So what's new?

It has been awhile since I've written something other than a book review. Thought I'd write about some changes going on.

No more Tuesday "Craft Club" through the Milwaukee Rec. While I've enjoyed the past three years at the weekly Craft Club, I decided to give that a break for awhile. The crafts have been repetitive and I've outgrown most of them. Another reason has to do with the majority of the group's political rancor. I don't wish to listen to it. Perhaps I'll give the club a try once again but not until the January, 2017 semester - the presidential election will be over by then.

No more Thursday "Mixed Media Class" through the Hart Park Senior Center. I gave that a try for four months late last year and just didn't feel I was learning enough. Some stuff was inspirational and I enjoyed the people in the class, but I decided to find something else.

No more bi-monthly "Book Club" with family and friends. The number of active participants is dwindling to where it doesn't make much sense to continue. It was fun while it lasted though. One of the most satisfying things that came from the nine years is how the dynamics between the generations changed. I no longer thought of some of the members as "my daughter's friend" or my friend's daughter; instead I think of them all as my friend.

Less Bowling. I plan on dropping one of my two weekly bowling leagues but this won't happen until next fall. I've decided to bowl once a week on a three-person team. I may stay with the current Friday morning league as it is a three-person team, or find a new league somewhere else next fall. My bowling isn't going very well; partly because I'm developing arthritis in my fingers, especially my thumb. I just had the thumb hole drilled a little larger to accommodate the deformity. Second time within a year I've had to do this.

New - Watercolor Painting. Now that I have opened up my days a bit, I enrolled in the WCTC Watercolor Painting Class eight-week basic's class. It is held on Wednesday's at the Fox Brook Park pavilion which is a great location for me. Once the "basic" class is over, I'll be taking the next eight-week "Continuing" watercolor class. This type of instruction is good for my learning curve. I've had some success with watercolor painting but it's been mostly by copying something on YouTube. I really do enjoy the solitude of going upstairs in the early mornings with a cup of coffee, NPR on the radio, and seeing what I can create with water and paint.

More Photography. I do love this more and more. I've begun processing my RAW photos through Adobe's Lightroom and am learning more and more about that program each time I use it. I'm preparing for the next State Fair competition; have entered the Bristol Renaissance Faire competition; and usually participate in a weekly assignment online via Flicker. Unfortunately I had a mishap with my FujiX100S - it is in New Jersey being fixed right now.

Looking forward to the golf season. Last summer I joined a league and struggled, but started to come around mid-August. Let's hope the weather gods are good this year. Our season begins May 5th.

Staying Home - Being busy is okay, but I really do love having a few days a week where I can just stay home and do housework, bake, or see how many Zombies I can destroy on our new X Box One.

Review: Becoming Marta

Becoming Marta by Lorea Canales
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

A free book from Amazon Prime - now I know why it was free.

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Review: The Man in the High Castle

The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I held off on providing feedback until after the "Book Club" discussion. I was the only one who seemed to enjoy this book but then again I did read it twice. Being written in the early 1960's I believe the author was probably under the influence of LSD or something. The writing certainly was bizarre however the premise of Germany and Japan winning WWII and what life might be like afterward was quite interesting. If you do attempt this, I recommend keeping a list of the characters as they are introduced. It helped me tremendously the 2nd time I read it. The Amazon series based on this is excellent. Similar characters, however the story follows a different path. Because I doubt I'll ever forget this story, I am willing to give it a rare 5 star rating.

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Review: Day After Night

Day After Night by Anita Diamant
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My third book by Anita Diamant was not disappointing. In this historical fiction story she refers to something that truly happened in 1945. I found it amazing as I had never heard about how Great Britain treated undocumented immigrants after WWII. I do plan to research more about "Atlit" a holding camp for "illegal" immigrants in Israel in 1945.

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Review: Peace Like a River

Peace Like a River by Leif Enger
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Every accolade written about this book is true. The best one on front cover: "Peace Like a River serves as a reminder of why we read fiction to begin with". The story is a treat and I found myself looking forward to picking it up several times a day, and slowing down as it ended to savor the conclusion. I only read it because it was picked for February's Hart Park Senior Center book club. Amazed I had not heard about it before - it was published in 2001. Highly recommend if you enjoy reading about wonderful characters and marvelous prose. This book is magical.

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Review: A Death in Sweden

A Death in Sweden by Kevin Wignall
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

My December free Kindle book from Amazon didn't disappoint. It did keep me up later than usual as it is a page-turner. Couldn't stop when a chapter ended - had to see what happened next!

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