August — Another Month in the Rearview

So here we are at the end of August. Another month in the rearview mirror. How have the first eight months of 2025 gone by so quickly? August was a month of highs and lows in many ways. The month started hot and then became blessedly cool I hope we are done with the heat and humidity for this year, but then, we are talking about Ohio.

I read just two books this month. I have been battling exhaustion, and it has cut into my nighttime reading. My first book was a little longer than my usual and took half the month for me to finish. The River Wife by Jonis Agee is a family saga- type story with three narrators; all women who in one way or another are connected to river pirate Jaques Ducharmes. It is a story of hard lives lived in the deep south, spanning the decades from the 1800s to the 1930s. It was nicely written with engaging characters– quite brutal in some spots, very sweet in others. But I found it to be a bit heavy. I gave it 4 stars on Goodreads.

While putting out our monthly shipment of books at work, I was delighted to see a title by Mary Kubica called The Good Girl. I came across her book, Just The Nicest Couple, at a thrift shop last month and had read first chapter before leaving the store (with the book tucked safely in my shopping bag!) I took a peek at this one to see if it was just as good. It was! It went home with me that night. Another twisty, turny psychological thriller of dark family secrets. I couldn’t put it down. 5 stars

In other bookish news, My twelfth novel, Superheroes, came out this month and is getting some really good feedback. I’m so pleased!

On the social calendar for August, my sister and I had a coffee date to celebrate Superheroes’ release.

And there were more things to celebrate. My youngest granddaughter turned four this month! Wasn’t she just a baby?

My friend Sharon and I celebrated my seventh (now 8th) week of being sugar free with a bubble. It was such a pretty day we went for a little ride around nearby Lake Katharine afterwards, and then we went for a spin around Sharon’s property on the Kubota. Fun day!

I have only lost five pounds so far, but I am noticing that clothes that used to be tight are now loose. Progress!

I also had a new kitchen adventure in August. Freezer Pickles! They are much sweeter than the dill I usually make, but the sweet, tangy taste is a nice change, and they are quick and easy to make

Ever have an old clunker that became not so reliable? The kind you take to the shop for a tune-up and discover there’s another issue. And another, and another, that needs to be addressed? I sometimes feel like an old clunker, lol.

I decided that before summer ended, I would take care of some maintenance. First up, a visit to the dentist for a cleaning. And some news I was not anticipating. I now have two shiny, new dental appointments on my calendar for November Next up, eye exam. I had noticed my distance vision was getting a little blurry. I thought I would have the exam and in a few days, get a snappy new pair of glasses. Maybe red Instead, I got a referral to an eye specialist for some testing on my corneas, which my eye doctor though appeared to be thinning. He erred on the side of caution. After a number of tests, the specialist concluded that there was nothing wrong with my corneas (Well, nothing he would not expect to see in a 60-plus year old pair of eyes. Thank You, Lord!) So it’s back to the eye doctor to get those glasses. I’m definitely getting red!

As we move into fall, my thoughts turn to autumn leaves and big pots of chili. Apple picking and comfy sweaters and pumpkin everything. Welcome, September! Please hang out awhile, instead of rushing off like your cousins, May, June, July and August