Book ~ "The Wolfe Widow" (2014) Victoria Abbott

From Goodreads ~ As Thanksgiving approaches, Jordan Bingham is grateful for her job researching rare books for Vera Van Alst, the infamous curmudgeon of Harrison Falls, New York. But when an uninvited guest makes an appearance, much more than dinner is disrupted - and Jordan is thankful just to be alive.

Vera Van Alst doesn’t normally receive visitors without appointment but she agrees to see the imperious Muriel Delgado upon arrival. Shortly thereafter, Jordan is told that her position is being terminated. Evicted from the Van Alst House, Jordan is determined to find out what hold Muriel has over her erstwhile employer.

It seems Muriel has designs on Vera’s money and property - not to mention a particular interest in her collection of Nero Wolfe first editions. When Jordan discovers a deadly connection between Muriel and the Van Alst family, it’s up to her to put the house in order and stop a killer from going back to press.

Jordan has a job buying and reselling books for an older crusty recluse, Vera Van Alst ... she enjoys her job and the cute apartment in Vera's house that comes with it.  One night a stranger named Muriel Delgado shows up at the door and the next day Jordan is abruptly fired.  She wants to know why and starts investigating who Muriel is and how she has such a hold on Vera.  When Jordan is involved in a hit and run, she is even more determined to find out what's going on.

I wasn't crazy about this one.  Jordan doesn't have a lot of friends and it was weird and unbelievable that she wasn't able to reach the few that she has so had to depend on her not-so-smart Uncle Kevin (who works for Vera) and acquaintances.  There was a lot talk about characters from what I'm assuming are Nero Wolfe's books ... I didn't know who they were so that was dead space for me and I skipped over these references.  The ending was convoluted and must tie into a plot from a Nero Wolfe book.

Though this is the third in the Book Collector Mystery series, it works as a stand alone.  It is written in first person perspective in Jordan's voice.  As it's a cozy mystery (so there is no swearing, violence or adult activity), it was a quick easy read.  There are recipes at the end.  

Belgian Moon, Stackt Market, Toronto, ON

After the Terry Fox Run, Gord and I walked to Stackt Market  (Bathurst Street/Front Street) for lunch.  We were hot and tired so sat inside (in the a/c) at  Belgian Moon (just as it was opening).

My cold mango wheat beer was tasty!

Terry Fox Run, CityPlace (Canoe Landing Park), Toronto, ON

The annual Terry Fox Run was today and this is my fifth year doing it.  This year Gord and I did it at CityPlace (Canoe Landing Park), about 2km east of us.  This is the first year we've done it there ... in the past we did it in Liberty Village but they didn't have a run this year.

Terry Fox (1958 – 1981) was a Canadian athlete, humanitarian and cancer research activist.  In 1980, he began the Marathon of Hope, a cross-country run to raise money for cancer research.  He hoped to raise one dollar from each of Canada's 24 million people.  He began in St. John's, Newfoundland, in April and ran the equivalent of a full marathon every day. After 143 days and 5,373km/3,339 miles, he was forced to end his run outside Thunder Bay, ON, when the cancer spread to his lungs. His hopes of overcoming the disease and completing his marathon ended when he died nine months later.

The annual Terry Fox Run, first held in 1981, has grown to involve millions of participants in over 60 countries and is now the world's largest one-day fundraiser for cancer research.  Almost $900 million has been raised in his name.

And we're off!

Mexican Independence, Lula Lounge, Toronto, ON

Gord and I celebrated Independencia Mexicana tonight at Lula Lounge (on Dundas Street W)

Enjoy live traditional mariachi with Mariachi los Gallos followed DJ Nexus and Latintos! Book early for our special Mexican menu by Flor Mexicana and be sure to ask about our paloma, margarita and michelada cocktail specials. At midnight we will be streaming ‘El Grito’ direct from Mexico so that we can join Mexicans around the globe in hearing the President address the people from the balcony of the National Palace in Mexico City on the eve of Mexican Independence Day. Viva Mexico!

Mariachi Los Gallos played the first set and were fun and traditional.

Toronto Blue Jays 5 ~ Tampa Bay Rays 1, Rogers Centre, Toronto, ON

Gord and I went to this evening's Toronto Blue Jays game.  I had gotten the tickets complimentary in a giveaway from Rogers, our Internet/cable provider "in appreciation for your continued loyalty as a Rogers customer".  I never say "no" to free tickets!

Here we are ...

Our seats were just past first base in the first section.

The Lakeview Restaurant, Toronto, ON

I had brunch today at The Lakeview Restaurant (Dundas W/Ossington). 

Lots of sticky notes!

KC's tree, Trinity Bellwoods Park, Toronto, ON

I've been planning for a few days to walk to Trinity Bellwoods Park to check out KC's tree (I haven't been since June) but things kept getting in the way.  Today was the day!

Monument to the White Squirrel, CAMH, Toronto, ON

I walked to Trinity Bellwoods Park this morning and stopped in at CAMH (Queen Street W/Shaw) to see the Brandon Vickerd's Monument to the White Squirrel (near the corner of Queen Street W and Shaw Street).

Commissioned by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) Therapeutic Art Program, Monument to the White Squirrel initially appears to be the humorous elevation of a lowly urban squirrel to a monumental status. In fact the monument is an homage to the white squirrel that inhabited the area of Queen Street West and achieved the status of urban legend - a cultural touchstone that most Torontonians have heard of. 

Honeycomb (aka Newfie) knitted mittens

I just finished knitting a pair of Honeycomb (aka Newfie) mittens. They are fun to make.

I used 4 ply yarn and 5mm double pointed needles.

Wrist

1. With A, cast on 42 sts
2. Knit 1, purl 1 for 18 rows
3. Purl
4. Purl, increasing 2 stitches on each needle for a total of 48 stitches

Pattern

1.  *Knit 4 with B, slip 2 purlwise with A*, repeat to the end of row
2. Repeat this row 4 more times (5 in total)
3. Purl 2 rows with A
4. Knit 1 with B, * slip 2 purlwise with A, knit 4 with B*, repeat to the last three stitches, knit 3 with B
5. Repeat this row 4 more times (5 in total)
6. Purl 2 rows with A
7.  *Knit 4 with B, slip 2 purlwise with A*, repeat to the end of row
8. Repeat this row 4 more times (5 in total)
9. Purl 2 rows with A
10. Knit 1 with B, * slip 2 purlwise with A, knit 4 with B*, repeat to the last three stitches, knit 3 with B
11. Repeat this row 4 more times (5 in total)
12. Purl 2 rows with A

Thumb

1. In step 12 above, purl 2, put 7 stitches on a stitch holder for the thumb and cast on 7 stitches, purl to the end.  Purl 1 row.

Mitten

1. Knit the pattern until long enough (I did 6)
2. Knit 1 row
3. *Knit 4, knit 2 together*, repeat to the end
4. Knit 2 rows
5. *Knit 3, knit 2 together*, repeat to the end
6. Knit 2 rows
7. *Knit 2, knit 2 together*, repeat to the end
8. Knit 2 rows
9. *Knit 2 together*, repeat to the end
10. Thread the yarn through remaining the loops and pull tight
11. Weave end inside

Thumb

1. With A, pick up the 7 stitches from the holder
2. Pick up 7 stitches around the thumb hole for a total of 14 stitches
3. Knit to fit length of thumb
4. Knit 2 together all around
5. Thread the yarn through the remaining loops and pull tight
6. Weave end inside

Book ~ "The Sayers Swindle" (2013) Victoria Abbott

From Goodreads ~ Jordan Kelly is delighted to make money tracking down rare and valuable mystery novels for her employer, Vera Van Alst, an avid collector and the most difficult woman in Harrison Falls, New York. But now her boss’s complete set of Dorothy Sayers is missing and finding them may lead Jordan to a murder suitable for Sayers’s esteemed sleuth, Lord Peter Wimsey.

When Jordan manages to locate her boss’s missing books, they are in the possession of Randolph Adams, an elderly man in a nearby town. Offering a valuable Hemingway first edition as an incentive, Jordan thinks she’s about to seal the deal - but some of Randolph’s relatives think he should hold out for more.

Then the entire family disappears - and a dead body shows up. It’s up to Jordan to collect the clues - and make sure a killer gets booked.

Jordan has a job buying and reselling books for an older crusty recluse, Vera Van Alst.  Vera's mint Dorothy Sayer books were stolen and sold to Karen, a bookseller, who in turn sold them not knowing they were stolen.  Karen wants to make things right but because of a head injury she recently had, her memory comes and goes.  She remembers she sold the collection to an elderly man in another town in a specific style of house.  Vera is depending on Jordan to get the books back, even though they were stolen before Jordan came to work for her.  

Jordan tracks down the house and the man but his wife and grandson put up resistance when Karen offers to swap the collection for a more valuable book.  Jordan is determined to make this happen ... but then the family disappears and a man is found dead nearby.  Fearing the unidentified man is either her Uncle Kevin, who is hiding out from from bad guys, or a Officer Smiley, an officer she's recently gotten to know, she befriends Officer Candy so she can find out information while she is still on the hunt for the missing books.

Though this is the second in the Book Collector Mystery series, it works as a stand alone.    I liked the writing style and the characters.  It is written in first person perspective in Jordan's voice.  As it's a cozy mystery (so there is no swearing, violence or adult activity), it was a quick easy read.  There are recipes at the end.  There was a lot talk about characters from I'm assuming Dorothy Sayer's books ... I didn't know who they were so that was dead space for me and I skipped over these references.

Open Cribbage Tournament, Royal Canadian Legion - Branch 31 Mount Dennis, Toronto, ON

The Royal Canadian Legion Branch 31 Mount Dennis (on Weston Road) had a cribbage tournament this afternoon and Gord and I were there.

We had a snack … Gord had an egg salad sandwich and I had a hot dog.

There were 58 teams and the top prize was $340! We were hoping to do better than we have in the past there (our best has been 4 wins/6 losses). And we did … we won 5 games and lost 5 games. Needless to say, though, we didn’t make it onto the winners board. But it was a fun afternoon.

Book ~ "Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention and How to Think Deeply Again" (2022) Johann Hari

From Goodreads ~ In the United States, teenagers can focus on one task for only sixty-five seconds at a time and office workers average only three minutes. Like so many of us, Johann Hari was finding that constantly switching from device to device and tab to tab was a diminishing and depressing way to live. He tried all sorts of self-help solutions - even abandoning his phone for three months - but nothing seemed to work. So Hari went on an epic journey across the world to interview the leading experts on human attention - and he discovered that everything we think we know about this crisis is wrong.

We think our inability to focus is a personal failure to exert enough willpower over our devices. The truth is even more disturbing: our focus has been stolen by powerful external forces that have left us uniquely vulnerable to corporations determined to raid our attention for profit. Hari found that there are twelve deep causes of this crisis, from the decline of mind-wandering to rising pollution, all of which have robbed some of our attention. In Stolen Focus, he introduces readers to Silicon Valley dissidents who learned to hack human attention, and veterinarians who diagnose dogs with ADHD. He explores a favela in Rio de Janeiro where everyone lost their attention in a particularly surreal way, and an office in New Zealand that discovered a remarkable technique to restore workers' productivity.

The author was feeling lack of focus and decided to do something about it.  He spent three months off the grid in Providence, RI ... he left behind his fancy phone and bought a phone that didn't allow him to access WIFI.  He spent the summer reading, walking on the beach and actually talking with people.  At the end, he found peace, was less stressed and was sleeping better.  When he tuned back in on the Internet, he discovered he really hadn't missed all that much. 

He spent three years researching for this book ... and he seemed to have done a lot.  It's an interesting take on why we can't focus ... not surprising social media, technology, the food we eat, stress and more contribute to our lack of focus.  Rather than depending on companies to help us out (they are just in it for themselves), it's up to us to take responsibility for ourselves and step away from social media and technology, eat better, exercise and more to bump up our ability to focus.

Earls Sherway, Etobicoke, ON

My retirement luncheon with some of the Toronto team (and Gord) along with Charles, my manager from Montreal, and Jennifer, Charles' manager from Vancouver, was today at Earls Sherway in Etobicoke.

A few, including me, ordered Steak Frites (with French fries and confit garlic butter). Gord ordered Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes + Greens (two golden panko crusted cakes, poached prawn, remoulade, house greens salad). And a few ordered Ahi Tuna Poke Bowls.

And here we are: