Saturday, March 13, 2021

Weekly Mews: Celebrating a Birthday ... and a Year of Isolation

I am linking up to the Sunday Post hosted by Kim of Caffeinated Book Reviewer and The Sunday Salon (TSS) hosted by Deb Nance of Readerbuzz  where participants recap our week, talk about what we are reading, share any new books that have come our way, and whatever else we want to talk about. I am also linking It's Monday! What Are you Reading? hosted by Kathryn of Book Date where readers talk about what they have been, are and will be reading.






What I Am Reading: I finished reading M. Ravenel's The Arrangement, the first book in her P.I. Tootsie Carter series set in the 1970's this past week. It was a quick and fun read. 

Mouse and I are nearing the end of Tales of a Not-So-Glam TV Star (Dork Diaries #7) by Rachel Renée Russell. There is one scene that had us laughing so hard (tears were running down my face--which only made Mouse laugh harder). It was funny and gross and I still cannot believe the character did that . . .

I am also reading The Memory Collectors by Kim Neville about two women with a similar gift (or curse) of feeling the emotions of objects people have left behind. They both view their abilities in very different ways. It's a more serious read in comparison to some of my other books read lately. I am enjoying it so far. 

Next up will be this month's TBR List Poll winner, which I am very much looking forward to reading. Thank you again to all who voted! 


What I Am Watching: I FINALLY started watching the 15th season of Supernatural. I hadn't realized how much I missed Sam, Dean and Castiel. It is good to be spending time with them again. 

This past weekend we watched the new Disney movie, Raya and the Last Dragon on Disney+We all enjoyed it, although I think Mouse wishes it had been a musical. 


Off the Blog: One day this past week I took the day off work so I could do some running around for my daughter's birthday. My husband and I decided to keep it lowkey this year because of the pandemic and my lack of creative party planning abilities. I got her doughnuts in the morning before school, presented her with a bouquet of birthday balloons, served her one of her favorite lunches, and we had pizza from her favorite Italian restaurant for dinner. There were presents from my husband and I as well as out of town family. Throughout the morning her teacher made sure to wish her a happy birthday several times, which I thought was nice of him. She had wanted to make her own birthday cake this year, and it turned out very yummy, Chocolate cake topped with chocolate frosting with pink frosting accents. One of her friends came over to drop off a present and the girls (masked and distanced, of course) played and talked in our yard while us moms talked for a while. She seemed to have a nice day over all. My mom will be coming the week after next to celebrate--so  the birthday celebrations aren't over yet. We haven't seen each other in over a year now and so are very excited about her visit.

Other than that, the week was fairly normal. It was my turn to work in the office and I had it pretty much to myself. I do not know if I will ever get used to the office being so empty. Of course, now there is talk of having staff in office more frequently but those plans are still up in the air for the time being. 

Girl Scout cookies sales are over for my daughter's troop. The Council extended the season another week because the area counties opened sales for booth sales last week and next. Our troop decided not to take part, a decision I am very happy with. The girls finished up their cooking badge and are now working on a scribe badge. For the first part, they have to write a poem and a short story.

Mouse's Zoom dance classes and rehearsals are going as well as can be, as is school. Her teacher has been teaching in his classroom the entire school year and so was on campus the day the hybrid students returned to the physical classroom. His class is strictly virtual and so he isn't teaching any children in-person this school year, but he wanted to wave and greet those who were returning--so he unplugged his computer and brought his class along so they could wave and say hello to the returning students too. The students, my daughter included, got to see the long line of kids waiting their turn for temperature checks before being allowed on campus. I did not see any of this, just heard it from the other room. I thought it was a nice gesture but also felt sad for those kids in my daughter's class who are disappointed they are not able to return in-person for the rest of the year.

It sounds like the county I live in will be moving up to the red tier the middle of next week, which will allow indoor dining among other restrictions being lifted --with limitations. Not that most restaurants in the area are not already open for both indoor and outdoor dining. The vaccination effort continues and seems to be going better than it was initially.

This week has been more of an emotional one than I would have expected, thinking back to where we were a year ago. The panic and fear, the not knowing and helplessness that followed. It has been a year since my daughter was last in a classroom or in daycare. Almost a year since my husband began working strictly from home and me part of the time. A year since our lives were turned completely upside down and we struggled to find a new normal, unsure how long it would last. Three weeks we were told back then. Three weeks that turned into more than a year. Its seems like a lifetime ago. So many lives lost.

What I Am Grateful For: Laughing uncontrollably with my daughter over a book. Homemade birthday cake. Surviving this past year. Time with my family. 



Thank you for helping me decide what book from my TBR collection I should read next: 

My TBR List is hosted by the awesome Michelle at Because Reading. It’s a fun way to choose a book from your TBR pile to read. The 1st Saturday of every month, I will list 3 books I am considering reading and take a poll as to which you think I should read. I will read the winner that month. My review will follow (unfortunately, not likely in the same month, but eventually--that's all I can promise). 



Thank you to all who voted in this month's poll. The choices were very different from one another but all shared a historical theme with a focus on women. The two books that did not win tied with five votes each. They were The Paper Daughters of Chinatown by Heather B. Moore and Women in White Coats by Olivia Campbell. Winning by a whopping 13 votes was The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner. I am looking forward to starting on that one soon!


Thank you for voting! I hope you all have a wonderful week! Happy Reading!


© 2021, Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

64 comments:

  1. This past year has been brutal, but filled with silver linings. I'm looking forward to some semblance of normal by this summer, but know that we will continue to be cautious. So happy that your mom will be visiting! Hugs all around :)

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    1. Stacy - I hope this summer will be somewhat more normal. I'm a little less anxious this time around with the re-opening of places, but still cautious. Thank you for visiting!

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  2. That's neat to her that The Arrangement was good! I just saw her talking about it on her blog. :) And happy birthday to your daughter!! Things seem to be opening up, don't they? We actually went out to eat this past week- the restaurant was very socially distanced, but it was still weird- it had been so long!

    And you're right- it's been a year and who knew??

    Yay the Lost Apothecary won! :)

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    1. Greg - I really enjoyed The Arrangement! Thank you for the birthday wishes for Mouse. My county just moved to the next tier and so more places are opening up. I am less anxious about it this time around than the last time--and clearly that didn't last long since we didn't even make it a month before restrictions were tightened again. Hopefully this time will be different. It feels different, anyway. I am glad you were able to eat out and that the restaurant went through the effort to take precautions. Too many of the restaurants around here don't even bother with social distancing and masks anymore. So, I doubt we'll be eating out in any of them any time soon.

      Thank you for stopping by!

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  3. I am very pleased to hear you have been enjoying your reading, catching back up with a favourite show and that your daughter had a lovely, albeit quiet, birthday. 😊 This week I finished reading the mythological-fantasy The Testament of Loki by Joanne Harris and started re-watching one of my favourite older shows: Merlin! 🧙‍♂️ Take care and happy reading in the coming week, Wendy 🙂

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    1. Jessica - It sounds like you had a nice reading week last week! I haven't watched Merlin. Maybe an episode here and there. It's on my to watch list though. :-) Thank you for visiting!

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  4. If I live long enough, it feels like I will experience it all. Hurricanes. Flooding. Earthquake. Deep freeze. And, now, a pandemic. I do hope we are nearing the end.

    It sounds like your daughter had a lovely birthday. And isn't it wonderful to imagine that soon you will be getting together with your mother after a long year apart?!

    I like the sound of Memory Collectors. I'll be curious to see what you think. I'm seeing The Lost Apothecary everywhere. Enjoy!

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    1. Deb - You just might experience it all! Let's not tempt fate though. LOL

      Yes, we are looking forward to seeing my mom again. :-)

      The Memory Collectors is good. I had hoped to be finished with it by now, but it's been slow going.

      Thank you for stopping by!

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  5. Can you believe that a year has passed?? It's a scary thought. But we will never forget 2020! Maybe it was the year that gave us "perfect vision" for the future.

    Anyway - Happy Birthday to your little girl!! Glad she at least had a good birthday.

    The Memory Collectors seems like my type of read. My husband has been talking about Rava, guess we'll watch it somewhere!

    Have a good week and take care of yourself!

    Elza Reads

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    1. Mareli (& Elza) - No, we will definitely never forget 2020. I think your prediction that it gave us "perfect vision" for the future may prove to be true.

      Thank you for the birthday wishes for Mouse. :-)

      I hope you enjoy Raya and the Last Dragon if you get a chance to see it! The Memory Collectors is good, but a bit slow going. I think that's more my fault than the book's though.

      Thank you for visiting!

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  6. Hi Wendy. What a year right? It's hard to believe a full year has passed in quarantine. I go to the office once in a while for a few hours if needed but am either in my department totally alone or there's one or two other people there. It's still surreal to me.

    How cute you and Mouse are enjoying reading Tales of a Not-So-Glam TV Star. Happy birthday to her! It sounds like she had a nice day.
    I saw The Lost Apothecary on Goodreads and it looks good, enjoy it. Stay well!

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    1. Naida - It's definitely been a year. It's the same for me. When I go to the office it's either just me or a couple other people. Surreal is a good word for it. My managers say working from home part of the time will continue beyond the pandemic, but no one knows what that will look like. I do imagine we'll be in the office more than we are now though. I have mixed feelings about it. Being able to work from home most of the time throughout this has been a blessing with my daughter having to be home for schooling.

      My daughter loves the Dork Diaries books. I am enjoying them too. :-) I just wish she'd be willing to read something else in between the books. LOL Thank you for the birthday wishes for her.

      Take care and thank you for stopping by! It's so good to "see" you again!

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  7. I hear you, about the year that has just passed and that we are slowly reemerging from. It's not easy for anyone, but seeing family like you are seeing yours helps.

    I might have asked before, but where do you work? I work at a smalltown library as a library assistant (a variety of jobs within the library, from checking out books to shelving to interlibrary loans to overdues).

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    1. Bryan - I think it will be a while before I am completely comfortable re-joining society, but we are starting to ease back in. Some of the restrictions have been lifted as of this week, and while we aren't ready for the movie theater or dining inside a restaurant, we're taking small steps forward.

      I almost chose a library career path. Working at the university library during my college years are some of my fondest memories of work. I work in social services now, supervising the child abuse hotline and the county's forensic interviewers.

      I hope you are enjoying your vacation. Thank you for visiting!

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  8. Oh those are great birthday plans. I hope she loved it as much too. Have been meaning to see Raya and the Last Dragon too.

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    1. Gayathri - She seemed to enjoy her birthday even if she couldn't have the party with friends she would have liked. I hope you enjoy Raya and the Last Dragon when you see it! Have a wonderful visit with your family in India!

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  9. Happy birthday to your daughter! My birthday is this week. I’ve been thinking about the pandemic anniversary a lot because the last time I went out without a mask was March 17, 2020. I was getting myself a birthday cake.

    Aj @ Read All The Things!

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    1. AJ - Thank you! I hope you have a Happy Birthday! Last year we squeezed my daughter's birthday celebration in just before the restrictions became official. I can't believe it's been a year. It's been the longest year ever.

      Have a great week! Thank you for stopping by!

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  10. Yeah, they are selling girl scout cookies near my home too. I'm not sure how you feel on the topic but I'm kinda glad they're letting girls in boy scouts.

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    1. Trin - I'll always pick Girl Scouts over Boy Scouts for girls, but I know it is a better fit for some families. Thank you for visiting!

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  11. Happy Birthday to your daughter! The Lost Apothecary looks good. I've been seeing around the blogosphere lately. I hope you enjoy it. Have a great week!

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    1. Yvonne - Thank you! I hope you are having a great week too!

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  12. Happy Birthday to Mouse. It sounds like it was a good day even if it was low key. I can't imagine not seeing my grandchildren and children for a year. Enjoy that visit. I'm with Mouse Disney movies should be musicals.😊 I really enjoyed The Lost Apothecary and I hope you do as well. We are in the red zone, so can dine in, but only 10 people in a restaurant at a time. That is really dumb, because it doesn't matter how big a place is, so some places are full at 10, while others are a drop in a bucket as they can hold over 200. I will just stay home for now. Enjoy your week, Wendy.

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    1. Carla - Thank you! I know my mom misses seeing my daughter. With the travel ban and restrictions though, it just wasn't we wanted to chance. I am glad you enjoyed The Lost Apothecary. I had hoped I would have started it by now, but hopefully tomorrow.

      We just shifted to the red tier this week and dine-in is finally allowed. Not that it's stopped most restaurants in the county. They don't even follow the mask and social distance restrictions, so if anything, they probably feel this means they can open up completely. As a result, we'll still be staying away for the most part. I hope you are having a good week too!

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  13. Happy birthday to your daughter. I miss Supernatural and wish it hadn't ended.

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    1. Mary - Thank you for the birthday wishes for my daughter. I will be sad when I come to the end. I'd managed to avoid all spoilers about the ending (other than people didn't like it), but then I saw one the other day. Oh well. It was inevitable, I suppose, that I would find out. Thank you for stopping by!

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  14. I was very sad to see the last season of Supernatural come to an end last year. 15 years! And I still miss Sam and Dean. I'll have to start watching the show over from year one just to get my weekly Winchester fix. :D

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    1. Lark - Fifteen years is a long time. I feel like I've spent a lifetime with the Winchesters. I'm sure I'll want to rewatch it at some point after I finish it. Maybe just not right away. Thank you for visiting!

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  15. I'm glad your daughter had a nice birthday. Yes the last year has led to many adjustments and discoveries. But it's not forever as everything changes.

    Anne - Books of My Heart This is my Sunday Post

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    1. Anne (Books of My Heart) - Thank you! Yes, everything does change--that's the one thing we can count on (and death, but that's depressing). Thank you for stopping by!

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  16. Sounds like Mouse had such a wonderful birthday! What a year we've had right? I look back through some of my journal entries and see so much unknown. Not that there isn't unknown yet but having the vaccine available is really giving me hope. Granted, I still haven't been able to get mine. But hopefully soon. And, that's wonderful that you'll be able to see your mom soon. Wishing you a great week ahead!

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    1. Iliana - She had a nice birthday, thank you. :-) I hope you are able to get an appointment soon for your vaccine. Yes, it certainly does give me hope. Thank you for visiting!

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  17. Happy Birthday to Mouse; it sounds like a lovely day (and, really, when isn't it great to get all your favorite foods?!). We will probably also hit the red tier on Tuesday so secondary students will return Thursday if that happens.

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    1. Helen - Thank you! She was most excited about the presents, I think. LOL We hit the red tier yesterday here. I think our middle and high school students will return after spring break, which is this coming week. At least the hybrid students. Thank you for stopping by!

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  18. I remember a year ago too, but I was wary when the "two week" stay at home orders were announced. It's hard to believe it's been a year and we're still not out of the woods. Hopefully soon, though!

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    1. Tammy - I think many of us suspected the temporary stay at home orders wouldn't be for just two or three weeks. But boy did some people cling to that in their arguments for reopening after! I hope things will continue to improve too. Thank you for visiting!

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  19. Aww I love that you had that laugh attack while reading a book to your daughter. Those are the kind of moments that live forever.

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    1. Jinjer - Yes, those are! It was a special moment. :-) Thank you for stopping by!

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  20. I remember the days of Girl Scout Cookie sales. I don't miss it but I do miss having pre-teen girls in the house. Both my daughters are grown-ups now. My Sunday Salon post

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    1. Anne (Head Full of Books) - I'm so glad we're done selling cookies. Am I allowed to say that now? LOL I don't like fundraising of any kind really, and that includes cookie sales. Thank you for visiting!

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  21. That's wonderful that you were able to pull together such a lovely and lowkey birthday celebration for your daughter. I'm glad she enjoyed it and that she got to hang out with one of her friends for a while too. I hope you enjoy The Lost Apothecary. I selected that as my March Book of the Month and am really looking forward to it.

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    1. Suzanne - I think she was a little jealous at first that I took the day off from work but made her attend her classes. LOL But when I explained why, she seemed okay with it since she was benefiting the most from it. I hope we both enjoy The Lost Apothecary! Thank you for stopping by!

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  22. Hey! I am so glad you enjoyed The Arrangement! Thanks so much for your honest review!

    I watched Raya and the Last Dragon, too, and it was a fun movie. Definitely has a lot of great themes for young and old alike.

    Hope you have a great week!

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    1. Marie - Your book was very good. I hope to post a proper review soon, but likely after my blogging break.

      I am glad you enjoyed Raya and the Last Dragon too. It seemed to carry some very relevant themes for today, didn't it?

      I hope you are having a great week too. Thank you for visiting!

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  23. Glad your daughter had a wonderful birthday! Hope you have a great week!

    Here’s my Sunday Post!

    Ronyell @ Rabbit Ears Book Blog

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  24. Happy birthday to Mouse! It's good to hear the vaccination efforts seem to be improving - fingers crossed that things would have significantly improved by the end of the year (which is a long time, but still better than continuing this pandemic!)

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    1. Eustacia - Thank you for the birthday wishes for Mouse. :-) I sure hope things are better by the end of the year. I know we still have a ways to go, but hopefully the situation will improve more and more as we go. Thank you for stopping by!

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  25. Sounds like Mouse had a wonderful birthday! Homemade cakes are always the best!

    What an unforgettable 2020, isn't it? The pandemic has made us see the good and the bad side of people; but most importantly we also learn to be more appreciative and not to take anything for granted. Hopefully this year will be a better year.

    And I'm glad The Lost Apothecary won the vote! Hope you enjoy the book, Wendy!

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    1. Melody - It turned out to be a good day, I think. :-)


      Yes, I have learned a lot from this experience--both good and bad, and I am definitely more appreciative of things I took for granted before.

      Thank you for voting and visiting! I hope to start The Lost Apothecary tomorrow (fingers crossed!).

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  26. Happy Birthday to Mouse, it sounded like you made it special for her. I hope you have a wonderful time when your mom arrives.

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    1. Diane - Thank you! I sure tried to make it special for her. Last year we got our celebration in just before everything shut down.

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  27. I hope your daughter had a lovely birthday. I saw some of the pics and it all looked fun even though you had to kind of keep it low key. And homemade cake is always the best anyway!

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    1. Ti - Thank you! She seemed to. She wasn't happy I made her still attend her virtual classes, but she was more willing when I told her she'd still have to make up the work if she didn't. And thankfully her teacher showered her with attention. I think that helped. :-)

      Thank you for stopping by!

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  28. Happy belated birthday to your daughter - I hope she had a fabulous one - it sounds pretty good and you did well. :)

    It has been a year, hasn't it? I'm glad that we are seeing more positive news nowadays so I cannot wait for more people to be vaccinated and hopefully have kids return to school without fear for parents next year. Fingers crossed.

    Have a great week, Wendy!

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    1. Athira - Thank you! She said she had a good birthday.

      Yes! It is so good to see more positive news out there. Hopefully it will continue.

      Thank you for visiting!

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  29. What a wonderful birthday! I'm sure Mouse enjoyed it. It sounds like her teacher is a special one. We are at a year here too. On the 13th schools were shut down and on the 17th my husband's office went virtual unless you are on a classified project. It's crazy to think it's been a year but at the same time it seems like it's been forever. Have a great week!

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    1. Katherine - She seemed to enjoy it. :-) She's looking forward to celebrating again when her grandmother comes to visit. I really like her teacher this year. He's been great through all of this. It really does seem like this pandemic has lasted forever and yet sometimes it's hard to believe it's been a year already. I hope you have a great week too!

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  30. It’s definitely been an unbelievable year for all of us. Hoping that as those slow steps towards normalcy continue and pick up speed as we get closer to the summary. Thank you for sharing regarding the Memory Collector, it sounds like a good book

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    1. Mariya - It would be nice to return to some sense of normalcy. I think we are headed there. Hopefully we'll continue to move forward and not slide back. I am enjoying The Memory Collectors. I hope to finish it within a day or two. Thank you for visiting!

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  31. Happy birthday to your daughter! We're excited to watch Raya and the Last Dragon. I'm glad to hear it was good! Enjoy your week!

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    1. Jen - Thank you! I hope you enjoy Raya and the Last Dragon when you see it! I hope you are enjoying your week too. :-)

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  32. It has been quite the year hasn't it?! I am glad that you were able to make your daughter's birthday such a special day for her. I am so glad that you are going to get to see your mom soon! I included my mom in our circle pretty early in the pandemic when it became apparent that too much time alone was not good for her mental health.

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    1. Carole - I am glad we could make her birthday special too. I know it wasn't the birthday she dreamed about for this milestone, but she understands the situation.

      I am glad you were able to include your mom in your circle early on. My husband and I have been strict about following our state's health mandates and restrictions, which included a travel ban for much of this. We didn't want to risk her health or ours. I was worried initially about her as she lives alone, but, honestly, she's been more social than the three of us.

      Thanks for stopping by!

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