Book Bingo - Two Months In

We're two months into Summer Book Bingo (I'm playing by Mary's May 23 through September 7 rules), and it's time for me to give myself a progress report. It feels like I'm making reading progress, so I hope I don't feel differently once I've written it all down here.

What I'm Currently Reading:

• With a number in the title - How to Bake Pi
• With an animal as a key character - Frightful's Mountain
• That your parents wouldn't have let you read as a kid - Stoned: A Doctor's Case for Medical Marijuana

What I've Read So Far:

• With time travel - The Memory Painter
• An Academic/Campus Novel - The Square Root of Murder
• With a protagonist/narrator over the age of 50 - Our Souls at Night 
• Borrowed from the Library - Missoula
• Western - Across the Great Barrier
• Young Adult Novel - On the Far Side of the Mountain
• With an animal on the cover - The Wild Inside
• Has an animal in the title - An Entirely Synthetic Fish: How Rainbow Trout Beguiled America and Overran the World
• 10 Short Stories - Tenth of December
• About a disease - The Perfect Son
• With food as the theme - Dying for Chocolate
  
• Biography or Memoir - Do No Harm
• Revolves around a holiday - Thanksgiving
• Published the year you were born - 4:50 from Paddington
• An audiobook - A Man Called Ove

What I Plan to Read Next:

• At least 800 pages - Centennial

Unplanned Squares (So Far):

• Found in a used bookstore
• Graphic novel
• Currently on the bestseller list [I am really surprised by how many crappy (imho) books are on the NYT fiction bestseller list. I don't think I'll be reading Grey!]
• That you chose because of the cover
• Cozy mystery 

I had hoped to complete most of my books by the end of this month, which would leave August for a relaxed reading of my "At least 800 pages" choice, Centennial, but I don't realistically see myself finishing three current reads plus those five pesky unplanned squares in the next eight days (especially because this is supposed to be fun)! There are still more than six and a half weeks (47 days!) left, so I think I'm on track to cover my card and still not have to read/behave like a crazy person.

How's your summer reading? I hope everyone finds some time for a good book or two, enjoyed on the beach, front porch, or relaxing spot of your choosing, no matter whether you're participating in Book Bingo or not!

Wayback Wednesday

Way back in the beginning of June we did go on vacation, visiting Ryan in Fort Collins on our annual trip before the start of his summer teaching and research schedule. I'm always happy to see Ryan (because it doesn't happen often enough) but I also really enjoy Fort Collins for a variety of additional reasons.

Beer Tours

Food

Fun Sights and Sounds in Old Town

(Jazz Duo on a tricycle)

The Handle Bar Bicycle

(We did see this, but I was too busy staring to take my own video.)

Flowers in the CSU Annual Flower Trial Garden

Hiking

Looking for good rocks on hikes

Encountering wildlife on hikes

Snow-Covered Mountains

I'm already hoping and planning for a long weekend return visit in October.

I have more breweries to tour and more good rocks to look for!

Ten on Tuesday - AAA*

Today's Ten on Tuesday topic is 10 Favorite American Artists, or, if you prefer, 10 Favorite American Paintings. This is an interesting one that I'm betting might just be related to Carole's Heritage Museums and Gardens visit.
*Awesome American Art 
 
So, my 10 Favorite American Paintings:

1. The Big Oak, Andrew Wyeth
My mother loved Christina's World, and took us to The Philadelphia Art Museum many times to see it, along with lots of other Wyeth works. This is one of my favorites because it's so realistic.

2. Niagara Falls, William Morris Hunt

Every time I've been to Niagara Falls, I think the effect of that much water rushing over the abyss of the falls is almost dizzying. This painting captures the colors and that feeling for me.

3. Long's Peak, Estes Park, Colorado, Albert Bierstadt
I love this view in real life and I love how Bierstadt captured it.

4. Dark Hollow Road, Taylor Oughton
My husband grew up on Dark Hollow Road and my mother-in-law still lives there. As soon as I saw this painting at the Michener Art Museum, I recognized the scene. It really does look like that in the fall.

5. Peaceable Kingdom, Edward Hicks
I like the sentiment and idea that this painting conveys.

6. Freedom from Want, Norman Rockwell
Another painting that shows a scene I like along with the accompanying emotions.

7. Oriental Poppies, Georgia O'Keefe
I appreciate this painting because O'Keefe captured the colors of the poppies perfectly. I can't even do that in a photograph of my poppies!

8. Cape Cod Morning, Edward Hopper
Another painting that I like because of the colors.

These last two are my very favorite American paintings, by artists unknown to most of the American art-viewing public. I'm lucky enough to know them and love them!
9. Bedded Elk, Jim Becker
My brother-in-law painted this for us as a wedding present, on a wicker tray that he rescued from the trash at his great-grandparents' farm. Jim is no longer with us, so it's even more special, but I think of him every day when I see it on our mantel.

10. Self Portrait, Justin Becker
Justin had an art teacher in middle school that seemed to delight in thinking up difficult assignments, and then criticizing her students endlessly. For this one, he had to do a self portrait in the style of another artist, and his assigned artist was Georgia O'Keefe. He agonized over this for weeks, but after being frustrated to the point of tears, he completed this wonderful painting. I love his creativity and use of color, and the fact that he didn't let this difficult teacher get him down completely. She may have succeeded in sucking out most of his enjoyment in art that year (kind of like an art-dementor?) but I love his painting and enjoy it every day when I see it on our dining room wall, so Justin wins!

C is for ...

Campari! D is for Done!

 

I thought about using E and F for Egads! and Finally! but decided to save those letters for later.

Raveled here.

In the Orchard Today

We don't really have an orchard; just six dwarf fruit trees that are difficult to mow around. In the past five or six years since we planted them, they have only provided enticement for the neighborhood deer, but absolutely no fruit. Imagine my excitement today when I spied

something growing.

 Two apples!

 An apricot!

More apricots! Right now, they're hard, green, and look a bit beat up 

(maybe from hail storms we've had over the last several weeks?) but there are 

eleven of them, so the fruit crop is looking better than it ever has. 

There's probably a saying about don't count your fruit until it ripens, 

but things are looking pretty good in the orchard today!

In the Garden Today

A bushel of string beans. This is actually a half bushel basket, but my back
 says that it has bent over to pick at least a bushel (maybe even two)!

 

 Zucchini flowers

Cucumber blossoms are even prettier.

Tomatoes that grow larger every day, but no hint of red yet.

Brown-eyed susans

and some purple Coneflowers that seem intent on taking over

But the marigolds are still managing to bloom in spite of the encroaching Echinacea.

Right Now - July 2015

Watching - It's all David Attenborough, all the time here. Planet Earth, The Life of Mammals, Life, The Blue Planet, I'm watching them all and loving his voice, enthusiasm, and the cinematography.

Knitting - The same old Hitchhiker. I got to 46 points and because I was paying more attention to David Attenborough, I just kept on going. I will eventually have to cast off.

Reading - For Book Bingo - The Memory Painter, The Perfect Son, and An Entirely Synthetic Fish.

Thinking about - Dinner tonight. We're having dinner with some friends I love, at a place with excellent food, but I'm pretty sure our friend Joe has some bad medical news to share. I really, really hope I'm wrong.

Dreading - My phone ringing. It seems like it's bad news far too often. 

Drinking - Lots of cold mint tea. 

Eating - From the garden. Snow peas, string beans, spinach, chard, radishes, Napa cabbage...

Starting - some columbines of my own from seed. I have visions of a bed full of them blooming next year.

Hoping - That the towels I hung out today will actually dry. Between the humidity and ever-present thunderstorms, it's not looking good.

Wishing - That it was easier to arrange estimates and schedule work. I'm waiting for tree guys, the driveway guys, the roofer, and the gutter guy.

Considering - a haircut. I always wear my hair up in the summer, but am wondering if I should give in and just get it cut short. The last time I did this (when we moved to FL 35 years ago) I was so unhappy that I cried, so this is certainly entering into the decision process!

Planning/Procrastinating - Porch painting. I can think of hundreds of excuses to procrastinate, but I also know that I'll enjoy the porch a lot more if I just do it and lose the guilt I feel when I sit there.

What's going on in your world right now?