Book club and weed whackers

Miriam and Jane are two women whose friendship has helped me and made me realize how unused I am to including others in what I'm doing. Starting alone and from zero here in Vernon has taught me a lot, and these two women, Mo and John and a few others have been my teachers. Without them I would be a hermit. 

However, being included is not always perfect. I have now been part of Miriam and Jane's bookclub for over three years. It has not been a total success. Our meetings are once a month. Each year we each host one meeting at which we discuss a book of our choice. All of the book choices and dates are decided upon in January. Each year I have chosen a book I thought was wonderful only to be surprised to discover not many of them shared my opinion. Aside from one or two members each time, the reception of:

Who Do You Think You Are, by Alice Munro,

Swing Time,by Zadie Smith and 

burial rites, by Hannah Kent, has not been enthusiastic. 

But then I haven't liked all their choices either, including the one I'm flipping through and skipping much of for May's meeting, Poland by James Michener. I thought it might be interesting because I've been reading books by and about Joseph Conrad lately, but it's too long and rambling. 

The leaves are almost fully out. I smelled my first lilac yesterday and my electric lawnmower has died, or at least it's too ill for me to repair. I used it for the first time about two weeks ago, and, aside from the fact that the battery was weak after spending the winter in the garage with the mower because I can no longer pull it out, the blade was so dull it didn't bite the grass, it gummed it. Jay left me the last time with a few bits of advice about using tools, among which was the expression, righty tighty / lefty loosey. I tried this out in an attempt to remove the blade to get it sharpened but I couldn't budge the nut. John then tried but to no avail. In fact turning against the rule did loosen the nut a bit, but not completely, so, after six years of service, the electric lawn mower rests in pieces in the garage. I bought a weed whacker on sale for fifty percent off at Canadian Tire. I have been working since I moved into this house to get rid of the front lawn by enlarging the garden and now I am motivated to finish the job this spring. I have been transplanting sage and lavender. I love them and they do well in this area. And yesterday I bought and planted an elderberry, so in a few years I will be able to make wine and put some old men out of their misery.  

Shooting Stars on Middleton Mountain