JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Hi everyone! To paraphrase Taylor Swift, hi, it's me, I'm the technical difficulties, it's me. Everyone loved Hank's prompt - bless you, Hank, for leaping to my rescue - so I'm just going to add a few things and throw the question, What's on your mind?, back to you all!
The whole Lionel Messi giving a baby bath to Spain's Lamine Yamal event. Is it just me, or does it seem like something out of an ancient Greek drama to you, too? And will ambitious football parents be lining up, begging the soccer superstar to give their kids a wash-up?
Heat domes, or whatever they're calling them these days. Right now, it's literally perfect weather in Maine: high of 80°/27°, nights cool enough that I pulled out my duvet again. But then every couple of weeks, it feels like we've been put inside God's E-Z Bake Oven.
I've got to get a cat bubbler because 1) my vet suggests it to encourage my older cat to drink more for her kidney health and 2) the $15,000 cat won't drink until he's tossed enough water around to splatter all over my wooden kitchen floor. Any brand recommendations?
This has been a weirdly tick-free summer in my neighborhood. Anyone else getting this?
Finally, a call to have a new type of celebration: the Friendaversary. This September will be the 50th anniversary of my high-school friend and I meeting. We've been through boyfriends, marriages, raising kids, widowhood, empty nesting and the above senior citizen thing, and we've decided we're going to do something fancy to celebrate US. What do you think? Do you have any friendaversary candidates in your life?
I watched soccer! It's a first for me... My grandsons adore it, and are devoted, but I never cared one way or another. Still, somehow everything about the World Cup seemed fun, and I was hooked! (could I just ask--did anyone notice how incredibly handsome many of the players are? Maybe even all of them? Is this a thing?)
ReplyDeleteThey ARE! First, they are all super fit, then most of them are young. The difference between Argentina and Spain, to me, seemed to be the average age of the player. Spain literally had a couple of teenagers, and Messi was not the only relative geezer playing for Argentina.
DeleteDidn't watch, but that's an interesting observation and makes you wonder which serves the game better: youth or experience?
DeleteTrue! And there are positives about both things--the experience of the older (!HA!) players, and the stamina and fearlessness of the younger ones. I mean--they just THROW themselves at the ball.Not to mention the super-drama of their "injuries."
DeleteEvery team has experienced players on the bench who are there for leadership, stability, and are subbed in to get the game focused. WC is a long tournament, heat and air quality have been detrimental to the players, injuries accumulate.
DeleteI loved watching the World Cup this year! So much fun to see all the teams and fans with all their different traditions! My Spanish teacher was watching in Mexico and we were texting back and forth during the matches. My teams were England, the US, and Mexico, but I was happy to see Spain win. My son is in Granada right now--I'm looking forward to hearing about his experience there.
DeleteI dipped in and out. Such a good observation Joan about youth vs experience. I wonder if that works for mystery writers too:)
DeleteTechnical difficulties are always an issue with computer systems, aren't they? And yet we rely on the computer and the internet for so much. I don't know what we should chat about, but sometimes I wonder how the ever-changing internet and the current push for more and more AI affects your writing?
ReplyDeleteOh, AI doesn't affect my writing, at least personally and specifically and while I'm writing. I don't touch it or deal with it at all. But--All that goes on around me, that's another battle. SO many things to figure out about it: when is it wonderful and when is it not? Is there any time that a creative person can use it? When? (I;ve made sure that my audio books are spoken by a real person, though.)
DeleteAnd yes, in the winter when the power goes out, I am always dismayed by the way it feels apocalyptic.
Hugh watched EVERY GAME of the World Cup, and I showed up for a few of them, including the final ones. Hank, of course the players are handsome - they are young (ish, for some) and in peak athletic shape. I love that teenager Lamine Yamal beat oldster Messi (who gave him a bath when he was a baby - so creepy... )!
ReplyDeleteMy consuegra - that is, my daughter-in-law's mother in MD, country-theme cooked for every game. I couldn't keep up, but I did make a yummy Spanish paella for dinner yesterday.
In Yiddish Susan is my machatainista, apparently. She theme cooks every World Cup!
DeleteMessi, in a prearranged event, was photographed for a charity fund raiser and that's why he was holding a baby.
DeleteEdith, that is such a great Yiddish word! I can still hear my step mother saying it in that ironic way that made the in-laws sound like outlaws!
DeleteYiddish is such an expressive language.
Interesting tidbit Lionel Messi was named after Lionel Ritchie because his parents were big fans of the singer. And Ronaldo (the world class super star for Portugal) parents named him after Ronald Reagan!
DeleteThat's so cool about your daughter-in-law's mother. I would love to hear more about those recipes!
DeleteGo find Susan Posner Russell on FB, Lucy - if you can't see her posts from the last month, let me know, and maybe you two can be temporary friends. She often paired the food with country-themed drinks. I know she shared the cooking (and bartending) with her husband, Rick.
DeleteI loved that even though there were big stars in the event, like Messi and Mbappe and Haaland and the British guy (I forget his name, grr) and they were fun to watch, that the Spanish team won as a TEAM.
ReplyDeleteJude Bellingham and Harry Kane, the captain. Kane is the geezer, Bellingham is maybe 23?
DeleteRight right right! They were great.
DeleteKane golfed with T*ump, so Bellingham all the way for me. He's incredible.
DeleteWorld Cup withdrawal
ReplyDeleteWe'll catch up on "Ellis" and try "Detective Hole" on Netflix. Anything else out there?
DeleteOh, I was just thinking about what we’d watch – – we started watching the West Wing again, since there was nothing on. (Can you believe I’m saying there’s nothing on?). But there really doesn’t seem to be anything good. We watched widows Bay, and the John Hamm series, and the CNN documentary about the Salisbury poison poisoning, which was pretty terrifying. But now we are shopping for a new show…
DeleteWe are watching the new season of Patience and loving it. Plus I catch Grantchester every week.
DeleteAround here, yesterday we also celebrated a record run of Red Sox wins after a miserable start to the season, so that's what'll be on the TV going forward.
DeleteHank, we are watching The West Wing too. It's going to keep us busy for a long time. Of course looking forward to Jenn's Paris debut!
DeleteI've just found Patience this year and am enjoying it so much, Edith.
DeleteToday is especially bad since it was also a rest day for the Tour de France. Time to start RIDE OR DIE on Prime.
DeleteTechnical difficulties. Just describes any Monday morning anywhere. May difficulties soon pass. Cheers. Elisabeth
ReplyDeleteI watched England play France on Saturday, and, wow, that was a crazy game. But England won, and got to take home 3rd place. But I didn't get to see the final yesterday because I went to see the touring production of HAMILTON with my kiddoes and I was just blown away!! I"m probably the only one here who hadn't seen Hamilton live, but oh my goodness. It's great that we can see the Broadway production on our TVs, but no way does it compare to the real thing. And we were on the second row. The touring cast was fabulous, especially the lead, whose name it Tyler Fauntleroy. If this production comes to your town, go see it! ! I'm still buzzing.
ReplyDeleteSo great! The first act is completely transporting!
DeleteWe could see them spit:-)
DeleteSo glad you got to go, Debs! In a weird coincidence, I was just half an hour ago talking to my nephew about taking him and his daughter to see Hamilton. She is 15 and obsessed with the music, and I have not seen it yet myself. As it turns out a production is coming to their town at the end of March. Tickets are stupid expensive, though!
DeleteI bet the splurge would be worth it Karen!
DeleteYes, splurge, Karen! You won't regret it!! I wonder if it's the same cast we saw. They were so good. This was the second time Wren had seen it and she loves it.
DeleteOh no… One of our newspapers has the headline: The Reign of Spain —And now I am singing. .
ReplyDeleteThat's a cute headline Hank! And can you imagine the excitement all over Spain right now! I bet it'll be weeks before anyone gets any sleep.
DeleteThis morning I want to thank Danielle, mille fois for recommending the Emma Jameson series as un-put-downable! Last week was one of the most satisfying reading weeks you could imagine. Lucy's latest Hayley Snow is just so good! Emily Sullivan's historical cozy series beginning with A DEATH IN CORFU, followed immediately by the second book in the series. Then I started reading Jameson's series with ICE BLUE. My library gives me access to all the books in that series, including the audiobooks, and I am now listening to book #2. Woo-hoo!
ReplyDeleteThe two new-to-me series are simply fabulous and I can't say enough about DELICIOUS DECEPTION, but I'll try later when I write a review.
I did not watch very much of the World Cup.
Judy I'm reading A DELICIOUS DECEPTION right now too and am enjoying it. I look forward to your review - will you post it here on JRW?
DeleteI just finished A MURDER in SPRINGTIME by Martin Walker. It takes place in the Dordogne/Perigueux region of France. The detective is Inspector Bruno who has a charming side kick - his basset hound Balzac. Walker is an exceptional writer and has also written a beautiful cookbook about the Perigueux region.
I loved A Murder in Springtime, and adored Lucy's A Delicious Deception!
Deletethank you guys so much!!
DeleteThe Bruno books are delicious!
DeleteJudy, you are very welcome. I’m glad you liked it. Reading book seven , I’m sad there’s only one left
DeleteMessi is (IMHO) the GOAT. But Spain is the better team having only allowed ONE goal in the entire FIFA World Cup. AWESOME!!
ReplyDeleteArgentina played a hard fought game and their goalie incredibly allowed only 1 goal for Spain when Spain had 12 shots on target and Spain's one goal was in the last couple of minutes in a 90 min game with about a half hour overtime. Both teams are just amazing with incredible athletes of all ages.
The last 40 minutes or so of play was tense, wasn't it? It could not have been more of a nail-biter.
DeleteI’ve occasionally watched reruns of In Plain Sight at my sister’s house. It’s available on Amazon Prime now, so I’m binge-watching it. I can’t get enough of it! Back in the nineties I briefly had a coworker who claimed to be in the Witness Protection Program. (Really? If that’s true, you have a big problem! You’re not supposed to talk about your past. She had a whole back story. If it’s not true, you still have a problem!) She just stopped coming to work one day, never called, etc. So who knows what was going on!
ReplyDeleteDebRo
DebRo, that's a great plot idea!!
DeleteWe used to have a duplex on our block - nicely maintained, but not flashy. Neutral colors, nothing to draw attention. Never saw any people. Occasionally, there would be some lights on. I was convinced it was a WitSec house.
DeleteLisa, that is also a good starting point for a plot, for instance: The neighborhood kids swarm the place on Halloween...or...Your protagonist is awakened at 2 am to the sound of gunshots...or...
DeleteLucy/Roberta,
DeleteFeel free to use it!
DebRo
I watched most of the games including England v France which was most entertaining and suspenseful without the thug tactics of Argentina ( knowing they wouldn’t get called on it as FIFA wanted them in the final)
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree, Rhys!! Argentina was so agressive and they got away with it! I was rooting for Spain yesterday. Yay!
DeleteHonestly, FIFA has always been known as one of the most corrupt sports organizations, but this year, they seem more like the low level gangsters in old movies, busting into a store and saying, "Nice place ya got here..."
DeleteMy favorite part of the World Cup was watching all the TikToks, and YouTube videos, etc. from tourists filming their first encounters with Walmart, Costco, and Bucc-ees! LOL
ReplyDeleteLiz, the Very Tall Dutchman wasn't here for the World Cup, but he did want to get a tour of our local Super Walmart, and he found it so fascinating, he went back again before they left!
DeleteSo true but yesterday Argentina did get around 4 yellow cards and one player got a red card and was ejected. So argentina played with only 10 players instead of 11. Apparently the refs didnt turn a blind eye yesterday.
ReplyDeleteI'm not even a football fan, Anon, and I thought it was the most amazing game. Well worth being the climax of the whole World Cup tournament.
DeleteThe World Cup was AMAZING!!! I'm not a futbol gal, either, but having just been in Espana, I was rooting for them and thrilled with how well they played and the win was glorious. Sorry, Argentina!
ReplyDeleteEveryone likes the underdog, don't they, Jenn? Even if the underdog is one of the best teams in the world.
DeleteI don't know about ticks, Julia, but my deck is oddly free of mosquitoes after dark. Wha?? I mean, I love sitting out there reading until it's too dark (or grabbing my kindle and continuing) and then watching the fireflies, all without being bitten alive. But it's also disturbing.
ReplyDeleteI've noticed the same thing, Edith! It's been a pretty dry summer here; maybe that's affecting both populations.
DeleteAs much time as I have spent outside this summer, I have also barely seen, heard, or felt a mosquito. Very strange, indeed.
DeleteThis is obviously because they are all here in our yard:-)
DeleteWell, that stinks, Debs.
DeleteI am not a soccer fan and have never seen a game at any level. My nephew is a big supporter of women’s soccer and has season tickets for the Portland OR team, the Portland Thorns (Portland is known as the rose city). He is coming to Boston for a visit and the Thorns are playing the Boston team in Providence RI while he is here. He is going to the game and invited me to join him.
ReplyDeleteInitially, I said I wasn’t interested and then I changed my mind. I decided it would be an opportunity to broaden my interests. I may even like it.
During the World Cup, the Scottish team came to Boston and endeared themselves to the residents with their enthusiasm, sense of humor and the camaraderie they developed with the fans of the opposing countries. They have been back to visit several times since the games ended because they enjoyed their time here so much. The fans, called the Tartan Army, have also made generous financial contributions to several charities in the area to show their appreciation.
Cool anonymous. I hope you enjoy it. Go Thorns! Go Timbers! (Portlander here)
DeleteAnon, I hope you have a wonderful time! I have Boston-area friends who went into a sports pub to see one of the games while the Tartan Army was in town, and the place literally ran out of beer! Never thought I'd see that happen in Boston...
DeleteBecause of the adorable Tartan Army, bars in Boston RAN OUT OF BEER. Just saying.
DeleteAreas of San Jose, where the watch parties were, ran out of beer too.
DeleteWe were hoping to celebrate a French triumph while we were here, but not to be. Looking forward to the Women’s next year.
ReplyDeleteVive les femmes, Lisa!
DeleteI finally got to watch Ted Lasso. If Roy Kent is real, he's mine! Hands off!
ReplyDeleteEvery woman who watches Ted Lasso 1) loves Roy Kent 2) wants Hannah Waddingham's arms.
DeleteWhat a treat it is, Pat! I can't wait for the new season starting in August. I've missed those characters, and their positivity. Not to mention that part of my upcoming book is set in Richmond and I had great fun visiting Ted Lasso sites when I was researching. Gemma even has lunch in the pub that's featured in the show!
DeleteDidn't watch any of the soccer. Caught some of the news--was glad Spain won--their PM has a spine!!
ReplyDeleteAs for cat bubblers--yes, they work great. Got one after our own very expensive cat spent a few days at the emergency vet's. But, you may have to try several models to find one that your cats will use. And get one that is easy to keep clean. I refill it every 2-3 days--all of the cats but one use it regularly.
In terms of besties--50+ years and going strong--meet at least once a month to gab, laugh, recommend books, and did I mention laugh?
Smoke seems to have cleared out for now--being stuck indoors was not fun, but deepest sympathy for those in the paths of all those fires. Our very own senator proclaimed his stupidity proudly for all the world to witness--sometimes these days it's hard being from Ohio....
Ohio: so much beauty, so many dorks. Thanks for the tip - there was a woman getting one when I was checking them out in person at Pet Smart who suggested the stainless steel one, because apparently plastic can hold bacteria? Now I'm wondering if regularly scrubbing out the large plastic water bowl in the kitchen is good enough...
DeleteJulia, we've used a stainless one for years, but the inside parts are still plastic. I add water every day and clean it out every other day. All three cats drink from it.
DeleteJulia, thanks for mentioning your 50-year friendship--congratulations! And it reminded me that my best friend and I also became friends 50 years ago this month! I just talked to her, and told her our friendship is now old enough to join AARP. We will do something fun to celebrate, but local.
ReplyDeleteFriendaversary is a great idea, Julia . . . I have a friend from college days that meets that description . . . a special friendship indeed.
DeleteWe celebrate so many other important landmarks, why not the ones featuring our besties?
DeleteBlogger hates me today, but so nice to read from everyone else. Sun is all, so all is well. We have a Monarch (butterfly).
ReplyDeleteI'm looking for the first ones to show up in my garden, Margo...
DeleteIt won't even let me spell right - obviously the sun is out.... And should my note never appear - Edith, I have your mosquitoes. I will be happy to send them back...
ReplyDeleteThanks, but no thanks, Margo!
DeleteFriendsaversary, yes! I could tell you the date if I wanted to figure out the first day of 3rd grade howmanyever years ago. But it is 50 plus! And I just talked to her this morning!
ReplyDeleteRight? I have several still-good-friends I met LONG before I met my husband. The only person I have a longer relationship with is my awesome sister.
DeleteJulia, the friendaversary is a great idea. I have five friends, well sometimes seven, in my hometown, some of whom I've known since kindergarten (that would be 67 years), and there for about ten years, we would all get together and go out to eat when I visited and sometimes more. But, the only time in the last four years I've been back to my hometown was for my brother's funeral last December. However, several of us still managed to go out together for a few hours. I'm looking forward to seeing them this fall (fingers crossed). And, my peripatetic friend Jimmy that I grew up next door to and love dearly is on the go so much with his husband that it's hard to catch him. I'm hoping to nail him down in the next six months or so. These life-long friends are so special because they knew you when life was mostly positive and full of the possibilities of becoming whatever you wanted to. You got to spend your truly carefree days with them, and there's always a whisper of that when you get back together.
ReplyDeleteAnd, right now, I'm going crazy over trying to pack and make more excursion reservations for our upcoming trip/cruise. We leave for my sister-in-law's on Saturday to spend the night and fly to Chicago the next day. We'll spend the night in Chicago to catch a morning flight to Athens. I am really not sure I am going to be ready. I know I have to be, but I abhor packing for a long period of time. There will be washers and dryers on the ship, but how much fun will that be, especially with between 600-700 other people. I know I'll enjoy the adventure once I get there, but I sure wish I had a Harry Potter portal as my means of doing so.
I was a no-show for the The World Cup. I feel a bit guilty because so many were so excited about it, but the interest just wasn't there for me. College basketball is my main sport watching event.
How did I miss this today?! Thanks to Edith Maxwell for the FB heads up!
ReplyDeleteI don’t usually like watching sports on television but I made some exceptions for the World Cup.. I like pretty much everything about it, and ai loved how the cities that hosted the games and the teams seemed so welcoming and helpful and everyone seemed to have a good time! Hooray for the Tartan Army in Boston! Even if I wasn’t watching on television just listening to the games made me smile.
Let’s make soccer (the original football) our national sport!