Thanks Tracy, I really appreciate your wishes about my surgery … all seems to have gone well. I’m back home recuperating. It was hard at first but a bit better now.
And I can’t believe you’re getting a big rain storm there! Wow that’s pretty early. Good for California. It won’t be so dry.
That’s wonderful to hear that you loved The Women novel. I was pretty caught up in it especially the first half. I had some quibbles in the 2nd half, but overall it seemed effective. I will look for your review. The Halberstam book should be a good read. I guess it’s a key book on the Vietnam conflict. I think I read parts of it for school but not the whole thing. It would probably take me forever. Good luck reading it. Cheers.

Hi Thanks Kay! So sweet of you to say. I’m holding on here, lol. Back home and starting recovery. I love looking at the bears too. Cheers.

Hey Anne, thanks I’m really glad for your link and thoughts on the books and how they’re interconnected. I plan to check it out. I’ll comment there. It surprised me a bit how much of her memoir talks about White. I guess I should know more about his Goshawk book. Interesting about both.

Hi Dorothy, good to know you liked H Is for Hawk so much. Macdonald seems quite the nature writer. It took me years to get to the book entirely. So glad I did.
And thanks I really appreciate your positive thoughts about my surgery. I’m back home now and starting the recovery. Yay.

Thanks Helen, I’m back at home post-surgery and managing so far. First days were rough but now it’s better.
Glad for your thoughts on H Is for Hawk. I think the movie might also be enjoyable. Cheers.

Hi Jane, we had some snowflakes yesterday but it’s melted today. Still pretty clear here. I was interested to know your thoughts about H is for Hawk and I agree that the T.H. White sections in the book were quite dark …. and depressing and wasn’t the author trying to relieve her grief over her dad’s death with the hawk & book? I liked the hawk’s training parts too. It seems the movie will likely bypass the White parts of the memoir. I’ll be keen to see it. Cheers!
Ps. I’m really pleased to hear your husband has done both knees too and all is well. That’s wonderful. Thanks for the wishes and pep talk.

We just started getting rain in Goleta / Santa Barbara and we are expected to have rain through at least Saturday, Nov 15, maybe longer. I am loving it.

H is for Hawk is on my TBR but I don’t know when I will get to it. I just picked up the very very long book about the Vietnam conflict by David Halberstam, The Best and the Brightest. I was inspired to get that book after reading The Women by Kristin Hannah, which I loved. I know you had several quibbles with it and I don’t disagree, but I just loved it anyway. It resonated so much with me. Not so much the Vietnam part but the expectations her parents had that she would marry and have children, etc. And I had no idea about how women’s roles in Vietnam were ignored and denied. I will also be looking for oral histories from people who were there.

I hope your knee surgery went well and that your recovery sets a new record for speed. I’ll be sending all the positive energy I can spare your way!