It's All Over but the Leftovers

Another Christmas has come and gone. We enjoyed a nice quiet family holiday.. the weather didn't bother us as we had no travels planned. We've just been rather lazy, taking it easy, getting caught up on reading and nibbling on more than a few chocolates. And turkey... yummy turkey dinners... hot and cold turkey sandwiches.. turkey salad.. turkey soup and tonight - the last of the turkey, Laura's favourite - Turkey Broccoli Braid. Yummm
As you can see I have an amaryllis in bloom - it's a double and there is a second stalk as well, so we'll be enjoying it for a while. I LOVE fresh blooms in the winter, they seem to make the cold weather a bit more bearable. Although the bloom looks rather red/orange here, it is actually a beautiful coral color. The photo on the box showed a soft pink and yellow... hmmm, guess you don't always get what's shown in the photo when it comes to bulbs. My bulb from last year is also budded and will be open in a few short days. It's called Apple Blossom and is a very delicate pink and white combination.

How nice it has been the last 5 days to indulge myself in several good books. I have finished Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese, and Dewey, The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron with Bret Witter. Cutting for Stone, is the story of twin brothers born of a secret union between a nursing Indian Nun and a brash British surgeon. Orphaned by their mother's death and their father's immediate disappearance, the twins grow up amidst the upheaval as Ethiopia teeters on the brink of revolution. Moving between Addis Ababa and New York City, and back to Ethiopia, this is a story of love, betrayal, medicine and a shared connection between two brothers raised by doctors in a mission hospital. I found this story rich and absorbing, and think it would make a great movie.

I bought Dewey for Laura for Christmas and five days later, three of us have read it. It's a heart-warming story about a cat, who is far more than "just a cat". It's a story of love, courage and determination, set in small town Iowa. Dewey is an extraordinary feline who manages to bring a small town together with his sixth sense of who needs him most. This is a tale any animal lover would love. Five stars from this cat-lover!

I received Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie for Christmas from my friend and fellow book-lover Barb. I think it might be next on my "To Read" list... Stay tuned...

Peace
Linda

A book is like a garden carried in the pocket.
~ Chinese proverb