Long time, no see.

From Joanna’s desk
Hello, gentle readers. I hope you are all well.
It has been quite a while, my apologies. It has been a rough month… or two. I wrote most of this post back in July, I think. I’m going to leave the bulk of it as is and update what needs updating.

A bit over 2 years ago I took a delightful trip to visit friends in Tucson. When traveling, I prefer to see and spend money on local/ cultural things and among these local purchases is Arizona Ghost Stories by Antonio R. Garcez. I not not a huge fan of scary things, but have developed an interest in ghost stories (nothing too scary). It might not have been the most logical book purchase to make in Tombstone, but I’m still happy with the choice. ​

Each chapter is a different locations in Arizona and begins with a brief history of the location. The reader gets a good sense of where the location is and when it was established. If a story is in a public building or space, Garcez also gives a brief explanation of its history as well. I really enjoyed the context he provides, considering I have been to only a couple of the places the stories take place.

Each of the stories come from interviews Garcez conducted with the individuals who experienced ghosts or off phenomena. Each person is given a bit of introduction, often including a description of where the interview took place and personal details. I can see why some people might prefer to get directly to the stories, but I enjoyed the brief glimpses into the interviewees lives; it adds a richness and relatability.

I read the book over the course of the two years, one story here and there and thoroughly enjoyed it. Some of them were a bit unnerving, but nothing too terrifying. Arizona Ghost Stories is a good choice for anyone wanting a bit of spooky without a big commitment and if Arizona isn’t your thing, Garcez has several other books to choose from.

Around the writing of this post I had a case of what knitters call startitis. I had it with books. Mostly long ones. Since I last posted I have started reading the following (and since abandoned all of them for other books. See my list of books on the book page):

Sonia Purnell, Clementine The Life of Mrs. Winston Churchill
Diana Gabaldon, Drums of Autumn
Henry James, What Maisie Knew
Leonie Swann,  Three Bags Full
Emily St. John Mandel,  Station Eleven: A Novel
On the knitting front, I did complete a large project, but it is a gift. I’ll post about that later. On the smaller project front, I have knit… four wash clothes. I’ve decided to always keep one on the go to break up the larger projects. My first pair of handspun socks are also on the needles out of the yarn i dyed a while back on the blog. I’ll talk more about those when they are done. What else… I have started and ripped out a couple things. I have started two sweaters for me and one for a baby. I need to get a handle on holiday knitting and work on that for a bit, so the personal sweaters are taking a back seat.

I’ve also been spinning a bit more. I got a nifty new spindle! It was 3D printed by a small business called Turtle Made. I love it. I’ve also been working more on my other spindle and my wheel.
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Hopefully, I’ll be more on top of the blog. I won’t make any promises, but I’ll try.