Am NOT Ready

September brings a mixed bag of emotions:

And still humid as heck.

Very zen of you.

Exactly how I'm feeling!

Nope, not ready to give up my summertime.

Am thankful for the recent warm days that we've been experiencing in the Midwest.

Let's Hop!

Looking and Listening

Walkin' and Readin' Wednesday!

As seen in my neighborhood:

Sweet void kitty, and I've forgotten her name.

Leopard slug, found on sidewalk, about 3 inches long.

Shy kitty.

Another shy kitty.

Zoomac is the opposite of shy!

🐾 😽 🐾

Recently listened to audiobooks that I recommend:

The Angel of the Crows by Katherine Addison

Narrated by Imogen Church

Published: June 23, 2020

Goodreads Blurb: "This is not the story you think it is. These are not the characters you think they are. This is not the audiobook you are expecting."

Wikipedia Blurb: "A fantasy novel...set in an alternate 19th century London, with supernatural creatures such as angels, and is based on the Sherlock Holmes stories."

My two cents: OH YEAH!  The Angel of Crows as Sherlock Holmes, and Dr. Doyle as John Watson...except they aren't.  Great fun; loved this.  The Hound of the Baskervilles is forever changed in my mind now.

The Frozen People, Ali Dawson Series Book #1 by Elly Griffiths

Narrated by Julie Maisey

Published: July 8, 2025

Goodreads Blurb: "Ali Dawson and her cold case team investigate crimes so old, they're frozen—or so their inside joke goes. Ali’s work seems like a safe desk job, but what her friends—and even her beloved son—don’t know is that her team can travel back in time to look for evidence."

My two cents: This author really makes characters come alive, like she's living inside their heads!  Book #1 ended on a cliffhanger, and the wait for Book #2 The Killing Time is still months away, and I have no patience.

The Poisoner Series by I.V. Ophelia

Book #1: The Poisoner, 2024

Book #2: The Arachnid, 2026

Book #3: The Cannibal, 2026

Narrated by: Matt Sykes, Sebastian Brown, and Stephanie Willis

Amazon Blurb: "This gothic paranormal romance series unfolds in Victorian-era London and 1890s Buffalo, where humans encounter vampiric beings called Vipera. Alina Lis, a botanist and poisoner who targets unsavory men in her own sense of justice, encounters Silas Forbes, a Vipera resistant to her deadly poisons. Their attraction develops amid escalating tensions between human and Vipera worlds."

My two cents: The blurb doesn't do this series justice.  Alina may get knocked down, but she doesn't only get mad; she gets even.  She makes her opponents believe that she's playing their game, while finding ways to save herself and her loved ones.  Adult stuff, plus, you know...vampires. 

📚 🧛‍♀️ 📚

60 YEARS!!!

September 8 is Star Trek Day!

A few sillies that made me spit out my tea...

😹 😹 😹

Have been a fan of TOS (The Original Series) since my family and I watched the reruns in the mid-1960's.  Yeah, yeah, don't break your fingers calculating my age!

I can catch a few seconds of an episode, and know which one it is, and The Hubby will testify that I know dialogue too.

A favorite game that I play, is watching old western TV shows, such as: 

Have Gun Will Travel

Lawman

Laramie

Bat Masterson

The Rifleman

and then pointing out actors who also had roles on Star Trek.

Creator Gene Roddenberry was quoted as saying that he wanted to make a western in space, or a Wagon Train to the stars, so naturally, the cast included the actors who were around.

🌟 🤠 🌟 

Labors of Love

First Monday in September each year is Labor Day in the US and Labour Day in Canada.

Enjoy your day off!

🇺🇸 🇨🇦 🇺🇸 🇨🇦 

September 7 is National Buy A Book Day.

A few sillies for your entertainment:

Nothing better than a good book, a cat or two in the lap, someone to keep cups of hot beverage close to hand, and no one talking to you!

Reading isn't labor at all.

📚 📚 📚

A Book Day

September 6 is National Read A Book Day!

When we say 'read', we mean:

Paperback

Ebook

Magazine

Newspaper

Audiobook listen

Hardcover

Hand-me-down

Cassette tape

A book you own

A book you've borrowed

A re-read

Read or listen to a story read out loud

📚 📚 📚

🐦‍⬛ 🐦‍⬛ 🐦‍⬛

Leisurely

 It's Caturday!

Chili Bruce was so cute lounging on the Pink Blue chair.

Using my Prisma app, I used the following filters to get the right color combination:

Porthole
Tenderness
Comet

CB looks cartoony, and I like the way his whiskers show up against the undulating blanket background.

Click on the image above to enjoy a jigsaw puzzle.

P.S. I was unable to comment on many blogs on Friday; don't know if it was because we lost power for a little while, or if it was a Blogger thing.

I'll try again today.

🙀

Let's Hop!

Be Kind To The Wild

 National Wildlife Day celebrated on February 22 and September 4.

A list of the most endangered species per state:

Learn more here: https://www.usaconservation.org/national-wildlife-day

A sample of 'wildlife' at Eastside Cats.

Chili Bruce, in repose.

😹

Thank you for the well-wishes for The Hubby!

When he was free from the anesthesia, he looked over at me, and said, "Vicky's got tattoos!"

We howled with laughter.

 😹

Wins

A few recent wins that I am thankful for:

The Hubby and I walked to the farmer's market, and I was treated to the largest hot Earl Grey tea they have at a local coffee shop: The Black Cat.  The Hubby had cataract surgery on his left eye last week, and the right eye will be next week, and he's doing fabulously enough to walk with me.

My 'hood friend Sly is thin under that fur, yet he still greets me whenever I come near.

I have new ink, and have two completed sleeves.  The watermelon slice and Sherlock Holmes are easy to understand.  The diamond shapes are an adaptation of Irish neolithic petroglyph designs. 

After searching for a year, I found a new mug that holds 14 oz. of hot beverage, has a handle that fits my hand, and keeps the drink warm longer that other mugs.

Henry makes me happy, as he's gotten comfortable with his inside existence.

Chili Bruce enjoys summer sunpuddles, while stretched out on the Pink Blue chair on the south side of the house.

Manny hides his face, as he spills out of his beddy, on the north side of the house.

❤️❤️❤️

Let's Hop!

I Am Entertained

It's Walkin' and Readin' Wednesday!

As seen on a recent neighborhood walk:

Mocha

Porch Twins

Thought there was only one cat when I'd stopped.

Driveway kitten

Window Tuxie

😻 😻 😻

Recommended audiobooks:

A Witch in Time by Constance Sayers

Narrated by Courtney Patterson, Claire Christie, Brittany Wilkerson, and Stephanie Willis

Published: February 11, 2020

Goodreads blurb: "A young witch is cursed to relive a doomed love affair through many lifetimes, as both troubled muse and frustrated artist."

My two cents: Maybe a tiny bit long, but wow, the ending!

The Washington Poe Series by M. W. Craven

1 The Puppet Show (2018)

2 Black Summer (2019)

3 The Curator (2020)

4 Dead Ground (2021)

5 The Botanist (2022)

Cut Short - 7 short stories (2023)

6 The Mercy Chair (2024)

7 The Final Vow (2025)

8 The Killer's Mark (2026)

All narrated by John Banks

M. W. Craven blurb: "Meet Detective Sergeant Washington Poe. Dark, cynical, ruthless; he lives a monastic existence in a shepherd’s croft on the most desolate moorland in Cumbria. Even his secrets have secrets. He has a past he keeps there and another past he doesn’t yet know about . . ."

My two cents:  Terrific police procedurals, even if Poe and his team rarely follow instructions.

A bit gruesome, with sharp and witty dialogue, and a male author who can write convincing female characters.

Chasing Evil: Shocking Crimes, Supernatural Forces, and an FBI Agent’s Search for Hope and Justice by Robert Hilland and John Edward

Narrated by Robert Hilland and John Edward

Published: September 2, 2025

Goodreads blurb: "How a skeptical FBI agent reached out to a famous psychic for help on a baffling case—and the twenty-five-year crime-solving journey that followed."

My two cents: Not for the faint of heart, as some bad people are caught and properly sentenced.  Not all cases were neatly sewn up, and the struggle to find evidence was the true story here.  Fascinating, but there isn't a snowball's chance of me ever becoming a cop.

📚 📚 📚

Orange Ya

September 1 is Ginger Cat Appreciation Day!

Poor orangies: they get laughed at for their lack of smarts.

😹 😹 😹

September is National Library Card Sign-Up Month!

The library has evolved into a community center, where 3D printers are at work, lectures and yoga classes, and you sometimes can borrow tools or a pair of binoculars.

Visit your library; you'll be amazed!