255 Virtual mystery reading

Virtual Mystery Reading

There are many great titles available for download from Handley Regional Library, other public libraries, or commercial services.

I will be sharing some of my favorite mysteries that are available virtually from HRL. Since none of these are current bestsellers, many should be available for download.

I like a mystery that has an interesting protagonist and a sense of place.

For instance, Nevada Barr's Anna Pidgeon is a National Park ranger. Anna is in parks all over the country, running into murder and mystery. I have learned much about parks that I would never visit. Liberty Falling is set, of course, at Ellis Island and the Statue of Library. Anna goes into areas visitors never see to solve a murder.

Steve Berry sets his novels in historic sites. In fact, to quote his webpage: 

"Steve Berry and his wife, Elizabeth,
travel the world both researching and promoting his books. One comment they hear repeatedly concerns the dwindling supply of funds available to preserve our heritage. So Steve and Elizabeth launched History Matters to assist communities around the world with restoration and preservation."

This is somewhat ironic because the title I chose to showcase: The Jefferson Key centers its mystery around Thomas Jefferson. In the course of a battle to save the world from some evil families, Monticello takes a beating! But the tie to our locality is great!

Another series of books with a keen sense of place is the Dave Robicheaux novels that mainly center in the Louisiana bayous. A good choice is In the Electric Mist with the Confederate Dead, which is kind of weird but great! This one is available as a downloadable audiobook. I love hearing the narrator say "Robicheaux!" There was a movie made of the book, but I have not seen it. Handley owns it.

Another series of mystery novels that should be heard, not read, are the Stephanie Plum books by Janet Evanovich. Set in "The Berg" in Trenton, these books are like potato chips--you cannot put them down once you start, but in the end there is not much depth (or nutrition) in them. This series features the misadventures of Plum, a likable but inept bounty hunter. There is a great cast of characters, including the Lulu, the ex-prostitute file clerk who would rather go with Plum to collect people who did not show in court (and eat donuts or fried chicken on the way) than tend her filing.  Plum's boyfriends and family are also a hoot! I chose this one because it is available to download in the audio version, which is a necessity just to hear Lulu!

I also enjoy Sara Paretsky's V.I. Warshawski books. V.I., a private investigator, gets the award from me as the protagonist most likely to be seriously injured in every book. Somehow that works in the mean streets of Chicago. 

I hope you will enjoy exploring some of these authors. What mystery novels do you enjoy? 

Trish      

254 Mini-blogs from isolation

What's on My Isolated Mind 

This Week: A Few Mini-Blogs

Hello, my friends. It is likely that I have had an anxiety attack or two or maybe I am just learning to be a recluse. Sometimes I get upset at not having my usual routine. 

Other times, I, like Frances, feel such empathy for those who do not have, cannot get, or are absolutely out of options. So, here are a few of my one paragraph thoughts on varied topics that have been on my mind.

THE HEROES and COVID-19

Indeed, there are many heroes out there. We know who they are and we should deeply and sincerely appreciate them as they put their lives on the line from doctors to food delivery folks. But--I wonder what lasting impacts their professions will have on their families? Will there be children growing up with PTDS because of the isolation? I know one doctor’s elementary school child who has been shunned by her neighbor peers because parents are afraid the doctor is bringing the virus into their neighborhood.

I realize it may be a leap: but I fear a changed America--one that is NOT nicer, but more separated by philosophy, by the difference between the “haves and have-nots,” and more separated by faiths, by politics, social values, and by education. Will we appreciate the heroes when the pandemic finally ends? I can’t help but compare this pandemic to 1918. Though we should not be comparing them in medical science analysis, I can not help but remember that the flu of 1918 lasted two--yes, two!--years.

PETS
Most of you have, at some point or another, heard about our two mini- Schnauzers--Max (age eight) and Bogie (age five). Two bouncing, barking, racing, funny, and loving small white terriers. They have kept dear husband and me entertained and loved. They sense that something is different as we are at home with them. They come to check on us – where are we--which room. Bogie follows dear husband around like a

shadow. In the middle of racing through the house and sliding on rugs, if he hears one of dear husband get up, he just STOPS! He must go check it out. 

They both curl up on the bed with me when I read. Some books have doggy footprints in them and the blanket on the bed now has a few teeth marks from their rearranging it for their most comfortable nests. They give such love. 

NEWSPAPERS
Applause to the print media! The New York Times provides us with in-depth reports on the virus worldwide. The extra crossword puzzles, the photographs of empty streets usually teeming with energy, the continued up-to-date reporting of what’s happening in the rest of the world (including Kim Jong-Un and the election) has been superb in my opinion. 

The local paper has a column of what has been staying open. This paper also helped us celebrate our non-Apple Blossom with reports and photos of the pink and green that has decorated our town for 92 years to celebrate spring and bring a sense of community in the Shenandoah Valley. Thank you, print media and journalists!

I LIKE TO EAT; I HATE TO COOK

This, dear friends, is the entire mini-blog on this topic!!!

COMEDIES TO STREAM
Yes, most of us have given in to the convenience and variety of Amazon. Yes, I should probably be in a commercial for them. I do NOT want to examine my AMEX bill for the amount of money I have spent with them. Well, there are a lot of spring birthdays in our family. Anyway, to the point--however you stream--here are some of my favorite movies to help you relax and chuckle a bit:

The Bird Cage. Nathan Lane and Robin Williams--a young straight man brings home his girlfriend and her parents to meet his gay father and his partner. Yep, really funny!

Chef. Dustin Hoffman, Amy Sedaris, Sofia Vegara, John Platt--top chef gets ousted by the restaurant owner--opens a food truck. Clever!

Clue. Tim Curry and Madeline Kahn--I bet you’ll get up and try to do the “time warp”--one of my favorites as was/is the board game.

American Pie. Jason Biggs--embarrassingly funny! Watch for the apple pie if you’ve never seen this one.

Best in Show. Christopher Guest, Eugene Levy, and Parker Posey--it’s a dog show! One of my very favorites!

Four Weddings and A Funeral. Hugh Grant and Andie McDowell--she’s engaged; he’s afraid of commitment. Witty.

These are my choices – I know I’ll think of more when I finish this blog!

We’d love to hear from you! What have you been doing? How are you holding up?

Trying to stay savvy, Glenne          

253 Let the tears flow

Let the tears flow

I cry every day.

I cry for those working so hard on the front lines.

I cry for those who have lost loved ones.

I cry for those who have lost their jobs and are struggling to make ends meet.

I cry for the life we all had and may not have again.

I never know when the tears will flow.

Some mornings it happens when the numbers of deaths are announced.  Other times it is when emotional stories are shared. Tears are a relief that eases some of the pain of this pandemic that has stopped the world and changed lives forever. Stories of heroism feel our hearts with hopefulness that all will be better eventually. 

We remain somewhat safe here in Virginia so far, compared to other parts of the U.S., but Coronavirus cases and deaths are ongoing. A friend has been diagnosed and tested positive for COVID-19 but she is doing fine--not a serious case, thank goodness.

New York’s governor Andrew Cuomo is a beacon in the darkness, giving us calm, thoughtful messages in the middle of tragedy in his state. 

Virginia’s governor Ralph Northam is a soothing voice in uncertain times. He acted swiftly when the virus showed its head in other parts of the country, enacting shutdowns that helped slow the arrival here.

Maryland’s governor and District of Columbia’s mayor have also provided rational, resourceful voices in this time of uncertainty.

I take solace in all their messages and updates but can’t help but tear up as every day things are no longer commonplace.

Areas we visit often are closed with no time frame for change. Travel is put off indefinitely.  Even if areas do open, will we feel comfortable visiting?  I doubt it. Impactful stories that have resonated include the group of people who took action to get food that farmers could not harvest to those who need it. They are so impressive. I am in awe of those who can take action and accomplish amazing tasks.

Also, the many people who have sewed facial masks to help medical staff as well as average citizens--they are heroes!  These masks are a way of life for the foreseeable future.

Another group of heroes that deserve praise is a group of factory workers who stayed on the job for 28 days to make the material for protective gear! They resided there until the job was done.

So here we are now with businesses starting to open. Not sure if I will venture out to services I think I can live without. Others can’t wait to go to nail spas and beauty shops.  Good luck with that--hope everyone will stay safe.

I continue to cry some each day as the stories continue to unfold. have been far more patient than I ever thought I could be. I am adjusting to being home and not making plans while missing family and friends.  Phone calls, text messages, and FaceTime make it easier.  This new life is not anything we ever imagined, but I predict that it will get better, not as quickly as we would like. 

Feel free to join me in crying a little each day to help ease the pain and empathize with those who are on the front lines or who have lost loved ones.  I am eternally grateful!

Frances    

252 Virtual vacation

A Virtual Vacation

Since we are all sheltering in place, I thought a virtual visit to Florida might be fun. After reviewing my photos of Florida, I realized that I mainly photograph flora and fauna and Tootsie! The lovely beach scene that is featured in our blog header is courtesy of Frances!

Many of my walks with Tootsie are in the evening. No, I do not get up for sunrises but I have some nice sunset shots.

Then there are birds at sunset.

There wasn't much light for this one.

Here is a sandhill crane parent (the other is nearby) and babies in sunlight.

The babies got bigger!

Hope this isn't worse than your parents' slideshows! 

Anyway, a little bit of flora. Here is Tootsie with a blooming hibiscus and next is a blooming firecracker bush.

Remember the Roaming Gnome? He has been retired from advertising and is living in Florida!

Stay safe and find enjoyment in all the vicarious pleasures you can!

Trish              

251 Entertaining myself in pandemic days

Entertaining Myself in Pandemic Days

Hello there, my friends in isolation! Thinking that those things I have been doing to entertain myself might precipitate an idea or two for you. 

AND, as always, we’d love to hear what you have been doing. It’s both nice to know that what one is doing is popular (or at least normal) among readers, but maybe we’ll also learn a new way to pass the time from you.

First you may chuckle that dear husband accuses me on regular basis on being nosy. I, however, call it curious. I think nosy is when I want to know who said what to whom and why. I am more interested in factoids with the hope I can find a neuron that makes a connection to some other factoid I’ve picked up.

We’re not talking gossip here (okay, not often gossip), but rather that my buddy Google and I watch Jeopardy together. If the answer (or, on Jeopardy, the question) is not something I have heard of at all--yep, I consult Google who is sitting on my lap. I’m not sure I will ever get ends of wars and their subsequent treaties straight. Pop culture – particularly band names--we’ll just let them go. However, I did know Little Nas X and “Old Town Road” and, wow, was dear husband impressed. None of the other clues in the “current music” category did I know--not a one!
 

For years--and thinking back to likely the late 1960s/early 1970s--I have subscribed to the weekend editions of the New York Times. I skim the headlines, read the Week in Review section, and devour the magazine and its crossword puzzle. I love crossword puzzles. Actually, I will do most any puzzle – Sudoku, mazes, find the words, etc., etc., etc.

I like to do puzzles in pen. The pen emphasizes the mistakes. Kind of like an educational authority graded your papers in school. I try to finish as much of the Sunday puzzle as I can, before checking in with Google. The New York Times, though, has been and is my very favorite.

Also, surfing around on Google, I found the first published crossword on www.crosswordtournament.com and thought you might like to try it. One hint is for 10-18: gomuti palm = choices include doh, hemp, jute, sago, and flax. Seems to be the three-letter answer, doesn’t it? But all the other choices I can lump together as some random knowledge about palms. Don’t know when I will need this knowledge, but I find it fascinating.

After all, I find crosswords to be the magic of words that keep one engaged with numbers, words, and clues. Over the years, ingenious hands have designed clever puzzles that have made more players sweat. When I see the empty black and white grid, I have the urge to fill them in. I fill the grid boxes thinking them to be the correct answers. 

Often times, though, thank you, Will Shortz**, I won’t know whether the answer is one word or more, or if the clue is followed by a “?” that it’s a pun of some sort. Often I am correct, but, oh, sometimes I haven’t a CLUE! 

[*Shortz - editor of the New York Times Crossword puzzles since 1993; part of NPR’s Weekend Edition (since 1987); owns table tennis centers; has a BA in Enigmatology (1974) from Indiana University and a J.D. (1977) University of Virginia. (condensed – really condensed from Wikipedia!) The man is really one of my idols!! Wordplay, a 2006 documentary on Shortz is worth watching. I had seen it in NYC, but it can be streamed on Amazon Prime. FYI, look for Bill Clinton, Jon Stewart and Ken Burns in it, too. [IMDb gives it a 4.5 out of 5!] 

Okay, - back to puzzles!

Here are some solving tips I have learned:

• If you are Type A, forget that for a while; instead, look for all the “fill-in the blanks.”

• Look for 3,4, 5 letter words--they are usually straightforward answers.

• Check that your grammar matches that of the clue--plural = plural, past tense = past tense, etc. Think outside the box--one that stumped me was Doctor’s number…well, the answer is anesthetic. Get it? Numb(er) not number! Duh, me!

• Think puns: eavesdropper? How about icicle? Breadbox? ATM. Fun, huh!

So here we are, dear husband and I, supposedly still cleaning out generations of “stuff,” but getting sidetracked by binge-watching TV, streaming movies, talking about what we can eat next (I AM SO TIRED of the kitchen!!) and doing our puzzles. 

Pen or pencil--it doesn’t matter. Stay safe, stay well, and try to find some fun. We hope you keep in touch!

Sometimes Savvy Glenne        

250 Groceries+ during pandemic!

Groceries and more during this pandemic!

Who knew that buying groceries would become so tiresome? With this period in our lives of Coronavirus, many stores are closed and everyone is ordered to stay at home.

I never really liked to grocery shop anyway. I never really had to, since grocery stores were my family’s livelihood. My grandfather and grandmother opened grocery stores in the 1920s and this continued with my father and his siblings. 

Victory Market, my grandparents'
store in the 1930s

They even delivered all over the county in those days--they would be shocked to hear how delivering has come full circle.

Therefore, I never had to grocery shop until I got married. I never grew to like it but I managed. I generally purchase the same things each week so it is relatively simple. I would get upset when stores remodeled and moved items around. I couldn’t make my usual dash and run through the store.

But now grocery shopping has been taken to a new level. Empty shelves often prevail and staples cannot be found each week. For some reason, toilet paper sold out immediately after the pandemic hit--I bought some at a gas/convenience store. That was a first for me. A few weeks later, we can now purchase the necessity but only in limited numbers.

What makes this shopping so different? We have to stay six feet away from any other human being. That sounds simple but often it isn’t. The aisles aren’t very wide so if you get two buggies going in opposite directions that will gum it up. 

Fellow shopper, Pete.

We have started wearing masks and gloves while clutching sanitary wipes as we shop. Cashiers are behind plastic shields which protects them as well as the customers.

I can’t do my usual shopping since for some reason there seems to be people who don’t know what they want or where it is located. Fresh fruits seem to be very difficult for some people--I want to scream “Grab a container and move on.” But I don’t. There really is very little choice since most fruits are packaged. You may think you found a good one but there is always one or two inside that aren’t so good.

Also, the less touching the better since no one knows for sure about the transmission of the virus so grab it and go. Getting all the items you need for a week or more can be very taxing while you distance yourself and try to navigate around the slackers.

Then getting the groceries home is another creative operation. I leave them outside or in another room beside the kitchen since the virus may last 24 hours on some surfaces. Refrigerated goods can be difficult since you have to put them in the fridge. I go over them with antiseptic wipes and put them inside clean plastic bags for at least a day.

The dry goods stay out of the kitchen and pantry at least 24 hours and then get a wiping down before allowed in the pantry. Experts say to be careful not to get the wipes inside the packaging.

It is exhausting! We managed this week to get a goodly amount so we don’t have to go back for a week or more. My husband helped so we divided and somewhat conquered.

I am considering delivery but I would still have to go through the ritual of putting the items away safely.

This has been a surreal experience with the measures we are using to stay as safe as we can. We really don’t mind as we watch news reports of people who don’t’ survive and the medical workers who are stretched beyond belief.

It has been hard not seeing the family so FaceTime has been a blessing.

Another aspect of surviving this virus is washing hands. A friend of the Three Savvy Broads, Mary Froehlich shares her thoughts below on washing up which is crucial: 

"Who knew that soap would become so important? Some time ago I purchased several bars of lemon-scented soap at a gift shop in Williamsburg as inexpensive gifts for friends. I kept one for myself and unwrapped it to enjoy the scent in a dish in my master bath. At the beginning of our stay at home time, I realized my pump container of creamy hand soap in the master bath was almost empty, and I was so distressed to realize I did not have a large refill bottle in the cabinet.

"I began using the lemon-scented bar of soap to wash my hands frequently. It created such a rich lather! What a delightful fragrance! My hands are so soft in spite of repeated washings. Alas, the bar now is diminished to just a sliver of precious product. That is a measure of how long we have been at home. I will need to refill that empty container with the product I use in the hall bath. It is okay--just not special. The stay at home time and subsequent hand washing ritual will not be the same for me.

"The hall bath pump soap has a generous bottle of refill and I have already refilled it once. The kitchen pump soap and the small bottle of dish detergent have been refilled twice. I have my fingers crossed about the laundry detergent.

"I think it is time to inventory the linen closet to see if I have stashed away any bars of soap from our travels. Since we are not going anywhere, maybe I can find a soap from a faraway place to bring me joy at hand washing time throughout the day. Hey, I know I have a bar of Greek soap made with olive oil! I hope it will produce a good lather."

So please everyone, stay safe, stay at home, social distance, and wash, wash, wash hands.

Frances along with Mary       

249 Not giving in to fear

Teri Merrill Guest Column:

Not giving in to fear

Did my financial advisor just call me a reptile? 

My husband and I were recently on a call with our financial adviser, Viktor. As with any American who has funds in the stock market, we are rattled by what’s happening to our hard-earned investments. Viktor was calmly telling us to settle down and not respond with the reptilian part of our brain. He encouraged us to act based on facts, not fear.

It was an hour-long conversation that admittedly didn’t start out well on our end. Viktor was right: we were responding to global events with hysteria, as we watched our retirement fund plummet in value just months before my husband's retirement date. Prior to calling him, our private conversation focused on how much cash we should have on hand and where to put it, should world events cause a further market tumult.

Thankfully, Viktor reassured us that we weren’t highly invested in equities, that our long-term plan, started more than a decade ago, to buy various bonds was working to insulate us somewhat from drastic market dips. He noted too that while things may get worse before they improve, there would be an end to the financial roller coaster, though no one can say when exactly that will be.

It took his calm reason to overcome our emotional fear response, but my goodness, it worked. And that dear reader, is the message we all need in the face of this global pandemic. Maybe you need a friend or advisor to calm your fears and talk you off the hysteria ledge? Find that person and let them use reason to help you see that the world has been through past disruptions, including two World Wars, and though we may feel emotional, financial and possibly even physical pain during these frightening times, this too shall pass.

We can’t give in to our fears. Instead, current events demand that we be calm and rational and find ways to help those in greater need. Today, I’ll be handing out food to school students who are sheltering in place but rely on school lunches for their nutritional needs. Tomorrow, I’m bringing groceries to my elderly friend. Each day will bring new opportunities to help out.

There’s much work to do and positive activity is always a great form of therapy. I didn't think our phone call regarding our finances would end up in a discussion about parts of the brain, but thank you, Viktor, for encouraging us to use our neocortex to control the fears emanating from our basal ganglia, or reptilian brain.

Teri                 

248 Hand washing soliloquies

Hand washing soliloquies

These are tragic times for so many--the sick, the families of the dead, the unemployed, medical personnel and first responders. It is hard to comprehend the enormity of our losses.

But there are also so many absurdities in this situation: long conversations about strategies for locating toilet paper, watching a 1950s movie and worrying that the characters are not maintaining local distance, and to mask or not to mask!

Then there is handwashing. I have always been a frequent hand-washer but confess that the process was often slapdash. But singing Happy Birthday rapidly became inane. 

I saw on Facebook that Hamlet's soliloquy was 20 seconds long--a perfect substitution! I had memorized it years ago. A little refreshing and I was good to go-or wash. But how many times a day should one contemplate suicide? I am not ready to make my quietus--bare bodkin or not!

So what other works had I memorized in my youth. How about Macbeth's speech:

Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.

This one fits our situation a little too well. And it is also about death and fortunately too short.

Also fortunate that the memorized sonnet, "On His Blindness," by Milton was also too short.

Did I choose these downers to memorize or were they assigned? I can't remember.

I also memorized Yeat's "Lake Isle of Innisfree":

I remember as a high school student how sad I was to learn that Frost's poem with the woods that were dark and deep was about death. You could interpret Innisfree in the same manner--and it's too short.

Then it occurred to me that I was seeking hope and inspiration from the wrong sources. I went back to favorite Bible verses:

This is now on my bathroom mirror. I like the poetry of the King James Psalms, as you can tell. These three verses are just over 20 seconds.

Stay safe.

Trish