My Sunday Post is hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer
Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date
Last week was just a week, nothing too exciting or out of the ordinary. Wyatt and I “visited” the Great Smoky Mountains, Billy worked, and then Saturday we added a new family member! A cute little fancy leopard gecko that we (I) named Harry! And we loves her/him! We have read so much on the whole substrate controversy as well – our kit came with this substrate and after some reading, we learned it is one of two brands that is acceptable. We have already decided we are probably going to go nuts though and build her a naturalist or bio type enclosure, so this substrate won’t be in there too long. So our creatures are now at two snails, one gecko, and three cats.
Read Last Week:
My reading is almost at a standstill I am reading so little these days. I am still working on my Zola book, which I am really enjoying I just am not finding a lot of time to read it. I also treated myself to a new book which while I haven’t finished it, I almost have so I am counting it as done since I will probably finish it during Wyatt’s nap today.
Adventuring Together is totally my kind of read!
Reading This Week:
I will continue with The Masterpiece and I think that is it for the week, I want to finish it!
Posted Last Week:
Homeschooling, Summer Edition: The Great Smoky Mountains
Book Review: The Creative Family Manifesto
Watching:
We finished Rosemary and Thyme and I am sad – I miss it! We started Picard, which is so well done and the only sci-fi I have watched really, and Cursed on Netflix which I am enjoying as well, even though it is a bit cheesy. Picard is a little confusing since I don’t know half the back story but Billy fills me in. And I finished up the new Unsolved Mysteries and I can’t wait for the next installment. I am also listening daily to the Redhanded Podcast. I am apparently all about the true crime these days.
Stay safe everyone!
Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs.. 
My wife is making her way through Unsolved Mysteries and is enjoying it.
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It was sort of addicting! I really hope that the show helps to solve some of these mysteries. I really feel like in this day and age of social media that with some exposure it could happen.
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Oh, yes, great books and shows! Enjoy your upcoming week, and thanks for sharing.
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Thanks Laurel-Rain!
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I made myself a note to read more Zola (I’ve only read one—L’Assommoir—but it was so good that I swore I’d read more when it was time for Paris in July). And I completely forgot. Sigh. I will be interested in hearing a little more about The Masterpiece when you finish.
We’d planned a trip to the Sedona or the Great Smoky Mountains this fall. It looks like a virtual trip is the only trip we are likely to make in the future. I started a board on Pinterest with my sister to plan it out. Maybe we should get crazy creative and create a virtual trip for the fall there. It might be fun.
Reptiles can be great pets. I was given a bearded dragon and a blue-tongued skink for my library, and the kids loved them. They were easy to care for, and (even though this sounds odd) they seemed to attach themselves to us emotionally. I never had a gecko but we were gifted with a chameleon (very difficult to care for, but incredibly beautiful), too.
Have a good week.
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It is my first Zola and I am enjoying it! I just wish I was reading more. I am so distracted these days.
That would be such a fun idea! There is so much I think you could do with that to do a virtual trip. 🙂
I can’t believe how attached I am to her already! I was just saying maybe we need another one.. lol. I will see how i feel in a few weeks. We are redoing my office this fall, and I want it to look like an old fashioned naturalist type space, and I bet I could get one for “me” this time.
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It sounds like a good week. I’ve been reading for Paris in July and also just finished Josephine Tey’s “The Daughter of Time.” Fascinating mystery!
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Oo I will have to look it up! I also started Cezanne et Moi, but I can only watch during naptime or I miss what is being said. Tomorrow I should be able to get back to it.
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I hear you on the slow reading front. I had a vacation of sorts for two weeks and read hardly anything. What is happening to me? Have a great week!
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Lol! I know! I think I am so busy running around with the kiddo that when I do get some time I just want to veg out. It is very unusual for me as well!
You too!
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Hello Harry, he or she is lovely!
I’m on the third episode of unsolved mysteries, I’m really enjoying it, it’ll be interesting to see if they solve any of them.
Have a good week.
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Thanks! I can’t believe how much I am enjoying her! (or him)
I am really hoping that the show helps to solve some of these – I feel like in this day and age especially it is possible!
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Harry is such a fun addition to your family! And Zola….that is an ambitious summer read. It would definitely slow me down—so I commend you!! (I got stuck on a classic last summer and decided I need to save them for fall/winter.)
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Harry is so cute! I’ve never had a reptile as a pet so they always seem intimidating because I don’t know all the ins and outs like I do with a cat or dog. I love Harry as a name! The Smokey Mountains sounds like such a good unit study! I miss the park. We were there at the end of December and enjoyed driving through and seeing all the elk. Have a wonderful week!
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Isn’t he? We opted for a leopard gecko as they are supposed to be a good beginner gecko. We are learning how to care for him, but so far the most confusing thing is this whole substrate debate. Most people are adamant about no sand being used as they say it is dangerous. I did some digging and found some reputable sources that reported there were two kinds that were acceptable. But that has been the hardest part so far. 🙂
We had such a fun time with that study! I can’t wait for us to finally be able to actually visit. I have been to Shenandoah National Park and I loved it so much – I am sure I will love the Great Smoky area as well.
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Very cute gekko. We need to watch Picard, my hubby is a trekkie.
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Thank you! I am obsessed with watching Harry. Lol. Picard is pretty good! I can’t say I am riveted since I am not sure what is happening sometimes lol but that is just due to my never really watch Star Trek.
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I want to try Unsolved Mysteries but maybe I prefer solved ones. I don’t watch much tv so we will see if I watch anything. We just aren’t comfortable traveling anywhere. Have a lovely week. Stay safe and be kind.
Anne – Books of My Heart Here is my Sunday Post
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I really really hope that this show leads to solving these mysteries. I feel like in this day and age with social media and all that, it is more likely. Hopefully.
Ugh we aren’t either. We were supposed to go to the Smokies but with Covid, that was not happening. 😦 We decided to travel “virtually” and learn about the area instead. Next year hopefully!
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I love the gecko! We had those in our elementary school classroom. I found them fascinating when I was a kid and loved taking care of them. Have a great week!
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They are such neat little creatures! How cool that you had one in your class as a kid!
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Harry, solid gecko name. And lovely coloration!
I was really wishing we had a gecko about a week ago. There was a cricket in our office that would not shut up. (Though I imagine letting a gecko have the run of the house would probably just lead to a lost gecko.)
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Lol thank you! I am keeping the name Harry even if we find out that it is a girl.. it works for me.
And lol!! I can imagine it would take care of your cricket problem pretty well though!
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Harry can still be short for Harrietta. It all works out!
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I sort of enjoyed Picard but my husband had to fill me in on the background too. And the f-bombs surprised me. Honestly I didn’t think most of them were needed.
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P.s. I do realize that last comment makes me sound like such a prude! 😂😂 I have to say I felt the same way when I finished Rosemary & Thyme.
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LOL! I am not usually bothered by language but it does seem out of place in this show. Maybe because the tv series obviously didn’t have f-bombs being dropped. It just seems weird.
And Rosemary and Thyme – there wasn’t even an ending to the show it seems like? It was more like I just ran out of episodes. I guess there are only so many gardens with murdered people they could work in.
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It really is out of place in Star Trek. They’ve never really had language like that and to me it felt like they were a bunch of nerds trying to fit in with the “cool kids”.
And I found that odd about Rosemary and Thyme too but I guess people just stopped hiring them since they were like Jessica Fletcher from Murder She Wrote and harbingers of death. “Oh my gosh?! You hired who?! Don’t you know that everytime those women start a job for someone then someone in that house DIES?!!!”
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LOL!! So very true. For both!! I would for sure think twice before hiring Rosemary and Thyme..
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Geckos are so cute and personable, creating a biome sounds like a great project for you all.
Wishing you a great reading week
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I sense us heading that way soon…my husband is already watching youtube videos all about it. Harry is going to have a pretty great enclosure pretty soon!
Thanks Shelleyrae!
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Geckos can be exceptionally fascinating creatures. My oldest grandson had one a few years ago and he constructed a quite large and very appealing natural habitat for it. I forget how long it lived, but three years seems about right. It seemed to have a real personality.
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I already super fascinated by Harry. Lol. I have read that about geckos! Harry is still pretty shy right now but he is just getting settled in. That is what we hope to do too! How cool that your grandson built one like that!
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You mentioned the Great Smoky Mountains – sounds so heavenly right now. I just started Quartier Perdu of Patrick Modiano. It happens in July, in Paris. He is a good writer.
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Oh my gosh I know right! I wish we could have gone for real, instead of just learning about them. I am one of those mountains are calling me people. Lol. I will have to look that book up!
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That’s funny what you said about the mountains because while on that trip I bought a long piece of wood that had been painted blue and in white lettering it said “I have to go now – The Mountains are calling me.” I bought it in Dahlonega, GA, and it is now on top of the kitchen door. By the way the Modiano book is in French – don’t know if you speak French and am not sure of the title in English.
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I have seen that expression on t-shirts and things as well! I think John Muir said it originally but I am not 100% on that. 🙂 I do not speak French unfortunately! Other than what I remember from my one year of taking it in high school, I am sure that won’t get me through the book though. 🙂 Thanks for the heads up!
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That is one cool gecko.
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We like her. 🙂
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