C. (Comment, never msg).’s Comments (group member since Jan 30, 2014)

C. (Comment, never msg).’s comments from the Gentle SPECTRUMS group.

Happy ninth birthday, to our precious kittens today, September 7th! We pray Conan is home soon, from wherever he has been missing from home. However we have faith that he is all right and will get home when it is safe. Or he may seek the right helper; someone who knows what to do with his tattoo, to reach us on his behalf. Conan is nine years-old today, too. We are spoiling the girls, Angel and Petal!

We remember their brother Love, with all our hearts, who lived for four very happy years. Happy birthday to our four precious kitties, who were so tiny and whose arrival we remember so well; we can't believe it was nine years ago. We love you, kitties! Always, your Mom, Marigold and Ron & Carolyn.

Their birthday was made very special, by my Mom making her first trip to our home in the country with Dad, since she got out of long hospital care. What a joy to have my Mom enjoy them, be there for us, and to have healing from a visit with us and our cats, too. They crowded around Grandma and were excited to see her! My Dad always enjoys our kitties, too.

We were cautious with Mom and her walker but what a wonderful improvement to have her here. There is no rush about getting better: relax and heal right. I wanted to share this happy day with my friends and reading community.

I wonder how many people know: we Canadians have two of my favourite authors to thank, for having our own "Crime Writers' Association": co-founders Howard Engel and Eric Wright. I read that Howard died last month, at age 88, when I was writing my delighted review last night, of his eighth novel, "There Was An Old Woman". That title expresses an idea of his creativity, whimsy, and originality.

Here is a wonderful article discussing what he meant to Canadian literature and to future authors. https://www.thestar.com/entertainment...

Hello! I have gotten onto my Wordpress blog only sporadically; enough to makes some updates with relief, not to write new posts. Wordpress support stopped-short of helping me figure out the bizarre error, or combination of glitches which slow internet doesn't improve and Google Chrome does not reply. However, my local computer store is helping. We will try to collaborate on this next week and I can bring things for him to see in person, if need be; a great asset.

If you are seeing this, which I hope you are: please e-mail by November, that you want to be in the year-end prize draw. I draw as close to December 1 as possible, so you can choose an item in time for me to beat each year's postage hike. Participating is all that matters, not how much you read, so it makes good sense to do the draw.

Replies also show that I have an audience eager for activities. With visible interest, I would find a way to roll one out soon. Otherwise, I would wait until access to my blog is a stable constant. I am popping-in again to spark conversation and to reassure you that I am always on-hand, watching for comments; however lack of blog posts might appear.

I want to write a note about our second-eldest cat, also a son to us: Spirit! As you see in my new profile photo, on July 19, our dear tabby turned 15. Happy birthday, to our dear Spirit! We remember him being a tiny baby whom we brought home to McCartney, when McCartney was only 3. :)

Monday, July 1st was CANADA DAY. It was not the best portion of personal life here but thankfully not the worst either. I am sorry my Mom has been in the hospital for weeks, most recently with pneumonia but I understand it is normal to take a long recovery. I know she will recover and say so to her, however worried our other family members get. We are strong and positive!

It is important to particpate in holiday cheer and to wish it to others, too. I hope my countrywomen and countrymen enjoyed our Canada Day long week-end and had happy ones! Mom loves the flowers from our home and I will bring her more, as long as she needs to be away to recuperate.

Happy nineteenth birthday to our dear McCartney today!!!! We love you, McCart! Our darling Siamese is being fed everything he likes and is served first. I took in-door lounging photos, which are superb for him but tend to be mediocre shots. We'll go outside for birthday pictures when Ron is home from work.

With all our love,
Conan (returning soon), Carolyn, Ron, Spirit, Marigold, Angel, and Petal. Xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo!

WHAT TO DO WHILE I WAIT TO GET BACK ON WORDPRESS AND POST ANEW.

Some of you keen to join this year's challenges had not signed-up. Others have not started adding to our review pages. Now is a good time! I wrote a welcome post that didn't get any replies. Have a read: everything's in there. If there are questions, obviously e-mail or leave a note at this group (not private Goodreads messaging).

Don't forget that you should tell me if you want to be in the December prize draw! It is for everyone who signs-up, except that we ensure the prize goes to someone who is interested and still playing along. It confirms participation: it doesn't matter how much you read, or if you write reviews. All 2019 books count, no matter when you signed-up.

Finally, for an extra name in the draw: try guessing this year's "My Kind Of Mystery" book logo! It doesn't matter if you are in groups other than my mystery one. We have a good standing in "My Kind Of Mystery" this year but "Celtic Coasts", "Gentle Spectrums", and "Ethereal" need to build a little more, before I return to one draw for each theme. Thus, you all have a crack at the mystery.

If it takes much longer to get back onto Wordpress, I will start a clue here. Apologies to members who are not using this group but everyone can read what's here, whether or not at Goodreads. There is my technical update, reassuring you I have not forgotten about hosting fun, seasonal activities! I look forward to it. Yours sincerely, Carolyn.

Hello, chat group and reading challenge group members! How are you? I thought I had better warn you that I cannot get any Wordpress websites to load lately; my own or any others. I asked Ron to verify at work that my website does work and he confirms you. You, yourselves, are often adding links to the review pages, which I enjoy.

Even though the pages are always open and self-serve, I certainly intend to roll out the fun activities portion of our four reading groups! Just when I was gearing up to update some posts, a storm hit my dial-up modem last week. I replaced it the next day and have a UPS battery device protecting my whole phone line and computer now. But I have been unable to load Wordpress since; the page I was on when a storm zapped our modem.

It must be a network or software glitch but I could try phoning Wordpress. Our connection speeds are slow but websites should hang on until they load; not time out. I can't find an e-mail address for them. My internet service has not gotten back to me, so I am figuring out how to get Wordpress working again, myself. There is a great techie at my computer store whom I might call. I have my own thinking cap and other options.

I have deleted Google Chrome cookies, logged in and out of Google, rebooted our computer, checked firewall settings. In case there has been a glitch that I am unaware of - I have found my share of flukes - I might set our PC back to the last "recovery point". If that doesn't work, I definitely need tech support from anyone game to take the time. At least I can help isolate what must be fixed.

Hello, members and friends. I always say "my kind of mystery" is the non-crime kinds: more interesting, versatile, and mysterious: the root of the word. As a child, it thrilled me that a real mystery, not a legend far away in someplace like Egypt, existed right here in Canada: Oak Island, Nova Scotia well to our country's east.

I will write a blog post. What I will summarize quickly is that a very clear pit with a pulley above it, was discovered in 1795 and a number of clearly manmade layers within it. Anyone with an inventive plan, who had money to put together, has continued exploring it; except that early 1900s companies lost the original location. It has a water booby-trap that "searchers" have tunneled around too much, to try circumventing it. The Restall family in particular, lost lives in 1965 during their work.

After Robert Restall and his son, Bobby died: an inspired contractor and military vet took up the search and bought a home and land there. He is the longest Oak Island treasure-hunter and was joined by his son, Dave. I learned about this legend in my favourite kind of book, about unexplained mysteries, when I was about in grade 8 and wrote a school speech about it. I found my book and wrote this review. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

When I learned a few years ago, that searchers, Rick & Marty Lagina, were excavating the Oak Island mystery CURRENTLY and AIRING it on TV for us to behold: it was like striking gold for me! I bought Darcy O'Connor's history book in anticipation of the show and that is where I learned all about our legendary Daniel Blankenship. It was wise to immerse myself in Oak Island education because I understand everything and everyone the show refers to. My review is here. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The episode that has closed the sixth season, because the Canadian coast needs working in during summer and fall, was filmed in October. I am stunned and sorry to hear that Dan Blankenship has passed away, at age 95, on March 16, 2019! Our condolences to his son, Dave and the rest of their family; as well as to the Lagina brothers and the Oak Island family. We are fans and honour a unique, inspired, strong, and hard-working person! Sincerely, Carolyn.

I hope everyone had a happy St. Patrick's day! It fits my reading theme, "Celtic Coasts" but my family has always celebrated, because it is one of our family names. It is like it is for us! I phone my Mom, the rare time we have not gotten around to cards and fun trinkets and wear green.

There isn't much else to it except playing Irish music (Chris DeBurgh, Enya, the Cranberries, the Corrs) but giving a holiday attention is what counts and then, it is not just any other day. How about all of you? It becomes my spouse's birthday next, so we got busy with cleaning and family party-planning soon after. I might as well make a public note: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR DEAR RON!!!! :-)

I await a few folks saying they received my Christmas cards but a new occasion greets us. Happy St. Valentine's Day to all of my people! If you are hanging out to chat, I love it.

If you intend to join my relaxed, fun challenges, as you are about to see: please hit the sign-up buttons at my blog pages soon. Put a blog post or a Goodreads shelf as your website, into the linky buttons. This gauges that enough folks are in "'Ethereal", "Celtic Coasts", "Gentle Spectrums" to do what I intend.

It also matters that you subscribe to posts at my blog, or catch their links here. We can only play if you see them. Enjoy your evenings of romance, family, or friendship!

That sounds great, Patricia! You made a professional write-up for someone who didn't know what URL to use. There is a small note describing me as reading a certain kind of mystery. I created the group to ensure that my favourite niche was not left out; that's all. Anyway, I am impressed.

Goodreads shelves are for people who can't supply a blog post. Posts promote us, along with being a place to track. The prettily-decorated review page is the place to be, to add any review URLs you have ready! :) I hope you enjoy the welcome post, with clarified details and things to look forward to. Your blog comment replies expand on our special traits even more and I appreciate them very much. They have me smiling!

Here is our headquarters:  a handy place for our related pages and activities.  https://cmriedel.wordpress.com/headqu...

I hope you read the welcome post in the comment above from yesterday. It answers questions and stirs our new year up with what to expect.

Hi Erin! Yes, our Floridian keeps print alive but reads and listens digitally as well. There is no way he will be 18! I remember you describing him as much younger.

Glad you got permission to keep the neighbour's cat. If they were "laissez faire" (French for "whatever"), he/she might as well be snuggled in that library living room with y'all.

Our welcome post and positive starting words are here! Please read it for the information and to share the enthusiasm. Everyone who is signed-up and everyone interested in joining. Please comment and chat at that post and start things up!

RSVP'ing is not the same as signing-up. Knowing how many are playing, seeing you in the blog linky buttons, tells me the scope of festivities we can do. Joining with a blog post especially (for bloggers), is appreciated please, while it is early enough to entice others. Yours truly, Carolyn. https://cmriedel.wordpress.com/2019/0...

Hi Katie! I am excited to know you, too! Wow, someone who has the stamina to jog (I gasped after one block, even at age 24) and you are sporty as well as a reader! I was a bike-rider and will get back to it, even though I have moved to country roads.

A unicycle? You are awesome! This is why getting together in a blog group is awesome. Goodreads has too much traffic to know each other as well as this. I can play guitar with classical fingering (no pick!) and piano by ear. Banjo and accordian? You really spell uniqueness on everything and I love it. We are lucky to have you!

It will be tomorrow before I write that "year-starting" blog post. I am happy you are here and have not forgotten in the least, or lowered that priority. Since dashing off a Goodreads note is easier than the meticulous time I put into my blog posts, I assure you my post is merely delayed.

I have never seen so many stymied by "linky buttons" but am doing my best to reach everyone who asks for an explanation. The best advice: the how-to steps are at my sign-up pages (and review pages). Don't be afraid to press buttons and look inside.

So many of you (so many!) still busy signing-up in those buttons. My favourite part, is looking inside the sign-up buttons, or receiving enthusiastic blog comments, and seeing which of my themes you are in! Celtic Coasts and Gentle Spectrums could use a boost but Ethereal and My Kind Of Mystery, are happily up this year!

Thank you to the long-timers still in this chat forum and others particpating in the themes. A sincere welcome to all the new faces. We will laugh about those linky buttons quickly. They will be pressed all year for your many wonderful, eclectic reviews. Please free to add photos and converse about anything here. Chatting at the blog is what its comment boxes are for too. Love and fun to everyone, Carolyn!

Hello, everyone! I am going to write a blog post tomorrow and look forward to it. I stayed up last night finishing some things. Paired with never doing anything half-assed; I'm sure you know we have slow rural internet. Uploading and transferring pictures and covers, however lovely, can be quite a process; -if- they upload.

Until then; I invite you to chat, introduce yourselves, and make yourselves at home. February 1 has arrived and it is my pleasure to welcome you and to declare: Happy RIEDEL Fascination starting day!!!! Start your engines, folks: playtime is on!!!!
Yours truly, Carolyn!

I want to share record-breaking weather with you today. We are well at home and the world, in southern central Canada, is turning. Our winter birds are merely eating more. What is your weather where you are?

Today, our forecast is unbelieveable! Often in winter cold spells, environment Canada will warn us that a wind chill can make temperatures "feel like -40 Celsius". I have never seen a forecast in which the temperature itself is nearly that. Well, here it is today! Our daytime high is.... -32 C! That is our high in daylight! Our own temperature gauge reached -30 C but no higher.

Are you ready for our low tonight? Our low on this day is -40 C! Ron definitely plugs in the car before he goes to bed, so it will start in the morning. There is a deer walking by my widow right now, who is not waiting for sunset, so I had better give her a cupfull of oats. We help the wild animals too around here! :) Scratch that: there are about 6 deer looking for oats. Excuse me while I bring a pail to our driveway, instead of a cup. We love these precious faces.

The whole environment is beautiful. We evoke the same feeling of this year's "Ethereal" logo: a sparkling artic world. You would not go outside much but the whole snow scene is brilliant and fresh.

This is a great topic for introducing ourselves and sharing anything we like. Please conribute any photos that help us get to know you in the photo album, too.

I am Carolyn, founder of these four reading group challenge themes and your hostess for six years. I am a cat Mom to six and a gardener. The "Gentle Spectrums" logo for 2016 was my own photograph, from a lovely visit to Oak Hammock Marsh, Manitoba! This province is marshland, prairie, and forestland. Indeed, I come to you from dial-up rural internet (slow!) in a forest. I am always pleased to meet you!