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Wednesday, February 2, 2011

it's chilly... and some books

We are having some very cold weather!  I know, some you of are really suffering, like with actual snow and ice.  But for us 18 degrees is super cold.  Living in an old house can be hard this time of year.  With the heater going and a space heater plugged in- I can't get my bedroom warmer than 60 degrees.  Without the space heater it hovers around 50!  The living room is another story.  It is way colder in there.
Imagine my chagrin when the call just came in that they will be shutting off my power today.  For just 20 minutes.  But if it's 60 degrees in my house with the heat on, how cold is it going to get?

I'm a wuss about cold.  I know I am.  Feel free to tell me that!

Oh- and did I mention that our pipes are frozen?

And that the chickens slept in the laundry room?

Me thinks we will take this "arctic blast" warning a little more seriously next time!  It's just so hard to believe when it was in the 70's over the weekend!

Ok- enough complaining.

My friend Rachel posts the books she's read for the month on her blog.  I love that she does this because I always take her suggestions and read them too!  It's hard for a mama to find good books when there is little time to search for them.  So I appreciate that she does this.  And it's great to have a record of the books read throughout the year.  My goal this year is to read 35 books.  Not including my herbal texts.  This is lofty.  But I'm going to go for it!

Books read in January:

The Elephant Keeper Christopher Nicholson
This novel is haunting and interesting...and a bit strange.  It is about a man, living in 19th century England that is a horse keeper.  His employer buys two elephants and takes them in his charge.  He ends up following the elephants owner to owner as they are bought and sold.  It has a strange ending that left me a bit unsettled.  Like things hadn't been resolved.

Remarkable Creatures Tracy Chevalier
I loved this book!  It is historical fiction, that is one reason I loved it so.  It presented some big questions about fossils, God's design and the role of women in 18th century England.  It is written beautifully.  Read this one.

A Hole in Our Gospel Richard Stearn
I partially read this book.  It is very good- but the point is reiterated several times and I'm a quick learner!  It is written by the president of World Vision- an organization that we love and support.  If you are searching for how Christians are to care for the poor of the world, this is a wonderful resource.  I'll probably pick this one up again and finish out the parts that I skimmed.

8 comments:

The Farmers Nest said...

Girl....not cool turning off the power this morning. We are camped out today in the middle bedroom with the space heater and blankets. This is about the time that the cute 1930's home we bought is just a drafty old house.

Rachel said...

Yes! I am so happy to see some book recommendations from you. I reserved one at the library already. I hope I can get to it soon! Stay warm!

Cheryl said...

Yeah we are freezing our fannies off in our old, drafty, no no insulation house too. It's currently 51 in the kitchen. We've stayed a steady 20 degrees above the outside temp...I should be (and I am!) grateful. But holy moly...I don't do cold. We have frozen pipes as well. Good thing it's too cold to change clothes so doing laundry isn't really an issue. We are under the covers with hot chocolate and a movie. That's the afternoon plan! Wishing you warm memories during this cold snap!

TxFarmhouse said...

Don't feel so bad about being a wuuss about the cold..I am too. I don't do cold! Our pipes over here in Caldwell are frozen too..spent all day working on the well.
Good luck on those chickens in the laundry room..hope they're biddies!
Stay warm.

Nicola said...

I just have to acknowledge that no only is 18 cold, but really cold if it means the chickens are allowed in the laundry room. Oh, the poop...
Nicola :)

SimpleAsSheGoes said...

I feel bad now complaining to my husband this morning that our bedroom and bathroom were cold. I highly doubt they were below about 65. And that might be a stretch.

BUT, what I really wanted to say was - I love historical fiction. If you ever want any book suggestions, let me know. My first two (not knowing what you've read besides this list) would be The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls and Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen. Two of my absolute favorites.

SimpleAsSheGoes said...

Since I can't figure out how to respond to your comment on my blog, I'll post it here where I know you'll get it. I'm pretty sure I saw your blog when looking at The YonderWay or HomeSweetFarm site (I've been a silent follower of your blog for a while). We do not know each other directly, but we both know the Kramers and Stufflebeams (although I don't know them personally. We just buy from them.)

Hendrick Family said...

Getting Remarkable Creatures on my Kindle right this moment.

Love to you.

Heather