(A) cold and snow

Well, I can't remember the last time I spent the day in bed feeling icky...a l-o-n-g time.  I've been fighting a cold for the better part of the week, and if I had to take off time to rest and get well, this was a good day.  Ten inches of snow last night and bitter cold is not a recipe for out-and-about in my book!  It's done me good, as they say, and I expect to rise and shine tomorrow with a bit more pep than I've had.  Rather important, too, since I have a trip coming up later in the week.

For all those Jan Karon lovers out there, here's a quickie book review.  I've been on the library wait list for her latest book, In the Company of Others, for months, so I had to read it quickly since I can't renew it.  I loved her Mitford series, but found Home to Holly Springs, the first in the second series, a bit heavy, not quite as satisfying.  This new one takes place entirely in Ireland where Father Tim and Cynthia are vacationing, the plot largely about their ministry to the extended family members of the inn and their complex troubles.

While I enjoyed the 'slice of Ireland,' and her typically interesting and rich characters, I didn't care for this book as much.  Seemed to take a long time getting into the conflict of the story and I missed the character struggles and changes that we have usually seen in Fr. Tim.  Not that he always has to be struggling, but it makes for a more satisfying and reader-connecting story.

If you're a Karon lover, you'll probably enjoy it.  I don't think I'll buy it for my collection, though.