Currently...

The weather is a cool 50 degrees with a good breeze and some sun. Tonight the temperature is to drop to freezing and the windchill factor may make its first appearance of the season. Another first probably coming tomorrow is snow. Not enough to amount to anything, but flurries in the air and maybe a dusting on the ground. That will all last through Wednesday before we bounce back to more seasonal 50's and 60's.

I am reading The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections by Eva Jurczyk. It's not my normal type of book, but it's quite interesting.

From the back cover:

Liesl Weiss long ago learned to be content working behind the scenes in the distinguished rare books department of a large university, quietly managing details to make the head of the department look good. But when her boss has a stroke and she's left to run things, she discovers that the library's most prized manuscript is missing.

Liesl tries to sound the alarm and inform the police about the missing priceless book but is told repeatedly to keep quiet, to keep the doors open and the donors happy. But then a librarian unexpectedly stops showing up to work. Liesl must investigate both disappearances, unspooling her colleagues' pasts like the threads of a rare book binding as it becomes clear that someone in the department must be responsible for the theft. What Liesl discovers about the dusty manuscripts she has worked among for so long - and about the people who care for and revere them - shakes the very foundation on which she has built her life.

I am listening to all the noise coming from the work crew, who is now working 6 days a week, 12 hours a day trying to get the new drainage system completed before this coming weekend. They have drug their feet for so long that an ultimatum has been given. Finish by the 22nd or else. I'm not really sure what the or else might be.

I am watching nothing at the moment, but of new shows airing, the only two that are "must see" for me are the new season of Alaskan Bush People and the new CBS drama Fire Country. 

Last night I ended up watching Return to Amish on Discovery+. It's an older show and apparently the follow up to the even earlier Breaking Amish about a group of Amish young people who left the order. It's soooo dumb, but like with an auto accident I couldn't look away. I mean, this family is mad because they are being shunned by the church, but with the exception of the father, none of them follow the Amish rules. What did they expect? Mostly, I think I'm in agreement with reviews and complaints from back when the show aired that complained it did nothing but exploit Pennsylvania's Amish. I'd agree. I live about an hour away from where the show was filmed and nothing about it particularly rings true.

Feeling loved. I woke up this morning to find little love notes taped all over the house from Tim. Later I even found them inside my book and taped to the laptop screen.

Thinking about Leah's fieldtrip on Friday. Since Megan got a job, she is unable to go and I'm going to have to drive (with Headstart fieldtrips each family drives). I don't know why they always choose something far away, but this time it's a some sort of park/petting zoo/pumpkin thing that's a good hour away in an area I'm not familiar with. I am hoping Tim can take a vacation day and go with me. If not I'll have to ask my mom, I guess. I just want a second set of eyes that far from home with Leah. She is fast and ornery! 

Cooking a lot in the crockpot because we like the more savory meals this time of year...lots of soups and stews, but stuffed peppers and smothered round steak, too. Tonight I'm frying porkchops and having baked potatoes.

Grateful once again for my church home and how different it is from any other experience I've had. We had a congregational meeting last night, which if you've ever participated in one of those, you know how long and drawn out it can be. It's not very high on my list of things to do. However, I was pleasantly surprised last night when we were done and out of there in less than an hour!

Also, that our great-nephew continues to do well. Tim's sister got a new report about her cancer and it's a different type than thought and at a lesser stage than thought. Hopefully, that will translate to better odds for her. And finally, for men like our niece's husband who is in the reserves in Texas. He was deployed today to the U.S./Mexico border and will be there for a year. At least it is close enough to their home in Houston that a few visits should be possible.

A few giggles: