We've been able to recyle cardboard here for a long time. Not only cereal boxes, think toilet and towel paper rolls, kleenex boxes, cardboard from various packaging (think of the ridiculous amount in toy packages) and of course cardboard boxes (flatten first) We also recycle plastic bottles and other plastic products (just have to check the number on the bottom - anything 2-6 is considered recyclable). Sometimes our recycling bin is filled more than our garbage bin! >I have been turning off....air conditioner when not in use and have noticed a lowering of my electricity bill. Double check this one. Its always been a controversy around here whether you should just raise your AC when you leave the house, or turn it off, and then turn it on when you return. Which one saves more electricity? We generally turn ours up to 78 when we leave, turn it back to 74 when we return. I suspect that it takes less energy to cool it four degrees than it might to cool it 20 (remember tho I live in a place where 110 degree days are not uncommon in the summer. Might be different in milder climates) I shop local when I can - certainly the local indie (tho I still use Amazon and Borders for new books), and our Farmer's Market. Theres also this great local Taqueria (taco shop) near our house that I just love. Unfortunately, shopping locally means higher prices at times. If going local means driving 20 minutes, I have to decide whether I want to waste gas, or save money and use less gas. It is a cunnundrum. But I do try when I can.

Just coming to the end of Edna Healey's Emma Darwin: The Inspirational Wife of a Genius. I think many readers would find it turgid and rather heavy going but I enjoyed it. Emma was born a Wedgwood of the famous 'pot-making' tribe and that family and the Darwins kept intermarrying for several generations; Charles was her first cousin. The book is about so much more than Emma and there is lots of info about all the various branches of the combined groups with the difficulty of working out who-is-who as many of them had the same Christian names eg six females called Francis/Fanny. Without Emma, Charles' great scientific works would probably never have been published as he suffered chronic ill-health and needed her near him at all times . . . which might account for the huge number of children she produced, many of whom were 'delicate' but much cherished. A little while ago I read a bio of Catherine Dickens and the contrast between the two families (much of the same age) is very marked. Mrs Dickens also had a huge family but her husband 'tired' of her and had her physically removed from her children and home, whereas the Darwins were loving, with children who went on to 'do well' in later life. Dicken's sons, except for the oldest, did badly and wasted their lives while his daughters were kept at home to wait on him and stoke his ego. Darwin led a quiet life of study and enjoyment of nature while Dickens was a great showman/showoff who burnt himself out when middle aged.

My last October post.. I finished Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal. Great premise, not so great execution. There were too many side stories that detracted from the best part of the plot - the Punjabi widows, their stifled lives and the freedom they felt when together in the classroom. I wish the author had focused on this part of the story and spent time developing the characters. I did appreciate learning a little bit about Punjabi culture in contemporary England. Overall 2 stars for me. Also finished Afterlife by Julia Alvarez. I long ago read her novel In the Time of Butterflies in which I learned a lot about the Dominican Republic’s dark history. This novel takes place in New England, about a newly retired and suddenly widowed college professor. A moving story about grief, sisterhood, and searching for a meaningful life amidst so many changes. Alvarez uses comic relief to balance the sorrow the main character is feeling. Quick read. 4 stars. Last week, dh and I had a 10 hr roundtrip road trip in one day to take our college son to a doctor appointment, Last time I made the trip alone, this time dh went to help with the long drive so I chose an audiobook that would appeal to both of us. We listened to The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11. Certainly not an easy subject as it’s a chilling and heart wrenching account told in a series of short interviews with first responders, survivors, witnesses, friends and family, govt officials. It certainly held our attentIon but it is a lot to listen to - I was in tears at point listening to one first responder talking about how he and fellow firefiighters laid the body of Fr. Mychal Judge on the altar of St. Peter’s. 5 stars Currently reading Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi. Really enjoyed her previous book, Homegoing. Not too far into this one yet to have an opinion.

A selection of short stories Mr Wrong by Elizabeth Jane Howard was easy reading at bedtime. You'll Never See Me Again by Lesley Pearce was another undemanding book. Apparently Ms Pearce had a large following of fans who enjoy her work as so many of her characters are 'the same'. I had never come across her before and found though the story, set during WWI, was quite pacy I felt the heroine, a simple country girl, was amazingly lucky in finding employment with people who treated her as one of the family and by the end is able to marry a man way above her 'social station'. Is it just me that finds many of these popular books set in 'times gone by' could be about 'modern' people? In the above book all the better-off houses have electricity and modern plumbing. Everyone is very clean with baths/hair washing etc happening daily. Women are shown as being 'empowered' with very modern attitudes. And my old bug-bear . . . farms have hay stored in barns not in hay-stacks and agricultural labourers drive tractors; with never a horse to be seen.