Reading and Eating- 4th of July Edition
Meh. I wasn’t really into celebrating this year. Part of it was laziness- I do have 4th of July decorations but it seemed like too much of a hassle to get them out, especially since it was only my daughter and me (my husband was out of town all week). Another part of it is all that’s going on in our country. Don’t get me wrong- I’m not letting anyone steal my joy. If I really wanted to throw a huge party with patriotic food and fireworks, I would have. But I didn’t- I was happy to have a low-key day of relaxing and eating. On the most recent Girl Next Door podcast, Erica and Kelsey talked about patriotism. They discussed the idea that “patriotism” seems to have been hijacked by one political party, and that if you disagree with the current administration, you “hate your country.” You can love your country, AND want it to change and improve. It’s sad that I don’t feel comfortable putting up an American flag right now, and when I do see a house decorated for the 4th I think, “I know who they voted for!” How did this happen? ANYWAY. I did do one thing for the 4th, which was make a special breakfast for my daughter- 4th of July waffles! Now, I had my own concept for these, but she chose to decorate them herself (sigh). She put the whipped cream on the warm waffles and let it melt into a puddle while she placed the berries on with excruciating slowness. My day was nice. I didn’t have to work, so I got up early to run, ate breakfast and then started the festivities… er, that is, I decided to clean out the refrigerator. This was a task that was long, long overdue. How long? Well, I found a container of PUMPKIN, which has obviously been there since November. I have to admit that I just couldn’t deal with it. I threw the whole thing sway, container and all. My apologies to the planet Earth and everyone who lives on it. I promise to do better from now on. I also had a moment when I found a bottle of ketchup stuck way, way in the back. Just a few days ago a friend of Angie’s asked if we had any, and I said no. I felt like Otto from The Simpsons- gold start to anyone who can identify the episode, “I had MUSTARD???” As you can imagine, it felt really good to get that task done! At night, my daughter went to see fireworks with a friend, and I happily read my book: Allison mentioned that she liked this one better than Night Film by the same author. This book was REALLY interesting, but I also found it wordy and complicated. The narrator is a brilliant and autistic teenage girl, and it’s a mystery. The ending is great, and I’m glad I read it. But I liked Night Film better. Speaking of Allison, she tried to “boss my TBR” (as they do on Currently Reading podcast). She saw that I have Holly by Stephen King, and recommended that I read The Outsider first. I was going to take her advice, but when I read the description of Holly on the back of the book, it sounded so good, I just had to read it. I started it today! But I am bringing these two books on my trip next week: Or, if I finish Holly and need a break from Stephen King, I’ll bring this instead: And I also have two library holds ready! I better get reading. Did you celebrate the 4th? What are you reading now? For Stephen King fans- Holly, or The Outsider? Top photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash