Honey Bunny, It's a Cereus that bloomed for yuns.

adding: It blooms at night. Bats pollinate 'em.

I'm sorry that you have so little time off during the week. You must be EXHAUSTED. Make sure you get a lot of rest during the weekend, okay?

Jillie does that mean I have bats? In my belfry????

hehehehehee

Ooooh, pretty flower! I totally empathize with not having much free time. I'm a commuter too. In fact, some days there are no free time blocks. I think it's best to try to relax whenever and however we can instead of feeling guilty about what we are or are not doing with our spare time. If watching telly and having a feline use you as a bed is relaxing, go for it!

I wish it was the weekend! At work this week, we had an event scheduled for Friday pushed back to Thursday, so when I woke up this morning and remembered the event was today, I was all, "It's Friday!" And then realized, no, it isn't. Sigh. Only Thursday.

I'm working on the sequel to Pillars (I loved Pillars SO MUCH when it came out!!!), but I'm listening to it on my iPod. 36 CDs onto the computer, then I just load it onto the iPod and delete it as I go (thus it's legal, and also ethical) and I listen to it while I'm running, while I'm working in the yard, while I'm doing little chores around the house.....

And I'm loving it as much as I loved Pillars! Life is good.

So how did the batik dress come out? I am inspired to sew something similar after reading yur post.

Oh what a beautiful flower,"One of the strangest plants of the desert, the Night-bloomiing Cereus is a member of the Cactus Family that resembles nothing more than a dead bush most of the year. It is rarely seen in the wild because of its inconspicuousness. But for one midsummer's night each year, its exqusitely scented flower opens as night falls, then closes forever with the first rays of the morning sun."

Vegging out with the kitties is the BEST for relaxing! In fact I find that the cats often win out over productivity because they are just masters at getting cuddles when they want them. Almost as adept as they are at getting chicken.....

No. It's MY belfry. MINE! MINE!

http://jillieofthevalley.vox.com/library/post/the-wonderful-gardening-of-being.html

I moved last summer, and now my bus ride is about 15-20 minutes instead of the 45-50 it used to be. I miss the reading time!

Listen, you "off-time" is NEVER wasted; what's actually happening there on the couch is: 1) you're resting the bod; 2) you're resting the mind (most of the shows I watch are not educational or uplifting but I DO love me some handsome geeky type guys and what ARE we going to do without Grissom tell me it isn't so) (oops sorry); 3)you're absorbing catvibes from Soba, which keeps all us cattypes happy, clever, healthy and merry (I have to work hard to get over the mindbend, though, and not go put down a whole can of food sprinkled in greenies). I'm a big fan of the Veg, myself. So you gots the Jewish Bubbe Permission Document to do that.

Yay me! Thanks again!

"the Jewish Bubbe Permission Document" ... AWESOME!

That is some work schedule you have. I did not work yesterday but managed to miss your blog post anyway, so I will now toss my $.02 into a pot that is already overflowing. Timing is everything.

I just reacquainted myself with My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell. It's a lovely light read with many hilarious bits. (What would *you* do if confronted by a scorpion at the dinner table?)

I also really liked The Secret Life of Bees, although a couple of people in my book group thought it was lightweight. Which it is, I guess, if you're looking for Great Literature, but it's very nicely done. Pay close attention to the names of the characters.

There are a ton more, but I'll stop for now.

there's nothing wrong with a little veg from time to time.
And if it IS wrong, I don't wanna be right.

What a beautiful flower! Don't your kitties bother/eat your plants? I would love to have plants again, but Kitty Joey fancies himself a gardener and likes to "prune" them. Even fresh flowers. If I bring fresh flowers into the apartment, he hops up on the table or entertainment center or refrigerator and chews the head of the flower off, drops it on the floor and spends five minutes batting it around before going back for another until he's done them all. Then he goes to lay down. I call it the Morticia Adams School of Flower Arranging. How can you have plants????

Congrats to the winners!

Very cool of your publisher to get you more books too :D

Your cactus bloom is gorgeous.

It's eleventy-eight degrees here today, i was hoping to crochet tonight, but I may have to pass...

Toni, all my plants are outdoors. My cats are indoor only.

Oh, that explains it! I thought your cactus was inside. Well, like you said, "Is It Weekend Yet?"!

Oh the Sofakowa Snuggle sounds wonderful!!! And I say hey, if you want to TV in your very spare, spare time, then more power to you!!!

I'm so glad Jillie of the valley was there to clear all that up about the vampires and such. I was having some problems with understanding the whole thing.

Take your "free" time with the tivo and the snuggle cat and love it.

Oh yes...I don't know about California, but it is Thursday here in Texas...not quite the weekend for most of us. For me it is weekend all the time.

Love the Cereus! My uncle has one in his backyard and apparently it is a yearly event to watch (I have never participated though). It looks a whole lot like the stalk parts of the cactus you can buy in the walmart with the big round orange cactus on top doesn't it? :)

Consider the time relaxing with your feline to be 'medical' care. They are good for the heart, blood pressure, stress management and general psyche. Besides, isn't a little cat snore the cutest thing?

Beautiful cereus. Our cats don't snuggle when it's hot; their usual position is belly up under the ceiling fan or belly down on the tiled kitchen floor (much like your corgi brother!). Here are two more books for your reading list:

Veronica by Nicholas Christopher
The Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore

Your cactus is lovely.

And that is exactly how the Ninja (our cat) and I sleep at night. Except for sometimes when I'm lying on my side with my arm out, he'll get comfy and sleep facing me with his head in the crook of my arm. It's like he's my giant obnoxious mrowling baby. I love him like crazy.

Commenting late about the books, but here goes my two cents:

Pillars of the Earth- I couldn't stand reading this book. It was the choice in one of my book clubs. The lady who picked it (based on having read it years ago) couldn't figure out why she liked it after attempting to re-read it.

Suite Francaise- This is one of my all time favorite books. The immediacy of what was happening to the author as she was writing this book was breathtaking to me. And adding in all the backstory about the author just raises the reading experience of this book. Truly it's about the most fascinating literary experience I've ever had.

I'm currently reading "Double Bind" by Chris Boujhalian (sp?) and it's pretty interesting so far. Characters in the book include Tom and Daisy Buchanan from "The Great Gatsby"...who are referred to as if they are actual people. Another interesting literary concept.

Love you Laurie! xo

Oh! I really hope you like "Pillars of the Earth." I read it a couple of years ago, and while it took me a while and I had to power through some sections, by the end I really liked it. It really got me involved. There were a few really just mean, awful characters that I just hated for being so terrible (don't worry; come-uppance all around!), but it just got me so emotionally involved in the characters' lives. I want to read the sequel. Tell us what you think when you finish it!

I agree with Anne about "The Stupidest Angel," and will go even farther to say that everything ever written by Christopher Moore is laugh-out-loud HI-larious! "Lamb: the Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal" is my hands-down favorite.

Your flowering cactus is so pretty!

I do like a good book recommendation, gotta be good for the commuting.

I've read through (and am now working through) Talane Miedaner's "Coach Yourself to Success". I checked it out from the library and loved it so much that I had to buy it. That doesn't happen often for me!

I enjoyed Pillars of the Earth. I read the introduction beforehand, and thought it was interesting that he had written the book even though it was completely different from his other novels. I think his editor was concerned about sales, etc., and he went ahead anyway. The book became a success through word-of-mouth.

I read a lot, right now I'm enjoying "Tales of the City" and its sequels by Armistead Maupin.
Something I do when I go to the book store and don't have a set book to buy. I'll find a book whose title interests me, then I'll read a couple of pages to see if the writing looks interesting then I'll buy it to see if I've found a good new book or author to read.

pillars of the earth is fantastic. i'm trying to decide if i should reread it before reading the sequel that's out in hardcover.

also, thanks for talking about suite en francais. i had heard an interview of the daughter on npr i think and was intrigued by the story especially since one of my favorite historical settings is Europe in WWII.

I read In the Woods and was also vey unhappy with the ending.

Laurie, I think we have the makin's of an awesome book club here . . .
Oh yes, the new David Sedaris book When You Are Engulfed in Flames-- if anyone has finished it I'd like to hear about it.
My husband's away for the week and I shipped the kids down to Camp Grannypop and I've had the WHOLE WEEK to read and watch tv and knit and love on my cats and -- I forgot to clean the house! Please pass the wine . . .

i really liked "double bind" too. at first it was hard to keep the story and time line straight, but then i couldn't put it down.

the sparse typography of the book had an impact as well.

i just finished reading garrison keillor's "pontoon" which made me lol, fgs.

I have a cat who likes to spoon also. Which is fine, except when the alarm is going off and I can't get out of bed to turn it off!

Camp Grannypop- HAH! too cute....
I have a black kitty that loves to spoon, and will do it all night if I let him- so sweet and lovey! Not too compatible with the hot flashes though.
AND I also have one of those catci, and am glad to know what it's called- although the flower lasts a bit longer than one night- maybe a couple of days. It does smell glorious though! Mine only seems to bloom every other year or so though- maybe we don't have many bats around here??

Hi!! Eric didn't know your email address... so he is in the process of trying to remember to ask your parents for it! You may have my email now - I just entered it before typing this. Anyhow - I came across this website www.catster.com. I thought of you! All of your kitties could have a profile (think MySpace for cats). I hope all is well. You are so close to me, yet so far. I never make it up into the Valley. Hope all is well with you! Rebecca

If you can get Pillars of the Earth on audio, do it! I just finished the audio version about a week ago and it is excellent. I don't think I would have bothered to slog through the print version (which must be enormous), but the audio performance really makes the characters come alive. What a wonderful story. I actually teared up a little when it was over - just because it was over! Highly recommended.

I missed yesterday's post, too, so here's my late 2 cents on the book recommendations:

Stop in the Name of Pants by Louise Rennison--latest in a v.v. funny series that reads like Bridget Jones if she were 14 and had an insane cat;
Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver--a couple of years old, but I just read it and loved it;
Say You're One of Them by Uwem Akpan--a collection of 5 short stories written by a Nigerian Jesuit priest. Brilliant, simply brilliant.
and, last but not least,
Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett--the single funniest novel ever written about the end of the world. Anything by Gaiman or Pratchett is worth reading--they are my 2 favorite authors, and I shall shut up before a fangirl rant takes me over.

I want to read Pillars of the earth, but I have at least a hundred books sitting here that I've picked up from secondhand stores, etc., that I haven't read yet, and I'm trying to clear as many as possible before September (I'm a teacher). You guys are making me want to buy a copy, though....

I just have the same cactus flower in my blog today ;-))

eve

Oh, I read Pillars of the Earth years ago and LOVED it! Thanks for the good memory, Jane

Thanks for recommending THE BUTTERFKY GARDEN. I picked it up at the store last night and had to make myself put it down so I could sleep. It definitely has my attention. Thanks again.

I'll be interested in what you think of P of the E: my husband read it this spring and was so appalled by some of the writing that he read a LOT of it out loud to me. . . and so I was appalled by proxy! It has stretches of really awkward, "telling not showing," wooden prose--enough so that I decided not to bother. Also rapes every few chapters if not pages. He stuck with it, but it took some effort. Still, style is in the ear/eye of the beholder: I thought Da Vinci Code was terribly written and look where that ended up!

My all time favorite is Dorothy Dunnett's Lymond Chronicles... Game of Kings, Queen's Play, The Disorderly Knights, Pawn in Frankincense, The Ringed Castle, and Checkmate.
Enough for at least a year, if read in tiny portions. I started rereading at the very moment I closed the last book.
:-)
Have a nice weekend, and lots of sofa-time.

Lily

I know what you mean about the whole wine-sloth-cat snoring thing! It's my favorite too.

Thanks for your previous blog post -- I requested Chip St. Clair's book from my library. I didn't read all the comments, so maybe someone already suggested this; Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris (who wrote Chocolat) is another excellent read set during WWII. It takes place in a little village on the Loire River during the German occupation. Characters are complex, neither all good nor all bad, plot is intriguing, writing is excellent. I chose it for my book club a year or two ago and we all liked it, plus it gave us a good discussion.

I was too late to post this in your summer reading list post, but thought that if you haven't read it already that you'd really like The Lost by Daniel Mendelsohn. It's the story of his search for what happened to 6 members of his family during the holocaust.

I wrote a review of it on my blog: http://pipneyjane.blogspot.com/2008/02/book-review-lost-by-daniel-mendelsohn.html
It's beautifully written and very moving.

- Pam

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i LOVED pillars of the earth...the follow-up was just as good. I even still catch myself thinking about it every once in a while...he's an amazing writer!

Well, it just goes to show that reading tastes are entirely personal! I remember loving Pillars of the Earth, but recently read the sequel, World Without End, and found it to be dreadful. Now I wonder if the first was written similarly, and my tastes have just changed over the years.

I also absolutely hated The Stupidest Angel. Interesting story, but not my genre, I guess.

I have taken to reading through the reviews posted on Amazon and Audible before buying anything, as my time and money is limited. I see what the people for it and against it have to say, then decide which camp sounds more like me, and buy accordingly. So many books, so little time!

If an hour-forty is all the free time you get a day, you've EARNED that slug-on-the-sofa time.

I recently bought and read "Knitting for Peace", a series of essays about various charity knitting organizations, with patterns included for projects. Very moving and inspiring. Tiny, light-colored typefont, tho - needed the extra strong reading glasses.

I'm now reading "KnitLit" (1st volume), which is a book of very short pieces, all dealing with knitting. I dunno - lately it seems I'd rather read about knitting than do it - but trying to do a little of both each night, as time and energy allow. Since I don't belong to a knitting group, I enjoy the feeling of fellowship I get reading about other knitters' experiences.

And on my trip to the library on Saturday - 1st time in over a year - I scored 3 newer "Rumpole of the Bailey" novels by John Mortimer. I didn't think he was writing any more Rumpoles - I can't wait!