Finished reading: The Librarians by Sherry Thomas 📚This is an enjoyable read. There’s an ensemble of well developed characters involved in murders and romances. This is apparently the first book Sherry Thomas has written in the cozy mystery genre, and she pulled it off nicely.

Backyard observations: A house sparrow is chased from the suet feeder by a downy woodpecker who in turn is displaced by a starling who is kicked off by a northern flicker who is run off by a magpie. Anything larger would be after the bird rather than the suet.

This is the best product review I have ever read: Best Gas Mask

A gaze of racoons having a midnight romp in our orchard last month.

Finished reading: The Devil Reached Toward the Sky by Garrett M. Graff 📚This is a terrific oral history of Manhattan project from start to finish. There have been a number of so-called “Manhattan” projects over the years, but none of them come close to the level of the original.

Finished reading: Of Monsters and Mainframes by Barbara Truelove 📚. I was scanning the new book shelves at the library and the title grabbed me. It is one of the most enjoyable books I’ve read this year. A funny, exciting story about overcoming differences and friendship.

Finished reading: Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne đź“šI enjoyed this “cozy fantasy “, but I don’t think l’ll continue reading the series now. I did appreciate how the author effectively expressed romance and passion without slipping into erotica.

I don’t know why, but autumn is a time for beautiful sunsets (and sunrises) around here.

A vibrant sunset fills the sky with hues of orange and red above a rural landscape featuring a barn and trees.

I picked up our poultry feed for the next year.

A large white bag suspended by chains is being moved near a pickup truck in an open garage.

Fire in the sky late this afternoon.

A vibrant sunset casts orange and pink hues over a rural landscape with bare trees and a few buildings.

I got tired of all the piles of scrap lumber around the shop, and built a storage cart (from some of the same scraps). I based it on the cart described here . 🔨🪚

A wooden storage unit with shelves is positioned on casters in a workshop setting.A wooden cart is filled with various sizes of wooden planks and boards in a workshop setting.

It didn’t last as long as last evening’s aurora, but this sunrise was pretty nice.

Sunrise reflecting off clouds

Finished reading: Lucky Day by Chuck Tingle đź“š. Pretty gory, but a good story.

I came across a meme the other day that rings true for us, “If the house is clean the garden must be dead.”

“X” marks the spot over our farm.

A contrail forms an X shape in a clear blue sky over a rural landscape with a house and open field.

Finished reading: So Far Gone by Jess Walter đź“šSecond chances, dysfunctional families, good humor. It was an enjoyable read. I recommend it.

My granddaughter asked me to show her how to use a slide rule. I still remember 50+ years later. Old guy stuff.

An old slide rule

We got up early this morning and paddled our kayaks across the Snake River to pick blackberries. We picked a couple of gallons, paddled back, and were home by noon.

Two blue kayaks are resting on the shore of a calm body of water, with a dog wearing an orange life vest nearby and a scenic background of trees and hills.

Finished reading: The Notebook by Roland Allen đź“š. I very much enjoyed this survey of all kinds of note keeping throughout western history. It is one I will be going back to.

I was digging out an old concrete border around a tree in the yard. The cement was probably poured about a century ago. The farm cat who lived here then left their footprints in the cement.

Cat footprint in old cement sidewalk