Archives - Weekly Update

Wait, how did I miss this? The clocks are changing this weekend, and we are getting back the hour that we lost in March. I thought this was happening next weekend. I am sooooo excited! I know, it’s the little things these days.

On Wednesday night, in anticipation of cooler weather and with the promise of frost on tap, I raced around and cut back the limelight hydrangeas, as well as the zinnias that were still in bloom. And one of the four dahlias was harvested as well. Yes, they say they are the size of dinner plates, and they are not wrong. I will plant more next year. Then I grabbed the mums that were on the back patio and moved them to the front porch, along with some other fall plants. There is still more to move around before the typical cold snap of late October/early November rolls in. Also, I was doing most of this as the sun was down after 6:00; I literally was turning on lights to cut the flowers. Ah, for the nights when it was sunny until 9:00.

Among the amusing things that I am finding as I go through boxes of paperwork here at the house are forever stamps from the post office. I have found sheets of them in random boxes; I must have started buying them when they were first issued in 2007. Last night, I sent mail with Gregory Peck stamps from 2011. I should seek out stamp collectors. I also have found so much correspondence from when we started our first website; I am going to do something with it for Bookreporter's 25th anniversary next summer.

I have been enjoying virtual author events these past few weeks. I find myself going through the event list that we share in each newsletter and logging on to watch many of them.

Last Sunday, I headed out to the farmer’s market. I jumped in my car, and my battery was dead, which surprised me; I assumed that it was because I had left the lights on. We charged it, and it ran for a bit, but I quickly learned that I needed a new battery when it was stone cold dead the following day. Then I realized that I have not been driving very much at all. I rarely go anywhere during the week; I have become a weekend driver. If I have free time during the week, I will go for a walk and listen to a podcast.

In last week’s newsletter, I noted that small businesses need our support by doing holiday shopping early --- and supporting local businesses. Here’s a terrific piece from the Los Angeles Times written by Allison Hill. Until February 2020, Allison was the CEO of Vroman’s in Pasadena and Book Soup in L.A. She is now the Executive Director of the American Booksellers Association, a job she assumed on March 1st. She knows bookstores and book selling. So heed her comments on shopping at the places you want to be there for you.

October means that there are many leaves in the pool. Yesterday morning, I was outside dragging the leaf catcher along the bottom of the pool pulling up leaves. They kept falling; imagine that. We need a new winter pool cover. The pool is a very unusual shape (I have never seen one like it), which equals a custom cover. Has this been ordered yet? Finally today. Let’s hope that the pool cover-making elves work quickly!