Sunday Salon: September 13, 2026

• The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue
• London Falling: A Myseterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family's Search for Truth by Patrick Radden Keefe

Poppy is fully vaccinated and is loving her outside walks and romping on the grass. The second photo is partway through her first hike/nature walk, where she discovered dirt. She was filthy! It is so wonderful to be able to take her outside for walks, meet neighborhood dogs, etc.

I had a lovely visit with my niece, many dinners with my parents (since my niece was visiting), walks with friends, catching up on Reacher and Ted Lasso, and a couple of dance classes. 

I've put out an appeal for audiobook recommendations!

It has been unseasonably hot and humid here in Southern California (like upper 80s to mid-90s). We're not good at that. Most people don't have air conditioning, and I know the teachers and students are suffering! And, speaking of air conditioning, I just got my "end of the year/catch up" bill from Southern California Edison (our electric company). It shows that my usage is down 25% from last year (yay me! I have solar and drive an electric car; I am really trying to be good), but my bill has increased by 300%. WHAT?! I did a little research, and it's gone up to pay for fire mitigation (So Cal Edison is to blame for a number of our state's fires, so I have to pay more?!), and they restructured their billing so that those of us who use less electricity pay more. So frustrating.

For a detailed look at my 2026 challenges, check out my Challenges page.