Snapshot from Along the Broken Road: 2015 - Week 17

Checking in for the week of April 26 through May 2.

WHAT I READ |
Moving the Chains: Tom Brady and the Pursuit of Everything (Charles P. Pierce) - Well, here's the thing. I've always appreciated what Brady has done for my team, but I've never been a huge fan of *him*. So, I thought I would learn a little about him and see if that would change my mind some. And it did. Taken with a grain of salt, he seems like a decent guy, for the most part. He certainly works hard, and I appreciate his attitude. That being said, this author did very little to engage a reader who is NOT a Patriots fan. In fact, if I were the fan of another team, I would have been turned off by the author more than anything else. There was a lot of slurping all over Brady and the Patriots, almost a tone of disdain, that even as a Patriots fan, I found a bit distasteful. (We won't even discuss how scornful he speaks of baseball, which didn't sit well with me.) The writing, itself, was ok-ish. Sometimes he over-explained references he made, other times he just assumed the reader knew who some obscure person was without a single descriptor or deeper identification. The other thing that I found a little disconcerting was the way the author told the "story" of the 2005 Patriots season, while linking each game or two to something in Brady's personal history. Some of these links were a stretch, at best, and some were just downright jolting in the jumps back and forth through time. Overall, I'd give Tom's story a solid four stars, but this author's failure to be objective through most of the book, combined with the way he chose to tell Tom's story, are what I rated a generous three.
One Good Turn (Kate Atkinson) - Just started this one. Her books have a lot of characters whose stories all seem to intersect (I'm surmising , based on what little I've read so far, and the fact that this is the second in a series), so right now, I'm learning who everyone is still.

WHAT WE ATE|
T roasted up a whole chicken, which we had with stuffing and some sweet peas. He also put a corned beef brisket in the slow cooker, and we had some boiled potatoes (with butter, salt, and some fresh parsley) and some green beans on the side -- I scored big time in the husband department! We made some BLTs one night, some fish sandwiches another night, and had tacos on Friday. Monday was the big deal, though: we tried a new (to our kitchen, not our taste buds) recipe for the Fisherman's Pie that they serve at Epcot's Food and Wine Fest. Oh. My. Rich and decadent and so good. Saturday, we stopped at Rainforest Cafe for lunch while we were at Animal Kingdom.

WHAT I ACCOMPLISHED|
Finally got up to WDW to get T's Annual Pass renewed. Sneaking in under the wire on this one. It expires next weekend! Gee, it's such tough luck when your To Do List has items like this to cross off, huh?

CANDLE SCENTS|
Meadow Showers (YC) - I love this. It's fresh and green, like the outside smells after rain, and we have a whole large jar of it to enjoy.
Midnight Jasmine (YC) - Pretending I can smell orange blossoms.

WHAT THIS WEEK LOOKED LIKE|
Trying my hand at a house plant. (Please, don't let me kill it. Poor thing.)


Delightful.


This unseasonably cool weather is such a gift.


Those sunrise colors make me all swoony.


New calendar art! Funny thing: for all the trips I've made to California, all I've ever really seen of Los Angeles has been the airport or driving through it.


Golden warm light waking up my kitchen.


Enjoying the fantastic weather on a WDW date (had to renew his annual pass). Heading out for our "two week" safari.


There's a baby pelican in that nest, all fuzzy and white, trying to pretend he hasn't almost outgrown it.


This day really was this stunning. Also: flamingos.


Coolest horns on the safari.


Meerkats get watermelon!


Mama and baby.


When you're at WDW, don't forget to look up sometimes too. Details are every direction.


Harambe Village.


I never get to park in Yeti! (These are the ridiculous things local passholders who are in the parks dozens of times per year get excited over.)