WEDNESDAYS IN THE GARDEN | Why Are There So Many Bison in My Life?

Hello there internet!  How lovely, shiny and exciting you are!   I've been living in a cabin in the woods for the last ten days and have been brutally cut off from you except for a surprisingly strong 4G signal on my phone.  I dutifully wrote the below post up in a word document and then tried to post it at the closest small town library but their wi-fi was not up to the task.  So it feels good to be taking a brief break back home and be able to play with you again.  You're the best!

OUTSIDE and LIFE (Because they have become one for the time being)

First week out in the wilds of Western Iowa and it’s been quite nice.  The first couple days, it did nothing but rain and my first day in the field didn’t go smoothly but it was all minor setbacks.  The place where I am staying is so beautiful and it’s up on a hill so I actually have some cell and 4G coverage.  The only thing I am having to adjust to is no running water.  Indoor plumbing is a serious luxury that I shamefully take for granted!  There is a nice bathhouse ~ a 3 minute walk away but it seems more like 567 years when it’s pouring rain or 3 in the morning (or both) and you have to … ahem…use the facilities.  Anyway, here are some pictures:

Bur oak acorns with their adorable fuzzy caps

One of my favorite butters - the Regal Fritillary. I did part of my grad work on this species

Sulphurs puddling

The view from my cabin in the woods

WATCHING, READING and BLOGGING

Detailing what I have been WATCHING is easy because that would be nothing.  Out in the sticks y’all!

Reading

I’ve been driving myself batty with the reading.  I can’t decide what I am in the mood for. I’ve picked up two different books read about 30 pages and put them down again.  No fault of their own, just me being finicky and weird.  I think I just want some fluffy historical romance and of course, though I brought like 15 physical books plus my kindle loaded with books, I don’t have exactly what I am looking for… #bookpeopleproblems.  Since writing this I have finally settled into a couple of books but am still feeling a little edgy...

Finished (in the) Last Week (and a half):

• World After by Susan Ee: The second book in the Penryn and the End of Days series.  It's super grim - grimmer than book one - and I loved it.  What is wrong with me?
• The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater:  I really loved it but I am so worried about what the series has in store for all the characters!
• Doctor Who: The Monsters Inside by Stephen Cole:  My other two device audio books (Of Noble Birth and The Founding) are not doing it for me so Doctor Who it is!
• Skin Game by Jim Butcher:  I am officially caught up with the Dresden Files Series.  *twiddles thumbs*
• The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Cathrynne Valente: I was a little bored by this book at first but by the end really loved it!
• The Shadow Cabinet by Maureen Johnson:  This is the third installment in a fun YA paranormal mystery/Urban fantasy series.  
• Romancing Mr. Bridgerton by Julia Quinn:  This was a re-read of a book I thought I should have adored but just liked.  Upon re-reading?  I still just like it.  
• Red by Alyxandra Harvey:  This was a real disappointment but a very fast read. 

NOTE:  So, I can apparently get some reading done with no TV, Blogging + a lot of driving. I'm a little impressed with myself:0).

Currently Reading:

• Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe: So maybe some day I'll pick this up again?  Until then it will sit here on the currently read and look encouraging.
• The Founding (The Morland Dynasty #1) by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles: This is the first book in a series that follows a single British family through numerous generations into modern times.  This first book takes place in the early 15th century.  This is such a fascinating idea and I have high hopes but I have to say the characters in this first book are shallow and are doing nothing for me.  This book is officially on hold at the moment but I'll get back to it one day soon. 
• Of Noble Birth by Brenda Novak: I may DNF this one.  Despite the presence of pirates it is not making me happy mostly because of deficient humor and boring main characters. 
• Three Parts Dead by Max Gladstone:   Despite my real misgivings about the number of series I'm in the middle of, I pick up a new one.  And it's good.
• The Duchess War by Courtney Milan:  This is a historical romance novelist that I've head great things about.  This is my second book by her and while I totally get all the praise, her books and I aren't really getting along.  
• Unfinished Business: Women, Men, Work, Family by Anne-Marie Slaughter:  This is an non-fiction ARC addressing work-life balance and feminism.  
• Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier:  I actually read the second book in this series first (horrors!) and while I was out in the wilds last year so this seemed appropriate. 

On the BLOG LAST WEEK:

SUNDAY: Fifth Longmire post featuring the last three episodes of season 2.
TUESDAY: Review of Hostage Taker by Stefanie Pintoff

On the BLOG NEXT WEEK:

I've got one review post ready to schedule and I am going to try and get a couple more ready while I'm here in internet land.  However, my time is brief in this shiny land so I'm not going to hold my breath.