Olive Kitteridge

Review   Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout, Alfred A Knopf 2008, 270 pages

MOTIVATION for READING:     This won the Pulitzer so I first heard about it at Bybee’s blog.   She’s collecting them, I think.    Not that I care one twit about the Pulitzer Prize winners, or anything.    No, wait – that sounds too harsh.   How about:    Not that I follow book awards much, because I don’t.    I like to let my whims decide what books I read.    This book is set in Maine.    I love Maine.   I guess that’s it.    Do I really need a reason?

WHAT’s IT ABOUT:    First off, the cover/back-of-book-blurb* does not tell you in so many words that this is a collection of short stories.     It says it’s a novel.   Well, it ain’t my idea of a novel.   But that doesn’t mean I was at all disappointed.     All I can say is that we are introduced to a small town in Maine and a few of its inhabitants and visitors.    All of these people are either married to Olive Kitteridge or had her for a math teacher in 7th grade or bumped into her in the street.   Many of them love her, dislike her, wonder about her and/or give her no thoughts whatsoever.     But the reader will come to appreciate this rough and tough yet tender lady.    I know I did.

Time** jumps back and forth, too.     Each story is but a capsule of a moment or an evening or months, even years.   The first story was one of my favorites;   it was about Henry, Olive’s husband and it is one that explores a memory of a relationship spanning decades, even if for the occasional birthday card.    Complex, layered and private.     And so sad!

Other favorite stories are the piano player at the restaurant along the river – Olive barely walks into a scene;  in another, we are brought into a relationship ‘overlap’ of a shared rescue attempt between the hardware store guy, a widow (his mistress), and Olive; and the last haunting story that analyzes the differences between what we want out of life and how much we grasp at life however it comes to us.

Olive questions how we can complain when life doesn’t treat us ‘fair’ or ‘right’;    we do what we can.   In the first story, the reader is not introduced to Olive in a favorable light – she seems querulous:  grouchy, hard to please.   Yet the love her husband has for her is strong if not understandable, yet.   We certainly warm up to her and how she thinks and how she reacts to people, place and things by the last page.    We are only treated to a few glimpses of her teaching style but I think I would have loved to have her as a teacher;   the memorable ones were those that pushed and shoved.   Olive, to me, is actually a wonderful reminder to me to be a little less critical of myself and others.     I am going to remember this Olive character for a long time.

The author’s style reminded me of Jhumpa Lahiri – the quiet, sharp insights to the human condition.

Pie Notes
from page 141:    “… not wanting to be reminded of what could happen to a family that had seemed as pretty and fresh as blueberry pie.”

and DO watch out for the doughnuts!! and sunglasses?   missed this…   see Dawn’s review at She is Too Fond of Books.

Other reviews:
Caribou’s Mom
KGMom Mumblings
My Cozy Book Nook
She Who Is Wonderfully TOO FOND of Books
H

H
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* I can’t verify that the back of the book doesn’t say short stories but I do recall trying to figure out if these were short stories before I opened it to start reading.    I admit I could be totally incorrect about this.

** OK, maybe I just got confused and wasn’t paying attention.    Good thing this isn’t for a grade.    All the other reviews I’m reading  (I like to NOT read reviews until I’m done writing my own) say the stories are in chronological order.    And, I guess, I do have to agree that the last few stories are later in time.    I give up now.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Review   The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows, Random House 2005, 274 pages.

MOTIVATION for READING:    You really didn’t think that I’d let a hot book with the word ‘pie’ in the title escape me, did you?        AND it’s about words and books and the love of books!    wonderful;  all kinds of wonderfulness.

WHAT it’s ABOUT:    A writer, Juliet, emerging from the war-weary time after WWII is looking for an idea for her next book when she receives a letter from a gentleman who had one of her ‘passed on’ books;  seems she had her name and address inside the front cover.   With no idea if the letter would find her, the guy sent off a request for more information about  the author Charles Lamb and how to get more books.      He is from Guernsey, one of the Channel Islands that had been occupied by the Nazis for most of the war.   And so Juliet begins a discovery of friendship and life and love.     This is a heartwarming, funny, endearing gem of a book full of crazy wonderful characters, history of the war and the power of the human spirit.    I heartfully and pie-fully recommend.

That’s really all I need to say, I think.   Five PIES.   

Please visit Fyrefly’s awesome book blog search if you would like to find more reviews:       Book Blog Review Search

The official website has all sorts of fun stuff, too.    Ya know, if you need even more information.      I was going to include something about ‘what-actors-should-play-the-parts’ if they were to make a movie but even the comments for that give away hints of what happens in the book!        Lots of protests, too:   “PLEASE DO NOT MAKE A MOVIE!    It would only ruin the story.”

What do you think?   If you’ve read this book, would you want to see a movie?

Nothing But Ghosts

Review  Nothing But Ghosts by Beth Kephart, 2009, 278 pages.

MOTIVATION for READING:    I wanted to help be a part of My Friend Amy’s book-buying-campaign, so I bought it.   I heard there might be prizes.   You can be a part of it, too!    Just click on these words ==>   My Friend Amy’s Nothing But Ghosts Bookdrive – join the fun.     The latest author (Jennie Nash) to make my favorites list had recommended Beth Kephart as one of HER favorite authors.   Timing was perfect for me to add this to Amazon order.

I purposefully did not read a THING about it, either!   So I was a bit surprised that it really isn’t quite a ghost story.      It’s a wonderful gentle story of a young girl dealing with the death of her mother, dealing with her father grieving the death of his wife, and a mystery surrounding a local recluse.    Kephart weaves together a touching tale of loss and discovery and love.

I enjoyed this very much:   FOUR PIES.

If you prefer a more thorough review, please select one or all of the following:

My Friend Amy’s Review of Nothing But Ghosts

Presenting Lenore’s Review AND Interview!

The Compulsive Reader

* I can’t find my notes on this book!    I have since given the book to my cuz-in-law so I can’t refer back to it.    I know I took notes, first sentence, words, thoughts… oh well.       How quickly my new goal to include more information falls by the wayside.

The Only True Genius in the Family

Reader ThoughtsThe Only True Genius in the Family  by Jennie Nash, Berkley Books 2009, 286 pages

MOTIVATION for READING:    I received this book directly from the author after ‘meeting’ her over at Lisa’s Books on the Brain post about sticky books.    Seems we’ve read quite a few of the same books and have found many of the same to be quite memorable.    I didn’t realize that she was a bona fide  author and admit I got all bashful when I found out she’s written a slew of books.    Interesting books, books I now intend to read.    In fact, I have already purchased  her first novel The Last Beach Bungalow and hope to read it this weekend.   (I rarely read multiple books by an author – just works out that way, it’s not a deliberate thing.)

I very much enjoyed this book.    

FIRST SENTENCE:   My dad died at an incredibly inconvenient time, and I have no doubt that he planned it that way.

WHAT’s IT ABOUT:    I could say this book is about art and photography:   Claire is a ‘food’ photographer who has to take some time off to deal with the death of her father, a recognized ‘genius’ in the art of photography.    It’s about family:  We meet her husband, a professor who has been brilliant in his promotion of Claire’s business and we meet her daughter who is about to embark on her own career in art.   It’s about the definition of genius and how Claire explores being sandwiched between all this geniusness.   It’s not so much about grief and death but self-discovery in life.   It’s about creativity, self-doubt, and..    It’s about making mistakes and learning from them.    It’s about love.

WHAT’s GOOD:     I was very nervous about reading this book because I really wanted to like it.    I was worried that I was bringing too many expectations to it.   Thankfully, the writing is strong yet light, the research in photography, art, even chocolate, etc was perfectly blended into the story, and the author skillfully achieves the right balance of humor and pathos and love.     I was able to forget myself and get pulled into the lives of these people.  I enjoyed every page.     

There is one pivotal scene that I was shouting at Claire, “NOOOoooooo!” and yet it was believable – both what and how it happened and how it played out to its conclusion.      

I also want to add that the Reader’s Guide at the end of the book has some extremely deep PERSONAL questions:    What is the story of your inner artist?   Have you ever been jealous of someone you love?      Great questions!     Ones that use points within the story to jump start the reader’s own journey of personal discovery rather than just rehash what happens in the book.    (sounds like fodder for another post?)

WHAT’s NOT so GOOD:    **crickets**    (Can’t think of anything to write in this spot.)    

FINAL THOUGHTS:  I was very impressed with Nash’s writing style, her gentle philosophies evident in the descriptions of the characters, and the excellent research she must have conducted which could have weighed heavy yet is just perfectly woven into the story.

PIE NOTE:      I’ve started noticing when books mention pie.     Nash must like pie because she has two separate mentions of pie:   the first was in the part when Claire first meets the guy she ends up marrying (oops – can’t locate the page; I think it was a Maple Syrup Blueberry) and the second was in a memory of her mother.

I was twenty-two years old when my mother died, and I had counted on feeling her spirit.  She hadn’t gotten a very good deal out of life …   –  and I counted on the fact that it would all be made up to her in death.  I imagined her spirit was on a romp through heaven, and that she would join me when I went to church and sang the soaring Protestant hymns I had learned at her side or when I made an apple pie from honeycrisp apples.  p.107

 

 

 

Other Reviews:

S.Krishna’s Books

WordLily

Mawbooks

 

ISBN 978-0-425-22575-2 (trade pbk.) 1. Family-Fiction. 2. Artists-Fiction, 3. Intergenerational relations-Fiction.

End of the First Half 2009

I have updated my spreadsheet and only have a few holes that I should bother to fill in if I would only remember upon wandering back upstairs to where I’ve just moved the books.   

On my goal to read 100, I’m a bit far off tack.   Only 37 so far (but my 38th is 2/3 through) and this counts the 3 that I DNF-ed.   (DNF’d?   or is this actually redundant since the D stands for the past tense ‘did’?   reading Alphabet Juice has its consequences.)   I actually hope to get back and finish two of those DNFs.   Someday.     Is there a challenge out there in book-blog-land to go back and attempt completion of books we failed to complete?

I’ve read over 10,000 pages – this is new for me to track so I can’t compare.    If I round up Twilight’s pages to 500, I can say that I read 2 books with at least that many pages.    (I gave up on The Pillars of the Earth and give ‘too long’ as my excuse.)   Ratio to female to male authors is 21 to 16.   Only two books were my second time to read that author (Margaret Atwood, or third, in the case of Kazuo Ishiguro).   Thirteen books were nonfiction.   Twenty-six books were either set in US or written by Americans – I have a ‘country’ category but this is ambiguous to me already – did I mean the author’s ‘home’ country or setting for the story?    In the case of Tana French, I have this in the bucket:   US/UK/Dublin.    Other countries listed are Japan, Sweden, Iran, South Africa, UK and Canada.    One book labeled ‘Feminist’, two ‘African American’, one ‘Vampire’.

Twenty-five books published between 2000 and now, seven from the decade prior, the remainder:   1899, 1908, 1937, 1970(2). 

For most of the novels I applied this vague label:   ‘Contemporary Fiction.’    Only a few have ‘Historical Fiction’ labels.   Five say YA – new category for me, I believe.     One graphic novel, two classics, one thriller, one travelogue.    I’ve branched out but not too far on that branch, huh?

My Challenge Tally:

Four books for the Dewey Challenge:  Anne of Green Gables, Persepolis, Looking for Alaska, Note To Self (mini-challenge)

Two books for the Stalking Chartroose Challenge:  The Remains of the Day and Popular Music from Vittula

Four books for the Science Challenge:  The Orchid Thief, Mauve, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, Thunderstruck

I didn’t specifically sign up for the Diversity Challenge, but these might count:   Their Eyes Were Watching God and A Lesson Before Dying.   Perhaps also, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.

I’ve read ZERO for the World Citizen Challenge and am not even sure I have any books IN HOUSE for this!         I need to revisit the suggestions.

 

I realize that this is not in a super dooper readable format but at least it’s done.     whew.     Let’s read 7 books a month for the rest of the year!   Woo hoo!!   I also hereby commit to adding some of this tracking to each review post to facilitate the upkeep and accuracy.      Here’s to goals, big and small and written down.

New Post / Just Stuff / Lots of Links

Hi all!

I’m busy updating my spreadsheet of books read and important stuff like that (must remember to water plants today) and really want to tell you that I loved The Only True Genius in the Family by Jennie Nash but that I want my review to show I gave it honest effort and worthy thoughtfulnesses.

In the spirit of Nymeth’s best of 2009 so far list, I give you a few of my favorites:

Still Alice by Lisa Genova -  An unforgettable look at Early-Onset Alzheimer’s devastation from the viewpoint of the sufferer.   (I feel like that sentence is paraphrasing Lisa?)   Click here for her review at Books on the Brain.     My fondness for this book continues to grow as time goes by.   A great one for discussion.

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein.   This is the book that I feel confident suggesting to EVERYONE!    My review here.

Alphabet Juice: The Energies, Gists, and Spirits of Letters, Words, and Cominations Thereof:  Their Roots, Bones, Innards, Piths, Pips, and Secret Parts, Tinctures, Tonics, and Essences; With Examples of Their Usage Foul and Savory by Roy Blount (no comma) Jr.    If you love words – the sound of them, the feel of them in your mouth;  if you wonder where words come from and how they continue to evolve – you will ADORE this gem of a nutty book.    I have a crush on this author, don’t tell his wife.   Nor my husband.    Alas, it would never work.   I’m absolutely positive that he would not approve of my punctuation choices.  oh well!

84, Charing Cross Road / Helene Hanff
Their Eyes Were Watching God / Zora Neale Hurston
Looking for Alaska / John Green

PS – the Books I’ve Read page in the header will list all my reads and links to my reviews.   Ignore the count – I don’t think it’s correct…

Interesting in winning what looks to be a very interesting book?   Visit Ali at Worducopia for your chance to win Boy Toy by Barry Luga.   (I keep telling my IRL friends how easy it is to WIN FREE BOOKS online.)

And now, BUY THIS BOOK!    I received my copy of Nothing But Ghosts by Beth Kephart!     My Friend Amy tells you HERE why you must consider buying this for yourself.

and last but certainly not least, if you love AUSTEN, please click over to Stephanie’s blog The Written Word and read all about how you can revel in your fondness for all things Jane.

What are your answers to that question of  ‘Can you recommend any books to me?”

The Coast of Summer

Reader Thoughts   The Coast of Summer by Anthony Bailey, Sheridan House 1994 (paperback ed. 1999), 357 pages

“Sailing New England Waters from Shelter Island to Cape Cod”

From the back of the book:   The seductive storytelling of Anthony Bailey is as gratifying as a full-sail breeze in this enchanting tale of a season afloat along the coast of New England.  Poking into deep harbors and shallow ponds, anchoring off fashionable resorts and in remote coves, Bailey and his wife, Margot, leisurely sail between eastern Long island and the tip of Cape Cod in their small sloop, Lochinvar.

Interspersing his narrative with local history, geography and biography, Bailey evokes curious legends and brings to life those rare intriguing characters who are drawn to coastal life.  And when, on occasion, this drowsy, idyllic cruise becomes a sudden, sober battle with the perils of the sea, Bailey offers modestly but enticingly the fruits of much hard-won and not always heroic yachting experience.

“In prose as gentle as the breezes that push his craft….  Bailey pulls you right to his side on a most amiable walking/boating tour:  an inspired guide in a fascinating locale with a rich past….   Bailey’s writing flashes with drollery and wit;  he’s a  comfortable stylist who works on the reader like a masseur.   From the shoals of Madaket to Sow and Pigs reef, Bailey wraps the reader up in this highly entertaining sea passage.”   – Kirkus Reviews

“…an engaging account….  Readers familiar with the area – its shorelines and waters – will savor every word.”  - Publishers Weekly

A BIG SHOUT OUT to Belle!  aka Ms.Bookish.   Who didn’t quite ask me a question for the latest Weekly Geek event, but mentioned this book in her comment at that post.  Thank you, thank you.

MOTIVATION for reading:    I was given this book by my cousin-in-law who loves to read.   I gave her The Book Thief* for Christmas, she gave me this.       AND…  since I’m powerboating in these same waters, I was very eager to read this account.   I also think this might be my very first travelogue!

I’m rating this FOUR PIEs;   I enjoyed it very much but have one big complaint:   no bibliography!     I wish I had jotted down my own reference points as I read along.   Now I’ll just have to re-read it!    Thankfully, the chapters are titled by location, so that when we do visit Martha’s Vineyard, I can look up descriptions of landmarks, rock hazards in the coves, and favorite beaches.   I look forward to seeing how the almost twenty years must have changed the land.

This book was a delight to have as a companion book to my boating safety instruction book(s).    It brought so much alive in my mind – weather, navigation, anchoring, etc.   Even though sailors and powerboaters are not supposed to like each other – we seem to be by definition at odds and in contention, I have a huge appreciation for the romance (and hard work!) of sailing.

I must address the skill of the author in creating and evoking a proper mood – - of relaxation and/or somber careful attention;  to what it feels like to sail, both in calm waters and in times fraught with danger.   Well done, Mr. Bailey!    Click here for his Wikipedia page and see what else he has written.   By the way, he lives in Britain;  he comes to America to spend his vacations on his sailboat.

British Civil Ensign Flag

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WONDROUS WORDS WEDNESDAY

(Do visit Kathy at BermudaOnion – the originator of this meme)

p. 91   adze - a tool similar to an ax with an arched blade at right angles to thehandle, used for cutting or shaping large pieces of wood.

p. 44   menhaden – a large deep-bodied fish of the herring family that occurs along the east coast of North America. The oil-rich flesh is used to make fish meal and fertilizer.

p. 114  ewer – “… practicing for the challenge or defense of the America’s Cup, the gruesome silver ewer which has come to represent supremacy in yacht racing.” – a large jug with a wide mouth, formerly used for carrying water for someone to wash in.

p. 130   avuncular** – of or relating to an uncle.

p. 131  seagirt – surrounded by sea

p. 180 – manqué - having failed to become what one might have been; unfulfilled.

p. 236 – priapic – “(the Pilgrim monument…)  With a red beacon light glowing on top, it seems less a commemoration of the Pilgrims’ oceanic achievements than a most unpuritan priapic emblem.” – of or relating to male sexuality and sexual activity

Port of East Greenwich RI

* Unfortunately, my gift to her required her to read and give back to me!    I won’t be returning to her The Coast of Summer – I want to keep it and refer to it.    Sorry Linda!

** I am ever-looking up this word!  Every single freakin’ time I encounter it, I jot down the page.  Why oh why can I not remember this definition?

Review A Woman’s Guide to Powerboating

Review   A Ragged Mountain Press Woman’s Guide: POWERBOATING  Everything You Need to Know to Get Started (and Keep Going)
Gear, Clothing, Tips, and Advice
Women’s Voices, A Woman’s Approach
by Sandy Lindsey, Contributing Editor of Boating Magazine 2000, 143 pages.

FIRST SENTENCE:   “The sea is so large yet my boat is so small” is the sobering thought I have nearly every time I pull away from the dock.

MOTIVATION for READING:    I just bought a powerboat.     Husband and I have had the dream for a very long time to own that “something-special” boat and now we do.     It is all very VERY exciting, until that realization hits that this is scary stuff!    AND that the ocean going vessel we have comes with a different language and culture.      How to properly tie it to the dock?   How not to run over a sailboat?  etc…

I decided to check on bookmooch.com to see if I could find any HOW-TO guides and this is one that popped up.   Why, yes!   One geared to the feminine perspective?   Sure, why not?    (I was able to score a few other guidebooks, too – Hub is reading those.)

WHAT’s GOOD:   You get exactly what is promised:   all good advice with a sensitivity to a female perspective.     For example, one section discusses whether or not a pregnant woman can or shouldn’t go out on a boat – it depends, of course, but just that it is mentioned let you know it’s definitely thinking of issues a typical guide might not.

WHAT’s NOT that GOOD:   I was hoping for more specifics on cleaning products –>  what makes the white cushions white again?      Not that girls are the ones in charge of cleaning!   But ANYTHING more than the ‘it’s important to keep your boat clean’ would have been more helpful.

QUESTIONS

Joanne the Book Zombie asks whether the book covers what to do in case of bad weather? And if so, is it geared to one specific area (ocean wise)?

Always check the weather before leaving port!    Know how to light your vessel in the case of restricted visibility.  Put on that PFD – personal flotation device.  Take waves at a 45 degree angle – sure, you might get a bit seasick but it’s safer to roll with the waves than risk taking a wave directly.    If that makes sense.    Yes, the book discusses monitoring weather, specifically air pressure and monitoring weather channels on the radio.    Also, KNOW YOUR BOAT and what it can handle.    A cloud chart depicting formation characteristics explains related weather conditions and how to head the warning signs.  

The question about whether or not the book is geared to a specific area is interesting because, yes, the book seems to be concerned with ocean-going vessels in the chapter about weather.       As opposed to inland waters, I guess.    

However, it has been very beneficial for my boating understanding to have this book as an alternative reference to my class book.    I enjoy knowing that I really am learning this!   Very reassuring.   (PS the TEST  for my certification is in two days…)

 

Jill aka Softdrink at Fizzy Beverage asks what’s the best bit of advice they’ve offered?     Now that I have skipped around this book AND have taken a class that covers the very same issues, I cannot pinpoint the best bit.    What I appreciate most is the casual and helpful, gentle tone of instruction and information.     It’s not a dull instructional book but almost like a friend giving advice; assuming you know nothing and not making you feel stupid about it.   

 

 

 

Back to Treading Water

Thanks to all who commented on my last post!   and maybe – just maybe – I should set up a laundry service…    Nah, probably NOT.

The rain-strangeness that has parked itself over New England is what we are blaming our intermittent internet connection on.    (do you lurve awkward sentences?   I tend to, sometimes)  and the fact that Hub took three days off work just cramped my style.   I am bizzy-bizzy on my reviews that I must post just to clear my head;   it’s not that I really believe anyone is impatient for them.      

So, this is a just a quick blurb that says “I’m back!   or trying to be!”    and I have 3 reviews to spit out hopefully before I finish my current lovely read of Alphabet Juice.     (<— the link is courtesy of a local indie bookstore that I will be visiting on Thursday with my good friend Holly!)

Thanks again for the commiseration and offers to visit!   Even if you just want me to slave away in the laundry room…

 

“Why is the alphabet in that order? Is it because of that song? The guy who wrote that song wrote everything.”

-Stephen Wright

 

OH – I changed my gravatar/icon/flavawhateverthingy to the Pie Slice!    Like it?      and, I made a roasted garlic artichoke pie for Father’s Day…    I’ve also created a ‘pie’ category in goodreads to keep track of books that mention pie.    I’m silly, but it amuses me.   

Drowning

I am drowning.   I have TOO MANY favorite blogs that I want to visit and actually read posts-in-entirety AND think of thoughtful comments and I can’t get to you all and I don’t even have a job!   

My wonderful fan who often wonders how I ever have time to write my posts knows that I visit her once a week as a volunteer and yet – really?   I don’t ‘do’ anything!      I do laundry*, interview boat canvas repair people, take a boat navigation course, often decline substitute teaching opps, pay bills, buy groceries, sometimes mow the lawn, never actually clean my house, attempt to sort my husband’s laundry and put it away correctly (DO NOT ASK**),  feed the dog, walk the dog, arrange play dates for my dog, spoil my dog, clean up after my dog and take photos of flowers.  I read books.   I blog.   

I don’t feel like I’ve done much of anything WELL in awhile.

Yesterday, I cleared out my Google Reader READ-AS-MARKED.    

Today, 70+ posts.    Still want to actually visit some of the WeeklyGeekers and ask some good questions.   I want to visit people who have been so very extremely kind to comment here and I want to read my favorite blogs!       ACK!!

I’m rambling, I’m wondering, (I’m drinking beer), it’s 10:36 at night, I’m on the boat, and it’s RAINING.    again.  RAIN.    I’ve got the dog asleep on his bed in the ‘aft cabin’  and the Hub is asleep in the bow.     I’m sitting at whatever they think might be called the dinette – laughable – across from the galley and 

Have I said how much I’m thrilled with the boat?

Oh…   a story – no time for a story!***   I’m frantic!  I’m trying to comment on my blog comments and go visit those blogs and here I’m a just a-rambling away and typing and venting and whine – ing.  

Please, may we have longer days for catching up and longer days to appreciate our blessings and longer moments to smell the fragrant flowers, love our loved ones, and be kind and generous to those nuts who get in our way of the things I just listed?

G’night.    I wish us all our creative outlets and joy and glee.    Tomorrow is a fresh new clean happy sunny bright day.

 

* I love laundry.   It is my favorite chore and I have been known to offer to do my neighbor’s laundry when they complain.   Which they do (complain) to my amazement.

**   Of course, this means DO ASK!   and you don’t have to now:   Hub actually gave me a tour of his closet so I would know that ’short sleeve tees go here’.   I sure hope the look I gave him was the one that would be read “You didn’t really just say that to me, did you?   You can’t be seriously expecting me to take you seriously, right?”

 

***   I did have a story – but I’ve forgotten it already…