This blog has been around for awhile and it’s evolved over the years it’s been sitting here. In the beginning Mollie told me not to enable comments because I’d end up chatting with people instead of writing. As usual, Mollie was right. As of today, this blog has over 142,000 comments. Good news is, only 18,500 of those are mine. The original intent of the blog was to create new content for the website which was linked to it. Now the intent is to shelter the community, talk about whatever catches our attention (SQUIRREL!), give each other pep talks, show off what we’ve done and talk about what we’ve read and celebrate why we’re happy. It’s not what it was in 2005, but then neither am I.

The POINT is, this blog is nothing without the comments. Which is why I’m very happy you’re all here.

What made you happy this week?

I read a book about minimalism this week. It had limited appeal.

What did you read?

This week was Vet Week, which means it was also Dog Bath Week.
I’m sure they’ll forgive me some day.

What did you do this week?

Here in the Northern Hemisphere, we’re in the tail end of summer: baking heat, sudden rains, shorter days, and the appearance of school supplies in the stores. It’s the calm before the back-to-school storm, and it’s NORMAL. Okay, back-to-school supplies now include masks and hand sanitizer and the end of summer rains I’m enjoying are probably the tail ends of the hurricanes pounding the coasts, but still, it’s close to normal so I’ll take it. at this point, anything close to normal makes me happy.

What made you happy this week?

This week, I loved Natalie Zina Walschots‘ Hench. Well, you know how I love angry protagonists and competence porn. Did somebody here recommend that? Thank you. Also, she’s working on sequel (YAY) but no pub date in sight (boo).

What did you read this week?

This morning I took the recycling out to the curb. Hey, that counts. Today it’s a vet run and reading the latest version of Bob’s new book, now titled Shane and the Hitwoman. Last week it was surviving being nibbled to death by ducks. We still haven’t figured out why Deb is in Outer Darkness, but Mollie’s narrowing it down.

What did you do this week?

UPDATE: I was wrong about Deb’s problem. From Mollie: “p[Deb] is running an anti-virus program on her desktop and the maker is well aware of an issue that is blocking all the websites hosted via our provider (and likely a number of additional hosting providers).” So if anybody else is being blocked, check your anti-virus software. Mollie says Deb can post from her laptop which isn’t using the software, so there’s that.

Last week was bad. Not call in emergency services bad, but bad. But now it’s Monday, it’s the first day of the rest of this week, and this week is gonna be DIFFERENT. WONDERFUL. Well, better.

What made you happy last week?

Well, it’s been a week and a half here and now Deb Blake is, for some unknown reason, barred from the blog. Why the blog is refusing to let her post we don’t know, we’re on it, we value Deb highly, but in the meantime, wave to her will you? She’s feeling lonely. (I was going to say, “If anybody else is being stopped from posting, let me know in the comments . . .” which gives you an idea of how my week has been going.)

Today I’m trying stir fry in the microwave, which I’m pretty sure is. doomed, trying to get my kitchen set up to cook in again, hanging a platform thingy for my spoiled-as-hell rescue cat, and trying to. remember what it was like when it wasn’t 95 degrees. Maybe I’ll go do my stir fry on the slate walkway, although since that’s the walk the dogs take for their morning pee, maybe I won’t. Back to the microwave. Also much sympathy to those coping with 100+ degrees F; I don’t know how you do it.

Hi, Deb! We’re working on it.

Did re-reads all week because I needed comfort stuff including the Time Police books, planning hitting Deadly Education again since the sequel comes out next month, Time Police third book in October. Also tried a couple of new romances including one reverse harem that did not work and sent me back to The Book of Firsts to figure out why that one did. If I ever get my act in gear, I’m going to write about why, assuming I do figure it out. Still haven’t seen Loki or Leverage. Must get act and ass in gear or at least go look up “reverse harem.”

What did you read this week?

This week I got my mailbox standing upright again (it fell out of the ground, but I think it had been there since 1947 so not a big surprise) and worked on my container gardening. Still to go: Everything else.

What did you do this week?