"Katherine Wentworth" by D.E. Stevenson

"Katherine Wentworth," first published in 1964, is the latest book we're reading & discussing on my D.E. Stevenson fan group. 

Katherine is a young widow in Edinburgh, mother to a teenaged stepson and lively boy/girl twins. A chance meeting with her old school friend Zilla leads to a new friendship with Zilla's older brother Alec, as well as a delightful family holiday at Zilla's cottage in the Scottish Highlands. Meanwhile, Katherine's stepson Simon receives an unexpected letter that has enormous implications for his future, and for the family as a whole. Themes of independence versus duty and family expectations run throughout the book and through the lives of several of its characters. 

I wouldn't say this was my favourite Stevenson book, but overall, I enjoyed it. Like most of her work, it's perhaps a bit old-fashioned, but full of well-drawn characters with strong morals, and wonderful descriptions. Some of the plotlines seemed a bit ludicrous (so many convenient coincidences, and developments that you can see coming from a mile away...) -- and there are two characters who are so narcissistic and controlling it made ME feel suffocated! -- but Katherine herself is a sympathetic character, and I appreciated her determination to live an independent life and to bring up her children the way their father would have wanted. The book doesn't dwell on Katherine's grief over her husband's untimely death, or how difficult it must have been for her to rebuild her life with only her "elderly" (at 60!!) aunt to support her, but there are some hints of these themes here and there. 

I've often described Stevenson's books as the literary equivalent of comfort food... and goodness knows we could all use a bit of comfort right about now!  

3.5 stars on Goodreads, rounded up to 4.  

We'll be discussing the sequel to this book, "Katherine's Marriage," a little further down the road. (From the title of that one, you can probably guess at how this one ends, lol.)  

This was Book #18 read to date in 2020 (Book #4 finished in June). I'm currently at 60% of my 2020 Goodreads Reading Challenge goal of 30 books, and am (for the moment, anyway...!) 4 books ahead of schedule to meet my goal. :)

#MicroblogMondays: COVID hair, begone!!

Last Friday was the long-awaited day!!  SEVENTEEN (17)(!!!) weeks after our last haircuts on Feb. 28th (!), and one week after hair salons were allowed to reopen locally, we were back in our regular stylist's chair to (FINALLY!)  get rid of our "COVID hair"!

Before:  taken the morning of our hair appointment, before showering.
I posted this on social media, and a few friends said they rather liked the look of my longer hair! 
It actually doesn't look that bad in this photo...
but LIVING with it hanging in my eyes & face was another matter entirely...! 

Taken (by dh) after I washed my hair & combed it straight down.
You can see how long it had become! 
(I didn't use any styling products before my appointment either.) 

After! 
SO much better!!! 

You can find more of this week's #MicroblogMondays posts here.  

Why I don't (usually) shop online

My sister is one of those people who won't go into a mall or a store if she can help it. She's quite happy doing most of her shopping online (and she's been in heaven since online shopping was extended to her local supermarket). I gather she's not alone, from the numbers of package delivery trucks I see outside our condo building every day, and the number of packages waiting outside our neighbours' doorways (many from Amazon, or one of those meal-in-a-box services). Online shopping during this pandemic has been a blessing for many people who either don't want to or can't easily go out to shop for the things they need (especially when so many malls and standalone stores were/have been closed for so long). 

I'm not a complete online shopping neophyte. I have bought stuff online over the years -- books that I couldn't easily find in the local bookstore (or ebooks to download to my Kobo), CDs & DVDs (ditto), my annual Filofax calendar insert (so that I don't have to go all the way downtown to the one fancy stationery shop that I know still carries them), handmade sterling silver jewelry from a local entrepreneur (friend of a friend & one-time blogger), presents for my sister from her favourite store (which doesn't have an outlet near me), photo Christmas cards from an online provider...  

Generally, though, I much prefer in-person shopping. (So far during this pandemic, dh has been able to get me most of the things I've really, really needed at either the supermarket or pharmacy, and I've been happy to postpone the "wants" and recreational shopping forays until more stores reopen &/or it's safer to venture out again.)  

Here's a story that illustrates why!  

Back in late May/early June, I got a marketing email from Old Navy, promoting their new line of cotton face masks -- masks in every colour & pattern under the sun, for both adults & kids.  I'd already been making a few no-sew masks out of old socks for dh & me, but I knew that we'd probably need a lot more masks for the two of us, once things started opening up more and we started going out into the world more often. Rather than completely deplete my sock drawer ;)  I'd started looking at various masks for sale online, trying to figure out where to best direct my business. Old Navy is a familiar brand, I shop there a lot, their cotton masks were cute, easily washable, and best of all, the prices were very reasonable and shipping was free if you spent enough money. I ordered one package of 10 masks, two packages of 5 masks each (including one pack featuring fun animal prints, for myself), and six hair bands/wraps in various colours, to help keep the hair out of my eyes (because it was driving me crazy, and at that point, we still had no idea when we might be getting haircuts again).  

This was June 1st. (Our local mall with the Old Navy store in it didn't reopen until last Friday, June 19th.)  I was advised when I ordered that some of the items might not be available until June 22nd or 29th. Oooohkay, I figured we could muddle along with sock masks (and shaggy hair) until then. I began getting emails and texts advising me when certain items had shipped and when they were supposed to be delivered by UPS. 

Last Monday, June 15th, I was notified that my package was on a delivery truck. The phone rang that morning. It was the building's front door intercom system. I buzzed the guy up, he handed me my package, and I excitedly ripped it open to find... ONE hairband.  Just ONE of the six I had ordered (and nevermind the masks).  All righty then... 

Next morning (Tuesday, June 16th), same scenario.  Telephone call from the front door intercom.  Dh answered and... the phone went dead. (The handset desperately needs a new battery... which of course, would require a shopping trip we've been putting off making, because, COVID...)  I ran out onto the balcony to keep an eye on the delivery truck (I figured I could shout & wave, if necessary?) while dh ran down the stairs to see if he could catch the delivery guy before he left. He returned with my package. Four hairbands this time. 

The next morning (Wednesday, June 17th), we returned from a walk to find another package (#3) by our door. One hairband (the final one!).  Still no masks.  

I got another notification yesterday (Monday, June 23rd) that yet another package was on its way -- supposedly containing two packages of masks. Nothing arrived then, but I checked the tracking number and saw that it was on a delivery truck this morning. Got the phone call, buzzed in the delivery guy, eagerly accepted the package from him (#4!) and opened it. This time, I got... the package of 10 masks I had ordered and... a black ribbed tank top that I hadn't even ordered -- even though the invoice said the package contained two packages of masks (one of 10, one of 5).  

So it's now more than three weeks since I put in my order. I have received FOUR packages, and I'm STILL out two packages of masks -- one of which I'm not sure I'm going to get at all (since it was supposed to be part of the package I just got, but wasn't) and one which (I just checked) may not reach me until at least JULY 22nd.  And I have a tank top that I didn't even order, and that I'm going to have to go through the rigamorole of returning, either by UPS or in store/at the mall, which I haven't been near in almost four months and have no huge desire to visit just yet. (Dh told me it's not worth it and to just keep it. I'll see...!) 

Yes, I was able to order and receive this stuff from the comfort of my home, without venturing out & increasing my COVID risk (and possibly not being able to find any cloth masks for sale in any of the stores I went to).  Yes, the shipping is free, so I'm not paying any more whether they ship it all to me in one package or five (or six??). 

But seriously?? Is this any way to shop, or to run a business?? 

Do you shop online? What's your experience been like? 

#MicroblogMondays: My first kiss & why e-books are so popular :)

In a recent online discussion among childless women that I was privy to, someone asked whether anyone else felt uncomfortable taking out books from the library with the word "childless" in the title.  One person commented that it's part of the cultural shaming we feel over our childlessness, similar to the shame that used to be attached to the words "gay" and "queer" -- words which the LGBT community has reclaimed. Someone else mentioned that commuters in Japan use book covers to keep their reading material private from each other -- and I commented that this is one reason why ebooks are so popular. :)

I was reminded (and recounted) an anecdote from my university days. A good friend of mine from high school told me she'd run into the guy who gave me my very first kiss, when I was 15. :) (Just before that, he was also my first slow dance -- to "Make it With You" by Bread. How very Seventies, right?)  She said he was carrying some library books on gay rights.

Now, this was in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in the early 1980s -- and we figured he MUST be gay, because NO "straight" guy in that time & place would have been caught dead openly carrying or reading books on gay rights!  ("Straight" being the terminology of the time -- i.e., heterosexual.)(And I thought oh sure, OF COURSE the first guy I kissed would turn out to be gay, right?) But even then, in those less enlightened/less accepting times, I thought that was pretty gutsy of him.

I've Googled him several times in the years since then to see what he was up to. ;)  He's had a very impressive career with some major international development agencies, including as an advisor on LGBT issues. An article I found specifically refers to his experiences as a gay man.  So it's probably for the best that our (very) brief high school romance didn't go beyond a few makeout sessions and a few letters and phone calls before things petered out.

But I'm betting that these days, nobody on a university campus would blink if they saw someone carrying a book about LGBT rights. So perhaps it will be different for us childless women in another 40 years too.  :)  (And hopefully a lot sooner than that!)

You can find more of this week's #MicroblogMondays posts here.  

Father's Day/COVID-19 odds & ends

• It's Father's Day -- a very quiet, subdued one. I raided my blank card/note stash once again to make sure dh got the traditional card (at least).  Our usual Sunday afternoon activity (& especially on occasions like Mother's & Father's Day) would be to go to the movies -- but the theatres are still not open here.  It's too hot & humid (currently 30C/36C humidex) to go out for a walk, and there are too many happy families running around -- even with COVID (and without masks!) --  to venture to the bookstore or gelato shop. If we wanted to head to a store, we'd both rather do it during the week when it's quieter. 
• I suppose we could have gone to the cemetery to visit FIL (& MIL), or further down the road to visit Katie in her cemetery (haven't been there since February -- I think her Christmas decorations are still up...!) -- but it's at least a 30-45-minute drive (one way) on a very hot day, with little else we could do once we got there, with so many closures & restrictions in place. Another time. 
• I'll call my own dad later this afternoon. 
• Dh admitted last night that he sometimes gets jealous of BIL and his obvious pleasure in being a grandfather. BIL has a huge heart, and he's always been very generous about including us in things and assuring us that we are an important part of the family, that we have an important role to play in the lives of his sons & grandson (our two nephews and great-nephew). But like most parents/grandparents, he can be kind of clueless sometimes. ;)  

*** *** *** 

COVID-19/pandemic updates: 

• En route to BIL's for a visit on Friday night, we stopped at the supermarket to pick up something from the bakery to have with our coffee. I waited in the car while dh put on a mask and went in. I've barely been outside at all in the past three months, let alone anywhere where there's lots of people. So it was kind of jaring to see that the parking lot was packed -- it WAS rush hour on a Friday night. I was also shocked at how many people were NOT wearing masks -- and had (unmasked) kids in tow with them too!  Dh says most people have been masked when he's been there grocery shopping -- but of course he normally goes early in the morning, when it's far less busy.  
• In a similar vein -- local restaurants are still not allowed to open their dining rooms, but as of Friday, they *are* now allowed to offer outdoor/patio dining (with social distancing & other precautions), in addition to takeout & delivery. We ordered takeout from one of our favourite restaurants on Saturday night and, when he returned with our food, dh reported the patio was PACKED, with a long line of people waiting. No masks to be seen there either.  I know you can't wear masks and eat ;)  but you would think people might want to wear masks until their food arrives, or at least while they're waiting in line...?? 
• And finally.... the time is drawing near!!  After SEVENTEEN (17!!) weeks, we will FINALLY be getting haircuts on Friday afternoon!!  Our stylist called me (this past) Friday afternoon to let us know her new schedule, and I booked our appointments on the spot. She explained that we must call when we arrive, and someone will unlock the door to let us in -- one at a time (the other person will have to wait in the car, or elsewhere outside). No purses allowed -- just a cellphone & payment method (presumably credit or debit card).  Masks must be worn -- we can bring our own or buy a disposable one for $1. The capes are now disposable as well.  She will only wet our hair with water from a spray bottle (vs a complete shampoo -- which they will only do if you're having colour done), and she will not blow dry our hair. Fine with me -- just get out those scissors, lol. As I have said before -- I have no great desire to go to the mall or a restaurant or whatever -- but I am desperate for a haircut!  

"Rilla of Ingleside" (again)

I recently finished reading "Rilla of Ingleside" by  L.M. (Lucy Maud) Montgomery -- again.  ;)  Yes, I read & reviewed "Rilla" recently (in late April, here) -- but then I went through the book again, chapter by chapter, along with the "Rilla of Ingleside" Readathon group on Facebook, which I mentioned in an earlier blog post. 

The informative background posts by the two Montgomery scholars who led the group (and edited the new/recent, unabridged, fully restored version of the book), as well as the chance to learn from and chat with other LMM fans, was irresistible, and added to my enjoyment of the book (as if I didn't love it enough already...!). As I said in response to a comment there, how I wish that Montgomery had been taken seriously as a subject of academic study when I was doing my honours English degree at university... I was just a few years too early!  

Our discussions on "Rilla" are wrapping up, but there's talk of continuing with another book -- perhaps "The Blythes Are Quoted," which was also edited by Benjamin Lefebvre (one of the "Rilla" discussion leaders). 

As I explained in a recent post, I've decided that a re-read (even in quick succession) still counts as a book read, and so I've added this one to my Goodreads Challenge total for the year (again). :)  My original 5-star rating still stands.  :)   

This was Book #17 read to date in 2020 (Book #3 finished in June). I'm currently at 57% of my 2020 Goodreads Reading Challenge goal of 30 books, and am (for the moment, anyway...!) 4 books ahead of schedule to meet my goal. :)

Odds & ends: An update

•  Not too long after I posted my #MicroblogMondays post yesterday, noting that the area where I live was still stuck in Stage 1, the premier held a news conference where he announced that Stage 2 reopenings will begin in more regions outside of Toronto this Friday -- including the region where we now live, and the region where we used to live, which is where we still go to get our hair cut.  
• I am not in any rush to head to the mall or sit on a restaurant patio, etc. etc. -- but haircut?  YES, PLEASE!! (It's been 16 weeks;  normally we get trims every 6 weeks like clockwork.  I feel SO FRUMPY!!) 
• "I wonder if I could at least leave a voice mail at the salon to ask about an appointment??" I said to dh as I grabbed the phone & started dialing, about 30 seconds after the news notification flashed across my phone screen. He later joked to BIL that he's never seen me move so fast, lol.  
• As it turns out, someone answered the phone immediately (the owner, I think?). She told me the salon has closed (?? -- permanently, from the sounds of it?) but she'd have our stylist call me. She did, a few minutes later. She will be going back to work at a different salon -- which, believe it or not, is a two-minute walk from our old house! In fact, my mom used to get her hair done there whenever she came to visit me! She still has to talk to the owners about her schedule and what the new protocols/precautions will be, etc., but she will call me back in a few days to set something up. 
• I CAN'T WAIT. 
• We took little Great-Nephew's baptism presents over to BIL's house last night. He'd had a cranky afternoon -- no nap! after his big day on Sunday, too! -- and had just fallen asleep -- and slept on through to the next morning! -- so we didn't get to see him or his mom. :(  But we did have a nice visit with BIL, SIL, Older Nephew -- and the dog, lol. We wore our masks initially but eventually took them off & stayed for coffee & the remnants of Great-Nephew's baptism cake, sitting as far apart as we could on both the living room couches & at the table. No contact, definitely no hugs. I will admit I felt a little bit leery -- I would have preferred to sit outside on the deck, as we did on our last visit -- but dh was clearly having a good time, and they were all very happy to see us. (We cleaned our hands with Purell as soon as we got in the car, and washed them thoroughly as soon as we got home again.) 
• SIL confessed she's called HER stylist too, and begged for an appointment ASAP. :) 
• BIL said to dh on the phone this morning, "It's over now, you can come over any time." Ummm, NO, it's NOT!!