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Well, it looks like summer has finally arrived. We’ve had temperatures close to 30C (90F) some days, however the temperature has also dipped into the teens, so it’s still somewhat unsettled and colder than normal.
While the month of May was very eventful, it would probably boring for anyone who isn’t interested in sports. I’m part of the administrative crew for the largest fastpitch tournament in Canada and we’ve started to gear up for it, so it’s been taking up much of my time. My job includes lots of recruiting, scorekeeping and sending endless emails. It’s my first year in this position and I’m prepared for a trial-by-fire. Please keep me in your prayers, ha ha! 😉
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In mid-May I travelled to scorekeep a softball tournament in the Interior of B.C. where it is usually desert-like conditions. Not this year. They had been having torrential rains and flooding, and we were set to arrive right in the middle of another storm and predicted evacuations. The rains and flooding were said to be an event that would only happen there once every 200 years. Ah, what luck! As it turned out the drive was uneventful except for a snowstorm and fog at the summit of the highway, which lasted only about 10 minutes and the weekend, while overcast, did not bring any further rain. Phew!
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I was able to have a short weekend away to visit the city of Victoria, which is the capital of British Columbia. It’s a lovely old-world British-style city with wonderful shops and amazing places to eat, not to mention the Parliament Buildings. If anyone ever visits B.C., don’t miss it!
As for reading, as you can imagine, my time has been very limited. Thucydides’ The History of the Peloponnesian War seems to be taking forever and (can I be honest?), he is so dry and uninteresting that I’m feeling like falling asleep whenever I read him. On a positive note, I do like the speeches, and in particular, Thucydides’ speech on the evils of war. In any case, if I’m not finished this book by the end of this month, I’ll cry. And I think Thucydides caused me to lose my mind a little because I went off track and read three totally unplanned un-classics. Seriously, don’t faint. I read High Fidelity by Nick Hornsby, a book reminiscent of On the Road by Jack Kerouac, being a memoir of an adolescent adult who refuses to grow up, behaves like a child, and then is completely puzzled that his life is a total mess and he is incapable of having a fulfilling relationship. Duh! Next, I read an Alex Delaware novel, Heartbreak Hotel, which was awful (after 32 Alex Delaware books, perhaps Kellerman should give up), and finally Empire of the Sun which was about a boy trying to survive Japanese occupation of China during WWII. It was mildly interesting but, while two of the books counted for my Guardians 1000 list, I realized that I needed to return to those dependable classics.
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| © Cleo @ Classical Carousel |
June comes with continuing softball responsibilities yet I’m also going to make an escape to the island for a weekend and hopefully recapture some lost reading time. I’d like to be able to pull out the kayaks and go for a good long paddle as well. Biking …..? Yoga …..? Well, hopefully, but of course, as time permits. I’ve also starting planting in my garden which should have started a month ago but was held up because of the weather. Finally my figs are coming out on my fig tree, my quince is in blossom, my apple tree has just finished blossoming, and my Italian plum tree is destined to be torn out because in spite of having piles of blossoms every year, it never bears plums. I did manage to plant the potatoes I received during my farm trip in April, so it’s been fun to see them starting to come up as well.
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As for reading, I’m going to finish Thucydides. Let me say that again, I AM GOING TO FINISH THUCYDIDES! I have a number of buddy reads starting including two on Goodreads where we’ll read The Republic and Augustine’s City of God (help!). A third will be with Cirtnecce and Helen and we’ll start Shadow of the Moon by M.M. Kaye as soon as I get my copy, hopefully in another week. I’m not trying to look farther than that. My cup overfloweth and if I started thinking of any more books, my head would probably explode.
And the food blog? ….. ah, the now dreaded food blog. I’m still waiting for my partner to make a date to get together and compile our bios and mission statement. Both of us are very busy but chasing him down can be a task in itself. I’ve already drafted a number of recipes and tested a number of them (ha, funny how he seems to be around for the testing but not for the writing!) so I’m really ready to launch except for this one snag. Will we be unsnagged by July? Stay tuned to find out!
They say 'Summer, and the livin' is easy'….but it sounds like you have a lot on your 'plate' (sublte ref to food blog :). The massive classics you are reading and in the planning are major, and I repeat major challenges! City of God (I'm not ready for that yet), The Peloponnesian Wars ( I think I'll need audio to get through this book) and Republic, though intense, feel like a piece of cake in comparison to the other 2 books. Hope you enjoy the kayak, softball and some rest this summer. I did find this on http://www.audio.com and think it will be a perfect opportunity to get me to finally read the book: The Peloponnesian War
Written by: Thucydides
Narrated by: David McCallion
Length: 19 hrs and 8 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release Date:05-11-17
My goodness, it sounds like you have a very overflowing schedule. Hope you stay sane.
In regards to the plum tree, does it need to be pruned? I know that if apple trees put all their effort into blossoms that there isn't enough "oomph" left for the actual apples. And that is the extent of my gardening knowledge. Cut it down and have a cook out!
I'm slowly making my way through City of God, ending hopefully at the end of December, so it's a manageable pace. So far it's more interesting and "easier" than I'd anticipated.
Good luck with the Peloponnesian War! You will need perseverance and a good attitude. Or perhaps you'll surprise me and be riveted! In any case, it's worth a reading. 🙂
I'm looking forward to August, I must admit, when life should slow down a little. It's all fun though.
I could try pruning it but it's only about 5 years old. For the first three years it got no blossoms and then suddenly in the last two years it's had tons. It does have some sort of virus — I can see it on the branches. I'm not a very patient gardener so my modus operandi is to rip it out and start over. But I have learned that planting fruit trees in the fall gives them a better start so I'm going to wait until then. I have dreams of one day having time to nurture my garden but until then it receives haphazard care and probably responds in kind. Who could blame it? 😉
had to laugh re the "on the road" lookalike… i read the first couple of sentences in that book and retired to the bathroom to barf… i don't why that guy ever thought he could write…
i'm typing with mittens on, here in nw or, and wondering if warmer weather forgot to arrive this year… we took the ferry from port angeles to victoria once on the way to uclulet; very pretty and scenic trip… i started to get a little seasick on the boat, though…
You can say that again (about City of God): HELP!!! Did I say two months to read? I may mean two years!
I am glad you were able to visit BC and had a good time. I have heard from friends that it is quite magnificent! I will remember to visit, "when I" get there! I do hope you get to go the Island and post some heavenly pictures that will help me vicariously find relief from the heat! I am seriously now concerned about Thucydides and City of God. I loved Herodotus and took forever; with those two do you think 2 years should suffice??!! What the hell do I keep getting myself into?
BTW, I think I had the same experience with Thucydides: (while I did prefer the monologues) I found myself drifting away and at time completely avoiding [the book] for other books I had no intention of reading. How funny!!
Okay, you gave me my laugh for the day ….. perhaps the week! 😀 Barfing and mittens! What a combination! I do know what you mean about On The Road. I had absolutely no patience for that book.
Is it really THAT cold? We weren't terribly cold here, but it's certainly not summer temperatures.
I think I've been to Port Angeles …. once ….. I really like the coastal Washington area, but probably because it's very much like here.
Good news is that City of God is (so far) not as arduous as expected. Phew!
Yes, it's funny you had the same reaction. I'm determined now to keep focus and get through it, then I'll review my reaction again when done.
So far my travels plans have not changed, which is a relief as I cancelled a trip there this past month. I would like some heat but I've decided to be happy with the weather as it is. Nothing I can do about it so I might as well enjoy it.
I've planned City of God out over the remaining months of the year, so I think that's approximately 30-odd pages a week …??? Very doable. As for Thucydides, I should have finished already so I need to focus. Together they sound overwhelming, but slow and steady wins the race, right? 😉
Sounds like a fun and productive summer! The Greek classics scare me, so MUCH respect for you sticking to Thucydides. 🙂 Also, you reminded me I want to visit Victoria again. We've been up to B.C. (from Washington) a couple of times, and it's always been a great trip.
That Dr. Seuss quote is so true!
“How did it get so late so soon? It's night before it's afternoon. December is here before it's June. My goodness how the time has flewn. How did it get so late so soon?” ~ Dr. Seuss
Oh my goodness, I just LOVED that Dr. Seuss quote! Where DID the time go? I bought my house last August and took a break from blogging, then decided to get back into it…then (as you know) decided to give it up. Except I can't stop thinking about it, and I'm itching to write. So now it's been almost a year (My goodness how the time has flewn! lol) and….well, I don't think I can stay away from the blogging world. I was SOOO busy since last August, and I think that's why I got discouraged. So I'm jumping back in, and I'm excited to begin reading your posts again. 🙂
You would do fine with the Greek classics and you might even like them! 🙂
That's right, you're not that far away, are you? It's a lovely trip, especially in the summer.
I'm soooo glad you're back to blogging, Kenia. I enjoyed your blog so much because you put so much thought into your posts. I'm looking forward to reading it again, if I can get some time to myself. As you may have noted, my own blog posting is falling off due to life and busyness. I hope to be able to focus more in August.