JenV

Screenshot of library extension - a browser extension that lets you see which libraries have the book you're looking up and whether or not it is available to check out in various formats. Useful even if you have access to only one library - invaluable to me as I have access to several.

Library Extension is the browser extension that I absolutely love the most since a big portion of my life revolves around what books I plan to read next. Such an easy way to see if a book is available or what kind of hold time it has. www.libraryextension.com

Four library books stacked and sitting on a shelf. The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman, The Folded Sky by Elizabeth Bear, The God of Lost Words by A.J. Hackwith, and The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher.

Library run - four returned and four checked out. One standalone horror: The Hollow Places by @tkingfisher.com. Two third-in-series SF/F: The God of Lost Words by @ajhackwith.bsky.social and The Folded Sky by @matociquala.bsky.social. And one fifth-in-series mystery by @richardosman1.bsky.social.

This is so fun in a geeky-linguistic way. I made it through the 1300 section well enough, but lost the plot in the 1200 section.

Book cover for The Lord of Stariel by A. J. Lancaster. Green background with a manor house at the bottom, wings and a star at the top, and flowering vines scrolling up the sides.

Book cover for Run with the Hunted by Jennifer R. Donohue. Dark blue/black background with cut diamonds spilling down the left side of the book. All of it looks roughly scanned.

Book cover for Death on the Loper by Alicia Warne. A wide river in pale blue with misty landscape int he background and the black silhouette of a boat with a raised square sale.

Book cover for Digital Divide by K. B. Spangler. View from a building archway looking at the Washington Monument with the sun low behind it giving everything an orange glow.

Some indie/self-published books I've very much enjoyed recently - fantasy and science fiction paired with mysteries. All of these are first in series and I've read or plan to read farther in each series soon!

Two greyhounds in fleece coats and spoons on a sleet and snow covered sidewalk. Alert in this unfamiliar to them environment.

Anna and Palmer dressed for a rare icy Texas walk. Alert for signs of squirrels and kids on sleds.

I got it from a friend, so I don't know where it's from originally - it's 40 inches by 50 inches - huge!

Unfortunately, I don't know where it was purchased - I got it from a friend who's dog had passed on.

Older fawn greyhound mix in a red coat sharing a very large floofy dog bed with his younger champagne-colored brother.

Rare brother sharing of the giant floofy dog bed.

Small crochet caterpillar with green and yellow stripes and black eyes and antennae peaking out of a brown pottery bowl on my desk.

I made a little caterpillar friend for my desk

White hound dog laying on a stack of two dog beds, legs all a-tangle. Looking like he has too many feet.

Sometimes I just don't understand my dog's feet.

A trio of non-fiction book covers: Everything Is Tuberculosis by John Green - bright yellow with a magnified orange circle of tuberculosis bacteria. Highly recommend the audiobook - beautiful writing as always. Waste Wars by Alexander Clapp - A tropical looking beach strewn with trash. An eye-opening travelogue of trash. Stranger Than We Can Imagine by John Higgs - a cream cover with an old box television showing the moon landing. Will make your brain do some heavy lifting, but well worth it.

I've been on a non-fiction reading kick lately and very highly recommend all three of these books as enlightening, well researched, and infuriating but somewhat hopeful. @johngreensbluesky.bsky.social, @johnhiggs.bsky.social, @alexclapp.bsky.social

Japanese maple with bright red leaves

Tree with orange leaves, canopy stretching tall and wide

Looking up a tree with bright yellow leaves

A magnolia tree with broad shiny green leaves

Texas got some seasonal color this year instead of going straight from green to brown.

One Night in Bangkok but it's a 16th century chanson YouTube video by Jonasquin

Posted without comment.

Historical murder mystery with greyhound? Yes please

12 oz fresh or frozen cranberries 1 cup sugar 6 green onions, chopped 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely diced 8 oz cream cheese, softened Assorted crackers or tortilla chips Pulse cranberries and sugar in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Stir together with onions, cilantro, and jalapeno. Cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight. To serve, place cream cheese on a serving plate. Drain excess liquid and spoon over the cream cheese. Serve with crackers or chips. If fresh/frozen cranberries not available, you can use a can of whole berry cranberry sauce instead of fresh & sugar.

Cranberry Salsa has been a hit every time I've made it.

Better Sleep for All Dogs | Barker Beds Experience better sleep for all dogs with our orthopedic dog beds, designed to provide superior support and ease joint pain. Clinically proven to improve your dog’s quality of life, these beds are per...

Big Barker - spendy but worth it. My flat sleeping senior adores it. bigbarker.com

Southwest Airlines employees dressed up in dinosaur and jurassic park costumes walking through the terminal at Houston Hobby airport. They are having a great time with Halloween week travel!

Southwest Airlines is having fun with Halloween week travel

Clear sky sunrise over the beach. Small waves rolling in mirrored by ripples in the sand.

Morning beach walk

A monarch butterfly perches on a bright yellow wildflower.

A monarch butterfly perches on a bright yellow-orange wildflower.

The monarch butterflies have been all over these exuberant yellow wildflowers in my front yard.

Early morning pale sky. A line of very colorful hot air balloons in various stages of being inflated - a bright pink unicorn shaped balloon to the right. A few balloons in flight int he background.

Looking up into blue sky and a daytime moon, colorful hot air balloons rising near and far.

A whole deep blue sky full of hot air balloons, from above to the horizon - a stately dance.

Hot air balloons in bright, fun shapes being inflated and taking off - a pair of parrots, Zorro, lime green alien, llama twins. Balloons in flight against a blue and cloudy sky.

My first time at the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta - what a trip! It was amazing to see so many balloons launch into a stately dance in the sky.

A thick wire stabilizing a telephone pole - diagonal from bottom left to top right across a deep blue sky. A green leafy vine with bright red berries twines up the wire. In the background stand tuffs of grass seed heads.

Pretty things can be found in alleyways on dog walks

Sodas are absolutely ridiculous - even my compulsive-soda-drinking husband decided that we'll just be making lots of iced tea, thank you very much.

The vet suggested trazadone if it gets to be too much. So far we've just been dealing with it.

My very senior boy barks at me at night. When I get up, he will settle back into a bed. Sometimes he wants it floofed or wants a blanket if it's cold. Some nights he'll do this multiple times and some not at all. What's interesting is that he doesn't do it when I'm out of town.

No matter how long they're with us, it's not long enough. Hugs

Muzzle made for long-nosed greyhounds with a solid area in front of the mouth to prevent snacking on undesirable things like poop.

Yep, one of mine walks in this muzzle because every walk is a feast for her - sidewalk-fried worms, rabbit poop, and all the other random things she manages to root out of piles of leaves.

Clues by Sam A daily logic puzzle where you deduce who are criminals and who are innocent!

My new favorite daily diversion: cluesbysam.com

A breathtaking sight! The ultra-rare “Firework Jellyfish” captured on camera nearly 4,000 feet beneath the ocean’s surface.

📹: @nautiluslive.org

White hound standing on a day bed behind a desk with a laptop and two screens, staring meaningfully between the monitors. A polite nag for walkies.

White hound has escalated matters - he is now standing on top of the desk hanging his head over one of the monitors. This is the less polite walk nag. More of a demand complete with eyes drilling into your soul.

Palmer with the polite walk nag and the escalated walk nag. We're going to have to do something about the 60lb dog getting up on the desk and standing on the laptop thing.

Four large, old oak trees towering in the front yards of suburban houses, limbs stretching out like gnarled, tangled fingers.

A tangle of oak tree limbs for this moment of suburbian nature.