Happy Birthday Kat. From a fellow Gemini hope you have a lovely day

Thank you luce!!

Bringing the chat back over to the chat board now that masq is over ... No I don't do good reads. I just download things that seem interesting on my Kindle and trade them out for new ones after I've read them (I have Kindle unlimited so I get like, what? 10-20 books at a time? I don't remember exactly). My favorite authors, that we talked about before, I have THOSE books in paperback and some in hardback. I love real books. But I can read so many more on Kindle nowadays.

I am a bit stuck in the romance lately lol but I prefer some plot in my romance not just the sex scenes. I don't really like mystery or hard to understand stuff...some science fiction is too....science-y for me I guess you could say. And I can't do horror at all. I'm ok with some blood, gore, or scary stuff but I don't want murder and death or whatever constantly either.

I'll keep checking my ping page for this board. My pings have gone missing lately, along with my smails. :( Put a ticket in 3 days ago and they don't have a clue. :(

I will read just about anything except biography, momentos, and some science fiction. Likeyou, Kat, I just can't take the hard core science of it. I figure if it works I don't need to know how. XD If I could, I'd get kindle unlimited but there is no voice part to it unless I want my screen reader to read the books to me and I hear that banal computerized voice too much already. :)) So, Audible it is, where I found all those books you listed for free! Added all to my library instead of my wishlist. May as well while they're free. Also found two Rebecca Yarros books free, too. I'm hip deep in free books! :D

Free is the best kind!! I borrowed from the library forever. Still going to see if anything new is there. But I've read our youth, young adult and adult sections of anything that caught my eye. And browsed online and borrowed from statewide library system as well So Kindle was the next step lol I bought a few books, got a few free books and then decided to just pay for Kindle unlimited.

I've got hubby looking into kindle unlimited for me. He says that the kindle fire works with screen readers so I may be able to cut costs book-wise by stopping Audible and getting kindle unlimited. So long as the book is read to me I'm ok. I don't really need the book "dramatized" for me or the narrator to use different voices for each character. :D

Awwwww but that makes it so much better!!! Lol

So says the preK teacher who is reading aloud to kids for so many more reasons than just to read. You dont need that because you aren't learning to read/listen for sounds, meaning, pauses, etc!! 😝 Lol it honestly drives me nuts listen to someone read to the kids who doesn't know how to dramatize or change a bit for characters It's not a terrible thing but I am so used to doing it, that now to me, someone reading plainly to kids sound very dull and boring

- roflmao my screen reader's voice is not computerized like you think. It starts out that way but you have acess to profiles that make it sound like a real person is speaking it to you, complete with the appropriate pauses for punctuation. They do put the emphasis on the wrong syllable sometimes but you just noe that and tell the company and they fix it. For the longest the zodiac desination " Pisces" was said " Pisses." It was funny but someone marked it and it got fixed. My Alexa also has a human-like voice and speacks withthe pauses and inflection also. So, it would be those voices reading my books instead of the computerized robot voice. ;)

Lol, I do know that some read aloud computer voices are much better now. And I'm glad for that.

I only ever had one book read aloud to me, audible style, a long time ago, because I couldn't get it in another format at the time, so I listened to it while I was doing household chores. It was fine. I don't remember what the reading sounded like. But I did discover I much prefer reading to myself!!!

But I am serious. Some guest readers or substitutes read to the kids without any pauses or voice changes or anything and it sounds like droning to me!! Charlie Brown teacher. Blah blah blah blah blah Lol I sound so mean. I don't ever say anything to those people except to thank them for reading but it kills me inside. Even reading to myself in my head I have inflections and voices and images..... And when reading aloud to kids I try to bring the stories to life for them... [Edit] Thanks for all the birthday spoiling you guys. I even got gifted a bit by three strangers on here. It really made my day! ❤️

Happy Birthday, Kat! I hope your next trip around the sun was a wonderful as your last one! ❤

Llol @ charlie Brown teacher voice. I used to be the way you are, before I lost my sight. I still am, to a point. A lot of the time I will give the characters in a book my own voice and imagine how they look, what the setting is like. I love to use my imagination to see what these books would be like as a movvie or tv show. Being blind helps me to block out most of the extraneous stuff that you don't even realize your paying attention to while reading with your eyes. It makes listening more immersive and I catch little things that most don't catch until the 2nd or 3rd reading. I'm not saying I'm doing it better then you, just differently. I finished the "Iron Flame" book last night. Oh, the twists and turns had me biting my nails. It was awesome! :D

😯 Thank you for my birthday gift.

I'm not too sure about a wonderful year but I am sure it will be as eventful, crazy and full as last year!!!! After all, I have a granddaughter due in July, who is most likely going to move in with me in August or September and stay for who knows how long (with her parents hahahah, can I have just her instead? No, not really...I love Shane and Anna.....but it'll be a big change when they come). I have possibly getting an after school job for extra income. I have regular work and college school work coming up starting in August (ok so regular works starts end of July but kids don't come til August is why I say that) Then all those regular events such as birthdays and holidays all year long....

I'm currently reading a series called flirting with monsters. It's been a bit weird but interesting.

- You're welcome! :D

TI bet this coming year is going to be awesome for you. Granddaughter, eh? My oldest was born in the middle of July. He'll be 30 this coming July. I can't believe he's that old. And he has the audicity to give me exactly 0 grandchildren. Yes, I am, so far, grandchildless. All of my kids are old enough but not one has gifted me with grandchildren. My sister, Who I think is your age, has a granddaughter. Cutest little thing. Whether or not your granddaughter comes with her parents, she'll be an absolute blessing. I'm so happy for you that you get to live with yours. It'll take some adjustment, those things always do, but it will be wonderful. :D

Yeah! They are in Texas now but having issues with their housing...which is due to issues with their jobs to be honest. 🙄 I'm sure I've said before, my son changes jobs like most people change their underwear. And Anna currently cant have a job due to being 8 months pregnant and high blood pressure, which I am sure is not helped out by those financial issues Shane has orientation for a new job Monday. It's over the road again tho, which they were trying to avoid so he could be home with her and the baby. But otr is what he is used to also ... (And I think they will both be happier for living with me if he is otr, and only home weekends, as I'll be someone to support her at home as I think she is not used to living alone, let alone with a baby!) And I am stoked to have them and the baby here soon even through all the insane changes that will come because I was so sad before that they were in Texas and I would mostly only to get to see her on video calls!!! Shane, my oldest is 25. He will be 26 in Dec. And to be honest I'm glad he didn't have a kid before now. I'm still not sure he's ready 😝 Katie, my middle child, is 22 (will be 23 in Nov), and isn't interested in kids til after she gets married but I think if it happened for her she'd be thrilled and way more prepared than her brothers. Nathan of course, is 17, will be 18 in August. And doesn't want kids. (Of course that's what Shane said for years too ... So we shall see what the future holds). I turned 47 this year. Some times I feel quite old and other times I have no idea how I got this old!! Surely I haven't been around that long lol

Kat,

My oldest daughter is the same age as your oldest son. She, along with ther 2 younger sisters, is completely career focused and driven. I won't see grandkids out of them any time soon. So, it's up to my two boys. Neither of them is career focused but neither of them have a current partner, either. Which leaves me with no grandkids. Hrm, When I was my oldest son's age I had kids. When I was my youngest son's age all I wanted with kids. Now, no one wants kids. How generations change.

I figured you were a little bit younger then me because of the 77 in your username. I'll be 53 this year at the end of June. I'm glad I made it 543 years because when I was younger everything after 20 was a mystery, I had no plans. Turns out I astill don't have any plans. lol Gen X all the way! 😂

Haha yes the 77 is my birth year I had Shane when I was 21 I always wanted kids. Since I was a little girl. I sometimes wish I had more but am glad I didn't seeing as I ended up divorced. As any other kids I would have had would have been younger than Nathan.

I had no plans beyond having a family back then either. Maybe vague "I wanna be a teacher/work with kids" Now I guess I am finally working on those vague plans lol

And career driven women can still have kids. They just usually tend to do it later in their lives. So you never know...your daughters may still end giving you grandkids. Kids are way more expensive nowadays. You used to be able to have one partner stay home with the kids and one partner work to support the whole family. But now both partners need to work to support the family and then that requires childcare for younger kids which means more income needed! Never ending cycle of byebye money!!! So I think that is partly why some of this generation don't want kids. Why have them if you have to work all the time and dont get to be with them????

Good Morning Kat :)

Good Morning Chelle :)

Morning ladies! Kat, I still owe you presents.

No, if you're in the restaurant, you have to pay. Plus like.. we told them the plans in advance, and they planned to eat at the same place, two hours before we did. So that was on them. She got over it real quick, anyway.

Another busy busy day here! Yesterday I worked the library, ran book club, then had to go pick the kids up from the orchard.. was supposed to get groceries, but instead I took an accidental death nap before our womens civic club meeting. Ended up staying there for 2.5 hours (it was at the cidery, I didn't even drink anything though LOL).

Today is work, groceries, music errands, prepping for VBS... which we are TOTALLY not ready for!

Bit of a lazy day for me.(As are most of my summer days) I am going to work on my closet. I moved stuff around in there and managed to get the queen mattress up against the back wall, and now am working on putting the rest of the stuff back in or sorting it to get rid of. The queen mattress WAS in Shane's room, but since they have those own mattress, and I do want to keep this one for a guest bed eventually, I didn't want to put it in the back house so I put it in my closet. The gun cabinet will be moved back to my room too. Then I am going to see how I can get my desk in there, since I'll need more privacy/quiet for college classes after they move here.... I was debating doing that after Skittles passed anyway, but this kind of prompts me into it sooner.

Oh I found out yesterday that two of my sub days weren't needed anymore ☹️ so now I only work Thursday next week

Woow, it's a lazy day for me also. Woke up late and it's set everything back. I hate days like this.

Mieke, then I understand the situation and am glad it's resolved itself. :) Your buisiness mekes my head hurt. How do you do it? I know I hauled rear when my kids were in school but I never remembered it being so busy.

Kat, I used to love rearranging furniture until I lost my sight. Now, every misplaced piece of anything means sprained ankles or stubbed toes for me so no one moves anything without them saying something first. My hubby used to hate it when i did it, said it was disorienting. I understand that now. I bet you'll feel acomplished once you get the closet organized. :D

Hi guys! Finally off after a 5, 7, and 7 days streak at work with only a day in-between. Currently at the urgent care trying to fix a clogged ear.

Hope your birthday was wonderful Kat! That was the first that I saw the little cake next to someone's name!

Hello ! Oh that's so cool that you can change voices!! I would never have known. Only voices I've really had to listen to for technology are the GPS ones.

Oh wow Kat!! That's wild how your son's situation is! I know you'd give good grand baby snuggles with how sweet you are!

You're all good moms!

Hope everyone is having a good day! I hit a lucky one on here, winning the scratchcard jackpot and the slots one!