Wednesday, January 4, 2012

1/4/2012


Well, I'm back. Someone has been calling me "Basically Blogless Susan" to try to get me to get back to it. I don't plan to have a regular posting schedule, just when I finish a book or project that needs reporting on!!!
Brief update on what has happened in the last 2.5 years.
Daddy died on June 25, 2011. He had had heart valve replacement surgery and just wasn't strong enough to recover.
Mack has gone to doggie heaven. But Cory has come to live with us. He is a WILD 21 month old westie boy. Love him to pieces but anyone who stole him, would bring him back!!! ;-) I have never learned to put pictures where I wanted them, so the picture at the top is Cory. He had to have knee surgery before he was a year old. I carried him around for the 8 weeks he was supposed to be in the kennel healing, so he is SPOILED!!!
Let's see. Most of 2011, I knit on Kate's Shopping Shawl. It is with fingering weight yarn on size 1 needles!!! I started it in May 2011 and hope to finish it by the end of January 2012. So look for pictures soon, I hope!!
I took up stained glass. Both fused and soldered. I will post a couple of pictures later. Seems I needed to put all the pictures in first, then write around them. As I am typing it is coming back to me!!!
I read 111 books for 37,600 pages. That is a drop from 2010, when I read 134 for a total of 49,600 pages. But I was having fun!!! ;-)
So far this year I have read The Girl who Played With Fire. I had been putting off reading this series because folks told me how hard it was to get into. Well, the movie came out and I didn't want to see the movie until I read the book. The first book did take the first 65% to get into, but the last 35% was excellent. Played with Fire, I was engrossed from the first page. I think I liked book 2 better than 1. I have watched the Swedish movies for the first 2 books (dubbed in English). I started the Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Next last night, but since I hadn't finished Fire until 2:45AM the night/morning before, I didn't read long before I fell asleep, so you will have to wait until a little later for an update on what I think of book 3.
I have 10 Reading Challenges, I am playing along with for 2012. I will do a separate post on them soon. I did 14 in 2011 and completed 9. I never really sign up for them, just follow the rules and keep track of them on my own.
Ok, before you get bored.
Chat later
Susan

11 comments:

SissySees said...

How cool is that?! Your birthday and *I* get a present! Squee!!!! Have Cory give you a hug for me. ;)

flyingbeader said...

Good to see you back. Sorry about the losses in your life. I feel for you.

As for reading...I JUST finished ...Hornets Nest. I love love the trilogy. You MUST see the Swedish movies but wait until after you've read all three. I saw them after I read only Dragon Tattoo. And of course the Daniel Craig movie is a must also.

Susan said...

SissySees: He gives me hugs everyday. Lots of kisses too!! Thanks for the b'day wishes

FlyingBeader: I have watched each of the Swedish movies after I finished the book. So I have read and seen the first two. I really think you need to read the books to understand the movies. I will definitely see the US version, but probably when it gets to DVD.

Dorothy said...

Susan, it's so good to see you back blogging!
Cory is adorable. It's hard not to spoil them. You're lucky you could pick him up, I was sleeping on the couch to keep Daisy company since she couldn't do the stairs. It's worth it though, they give us so much love in return.
Happy Birthday. By the way, any photos of quilts in progress?

Susan said...

Dorothy, haven't been doing much quilting, have been working on this shopping shawl!! I will finish it, soon I hope!!!

km said...

Well, I guess I have another 6 months before Chan might call me BasicallyBloglessKM. I hopped over from Chanks to see who her "blogless" friend was. I actually just posted this morning before trying to read my blogs while making 17 trips to take the new puppy potty. Busy morning.

gMarie said...

Oh so much - first Happy Birthday! Second - so sorry about the losses in your life, neither are easy and both hurt equally I think.

Love the reading. Is Played with Fire different than the Dragon Tatoo books? They sound very similar to me. g

Katherine said...

My sympathies for your loss! It's so good to have you back in the blog world. Cory is an absolute doll and he can't possibly be any more spoiled than my Jack Russell Terrier Macy! I tried getting into Dragon Tattoo but just couldn't get interested. Maybe I can just start with the second book. I will try again!

Susan said...

km - what kind is the new puppy? I remember those days, they weren't so long ago!!! Watch out, now that I have blogged, she can move onto you!!

gMarie - Thanks for the good wishes. The "Dragon Tatoo" books are 1) The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo 2) The Girl who Played with Fire and 3) The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Next.

Katherine - he is a doll, but he is a SPOILED ROTTEN BRAT!! I have had spoiled dogs before, but this is my first brat!!!

I read Dragon Tattoo on Kindle, so don't have page numbers, but the first 65%, I read because it had to get better. The last 35% was excellent!!! You needed to meet the folks to understand them. The second book, I was engrossed from page 1. I have just started the third book, and it is a little, slow, but I have to believe it will pick up, I am only at 15%.

Thanks to all of you for dropping in to see me.

Thanks Chan, for the mention.

Marjie said...

Dropping by from Chan's! Happy Birthday. I have said of some of my sons that if someone stole them, they'd quickly return them (after trying to feed them). Enjoy your reading!

Susan said...

Marjie, thanks for visiting. Come back and see us.