Sunday Letter: 08.14.22

Dear Sunday Letter friends,

Woohoo! Tomorrow I will be two week post-op. My body is still recovering from surgery, although I have to say, so far this has been way less of an ordeal than the wrist surgery I had a few years ago. Other than the first couple of days/nights when I felt nauseous and uncomfortable, I’ve had very little pain. I get tired, especially in the afternoons, but for the most part, I have to remind myself to take it easy, that I’m still healing.

I believe all the get well wishes you sent my way really helped. Thank you.

Good Things

There are plenty of good things that come from less than perfect situations. In the case of my surgery, a few of the positives included:

• spending lots of quality time with my daughter. Really, since she left for college in 2007, our time together has been a few days here, a few days there. But having ten straight days was a pure gift for sure. The cooking and errand-running and other help she provided was a godsend.
• having honest-to-goodness downtime. Yes, it was required, but I don’t often allow myself to do nothing. To lay on the couch and read and snooze all afternoon. To sleep later than normal. To binge-watch all four seasons of The Durrells in Corfu (for the second time! I’ve already seen it once.) What a luxury that was.
• realizing how many caring friends I have. Gosh, all the cards and messages and meals and gifts and so many other things have me feeling very loved. My friend, Jill, has even gifted me the use of her cleaning lady later this week. What a perfectly thoughtful post-surgery gift, especially since I still can’t lift anything heavier than a carton of milk.

Where the Crawdads Sing

I’ve not been many places or done much during the past two weeks (four weeks if I count my pre-surgery quarantine), but last week we ventured out to see Where the Crawdads Sing. (I can relax in a comfy theater seat as well as I can lounge on my couch at home.) I read the book several years ago when it first came out. And while I enjoyed the book, I may have enjoyed the movie more.

That doesn’t often happen; I usually prefer the book.

One of my favorite things about the movie (and book) was the scenery. Delia Owens (author) and Reese Witherspoon (producer) sure painted a dreamy picture of marsh life. And all the nature… So soul-soothing lovely!

Okay, sure, I had to suspend disbelief in many ways. I mean, Kya’s hair looks squeaky clean and freshly blown-out every single day. And what about bug bites? Are we to believe mosquitoes aren’t a relentless curse there?

Ha-ha-ha, we know better.

But the music and the landscape provided a beautiful escape that I very much needed. And David Strathairn, who played Kya’s attorney, Tom Milton, was one of my favorite characters. (I loved him in The Firm.)

Anyway, going to the movie last week was a huge treat. And by the way, I’m still waiting for Reese to discover The Accidental Salvation of Gracie Lee, and turn it into a movie, Mississippi Delta mosquitoes or not.

Hey, it could happen…

Bernice-Related News

Early Reviews:

Y’all, I couldn’t be more thrilled with the early reviews coming in for Bernice Runs Away! So far they have been overwhelmingly positive.

Whew.

How about this one??? To write a book that reaches across readers’ age groups makes me feel like I did something right. (BTW, no biggie, but Bernice is 81, not 82.)

And this one!

Today’s Ask: I would love you to share one of these reviews on your social media platform of choice—Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest—wherever!

Happy Mail:

Yesterday I received the happiest sort of mail.

There is nothing quite like seeing your book for the first time.

Fan Club:

One more thing before I go, if you’ve not joined the Bernice Fan Club on Facebook, I hope you will. Things are about to gear up, and I promise it will be fun.

Click HERE to join.

Kindle version:

Bernice Runs Away is now available for Kindle pre-order! (Paperback/Hardback/other electronic versions coming soon.)

Pre-order Kindle HERE.

Dog Days

Guess what? The dog days of summer are officially over. (Well, not at our house.) But according to the all-knowing Farmer’s Almanac, the dog days of summer span the period July 3 – August 11. And while some say this period of summer got its name because the hot temperatures aren’t fit for dogs (or the heat drives dogs mad), the name actually comes from the stars.

The phrase is a reference to Sirius, the Dog Star. During the “Dog Days” period, the Sun occupies the same region of the sky as Sirius, the brightest star visible from any part of Earth. Sirius is a part of the constellation Canis Major, the Greater Dog.

In the summer, Sirius rises and sets with the Sun. On July 23rd, specifically, it is in conjunction with the Sun, and because the star is so bright, the ancient Romans believed it actually gave off heat and added to the Sun’s warmth, accounting for the long stretch of sultry weather. They referred to this time as diēs caniculārēs, or “dog days.”

Thus, the term Dog Days of Summer came to mean the 20 days before and 20 days after this alignment of Sirius with the Sun—July 3 to August 11 each year. (Farmer’s Almanac)

What is the period after the dog days of summer? I think it’s called back to school time. At least, that’s the case here in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Things Momma Says:

I need a complete new wardrobe.

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Thanks for reading today’s Sunday Letter. Wishing you have a spectacular week!

Until next time,

Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.