Hi Rachel, I might have to try deer mace … as the deer are getting the plants right next to house …. this week they ate the hostas and the peonie plants. Sigh. We do have our main vegetable garden fenced …. but I need to get some Mace too.
And I’m very interested to hear about your Montana trip and the tracking collar on your daughter’s cat. It would seem a must to bring cats inside at night … so if I ever get a kitty … I would like to get such a collar too. Just to keep the cat safe. There’s too many harmful critters out here. Looking forward to you reading your post. thanks & Cheers.

You had a question about the collar on my daughter’s cat. Yes, it’s a tracking collar he wears when he’s outside. We can his location on a map and she can ping it when she wants him to come it. It plays a tune and he’s usually good about turning up when she sets it off, but sometimes she has to go looking for him to get him to come in at night. He’s loving the hunting grounds in Montana! Sorry for the late response! I’ve been all over the place! We drove home from Montana yesterday, 13 + hours not including our stops! I’m beat but it was a wonderful trip. I’ll talk about it in my upcoming Sunday Post.

Hi Tracy, yes it was a nice surprise to see that The Correspondent won the Prize. Good thing the author kept trying all those years to get published.
And I’m very sorry to hear that you haven’t been feeling well. I hope the electrocardiogram shows that you’re all right. That’s a long time to wear the monitor. Keep well hydrated. And let us know how you are.
It’s okay to take a break on Middlemarch till you feel 100%. I can imagine it’s hard to focus. Maybe that’s not the right book for now. I hope the doctor can help you. Keep me posted on how you’re doing. Get some rest & take care.

Okay Lux. Thx for stopping by. Much to read this season. Happy summer to you.

I have had continuing problems with digestion and fatigue and finally spent a day in Urgent Care having tests. As a result, the doctor decided I should wear a Holter monitor (an ambulatory electrocardiogram) for 7 days and I am on the sixth day. It is smaller than I imagined but I worry about it coming off, so it will be nice to be done with it. My fatigue is only marginally less, but I am doing better with my indigestion.

It was unfortunate that all of this started about the same time as I was started Middlemarch, because my problems with reading that book may have been increased by being tired all the time and my focus is not so good still.

Hi JoAnn, thanks, I’m getting some more shots of the sky this week with storm clouds, lol. Glad you liked The Correspondent and Heart the Lover …. I wasn’t too sure which novel would win the Prize along with Susan Choi’s book. It was a nice surprise & good for Evans! And I’m also adding The Finest Hotel in Kabul — I hadn’t heard of it before … but probably won’t get to it until fall. Recently I started the Ann Patchett book on audio … we’ll see. Have a great week.

Thanks Shelleyrae, all is well. Glad you added these two books. Have a great week.

Hi Sam, Wow I didn’t realize there were wild pigs running around in the open spaces there in Texas. I have heard of wild boars which have become a problem too in Alberta. Luckily I haven’t seen them here knock on wood. I just checked and an article says they trapped 108 wild pigs in Alberta in 2025. Who knew? I guess that will happen there.
You might eventually read The Correspondent but I’m not certain what you will think of it. Just don’t want people to set expectations too high. It’s a popular kind of read … that has some thoughtfulness towards the end. See what you think. Cheers.

Hi Carmen, it is a bit surprising The Correspondent won …. since it’s not an overly literary highfalutin novel. It’s just a popular thing. I’m not sure if it will be your cup of tea … but it’s fairly light and quick. It has some thoughtfulness towards the end. And I’m also about to start Whistler! I’m reading John of John but listening to Ann Patchett read her book. So we will see.
Have a great week.