How appropriate to read this book while vacationing on a river?!? This was the 5th book in Robert McCammon’s Matthew Corbett series. While it was good, it didn’t really compare to the previous offerings. The story was solid, but really short (around 250 pages). Previous stories clocked in at a minimum of 400 pages, so things felt a little rushed. But, I did enjoy it.
My rating: 3.5/5
Not unlike last year’s vacation, this one started off on a bit of a sour note. After we got settled in to camp, Brian decided to take the canoe out and do some fishing. The river was particularly high and swift this year (due to a water release from the Kinzua Dam) and Brian ended up tipping the canoe when he tried to land it. Everything went into the river. He was able to recover all of his belongings, with the exception of his glasses. We considered coming home to get another pair, but he got used to things after a day or so. And, he called the eye doctor on Monday to order a new pair and they are in already.
The weather was surprisingly nice. We really only had rain the one day and it wasn’t an all day rain, either, so I was able to get in some quality hammock time this year, unlike last year.
There was one weird thing. Isn’t there always? At 6am our first morning there, I heard this knocking sound outside of the cabin. I figured it was the hot water heater or the well pump or something like that. We found out later that morning that it was a cardinal that kept flying into the windows. This phenomenon recurred until about dusk. And then it happened again the next day and the next (and you get the idea). At one point Brian was outside and saw him doing the same thing with our truck mirror. Apparently whenever the bird would see his reflection (in a mirror, glass or even in the metal chimney), he would attack the “other” bird. So, I was up at 6am every day. I think I need a nap…
Jake took a friend again this year. The two of them seemed to have a good time. One thing is for sure–they got enough to eat!
We only took one dog this year and that dog was Alice. I keep saying it’s going to be her last trip to Forest County and she keeps on living, so good for her. She mostly slept but was more active than she usually is.
Beyond that, it was the same old stuff–fishing, hiking, knitting, reading and, most importantly, relaxing.
I was very excited to get this new Stephen King book. It is the second of three in the Mr. Mercedes series. I thought it was going to be a continuation of the first book, but it was a new story (not entirely, though–there were ties to the plot of the first book and some of the same characters were in this one, but they were not the primary focus).
I had trouble getting into it, but things picked up at the end. It did take me about a month to read, which probably tells you all you need to know (I normally tear through Stephen King books in a week).
My rating: 3.5/5
Alice had a large growth removed from her lip a little over a year ago…and now it’s back. It’s like it came out of nowhere. I don’t know how that happens.
She has not seen the vet about this yet as we’re not sure what we’re going to do about it. Given her general health and age, I’m not sure that another surgery is appropriate. We’re just going to wait and see for a bit before we make any decisions.
My tomatoes were looking good…until yesterday. The fungal problem I’ve seen (for a number of years running) has returned. It’s no wonder with all of the rain we’ve been getting. So, once again, I won’t be getting many tomatoes from the garden. The good news is that we planted some tomatoes in pots and, so far, they are disease-free.
My pepper plants are looking pretty sad, too. I’m blaming the rain for this, as well.
On the positive side of things (besides the fact it hasn’t been super hot), I planted onions from plants (rather than sets) and harvested my first batch this week. They were a respectable size, which is what I was hoping for. I’d like to have a bunch to store over the winter, so I’m off to a good start. Everything else seems to be performing as expected.