Books, Books, Books!!!

I missed blogging the last year and a half!! so I’m starting with my favorite books 

from 2024. I have been rating the books I read since 1985; when I read 74 books!!

I rate them 1-5 stars. I loved this system because when you get in a slump and

can’t find anything interesting … you’ve got 5* authors on a list, you can see if 

they’ve written a new book! I have to admit, I don’t rate 1 and 2 star books – I 

usually just quit reading them! Didn’t used to – but sure do that now!

AND 2 years-ish ago I had to start to check out only LARGE PRINT books. There 

are several drawbacks to be limited to only LP books. The spine labels do not 

number the series.  Usually, there is no list of books in order inside the LP.  AND

 you’re old!!! I know I can get many books electronically; but even 

making the fonts larger, the lighting still does a number on my eyes. So I 

struggle on. I’m thankful for our library’s network. I can easily request any LP 

book from 7 Coastal Libraries. (for free!) What a system!! And they are delivered 

right to my home library.

Today I want to start my list with my absolutely favorite authors. These authors

 have garnered many 5* on their writing – even 6*!! I've read them and to be 

honest, re-read them for years.  I love starting at the beginning and reading them 

in order and seeing the characters develop. Here in no apparent order -

John Sandford-   Love his' Prey' series, first book is Rules of Prey.  

Then his Virgil Flowers series. first book is Dark of the Moon

 As a friend once said – 'I love me a good cowboy!'  

Now, Davenport's adopted daughter, Netty, is grown up and is working for the

government. First book is The Investigator.  I love her character, this series is 

going to be G-R-E-A-T!

Nick Petrie is a new author to me. But once I found him, I read his series straight

through! – most of his books have 5*s. The series starts with The Drifter.

Thomas Perry has stand alone stories (Pro Bono) and his ‘one woman Indian

Protective service’ Jane Whitefield series. First book is Vanishing act.  I do love 

strong women characters and she is definitely one.

John Grisham is an oldie and goodie. His lawyer series are awesome, but he 

also has many stand-alones. Our Bookclub is reading the third book of the 

Camino Island series. (Our bookclub reads older books, not the new bestsellers – so we can find it and often request it at the library!!)

Carley Fortune is a ‘new’ romance novelist. I love a kick-butt woman and that’s

who she writes about. First book is:  Every Summer After.  There’s a new book  

coming out soon-ish. I can’t wait.

J A Jance has 3 strong characters each with a long series; 

 Lawyer- JP Beaumont; first book Dismissed with Prejudice.  

County Sheriff– Joanna Brady, first book Desert Heat

and Reporter– Ali Reynolds, First book Edge of Evil.

Sometimes the lawyer and sheriff work together! My favorite has to be Sheriff 

Joanna Brady.  But they are all good - read them in order for the full story.

Janet Evanovich – I know you know this author. I love, love, love Stephanie 

Plum from Trenton NJ!! First book - One for the Money and the series keeps 

going – last one I read was 31!!

Elyssa Friedland is another new author who consistently gets 5* from me.  First 

book is Love and Miss Communication

James Byrne writes about a ‘British’ Jack Reacher. I loved the series, a group of 

us read each book and passed each book on between friends. The first book is 

The Gatekeeper

Here are some of my new favorite books:

 Peter Heller: The River 

 I picture it set in the Great NW! The story of two friends on their annual river trip 

and what they run into.

Jane Harper: The Lost Man 

 Jane is an Australian writer and she can put you right there in the middle. She 

has at least 6 books out, each one worth it. The first book is The Dry.

Jennifer Weiner: The Breakaway 

 I love Jennifer’s new style and characters.  Bicycling Club in NYC!

JamesPonti: Let’s talk about Young Adult books. You know we all read Harry

 Potter and got hooked. Ponti writes City Spies series. About children working as

 spies for MI6. The covers are confusing – you’re not always sure you in the right

 order – but oh, so worth it!

Elizabeth Berg never fails to hit the mark. 

 Pull of the Moon was about a 40-ish wife who just has to make a change – yep, 

she runs away. Some of my friends weren’t as enthusiastic as I was, but make up 

your own mind??

David James Brown: The Boys in the Boat 

Our bookclub read this one, and the movie was on Apple TV. Our Bookclub trys 

to watch the movie after discussion if there is one. I ended up loving the book,

again most of the story was based in the Great NW. I even made my DH watch 

the movie, we both think it's great!

Here are some new (at least to me) romance authors. As I discovered them – 

their ‘kick-butt women’ characters were never disappointing!

Check them out: 

 Sue Henderson;          Katherine Center,            Kate Spencer, 

Sophie Cousens,          Lucy Gilmore,                 Kat Martin, 

Susan Mallery,             Phaedra Patrick,             Emily Henry, 

Erica Boyce                  Kasey Michaels

Next post is going to talk about 2025 books and 2024 quilts!  See you soon!!

New Year's Resolution - blog every month!!!

 Well, I certainly didn't blog lately - I missed an entire year and a half!??  Okay, you've read this before, but I'm going to try to post every month?  

The problem is I not only abandoned blogging and social networks but also dropped any journaling.  When it was time to look back at quilt projects in 2025 - I had NO NOTES!!  And I have to admit - at 73 - my memory is sketchy at best.  If I didn't miss journaling day to day; I certainly missed it when trying to look back to do the review!  I'll try my best in 2026.  

Presenting the famous Quilts of 2025 Review!  What I can remember!!  Hold on to your hats!  

We are still living in Brookings, Oregon.  On the edge of the earth.  Amazon delivery is now at least 5 days out!  Fred Meyers is purposely removing all of my favorites there.  For some reason they have dropped Imagine Broth!  That is a staple in my kitchen.  It's in all of my soups and whenever I have to add moisture to any leftovers - I add the broth.  I was able to get some online - Walmart had it online but not in the Crescent City Store??  Whatever!!  What broth do you recommend?

Onward to the Quilt Count!!  10 projects finished this year.  Sounds impressive, right??  Well, four are small wall quilts!  And I mean small!

Daisy Dazzle - 16 x 20  This was the Guild's April Challenge.  Daisies and Diamonds.  I always participate in the April Challenge, but I vary my 'start'!  This was a last minute finish.  AND when Rick was in the hospital 6 (?) years ago; the Gift Shop had these adorable 'bee' barrettes.  It was a miracle that I could find one in my sewing room.  Works perfectly.  Clipped to a safety pin! It won a red ribbon at the Quilt Show Viewers Choice and a Blue ribbon at the County Fair!

Leftovers Waiting for their Turn - 23 x 23  This lovely applique block was created by P - she was actually going to get rid of it!!  I grabbed it, stored it and thought about it for awhile.  I had been working on miniature Log Cabins for a few years. At Retreat last February I had a few left over from a top.  They were perfect for the border, the colors blended, the border looked old fashioned - just right!

Be Mine -  18 x 19  a Kathy Schmidt pattern.  Part of a monthly block set.  I love it, but had trouble getting the heart straight!  Ripped the borders off 1 1/2 times!  But it will be hanging on my wall in February.

Tinsel Town - 27 x 24  A Sue Spargo pattern.  It started as a Guild Sisters' Shenanigans challenge.  Group together and make the same pattern? Sounded  doable.  WELL, I don't say this often (ever) but of the 4 of us, I'm the only finisher!    I loved adding in words via scrabble tiles.  It got a Blue ribbon at the County fair!

Sweet Dreams - 59 x 71  I love this quilt.  Snap Scrap was an online challenge - I was late to the party, but started during the last of COVID.  I incorporated many 'I Spy' fabrics.  A good friend needed something to raffle to raise money for going back to school.  I finished it and donated it.  I think it did well. But apparently I didn't win it back!  DARN

Graduation Quilts for Grandkids.  Miss P graduated last June!  She's a freshman at OU and doing great!  I can't really wrap my mind around that she's 19!!  Did you know that college beds are now 90" long!!!  YIKES!  And that's not going back to regular twin size anytime soon! I made her a batik charm squares quilt with black borders - very dramatic!!  When I gave it to her - their tv is always on, and on sports.  WELL, the pictures I took included the pitcher 'looking at the quilt!!'  Hilarious!  That's the back.

  

PS I started a new 'label' for these quilts.  I took a picture of P running on the beach to the local t-shirt store.  I had it printed 5 x 7 on a kid t-shirt on sale.  It turned out great.  I turned the t-shirt inside out; sewed all the way around the picture. Making a envelope with 2 sides. Cut it out, then carefully cut thru the back and turned it right side out.  Simply appliqued it to the back.  P  loved it!  Good memories.

I'm not sure how long I'll be able to keep quilting - it's been a race between my hands falling apart and my eyes failing!  So, I really panicked about the other 4 Grandkids!  But I have a plan.  I'm finishing 2 graduation quilts every year, while I can.  

I actually finished the first 2 in 2025.  Done-done!  And I have the third top pieced and ready to pin baste!  2 boys in HS; 1 in Middle School and the youngest, E is in 3rd grade; but with the new quilt size - I'll have to work on them while I can still "wrestle the alligator thru the machine".  I'm choosing tops I have made that I think the kids will like and finishing them.  There will be no 'special orders'!!  Bad Nana!

Every year P and I make a Quilt of Valor top, then L, another good friend, usually machine quilts it wonderfully for us.   One of my favorite patterns is double 4 patch.  So easy yet so graphic!  We got it done early summer.  Then my birth brother in Nebraska, who is fighting cancer, mentioned his older brother got a QOV.  So we sent our QOV to Nebraska and arranged a presentation thru a friend.  He loved it!  But now we're making a second QOV for our group.  Using a panel for this one, first time for me!  I'll let you know how it goes.

Every year I make a couple of quilts for our local Hospice.  It means so much to me, I've accidently met with families that have gotten one of my hospice quilts and we all tear up talking about what it meant.  

 

And here is the first picture of the 2nd Graduation quilt made this year.  There will be a better one later!!

Time to close and get busy!  We've had a wonderful low tide this week - in between rain storms.  But we had to head down to the beach and be amazed.  These pictures are from Lone Ranch Beach just north of Brookings.  One of our favorites.  AND the star fish are back!  It's been slim pickings lately - a blight a few years back from spiny urchins.

Happy New Year!!

Low Tide (-1.4) at Whaleshead

When we first visited the Southern Oregon Coast, we stayed at Whaleshead Resort.  It's north of Brookings.  We stayed in Modular Cabin #9.  Beautiful view of the bay. And we had a view of the rock with a spout!!  I even drew it in the Visitors book - so the next ones would know where to look.  We fell in love.  And we started hiking Whaleshead Beach as often as we could.

One day, a year or so later, we were breakfasting at Mattie's Pancake House, we overheard a lady say that she rents a condo in Rainbow Rock every summer.  You can rent there???  From then on, we vacationed at Rainbow Rock in Toby's Crab Shack condo.  We fell in love again with the alcove overlooking the ocean.

Even when we retired and moved to Newport, we came down to Toby's Crab Shack for mini-vacations.  In fact, we were turning in our keys after a visit, and Rick said, "we'd sure like to live at RR."  And, lo and behold, there was going to be an opening in January!!  We looked at the unit and said, we want it!!!

We loved our 10 years there.  Hated to leave Rainbow Rock, but we were able to find another rental in Brookings - we really don't want to leave Brookings until we have to.  (Deal is, if we have monthly dr appts in the valley - we move.)  That threat hanging over our heads helps us make healthy choices  - most of the time!

Now we rent a little house in Harris Hts, no ocean view but we try to walk the beaches as often as we can.  Today was one of those days!

I had heard the road down to the Whaleshead Beach was in terrible shape.  So we parked our car in the small parking lot at the top of the road.   And we walked gingerly down the gravel / sand road.  It WAS in pretty bad shape!  

Reminder, we're 71 - almost 72 years young!  Made it down the road - next challenge - the vegetation is taking over the picnic tables and paths!!  That made getting to the beach an adventure in itself!!

But worth it!!  The spout was spouting!  It used to be a lot pickier - no spouts in low or high tide.  Apparently, not the case nowadays.  Hooray!  We crossed the creek and headed down the beach.  

Happy to say we saw purple star fish - they were the first starfish to disappear because of a blight.  Nice to see them back.

  

The sun was fighting with the mist? fog? but I walked over to the opening that used to have a waterfall coming thru.  Small stream was still flowing - guess we're drier than we thought we were.

The walk back up the trail and road was longer than we remembered!!  Isn't that always the case?  We prevailed and reached the car.  Hope we get to go back again - we'll see how we feel tomorrow.  BUT for now, I'll live on the memories of our favorite beach - past and today.

Time's a Flying

 Mid April already!!  It's been a full spring - unfortunately, a lot of germs and bad weather.  We're hoping to finally celebrate Christmas this week with the Portland gang!

We had a great time on our spring trip down to Phoenix and Palm Spring's.  The Portland boys came down and joined us.  Remember, the we joined the girls in NYC last fall.  The boys went to Spring baseball games and we all enjoyed excellent food and laying by the pool.  We also took a tour of Embry Riddle Aeronautic University.  M is interested in their program.  It's pretty impressive and I think M would fit right in!

 

Spring Training Week!!  Go Teams!

After J and M headed back home we headed for 5 more days in Palm Springs.  The best food, wonderful weather and the food was divine!  Yes, the food was good enough to mention twice!!  Yum!

My private pool for Water Aerobics.  There was supposed to be a 9 am class - but never saw a teacher!

Street Art in Palm Springs, sentiment good to remember!  We highly recommend the Date Shakes!

We went to the Palm Springs Art Museum our last day.  Fantastic displays - we both highly recommend it.

This sculpture in the entry way stole the show.  I've included the artist's information and a close up looking inside.  Amazing!!

I spent hours sitting on our patio, finishing the hand quilting on this 9patch quilt I started back around 2017!!  Poor thing was in time out during all the moving we've done.  My hand quilting as deteriorated these last years.  It's a race between hand arthritis and eye sight!!  As my mom used to say, "Old age isn't for sissies!" 

Driving home on Good Friday was like driving in UO football traffic.  Everyone from Northern California was headed South and everyone from Southern California was headed North.  Holy Moley!

Outside of Stockton we were almost hit by a HUGE  tumbleweed.  It came into the traffic lane right beside us - and it was taller than our car!  Luckily, it paused to let us by and then swooped in behind us.  I was too busy gawking at it to grab the camera.

Saturday was normal traffic, the weather was trying to decide whether to snow on us.  But we kept ahead of it?  This was the look-out at the Shasta Lake Rest Stop.

Since we've gotten home I've been busy trying to get quilts done for the Azalea Quilt Festival over Memorial Day Weekend.  I'll add pictures of my entries next time.

Come on over and see us!!

Woe is me!! There's a nasty virus - respiratory flu - we both have it and it's grim

 9 days later and still losing the fight!  I went to ModSquad a week ago Friday, there was a change in the weather, so blamed the beginning of it on that.  By Saturday, I was down and out.  And I mean the kind that you don't get out of bed for days!!  It took me a week to get enough oomph to walk a block and back.  Then back to bed.

I was lucky, I was hurting but could still read.  I read really fast - and I loved some books from the library - My DH even went to the library when some reserved books came in.  He's the Best!

The Breakaway by Jennifer Weiner - she's been prolific - I have to check out the ones I missed.

Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center.  I'd read and liked one book by her but I've missed a few of hers too.

City Spies book 1 and 2 by James Ponti.  It's a kid's series about 12 year olds working for British Intelligence.  Awesome!  In fact, I told my DDL to get them for the Gkids!  He has one series on Hoopla - Framed is the first book - I've started listening to them too.

Crazy Love by David Lozell Martin  2002!  Our library wraps books for Holidays, (Blind Date promo)  - there's a short description outside the wrapping - but you don't know what you're getting until you take it home and unwrap it!  This one was a great surprise.

The Lost Cause by Cory Doctorow.  Maga vs New Agers It was interesting, thought I'd stop and put it aside, but I couldn't!

The Excitements by C J Wray is what I'm reading now.  It's a paperback and those have gotten problematic for me - the print can be truly tiny and you can't adjust the print size with a book.

Okay, I'm 71 - a fossil - but I love BOOKS!  Much more than ebooks.  Yes, I will resort to them if I can't wait ... laying in bed waiting to fall asleep, real books are perfect!  And you don't have to get out of bed to plug them in - just drop them under the lamp and go to sleep!

We have been watching TV too.  Prime ExPats; and dvds that we still own.  Deep Impact; 2012; San Andreas were the disaster movies.  We also watched Kate and Leopold; Dave; and Must Love Dogs!  All great - which is why I kept them.  If this darn flu goes any longer we've lined up Patriot Games, Begin Again, Wild River, both Sabrina movies  and The Day After Tomorrow!  Whoo-Hoo! 

I have not felt good enough to play in the sewing room, but have managed some epic ripping and some stitches on a embroidery sampler I taught in 2019.  It's been in time out ... I don't want to talk about it.

The weather has been mainly rain with some 'OMG - it's really coming down!'  Good old Oregon.

Okay - that's all the whining I'm going to expose you to.  Believe me - there's more but not as cathartic as I hoped!

Here's pictures of our ModSquad challenge this month.  I was in NYC last fall and found a panel of Lady Liberty fabric and brought it back to share with the group.  It was a great turn-out and only a few kept Lady Liberty whole.  They cut, they ripped, they made it into background ... we NEVER have cookie cutter projects at the end!  And we are always amazed.  Thanks gals!  Next month our challenge is 
'Door and Words!'  Stay Tuned!

 

Here's my project.  I'm going to offer it to Miss P.  She's the reason we got to go to NYC.  I made it into a pillow  OR  I deliberately made the back side so the bottom 1/2 can be a secret hiding place!  Just in case, she wants to hang it on the wall - she can hide: money, photos, tickets, etc from everyone but ME!  Cause I know about it!! 

Back from Guild Retreat - and what fun it was!!

 My DH gives me a hard time when I go 35 miles up the coast to retreat in a town that doesn't even have a quilt store!!  But I'll never give it up!  Worth it every time.

Retreats:  Are yours like this?   Sew, sew, sew, talk, talk, giggle, talk, eat, eat, eat ...

It goes so fast, and I never get as much accomplished as I dream I will.  But nothing is as inspiring as a room of 'like-thinkers' working on projects, consulting with others and learning something new every time!

We were expecting rain every day - but we did have some breaks and easy weather when we were packing in and out.

A BIG giggle-fest was the PJ party night!

Here's what I worked on - besides the chocolate section of the snack bar!  I bound this garden challenge from ModSquad and laid out and sewed into columns this HST kid's quilt.

 

I did some other steps to move other projects closer to a finish while I had entertainment in the room.  Pictures to be shown later!!

Out of chaos - the best time AND progress in projects!  Now to keep up the momentum back at home.

A-Hoy there Matey!!

 

It's still January!!  So why not start blogging again?  No one knows for how long ... or how often ... but I do miss it.  It wasn't just blogging I gave up.  I gave up FB, Instagram and even writing in a journal.

The problem is - I didn't realize how blogging helped me highlight the year and what was going on.  What quilting I did, and for who.  What were my favorite books ... Of course, things haven't been stellar lately and it's easier to share the fun parts.  

But here we go - here's what's happening in Brookings ... RAIN!  and more rain.  See you next year!

Just kidding!  Warning - this is going to jump back and forth, highlighting what I remember as I remember it!

We had a horrible fire season last year.  Took out our main (only) highway to the rest of the state.  Also took out electric lines over to the coast.  Highway 199 was closed for weeks.  Then just open 4 hours during working hours, with follow-me cars.  It wasn't pretty.  Now they are 'mopping up' the storms we've been having are not helping.   It's open but still likely to have up to hour delays.  Each week gets better.  Fingers crossed!  We managed to get to Portland for Thanksgiving; and Medford for Christmas.

Our daughter L works for US Tennis Assoc.  She was asked to come back again to the US Open Tournament to work with the kid's camp.  It was short notice, and Miss P wanted to go.  Mom said, "NO!  I'll be working and you are not wandering around NYC by yourself!"  P looked at her and asked, "What about Nana and Papa?"  By the time I even heard about it, the plane tickets booked and hotel reserved!! And so yes, we went!  We had a ball.  Sightseeing and Broadway marathon!!  NY is till crazy NY!  Parades at 2 am!!

Rick and I loved  And Juliet.  We had seen a scene from it on the Tony's and I said I want to see that.  Of course, we had no idea we would be going to NY.    The girls loved Six!  About the 6 wives of Henry the 8th.  6 actors were all on stage trying to prove they had the worst of it ... but 2 had been beheaded so whining didn't go as far as it could have!

Meals at Juniors; Museum of Broadway, Top of the Rock, NY Public Library, the 911 Museum, Jazz Club for dinner and more shows:  Some Like it Hot; The Book of Mormon (me & Miss P!!) We learned to avoid eye contact during the show.  Whew! 

2022 was our 50th wedding anniversary and we met all the kids in Portland for a few days together.  Then Rick threw me a surprise anniversary party in January.  The quilting friends and neighbors all met the golfing buddies at our favorite Chinese restaurant.  Cards only and believe it or not - in a small town with limited shopping we didn't get one duplicate!!  

2023 was our 51st!  Didn't even get a phone call from family!  50 = big deal  51 = Meh!  A called us 2 days later, apologizing.  I told L during a weekend call.  Knew she'd remember and feel bad so we joked about it.

Here's some quilts that I made / finished this year.  I allow my quilts to marinate a while and of course, some of them go into time-out for bad behavior.  You have to be firm with them!!

This hospice quilt is "Monkey Business" by Bonnie Hunter.  Fun - it looks like a 3 patch but is a 5 patch!  The lay-out was a killer with the 1/2 blocks problematic.

A ModSquad project finished.  DH always gave me roses.  When he was on a business trip on Valentines Day - and it happened often - he would send me roses.  Of course, there was some mystery with the number of roses in the bouquet.  He was in the south, I was in Nebraska.  Sometimes I got odd numbers - cost differential?  But it kept me guessing.

This year I made quilts for my Birth sisters and brother.  They were long over due and everyone's getting up in age.  Including me!  These pictures were taken in P's garden.  I had her take a gag picture of me holding them up from behind.  Appropriate word!!  Oh my, no one is ever going to see that!!!

Wicked Easy Pattern with blocks inserted.

Crazy 6" block Template set

Pattern Annabelle  

Remember if you want a quilt to have an accent color.  Border it with that color!!

Double Slice with plaids for my brother

This is "Long View" a pattern P and I loved.  It looks like improv - it isn't.  We started it thinking we could get the top done in a week or so ... 3 months later ...!  But fun.  We had our favorite local quilter quilt them and we hung them as one quilt in the show!

Our new Harris Hts neighbors had a new Great Grandson.  He needed a quilt.  I'd been saving this panel for years - it worked up wonderfully.

This fall M - 15 years old now - had to go in for surgery.  8 hours with 2 surgeons - it was scary for everyone.  He's back in school and doing well.  There's follow-up scheduled - they will be keeping their eye on him for the next year.  Thanks to all who participated in our prayer chain.  We could feel it.

My sister N passed in December.  She had been fighting problems for a long time and finally went into Hospice.  We all miss her so much, but know she is no longer in pain.  I couldn't get back for her funeral: the holiday traffic and storms.  Hope to go back next spring for her birthday celebration.  She was a good gal who is missed.

You'll have to wait til the next time for good books in 2023.  And I know I'll remember more things I'll want to share.  Thanks for your patience.