Thimbleberry Cottage: 5/30/10

Sunday, June 06, 2010

Setting up the Garden

Every Spring it's fun to get out all the garden decorations and arrange them in new ways.

This year the Tea Garden has been invaded by bugs!

There was a very large bug spotted in what will be the Farm corner.

The big project for this summer is a dream come true - a playhouse!!! I've wanted a playhouse all my life and now thanks to my sweet husband - my dream is coming true!

This is a "before" shot - he and his friend laid the foundation for my little house! I hope I can do a good job on the landscaping and make it look magical!

What I'm reading 2011

The Bible - read a little every day and you can read the entire Bible in a year!
The Christmas Doll - Elvira Woodruff. A tender story of two little orphan girls and a special doll.
M is for Malice - Sue Grafton
L is for Lawless - Sue Grafton
K is for Killer - Sue Grafton
A Walk In the Woods - Bill Bryson. A great book! The story of a hike on the Appalachian Trail. Very entertaing!
Alien Encounters - Chuck Missler and Mark Eastman. An eye opening account of the UFO phenomenon viewed from a Christian perspective. I read this book many years ago and felt it was time to re-read.
J is for Judgment - Sue Grafton
I is for Innocent - Sue Grafton. These are light, easy to read mysteries.
Skeleton Man - Tony Hillerman. Another good mystery featuring Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee. Unfortunately, Joe Leaphorn's part in the story is quite small.
The Private Patient - P.D. James. A wonderful mystery by the master!! Excellent!
The Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers - Lilian Jackson Braun. This is only the second book in this series I have read but, even I could tell it's unlikely it was written by Ms. Braun. After finishing it I thought is there a part two to this book? There was very little storyline to follow and absolutely no resolution to the few mysteries that occured. Awful!!!
The Union Quilters - an Elm Creek Novel - Jennifer Chiaverini. A tale about the Civil War. I didn't enjoy this as much as some of the other Elm Creek books - very heavy on the battle scenes. If I want to read history books I'll read non-fiction.
H is for Homicide - Sue Grafton. I didn't enjoy this quite as much as the previous book.
The Knitting Circle - Ann Hood. A story about how knitting helped a group of women and men through some heartbreaking times. It's hard to imagine that so much tragedy could be found in such a small group of people. Even if unrealistic, it was an easy read.
"G" is for Gumshoe - Sue Grafton. I have seen her books around for years but had never read one. I happened across a sale at the library - 10cents each! I picked up 7 or 8 books. This first one was very good and I really enjoyed it! I'm currenty reading "H" is for Homicide which is not as good.
Catch as Cat Can - Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown. I thought this would be in the same vein as Lilian Jackson Braun's books. It has a pair of cats and a Corgi to help solve the mystery. However, I found it not nearly as well-written and suspensful as Ms. Bruan's books and will probably not read another by this author.
The Lost Quilter - Jennifer Chiavernini. Another in the Elm Creek series. This story follows the life of the runaway slave, Joanna. It is heartbreaking at times but a good story. I enjoyed it but not as much as the Elm Creek books set in the modern day.
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle: A Novel - David Wroblewski. About halfway through this book I had to put it down; I couldn't read another word. It is wonderfully well-written and I grew attached to the characters of Edgar and the dogs. I knew it could only come to a bad end (it is based on Hamlet after all). I couldn't invest that much of myself to see it all come to such a tragic end.
The Shape Shifter - Tony Hillerman. This book needs some work by the editors; there were many mistakes. This is not his best work but I still enjoyed it.
The Cat Who Went Into the Closet - Lilian Jackson Braun. It's a sad coincidence that I began reading this book the very day Ms. Braun died. I have never read her books before but I will be trying to find more of them at the library book sales. It was a good, light-hearted mystery!
A Red Herring Without Mustard - Alan Bradley. My favorite young sleuth, Flavia de Luce, in another great mystery!
The Shack - William P. Young. Makes you think about how you view your faith. Excellent!
Brigid of Kildare - Heather Terrell. I took this book with me on my trip to Ireland and it really made it come alive. A very good novel about Brigid.
Ireland, A Novel - Frank Delaney. A great book retelling the stories of Ireland through the storyteller tradition!
Unlocking the Last Days - Jeff Lesseigne. A great book by my favorite Bible teacher. It really puts things in perspective!
A Time to Love (Quilts of Lancaster County #1) - Barbara Cameron. A story about a young woman who falls in love with a widowed Amish man and his children. It was a free Kindle download. I don't think I'll read any others in the series. Very little was written about quilting by the way.
A Dog Named Slugger - Leigh Brill. A nice story if you love dogs (I do!)
Desert Solitare: A Season in the Wilderness - Edward Abbey. A classic from the late 60's. You may or may not agree with his political rhetoric; he was known as the desert anarchist. I don't agree with many of his views but it is hard to beat his descriptions of the harsh beauty of the desert canyonlands in Arches National Park.
The Forgotten Garden - Kate Morton. I bought this book on a whim at the Library book sale. I'm so glad I did! This was a great story! I'm going to have to find her other books.
The Lighthouse - P.D. James. My favorite myster writer; they don't get any better than this!
The Double Cross - Clare O'Donohue. Another quilter's mystery. She is one of my favorite authors in this category.
Murders on Elderberry Road - Sally Goldenbaum. A fun quilter's mystery!

Sunday, June 06, 2010

Setting up the Garden

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What I'm reading 2011