Staying at Home

Well this week has been fun! Right after work on Monday, I came home and assembled the push-mower that had come in the mail last week. Turned out to be an excellent, sturdy model (only $60 including shipping when I bought it), being exactly what I needed. The next day at the NEX, I bought a metal rake to get rid of the clippings and a pair of gardening shears to trim the edges of the patio, and that worked out very well too.

I also started another 1000-piece puzzle that I've had sitting around for years, and finished it on Friday.

This greatly reminds me of camping on Ham lake in Minnesota... so very vivid and nostalgic. See what I mean: 2012 BWCA Photo Contest.

On our special day off from work on Thursday (after our duty day), I invited Kari home for breakfast before driving her to her own place (her car is in the shop). It's always such a pleasure to be off the ship after duty, but having an excellent breakfast to share was the tops. We had scrambled eggs with cheese, turkey sausage, orange juice and wheat toast with jelly. Yum!

On the way back from taking her home, I stopped at the library to pick up the other two Lord Peter Wimsey movies that were waiting for me (they had been in storage). While there I poked around a little, picking up a Lincoln Brewster CD Today is the Day, a book about the Civil War navy, War on the Waters (is someone going to attack Mike and I?), a couple audio books (Mansfield Park and 1776... both too long for me to sit down and read), and three other movies, besides the two Wimseys (Guys and Dolls, Jarhead, and the Adventures of Robin Hood - too look at the extras).

And what extras they had! I loved everything I looked at: the Making-Of film, the film historian-narrated behind the scenes footage, the two Loony Toons R.H. themed cartoons, the blooper reel of films of 1938, and finally, audio of a NBC radio program from 1938, advertising the film by having Basil Rathbone introduce the live orchestra playing the film's score. He would describe the scene fitting each piece and said lots of nice things about Errol Flynn and Olivia deHavilland. I listened while I worked on my puzzle, and it was so enjoyable. What memorable music! Turns out the composer Korngold came from Vienna on invitation to work on the film, just before the Nazis took over.

I don't think I've gone out to eat this whole week! That's pretty irregular for me, but I don't mind. Made tacos on Monday, strawberry shortcake on Tuesday, and Thursday night, spaghetti and sauce with Italian sausage and mushrooms mixed in. Lots of trips to the commissary and Farm Fresh, though. :) I watched both Wimsey films (1987, BBC), Strong Poison and Gaudy Night. The latter I watched yesterday and was amazed at how the crammed that long novel into merely three episodes. They condensed it pretty well, though. Must read that again soon! I did read a few more chapters of that Christian novel... not too terribly excited about it anymore. Seems like it's trying to be graphic and shocking (it's centered on the Roman gladiator games), but toned down for teenagers at the same time; there's a lot of youthful angst in it.

Anyway, I've been thoroughly enjoying my time off this week!
Jw