Death at High Tide

One of my goals in 2022 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

My husband spotted this one and I was glad to get a cozy mystery based in the Jersey Shore area where we live. Death at High Tide is the 2rd book in the Jersey Shore Mystery Series by Beth Sherman.

Anne Hartaway has lived in Oceanside Heights her whole life. It’s convenient that her latest ghost writing job is currently in her town! Anne is not thrilled to be writing a celebrity memoir/self help book, but she is happy that she can do so from her ocean facing front porch. The actress she’s writing for is a total divva, super difficult, but Anne wouldn’t wish her dead! Unfortunately, that’s what happens and Anne decides she must find out what happened.

Anne stays on in her small town partly out of honor and duty, but I’m sure getting to solve mysteries is part of the reason she stays! Although she’s an easy going, mild mannered ghost writer, she sure does attract murders and trouble! I like that these cozy mysteries are fun and straightforward arcitypes of their genre with a jersey shore twist. I love that they are set in a fictional version of Ocean Grove NJ, where I have long visited and where I now live next door, in neighboring Asbury Park. Since these books are written and take place in the 90s, it’s fun to see some of the iconic landmarks and areas mentioned. And to see who things have changed over the years. It’s also interesting to see the area thru a cozy mystery lense, how things are described when they need to fit in with a cozy mystery plot. I really love to read books about places I know, visit often, or love. It’s fun to really understand where the books are set or how the events could have come to pass. The history of Ocean Grove and Asbury Park are very rich, so it’s surprising in many ways that there aren’t more books set here. This is a very silly but fun mystery series, pretty unbelievable but very readable. I would recommend this book to those who want to try writing cozy mysteries, this is a book that makes you feel like anyone can. I would also recommend this to people who like mysteries set near the ocean, readers who live in the area, and those who like summer mysteries.

What is you favorite geographical location for a book to be set?

This book can be seen in my July Wrap Up.

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March in Review

And here we go on to March.

But since these photos are still from Feb, let’s recap that: Birthdays, snow, sun, reading, and family get togethers. Some beach, some cats, and lots of work, but time for relaxing, too.

In March: More beach, more work, getting healthier, eating well.

Does everyone know I have a booktube? It’s something I’ve become very passionate about. I find it and interesting and new form of creativity and expression. I talk there all about books. But also zero waste and sustainability, and other things. It has over shadowed this space a little. I struggle with the whether there should be a lot of overlap between my channel and my blog. I’m inclined to say yes, with subtle variation and uniqueness between the two. But what do you think?

It does not feel like spring yet. Does March every? Will April swing us into Spring?

January Plant Update

January was pretty cold, rainy, wet, and snowy. We went to the beach, looked to the sky, but there weren’t too many plants to discover, except under all the snow. They are dredging at one of our favorite beaches; Interesting to look at, not great for the environment. We got out to play and Irving came out in the snow, too! Check out more pics of the snow covered garden with the return of Mad Cat Garden, coming soon!

Big winter sky.

A pipeline of sand.

The start of a storm.

What it looked like later.

Snow child.

And back to the sky!

January was very…. January this year. We saw some plants, but it was wintery. Will feb be the same?

How was the first month of your year for plant observations?

January in Review

I’m really liking how this year has started out for the most part. I feel able to get things done, take time to relax, and settle into the goals I have for 2022. Not every minute has been great, and all months and years come with ups and downs, but so far so good. We gotten to explore some places that we like, but perhaps were neglecting at the end of last year. We’ve seen or checked in with family pretty often. We have started out getting doc appointments and other maintenance out of the way and are hopefully setting a precedent for wellness in the new year. Creative outlets have been a bit of a priority. And best of all Jan hasn’t flown by. I feel rooted in January and the new year.

This year I am working on a 365 Photo Project over at my insta as a way to post there, but not spend too much time on the app. I started taking the pics right at the beginning of the year, but am posted them behind the actual dates. So far I’m really returning to this style of project. It requires some thought and intention each day.

Are you starting any projects for the new year? Let’s dive into month two together.

Best Nine 2021

I always really like to get my best nine on instagram each year. I’ve been doing it for the last 6 years. Ever since we moved to Asbury Park. This year I couldn’t get the bestnine website to work. I tried multiple times starting in december to get them to generate my grid. And it just wouldn’t do it. Luckily, 2021 was not a banner year for me and insta. Or unluckily. Either way, I sat down the other day, looked at every insta post I did and found my most viewed nine posts. And made my own grid.

2021

This grid has some interesting aspects but most notable is that this is the first grid with no cats.

In 2022, I hope to post more on instagram again. As of today, I haven’t actually posted at all this year, yet. But I have been taking photos every day. I’m trying to figure out a way to post on insta without actually going on insta. One idea I’m working on is a 365 photo project. Another is getting a insta feeding app so that I can schedule my posts but not actually be on the insta app.

Although I love insta in many ways, I find that is can be depressing to see certain real world events unfold there, and it’s a giant time suck when I get stuck in endless scrolling.

I’ll be excited to see what 2022 brings in pictures.

Here are all the past years:

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

December Plant Update

December had unseasonably warm days, chilly days, rain and sun. It was a good month for plant and beach and animal observations. We stayed close to home for all of the month, pretty much; Never traveling further than our county and not venturing far, even then.

Two somber boys.

Many sun rises.

A Cooper’s Hawk?

A neighbor cat.

One very confused iris.

Beautiful but in entirely the wrong time and place.

Decorations and celebrations.

Fata Morgana - when ships appear to float on air rather than sea.

In December, my work sched was almost entirely early mornings, which allowed me to see many great sights, including a floating air ship and striking sunrises. In Jan, I might catch some sunsets from work.

We’ve alread had snow in the new month and the new year. What were you’re plant observations for December and the end of 2021? What are you looking forward to in 2022?

December in Review

Here we are reviewing and recapping the last month of 2021. Can you believe it?

December felt quite hectic. Even though ew don’t xmas shop, done do much for our celebrations, don’t really see anyone or do much that takes up a lot of time, this month felt full.

We seemed to work a lot of this month, but also had quite a bit of time off. Perhaps it was just that this year was abnormal, unusual, brisk and chaotic in many ways and that is why Dec felt that way as well.

We saw family, supported family at home (yes, I mean the cats), we got to explore some, but we mostly spent time at home when we could.

Over all this was a great year, all things considered. There was growth, there was change, there was routine and new adventure. There was also some missed opportunity to effect change, create and be creative. But we have another year to try again!

I hope you had as good a 2021 as you could have, but also that your 2022 is as good as you want it to be!

Happy new year!

November Plant Update

I might have mentioned, but in November, I was mostly at work, therefore my plant observations come mainly from there.

After a squall.

What a job!! I was tasked to repot 50 coffee plants this day!!

Coffee plants at the sea.

This oxalis loves the light, but looks beautiful in the evening as well.

Sunset at Asbury and Ocean.

A brief but vibrant collection of observations this month. What did November look like in your area?

October Plant Update

Plant observations for October were less about the plants and more about the critters and wide open spaces! We saw some watery spots, some late season butterflies, and some gorgeous skies!

Keyport, NJ

Farmingdale, NJ

Will never get over this color!

Monarch on the oak leaf hydrangeas.

Who can tell me something about this moth?

Another sleepy butterfly.

Morning commute.

And evening commute.

What was your October like?

September Plant Update

We spent a good amount of time on the beach in Sept. It’s local’s summer and we always try to get in some #septemberswims in. We travelled some this month, sometimes to different beaches!! We made some plant observations along the way.

Mushrooms with a view.

A different beach view.

And a closer look at that pier.

A good (but dead) horseshoe crab.

Cormorant at golden hour.

September flowers were wonderful!

Something left behind.

Sunset in Deal.

September was a pretty perfect month for getting out and about. The weather was mostly lovely and we took advantage of it. Where did you go this month? What did you observe?

World War One British Poets

One of my goals in 2021 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

I found World War One British Poets by various poets compiled by Candace Ward in a little free library.

This slim Dover edition contains several poems from 16 different poets. The poems range from pro war and anti war to family of those at war. This is an interesting view on the first world war, seen through the eyes of artists.

I remember that just before I picked this up I had a conversation with someone (probably my husband) about a poem (no clue who it was by) written about a war (I can’t remember which). It was an interesting conversation. And I was thinking about it when I saw World War One British Poets in a little free library. I thought, well, that is interesting! What DO poets think about during war time? This collection, I think, tries to show several perspectives. There are those who are pro war, those who are anti war, those who were in the thick of it, and those who were on the periphery. Some of the poets are famous, some not. Some are known only for 1 or 2 war poems, some are known for all their other work. Reading this was definitely interesting and I’m glad I read it. I read this for the 1900 - 1950 Readathon and it fit in perfectly. You can watch that video here. Although, I was glad to have read this, it was quite hard to get through. It is violent, dated, and obviously, all about war which is a hard subject. I’m also not really a poetry person. I find it hard to read and usually not engaging. I really struggled to get through this book. I love that Dover has such a huge range of books that are accessible to many readers. I would recommend this book to those who are interested in seeing the first world war through poetry, those interested in this history, people who love poetry, or fans of some of the more famous authors represented here.

Do you read poetry? Do you enjoy it?

This book can be seen in my May Wrap Up.

More about books here:
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September in Review

I think most years, September is my favorite month of the year. in 2021, I think it went too fast to really appreciate it. We worked, and enjoyed local’s Summer, we saw cats, and flowers, and traveled around our state. But the month flew by.

People (adults) always say that time moves faster as you get older. Now that I’m an adult, I find that to be true. Why is that and how can I make it stop?

Don’t get me wrong, Sept is still in the running to be my favorite month of 2021. We’ll see if another month can beat it. The weather will be hard to top.

Sept was a busy month, but we explored, read, rested, and hung out with cats. The beach was a major theme, but #SeptemeberSwims were at a minimum, unfortunately.

I often think of the Star Trek Next Gen movie where the planet they visit have a way to slow time, stop and live in a moment, and stretch the feeling and experience. In September, there were several moments I would have slowed and lived longer in.

Let’s find those moments in October.

July Plant Update

July was a great month for plant observations and we saw some critters too! It’s been hot here, but we have also had some rain, so the garden and flowers are loving it! We got some smoke from the Canada wildfires and the sun was red for a few days. Things like that never take good photos unfortunately.

I love seeing all the different types of cone flowers out now!

Who knows what these mop top flowers are called?

From all the rain, many large mushrooms have appeared.

These were the size of dinner plates.

In the last few years we have seen more Oyster Catchers on our beach.

We have a few neighbor bunnies.

smoke from the wildfires made it’s way to us one early morning.

Did the smoke effect your observations? Who and what did you see around where you live this month?

I’m looking forward to August which can sometimes be an abundant month for plants around here!

June Plant Update

I may be wrong, but I feel that everything this year is a bit late, plant wise. When we look at the garden, it’s very evident there. But even the flowers and trees and sky and sea seem late this year. Or perhaps less brilliant. That being said, I’m happy to see blooms when they come and in June there were blooms!

Echinacea is one of my all time favorites!

Our one and only (blurry) Poppy for the year.

This yard had thrilling and stunning lilies.

And you can’t beat this color combo!

Some climbing shrooms.

And a very small fellow at home.

June was good for wild fruit!

And pretty lovely for sunsets.

I loved seeing this giant!

Overall, June was a good month for plant observations, even if it felt delayed. What were plants doing near you this month? Do you agree that things seem late this year?

May Plant Update

May was up and down for plant observations. We observed a lot, but the pits and peaks were with the weather. At the beginning of the month, our world looked like Spring, all flowers and bright colors, but it felt like Winter, cold and brisk. Later there was hot sun and Summer feels, and it seems we had skipped Spring entirely. By the end of the month it was raining, cold and we were back to late Winter or early Spring. Over all this is the first year in many many years that I cannot predict at least in part, the weather and the seasons.

Love these little trumpets.

More and more I appreciate azaleas.

Wild colors.

The peonies were big and bountiful.

The outside…

…and the inside.

Stumbled on this little lake front park.

Lovely high views.

As well as this hidden beach.

If you could hear him, you would know that this is a red wing blackbird.

We were surprised by this image.

We found some unexpected spots, where hopefully we can return and revisit. We also visited our normal spots, some of which we have not seen since this time last year. We saw lots of flowers!

What were your plant observations? What were the seasons doing at this time?

March Plant Update

March still feels like a blur but we did get some good plant and nature observations in. The weather was up and down but by the end of the month there were some flowers and buds pocking out and about. Spring might have officially started in March, but only at the end of the month did it really feel like it.

Lovely, foggy, moody Asbury Park.

This poor beauty.

Dusting and rearranging the house plants.

Found a stone cormorant.

And a living duck.

We spent plenty of time at the beach this month.

Spotted this crane on a still wintery walk.

And this camouflaged deer on a drive.

Swampy goodness.

This pic does not do justice at all to how HUGE this bald eagle was.

I’ve seen this little creature a few times now. Neighbors.

Another foggy evening.

And finally the cherry blossoms.

What did you see or do in nature this month?

Mad Cat Garden | February 2021

In January and February it was very hard to think about or even imagine working in the garden. For most of that time, our yard was covered in snow.

But as Feb wound down, we started thinking forward to Spring and we even got the seeds out to get started.

This is the first year that they garden was extremely dormant for the three most wintery months. We will see what that means for Spring, if anything. Perhaps it is just the natural cycle of things.

What was happening in your garden in February?

February Plant Update

There was a lot of snow in February. Sometimes we went out and explored it and sometimes we hid inside our warm house.

When we took walks, we saw a lot of cat tracks!

Ivy on trees is hanging on.

Bare trees give sneak peaks at some bird folk’s houses.

Ice on Deal lake.

Met a new neighbor.

Dove feather.

Shi++y pics of the moon

The full moon this month was a highlight of our observations and we went down to the beach to see it on the water. There were also some shoot sightings here and there which was surprising (as always) after so much cold and snow.

Are you seeing signs of Spring where you are or is it still deep Winter?

January Plant Update

Oh January. There were some plant observations, but we ended up at the beach more than in the garden, or at parks this month. There’s nothing quite like the Jersey Shore in winter. So let’s call this a beach edition.

Where were most of your observations made this month?

December Plant Update

We spent way too much time in December indoors. The weather turned cold and we had work to do, and the month went so fast! We did get out some and tried to take walks and make some plant observations when we could.

The surfers braved the cold, but were rewarded by beautiful skies in Dec.

I was taken with this speckled sand.

Near Deal Lake, flowers bloomed in December.

Our boxwood has these amazing bright green tips with tinges of red.

I was captivated by the huge aloe.

Back on my wreath game.

Made from all foraged materials.

Hello, Neighbor.

Goodbye 2020.

Another year of plant observations on the books! Even though we didn’t go out too much, I feel we were mindful of our practice to observe the plants and nature around us. We went to a few parks, and made a point to walk. We were disappointed when we could not. In 2021, I’m excited to keep up this habit and this series!