We are on the border of zones 7a/7b. We don't usually do anything to the plant over winter. Most people here don't wrap their figs, but I might do it this year, we have had ice damage in the past. All I do is put some manure down around the plant in the spring and rake it lightly into the soil. Even if a fig dies back in the winter, it will usually grow back from the roots.

What is your favorite way to use fresh figs besides just eating them plain? We have a bumper crop this year.

I'm currently reading Why Evolution is True by Jerry Coyne and Murder Fantastical by Patricia Moyes. The mystery has a cast of amusing characters who feel like they belong in Cold Comfort Farm or The Darling Buds of May. Here is an excerpt: "An old-fashioned bathing costume," said Henry, "and Wellington boots. You were carrying a flowered Japanese sunshade, a clarinet, and a string bag. You rang Mason's doorbell. He had no idea who you were..." "But I announced my identity at once. As soon as he opened the door, I said, 'I am the Bishop of Bulolaland, and I want half a pound of margarine...'" Earlier today I was heard to exclaim, "Oh, no, Aunt Dora's dead."

I don't have any thoughts about the Christmas presents. I just want to tell you how sorry I am for your loss. What a tough thing to go through, for everyone.

Last week I finished The Shadow Land by Elizabeth Kostova. It was a heartrending story that took place in Bulgaria under communist rule. I found it a slow moving book with lots of tension, but engaging enough to keep my attention. I also read Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (3rd time) for my book club. I could more easily recognize sociological attitudes of the day in the story this time around, since I've been studying sociology lately. Especially interesting was his description of Hyde, which jived with the mid 19th century sociologist's description of the body type of a man with a deviant nature. I feel sorry for all the short hairy guys out there who were assumed to be sociopaths. I'm currently reading Wicked Uncle by Patricia Wentworth. P.S. Ds3 finished that summer college course and did great, in spite of the nerves. I was very proud. He ended up stepping up as the leader in a group project! Next hurdle, a full load in the fall.

I'm almost through Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil DeGrasse Tyson (Rose, I think you have the wrong author). I chuckled a lot through this book and had to read chunks out loud to my kids. I've started The Shadow Land by Elizabeth Kostova and am not sure where it is going but it is suitably mysterious.

I haven't chimed in on this week's thread yet. I'm still reading Magpie Murders and it has me in its grip. The author has placed an unfinished mystery novel of the same name inside this novel. Then we find that the author of the unfinished novel dies mysteriously. There are multiple connections between the novel in the novel and the exterior novel, not to mention connections to the whole IRL old fashioned, village murder mystery genre, especially Agatha Christie mysteries. Everything is not quite what it seems. It's quite convoluted but fun.

I finished today and I wasn't very fond of it either. After the pivotal event, I kept waiting for something to redeem it. No such luck. I also was grateful it was over fairly quickly. I'm currently reading Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz and enjoying it so far.

I've been reading a lot, just not finishing anything. Today I should finish the DK Sociology book, which I've been using as tool to study for my sociology CLEP. I'm almost done with the Haunted Bookshop, which is not quite as charming as Parnassus on Wheels. Mr. Morley uses this story as a vehicle for his political sentiments after WWI. While I empathize, it does distract from the main story. He also goes off on rapturous philosophical tangents about his favorite books and authors. I've also been reading The Mistress of Nothing by Kate Pullinger. Halfway through, I am tempted to move it to the unfinished category. The story has been mildly entertaining so far but "I have a bad feeling about this" and I'm not up for sticking it out through a sad ending. So, I committed a personal sin and looked at multiple reviews to try to piece together the direction the story would take. Meh. I need to get started on A Separate Peace by John Knowles, for my bookclub meeting on Thursday.

I'm browsing this thread because my 18yo just drove off for his very first formal class away from home and I need to think about something else. He has anxiety, so I am anxious. He is well prepared and I know he'll be fine, but I also know he thinks he might not. My fourth child to spread his wings and fly, it doesn't feel any easier. I took the silly test and I got social reader: "If you're a social reader, book talk is a key part of your reading experience. The discussion helps you clarify your thoughts, sometimes changes your mind, and is always a good time. You're likely to get your book recommendations from your real-life friends, your actual book club, and Oprah." Oprah doesn't influence me, but my book clubs do. 😊 I very rarely get to talk about books in real life. Most people I know don't read, or don't read the same kind of books I do. However, I still find ways to sneak book talk into a lot of conversations.

I forgot to say, I've amassed quite a collection of BAW postcards from around the world and the US. They bring me joy, so I repurpose them as bookmarks. I got a new one this week!

I just finished The Subtle Knife and am halfway through The Haunted Bookshop by Christopher Morley.

I spent last week in a cabin near Lake Lure, NC, with 10 other family members. Not much reading happened. When I got home, I dove into Parnassus on Wheels and finished it quickly. I had not expected an amusing, old fashioned love story. It was a very pleasant, feel-good book. Last night I started The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman.

Cars 2. I took my youngest to see it when it came out, because the first Cars movie was fun and he loved it. It was awful. There were car murders! Even if the deaths were "off screen," there was no doubt what had happened. The little girl behind us started crying. The movie was rated g, it should have been pg.

I'm 52. Gone are the days of close cycles. This year I have had two 45 day cycles and am going 60+ days on this cycle. And I've been feeling lousy.The hot flashes are stronger and longer now. I can tell when a hot flash is coming before it arrives. It washes over me in a slow wave that leaves me feeling slightly nauseated. Mine are a dry heat. They don't make me sweat. In some ways they resemble the panic attacks I had during post partum depression.

If you tie a knot in each corner of the sheet, you create a natural pocket to tuck over the corner of your matress. I have tried this with twin sheets on a twin bed and it worked well for me.

Last week I joined those who have read News of the World. I enjoyed it but it didn't hit fantastic for me. I don't know why. Yes, the lack of quotation marks was slightly annoying. I plan on reading Parnassus on Wheels this week, but I don't know if it will happen. Too much going on.

I haven't read through the whole thread, yet. Forgive me if I'm repeating something. For those concerned about maintaining brain health, I listened to a TED talk by a neuroscientist recently. Here is what she said helps maintain and increase neuron growth: Physical activity, learning, calorie restriction, intermittent fasting, foods that need to be chewed well, omega 3's, adequate sleep, adequate folic acid and zinc, curcumin, caffeine, flavonoids, resveratrol, and specifically blueberries. Seriously, blueberries were high on the list and it is blueberry season right now. 😊 Things that retard neuron growth: high stress, a soft food diet, some medications (like cancer drugs), inadequate sleep, vitamin A and E and B deficiencies, high sugar, high saturated fat, alcohol.

Call and ask. I've done that and they told me to come in anyway.

I finished The Great Gatsby. Not having read it since high school, I remembered very little. The writing was very beautiful, almost poetic. The story was meh. I sympathized most with Nick Carraway. What a spot to be in, when the people around you are all acting slightly mad, and obviously headed for disaster, a kind of group existential crisis. Speaking of existential crisises (Is that a word?), I'm currently 3/4 of the way through The Transcriptionist by Amy Rowland. The blurbs for this book are all wrong. How do they get the people to write this stuff? It seriously makes me wonder if they read the same book I'm reading. The story is about a quiet existential crisis happening to the main character. This crisis is mostly happening in her head, which is probably why I like the story better than Gatsby. That one was so messy, loud, and externalized. The narrative weaving and repetitive symbolism in The Transcriptionist remind me a little of Yan Martel's style, which I admire because of how clever it is. The main character is led to question her life after a chance meeting with a blind woman on a bus. The blind woman is later found dead and the transcriptionist becomes obsessed with the other woman's life and death. The parallels and contrasts in the two women's lives provides the interest. I don't know how it will end yet. I don't expect the end of this book to be neat and happy-ever-after. It wouldn't feel realistic.

Our dining room doubles as a library, with bookshelves lining the walls. Plus my china cabinet hold books, not china. The books are organized by categories. Paperback fiction, hardback fiction, classics, science, history, biographies, language/writing, etc. Each person also has his own bookshelf in his room. But... I regularly purge, and I encourage my kids to evaluate their shelves once a year. If a book has been read by everyone that is going to read it and no one has an attachment to it, it goes. Also, if it is no longer useful or needed, it goes. There are too many books cycling through our house to hang on to all of them. I give books away to young families and other homeschoolers. Some we take to trade in at a book swap store. I'm itching to dispose of our 1990's encyclopedia set, but my kids have nixed it up to now. I think this may be the year. The problem: even thrift stores don't want encyclopedias any more.

So, Uprooted went bodice ripper on me, 3/4 of the way through the book. Awkward. But I'm still invested in the story. Will the evil Wood assimilate everyone, like the Borg? Is resistance futile? Up next is The Great Gatsby for next week's book club meeting.

Ten years ago, my daughter's wedding cost us $3,000 and it was lovely. We had tons of friends volunteering and offering us free services, from hairdressing to photography. People donated decorations they had stored from previous events, I bought a bolt of cheap white satin on clearance at fabric store. We wrapped and draped stuff with it. In the reception room of the church we hung white sheers, garlanded with silk flowers and greenery. I bought my daughter's dress on ebay. It came from China and fit perfectly: $150 . It was quite lovely. I printed and embellished the invitations and programs myself. The food, a fingerfood buffet, and the cake, were catered by a friend, at cost. There were only two attendants on each side of the bride and groom, they paid for their outfits. The flower girl's family paid for her's. I made a circlet of silk flowers and ribbons for the flower girls head, and spray painted a basket that I bought for a dollar at the thrift store. The groom's mother embroidered a lovely ringbearer's pillow. It was very much a cooperative event, for which I have been most grateful. We couldn't have afforded to do the same thing without the help we recieved.

I bought this slip last year and I love it. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006IXB4I/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Can I just say I love this.