Til Tuesday

A favorite from this eighties band is Aimee Mann. I'm still listening to Mrs. Pollifax on audio but keep dozing off despite the lovely narrative voice of Barbara Rosenfelt...

Thank you to readers Carol and Barbara and the rest of you for chiming in on my posts lately.
 

It all depends on usage...

 A couple of my readers responded to the aging technology in my household by saying that made them nervous or that they disliked Kindles and preferred books. As the operating system in my laptop is becoming obsolete and is no longer supported, I really haven't a choice about replacement in the near future. I cannot install the latest operating system on something not designed for it. The fact that I can no longer type out the at symbol, the number too or the letter double U is also a signal that  obsolescence is nearing.

 As for my e-reader, it is ten years old and dead. The replacement battery has been difficult to find and if purchased, requires DIY installation, presumably opening the Kindle up and not cracking the screen in the process. I have decided to replace it and transfer the titles from the old to the most recent once it arrives. Though I too like the heft of a book in my hands, the Kindle is better and easier for storage and handling and permits me to check out books from my library system online to be stored and read via Kindle for the duration of the loan period. This also permits me to avoid the fees and hassles of public transportation and carrying books back and forth and the books possibly being stolen or damaged as has happened in the past. As one not driving and having limited transport at best, these are my best choices. I use both a computer and my e-reader almost daily.

Monday

  

 Have a good day! I'm going to investigate Kindle products since mine, gifted to me ten years ago, has bitten the dust...

Resuming Mrs. Pollifax

 The little girl got us both up just before four...She is currently touring dreamland and flaked out on my bed. My Kindle is charging erratically, it may not be long before a replacement is in order. I'm curious about transferring hundreds of books from one to another. My lap top needs to be replaced as it is about 13 and is to be soon no longer supported and not deemed repairable. The IMac, about nine, no longer even comes on. My router and modem are plugged into that so the laptop can be used from room to room.

In the meantime, I've returned to book seven of Mrs. Pollifax via audiobook from the library. For your listening pleasure, The Librarian Song. Cheers!

Cooking

 Hoping all of you have a happy Saturday!

The menu at chez moi includes Six veggie stir-fry and tofu, veggie burgers and baked enchiladas. I also have green salad and fruit, and some fish. I've got music on, too and Mercy is in my lap for a roll around...

Amazon strikes again...

 This is the second time in the last seven days that Amazon has messed up my order. The first got delivered to my upstairs neighbor. She brought it to the doorstep and no harm done. The second order concerned groceries delivered this evening containing ice cream treats and Eggo items that I never buy. My frozen items are MIA, presumably, someone else received them. I spoke to a live person in the grocery department and my frozen items are scheduled to appear early morning at no charge. The gentleman read through the complete list of ordered items at my request to verify those received. Hopefully, the remaining items can be delivered seamlessly as scheduled. I gave the ice cream and Eggos to my neighbor as a thanks as I have no interest in them.

Apart from this, the little girl and I have enjoyed the cool early mornings, some afternoon chores and a couple of naps. Life in the kitchen featured some baked burritos containing beans and cheese, rice and a tossed green salad. Should my frozen food arrive as planned, I'll be baking haddock and making a vegetable stir-fry. 

Mercy has become adept at riding on my lap from room to room, climbing my chair if she does not see me and observing my time in the toilet. I'm glad she cannot tell anyone about that. Though I consider her my familiar, there is something a bit unnerving about her murder mitts hitting my backside as I shift from throne to chair.

Here is some music for your day:

Happy Friday.

Monday

   

 Doing laundry and chores

Enjoying Mrs. Pollifax in Hong Kong...Happy Birthday soon to my reader Barbara.

Cheers!

Stranger than fiction...

 I ventured outside yesterday once the rain cleared and spied a guy jerkily moving along the pavement, boom box in hand, singing off-key to The Proclaimers. He had on a sloppy tee proclaiming himself Irish and asking for a kiss. Fortunately, he did not see me and I did all I could to avoid his hearing the laughter that ensued once I returned to the flat. I hope he did not fall at anyone's door, as the song goes...

The Proclaimers are a Scottish group, not Irish. Take a listen and enjoy your day.

Happy Brisket Day

 For the unfamiliar, St. Patrick's Day is upon us and in America, the parades and drinking of green beer are usually accompanied by the decidedly un-Irish tradition of corned beef, cabbage, carrots and potatoes. Though cabbage is consumed in Ireland, corned beef is not. That tradition, developed by Irish immigrants to cities like Boston, among others, occurred as a reaction to the expense of pork, a meat the Irish in nineteenth century America could not afford. Additionally, the Irish of that time lived in close proximity to eastern European immigrants,  and cheaper beef brisket, a staple of their diet, easily flavored cabbage and other vegetables.

Apart from parades, music, dance and festivals devoted to Irish culture and history, St. Patrick's Day among actual Irish commemorates the arrival of Christianity in Ireland and is a Feast Day for Catholics. People don green but it is considered rude to dress in orange, put on "Kiss me, I'm Irish" clothing or order a drink called an Irish Car Bomb. Celebrations last for several days, the highlight being 17 March.

I like to think if my tiny great grandma of Irish heritage today and celebrate the small bit of Irish in my DNA. 

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Mrs. Pollifax and Ms. Colgan

 For the unfamiliar, Mrs. Pollifax, the creation of Dorothy Gilman, made her first appearance in print in 1966. Sixty-something, a grandmother and inordinately fond of hats, she longs for a life beyond her Garden Club and other conventional outlets. Having married and raised a son and daughter, the ever-practical Mrs. P nonetheless harbors a desire to become a spy, something she achieves courtesy of a department inside the CIA. The 14-book series takes readers from Soviet-controlled countries to China, and into the Middle East before it concludes. Gilman died almost  thirteen years ago and this Karate chopping grandma isn't her only claim to fame, though the series remains popular, fun to read and beloved if readers are to be believed. I am on Book 5 and so far, this series is living up to its much-published reputation.

As for Jenny Colgan's Five Hundred Miles From You, I  am reading chapter 51 of 84 and curious about the ending. The characters are diverse and sometimes funny through various of life's shitty situations. If early teen-age death, organ transplantation, extreme PTSD, homelessness and the vagaries of NHS nursing, among others, don't float your boat, you may give this a pass. As for me, I've had several life experiences that coincide, so I'm along for the ride. and intrigued about Ms. Colgan's sources of inspiration.

The keys on this laptop appear to be functioning at present. They did not earlier.

Thanks for reading and happy Sunday.

Greta Garbo? I don't think so...

 Mercy is no Greta Garbo. She seeks pets, loves to play and enjoys my company. None of this is possible sans human companion, so unlike Garbo, she could not survive alone. Apart from her anxiety and distrust about change in food, environment or toys, she is quite dear. Some of this comes from survival instinct learned as a tiny kitten alone. The lickables and moist food are recommendations from her vet, as is the dry dental food due to the gingivitis found at her recent annual exam. She can be a challenge but I have never shied from those. Out of all of these suggestions, she prefers kibble and lickables. Sticking to those for the present.

No, No, No

 Mercy is up to her old tricks. Introduce a treat, it is ignored or flatly refused. No dental treats, no gravies or toppers for added hydration, no lickables because she doesn't trust that they are in the same dish. Does changing dishes alter her fear? Nope. She is presently hiding. It has been dark, rainy and nasty and the dear girl slept through most of that so it has been a quiet day here. 

After some chores and an early supper,  I've gone back to my library books, Play List for the Apocalypse by Rita Dove, and book number five of the Mrs. Pollifax series by Dorothy Gilman.

Have a good evening!

My head hurts

 And it seems any decision I make is going to hurt my finances and offend my morals. There appears no delivery service in this area that either has not given money to the orange one or isn't rolling back or ridding itself of DEI. Thanks for your comments. Do you research the companies or their parent companies prior to buying? And, as far as boycotts, you may be interested:

https://www.azcentral.com/story/money/business/consumers/2025/03/03/companies-boycott-2025/81098702007/

and

https://www.newsweek.com/did-economic-blackout-work-what-target-amazon-walmart-data-shows-2040020/

Boycotting: My Feelings

 The boycott of Amazon and other corporations for canceling or cutting back their DEI policies has begun. The boycott of Amazon runs from March 7 through March 14. I'm curious as to the difference it may make, if any. Those of you reading here for more than a bit may realize that Amazon is usually my source for groceries and pet food and litter, largely through Amazon Fresh or the Amazon facility near me. I am re-considering this in light of the DEI issue but, sans transport since I do not drive, Amazon has been a reliable source of good, fresh food and pantry staples since the pandemic. I hope the company and its shareholders get the message from consumers that caving on their DEI policies hurts employees and consumers alike. but frankly, I am a skeptic. I'll be examining alternatives and looking at the household budget. In the meantime, it is tax season.

Happy Friday from Crackerland

Oh Mercy!

 She did great at her annual and got all her shots. Blood and fecal labs are still pending. Mercy does have a bit of gingivitis. The dental food the vet suggested as a treat has thus far been refused in typical Mercy fashion. I'll give it more time and see if that changes. Today is the first day I've felt like myself. The pain has reduced and having been up before the birds, I am looking to get a nap and make a nice late afternoon tea.

Cheers from Crackerland.   

Helping Ukraine

 Robert Reich has, in his remarks this morning, included methods available for individuals desiring to support Ukraine. This is cut and pasted from his piece today:

If you yourself want to help Ukrainians, you might consider United 24 (the Ukrainian state platform for donations, including many important projects); RAZOM (an American NGO, tax-deductible for U.S. citizens, that cooperates with Ukrainian NGOs to support civilians); Documenting Ukraine (an initiative that helps give Ukrainians a voice, also tax-deductible for Americans); and Come Back Alive (a Ukrainian NGO that supports soldiers on the battlefield and veterans).

Have a good day and happy Sunday!

Still Painful Here

 I'll be back as I can be, have a good day.