2022 Books

 This year there were some new characters and a new series to read, the Ian Fleming James Bond collection.

 Mr. Croft and Mr. Bude(real name Ernest Carpenter Elmore) were crime writers in the early 1900s and it is interesting to compare how investigations were done in the old days, in books anyway.

Most of the books this year were murder mysteries/investigations and for the most part were set in Italy (17 of 39 by authors Donna Leon, Andrea Camilleri andAntonio Manzini). 

I believe I read Travels with my Aunt by Graham Greene again this year, though I did not write it down. It may have been over the summer. If I did it will have been the 13th reading.

1.     Thursday Murder Club, Richard Osman

2.     The Talent of Mr. Varge, Alexander McCall Smith (AMS)

3.     Drawing Conclusions, Donna Leon (DL), Inspector Guido Brunetti

4.     Full Dark House, Christopher Fowler, A Peculiar Crimes Unit Novel

5.     The Seagull, Ann Cleaves

6.     Falling in love, DL

7.     The Wings of the Sphinx, Andrea Camilleri (AC), Inspector Montalbano

8.     The Hog’s Back Mystery, Freeman Wills Croft, Inspector French

9.     Black Diamond, Martin Walker (MW)

10.  The Track of Sand, AC

11.  Trace Elements, DL

12.  Potters Field, AC

13.  The Devil’s Cave, MW

14.  Adams Rib, Antonio Manzini (AM), Inspector Rocco Schiavone, pot smoking inspector based on Inspector Montalbano

15.  Scarlet Fever, Rita Mae Brown, DNF

16.  Out of Season, AM

17.  Aunt Poldi and the Lost Madonna, Mario Giordano (MG)

18.  Dance of the Seagull, AC

19.  Upstream, Dan Heath

20.  Angela’s Smile, AC

21.  The Sussex Downs Murder, John Bude, 1930s novel

22.  Casino Royale, Ian Fleming (IF)

23.  Live and Let Die, IF

24.  Transience Destiny, DL

25.  A Voice in the Night, AC

26.  Moonraker, IF

27.  Pyramid of Mud, AC

28.  Death of Sea, AC

29.  Hello Everyone Again, Gail’s book

30.  The Overnight Kidnapping, AC

31.  Diamonds are Forever, IF

32.  The Resistance Man, MW

33.  From Russia with Love, IF

34.  We Took to the Woods, L. D. Rich, book from Allie

35.  Unexplained Deaths, Bruce Goldfarb, about Frances Glessner Lee (1878-1962) and her crime scene dioramas

36.  Sumo, David Benjamin

37.  Monsieur Pamplemousses, Michael Bond, first book in the series

38.  The Other End of the Line, AC

39.  Montalbano’s First Case and Other Stories, AC

2021 Recap

 2021 was another year of Pod living.  Here are the highlights.

Good

• Got vaccinated
• Nice weather walks 
• Met friends in the Park for food and drink
  
• Cousins gathering in July, mostly outside
  
• The Eldest in for a visit in July
  
• Paella with friends (K&M)
• Seal viewing with friends (G&D)
  
• Grew Celeriac, though they were quite small
• Acquired a 4 piece drum kit
• Re-watched Poirot series 
• Had a good Tomato crop, plum and heirloom
• Le Tour
• Sumo tournaments
• Worked from home
• Read some good books
• Takeout (Brothers Pizza, Forest Thai, Keyport Fishery)
  

Bad

• Attempted Coup
• COVID
• Voter Suppression
• Stop the Steal Lunatics
  
• Mushroom log present did not produce mushrooms
• needed 2 caps
• Garlic crop was disappointing

Fixed/Improved/Made

• Rewired silver desk lamp
• Installed an entryway hand rail to support aging in place
• Replaced Volvo drivers seat side panel
• Boot jack improvements
• Replaced nook crawlspace entry hatch
• Attic clean out 
• made a carpenter bee trap, caught 2
• new Big Green Egg gasket
• Garage side window, frame fixed, window pane re-seated and painted
• power washed driveways
• Repainted toy box
• Dryer control panel adjustment
  
• Added a few hidden hangers to north side gutters while cleaning
• planted English Bluebells, Dwarf Iris, Snowdrops and Grecian Windflowers
• fixed yard gate
• added new towel bar to master bath
• Re-soldered Temperature gun battery clip
• Made a work light on a height adjustable stand from stuff lying around
• Modified another book to have a storage compartment
• Primed office ceiling patches
• Bacon
  

Interesting

• 5 Things that made me Podcast, these are mine
  

1.     1972 – 1992: The Farm
2.     Craftsman Toolbox circa 1976
3.     Univox Les Paul/Fender Twin Reverb amplifier 1977/78?
4.     Marriage June 2, 1984
5.     December 1995 – November 2018: Lump 1963 Land Rover IIA 5 door

• Secret life of "things" videos, by Tim Hunkin. How things work cars, radios, electric components.
• What we do in the Shadows, TV show about 4 Vampires living in Staten Island

2021 Books

 This year I finished the last of the Maigret books, finished the last 2 Raymond Chandler books and this summer I reread Travels with my Aunt for the 12th time. Way fewer books read this year than last, I think the 16 Maigret books last year helped with the numbers, they are on the short side.

1. The Little Sister, Raymond Chandler
2. Still Here, Elaine Stritch
   
3. A Well Timed Murder, Tracee de Hahn
4. The Shape of Water, Andrea Camilleri (AC)
5. Taste for Vengeance, Martin Walker (MW)
6. Telling Tales, Anne Cleeves
7. Hidden Depths, Anne Cleeves
8. The Sneak Thief, AC
9. Aunti Poldi and the Handsome Antonio, Mario Giordano
10. Odessa Sea, Clive Cussler
11. Silent Voices, Ann Cleeves
12. Excursion to Tindari, AC
13. Maigret's Mad Woman, Georges Simenon (GS)
    
14. Sherlock Holmes, The Valley of Fear, A. C. Doyle
15. The Long Goodbye, Raymond Chandler
16. Maigret and the Informer, GS
17. The Girl in the Castle Well, MW
18. Maigret and Monsiour Charles, GS
19. Rat King, Michael Dibdin
20. Dressed for Death, Donna Leon (DL)
21. Bruno Cheif of Police, MW
22. Aqua Alta, DL
23. The Old Success, Martha Grimes
24. Travels with my Aunt, Grahame Greene
25. Mystery of Dr. Fu Manchu, Sax Rohmer First of many, 1913
26. The Death of Faith, DL
27. The Scent of the Night, AC
28. The Dark Vineyard, MW
29. A Nobel Radiance, DL
30. Rounding the Mark, AC
31. Doctored Evidence, DL
32. Death on the Nile, Agatha Christie
33. The Patience of the Spider, AC
34. A Question of Belief, DL
35. A Crowded Grave, MW
36. Mystery in the Channel, Freeman Wills Croft
    

Interests to Investigate

 Started compiling a list of interests to ponder or learn or make or do or write about when I find myself with more time on my hands than I do now being gainfully employed. I was aiming for 52 for no particular reason. I am up to 61, but don't feel like adding to the list here.

1.     Learn to Surf

2.     Learn to Sail

3.     Learn how to use a sextant, made an inclinometer on our cruise around Svalbard. Basics about a sextant were also covered.

4.     Timber framing

5.     Stone carving

6.     Finished the Crossbow Tennis Ball Launcher. January 2024, doesn't shoot far, but I guess that is safer.

7.  Sashiko; a form of Japanese folk embroidery and clothes mending

8.     Business Card, Calling Card, Personal Card, Real Me Card, Post Work CV

9.     BMW Motorcycle/Vespa rebuild

10.  Fix an analog wind up clock

11.  Long distance hikes

12.  Travel? Why Not! blog posts or plans

13.  Abridged Poorly Executed Translations of Foreign Novels

14.  Pressing flowers, halfhearted attempts all ended in abject failure. Mini Iris and other yard flowers.

15.  Moving rocks for trail construction use using cables, rigging

17.  Book binding

18.  Moss, photos and grow Made a moss terrarium using a repurposed security camera in March 2024

19.  write Inspector Maigret Paris walks or Maigret Companion

20.  The Daily life of Madam Maigret or Madam Maigret’s cookbook

21.  Monsieur Pamplemousse Companion

22.  Monsieur Pamplemousse ‘s wife 's life book

23.  Rally School

24.  Holiday scented candles in empty tea tins

25.  Learned to use a slide rule. I have a slide rule from my dad and a booklet from my father-in-law. Leaned basic operation in March 2023.

26.  Keep water lilies in a fish tank indoors

27.  Learn some number of songs on upright bass

28.  Play music for plays/musicals/theater group

29.  Community Big Band

30.  Save Seed/seed bank

31.  Herbal Liquors

32.  Knife and other types of tool sharpening

33.  Mead, make? compare? consume? Made Mead in 2022 and a Maple Mead in 2023

34.  Constellations, learn more, know 2, learn 5 more

35.  look into Staten Island Mohlenhoff Farm History, maybe Mohlenhoff Mobile Museum

36.  Get a website

37.  Trail maintenance, adopt a local trail. Started as NYC Parks Super Steward Trail Maintainer in 2025. Assigned Lavender trail in High Rock Park.

38.  Bottle openers, made one from railroad spike (11/3/2022), not good enough for a presen

40.  Intra-coastal Waterway

41.  Holiday Spice coffee  (ginger, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cloves), gave some to my sister.

42.  Distill Essential Oils

43.  Risk Management

44.  NGO Work

45.  Micro-meteorites

46.  52 Things Blog Post, done?

47.  Keith’s Book of Lists

48.  Keith’s Farm Memories

49.  Jacobs ladder or other mad scientist devices

50.  Sword fighting lessons

51.  Hydroponics

52.  Knots (Marine, climbing, camping, GP) 8 each? 

53. Volunteering at Greenbelt Native Plant Center, starting in 2024. Site of the old family farm.

 

 

2020 Recap

 2020 has been a tough year, luckily we can work remotely, keeps us in money and keeps us busy. Have not been able to travel, but on the plus side we have saved some money this year. We don't dine out as much as some others do, but certainly missed sharing food with friends and family.

Gramps and me

Things Done:

• Trek Bike Travel Event in NJ
  
• Jay Rayner's Last Supper in March in NYC
  
• worked from home starting March 12
• watched Le Tour bike race in August, delay due to COVID
  
• made bacon
  
• made a fake book for storage
• made a temperature controlled outlet
• made a directional air diverter
• repurposed a refrigerator rack for caulk storage
• assembled jigsaw puzzles
• spent time in the backyard

 

 

 

Food Joints;

• one dinner in Summit, NJ, Fiorino Ristorante
• one dinner in NYC, Murray's Cheese Bar
  
• takeout pizza from Brothers
• takeout Thai from Forest Thai
  

Garden:

• 60 cloves of Garlic harvested, lost some to rot
• Harvested lots of kale in spring
  
• planted winter kale, celeriac and spinach. Kale grew well and we cut a lot in the fall, but it got white fly due to extremely warm fall weather, celeriac did not germinate and spinach was a poor performer
  
• No tomatoes planted this year
• planted garlic for next year on October 28, same as in 2019. Mulched half with shredded leaves.
• planted Grecian windflowers, black tulips and blue star tulips in the fall
  

House:

New Marshall bluetooth speaker, it's great

• reattached gutter/fascia on garage west end
• primed and painted basement window exterior sills
• resealed white oak on garden bench
  
• shored up the landing platform and basement steps
  
• replaced hot and cold washer hoses 
• started prepping my office ceiling
  

 Maybe next year:

• backyard gate
• garage cladding
  

 

2020 Books

 This year I read 17 more Inspector Maigret books, 3 more Dr. Fu Manchu stories and another Raymond Chandler novel. My numbers are high because the Maigret books are not very long, but very good. Over the summer I was reading after work instead of commuting which helped my book count also. In the fall as the days got shorted, I migrated to watching all of the  Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes series on you tube.

This year's books in order read;

1. How to Retire Happy, Wild and Free, Zelinski 
2. The Templar's last secret, Martin Walker
   
3. Hello Everyone, travel experiences written by a family friend.
   
4. Maigret in Court, Georges Simenon (GS)
5. Maigret and the Old People, GS
6. Aunti Poldi and the Sicilian Lions, Mario Giordano
7. Maigret and the Lazy Builder, GS
8. A Sea of Trouble, Donna Leon  Guido Brunetti mysteries taking place in Venice.
   
9. The Cask, Freeman Wills Croft, published in 1920 and starts with a dead body in a cask. The author worked on the railroad when he started writing and transportation timetables figured greatly in  this novel. Defiantly will try some of his others.
   
10. Maigret and the Good People of Montparnasse, GS
11. Maigret and the Sunday Caller, GS
12. Maigret and the Tramp, GS
13. The Return of Fu Manchu, Sax Rohmer  Looking for the first of the series. Not as rude to non-british folks as expected. A good story.
    
14. Willful Behaviour, Donna Leon
15. Maigret Defends Himself, GS
    
16. Death and the Dutch Uncle, Patricia Moyes. New author to me, quite good, will keep a look out for more.
17. Maigret's Patience, GS
18. In a Sunburned Country, Bill Bryson
    
19. Maigret's Pickpocket, GS
20. An Unkindness of Ravens, Ruth Rendel
21. The Treasure Hunt, Andrea Camilleri Inspector Montalbano
22. The Shadow of Fu Manchum Sax Rohmer
23. The Wrath of Fu Manchu, Sax Rohmer
24. Aunti Poldi and the Vinyards of Etna, Mario Giordano
25. The Crow Trap, Anne Cleeves A Vera novel
    
26. Maigret and the Nahour  Case, GS
27. Farewell my Lovely, Raymond Chandler Second Novel by Chandler, I only have the last 2 of his novels to read.
28. Maigret in Vichy, GS
29. Maigret Hesitates, GS
30. The Temptation of Forgiveness, Donna Leon
    
31. Maigret's Childhood Friend, GS
32. Maigret and the Killer, GS
33. Unto Us a Son is Given, Donna Leon
34. Maigret and the Wine Merchant, GS
35. Cabal, Michael Dibden From the Aurelio Zen series, takes place in and around the Vatican.
36. Thin Air, Anne Cleeves Not a Vera novel.
    
37. Maigret and the Loner, GS
38. The Jewels of Paradise, Donna Leon  Story about Caterina Pellegrin and some work she picks up in Venice. Not a Guido Brunetti novel.
39. The Last Unicorn, William deBuys NonFiction searching for an endangered species in Southeast Asia. Received by accident, not bad, a bit sad overall for many different reasons.
    
40. The Terracotta Dog, Andrea Camilleri
41. Wildfire, Anne Cleeves
42. The Voice of the Violin, Andrea Camilleri
43. Beating around the Bush, M. C. Beaton
44. A Farmers Diary, Sally Urwin
45. The Knowledge, Marth Grimes
46. A Maigret Christmas and other stories, GS
47. The Mistletoe Murders, P. D. James, short stories
48. Harbour Street, Anne Cleeves

Dream House II

 Scouting Tudor Homes, as I do and ran across this lovely little Tudor.

It sprawling, its got nooks and crannies and a medieval feel. I guess I have a leaning towards this style. See my original Dream House. Many have the exterior look, but lack any charm inside.

 

Main entry

The Great Hall, but not too great.

A snug little nook with fireplace. I'd get a lot of reading and/or napping there.

 

Dining room though left door, hall to the right.

 

Dining room with landscape view.

Kitchen with rear door.

Past the kitchen and down a few stairs to the family room with another fireplace. French doors open to a deck.

Crypt(that's what I would call it) under family room.

Garage with internal house access or front door access via stairs through arch to the left.

 Main Floor Master Bedroom over garage.

 

Hall, stairs to bedrooms, door to kitchen, steps down to front entrance.

 

 Upper hallway.

Upper Bedroom above Garage.

 

Top room in turret.

Upper Floor Back bedroom.

Balcony looking into Great Hall, AKA a Minstrels Gallery.

Room off Minstrels Gallery.

Rear view of the house.

Not local and not for sale, so not an option.