Reading on Tuesday

Today's library stats:

Checked out: 37
On hold: 10
I'll be waiting a while for two of these; I'm #23 on the list for the new Sophie Kinsella, and #15 on Peter Walsh's new book.

Returned: 5
Checked out: 7

I need to hunt for one book that's still showing up on my account; I'm pretty sure I returned it, but I'll look around to make sure it's not under the seat of the car or something.

Returned:

• Drive - a picture book about a father who drives a tractor-trailer rig. El Burrito wasn't as crazy about it as I thought he'd be.
• The Books of Great Alta (combo of Sister Light, Sister Dark and White Jenna) - never got started on this one, but I picked up the 3rd book of the series at a sale and thought I'd start at the beginning.
• 2 crochet books
• 1 photography book

Book cart sale: $3.50, for 5 books (3 for me, 2 for El Burrito in the future).

***

It's warm here, almost 80 the past two days. The problem with the lovely weather is that the condo heats up easily (we're on the sunny side, and the shade trees haven't leafed out yet). Since there's no decent air circulation, it takes forever to cool down at night. With both doors open, it was still 80 degrees inside at 2 a.m. (down from the 81-degree high at 9:00).

We've been strollering around the neighborhood almost every day, too. El Burrito likes it. We've seen so far that there are at least 6 units for sale, and a minimum of 16 flowering pear trees in the complex. They're pretty, but the fragrance isn't much to speak of. I much prefer the redbuds and dogwoods anyway, and lilacs for fragrance.

The rain this morning knocked a lot of petals off the pears, and they sort of drift in the breeze like snow. It's pretty to watch. We're also waiting to see if the robins nest in our shade tree again this year. Last year's nest is still there, but looking a bit rough. We did see a songbird of some kind this morning - yellow with black wings. I can't remember the name of it, and our bird guide is boxed up somewhere.

And now it's back to digging through paperwork. I'm on the list for potential jury duty next week, so I need to find the notice they sent. I have to call every night and listen to a message that'll tell me if I need to go to the courthouse the next day. I've done this once before, spent a few hours on hard plastic chairs before I was sent home. I'm not sure what kind of trials are coming up, but there's been a rash of crime lately. I've got books to read and patterns to crochet, if I can decide on yarn, and I guess El Burrito can spend a few days with his grandparents.

I just wish I could find a decent wool yarn that's soft, washable, and doesn't pill like crazy. I've considered Mission Falls 1820 and one other, but they reportedly pill badly. I've got a skein of Patons Classic Merino to try out, even though it's hand-wash only. I'd like to make El Burrito a hat to match his coat for next winter, and machine-washable wool would be a big plus.