Book ~ "One True Loves" (2016) Taylor Jenkins Reid

From Goodreads ~ In her twenties, Emma Blair marries her high school sweetheart, Jesse. They build a life for themselves, far away from the expectations of their parents and the people of their hometown in Massachusetts. They travel the world together, living life to the fullest and seizing every opportunity for adventure.

On their first wedding anniversary, Jesse is on a helicopter over the Pacific when it goes missing. Just like that, Jesse is gone forever.

Emma quits her job and moves home in an effort to put her life back together. Years later, now in her thirties, Emma runs into an old friend, Sam, and finds herself falling in love again. When Emma and Sam get engaged, it feels like Emma’s second chance at happiness.

That is, until Jesse is found. He’s alive, and he’s been trying all these years to come home to her. With a husband and a fiancé, Emma has to now figure out who she is and what she wants, while trying to protect the ones she loves.

Who is her one true love? What does it mean to love truly?

Emma knows she has to listen to her heart. She’s just not sure what it’s saying.

When Emma was in high school, she had a crush on Jesse, the captain of the swim team. They ended up dating, fell in love love love and eventually got married. Neither wanted to live in their small town in Massachusetts and wanted to see the world. And that's what they did, picking up freelance gigs, with California eventually being their homebase. Just before their one year wedding anniversary, Jesse's gig took him to Alaska. Along the way, the helicopter crashed and all were declared dead.

Emma was understandably heartbroken and moved back home and ran her parents' bookstore. She reconnected with Sam, a friend from high school, and they eventually fell in love and got engaged. Then Emma got a call from Jesse ... he had been stranded on a rock for the last 3.5 years and was on his way home to her. When he arrived, Emma is conflicted ... she loves Sam and was planning to have a future with him but her feelings of love for Jesse came rushing back and she had to decide who she wanted to be with.

I thought this story was okay. It was an interesting concept ... long lost husband versus present fiancé. Jesse came home expecting things to be the way they were three years ago. Sam feels defeated because he knew Jesse was the love of Emma's life and had Jesse not "died", they would probably still be together. It's written in first person perspective in Emma's voice. The dialogue was cheesy at times and I would have expected more awkwardness between Emma and Jesse considering she thought he'd died and had moved on.  I was okay with the ending. As a head's up, there is swearing and adult activity.

Honeycomb (aka Newfie) knitted mittens

I just finished knitting a pair of Honeycomb (aka Newfie) mittens to donate ... the colours are black and blue.

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 ~ "Say You'll Remember Me" (2025) Abby Jimenez

From Goodreads ~ There might be no such a thing as a perfect guy, but Xavier Rush comes disastrously close. A gorgeous veterinarian giving Greek god vibes - all while cuddling a tiny kitten? Immediately yes. That is until Xavier opens his mouth and proves that even sculpted gods can say the absolute wrong thing. Like, really wrong. Of course, there’s nothing Samantha loves more than proving an asshole wrong.

... unless, of course, he can admit he made a mistake. But after one incredible and seemingly endless date - possibly the best in living history - Samantha is forced to admit the truth, that her family is in crisis and any kind of relationship would be impossible. Samantha begs Xavier to forget her. To remember their night together as a perfect moment, as crushing as that may be.

Only no amount of distance or time is nearly enough to forget that something between them. And the only thing better than one single perfect memory is to make a life - and even a love - worth remembering.

Samantha found a kitten and took it to the vet to get checked out. The vet turns out to be a grumpy Xavier who advised euthanasia because its bumhole hadn't properly formed and it would eventually die if expensive surgery wasn't done. Samantha stormed out and raised enough money to save the kitten. She took the kitten back to Xavier for another check-up and he asked her out. They have a wonderful time that night and then she informed him that she was moving back home for good to California the next day. Her mother had dementia and the family was banding together to take care of her at home. 

I thought this story was okay. Samantha and Xavier were cute together ... her humour countered his seriousness. But things escalated quickly from there. I know she just met the guy but it wasn't until he was dropping her off at home after their date that he discovered she was moving from Minnesota to California in a couple of hours ... how could it not have come up in the conversation especially since she'd brought the kitten in to get a travel note? 

They acknowledged they had a great time but it couldn't go anywhere. Despite now being thousands of miles apart, Samantha and Xavier can’t stop thinking about each other. The next thing you know, Xavier is travelling to California a couple weeks later and it's like they'd been together forever. They are planning a life together but couldn't figure out how it was going to happen. 

Samantha's mother had dementia and the family had promised her she would live at home and never be put in a facility. So Samantha, her father, her maternal grandmother, her brother, her sister and her sister's two young sons all lived at the grandmother's house and took turns taking care of the mother. The mother became violent at times, didn't know who they were, wandered off, wouldn't take her medications, etc. I've never known anyone with dementia but shouldn't she have been a facility where trained people could take of her properly? It emotionally and physically beat them down but they were determined not to break the promise of keeping her at home. Really?! 

Neither Xavier nor Samantha had much money ... Xavier was still paying off his loans for his practice and Samantha was contributing to the household finances. Samantha then put her extra money along with the others into renovating their grandmother's house ... shouldn't the priority of the extra cash have gone towards getting the mother proper care instead of sprucing up the house? Xavier started working crazy hours at various clinics to make enough to fly back and forth to see Samantha in California and was burning himself out.

It's written in first person perspective alternating in Samantha and Xavier's voices (the chapters are labeled). There were references to characters in another author's stories I hadn't read so I didn't get them (I looked them up later ... it was weird the author would assume we all knew). As if the long distance relationship and the mother's dementia wasn't enough, there was more not so happy things that happened. I knew everything would be resolved at the end but I wasn't buying how it all came together. As a head's up, there is swearing and some adult activity.

The cat rescue I volunteer with had a kitten a couple years ago that was born without a bumhole and the surgery was expensive. Happily the cat is doing well now.

Victory Cafe, Toronto, ON

My pal, Trish, and I had supper at Victory Cafe (Bloor Street W, east of Bathurst Street). We sat at the table next to the front window, which was fun for people watching.

Trish had a Mediterranean pizza (Mozzarella, grilled artichokes, olives, mushrooms and fresh basil) and swapped the cheese with vegan cheese .

I had a Margherita pizza (Mozzarella fior di latte and fresh basil) and added cherry tomatoes (half of mine came home with me for lunch tomorrow). 

Both were good!

William was friendly and took good care of us.

“Canada Is Not For Sale - Remembering Stompin’ Tom Connors”, Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto, ON

Gord and I attended the Canada Is Not For Sale - Remembering Stompin’ Tom Connors event this evening with my friend, Rosanna, at the Horseshoe Tavern (Queen Street W/Spadina Avenue). 

Tom was fiercely proud of Canada’s independence, culture, and history. He spent his life celebrating what made this country unique, and he had no patience for anything that undermined it. He famously rejected the idea of chasing American success in the music industry, so the thought of Canada losing its sovereignty would have him stomping harder than ever.

He’d likely remind folks that Canada isn’t just some northern extension of the U.S.—we’ve got our own identity, our own stories, and a whole lot of people who wouldn’t take kindly to being told otherwise. And knowing Tom, he wouldn’t just be upset about the idea—he’d turn it into a rousing anthem that had people raising a pint and singing along.

Come celebrate the legacy of Stompin' Tom Connors and by extension, our Canadian identity, with the band Tom played with most often, Whiskeyjack, Billy MacInnis and some very special guests!

Rosanna, me and Gord

Songs by Stompin' Tom were sung along with other songs by Canadians. It was a popular event and the bar was jammed! The sound wasn't great at times, though ... it could have been louder especially when they were speaking on stage.

Score on Queen, Toronto, ON

Gord and I had an early supper today at Score on Queen. They opened in September and it's in the formerly historic Black Bull Tavern (at Queen Street W and Peter Street).

Book ~ "Dangerous Ends" (2017) Alex Segura

From Goodreads ~ Pete Fernandez has settled into an easy if somewhat boring life as a PI. He takes pictures of cheating husbands. He tracks criminals who've skipped bail and he attends weekly AA meetings The days of chasing murderous killers are behind him. Or are they?

When his sometimes partner, Kathy Bentley, approaches him with a potential new client, Pete balks. Not because he doesn't need the money but because the case involves Gaspar Varela, a former Miami police officer serving a life sentence for the murder of his wife - one of the most infamous crimes in Miami history. The client? None other than Varela's daughter, Maya, who's doggedly supported her father's claims of innocence.

As Pete and Kathy wade into a case that no one wants, they also find themselves in the crosshairs of Los Enfermos, a bloodthirsty gang of pro-Castro killers and drug dealers looking to wipe Pete off the Miami map. As if trying to exonerate Varela wasn't enough, they find themselves entangled in something even older and more surprising - a bloody, political hit ordered by Fidel Castro himself, that left a still-healing scar on Pete - and his dead father's - past.

Pete is a former newspaper reporter and editor in Miami. He eventually got fired and is now working as a PI following cheating husbands. Kathy, his friend and former newspaper colleague, is now working freelance and writing books. She gets approached to investigate the death of Carmen, a wife and mother who was murdered ten years ago. Gaspar, her husband and an ex-cop, is in prison for killing her. He's always maintained his innocence as has Maya, his daughter. Maya hires Kathy (and Pete) to find out who really killed her mother and assures that Kathy will be able to write a book about it, regardess of the outcome. This gets them tangled up with Los Enfermos, a pro-Castro gang in Miami, who want to put a stop to them.

This is the third in the Pete Fernandez series (I read the first ones in the series in the last couple of weeks) and I liked it ... two more to go! It is written in third person perspective with the focus on Pete. It jumped back and forth in time, starting in the late 1950s in Cuba with Pete's grandfather in Cuba (the chapters are labeled). There is a lot of violence ... Pete doesn't get beat up as much as he has in the past, though. As a head's up, there is a lot of swearing.

Honeycomb (aka Newfie) knitted mittens

I just finished knitting a pair of Honeycomb (aka Newfie) mittens to donate ... the colours are black and blue.

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