The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week, and showcase books and things we have received.
Don’t forget to look at my giveaways on the right sidebar.
Sunday, we had thunder but not much rain until after dark. My daughter trimmed Lulu’s hair so short she looks shaved so I put a sweater on her. I did my blog visiting and got my new audio ARCs downloaded to my phone.
Monday, the roofers were back to finish up just a few things and leave me off a few leftover shingles. I mowed the backyard while they were here and by the time I was done I needed a second shower, as expected. I noticed my standard dwarf bearded iris is reblooming! I got more posts ready to go on the blog. Then I finally called AT&T to see what they could do for me on Internet because they can’t just give you a price which stays, you have to call and ask for a new promotion every year.
Tuesday, was another day of some rain, off and on. I wrote a couple reviews, found some new ARCs I wanted. I scrubbed out the old freezer and moved it over to where it could be plugged in directly again and put a thermometer in it. I was too tired to read and just went to sleep.
Wednesday, my daughter was still up when I got up up at 7:30am but then she only got up last night at 8pm. I drifted back to sleep. I am just tired. I got a nasty gram from the HOA and they want me to stain my fence within 30 days. Don’t they know that it takes a week or so at least to get a contractor to come out for an estimate, and then another 1-4 weeks to get the estimate and then a few more weeks to actually do the work? This wasn’t really in my budget this summer with just having done the roof, the new freezer and the kitchen. It’s in the backyard where no one can see it anyway, with 6 feet of trees at the back before the next neighborhood. I feel overwhelmed. I sent them some questions to try to determine what their issue really is.
Thursday, my daughter was still up when I got up at 9:30 and didn’t go to bed until 11:30am. Lulu was so exhausted being up with her all night after all day yesterday with me. I did a lot of reading to try to catch up.
Friday, I feel like I am fighting a low grade cold. It’s mostly at bedtime I notice, not as much during the day. Or maybe it’s an allergy thing. My sinuses don’t feel quite right and I’ve had a bit of coughing and wheezing. If I don’t take ibuprofen at bedtime, I usually wake up during the night in hip pain and then the interrupted sleep only makes me more tired. So I’ve been taking it easy some this week.
Saturday, I got up extra early to mow the front lawn. I asked one of the lawn service guys from the neighborhood, who’s helped me before, to do some edging again and he’s agreed to take my old freezer to the multi-recycle facility. This is great because even though I’ve lived here 6 years I don’t know anyone else with a truck or trailer. I planned to go back to bed after showering but once I’m up that didn’t fly. I worked on posts and emails and did some more planning for the 2022 Read-along. I also updated the links for COYER and Library Love with the books I’ve read so far in August.
Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Reading Reality. These are the exciting ARCs I received this week (If you click on the cover, it will take you to the Goodreads entry):
My grateful thanks to Thomas & Mercer, PICT Tours, and Tantor Audio.
(If you click on the cover, it will take you to the Goodreads entry)
I grabbed another on my Robin Hobb wishlist at Chirp for $4.99.
Now the really scary one. This is all the Kindle and Audible freebies I grabbed this past week. You can see why I need to do Thrifty Thursday to be sure I read a few at least one each month.
I really meant to cut back on freebies BUT they are free so I guess that won’t be happening.
I’m not including things like reviews posted or upcoming as they are always in the right sidebar. And, my challenge status is also there.
Anne
I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
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- Hunting the Truth by Kathleen Donnelly @KatK9writer @CarinaPress - September 24, 2023
- Sunday Post – 24 September 2023 @kimbacaffeinate @readingreality - September 24, 2023
- The Traitor by Ava Glass @AvaGlassBooks #Ballantine@randomhouse - September 21, 2023
I’m wondering how the HOA knows you need to stain your fence if they can’t see it? Ugh. Hope it all works out!
They can only see the front and it might be because my neighbors put a new gate which is tan colored new wood and the rest of their fence and mine are more grey. I asked them What do they mean by stain? I like the current color, so clear stain? Is the purpose to waterproof or just change the color? I don’t understand it.
Anyway, the admin referred it to the whole committee for that so we will wait and see. I have been repairing and replacing boards in my fence for the 2 years I lived here. I do plan at some point to replace that gate but I feel angry they are saying I need to do more maintenance as I just replaced the roof, power washed, new sod, etc. So it’s not like I’m not working on upkeep. Like every week even.
Staining fences. Wow, thats something I never have to do living in an apartment. Those covers look pretty steamy. I may pick up one or two. Just for the eye candy.
I have to have my freebies in case I am in the mood for something. It gives me a big pool of options.
You’ve been really busy (as usual)! Take care of yourself and make sure you have some fun, too.
Enjoy all your books and have a good week.
Thanks Jan! I hope you are getting settled in now. So exciting to have a new place.
Glad you showed the Annette Marie book. I have Kindle Unlimited which I get for a month or two a year and binge, but I always forget who I wanted to read. Just started a KU wishlist for the next time. I clicked on all three of the books since I liked her other series.
I’m pretty sure you will love the warped folks too as it is all connected into this world. I’m waiting for The One and Only Crystal Druid. I kind of had a crush on him but then he was a jerk so now I’m not sure. I like all the mysteries on KU like Melinda Leigh and Robert Dugoni too.
You have a great haul here! So many good books. We do battle with our HOA every once in. a while. My husband has practically memorized their rules and so many homes in our neighborhood don’t adhere to the rules either. It’s so weird what they can be picky about. Best of luck getting that fence stained and/or fighting the HOA.
Thanks Wendy. I like a good mix of books and genres. We will see what happens with the HOA. I don’t understand the staining. The gate in the picture was repaired just this year, in fact. I’ve been repairing and replacing boards fairly consistently over the past 2 years. If staining is for color, then I don’t get it because it’s been that color for 2 years and the same as my neighbor’s fence except for their new gate which is sort of tan and everything else is grey. They have referred it to the full committee when I asked what they mean by stain.
Ugh HOA’s are such a pain! I hope they are understanding and give you some time to comply. Have a good week!
Thanks Samantha. I can’t even comply without understanding what their problem is, so I’m starting there.
Ugh, HOAs can be a pain. I’m glad to no longer be living in a neighborhood with one, although sometimes there are things I do wish there was one to deal with for some neighbors. But hey, I guess I can’t have it both ways? We had a hot week, which brought about some big storms again on Friday night. Fortunately nothing bad here again that would knock down any big enough limbs to mess up my power or cable/internet. I feel like twice in one summer has been enough for me. I no longer have any extra food in my freezer thanks to all that. I almost downloaded that free LJ Shen, but decided against it at the last minute. Not sure why, it’s not like I’m probably ever going to get to most of my free books, so may as well just add more, right? lol Hope that you have a good week!
Every week they say rain and we don’t get much and it’s still hot. They predict 5 days out we will go to 80s but we just stay in the 90s. Which means the real feel can get to 100. I’m just glad I got the lawn mowed in the morning on 2 different days. I didn’t even know about LJ Shen until I went to Book Bonanza in 2019 so I haven’t read her. So I was glad to get it. I like to have lots of options when I am reading some freebies each month for my Thrifty Thursday meme.
I’ve read one or two of LJ Shen’s books, so I do recommend them. I was at BB19 too! Are you going to go next year to Book Bonanza? I’ve already got my ticket and am so ready to go! Just waiting for them to do the hotel reservations again.
I am not planning on it for the next one. I want to go back to DragonCon or Emerald City ComicCon or the big mystery one is that Boucheron or is that the scifi one? My favorite one ever was NOLAStorycon in 2016. Anyway, I’m not quite ready to go out and about sadly.
Wow, that makes me glad in some ways that we don’t have an HOA, but it does keep your neighborhood from having trashy looking houses, too, right? I’d be annoyed. 30 days isn’t enough time especially since everyone and their brother has been hiring to make home improvements. It’s hard to get someone scheduled! Jealous of your rain and thunder.
Yeah, I’m pretty sure I can get more time but first I need to understand why they want me to do it. We are always getting less rain than forecast but at least it is some. It’s always going to be 80s about 5 days out but 90s for the next 5 days. When we get 5 days out we are still in the 90s which means the real feel can be around 100.
That is a very particular request from your HOA- I’ve heard of repairing a fence requests, but staining? And, only a month? Hopefully, it will be extended or they’ll end up leaving the issue alone after considering your reply. Yay that you got some rain and cloudy days. We’ve got a two week stretch of high eighties and low nineties with a heat index and no storms on the horizon. I did manage to fill all my containers from the last big rain so was able to water the garden for a week without having to water with the metered water.
Bummer about the trouble sleeping you’re having, but sounds like you’re at least getting ahead with posts and other tasks.
Nice looking haul this week!
Have a good week, Anne!
Thank you Sophia! It doesn’t seem like enough rain but at least we got enough I didn’t have to water. It’s still too hot. I’m feeling better today so I hope that continues. The whole fence thing is bizarre so we will see what happens.
Damn I hope they’ll give you some time to do what has to be done Anne! Also thanks for reminding me that I need to get back to Annette marie asap!
I hope I get more information and more time. yes I’m a big fan of Annette Marie.
Having the HOA tell you that you have to do stuff like that would be annoying and irritating to say the least.
It’s definitely irritating because they weren’t very clean. Is it that they want me to change the color( it’s been that color for maybe 20 years). Is it that they think the stain will make it waterproof or something to keep it in better condition? I don’t understand it.
sounds like a busy week. before we bought our house we looked in a couple of golf communities but the hoas had so many restrictions, we ruled that out. it can be a good thing and a bad thing at the same time. hope you have a good week
yes there is definitely good and bad. It does keep the neighborhood looking nice and in good resale values.
When I was a student, I was practically nocturnal like your daughter has been this week. 🙂
I’m sorry to hear about the letter from your HOA. I find it astounding that others can decree such things when you own your property. 🙁 Hopefully, they’ll be reasonable and you’ll be able to stain it within your own timescales.
I thought Hellbound Guilds was a good read! I hope you enjoy it.
Thank you Nicci. I just need to understand it. I’ve been repairing and replacing boards in the fence over the 2 years I’ve lived here. And I just did huge projects getting a new roof and new sod.
I’ve loved everything Annette Marie.
So sorry about the HOA hassles. That’s crazy. They don’t give a person’s bank account much time to recover, do they?
That picture of Lulu is so cute I can’t stand it. Her face!!!!
Your daughter sounds like she’s quite the nightowl??? It used to be hard for me to stay awake once the sun goes down, but starting this past year I’ve been staying up until 1 or 2am watching series or movies.
My daughter is a night owl so it is better she is taking online classes right now. Lulu is the most adorable and she’s exhausted being up all day and all night. We will see what the HOA wants because the original notice didn’t make much sense to me.
I am so glad that in Germany neighbors can´t just come and tell you that you have to do your fence or roof in a certain way or color. Sure, we do have some laws and rules that count for everyone and tell you what you can´t do during a special time of the year and that your hedges are not supposed to grow over your fence into the boardwalk. But other than that? I hope you can sort things out. Don´t let them stress you! I am so relieved that I am not the only one who feels so tired lately and could sleep all the time. Have a great new week and keep your head held high!
Thank you Vi! I am feeling better today. I have been taking Vitamin C every day this past week. Now if it would just cool down. I am at the point of doing my garden planning for the new front planter and that is with books and sketching, an indoor task, anyway. We will see what the HOA says.
I know what you mean about the Internet pricing…I am just starting up again, in my new apartment. So far so good.
Enjoy those books and your week!
Thank you! I am hanging in there as long as I read a book pretty much every day. It will ease out after this heavy ARC period though and when I get some more audio ARCs
Sorry to hear about the mess with the fence. Hope it gets sorted out. I’m excited to see you’re reading Robin Hobbs. I love her!
Thank you Nicole. I also LOVE Robin Hobb as do many of my blog team. I am having a slow start but figured out I own all but one book on audio now. I’d love to do it for a Read-along but the books are long enough I don’t know that I could keep enough people on board. Plus it works better if I choose a series with some romance aspects.
OH… keep us posted on the fence situation! Sounds like someone (abutting?) complained b/c of how it looks. LOL.
We had a pretty good week here. My daughter had her wisdom teeth out last Monday and had a real tough time the first day, so I sat with her the whole day. I didn’t have much work last week, but did find out I’m going to be working from home permanently as they have hired more employees who are critical for day-to-day operations and we’ve run out of office space. I will need to plan a day to go in and clear out my stuff. Someone else has been in my office for the past year anyhow.
Thank you Jen. I hope the WFH is good for you. I’d love it as I am an awesome multi-tasker as well as committed to whatever work tasks I have undertaken for others. Like, I wouldn’t even go to the bathroom during work time only before during lunch and after. Which is too dedicated. I’ve grown up since then. I don’t understand the fence thing exactly. I mean it sounds like they want me to change the color but it has been that color for nearly 20 years so that’s weird.
Wow, your daughter’s sleep schedule is like the opposite of yours! Lulu looks cute with her new hair-do. 🙂
Yes our schedules mean she has her breakfast with my dinner. Poor Lulu is up 24/7 with one or the other of us. No wonder she is tired.
I know HOAs serve a purpose but man, they can be so annoying. Our HOA is trying to make one of my neighbors tear down his brand new $8,000 fence because the material it’s made from is not approved in the covenants. The covenants are over 30 years old and that material didn’t exist back then but rather than update the covenants to reflect newer building materials, etc., they’re harassing him.
Yes that makes me angry for your neighbor. I don’t like them telling me what to do when it isn’t really impacting them and I keep things in generally good repair.
Look at you mowing the lawn …..I tried it once and my dad forbid me from ever doing it again haha I might have messed up the lawn so I admire that you can do it so well.
Hope you have a great productive week.
I used to not be able to mow because of allergies to grass pollen. But now with Allegra I can do it fine. My yard isn’t too big but it’s so hot I only do half at a time this time of year. I love my electric mower.
Wow, that’s quite the haircut for Lulu! She’s still adorable?
Gotta love HOAs. I don’t miss my old one. Good luck!
The Village sounds really good and I’m intrigued by the cover of Twenty Mile. Enjoy all of your titles, Anne!
Thank you Jonetta. Yes it’s lucky Lulu is not outside much in this heat as she might sunburn. At least it will grow back. Twenty Mile has me really interested and I’m excited to read it.
I may like the neighborhood but the HOA is not fun.
I find the whole billing game with phone/cable/internet to be so draining. Just give me a price and keep it that way and I’ll pay it. But no, everything is promotional or for a limited time so every few months it seems like you have to go through the hassle again. Sirius radio is the worst for that. At least twice a year my husband has to tell them to just cancel the service before they will finally (magically) come up with a decent rate. So annoying.
I hope you’re feeling better this week, Anne, and that the cold never really came on full force.
Yes exactly I hate that we have to call and take time to hassle them to get what we want. Just give me one price. The cold never got full but the little symptoms were there for a couple days.
My father-in-law is the president of their condo building’s HOA and what a headache that seems to be. We hope to never be a part of one. I see the benefit of making sure that no one has a car garden or a disastrously overgrown lawn but it always seem to get so much more nitpicky than that. Good luck!
yes it seems pretty nitpicky when it is something not hardly in view of the street. You can see the gate but it is pretty far away.
Your daughters sleep schedule and mine are very close to being the same. I sleep during the day now. It’s 8am and I’ve been trying since 5am to sleep since I have to get up early today. It’s not going well. The fence situation is strange. I can see why you are confused! I hope they get that straightened out. So unfair because your neighbor got a new gate. That’s not your fault!
The sleep schedule is keeping Lulu on the run all day and all night! yes the HOA responded but I am not sure I still understand what they said.
Hi. I’ve been going through your newsletter with the new reviews and I’m definitely going to read some of those books. So, thanks! Have a great weekend.
Thank you! I hope you have a great weekend also. I have a diverse team reviewing because I like a diverse set of books. It helps keep me from hitting a slump because I’m always reading a different kind of thing. Although I can stick on a genre also, especially mystery because there are many types of mysteries.