Thursday, May 6, 2021

Coffee Talk and April's Book Reviews

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Good morning! Let's catch up over a cuppa--I'm trying a new-to-me super tasty Starbucks Golden Turmeric blend that I picked up at the grocery store. It's not as roasty as their traditional coffees, and with the turmeric, I get a little anti-inflammatory power too! Of course, there's a scoop of GLG Collagen powder and a splash of half and half, because that's how I roll. 

What's in your cup? What would you tell me over coffee?


If we were having coffee, I'd ask you what you were doing for Mother's Day. My parents are driving up to Minnesota to see one of my sisters, so it will be a low key day at home with my hubs, oldest son, and my father-in-law. I'll probably go for a run. We've postponed our family gathering until Father's Day in June. Fortunately, I had lunch with my parents last week. It was so great to see them! I last saw them in January.

Because it is what it is.

If we were having coffee, I'd tell you that my sister Lisa and I spent a day in Chicago a few weeks ago! We went out to brunch at a restaurant! and went to the Art Institute for the Monet exhibition. It was a beautiful, cool day and it felt great to be out. The exhibition did not disappoint. My favorite part of the day was spending time with my sister. In spite of a few little glitches since her surgery, she's doing well and I couldn't be happier!

If we were having coffee, I'd tell you about my trials with my new sectional. Remember that new sectional I ordered last year? The one that took 6 months to arrive because of the pandemic? Well...the cushions have all gone flat and I've had to call the store multiple times for replacements. This is a quality store and while they are making it right, I am pretty disappointed overall. They told me there's a national foam shortage. 🙄 And can I just say that I am tired of everyone using the pandemic as an excuse for poor quality and long wait times?

If we were having coffee, I'd whine about the pain I'm having on the inner aspect of my right wrist. The pain extends to my whole hand, affecting my upper body workouts and my ability to do everyday things, like brush my hair. In an attempt to make it disappear, one of my well-meaning friends who told me it was a ganglion cyst hit it directly with a big book. This did not work. This week I saw my rheumatologist who ultrasounded it and said it was not a ganglion cyst, but some kind of tendinopathy. She referred me to a hand specialist. You know what's next, right?

Pretty sure a steroid injection is in my future...

If we were having coffee, I'd share some mini-reviews of all the books I've read this month! As always, you can follow me on Goodreads for all my reviews.

  • The Final Revival of Opal and Nev by Dawnie Walton was so favorably reviewed with comparisons to Daisy Jones and the Six that I couldn't wait to read it. Written in an 'oral history' format, it is the fictional story of a rock duo from the 1970s. And that is where the comparisons end. Opal and Nev was so much heavier and broader in scope, veering off into all kinds of tangents. I finished it, but by the last 1/3 of the book, I stopped caring.
  • Good Neighbors by Sarah Langan is the story of a family who moves from Brooklyn to an idyllic Long Island neighborhood. The neighborhood has the typical hierarchy with the queen bees and wannabes. When an environmental tragedy occurs, along with the disappearance of one of the children, things get ugly and the fingers start pointing. The book is being promoted as a mystery or a thriller, neither of which are accurate. It's a good study of human nature. Entertaining.
  • What Comes After by JoAnne Tompkins started off slow and I almost DNF'd it. It's the story of a small town tragedy--the loss of 2 teenage boys--and the arrival of a young pregnant woman. The book is divided into thirds and the story picks up steam with each section. I'm glad I stuck with it.
  • Send for Me by Lauren Fox is set in World War II, but with a different perspective than ones I've read previously. I thought I'd had my fill of WW2, but this was a good one. Most of the story takes place in the US. It's a quiet read but no less touching. What a tragic time in our world.
  • Good Company by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney was such a frustrating book! Do you ever want to reach into the fiction and wring a character by the neck? When the main character finds out her husband cheated on her in the past, she gets stuck. And it drags on...There's a lot of backstory, too and I just lost interest. Such a shame, because the writing is beautiful. 
I also read a running book, Racing the Clock, and will share a mini-review of that on Sunday's Weekly Rundown!


What would you tell me over coffee? Do you have anything planned for Mother's Day? Are things opening up by you? Any pandemic purchases that have left you disappointed? Did you know about the national foam shortage? Have you ever had a steroid injection into a joint or tendon? Read any good books lately?

I'm linking up with Coco and Deborah for the Ultimate Coffee Date and with the ladies of Fit Five Friday:  DarleneMichelleReneeJenn, and Zenaida.


38 comments :

  1. Oh no on the sectional! I guess we'll sit tight with our old furniture. A foam shortage, really? Seriously, what isn't in short supply? We haven't made any big purchases during the Pandemic. Just lots of little ones. :)

    So sorry about the hand pain. It's like we feet pain -- we use both so much it's really hard if they hurt. I hope you find relief soon.

    My family is getting together. My mom is going to be REALLY surprised.

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    1. We've got some big home reno plans on tap, but our street is torn up, so everything is on hold until that is done.

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  2. We have been doing lots of home improvements this past year and there is always something that is a pain in the ass. Sorry about the wrist issues. I have not had cortisone but I am a big fan of prolotherapy maybe check that out. I have 2 book reviews I need to do-you bang them out fast!

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    1. I've gotten pretty good with the book reviews since I do them all the time. The mini-reviews are much easier than the full blog post.

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  3. Excellent news on your sister's progress!!! Glad to hear things, overall, have been going great for her. I'm hosting Mother's Day...the three kids are coming, the grand-doggy, and my parents. The forecast is looking rather gloomy (and rather wet), so we're going to be trapped inside, but we'll make it work.

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  4. My Mother’s Day will be low key, and I always make the coffee — If you want something done right .... So glad to hear your sister is doing well. That’s the best news!

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  5. Oh no on the hand...hope you find relief. I had a shot for my foot...did NOTHIMG.

    Great news for your sister. So happy for you two.

    No purchases. Planning on a new kitchen - that should be a challenge.

    Mother's Day is my birthday - my MIL is almost 96. I think my day will be postponed.

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  6. I’ve only seen ganglion cysts on the dorsal wrist/hand. I didn’t know they were still using the book method. Ouch. Hope it’s better soon.

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    1. It's not a ganglion cyst so it makes sense that the book didn't work.

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  7. I had/have what the Dr. thought was a ganglian cyst. It was making my pinkie/ring finger go numb so when I was in high school, I had surgery to remove it. It was a fatty tumor lodged under the muscle. So nope, no cyst. Glad someone didn't try to hit it with a book because I probably would have hit them back in the face!

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    1. LOLOL! It didn't hurt when she hit it. At least not more than the pain I was already having!

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  8. Yes! I'm so sick and tired of all sorts of ridiculous things being blamed on the pandemic. Really? Covid caused a national foam shortage???
    Sorry to hear about your hand/wrist. Since it turned out to be tendinopathy, I can see why hitting it with a big book didn't work. I hope you get it straightened out soon- it sounds super frustrating.

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    1. It's starting to feel better. So do I go to the specialist? Or not?

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  9. Going to San Diego for Mother's Day to see Emma and Sam will come over from Phoenix too so I'm happy!! Currently reading The Last Thing He Told Me. It's good. Enjoy your weekend!!! It is supposed to rain/snow here so I'm glad I'm missing it.

    PS: Ken actually busted my ganglion cyst with a beer bottle. Very scientific.

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    1. LOLOL!!! I'm glad that bottle didn't break and even more glad that it was a successful operation!

      Enjoy your weekend. I think your weather will be better than mine.

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  10. White Chocolate Strawberry Truffle coffee from Hawaii Coffee in my cup. We love all their flavored coffees but this is definitely our favorite.

    I'm not a mom and my Mom has been gone for many years, so it's a day of reflection for me (and making sure Les calls his Mom!)

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  11. Ah yes, I hear you on the wrist/hand pain. Remember my issue last summer? After an MRI, my doctor told me that my tendon was so inflamed it was close to rupturing. A steroid shot combined with wearing a brace for several months finally fixed it and I haven't had any residual pain. I hope you see similar results soon.

    That's awful about your sofa cushions - thank goodness the store you purchased it from is standing by the sale and making it right. I hadn't heard about a national foam shortage, but I haven't ordered furniture for a couple of years. BTW, that sofa meme has my name all over it! My back doesn't like for me to sit on what would normally be considered comfortable chairs and sofas, so I mostly sit on kitchen chairs. I'm sending that meme to my family. They'll love it!

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    1. Thank you for sharing the wrist pain story. I'm hopeful that I'll get on top of it. But bummed that i can't do pushups or handstands right now.

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  12. So glad to read your sister is doing well after her surgery! Your day in Chicago with her sounds awesome. Love the bean photo!

    Thanks for the book reviews. I am in the process of ordering some new reads. Some of them (What Comes After) Looks awesome!

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    1. What Comes After was a big surprise for me--I thought I'd had enough of WW2 fiction, but it was a really good read!

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  13. I am so happy about your sister! Looks like a fun day in the city. My mother is here with me this weekend and she wants to make mole. I told her we have plenty of food in the house but I know it is her day so I am sure it will get done. Thanks for the book recommendations!

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  14. A National Foam Shortage! Is that a thing??? That's crazy!

    Mother's Day is my birthday, so we are having a nice day as a family. Things are open here, but we are still playing it lowkey.

    I love that you got to spend time with your mom and your sister. That's so special.

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    1. Happy Mother's Day and Happy Birthday!! Double your pleasure...

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  15. I have to work on Mother's Day but thankfully it's only a half day so hoping to cook dinner for my mom + eat with my family! Happy Mother's Day to you!

    I didn't hear about the national foam shortage but I feel like just about everything has a shortage these days. :/

    I'm sorry to hear about your wrist! :[ Hopefully the injection helps though?

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    1. It's starting to feel better, oddly enough, so hopefully I can avoid the injection, lol

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  16. OMG Wendy I hear you on using the pandemic as an excuse. We've had that with almost everything ... the latest item is the table we ordered in February. It is now delayed until July... that's fine, we'll just keep using this stupid cat scratcher table to put our coffees on... the couch with the chair in it cracked me up though :).

    Steroid injections are never fun are they? Ugh. but it it helps I guess it's worth it!!

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    1. My husband got a kick out of that couch meme too, lol. The couch saga goes on...

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  17. I'm so glad that Lisa is feeling good and that you were able to spend the day with her in Chicago! :)

    On the news yesterday morning I heard that there is a national flower shortage "due to the pandemic". That struck me as a little odd!

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    1. That is really odd! I picked up some beautiful tulips at Whole Foods today. They had tons!

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  18. I do think the pandemic has become a little too convenient of an excuse for some businesses. Bummer about your sectional.

    Wonderful to hear that your sister is doing well!

    I hope the steroid shot helps your wrist - sounds pretty painful :(

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    1. Oddly enough, the pain is resolving. So maybe I won't need that shot after all!

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  19. What a PIA on that sectional. I did not know about the foam shortage. Sheesh. What next? How nice to be able to get out with your sis, and that she's doing well after being through so much. Hope your wrist feels better soon!

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  20. I had no idea there was a national foam shortage! Hope you can get that figured out. Whenever we have bought furniture we've had issues with delays or bringing the wrong item or leaving something out...but once we have the furniture its been good. Hope you can get some relief for your wrist pain!

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