September 2022 reads

End of summer and we're entering the slow time of year for me reading-wise. I've already read over 110 books, my brain is full, and so is my calendar. I'm good with it. 

Here's what I read in September:

Engrossing Reads

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt - Five star. My heart. Love love love. I devoured it in a few hours and sort of wish I had spaced it out because it was a great reading experience. OCNJ library hard copy

Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen - Also five star. A SAA book always hits the spot, and this was no exception. Show me something real that you can’t see, write of connections poetically. Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna - Super cute. Perfect for an October read. OCNJ library hard copy

Our Crooked Hearts by Melissa Albert - Also perfect for an October read, but not cute in the slightest. Creepy AF at times. Back on that bad bitch witch shit. OCNJ library hard copy

Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young - Okay last time I'll say this but this is also a perfect October read. I was looking forward to this for months and it did not disappoint. Dare I say a sublime contrast of the light and dark of a place in the pages of this novel. It kept me invested because the atmosphere of the island delighted me. The story itself not as much, basic small town mystery shit. Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review

The Last Move (Criminal Profiler #1) by Mary Burton - The pace was great in this and I loved the characters. I don't often like romance injected in my crime novels but this worked here. Kindle, own

Passed the Time Just Fine

Her Last Word (Criminal Profiler #2) by Mary Burton - I thought this was a continuation of #1 but sadly it was not. I did not like it as much. Kindle, own

The Shore by Katie Runde - Takes place up the coast from my shore, but the shore all the same. I had to skim some parts because it was so repetitive in spaces but overall it passed the time just fine. OCNJ library hard copy

I'm the Girl by Courtney Summers - Writing on point as always from Courtney Summers. This was not my favorite of hers, but I tore through it all the same. In a book like this, I think we want resolution and action and the point of the world women live in is that there really usually isn't any. Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review

The Rise by Shari Lowe and Ross King - This is on Goodreads as Taking Hollywood, so that's where the link will take you. I'm assuming Shari wrote Taking Hollywood and Ross came in and edited or re-wrote parts? And they are issuing as a new title? I don't know. Anyway this was Jackie Collins (who has gloriously seedy books I love to read) with a dark background that was not quite as I thought it was. A ridiculous ride but definitely readable. Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review

Not For Me/Did Not Finish

Ithaca (Penelope, #1) by Claire North - DNF OCNJ library hard copy

The Best Friend by Jessica Fellowes - NFM A bit confusing, and unfortunately not rewarding when you wade through the beginning. I hate seeing female friendships portrayed this way even though I know some are Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review

Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney - Could not, would not, did not finish DNF OCNJ library hard copy

What have you been reading?

Thursday Thoughts - I'm livin' life, do or die, what can I say

You're late. 

Farewell, faithful lipstick. Always have a backup of a favorite, of course. This is Bobbi Brown Crushed Lipstick in lilac, one of my staples

Lunch trips. I went to Bristol one day this week to peruse some antiques shops and walk along the river. I used to go there with Mom Mom when I was little, to Ballow's shoes. Lovely memories, and a lovely lunch outing.

Vats of veggie meat sauce. I made what amounted to 15 jars to freeze and share (the bigger one has six cups instead of three). 

Hurricane Ian. Good thoughts to the folks in FL and others in its path of destruction. Climate action now. These events are just going to continue to increase in power and devastation if we carry on as we are. 

Splitskies. Billy wanted to go in on my niece's birthday gift

Halloween is here. Thanks to MFD's decor. The dogs are not pleased that their barking window is occupied. 

Bathroom reno still happening. Still living in an entire construction zone with shit on every level. 

Bailed on the Dahmer show on Netflix. Too creepy for me.

Bruce is a big baby.

Support Yunizon's kickstarter campaign! Click here 

Amen.

Fresh hair. Thanks Kristi! Love it as always.

Miscellaneous pics from the week the bottom right is actually my back window with that reflected in it

Happy birthday to my cousin Tyler today!

 
What appears beyond the hyphen in Thursday Thoughts titles is what I'm listening to when I'm starting this - this week is Gangsta's Paradise. RIP Coolio

Snippets of the weekend 9.26.2022

Errand and house stuff weekend: returning some of the bathroom reno stuff we are not using. Looking for other bathroom reno stuff. Trolling HomeGoods to get some ideas. Ordering the remainder of the light fixtures for the shore. Nailing down the scopes for the shore work happening in October. Acquiring more Halloween items. blah blah life administrative shit

I'm trying Essie treat love & color polish to address the hideous state a bad gel polish manicure left them in in the beginning of July. This is my second polish cycle with it and they feel better. This color is punch it up.

I had an impromptu dinner with my brother, Dad, & Carol at the Rover Friday and saw Aubrey and the kids after as I grabbed a shower there. I drove out to the Media area on a beautiful fall Saturday to celebrate Beth and her bride to be - super setting, met some good people, and the food and cupcakes were delicious. MFD and I used a big gift card he's been holding to have our 12th anniversary dinner at Del Frisco's on Saturday night.  The food was delicious as was the people watching. The city was busy and that was nice to see. Lots of backyard time. I finished a book that was dragging and read an excellent one. We watched so many old Parks & Rec episodes and got Santucci's Sunday on our actual anniversary.

In addition to snippets here, I've been doing weekending reels on Instagram if you are interested. 

The first weekend of fall is over. How was yours? 

Friday is the new Thursday here

Friday might be the new Thursday for me here. Thursdays are always my most packed day and the chance of being prepared for a blog post on them is not realistic at this time, and we do like to deal in realism here.

First day of fall swooped in and ended with cooler temps and no humidity and we are here for it. Today is crisper than I'd like but we get what we get and we don't get upset. I hate heat, humidity, and bugs but love swimming in the ocean and longer days so summer is up in the ranks as I age. Last year for this door, the new one is on order and should be in by Thanksgiving.

My favorite season of all of course is the fall of the patriarchy, and that is year round. Solidarity ALWAYS with women who want choice in what to do with their bodies, if and when to have a child, what to wear, what not to wear, how to act, who to be, and the ability to live freely wearing and doing whatever they want without fear at any time of the day or night. Solidarity ALWAYS with those who live outside of the heteronormative in any and all ways constantly battling the patriarchy as well. Government, the state, the world, patriarchy, men, misguided religious fanatics pushing their religion on others, & other women gatekeeping patriarchy can all fuck off and stop telling people how to move around in this world and when. Let people fucking live and get a life of your own to worry about while you're at it

Yunizon Kickstarter on Sept 27!  Please take a minute to click through to the Kickstarter preview to see what Yunizon is about and please please consider showing up for them this Tuesday, September 27 by pledging to buy a pair or three of glasses and sharing the shit out of the kickstarter when it goes live so they can amass the amount of backers they need (follow them on instagram and facebook). The fit is great, the new collections are excitin, and I'd love to see them fully funded! Support a small women-owned business, of which one of my BFFs is co-owner. Congrats Kim & Bec & best of luck! All pics below are Yunizon's from their IG stories. Herc and Veros are unlocked options if they hit a certain fundraising goal so let's do this because I want Veros! I'm going to go for Amba and Andy on the kickstarter. 

12 years married on Sunday. 20 years together this year, although the top pic is from September 2003 because I can't find any from September 2002. Then of course September 2010 and this September. This concludes the anniversary post for this year (I typically do better ones, see here but we're not doing what we've always done just because we've always done it at the moment). I'll throw a reel together LOL. MFD's aunt and fam are upstairs in our shore house this weekend and Mom and Rich are in our apartment, so we're celebrating up here and making good use of some long-held gift cards. Anyway...we still out here.

Philly bathroom reno progresses. Our house in Philly is covered with a fine layer of dust but there's a tub in, walls base of walls and floor are in, electrical re-routed, plumbing done, light over shower installed, exhaust fan installed and vented out, HVAC re-routed out of the shower. And I have a car full of shit to return and may be popping in to use your shower if you are local to me. LOL I'll be home for about a week with no access to a shower. Knock knock, Motherfuckers!

Curiosity and the cat. Billy Hicks got into the access panel (which was off) behind the tub last night and was in the ceiling. He spent quite a bit of time in there, and after coming out to eat the tuna I used to lure him, he was intent on getting back in and pried the put back into place access panel away from the wall. I heard the crash and could get up there before he got back in since I had a basket in front of it. What a dick.

Grooming Day with Doggie Do's Mobile Salon Family via family, and they are great. Convenient and less stressful for the doggos, which is less stressful for you. Lower Bucks area peeps, they are accepting new clients! Support another small, women-owned biz, save yourself from dog bath and nail day, and visit them on the web here. Ben was rolling with happiness after his turn - he was first to set an example for Bruce, the Gretchen Wiener of the group.

Have a great weekend! Sticker from an artist via South Street Art Mart

Happy birthday to Jenny today and Amanda Sunday!

Common Mistakes never to make with your pet cat

Common Mistakes Never to Make with Your Pet Cat

Cats are fascinating and absolutely adorable animals and make the perfect pet, especially

when you are looking for an animal that likes its independence and is as playful as it is lazy

in equal measure.

Whether you are already the proud owner of a beautiful kitty or are looking to adopt one in

the near future, you have come to the right place. Continue reading to learn about some

common mistakes that you should never make with your pet cat.

Never Only Feed Your Cat Dry Food

Unlike dogs and rabbits, cats are often reluctant to take large gulps of water, even if you

have fresh bowls dotted around your home and encourage them to drink during hot weather.

Because of this, it is important to always feed your cat a combination of both wet and dry

food, as a great deal of their necessary hydration comes from their wet food.

Never Miss Your Cat’s Annual Vaccinations

Even cats that, perhaps due to hearing issues or bad experiences when they were a kitten,

either do not want to go outside or are unable to go outdoors still need to be taken to the vet

for their annual vaccinations.

If you do not have a house cat, and instead your cat loves to explore on solo adventures

regularly, it is even more important to register with a reputable vet, such as easyvet.com,

and always keep on top of your pet’s vaccinations.

Never Leave Your Cat’s Food Out All Day

Some cats often like to graze on their food throughout the day and are not interested in

overfeeding. However, the vast majority of domesticated cats are prone to eating exactly

what you give them and are unable to regulate their intake.

Leaving large amounts of food out throughout the day is by far the most common cause of

obesity in cats, which can then lead to serious health concerns, especially in older cats.

Instead, either choose exact mealtimes whereby you can place their bowl on the floor or else

invest in an automatic and timed food dispenser.

Never Leave Your Cat for More Than a Day

As cats are independent creatures, the temptation for cat owners can be to feel confident

that their cat can ‘look after itself’ for a couple of days or more.

This is a huge mistake, and this false impression that cats take care of their own interests

and can entirely look after themselves is often to the detriment of the species. When going

away for more than a day, it is absolutely essential, therefore, that you should arrange for a

loved one or neighbor to check in on your cat every day and ideally every evening that you

are away from home.

Alternatively, there are plenty of reputable and renowned cat kennels where your cat can be

entertained and cared for while you are away, which will ensure your own peace of mind as

well as the health of your cat.

***

This post was written with the Life According to Steph readers in mind. Timely as Billy Hicks was in the ceiling last night - add do not leave access panels open to this list

Snippets of the weekend 9.18.2022

First before work visit to Dog Beach in quite a while. Saw Mr. & Mrs. G off as they made their way back home, work and pet coverage and errands including new backpack beach chair.

After work beach time at the pier listening to music and hunting for rocks and glass. We watched the first episode of Great British Baking Show because we did not know they weren't all out LOL

Last check in for the season. Then we went out on a pontoon boat, which I stomached much better than a fishing boat. Ben came with us and was out there living his best life. Back at home, we put the air conditioner on in the apartment and lounged about. I started a new book. 

Sunday MFD was at mummery and I did some food prep and dog walking then planted my ass on the beach and read and watched the air show. I think it was abbreviated this year, it was super windy. I spent the afternoon reading and lounging and we watched Fast Times at Ridgemont High (die, Damone) before taking a night bike ride on the boards and getting some Kohr Bros. 

Perfect last weekend of summer. 

Happy birthday to my brother Swan and nephew Drew today, and to my lifelong friend Jen yesterday!

In addition to snippets here, I've been doing weekending reels on Instagram if you are interested. 

Where did the week go

I’m sitting on the beach at close to six on Friday, MFD swinging in the hammock next to me listening to the Gordon Lightfoot station on Pandora which is unsurprisingly mostly music I like. The sun is already low over my right shoulder and moving fast toward the horizon. Sort of like the week. The week was full, and not in a bad way for me personally, but in a way that out the standard snippets of the weekend (still did the reel o instagram) and Thursday Thoughts  post out to pasture. When things press from all sides, this is the first thing to go.  

Full in a bad way week for migrants shipped across the country on taxpayer millions as a cruel GOP stunt, all the future pregnant people Lindsey Graham and his proposed federal abortion  ban have in their sites, Black mermaids, pretty definitely the environment, rail workers with no sick policy or life that does not revolve around work, and a host of other people on this Fucked Timeline.

But back to the frivolous.

Monday I was at the shore working and cleaning and sweating in the hideous humidity, and I hauled it back to Philly after work and an outdoor shower. I ran some errands for the looming project of the week. 

I think when we last spoke we had found a contractor for the bathroom reno and were looking forward to getting it done in October. Then they had another job postpone and last week told me they could start this week. So I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off and placing orders for the items I was getting, pondering paint, cleaning out the bathroom, moving my office stuff down as that room is right next to the bathroom. By Tuesday night it was all demo’d and outside on the lawn. 

Bruce was woo woo barking all demo day and on my last nerve. Billy hid in the bedroom and I had to liberate him so he could access the litter box, earning me a scratch. Him and Mae had vet appointments later so that was strike two. I was working at two non-set up work areas and that was also on my nerves. It was a ridiculous day. I was happy to end it with a massage at Blossom in Langhorne. Have you been? If not, highly recommend for wellness. I also popped into my gateway Marshalls before showering at Stephen & Aubrey’s. That no shower thing and all. 

After that doozy of a day I fell asleep on the couch and never moved until Wednesday morning. The next day MFD took the animals to the shore and I had blissful silence for my meetings. 

And put all my donations out for pickup and pulled them all back in when the truck ran out of room. Insert melting smiley face. 

Clearly in my yellow period.

Thursday was an office day and I was on the run for all of it. Love you, Philly.

I drove to the shore after that, right into a delightful catch-up with Mr & Mrs G - dinner at Cousins with them and MFD. Mrs G left a new ride and awesome goodies for us. So thoughtful. I was sad to not be around more this week. Meetings eyeroll etc 

I need this weekend so I’m glad it's here. 

Peace in the east.