Books Etc.

My apologies to fellow blogger (and friend) Beth over at Books Etc. for the title to this post (consider it a backhand compliment). I had a bit of a hodge podge to write tonight and that was the title that came to mind and rather fitting. Earlier this week Beth mentioned that she had bought, and finished with, the DVDs for Season 1 of "Saving Grace", a television show I had written about back in the spring and highly recommended. She wanted to know if I wanted them. Well, yes! So they arrived in the mail today - thank you Beth, they are all in tact and I promise to not stalk you now I know where you live! It was a very generous gesture followed through with action. And me, the benefactor!

I have also neglected to mention the last three books I have read lately. None of which were knock-me-off-my-feet stuff, but not so bad that I would put them down. All authors are ones I've read a lot of but after finishing book three, it made me feel like I wanted to stop reading fiction for a while, just until something knock-me-off-my-feet does come along. The first was Anita Shreve's, "Testimony", second was Miriam Toews', "The Flying Troutmans" and last Meg Wolitzer's, "The Ten Year Nap". They were all okay and maybe it's just the mood or stage I am in that I couldn't appreciate them more. I don't even really know what I am looking for to knock me off my feet, something that makes me nod my head and think, "yes, oh yes, that is so true to me". I do have a series of books out from the library right now (the name of the author escapes me - Kate Jacobs?) but they are The Friday Night Knitting Club and the follow up book to that and another book by the same author. Has anyone anything to say about any of these? Can anyone vouch for them or the opposite?

Coming home after our trip was like entering the Munsters house. These guys had moved in, eaten all the bread and were fighting over the remote control:


Inside and out, spinning like crazy. Their ugliness fascinates me and being highly allergic to their bites adds that bit of excitement to their co-existence with me. And if I may throw another question out there, WTF is this?!:

It was firmly attached to the window screen in our dining room yesterday morning. We took turns trying to flick it off and all screamed when we were (finally) successful. It was a good two to three inches long and wide and thick. The day before (a particularly trying day) I had made a comment about having everything pass through our lives lately except locusts and that word came to mind when I saw it. I saw another one on the sidewalk today, it was dead, but really - can anyone put a name to it?

And on a happy note, I can say that after four days of internal combustion, Riley woke this morning without a fever and was well enough to create this bit of art, with the help of a grape slushie:

We had walked to the local market for some peaches and tomatoes when we got caught in a downpour. Naturally, we had to take refuge at Wild Willy's, the ice cream shop a block away.

And to add a little more diversity to this post, I am looking for references, online or otherwise, for searching genealogy. I know someone whose father is not listed on her birth certificate but she is trying to find out more about the paternal side of her family. I have the name of the father, a date of his death within a decade, a city and place where he worked, the fact that he also had two sons with another woman but not their names. Does anyone know of sites, addresses or other references that might bear some fruit? She was not adopted, but raised by her single mother, so adoption sites would not be pertinent. Oh yeah, and this all takes place within Canada but international references are also welcome.

Wow, it feels good to have gotten all that off my chest.