All posts by Jocelyn the Plaid

Book recommendations for today: In the mood for light, zombie fluff? Start with Zombie, Ohio and then read Zombie, Illinois. These titles are available on Hoopla. Zombie, Illinois will be a special treat for those who know Chicago politics. Both books offer unusual twists on the undead story. Make a note that a Sharknado marathon… Read More

You could do it right now? Or you could go looking for a crochet hook. If you don’t want to teach yourself (more) Russian this month, you might make a scarf instead. Scarves use up a lot of time. Can’t crochet? I’m pretty sure you can find videos to teach you brain surgery out there… Read More

Perhaps you want to try the search “free French books online.” Italian anyone? Free children’s content is especially easy to find. I’d recommend paying for the right book, though. Do you have a special book you have read and reread in English? Getting its counterpart in a language you want to review gives you a… Read More

My friends easily recognize Ginger the Wheaten Terrier, and my kids will still know her decades from now when they enter assisted living facilities or join the urban planning staff on the Mars Colony. Ginger has carved her place in Turnerdom. The classroom in that remodeled McHenry middle school supply room is trickier. About fifty… Read More

Cleaning closets becomes an adventure as we get older. Reading this book, I know it goes back decades. The name on the above page belonged to the mother of my stepmother-in-law, an Irishwoman who shared a love of Manhattans with my late father-in-law. She passed on many years ago now. I am aggressively recycling, but… Read More

I loved my new gray flowerpots from Costco. For a mere $29.99 apiece, two gray pots filled with mysterious flowers and leafy things flanked the entryway in front for one spring and summer.  This post is for the bored who are thinking of taking up gardening as they sit home for maybe the first extended… Read More

I have plenty of books, a few weeks worth of jigsaw puzzles, a good dog, a feisty cat, electronics and art. I have yarn, crochet hooks, and closets that need cleaning. My husband and I have a long list of TV we keep intending to watch. I can do this. We can all do this.… Read More

Ummm… yes, they are. If they are genuine droids, I’m in. If D2PO only knows 250 forms of communication, that’s fine with me. If he speaks them all with a pronounced Italian or Finnish accent, that’s fine too. I’m flexible. I just want a tall, gold guy to make my tea and plump my pillows.… Read More

Mommy sits in Dr. Camelia Pop’s waiting room while Daddy gets his annual physical. She is wearing a long-sleeved, navy t-shirt, and a long, blue infinity scarf covered with stars and pink nebulae, over blue jeans and gray, Adidas sneakers. The scarf engulfs her neck and chest. Shasta is still in the furry purple robe… Read More

Mew mew meow meow meow ROWHRR Meow MEow MEOw MEOWW MMEEOOWW! My clamorous cat More subbing from January of a past year, scribbled on a random paper scrap Crises I do well Lunch lady gives me free fruit I putt putt along Phone is almost dead No food but one free orange Time ate my… Read More