WWW.WEDNESDAY

 WWW. WEDNESDAY asks three questions to prompt you to speak bookishly. To participate, and to see how other book lovers responded, click here. 

PS I no longer participate in WWW.WEDNESDAY via that link because her blog won't accept Blogger comments. I mention this only to save you the frustration I experienced trying to link up.

1. What are you currently reading? Zelda Fitzgerald: Her Voice in Paradise by Sally Cline. I recently caught the end of 1974's The Great Gatsby and it got me thinking about ol' F. Scott. Then I recalled that, back in the day, I thought Zelda was the more interesting of the two. Maybe it's time to take a new look at her.

 

I chose the Cline book over the more famous Nancy Milford bio because it's 30 years newer. Our views on feminism, motherhood and mental healthcare evolved over those decades, and we can't look at Zelda without considering how attitudes toward women's roles and mental health affected her.

 

2. What did you recently finish reading? Margin of Error by Edna Buchanan. This is #5 in a series about Britt Montero, a thirty-something crime reporter for a major Miami daily. These books were originally written in the 1990s and they are very much a product of their time and place. Edna Buchanan is a good writer, a former journalist herself, and clearly loves Miami. When I'm reading these books, I can imagine the sunsets and smell the surf and see that particularly verdant South Florida foliage.

 

I originally read Books 1-3 more than a decade ago and liked them. For reasons I can't recall, I dropped the series before 4 and 5. I finished Act of Betrayal (#4) in June and enjoyed it. I found our heroine tough, uncompromising, dedicated and relatable. But in this book, I didn't like her at all.

 

First, she chooses to go to bed with someone and there is a definite imbalance of power. I felt she exploited him and I was offended. I'm not prudish about sex on the page, but I was disappointed that even a fictional someone I had come to respect behaved this way. Then there was Britt's reaction when covering a story of a woman who was under credible threat from her ex. The authorities put the victim in a safe house, a mansion that had been repossessed from a drug lord. Looking around her surroundings, Britt actually says, "Do you believe this? If we were homeless, Jimmy Carter would build us houses; if we had husbands trying to kill us, the government would put us up in luxury. But no, we're just working stiffs." So now Britt begrudges aid to the homeless and victims of domestic abuse. She's suddenly become someone I don't want in my life.

 

There are five more books in the series. Maybe I'll be back. The ending of this book gave me a glimmer of hope when Britt decides to consult a therapist. Could it be Edna Buchanan had Britt behaving like an ass intentionally, to illustrate how the character was coping with trauma? Perhaps. Buchanan was a very good writer.  

 

But the world is filled with so many books and I think Britt and I could use some time apart. 

 

3. What will you read next? I don't know.

 

  

 

August Happiness Challenge – Day 25

 

My 2026 Happiness Icon

Today's Happiness: A double dose of happy. First scoop: I took my first yoga class in ages with a different instructor. I admit I was nervous. I'm not very good at yoga and I'm used to Rachel, I'm comfortable with Rachel. But today, with Carlos, everything was fine. 

 

Second scoop: This is the earliest TCM has made the announcement. I've already made my hotel reservation!

 

Happy August Happiness Challenge!

 

Each day in August you are to post about something that makes *you* happy. Pretty simple. And, it doesn't even have to be every day if you don't want it to be. It's a great way to remind ourselves that there are positive things going on in our lives, our communities, and the world.

 

 

 

August Happiness Challenge – Day 24

My 2026 Happiness Icon

Today's Happiness: They laughed at all my jokes. My oldest friend's daughter was in from California. She spent 7 days celebrating her (gulp!) 30th birthday in the midwest with her oldest friend – who still lives here – and visiting her father and his family.

 

Anyway, getting together was her idea. We met at an old-school Chicago fixture, Miller's Pub. Figured it would be a nice palate cleanser after all the SoCal sun tea and carne asada (though she did ask if she could have avocado on her cheeseburger).

 

I did not realize that our dinner Monday night was her last night in town. She wanted to make sure to see me before she left. There are many things she could have done, many relatives she could have seen, and she asked to see me. Plus I was not a box being ticked off – she and her friend seemed to genuinely enjoy my company. 

 

I felt very special and loved. 

 

Happy August Happiness Challenge!

 

Each day in August you are to post about something that makes *you* happy. Pretty simple. And, it doesn't even have to be every day if you don't want it to be. It's a great way to remind ourselves that there are positive things going on in our lives, our communities, and the world.

 

 

 

August Happiness Challenge – Day 23

My 2026 Happiness Icon

Today's Happiness: Hepburn. Today is Katharine Hepburn Day on TCM. I watched two of my faves in real time and DVR'd two more. One that I recorded, Mary of Scotland, I've never seen before! She is my queen, and I've enjoyed our time together today enormously.

 

Happy August Happiness Challenge!

 

Each day in August you are to post about something that makes *you* happy. Pretty simple. And, it doesn't even have to be every day if you don't want it to be. It's a great way to remind ourselves that there are positive things going on in our lives, our communities, and the world.

 

 

Sunday Stealing

Wikipedia Birthday Meme

First, what is your birthday (month/day)? November 22

Now, go to Wikipedia and list:

Four historic events: Okay, the first one I don't have to look up. When a national tragedy occurs on your birthday, you never forget.

•  JFK Assassination (1963)

•  The first commercial transpacific flight (1935) 

•  FDR, Churchill and Chiang Kai-shek meet to discuss defeating Japan (1943)

•  NASA launches the Space Shuttle Discovery (1989)

Three births

•  First Lady, and Presidential Mom, Abigail Adams (1744) 

•  French President Charles deGaulle (1890)

•  Singer/songwriter Hoagy Carmichael (1899)

Two deaths

•  Cosmetics mogul Mary Kay (2001) 

•  Officer JD Tippit (1963). He's the Dallas cop who stopped Lee Harvey Oswald within an hour of the assassination and was shot himself. Tippit was a war veteran with more than a decade on the force. He left a wife and three children. I'm spotlighting him because conspiracy theorists have recklessly ruined his reputation. Here's the commemorative badge Dallas police have worn in his honor.

One holiday or observance 

Good Spouses Day in Japan

 

August Happiness Challenge – Day 22

My 2026 Happiness Icon

Today's Happiness: It all came together today. I have been worried about my short-term finances. Roy Hobbs has dental work coming up this week and the estimate is jaw dropping – between $820 and $2,335 (depending on whether he needs teeth pulled and how many). He has insurance, but since his gingivitis is chronic, they may well rule it a preexisting condition and not cover it. I have cash put aside for this, but I would rather not part with the whole $2,335.

 

Then there's Freddie and Fannie. There's a new lending policy that demands condo associations have 15% in reserves, up from the current 10%. OK, so that's a 5% increase in my monthly assessment right there. Then there's the higher prices we're paying for insurance, utilities, services and repairs (yet our President keeps insisting "affordability" is not an issue), so I predict each unit owner will welcome 2027 with 8% to 10% more in assessments each month.

 

I know that neither of these situations is all that unique to me. Neither is insurmountable, nor will they keep me from the upcoming film festival (Noir City Chicago) or my planned trips to Michigan to see my niece and her husband and Violet. But I'd be lying if I didn't admit I'm not thrilled with this unexpected outlay of cash.

 

But then today I got great news from the bank! They just did the annual analysis of my mortgage escrow and determined there's a surplus in my account. I received a check for $435! Great timing for the vet bill. But wait! There's more! My monthly mortgage payment has been reduced by $30/month. That will make the 2027 assessment increase more palatable.  

 

I did nothing to precipitate this joyful turn of events except go to my mailbox. Isn't that grand? 

 

Happy August Happiness Challenge!

 

Each day in August you are to post about something that makes *you* happy. Pretty simple. And, it doesn't even have to be every day if you don't want it to be. It's a great way to remind ourselves that there are positive things going on in our lives, our communities, and the world.

 

Saturday 9

 
Saturday 9: Shoo Fly Pie (and Apple Pan Dowdy) – 1946

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) Shoo fly pie got its name from Shoo Fly the Boxing Mule. After the Civil War, the mule who could box was such a popular circus attraction that a molasses manufacturer started featuring him on their packaging. Since molasses is the key ingredient of this pie recipe, homemakers just began referring to it as "shoo fly pie." If we looked, would we find molasses in your kitchen? No.

2) Apple pan dowdy is another uniquely American recipe from the 19th century. It's like apple pie, except it only has a top crust, which is broken up. Apples are a good source of fiber, Vitamin C and antioxidants. Do you consider nutrition when choosing a dessert? Or are you just all about how it tastes? Sometimes I think about nutrition. At Smoothie King, I ask for a little fiber boost. Today while grocery shopping I chose Fig Newtons over Chips Ahoy. It takes some of the guilt out of pigging out.

3) The lyrics describe these two desserts as the ultimate comfort foods, able to make "the sun come out when the heavens are cloudy." Do you find that the foods you crave change with your mood? Not the food themselves, but the quantity. I snack more when I'm sad/bored.

4) Singer June Christy pleads with her mama to whip up this "wonderful stuff." Did your mother have a dish you often requested? Yes. This is going to sound weird, but it's true. When I was 6 or so, my mother brought me along to wedding or bridal shower. I felt very special and grown up, and it was the first time I ever saw hors de'oeuvres. I was fascinated by food on toothpicks. So when we had hot dogs, I didn't get mine on a bun. My mom would slice it up and give me a toothpick and little puddle of ketchup and I felt like the most sophisticated first grader on the planet.

5) June was born in Springfield, Illinois' capital. Have you been to your state's capital city? Springfield is my state's capital and I have been there many, many times. It's where Abraham Lincoln came of age and site of The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. You can also tour the only home Abe and Mary ever owned. His law office is still there, but it's being renovated. I'd like to go back someday soon. There is something comforting and inspirational to walking where he walked. Abraham Lincoln represents America at its best.

6) June spent years singing with Stan Kenton's Orchestra. At one point, she gave 38 performances in 35 towns in 35 days. That's a busy schedule! Do you thrive on activity? Or do you find yourself rejuvenated by quiet time? I need my quiet time.

7) In 1946, when this record was popular, bikinis were first seen in Paris fashion shows. How often have you worn your swimsuit this summer? Not once.

8) Also in 1946, Elias Tupper invented Tupperware, a plastic container with an airtight top that's great for preserving leftovers. Are there any leftovers in your refrigerator right now? Not at the moment. 

9) Random question: Is there a day of the week that goes by faster than the others? Sunday.

 

August Happiness Challenge – Day 21

 

My 2026 Happiness Icon

Today's Happiness: A good day at work. There's an old saying that some of us are show ponies and some of us are workhorses. I'm a workhorse. Give me a job to do and I want to do it well. So I am happy to report that today at the card shop, we not only beat our hourly sales targets, a customer told me our store calms her down, makes her happy, and she hopes we will be here forever.

Happy August Happiness Challenge!

 

Each day in August you are to post about something that makes *you* happy. Pretty simple. And, it doesn't even have to be every day if you don't want it to be. It's a great way to remind ourselves that there are positive things going on in our lives, our communities, and the world.

August Happiness Challenge – Day 20

My 2026 Happiness Icon

Today's Happiness: Nothing. I don't mean that nothing made me happy. It's that nothing happened today, and sometimes a slow, uneventful day gives a Gal a happy opportunity to recharge.

Happy August Happiness Challenge!

 

Each day in August you are to post about something that makes *you* happy. Pretty simple. And, it doesn't even have to be every day if you don't want it to be. It's a great way to remind ourselves that there are positive things going on in our lives, our communities, and the world.

 

Thursday Thirteen #476

More budge in your budget. Every time I buy groceries I toss something in the bag for the local food pantry. It used to be I could find all kinds of non-perishables on sale for under $1. Not so anymore. Not that it matters, but I blame the tariffs and the ongoing effect of the War in Iran. 

Of course, my opinion doesn't matter. The store brand pasta that was 99¢ under Sleepy Joe Biden will still be $1.39, whether or not I shake my fist at the clouds. Instead, inspired by a recent issue of AARP Bulletin and Martha Stewart's webpage, I give you ...

13 tried-and-true ways to curb your spending

1. Pay with cash. You're less likely to go over the fixed amount you set aside for groceries or dinner if you go old school and don't rely on plastic.

2. Get rewards. If you're going to pay with a card, make sure it's one that gives you something in return. If Card A will give you double miles on dining and Card B offers triple points at the pump, keep both in your wallet and tap the right card at the right time.

3. Clean your microwave more often. Crumbs left behind can create "hot spots" in the oven interior and shorten the its life.

4. Remove your roof rack. It's a scientific fact: a rack creates aerodynamic drag that makes your car use more gas.

5. Change the oil regularly. Yes, it's dirty and, even if you have someone else do it, time consuming. But skipping your vehicle's oil change can reduce gas mileage (expensive) and damage the engine (even more expensive).  

6. Don't park at the airport. People who are used to driving drive. But it's almost always cheaper to take a rideshare to/from the airport than to park.

7. Don't pay rental car insurance you're already getting. Major credit cards often include rental car coverage as a perk. Check your card's website before you take go to the rental car counter.

8. Turn down the laundry temp. Check the labels and the back of your detergent bottle. You can likely get your laundry just as clean at a cold or warm setting, and you'll lower your electric bill by not making your water heater go all the way to hot.

9. Look beyond the "big guys." Smaller providers – US Mobile, Mint Mobile and Consumer Cellular – access the same networks as Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile but often cost less.

8. Celebrate at the dollar store. Save on party supplies like paper plates, napkins, and cups.

10. Clean your gutters. Clogged gutters will sag and you'll have to replace them sooner. They can also overflow and leak, causing expensive damage to the outside of your house.

10. Think thrift for glass. Picture frames, vases and decorative jars are usually good second hand and all are readily available at your thrift store.

11. Keep a tote bag in your purse or car. Many municipalities charge a bag fee that you won't have to pay if you bring your own with you. 

12. Social media is not just for sharing vacation photos. Follow your favorite stores and find out about sales in advance. Some retailers post coupons you can load onto your phone for next time you visit.

13. Comparison shop for pet supplies. Often your local grocery store, Target and Walmart sell the same brands for less than the chain pet stores charge.

How about you? Any tips to add?

 

Please join us for THURSDAY THIRTEEN. Click here to play along, and to see other interesting compilations of 13 things.

 

 

 

August Happiness Challenge – Day 19

My 2026 Happiness Icon

Today's Happiness: A walk at sunset. I don't have many good memories of my dad. But this evening, one came roaring back, happy and clear. It was about 7:30, the sun was going down, and the heat and humidity had abated. On my way back from a walk I thought of my dad. 

 

Some summer evenings, after dinner but before our baths, he'd take my older sister and me for a walk. He'd make it a game. We'd go up one street and down another and around this corner or that. Then, when he was sure we were turned around, he would challenge one or the other of us to find the way back home. I realize now he was trying to teach us our neighborhood. I was terrible at this game – then, like now, I had no sense of direction.

 

But I liked this time with him. He wasn't grumpy. He wasn't distracted. He wasn't shouting at clouds. He seemed to want to be with my sister and me. 

 

I said a little prayer for my dad tonight. I hope that in Heaven, he gets to take long walks every evening and he's always relaxed and happy. 

Happy August Happiness Challenge!

 

Each day in August you are to post about something that makes *you* happy. Pretty simple. And, it doesn't even have to be every day if you don't want it to be. It's a great way to remind ourselves that there are positive things going on in our lives, our communities, and the world.

 

WWW.WEDNESDAY

WWW. WEDNESDAY asks three questions to prompt you to speak bookishly. To participate, and to see how other book lovers responded, click here. 

PS I no longer participate in WWW.WEDNESDAY via that link because her blog won't accept Blogger comments. I mention this only to save you the frustration I experienced trying to link up.

1. What are you currently reading? Margin of Error by Edna Buchanan. Miami in the 1990s was hot, and not just by National Weather Service standards. For a time, Hollywood came calling and it was a popular location for films and made-for-TV movies. That's how glamorous actor Lance Westfall plausibly can be in the life of hardworking Miami reporter Britt Montero. Her newspaper has assigned her to him as he researches his role for an action movie. He's going to get an eyeful, because Britt works hard and is dogged in getting the story, no matter how ugly or how dangerous the story is. The last big story was awful in every way, and at the beginning of this book, she's still haunted by it.

 

This is a series and I like the recurring characters, but be warned: these books are not remotely "cozy." Edna Buchanan was a Miami crime reporter in real life and she is unsparing in what she shares. But the violence is believably, frighteningly rooted in real life. (That's the complaint I've had with Rosenfelt and the Andy Carpenter books. Most crimes are do not involve in international intrigue. The stories Britt covers and uncovers feel real.)

 

2. What did you recently finish reading? Touched by the Sun by Carly Simon. Carly Simon was galpals with Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis for the last decade of Jackie's life. This is the story of that relationship, and the ongoing impact it had on Carly's life.

 

The first time I read this book it was for Jackie and yes, she continues to fascinate. This time through I concentrated on Carly. At one point she was dealing with the death of her mother and Jackie's last illness. I wanted to revisit Carly's attitudes and observations because now, at age 83, she is simultaneously battling Parkinson's and skin cancer. 

 

The Carly on these pages is fragile, complicated and indulgent. I liked her, related to her, yet was frequently annoyed by her. Maybe the things that annoyed me are the same things I see in myself. It's an involving memoir. A slim book, I may reread it again in the future, and maybe I'll get something different from it.

3. What will you read next? Zelda Fitzgerald: Her Voice in Paradise by Sally Cline.

 

  

 

August Happiness Challenge – Day 18

 

My 2026 Happiness Icon

Today's Happiness: Two in a row! Frankly, I don't usually care about the Crosstown Classic one way or the other. The Cubs and the Sox play in different leagues and usually there's a tremendous disparity in the quality of their play. Not this year. The first place White Sox are 65-60 and my Cubs are 74-53, but in second place in a stronger division. 
 
My guys have won two in a row, and they have been great games! Extra inning nail biters. Both teams are going to make the playoffs and while I don't see a Crosstown World Series in our future – not even Pope Leo's influence is going to get the Southsiders past the Yankees or the Rays – both teams are playing really good ball. I'm happy for the Sox players. They seem like nice kids (they are the youngest team in the MLB) and it's not their fault their fans are ... well ... Sox fans.

Happy August Happiness Challenge!

 

Each day in August you are to post about something that makes *you* happy. Pretty simple. And, it doesn't even have to be every day if you don't want it to be. It's a great way to remind ourselves that there are positive things going on in our lives, our communities, and the world.

 

August Happiness Challenge – Day 17

My 2026 Happiness Icon

Today's Happiness: Being back in The Loop. I was downtown during late afternoon on a weekday for the first time in years. All the handsome men in their collared shirts and crisp pleated chinos! In the immortal words of ZZ Top, "Every girl's crazy 'bout a sharp-dressed man." Sigh ...

Happy August Happiness Challenge!

 

Each day in August you are to post about something that makes *you* happy. Pretty simple. And, it doesn't even have to be every day if you don't want it to be. It's a great way to remind ourselves that there are positive things going on in our lives, our communities, and the world.

 

Planning Ahead

It began with a joke I made during a recent sit down with my financial guy. We talked about my spending over the first six months of the year and my biggest expenditures came back-to-back – first my Connie Cat's surgery and then my trip to the TCM Film Festival. Yeah, I bought a new mattress and bed, but that came in distant third. 

 

As we discussed this, it washed over to me that my lifestyle is different from my friends. "Elaine went to Paris, Lisa went to Ireland, and I went to vet." I thought it was funny.

 

"You know," Jonathan said, scrolling through my financials on his screen, "If you wanted to go to Europe, we could make that happen." My spending over the last two years has been less than we projected. I'm OK with that. We still have two+ years of Donald Trump with his fakakta tariffs and international adventurism and insistence that "affordability" is a Democratic hoax. To say I don't trust him with our economy is an understatement of almost epic proportions, so I'm good with being conservative with my personal finances. 

 

But Jonathan got me thinking about my future and what purchases would make me happy. I need a nice new winter coat, but I think that will be my only big fall/winter apparel purchase. I love my sweaters, but I already have a shit-ton of them and I got two pair of boots last winter.

 

There's a new refrigerator on my horizon. But I neither want nor need bells and whistles there. I'm dragging my feet on this more out of reluctance to toss more steel and copper into the landfill than financial concern.

 

I want to visit my niece and little Violet a couple times before the year is over. I'm attending Noir City Chicago for several nights and I'm headed to Wrigley Field to see my guys, and while I will be spending a lot, it's not on a par with a trip to Europe. 

 

I don't want to go to Europe. I just don't. I'd like to go to Springfield, IL to visit Abe, but that's a hotel and an Amtrak ticket.

 

I am looking forward to the TCM Film Festival in 2027, and I'm excited that I can do it in an elevated way. I know what hotel I want to stay at: The Loews Hollywood. The location is perfect. While I don't think I want to upgrade my room – I'm really not in the room that much – I would like to take advantage of room service more often. Jonathan says I can afford it.

 

But most of all, there's Meeow Chicago. When I'm at the Loews, Connie and Roy Hobbs will be enjoying luxurious digs, too. They can share a suite with a skylight and a climbing tree and boxes to hide in. Best of all, they will have staff attending them from 7 am to 7 pm each day and will be monitored overnight. I'll get photos and text updates every day. I've emailed the owner, who outlined their protocol in case of emergency, which I find comforting.

 

I will have more fun in Hollywood knowing Connie and Roy Hobbs will be under constant scrutiny and care. I take my responsibility to them very seriously. I may not want to go to Europe, but I want to do this, and I'm grateful I can afford it.

 

 

 

August Happiness Challenge: August 16

 

My 2026 Happiness Icon

Today's Happiness: My bath mat. Yeah, sometimes it really is the little things. I like my new bath mat. It's pristine, bright white and it feels cushy under my feet.  

Happy August Happiness Challenge!

 

Each day in August you are to post about something that makes *you* happy. Pretty simple. And, it doesn't even have to be every day if you don't want it to be. It's a great way to remind ourselves that there are positive things going on in our lives, our communities, and the world.

Sunday Stealing

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE ...? 

1. Flavor? Cinnamon 

2. Movie?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Piece of jewelry? I often wear this charm as a pendant. It's a recreation of one of the coins found on the Atocha, a Spanish ship that went down off Key West in the 1600s. The charm is made from scrap silver that remained in the wreck. Amazing to think I'm wearing metal that rested for centuries at the bottom of the sea!

The pendant means a lot to me because it reminds me of my favorite uncle, who loved Key West and collected Atocha coins, and of my dear friend Henry, who lived in Key West and was with me when I bought it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Place to be? My home. Which is why what happened yesterday disturbed me so. It's hard to relax when a nosy neighbor is just waiting to impinge on my privacy.

5. Boy's name? I think I like Robert best because it can be adapted to fit the person: Bob, Bobby, Rob, Robbie or Robert.

6. Girl's name? Margaret. See above. Maggie, Margo, Marge, Peggy, Reta.

7. Candy? It changes. Lately it's Hershey's with Almonds.

8. Sports team? This never changes.

 

 

 

 

 

9. Color? Pantone 294. It's the exact blue of the Cubs logo.

10. Month? Today I'm thinking September. It feels like the beginning of a new season and a fresh start.

So, do you feel like you know me better?