point me recommending a mystery to someone who doesn’t enjoy reading mysteries.  With that in mind, my answer is there isn’t one.

 

3.       Biscuits – A book that can be finished in one sitting

 

“Destruction” (Thor’s Dragon Rider, #9) by Katrina Cope.  In fact, any of the books in the series would work for this, but I name that one spacifically since I read it recently.  They’re quick reads which are great for anyone who enjoys the idea of combining Norse mythology with dragon-based fantasy.

 

4.       Patisserie – A book that is light and easy to read

 

“Chocolate Fudge Saves The Sugar Dog” by Robbie Cheadle.  It’s a fun food-themed children’s story, which is part of a series that she writes with her son, Michael.  The whole series is food-themed stories followed by recipes, and definitely worth checking out.

 

5.       Showstopper – A book that blew you away

 

“Klara And The Sun” by Kazuo Ishiguro.  I actually read this one near the end of last year on someone’s recommendation, and am definitely glad I did since it was an amazingly beautiful and touching story.

 

6.       Tea – A heartwarming classic

 

I haven’t read any classics recently, so I’m going to pick one from classics I read in the past.  And, it’s got to be “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens.  I love that book, and it has such a beautiful message.  Sure, it’s a bit grim in parts, but it’s a touching and heartwarming book over all.

 

A #Sale Reminder, Weather, Smart Devices, #Braille Displays, and #Tatting

Just a quick reminder: the Smashwords 2022 Summer/Winter sale is still going on, and my children's stories and poetry books are enrolled at 50% off, making them all $2.50 or less, and in some cases completely free.

 

To grab your copies - regardless of which of my titles you may be interested in - simply click here to go to my Smashwords author profile, add your chosen books to the cart, and go through the checkout process.

 

But hurry, because the sale only runs through July 31st!

 

*~*

 

The weather’s been remaining warm here, though thankfully the traditional Welsh weather (rain) has been a frequent enough visitor to stop it getting quite as bad where I am as it has been in many parts of the UK.  I’m definitely glad of that, let me tell you.  Me and hot weather to not get on.

 

I did get a new, and more powerful, fan to help me deal with the heat though.

 

Actually, if I'm totally honest, it was meant to have been for Kelly, originally, since the one he was using wasn’t working very well and had to be replaced.  But he said I could have this one since I was especially struggling to cope with the heat, and swapped the new more powerful fan with one of the ones I was using.

 

It’s great… At one point I was actually feeling almost cold!

 

*~*

 

There have been other new purchases recently too.

 

 When I moved my computer in to what was the craft room and is now my office, I was out of range of the two Alexa devices we had.  One is downstairs where it can be heard from both the living room and kitchen, and the other is in our bedroom.  I suppose, officially, this wasn’t a big deal.  But – despite my initial reluctance to even get one – I’ve gotten used to having one within earshot when I’m doing most things, and was missing that.  So, when I spotted that the fourth generation Amazon Echo was on sale, I grabbed one.

 

I moved them around a bit though.  I have a second generation I was given, a third generation my Mam brought me for Christmas a couple of years ago, and now a fourth generation.  The second generation has been in our bedroom since Mam gave it to me, and the third generation was downstairs.  But I decided to move the third generation to my office instead of putting the new one in there because the fourth generation looks fancier, and there’s more chance visitors will see the downstairs one.  I mean, other than appearance there’s not much difference between them anyhow.  Yes, there are some devices with extra features and such, but mine are just different versions of the Alexa speaker, so their appearance is the only real difference from what I can tell.

 

*~*

 

The extra Alexa isn’t the only new device I have though.

 

I’ve known for ages they were working on Braille displays (Braille e readers, which can also connect to other devices to work as ways to read what’s on your screen in Braille) but only learned a few months ago via conversations on the ACB (American Council of the Blind) calls that some places were offering them free to visually impaired people via their libraries.

 

Initially I thought it wasn’t being done over here, but then I learned more recently that it was, but only for a limited time during the second half of last year, and - since I knew nothing about it - I’d missed the window to sign up.  They were now offering financial assistance to get them, but you had to get hold of certain documents I’d struggle to get hold of, so I couldn’t qualify for it in my current circumstances.  And, with the ones I’d seen listed on the RNIB (Royal National Institute for the Blind)’s website being in the four figure sums as regards prices, I figured I wasn’t getting one any time soon.

 

I reached out to a few places, both over here and in the US, in a desperate attempt to get my hands on one, but still kept hitting the same hurdles: I either didn’t qualify, or the price tag was too high.

 

Then, on Monday, I was ordering a Braille book from the RNIB (which I’ll tell you about in a minute) and when the sales clerk asked if she could help me with anything else, I jokingly said she could give me a free Braille display if she wanted.  She said she couldn’t, but would put me through to the grants team to see if they could help me, or direct me to someone who could.  I didn’t hold out much hope, since I’d looked in to that already, but I figured it didn’t hurt to talk to them, so I let her do it.  I mean, maybe I’d missed something on their website, right?

 

The conversation with the grants team went pretty much how I expected, with the exception of one thing: a comment by the guy who was telling me about it where he mentioned the grant was for a much lower sum than I’d seen their Braille displays listed for, and – when I questioned that – informed me that one of them - the Orbit 20 - was, in fact, a price that was just about in my price range (though only just).

 

Naturally, the first thing I did when I got off the phone with him was to look for it on their website to verify this.

 

It was true.

 

Why I hadn’t found it when I was looking for the other Braille displays, I have no idea.  But there it was.

 

So, I told Kelly about it.  He told me to get myself one, which I did.

 

I ordered it on Monday.  Even though it was being couriered, I hadn’t expected to get it until today – maybe even next week.  But, nope.  I got it Tuesday.  And I’m loving it!

 

As an added bonus: the RNIB sends them with a bunch of books already loaded on to their SD cards, and among them were some amazing books, including the entire seven book set of the Harry Potter books! Yeah… Guess what the first thing I’m reading with my Orbit 20 braille display is? Because, you know, I haven’t read those books enough times yet. LOL!

 

And I have a piece of software called     BrailleBlaster (click on its name to go to the website it comes from) which is officially designed to enable students to convert textbooks to Braille for their devices.  But there’s no rule that says you have to be using it for that, and it will convert any document (assuming it’s in one of the supported file formats to start with) so I can use it when I get given digital copies of books to review to have the choice of whether I want to read it on my computer, Kindle, or Orbit.

 

*~*

As for the Braille book I mentioned ordering… Well, that’s not actually here yet, since it’s coming with regular articles for the blind post, and that can take quite a while sometimes.  But I’ll tell you what I ordered anyhow.

 

So, among the things I inherited from my Nan when I got her craft supplies was her set of tatting shuttles.

 

Nan started teaching me how to do tatting when I was in my late teens, but I accidentally left the stuff at their house when I left to go to Canada and forgot about it.  By the time I had another chance, I’d forgotten what she showed me, and never got around to having her try again to teach me how to do it.

 

I know Nan would willingly try again to teach me if she was still here to do it, but – since she isn’t – and I want to try and make use of those tatting shuttles ,I ordered a Braille book on learning tatting, in hopes I can figure out how to do it by myself.  Wish me luck.  LOL!

 

 *~*

 

OK.  Well, that's the news from my part of the world.  So, tell me, what's new with you?

Of Conventions, Heatwaves, & Medical Mutterings

I had an awesome time participating in the virtual aspects of the ACB (American Council of the Blind)'s convention at the start of July.  I'm so glad I was able to be a part of it! I kind of wish it hadn't ended when it did.  Only kind of, because there were some regular community calls I was missing.  But still.

 

I love being part of the ACB Community, and feel really lucky to have also been able to be a part of the ACB's convention.  I hope I can be a part of it next year too, and am already looking forward to it.

 

Besides that though, it's been a rough few weeks.

If you don't want to hear about why, you're welcome to skip the rest of this post.

 

 ~

 

The weather has been way too hot.  You’ve probably heard about it, since a lot of people seem to have.  Thankfully it’s been a little bit cooler here in Wales than it has in places like London, making me incredibly glad we moved back here a couple of years ago, since temperatures in Hastings are usually pretty close to those in London.  It’s still been WAY too hot though, especially for people like me who don’t deal with hot weather too well.

 

And, before anyone comments on the fact it’s been hotter in other places – parts of the US, for example – let me just remind anyone who may have forgotten, or tell anyone who doesn’t know, that the UK isn’t used to this kind of heat, and we don’t have air conditioning.  Try dealing with temperatures hovering around 90F (and that’s just the temperatures here… Like I said, it’s been worse in some areas) without air conditioning, and you’ll know why I’ve been having a hard time with it.

 

The dogs haven’t been enjoying it either.  In fact, a couple of times even Artemis has clearly decided it’s too warm to be doing anything.  Yeah, you know it’s hot when the Mediterranean tortoise thinks it’s hot.

 

~

 

I was having a hard time for another reason before all the hot weather too, for a totally different reason.

 

Remember the tooth I had pulled? Well, the one beside it needed to be looked at, but the dentist who pulled my tooth just packed it and said my dentist could deal with it when I went for my already scheduled appointment.

 

Unfortunately, some time during the slightly more than five weeks between the tooth being packed and my dentist appointment, the packing stuff came out, taking some of the tooth with it.  Thankfully it wasn’t hurting, though it was a bit annoying.  So, I didn’t worry too much about it.  Anyway, my dentist appointment rolled around on June 29th.  And my dentist decided the tooth could be repaired, and everything would be fine.

 

Except that’s not exactly what happened.

 

The dentist repaired the tooth, and a couple of hours later I was in agony.  But they said it would likely hurt for a day or so, so I waited until July 1st to call about it.  They agreed it needed looking at, but between me having an appointment with my haematologist on that day and it being the end of the week I was told they couldn’t do anything until Monday.  Except, when I called back Monday like they told me to so they could fit me in, they couldn’t actually see me until the Tuesday.

 

I wasn’t happy, but took the Tuesday appointment anyhow.  I’d spent several days in agony, unable to drink without using a straw, and only able to eat if it was something runny like runny oatmeal or similar.  But what was one more day, right?

 

Anyway, when I went there Tuesday the dentist took one look at the tooth and said I had a choice between a root canal or a tooth extraction, since not only had the repair not worked properly, but there was a nasty infection in the tooth.  I opted for the tooth extraction, because I wasn’t about to go through a root canal (especially given my luck with medical stuff).

 

Thankfully my dentist was smart enough to do an x-ray to check nerve placement, so I was able to have the area numbed for the tooth to be pulled (though it did take four vials of the strongest stuff they could give me).  Unfortunately, when the stuff wore off a little over an hour later there was nothing I could do about my nerves screaming in protest about the tooth being removed except cry and hold a cold cloth to my face in hopes I could numb it enough to ease at least some of the pain.

 

Oh, and the other thing is that, despite the clear presence of an infection – not to mention my previous experience – they apparently couldn’t authorize me to have antibiotics on the Tuesday, so I had to wait until the Thursday to have a telephone consultation, at which point they finally agreed maybe I should have some antibiotics.  It was all I could do to just politely thank them and not give some version of, “Yeah? No kidding!” (or something less polite).

 

By the time I could actually eat properly again, I’d been on a runny oatmeal and soya yogurt diet for about a week and a half.  I like oatmeal, and I like soya yogurt, but I’m very happy to be able to eat other things again.

 

~

 

And, yes, I did still do the hosting for some of the virtual aspects of the ACB’s convention, and even attended some events as a participant.  Yes, even though I was in a lot of pain during that week.

 

I have to admit, there was a point where I almost sent out a message saying I couldn’t host.  On the day when I had the tooth pulled there was a point where I wasn’t sure I could do it.  But I was determined to try, knew I could call in help if I was struggling, and actually it turned out the Zoom calls were an excellent distraction from the pain.  I mean, I couldn’t completely ignore it, but they gave me something to focus on besides the pain, which helped me get through those days.

That isn't why I'm grateful I was able to be a part of it all.  I just am in general.  It was interesting, fun, and so much more.  As distractions go I definitely had one of the best I could have had, that's for sure.

 

I still owe me some cake for the pitty parties I threw between calls though.  LOL!

 

~

 

On a more positive note: my hemotologist appointment went well.

 

My kidney function and haemoglobin levels are staying nicely in the normal range, and my platelets – while technically considered lower than they should be – are staying in what they’re calling “my” normal and are at least high enough that nothing needs to be done about it.  So, unless something happens between now and then to make them need to check it out, I don’t have to go back to have my levels checked for several months (it will be just before or just after Christmas I’m due to be seen again).

 

So, at least I’m leaving those of you who stuck around to read the whole post with some good news.

~

Also, to add a bit more to the positive note: today (July 22nd2022) marks three years since I officially went vegan.

 

I’d been eating a mostly vegan diet before that, but I made it official three years ago today.

 

I know it’s not the right thing for everyone, but I feel like it was the best thing I could do for myself, and am glad I made the switch to being fully vegan.  Especially since, interestingly, my kidney function has been a lot better since I did so.  I did mention this to them when I was at the hospital, and they said it could be that my kidneys are finding it easier to process the plant-based proteins than they were those in the animal products.  They were also impressed that I was keeping my hemoglobin level so good on a vegan diet, since a lot of people struggle with that.

Lilie The #Westie & Logan The #Cavapoo Go To The Vet - July 2022

 

Hi everyone.  This is Lilie the Westie.

 

Mummy’s been very busy.  But I’ll let her tell you about that herself.  I want to tell you about mine and Logan’s vet trip yesterday.

 

~

 

Logan got scared because there was a dog that barked at him.  It was only a tiny dog – smaller than me, so definitely smaller than Logan – but he was scared of it and hid behind Mummy until it went away.  I wasn’t scared, but I did think it was very boring waiting to see the vet, and not fair that when the vet called my name another dog went in to see them instead.

 

*Note from Mummy: someone else had a dog called Lily, and Lilie wasn’t happy about it not being her turn to see the vet when she thought her name had been called.  It probably didn't help that this was the first time the vet has started allowing us to wait inside since before the pandemic, so she's not used to that routine at this vet.

 

We met a thing Mummy says is called a cat.  We’ve met lots of different kinds of animals before, but never met a cat.  Until now anyhow.  It wasn’t doing anything interesting though, so we got bored of it and ignored it after a few seconds.

 

Then we heard the voice of the vet we see most times and got so excited we started trying to take Mummy in to his room even before we knew if we were seeing him or one of the other vets.  People thought it was funny for some reason.

 

~

 

Anyway, we were both good when we had our shots.

 

We didn’t even cry when the vet stuck the sharp thing in us or anything.  I mean, we both agree we would have preferred he didn’t do that, but we didn’t make a fuss about it.

 

We let him poke and pull us about to check us over without complaint too.

 

~

 

We both got weighed while we were there.

 

I’ve lost a little bit (I now weigh 10.4 kilos, which is about 23lbs) and the vet is very happy about that.

 

But Logan has ended up putting some weight on (he weighs 19 kilos, which is about 41lbs).  Mummy says it’s because he’s so lazy.  She tries to make him run around like I do, but Logan is just a low energy dog.  The vet says she has to try harder.  Wish her luck with that.  I know my brother, and Mummy's going to need luck with getting him moving more, especially since she can't use snacks to bribe him, since it would defeat the purpose.

 

~

 

Logan doesn't have any issues other than his weight.  He's lucky.

 

My itchies in my ears are bad right now, and my ears are red from it, so I have to have my Recicort ear drops every day for a while until the redness calms down, and then I can go back to every other day.  I also still need to have my Apoquel pill every day.  Plus, now that my back legs bother me lots - even though you wouldn't know it a lot of the time with how I still try to run around and play - I have to have Mettacam every day to help me deal with that.  Mummy says it's a good thing I'm a good girl about taking my medication.  I wish I didn't have to have it though, even if it does help.

 

Other than that, the vet said Logan and I are both looking good.

 

~

 

Lots of licks,

Lilie

 

The 14th Annual Smashwords Summer/Winter #Sale Is Now On!

It’s time for the 14th annual Smashwords Summer/Winter Sale!

 

How the Promotion Works:

“The sale takes place Friday, July 1 through Sunday, July 31 2022. For the month of July, thousands of Smashwords authors and publishers will provide readers deep discounts on tens of thousands of ebooks. Discount levels include 25%-off, 50%-off, 75%-off and FREE.”

 

The sale is exclusive to Smashwords, and all my books are enrolled at 50% off, putting them at $2.50 or less, with some even completely free!

 

And remember: Smashwords eBooks are available in a variety of formats, and I enable all they offer, so there’s bound to be a format that works for you regardless of your preferred method of reading eBooks.  In fact, if you can read this post, you can read my books.

 

So, head over to my Smashwords Author Page and grab your eBook bargains today.

 

And you might want to see what other books are on sale this month while you’re over there.

#WordCrafters Book Blog Tour for "Will Write For Wine" & "Stories I Stole From Lord Byron’s Bastard" by Sara McBride + My #Review

                                            

 

 Today is my stop on the blog tour for “Will Write For Wine” & “Stories I Stole From Lord Byron’s Bastard” by Sara McBride.  So keep reading for a guest post from the author, a review of one of the books from me, and a giveaway.

 

 

Image: painting of Portrait of Two Men From Dresden.

Credit: Portrait of Two Men by Marietta Robusti, Gemäldegalerie, Dresden

 

Stories I Stole from Lord Byron’s Bastard is a collection inspired by Venetian history. The fictional character, Alexis Lynn, wrote these stories in the novel Will Write for Wine by Sara W. McBride, but they are fun stand-alone adventures to be enjoyed with an excellent glass of Italian wine.

 

What inspired the story, “The Gentleman’s Portrait by a Pregnant Man?”

 

I’m absolutely in love with Venice and the Renaissance, so it’s no surprise that two of the stories in the collection feature famous Renaissance Venetian artists. The story, “The Gentleman’s Portrait by a Pregnant Man,” was inspired by Tintoretto’s eldest daughter, Marietta Robusti, who became a well-known portraitist from 1570-1590. And the idea of painting portraits of dead children was a thing at the time, although it was unusual.

Female artists during the Renaissance—Yes, there were several—often dressed as men to hide their gender, as it was inappropriate for a woman to study the naked male form. Even married women were not allowed to study the naked male form.

The art historian Giorgio Vasari, wrote about his contemporary, a female artist, the 16th century Florentine Dominican nun, Plautilla Nelli, that she “would have done marvelous things if, like men, she had been able to study and to devote herself to drawing and copying living and natural things.” Nelli’s restored 21-foot-long canvas of The Last Supper is displayed in Florence in the museum of Santa Maria Novella Church. It’s fabulous! I actually like it better than Da Vinci’s Last Supper in Milan. Go check it out!

During the Renaissance, women were not considered citizens, but property of their father, then their husband upon marriage. Thus, women could not earn a living as a professional artist because they could not write invoices. However, a convent could be paid for commissions and services, so Plautilla Nelli ran an all female art studio.

Marietta Robusti could not work independently and wasn’t part of an artistic convent, but was her father’s most accomplished assistant. The number of works produced from Tintoretto’s studio greatly decreased—some say by half—after her death. It will never be known the number of paintings produced by Marietta that are now attributed to Tintoretto. However, the painting entitled Portrait of Two Men, the painting upon which I based this story, is signed by MR and thought to be Marietta Robusti’s only surviving signed work. It hangs in the Gemaldegalerie Alte Meister in Dresden, Germany.

Other canvases now thought to be painted by Marietta are:

Old Man and Boy, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna

Portrait of Ottavio Strada, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Head of Man, After the Antique, a drawing sold at Christie’s in Paris in 2021 for €100,000. Scrawled across the drawing are the words “this head is by the hand of modanna Marietta,” hypothesized to be added by her father to distinguish the drawing from others in his studio. The drawing depicts the Roman emperor Vitellius, and is based on a copy of a bust Tintoretto kept in his workshop.

Marietta’s talents were not completely forgotten and at least two biographers commented on her. “Marietta had a brilliant mind like her father. She painted such works that men were astonished by her talent,” writes Carlo Ridolfi, author of a biography of Jacopo Tintoretto and two of his children, Domenico and Marietta, first published in 1642. According to Ridolfi, Marietta dressed as a boy in order to assist her father on his projects and produced works of her own invention. Raffaello Borghini, a contemporary of Tintoretto’s reported that Marietta was requested as a court artist by the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II and King Philip II of Spain. However, “Greatly loving his daughter, [Tintoretto] did not want her taken from his sight,” writes Borghini.

The Venetian Renaissance master, Jacopo Robusti, known as Tintoretto, is buried in Madonna dell’Orto in Venice next to his favorite daughter nicknamed, “La Tintoretta.” His house, where he lived from 1574 until his death in 1594, can be viewed at No. 3399 Fondamenta dei Mori. It has a plaque remembering Tintoretto, and the facade features a small statue of Hercules with a club.

 

*~*~*

 

Blurbs

Stories I Stole from Lord Byron's Bastard

 

“If you’re wondering about the story that made Manu so angry he banished me from Venice, it’s in here.” –Alexis Lynn

Get ready for a fun evening of stories inspired by Venetian history. Thrill to the adventures of money-laundering plague nuns, a pregnant Renaissance man,

a demonic Doge at the Devil’s Bridge, and other tales of ghosts, art, and love. 

Following in the footsteps of Lord Byron’s obsession with Venetian history, Alexis Lynn wrote these stories in the novel, Will Write for Wine. We proudly

share these standalone stories with you over the objection of her paramour Manu, a modern-day Casanova and illegitimate descendent of Lord Byron himself. 

So, pour yourself a glass of your favorite vino, let your dog or cat curl up at your feet (or let your cat do whatever it wants), and settle into these

mostly … partly … somewhat true tales. 

In vino est fictio.

Purchase Link: 

https://www.amazon.com/Stories-Stole-...

 

Will Write for Wine

 

Alexis Lynn is tired of living for others. She chucks her twenty year scientific career, and possibly her marriage, to write full time in Venice, Italy.

But when Alexis gets involved with a flirtatious Venetian, a man who champions her writing, events spiral out of control. The old Alexis knows she should

salvage her marriage, but the new Alexis is quickly falling for the charms of this modern day Casanova. And she doesn't know which Alexis will prevail.

This is going to require a whole lot of wine.

Purchase Link: 

https://www.amazon.com/Will-Write-Win...

 

Author Bio

 

Sara W. McBride, like many modern-day biological researchers, invents new swear words to sling at million-dollar machines while locked in a dark hole of a decaying academic hall. This has caused her to witness ghosts and create a romantic fantasy life within her head, which she now puts down on very non-technological paper with her favorite Jane Austen style quill pen. 

Her first novel in the Alexis Lynn series, Will Write for Wine, and the companion short story collection, Stories I Stole from Lord Byron’s Bastard, both set in Venice, Italy, were recently released by Puck Publishing. She’s hard at work on the second Alexis Lynn novel, a Regency mystery series, and a haunted play. She strongly feels the world needs more haunted plays.

 

Find Sara at https://www.puckpublishing.com/

*~*~*

 

My review of Stories I Stole from Lord Byron's Bastard:

 

Five out of five stars.

“This is an excellent collection of stories, which I became so immersed in that I ended up devouring them in one sitting.  They're well-written, and entertaining tales, which I highly recommend if you're a fan of stories like these.  I really don't know what else to say about this book, except to tell you to grab your copy and find out if you end up enjoying them as much as I did.”

 

*~*~*

 

Enter the giveaway below for your chance to win a copy of one of the books; there are two books - one copy of each title - up for grabs.

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Random Ramblings And Medical Mutterings - June 24th 2022

As you may or may not know, it was the Summer Solstice on Tuesday.  So, for those who acknowledge or celebrate it: belated blessed solstice to you.

 

*~*~*

 

We're starting to get some hot weather.  Well, hot to us.  I know some people wouldn't consider it hot, but for someone like me who considers temperatures in the 60s F to be hot, and a country like the UK with air conditioning usually not an option, it is considered hot.

 

Anyway, it's been in the 70s F too often for my liking, and creeping up to the low 80s a few times too.  I really hope we won't be in for too much of those kinds of temperatures this Summer.  I don't like hot weather.

 

Although, I expect Artemis will be glad if we do get a lot of hot weather, since Mediterranean tortoises like Hermann's Tortoises like hot weather.  Mind you, even Artemis can only deal with so much heat, so I expect even Artemis probably wouldn't want it to get too much above 80 F.

 

*~*~*

Lilie and Logan got groomed on Tuesday. Just in time for the worst of the hot weather.

 

We had a dog groomer come to the house to do them this time, from a company called Dial A Dog.  So far we're pleased with them.  And we definitely love the fact the groomer comes to us, which is much easier.

 

Here are a couple of photos of my freshly groomed puppies.

 

Lilie:

 

Logan:

 

The dogs are booked for another grooming session on September 29th at 10:00am.

 

*~*~*

 

I have a couple of completed craft projects to show you.

 

First of all, I finally finished the loom knitted gloves I was making.  So, for those who can and want to see them, here’s a photo:

I also made this little pillow.  It’s a lavender pillow, and I made it while teaching a class for the ACB Crafters on how to make one.  Anyway, here’s a photo of that too:

 

I have some other projects on the go, but have been doing an awful lot of starting but not completing projects lately.  I’ll show you things as and when I complete them – whenever that happens to be.

 

*~*~*

 

We’ve moved things around so my craft room is now also where my computer is.  It makes it easier for me to access craft supplies when I’m on crafting calls, and at the same time puts me in a room where the dogs are less likely to bark at neighbours who are parking their cars outside our house when going to the local shop.

 

It meant a lot of moving about of things though, since the craft room was rather full.  But we pulled all the books out of there to make space for my computer desk, and are in the process of sorting through the books and papers to see what needs to be kept and what doesn’t (which wasn’t actually done when I got the stuff from Dad when he was handing me Nan’s stuff).  The books and papers we keep will go either in the bedroom with my Braille books and the audio books I’m holding on to (I’m getting rid of any I have digital copies of) or in Kelly’s office (formerly known as the computer room).

 

It was a lot of work, and we’re still not done sorting out the books and papers (which are currently being sorted on the floor in Kelly’s office, since there’s more space to do it in there) but we’ll be glad of it in the long run.  Besides, sorting through the books and papers is a task we’ve been wanting to do, and this is one way to force ourselves to do it.  And, at the same time, I get an office/craft room I can actually work in.

 

*~*~*

 

I’ve got some medical stuff going on during this next week.  Today I’m going to get blood taken ready for my hematologist appointment next week, since apparently I need to get the blood taken the week before these days, and my appointment is July 1st.  And on June 29th I have an appointment with my own dentist, which is the appointment I had originally that I decided to keep, but since the packing that was put on the tooth beside the one the emergency dentist had to pull has come out it’s just as well I did keep it.

 

Interesting timing, since we’re right in the middle of convention activities with the ACB.  There’s some virtual only stuff going on right now, then a few days break, and then the hybrid convention during the first week or so of July.  And, since I’m not in a position to attend in person, I’m one of the people who will be helping out with hosting the virtual aspects of it.

 

I’m also one of the winners of the International Voices Contest they were running, so got my registration for attending any of those virtual events I’m not hosting free (otherwise I’d have had to pay to be able to attend any virtual convention events I’m not hosting).

 

It's going to be a busy few weeks for the ACB Community.

 

I’ll tell you one thing: I won’t be able to complain of boredom.  LOL!

 

*~*~*

 

Plus, because of the recently released charity anthology I was involved with, I had an author interview go live yesterday (June 23rd2022).  If you’d like to read my interview, go to https://libraryoferana.wordpress.com/2022/06/23/author-interview-stand-together-anthology-victoria-zigler/

 

*~*~*

 

That basically covers what's been going on around here, so I'll let this do for today.

 

No matter what's going on in your life at the moment, I hope you're staying safe and well, and have plenty of things happening to stop you complaining of boredom too.  Even better if they're things that make your heart happy.

 

Also, if it's hot with you too, I hope you're finding ways to keep cool.

#WordCrafters Book Blog Tour for "Hope For the Tarnished" + My #Review

Today is my stop on the WordCrafter Book Blog Tour for "Hope For the Tarnished" by Annie Chiappetta.  So, I have a short guest post for you from the author, as well as a review of the book. Check it out, and don't forget to check out the other stops on the tour when you're done.

 

 

 

 

Hi everyone. This will be my final post for this fabulous WordCrafter “Hope for the Tarnished” Book Blog Tour with Kaye. Thanks for being part of it and I am glad I am able to tell you more about the book. People ask me about Eddie and that they were relieved  he turned out to be a positive role model for Abbie. This  mirrored my life, as Eddie is based on someone I knew, who was a mentor for me when I was lost and looking for direction. Mentoring or coaching a young person is important and I am grateful for the adults in my life who took the time to nurture  and instruct me. This is one reason I wrote the book and why Eddie is portrayed as a positive  role model. 

Not sure what’s next but I’m sure I’ll be back soon. Until then, here is a haiku for your reading pleasure.

 

Quill is kite in sky

Words form stories in mind

White letters on blue

 

 

Ann Chiappetta

Ann is an artist and often refers to her love of words as a natural compensation after losing her vision in 1993. Once a designer of acrylic displays and furniture, Ann trained her creative senses to flow over from the visual to the literary arts. Years later, she has become a poet and author, honing her talent in various mediums, including web content for nonprofits, regular bylines for online literary publications, poetry, anthologies and guest editing in online literary journals, just to name a few projects of which she has contributed.

 

The author of five independently published books, Ann possesses a Master of Science in Marriage and family therapy from Iona College and an undergraduate degree from the College of New Rochelle, both located in Westchester County, New York.  A consultant and guest presenter, Ann visits schools promoting awareness and equality for people with disabilities.  She is the 2015 recipient of the WDOM Spirit of Independence award and the 2019 recipient of the GDUI Leiberg-Metz award for writing.

 

Find everything Annie on the web: www.annchiappetta.com

 

 

Hope For the Tarnished C 2022 Ann Chiappetta

 

You don’t choose who you love, it just happens. Follow young Abbie Raymond as she traverses concentric rings of tragedy, hope and healing.

 

About the book

 

Young Abbie struggles to cope with the traumatic experiences in her life. Ripped from everything familiar after her parents’ divorce, she is dropped into a strange neighborhood and is emotionally abandoned by her unstable mother. Abbie is caught up in the cruel nature   of one sister’s addictions and often rescued by her other sister’s sense of familial responsibility and love.

The story takes place in the 1970s, revealing family secrets   and the shift of cultural norms as Abbie leaves her doubts in the past, embracing a bright future.

 

$11.50/3.99 Purchasing links: Amazon/Kindle Smashwords

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My review:

 

Hope for the Tarnished by Ann Chiappetta
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was an incredibly difficult book for me to review. On the one hand, it's an excellent coming of age story, which does a great job of showing some of the emotional struggles teenagers face as they enter adulthood. On the other hand, the story was somewhat spoiled for me by the fact the story starts with two horrific animal deaths, which made me almost scared to read on. I also feel like there were some scenes that were a bit too detailed for a coming of age story, though I accept that may be a personal preference thing.
 

Check out the other stops on the tour:

Monday (13) – Opening Day Post – Writing to be Read:
https://writingtoberead.com/2022/06/1...
Tuesday (14) – Patty’s World – Guest Post:
https://pattysworlds.com/hope-for-the...
Wednesday (15) – Writing to be Read – Interview:
https://writingtoberead.com/2022/06/1... in a new tab)
Thursday (16) –  Robbie’s Inspiration – Guest Post:
https://robertawrites235681907.wordpr...                                            
 

Catching Up And Checking In

I'm back to my normal now - for what it's worth - and, thanks to things piling up while I was too feverish and in too much pain to do anything about them (or even care that I wasn't) it's been a busy week of trying to catch up with things I got behind on while sick.  But I got caught up... I think.  And even at one point actually achieved inbox zero.

 

At least, I appear to be caught up on everything other than the reading I want and need to get done.  And I say both want and need here because there are some books I need to read - or need to read a certain amount of - for book club reading, and then there are some books I just want to read because they're ones I like the sound of, or new books by authors I love, or continuations of a series I started earlier in the year for the crafting book club and now want to read the rest of.  But I am on track for my Goodreads reading goal, so that's something.

I've also been busy doing things with the ACB, of course.  I mean, not only do I join some calls as a participant, but I now co-facilitate two calls, am trained to host not just regular Zoom calls but also webinar calls and calls with breakout rooms, I'm part of the ACB Crafters admin team, and now also part of the ACB Presents morning crew.  Since I was doing so much with them, I also decided to become an official member of ACB itself.

Speaking of the calls: you can check out some of the videos from the cooking call I co-facilitate on YouTube now, since Herbie's started putting them up on there.  The call is "Herbie's Cooking Corner" and if you'd like to check it out, just click here for the "Herbie's Cooking Corner" playlist Herbie has on his channel.  There are several episodes not up yet, but Herbie's working on it, and will get them uploaded when he can.

And, speaking of YouTube: I've been doing a load of karaoke songs (often, but not exclusively, songs from Disney movies) because I do karaoke with the ACB Community most Saturdays, and each time I've done them I've put them on my YouTube channel.  If you've missed them but would like to check them out and give them a listen, click here to check out my YouTube channel.

The petkids are doing well.  We're still keeping an eye on things with Lilie's legs, but she seems happy enough for now, and at least her skin irritation is under control.  But beyond that all is well with all three of the petkids we still have (Lilie the Westie, Logan the Cavapoo, and Artemis the Hermann's Tortoise - for anyone new here, or unsure).

That essentially covers what's been going on around here, so I'll let this do for today.

 

I hope you're safe, well, and happy, whatever you may be keeping yourself busy with these days.

Random Ramblings & Medical Mutterings - June 3rd 2022

I’m back to my normal health wise now.  So now I just need to try and remember all the things that I wanted to post about.  As it turns out, that’s actually easier said than done.  LOL! But I’ll do my best.

 

~

 

Lilie’s legs haven’t fully healed.  They won’t any more.  Anyway, she’s not as good at jumping and running as she was, and sometimes seems to have some discomfort with her legs.  But she’s happy in herself, so right now we’re just monitoring the situation, as well as helping her up on the sofa or bed so she doesn’t have to try and jump up there herself.

 

~

 

Beltane was May 1st, but we didn’t end up doing anything for it.

 

May 2nd was Kelly’s birthday, and that celebration was quiet too; we ordered pizza, but that’s about it.

 

Also, May 22nd was our wedding anniversary, which again we didn’t do much for, though we did have Chinese food.

 

~

 

A lot of what’s kept me busy is ACB calls.  In particular, I’ve attended a lot of ACB Crafters calls (when I haven’t been feverish and in agony anyhow) as well as some Future In Sight crafting calls.  Both those are always fun, and both groups do some really great craft projects

 

For example: I put together and painted these wind chimes in a Future In Sight class a few weeks ago:

 

 

I’ve been doing a bit of work on other craft projects, but don’t have anything else to show you right now.

 

~

 

I've been on a load of other ACB calls to, including - but not limited to - training to do Zoom Webinar calls ready to help out with hosting for the virtual aspects of the ACB's convention next month.

~

And I can't think of anything else, so will let this do for today.