Miscellaneous

Anomalies at the Autumn bird feeder:

A cute pair of Wood Thrushes have hopped around beneath the feeder for nearly two weeks. At some point they will surely continue their migration, but for now they appear to have amble food and warmth here.  Smile.

A few days ago, two very young baby Cardinals appeared. Maybe the late season young of some of our local residents. So young there was no hint of a crest, coloring, etc. At first, they merely sat on our crab apple tree, trying to eat LEAFS. We quickly refilled the sunflower seed feeder! After other birds--parents, maybe--showed example feeding behavior, the little pair learned.    Big Smiles.

Hummingbirds continue to drift through, stopping to feed at the Zinnias and Cannas. I don't trust myself to have hummingbird nectar feeders: I could see me forgetting to re-fill it, doing it improperly, killing masses of humming birds!  Frown.  So I rely on my nectar flowers.

Miscellaneous books:

Rosamunde Pilcher's "The Empty House".  August Reading.  Vintage Pilcher, published in 1973.

Bill Bryson's "A Walk in the Woods". Once upon a time, I thought I wanted to hike the Appalachian Trail; I was about 20 then. The book is entertaining, for sure; funny. Does have some good tips for long hikes.  I read "At Home", it was a better quality read. I sense a "pot boiler" in "..Walk..". On our recent trip, we strolled a fraction of a mile of the AT at a Pennsylvania State Park near Gettysburg.

"A Perfect Spy" by John LeCarre. This is LeCarre run wild. Amazing analysis of the personality (disorders) of a high-functioning espionage agent and his ultimate ruin. I plan to read all of LeCarre's novels, if possible.

A Book You "Miss", Once You Have Finished...

"September" by Rosamunde Pilcher is peopled by characters that, as individuals, are sometimes flat; but once they are assembled, they fit into the story just fine and the plot flows along very well for the entire 600+pages of the novel. The story is a continuation, sequel or "vol 2" of the authors wonderful hit, "The Shell Seekers"; one of Penelope Keeling's children figures as a moderately important character in "September". The wife of a wealthy business man decides to have a hunt ball dance party at their Scottish estate; one by one the central characters are drawn in, either asked to help organize the event or are invited to attend. If you love "Downton Abbey", you will likely enjoy the novels of Rosamunde Pilcher. My only complaint is my usual complaint about many novels: the editing; certain words and phrases occur in her novels like hiccups, for example, characters are too often "dealing with" some chore or situation; characters "eat their way through" too many meals. I feel patronized by clumsy or absent editing--I guess it's just me.