Rachel reads religiously, thread 2

Hi all! I'm Rachel, 43yo mom of IL4, and stepmom of D13 and M10. For a living, I am a caregiver for the disabled and elderly. For fun, I read a variety of books - both fiction and nonfiction. I also write pen pal letters, to people all around Europe and the Americas. (So far, I haven't succeeded in ensnaring a pen pal from Asia or Africa, and my pals from Australia keep disappearing.)

This year, my goal is to be active in this group. I have been moderately successful in the past couple of months of 2022, and hope to continue. I also hope to actually finish and review 75 books, and in addition review quite a bit of children's picture books. In the past I have tried to have a reading theme. This year, I'm planning on reading books (both spiritual and historical) about Jesus. That will be what a lot of my nonfiction will be about.

Books read in January
1. To Shape A Dragon's Breath, by Moniquill Blackgoose
2. Akata Witch, Nnedi Okorafor
3. A Mother's Reckoning, by Sue Klebold
4. Inspector Flytrap, by Tom Angleberger
5. Inspector Flytrap The President's Mane is Missing, by Tom Angleberger
6. Inspector Flytrap in the Goat Who Chewed Too Much, by Tom Angleberger
7. Simon and Chester Super Sleepover, by Cale Atkinson
8. Didi Dodo Recipe for Disaster, by Tom Angleberger & Jared Chapman
9. Two Headed Chicken, by Tom Angleberger

Picture books reviewed in January
1. The Bad Seed, by Jory John & Pete Oswald
2. I Don't Want to Move, by Caroline Watkins & Emily Hercock
3. The Gruffalo, by Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler
4. Your School is the Best, by Maggie Hutchins & Felicita Sala
5. A Poor Excuse for a Dragon, by Geoffrey Hayes
6. Llama Destroys the World, by Jonathan Stutzman & Heather Fox
7. Llama Unleashes the Alpacalypse, by Jonathan Stutzman

Books read in February

10. When Stars are Scattered, by Victoria Jamieson
11. Didi Dodo Future Spy Robo-Dodo Rumble, by Tom Angleberger & Jared Chapman
12. Didi Dodo Double-O Dodo, by Tom Angleberger & Jared Chapman
13. Sixteen Scandals, by Sophie Jordan
14. Bad Kitty Gets a Bath, by Nick Bruel
15. The Chicken Squad, by Doreen Cronin

Books read in March

16. Eva's Treetop Festival, by Rebecca Elliott
17. Zealot, by Reza Aslan
18. The Case of the Weird Blue Chicken, by Doreen Cronin
19. DJ Funkyfoot Butler for Hire, by Tom Angleberger
20. The Yeti Files: Meet the Bigfeet, by Kevin Sherry
21. The Yeti Files: Monsters on the Run, by Kevin Sherry
22. Eva Sees a Ghost, by Rebecca Elliot
23. The Yeti Files: Attack of the Kraken, by Kevin Sherry
24. Henry Heckelbeck Gets a Dragon, by Wanda Coven

Happy new thread, Rachel. xx

Happy new thread!

Happy new thread, Rachel!

Happy New Thread!

Happy new thread!

Thanks Paul, Anita, Anita, Silver, and foggi!

Sunday, I went to church with Todd, then to a parent meeting for M10's musical production he's in.

Happy new thread, Rachel! Regarding the Llama books from your previous thread, they look hilarious. I just wish I had a grandchild the right age - my youngest, Axel, is only 2 and I think they might be a bit much for him. All the others are much older.

>12 alcottacre: Hi Stasia! Yeah, I don't think a 2 yo would get the Llama books, but you could always hang onto the idea for later or just gift them a bit early. They're definitely worth reading. I just got the third one from the library. 😊

Monday I had 3 doctor appointments - 2 for myself and one for M10. M10 gained about half an inch in height, but still has not gained weight. In my bariatric appointment, I found out that I would be on my weight loss med for the rest of my life. That was oddly reassuring, since I was afraid I was going to gain all the weight back as soon as I went off the med. D13 auditioned for the middle school play. She thinks she did pretty well. M10 finished off the day with a Cub Scout meeting.

>13 The_Hibernator: Yeah, I figured they would be a bit much for the little guy, but I will definitely be getting them for him in the next year or so.

>15 alcottacre: My favorite board books are "Giraffes Can't Dance," "Pout-pout Fish," and "Gruffalo."

Tuesday was Valentine's Day. Aaron took the day off, and we hung out and relaxed together all day. We binge-watched Lockwood & Co. Then we went out to dinner. It was delightful. D13 also told me that she picked me as her hero to write about in Spanish class. I was quite surprised and flattered. 😊

Wordle 606 5/6

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Happy Wednesday, Rachel. Happy New Thread. I hope the week is going well. We have some snow in our forecast for tomorrow. Not sure if it is going to hit you first.

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/348692

Wordle 608 5/6

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>19 msf59: Hi Mark! No, we're not getting any snow.

>20 SilverWolf28: Thanks Silver!

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Wednesday was fun. I started by going mall walking at the Mall of America with dad and IL4. The kiddo was well-behaved for the first round, but then saw Nickelodeon Universe (the amusement park) and just HAD to go running through it. We had to drag him kicking and screaming before we managed to bribe him with ice cream.

Then, my friend Liz came over and we went to Olive Garden with IL4, then to a bookstore, where I bought too many books for IL4.

Later D13 and M10 went to Willy Wonka rehearsal and I went to work.

Thursday was also fantastic. After taking D13 to an appointment, she rushed back to school for call-backs for the middle school play. Afterwards, Aaron and I went to a comedy club to see Steven Ho. Most people know him as the YouTuber/TickTocker stevioe (the "Tips from the ER" guy). He wasn't as fantastic in person as he is online. Just not very practiced, is all...the flow was a bit halting instead of a fluid string of jokes like most stand up comedians. He probably just needs more practice.

At the show, there was a disruptive, drunk-AF woman who we'll call "Mara" (mainly because she told the comedians that was her name). She made it abundantly clear (and not in any roundabout manner) that she wanted to get laid by a comedian that night - it didn't matter which one, but she had a preference for the famous one. She eventually got kicked out when she attempted unsuccessfully to get on stage.

At one point, she said her job was to "wipe buttholes for a living," and when people seemed confused, she clarified that she "works with old people." People who, hands down, deserve better than her, I'd say.

Regardless of being seated way too close to Mara, I enjoyed the show.

Friday was busy. After two appointments for IL4 (Well-Child & speech therapy), M10 had a therapy appointment. It went so well! Usually he is not very responsive, but this time he really sat down with us and puzzled out what might be the reason he's been acting out at school. I was so proud of him, I offered to take him to play laser tag again.

Saturday was a bit of a drain. I was supposed to have worked from 7pm Friday till 9am Saturday, but a coworker called in and I worked till 11:30am instead. So, immediately upon getting home, I played D&D for 4 hours, while watching IL4 at the same time, which is fun, but not relaxing. At 7, I was back at work for another 14 hour shift.

Sunday I got off work at 9, ran an errand, went to a bookstore to buy Aaron his birthday gift, and interviewed a babysitter. It was family day, and we let Aaron choose what to do, since it was his birthday. He chose to watch Locke & Key. IL4 fell asleep, and when he woke, he had developed a nasty case of viral pink eye, so we stopped watching mid-episode, and I took him to bed.

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I had 4 of the letters right away, but there are so many combinations of those letters.

Monday was a pain. IL4's pink eye turned out to be bacterial. All the kids were home for President's Day, and D13 had a therapy appointment. I let M10 sit with IL4 for a few minutes while I dropped D13 off, and again when I picked her up. I figured Aaron was downstairs working, so it would be ok - and it was.

Luckily, the nurses have a standing-order prescription for pink eye, and all I had to do was call them up and tell them he had bacterial pink eye.

At about 5, IL4 crashed and I sat in bed with him till 10 because said he was scared of the pain. He felt a little better when I agreed to put a bandaid on his forehead, though.

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Tuesday IL4's eyes were looking a bit better, so we knew the drops were working. I mostly relaxed at home with IL4, but I also had a fun visit with an inmate pen pal. We were expecting a big snowstorm over the next couple of days, so we were hunkering down for that.

2023 Book 2: Akata Witch, by Nnedi Okorafor



Sunny, a 12-year-old Nigerian girl, is an outcast. As an albino, she doesn’t fit in with her schoolmates or family. When she learns he is a leopard person, she starts studying juju (magic) with a few other students who are outcasts like her.

This book was excellently written, with round characters and well thought-out magic. I would have liked more action, but it was otherwise a fantastic story. I already own the second book in the series. 😊

2023 Book 9: Two-Headed Chicken, by Tom Angleberger



In this colorful and wacky children’s graphic novel, you are in a universe where you are one head of a two-headed chicken. A giant green moose is chasing you through various universes to fry you up. I read it to my 4 year old, who was moderately amused. I thought it was cute and funny, but it’s not something I would have read for myself. Overall, a reasonably good book, though.

Little Good Wolf, by Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel



This is a unique picture book about the Big Bad Wolf’s son, who just likes to be good. He’s sent to bad school, and everything goes wrong. I thought the story was engaging and sweet, and the pictures are nice for kids to look at. Very colorful and interesting.

The Frog Prince Continued, by Jon Scieszka



The “happily ever after” part of The Frog Prince story comes into question when the prince and princess forget how much they live each other. Luckily, misadventures then occur.

Cute, amusing, fun. My 4yo loves the pictures enjoys the story.

Grumpy Bird, by Jeremy Tankard



When Bird woke up, he was grumpy. But his friends helped him have a better day. He has a lot of friends.

This is a nice book to encourage kids to live in the moment. If you feel grumpy, go ahead. But as soon as you don’t, roll with that, too. This was my 4yo’s favorite book when he was 3. He’s graduated on past board books now, but I still read it to him sometimes.

In this delightful remake of the Addams Family, Wednesday Addams is sent off to boarding school. There, she tries to discover the culprit behind some heinous murders.

I loved this. Especially Wednesday’s now famous dance scene. I don’t feel that the Addams parents were as charming as she was, but I think that was the writing and not the casting. I loved each and every one of Wednesdays friends. I look forward to the next season.

Poo-Dunit, by Katelyn Aronson



When Mouse discovers a gigantic poo outside her home, she wants to know who has offended her. She asks around, but everyone claims that their poo looks different than the poo in question. Until she discovers the offender.

This is an adorable poo story. It even has a bit at the end talking about what good things poo can be used for, and pictures of several types of poo meant to be matched to each animal’s description of their own poo. I used it to help my 4 year old feel better about pooping.

2023 Book 10: When Stars Are Scattered, by Victoria Jamieson



This is the true story of Omar and his brother Hassan, who grew up in a refugee camp in Kenya after leaving Somalia. They were desperately hoping their mom would find them, but managed to pull it off with a foster mom and a school.

It is important to get stories like this out to kids so they are less likely to form preconceived notions about refugees based on the current political climate. It was well-written and enjoyable.

This is a graphic novel for kids which I listened to adapted to audiobook. It was well read and interesting despite not having the pictures.

Don't Feed the Coos, by Jonathan Stutzman



By the same author as “Llama Destroys the World,” “Don’t Feed the Coos” is about a girl that accidentally encourages a bunch of pigeons to follow her around endlessly. It’s a book of few words, so it’s also good for younger kids than my 4 year old, but my son wants me to read this book over and over. It’s cute, and attention to details in the pictures pays off. I missed some stuff on the first couple of readings.

2023 Book 8, 11, &1 12: Didi Dodo Future Spy, by Tom Angleberger

In this spin-off series from Inspector Flytrap, Koko Dodo teams up with Didi Dodo to solve three mysteries. The books are cute, funny and enjoyable to both myself and my 4-year-old, to whom I read these.



In this installment, Koko’s super secret fudge recipe has been stolen right before the cookie contest. Will Didi be able to find it before the contest is judged?





In the second installment, a giant robot dodo is trying to put Koko out of business.





In the final installment of the Didi Dodo books, the Queen is kidnapped. Didi and Koko go undercover to look for her.

Llama Rocks the Cradle of Chaos, by Jonathan Stutzman



In this adventure, Llama travels back in time and accidentally stares his past in the face. This book is silly and fun. Not as hands-down brilliant as the first two Llama books, but definitely a keeper. My 4 year old seems to like it just as much as the other two, so there’s something to be said for that.

>45 The_Hibernator: Thanks for sharing the photos, Rachel. Surely the top one and the bottom one are not taken on the same day - a head warming hat together with sunglasses!

>46 PaulCranswick: Snow can be very bright, Paul

>47 The_Hibernator: That is so true, Rachel. I have not lived in snow for so many years I overlooked that!

Wednesday was the beginning of the snowpacalypse. It was a really unimpressive snowpacalypse, though. When IL4 awakened covered in a rash, I was easily able to haul him off to Urgent Care without shoveling my car out.

At UC, he was diagnosed with an ear infection and "strep with rash," which they didn't actually test him for. He was freaking out as if the doctor had some nefarious plans for him, and wouldn't let the test kit near himself. The doctor decided she was "certain" it was strep based on the rash and appearance of the throat, and that he needed to be on antibiotics for the ear infection anyway.

I wonder if that was the same doctor who gave me antibiotics two weeks ago for strep because she was certain it was strep, then the strep test came back negative? Regardless, I am super convinced that the diagnosis was correct this time.

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Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/348863

Lol Silver! I totally forgot it was Friday! Errr. Wait. It's Thursday. Well, the weekend is approaching. I think I'll do see if I can pull off a "24 in 72" this weekend.

Friday's almost here. Love the wig shots. >40 The_Hibernator: When Stars are Scattered was good as a graphic novel and I felt the pictures added a lot but then I'm not an audio fan.

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>53 Familyhistorian: I don't do graphic novels, but I had to read the book to help D13 with a homework assignment. 🤣😂

Thursday was fairly uneventful for a snow storm day. We got 18 inches of snow, and the kids were home from school. IL4 was feeling a lot better. In the evening, we played D&D.

Friday I was feeling sick again - well, I guess I've been feeling tired all week (I'm obviously fighting off an infection, and should probably get tested for strep this weekend.) IL4 threw a temper tantrum before speech therapy, making us 10 minutes late. M10 went with his mom for the weekend. D13 loved her first rehearsal for the middle school play.

Saturday my voice was pretty much gone for the first half of the day. I figured I had caught strep from IL4, but when I went to urgent care, I tested negative. I took the day off - asking Aaron to do things I normally would have done like run to the library. He also went to the Little Women play D13 and I had planned on going to. D13 really enjoyed the play. 😊

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I hope you feel better soon, Rachel! It sounds like you need some rest.

Thanks Rhonda! Today I'm feeling a bit better. Strangely feel like I'm going to faint - don't know what that's about, so I guess I'm still sick. 🤷‍♀️

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Sunday I was still feeling a bit sick, but quite a bit better than Saturday. M10 had rehearsal for his dance/singing show that he's in, and D13 and I watched a couple of movies while M10 and Aaron made his Pinewood Derby car for Cub Scouts.

Monday was a productive day. I tried out getting up at 4:30 to go to the gym, but I've now decided that if I go to bed too early, I can't read to IL4, and that's important too. I'm still struggling to find a time to exercise. I think I'll try 7am next. Problem is, my dad wants me to walk with him, too, and that'll all take up a good chunk of my morning. I feel like I should, because he keeps falling down on his walks. But it's not much of a workout. I have a weighted vest for such walks, so hopefully that'll help.

M10 and D13 both had an appointment Monday morning, D13 had rehearsal for the middle school play in the afternoon, and M10 and she had rehearsal for Willy Wonka in the evening. Getting IL4 to bed was a pain. But after 4 pieces of bacon he settled down enough to at least sit in bed.

I found a mole on my face that seems to be growing, but nothing too worrysome - if anything it's only a basal cell carcinoma, and I may just be paranoid. I got a dermatology appointment next Tuesday due to a cancellation - they're booking out to September.

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The 4th guess was an accident. Obviously it wasn't that.

Tuesday I was feeling mostly better. I had taken off productivity goals for the rest of February (just did what I felt like doing) due to feeling sick, but given a downturn on Wednesday morning, I decided to go through goalless till Friday.

M10 had two appointments, D13 had rehearsal for the middle school play, and IL4 had swim lessons. M10 is up to 66 lbs (his goal weight), and D13 chose to make her play character into a 6 year old girl. She has a lot of artistic freedom with her role as "applause girl."

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Rachel, your life is so busy these days. I remember how exhausting it was raising three children. You are such a good mom and daughter. Enjoy the walks with your father. You would be surprised how those steps add up and the time spent with him is also good for your heart. Keep up the good work! ;-)

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>68 Donna828: hi Donna! Thanks! Yeah, my new year resolution was to spend more quality time with each family member. Dad's counted in that.

Wednesday I went downhill again in health. Not horribly bad, just feeling lightheaded and tired. After IL4's special education, my dad, IL4, and I went to Perkins and grocery shopping. I took IL4 to the dentist. He was reluctant to sit in the chair, but finally agreed and got his teeth cleaned. Then the older kids had rehearsal for Willy Wonka. While they were doing that, I planned out the family's summer activities. D13 will take a cooking class and a water safety assistant class, M10 will take swim lessons and an archery camp. They'll both audition for a part in a Little Mermaid production. And IL4 will have an art class. I am considering a mud run and walking half-marathon, but want to train a little first to gauge my readiness.

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/349027

Thursday started out with my client desperately asking if I could work for her in the evening because she had COVID and had exhausted her resources. (She knows I don't like evening shifts because I lose family time, and that I'm sick.) I picked up the shift, and spent the entire day either sleeping or resting so I'd have energy when I went in. I didn't see D13 all day, and barely glimpsed IL4 and M10.

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Friday was a full day. I got up early to talk to D13 because I hadn't seen her the day before, then took M10 to school with his trombone. On our way home, IL4 and I stopped by the library, then went to speech therapy. Not long after that, we picked up M10 from school for an appointment. I had about an hour break after that, followed by an overnight shift with my client. I barely glimpsed D13 coming home from middle school play rehearsal.

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I had to read a hint. That was a hard word for me and I just ran out of ideas.

Saturday, I worked till 11:30am, then immediately started playing a 5 hour session of D&D. Then I pretty much crashed for the day. M10 had a great time at the Pinewood Derby with his mom.

Let me tell you, by Sunday I was sick of being sick. I understand the lingering cough, but the 2-week-long sore throat? The shortness if breath? I wonder if I had the flu...but I had no fever. It's not strep or COVID, that's all I know.

Anyway, Sunday I relaxed through the first half and had family day through the second half. We played Uno (IL4 is really getting to understand the rules!) and Charades for Kids, which has pictures of what you're supposed to act out so that kids who can't read can play. About half the time, IL4 would tell us what it was before acting it out. Then we watched Hunger Games while IL4 hid in his blanket fort with the computer.

M10 had rehearsal for his musical show. D13 had been with her mom, and was feeling a bit glum after leaving her. ☹️

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Still sick on Monday with this never-ending virus. I'd been hoping to go to Urgent Care, but the daycare called and said they thought IL4 had pink eye. I didn't agree. Yes, he had eye crusties, but his eyes weren't pink. So he, dad, and I went to Perkins for lunch.

Before that call came in, D13 had a doctor appointment and I had someone look at the basement to give us a quote on fixing the flooding. His quote was very reasonable considering the gigantic quote we got from the other guy. I'd been thinking of cancelling the basement guy due to illness, but decided two weeks in I'm probably not contagious, and I could just wear a mask.

In the evening, D13 had middle school play rehearsal followed immediately by Willy Wonka rehearsal. M10 skipped Willy Wonka rehearsal to go to his dress rehearsal for his graduation from Cub Scouts into Scouts BSA. IL4 slept most of the evening, and I crashed early.

Still sick on Tuesday. I wanted to go to Urgent Care, because I'm sick of this, but I had IL4 home due to the maybe pink eye. Instead, I took him to the doctor, who decided to treat the eye just in case. Aaron, dad, and I went to Outback Steakhouse after D13 got back from rehearsal. She didn't want to come, and neither did M10.

I guess one benefit of being sick more than two weeks is that I'm not hungry, so I'm losing weight. Probably just dehydrated and have an empty gut, but I've lost 6lbs in 2 weeks.

>83 The_Hibernator: Ugh, that isn't the ideal to lose weight, needless to say. I hope that you feel better soon, Rachel.

>84 kidzdoc: Good to see you around Darryl! No, I know the weight loss is way too fast. I'm trying for a pound a week. As long as I count my calories I manage that, though the dieticians all say counting calories isn't sustainable. But if it's the only thing that works...

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I'm embarrassed to say that took me 20 minutes and a third guess I knew was wrong.

Still sick on Wednesday. Ugh. IL4 had an audiology appointment since they had trouble testing him at his Well-Child visit in February. The older kids had Willy Wonka rehearsal in the evening.

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/349213

I think I need a readathon this weekend Silver!

Thursday. Guess what. Still sick. M10 had a play at school based on the story Fly Away Home, by Eve Bunting. He did great. Then D13 had an orthodontist appointment - another "few weeks" of alligners upcoming! We thought we were done. We pick those up in a month, so we have a break from scanning her mouth weekly, at least. It's a hard task with IL4 around, and we both hate doing it. Then I napped for 2.5 hours, and awoke with a worse sore throat than when I went to sleep. We ended the evening with our family game of D&D.

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I was sad it wasn't "leper."

>91 The_Hibernator: Sorry to hear that you are still feeling sick. I hope it starts to clear up soon!

>93 foggidawn: Thanks Foggi! I'm a lot better!

Friday was excellent. Despite a slightly sore throat, I felt almost normal. I even got some cleaning done! If this keeps up, I'll be able to start exercising again on Monday. I took the day to read and relax. M10 had rehearsal for his special villager part in Willy Wonka.

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Happy Sunday, Rachel. I hope you are feeling better. That virus you had sounds nasty.

>98 msf59: Yes, it was. 3 weeks of horrible sore throats, fatigue, and a cough. Dad was really, really sick with it. But I'm over the hump now.

Saturday I forgot to do anything. I worked in the morning, vegged until it was time to go to laser tag with M10, then went to work. The kids didn't do anything interesting (besides M10's laser tag), either.

Wordle 632 6/6

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Sunday was fun. I cleaned the livingroom - or tried to. I got the floor half swept and then didn't have the energy to do more. I guess I needed to take it easy despite feeling a lot better. Aaron finished sweeping for me, though.

In the afternoon, Aaron and I took IL4 to swim lessons. After that, we played a couple of games, had dinner delivered, and watched Psych as a family.

Monday I was super, duper tired. Apparently I'm still sick. 🙁 I took D13 to an appointment, and then IL4 to Urgent Care. He'd had an ear infection the night before, with a fever that didn't immediately respond to Tylenol. (Suppositories apparently take longer, and he refuses oral.) He still had an ear infection in the morning, but it didn't hurt anymore. 🤷‍♀️ D13 had Willy Wonka rehearsal, as well as rehearsal for her middle school play. M10 graduated from Cub Scouts to BSA, so he missed Willy Wonka rehearsal. I took IL4 to the library in the city of D13's rehearsal while waiting, and it was HUGE.

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Wordle 634 5/6

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TRIGGER WARNING
Tuesday was frustrating. It started with me taking M10 to an appointment. But the appointment didn't exist once we got there. The woman seemed quite certain I had made a mistake and wrote it down on the wrong date, but our last appointment was two weeks before, and our next appointment was two weeks after, and none of my other recorded appointments were wrong. Logically, that seems more like they made a mistake in scheduling (told me they made an appointment but didn't finalize) or that it had been cancelled and only biomom (not me, the stepmom) was notified (that's happened more than once in the past.) The rest of the day was strangely open, too, because I moved an activity from Tuesday to Thursday.

But while I was pondering my suddenly open day, it occurred to me that my friend Todd hadn't replied to me in two days, and in fact the last time I talked to him he had been pondering suicide, had the means to do it, and had packed up all his belongings so that it was easier to move them when he was gone. The last conversation had ended with me believing he was going to go to his mom's. Besides, this isn't the first time this has happened. So I contacted his mom, who also hadn't heard from him in two days. After a bit of worrying, I finally sent a message to Todd saying I was going to send a wellfare check on him if he didn't answer. He immediately answered and told me to go away after I suggested lunch. Very Todd. One sure way of getting an answer is to threaten to send the police. I should have thought of it sooner. I went to lunch with Aaron instead. Then I took dad to the doctor for what may be pneumonia.

Then, in the evening, I got this call from someone claiming to be a cop with someone he said was my sister. (The "sister" was blubbering incoherently in the background.) Not having any reason to doubt this story, I started driving to pick her up. Then, they changed their story and said they were The Mexican Mafia. ("Have you heard of us?" He asked. "No." I honestly answered. Sounds vaguely racist, I thought. Is this a real thing? People call themselves the "Mexican Mafia? That's kind of lame. He explained that they were a drug cartel.)

Anyway, so they told me they're going to kill my sister and her kids if I don't bring them money. I immediately pulled over. Because. Uh. Sounds like I would just get killed myself? What's the point in that? And before you laugh too hard, keep in mind my sister has been arrested 4 times for dealing cocaine, so the ball wasn't entirely out of the arena with the idea she'd gotten in above her head.

Anyhoo, I dialed 911 on my dad's phone and let them listen in on the conversation with 911 operator muted. Hey, I thought it was a good idea and was under duress. The "Mexican Mafia" guy was threatening to kill my sister if I hung up. 🤷‍♀️ What was I supposed to do?

So the 911 operator hangs up and calls me back so many times that I finally hang up in mafia guy out of frustration. (I guess my sister is dead now?) The operator yells at me for not talking to her, telling me it was a scam. Well, now that she says it, the whole thing was rather suspicious. Howvee, she continues to rudely scold me for the way I handled the situation and I said "I thought my sister was going to get killed if I hung up, do you understand that?" The b**** said "No, I don't understand that."

You know what pisses me of? Her. She pisses me off more than the scammers. She is supposed to be a decent person to people under duress, and she was a b****. She's paid to be patient. She's supposedly trained to be patient. Training fail. Yeah. Still pissed off at her.

I adrenaline crashed the rest of the night and couldn't stay awake.

I'm so sorry that happened to you, Rachel! Those scams are very frequent for reason, because they work on a lot of people! The 911 operator should have known better and should have been more sensitive.

>107 norabelle414: Thanks Nora. I hadn't heard of that one before, or I would have known. I should have known, anyway, and I guess I must have known at some level or I wouldn't have hung up. 🤷‍♀️

Wednesday morning I had a tough discussion with M10. He wrote a short comedic story about summoning Lucifer. I told him that I know I watch Supernatural, Lucifer, and Good Omens, but that he has to realize when he writes something like that for a classroom, some people are going to be offended. He claimed no one he knows in his school is religious. I explained that he didn't know that. He was offended. I suspect he was offended because he'd wanted me to praise the story. I didn't much because I think I was a little offended, I guess. It took me a while to figure out that Lucifer from Lucifer and Crowley from Supernatural are likable, but they are evil. They are nuanced characters. And Crowley from Good Omens is even more nuanced that Lucifer and Supernatural. M10's story lacked nuance, and left me with the icky feeling that he didn't understand that devil worship entailed worshiping evil (as I understand it - never met a devil worshiper, I guess).

Other than that, I did nothing. D13 had middle school rehearsal. M10 auditioned for a solo in the musical production he's in. He doesn't have much skill at high notes, but good on him for trying.

Wordle 635 5/6

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Hi Rachel - hope you're feeling better. I wonder if it would be worth testing for old fashioned mono; sore throat and neverending fatigue sound suspicious. I think the only cure for mono is rest, though. Been decades since I had to think about mono, so my knowledge here is definitely out of date.

>106 The_Hibernator: Oh what an awful day! the suicidal friend sounds scarier to me than the scam. I know you've had training in this, but I hope he is seeking out some sort of professional help.

Do you think it would be helpful to contact the non-emergency line for the 911 call you did and tell them how unhelpful the operator was? It's probably recorded (? my only knowledge is from cop shows :) ) Sounds like the 911 operator needs a bit more training - not to get in trouble but in order to be of better service to the next caller.

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/349452

>111 streamsong: Hi Janet. I thought about calling and complaining, but decided to let it drop. It's not worth being on hold.

I had mono when I was 18, though at that time I was told that it would always be in my system and I could get sick with it again. So maybe? A friend says there's a flu going around that takes 6 weeks to get over, so it could be that, too. I tested for COVID 3 times, so it's not that. I thought I was over it, but I feel sick again today. It's the never-ending sore throat.

>112 SilverWolf28: Thanks Silver!

Thursday was a lot of paid work, but no appointments. D13 and M10 had their first Willy Wonka dress rehearsal. IL4 took some toys from the school - he snuck them into his backpack when no one was looking. When he got them out, I said "Oh, an excavator!" This little man, who can't even hold a conversation schooled me though. "Not excavator! This on back! Backhoe." I Googled it. He was right. Does that count as a conversation? It almost felt like one.

Unfortunately, my sore throat and fatigue returned yesterday. I'm going to try to make a doctor appointment. Urgent Care wait times are so long!

Wordle 636 4/6

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Friday I decided to reassert myself in cross-stitch and scrapbooking once a week. This time, I watched a video on how to cross stitch instead of assuming it was easy. Although this nice Southern gentleman made it look easy, he also gave some tips (like how to thread a needle and how to tie off the first stitch) that would have been helpful my first time trying cross-stitch. 😂🤣 Next week (on Thursday) I will start sorting pictures for my scrapbooking.

The rest of Friday was pretty laid back. I read to IL4, wrote two letters, got out my 20lb vest so on Saturday I can wear it all day for extra exercise, and took IL4 to the library.

Wordle 639 4/6

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Saturday, I worked later than expected because the person who was supposed to relieve me forgot she was supposed to work. By the time I got home, I was going to be 45 minutes late to D&D, but surprise, surprise there wasn't a time change in Denmark yet, though it had changed in the US. So I was actually early.

We played a lovely game of D&D. Immediately followed by my having BBQ with a friend. After that, I spent a little time with Aaron and IL4 before going out with my friend Todd to a club. I didn't really want to go out, because I wanted to sleep, but his mom texted and asked me to hang out with him because he was having a hard time.

Sunday I had Olive Garden with IL4 and my friend Liz and we discussed Sixteen Scandals, by Sophie Jordan. M10 went to rehearsal for his musical production. IL4 went to swim lessons. Then we had family day. It was D13's choice, and we watched a few episodes of Psych. Afterwards, I went to work - starting my nasty 60 hour work week.

Monday D13 had an appointment. Then I ran errands with dad, then went to Perkins. At work in the evening, my client really wanted to buy me dinner, and I felt bad telling her that I'd eaten my calorie fill for the day, so I ate it. Oh well. I've been doing well recently. One bad day won't hurt. Except that eating a lot always makes me hungier the next day.

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Tuesday was ok. My throat started to hurt AGAIN and I was going to go to Urgent Care because it's been 5 weeks (if I'm remembering correctly). But then dad wanted to go to Perkins, and for some reason I prioritized that because I figured he asked because he was lonely.

I had two people come in to give me an estimate for asbestos removal. One quote not only came with the better sales pitch, but also with a lower quote by over $1000. I'm going with that guy. Even if he were slightly more, he also seemed more competent. Now I just need to figure out what to do about my cats during this project. One of them is close to death, and I don't want the stress to kill her. My client offered to take her for the day, but I'm concerned about her bladder control issues in someone else's house. I'll probably box her up in my super-large cat cage and sit in the car with her all day. The other cats can be locked in a room upstairs. Now I just need to figure out what to do with the stuff in that room. being our storage space, it's a lot of stuff.

Wednesday was a bust. I spent the whole day sleeping on and off because I'd taken NyQuil the night before, which makes me drowsy. D13 and M10 had their first production of Willy Wonka in the evening.

Sorry to hear that you are not feeling well, Rachel. I hope you rebound soon. Gentle hugs...

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>125 msf59: Thanks Mark! It's a never-ending sore throat! But at least it's slowing down.

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/349607

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Thursday was a good day. 15 hours of paid work, plus I got my cross stitch organized for starting. I didn't get my scrapbooking stuff organized as I had hoped. I got lots of audiobook listened to. The kids were off from Willy Wonka rehearsal for the day, but D13 had middle school play rehearsal.

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Friday I spent a lot of quality time with IL4 after his speech therapy. We had lunch with Aaron, played shuffleboard, and spent two and a half hours at the library (which he chose over the park). D13 and M10 had a Willy Wonka production in the evening.

A Stone Sat Still, by Brendan Wenzel



This is a great book to show how the world can be explored from all angles and perspectives. It’s a simple story, but full of depth.

2023 Book 3: A Mother's Reckoning, by Sue Klebold



In this tragic memoir, Sue Klebold tells about her grief journey in the aftermath of her son shooting teens in the Columbine school shooting. It’s not an apology – and it shouldn’t be. It’s a recognition that she’s a mother too, that she lost her son, too. But when I say it like that, it makes it sound like she’s begging you to recognize that. She’s not. She’s just trying to explain that perhaps if she had been aware of suicide risks, she may have prevented her son’s involvement in the shooting, but that she (like many moms of suicidal teens) was blindsided by inexperience. This book is a plea for other moms to recognize the signs and help their kids.



Spoilers abound below.

These questions are adapted from Susan Bauer’s Well-Educated Mind, Chapter 6.

✏️Who was the author? (Woman or man or other? Race and ethnicity? Important occupation?)

Sue Klebold considered herself as a mother – a “normal” mother in extraordinary circumstances. She is white, and middle class.

✏️What are the central events?

The most important event is when her son, Dylan Klebold, joined Eric Harris in slaughtering teenagers, and a teacher, at Columbine High School. Everything else was explanation of how she was a normal mother with what appeared to be a normal son (before), and she was a normal mother recovering from a heartbreaking tragedy afterwards.

✏️Who is the most important person, or people, in the writer’s life?

The three most important people in Sue Klebold’s life during the scope of this story were her husband Thomas and her sons Dylan and Byron.

✏️What is the theme that ties the narrative together?

The overarching theme is one of recovery from a tragedy. However, there are a few underlying themes. The most important is that depression can impact anyone’s child, and that care should be taken to watch for the signs and be empathetic to their needs to help prevent suicide or other tragedy.

✏️Where is the life’s turning point?

I would say the obvious turning point is when the Columbine shooting occurs. But there was a second, more subtle turn when Sue realized that Dylan didn’t just shoot a bunch of kids – he committed suicide and didn’t care if he killed others while doing it. (As opposed to Eric, who seems to have murdered kids, but didn’t care if he died doing it.) Until she realized Dylan’s was foremost a suicide (which she read in a scholarly article about the shooting), she was viewing it simply as murder and couldn’t reconcile the son she knew with the son that killed so many.

✏️For what does the writer apologize? In apologizing, how does the writer justify?

Well, the major thing to apologize for is obvious – her son killed a bunch of teenagers . In the story, Sue Klebold talks about writing a sort of apology/sympathy card to the victims and their families, but I don’t think the purpose of this book was to apologize. She did sound apologetic at times, but the purpose was to talk about tragedy and recovery and suicide awareness.

As for justification, I’m not sure she mentioned one, except for “he seemed perfectly normal, I didn’t allow guns in the house, and I gave him love.”

✏️What is the model – the ideal – for the author’s life?

I’m not sure. Perhaps the ideal would have been if she’d had suicide awareness before these events, perhaps her son’s involvement in the shooting could have been prevented.

✏️What is the end of life (the place where the writer has arrived, found closure, discovered rest)?

The end of this chapter of Sue Klebold’s life is that she now understands that it’s not her fault, and that, with the information she had, she shouldn’t blame herself for not seeing signs of depression in Dylan. But she wants other mothers to be aware of the signs of suicide.

✏️Is the author writing for herself or a group? What parts of the writer’s experience does she assume to be universal? Which does she view as unique to herself? Am I part of the group that would be expected to closely identify with the author’s story? Does it ring true for me? What parts of the story resonate and which do not?

I guess you could say Sue Klebold was representing herself only when she wrote, since the situation she was describing was pretty unique to only a very small number of people (thankfully). Though I think at some level she’s also writing as a mother to a mother. She assumes that her love of her son and the desire for him to be successful and happy is pretty universal. What she views as unique about her situation is rather obvious – not very many moms see their kids turn into murderers.

Yes, I am a mother, and the story of love and forgiveness she gives her son definitely resonates with me.

✏️What are the three moments or timeframes of the story? (When it happened, when it was written, when it was read.) What was the author’s reason for writing? Was the writer at a high or low point at the time of writing? How has the biography changed in the years since its publication?

The Columbine shooting was April 20, 1999, and her book was published 17 years later in 2016. I read it in 2023. I don’t believe there’s been much change between 2023 and 2016, but between 1999 and 2016, many school shootings have occurred. Americans have grown tired of the shootings and would like a fresh source of opinions on how to stop the alarming trend.

The author chose then to write the book because she had reached a step in her grieving process when she felt it would be helpful to reach out to other mothers and make sure they are aware of the risks of depression. I believe she was at a high point in her grief.

✏️Where does the author’s judgement lie? What, or whom, does the author judge? Is this criticism valid? Who do I deem responsible for successes and failures of the author?

I don’t recall the author judging anyone, even her son. Not even the people who judged her harshly.

✏️What have I brought away from this story? What did I hope to get?

I got exactly what I wanted out of this book. I learned a little of what it felt like to be judged by so many people for a tragedy that wasn’t her fault.

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Saturday, I went to the kids' Willy Wonka play with my dad and my friend Liz. They did a great job! And the play was really well done and professional.

Sunday was a relaxing day. I slept in, took IL4 to swim, went to watch the Willy Wonka play with the kids (they are only in half the productions, and they wanted to see the play from the audience), then went to dinner with the family.

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Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, by mo willems

In this classic picture book, the pigeon really, really, really wants to drive the bus. Will you let him? Cute and silly. A good book for little kids.

Knight Owl, by Christopher Denise



In this colorful little book, a young owl dreams of being a knight, and when knights start disappearing, he gets his chance. Night watch is easy for him, but things aren’t always what they appear. This is a cute story about bonding with your perceived enemy over common ground.

Tiny T Rex and the Impossible Hug, by Jonathan Stutzman and Jay Fleck



Tiny would love to give a hug to his friend Spikey, who’s having a bad day. But his arms are so short! This is an adorable book about problem solving and being a good friend.

Monday was pretty uneventful for me. M10 and D13 had auditions and then rehearsals for their spring break play-in-a-week Wizard of Oz. Deirdre got the part of Uncle Henry. She thinks she got it because she's the oldest participant in the play. The age limit is 17, but I think 13 is about the upper maturity level of these things. She probably won't do it again.

Wordle 647 3/6

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Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/349763

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Friday was difficult in the morning. I had forgotten to take my meds for a couple of days - and I was feeling waves of dizziness. They went away as soon as I realized what the problem was and took my meds, but it still ruined the morning. In the afternoon, my MIL, dad, and I took IL4 to an indoor park, after which I was exhausted. That night, the thunder-blizzard snowpacalypse began.

The Invisible Boy, by Trudy Ludwig & Patrice Barton



Brian is invisible. His teacher only sees the loud students. His classmates only see their friends. But when a new kid joins the class, Brian is kind to him. And suddenly he’s not invisible anymore. This is a cute story with wonderful pictures and a good moral for kids to empathize with.

Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons, by James Dean and Eric Litwin



Another great Pete the Cat book. This one is about how Pete remains calm as his groovy buttons pop off his shirt one by one. Pete sure is smooth!

>146 The_Hibernator: Sorry about the “bloop” in your well-being…and wasn’t that “weather bloop” something?! And it was all over by early morning! Luckily, we have excellent plowing here in Roseville, and didn’t have to go very far anyways (and my daughter was driving!)

Have a great rest-of-the-weekend!

Karen O

Hi Karen! The bloop in my well-being was because I had forgotten to take my meds. Once I realized that, I got better.

The snowstorm caused problems with my driving. I won't retype it all, because I wrote the whole story for my daily update.

The thunder-blizzard snowpacalypse dropped 6 inches of snow and blew down some branches. When I got up in the morning (at work) there was a snowdrift in front of the door so I had to exit through the garage when I left. Luckily, the people who clear the driveway had gotten most of it - except the stuff surrounding my car, so I only had to dig out immediately around my car. But as I was driving out, the street snowplow went by and left a huge berm blocking the end of my driveway. However, the person who had cleared the driveway was across the street with her tractor snowblower, and she came back and rescued me. But when I got to my street, I couldn't turn in because it hadn't been plowed yet and my car is tiny. So I parked at the park / city hall a mile down the street and trudged back through the snow.

I missed D13 and M10's production of Wizard of Oz, which I hear was excellent. M10 forgot his jacket at the middle school where the play was, and I'm hoping it'll still be there on Monday.

We played D&D, where my character did something very naive and foolish, but it was in-character to be naive. Anyway, she got herself captured.

After that D13 and M10 had a production of Willy Wonka, and Aaron and my mother-in-law attended.