Marvelous Monday: Week 22

It's Marvelous Monday!  We just got back from Wish's first obedience class.  I am really happy with how it went. And so is Wish, even though he was totally tuckered out by the car ride home:

So, before we all fall asleep, I bring you Marvelous Monday!

1. We took our pup on his longest walk with us yet this morning! He is acclimating to the walkers, runners, and cyclists in our neighborhood and we've been able to start working stretches of busier sidewalks into our routes lately. There's work to be done for sure - and more homework now with obedience class! - but it's great to see progress.

2. With the clock ticking down on my Kindle library loan, I finished The Book Thief earlier in the weekend. It's an incredible, moving, captivating piece of writing. I really may have to buy a hard copy of this one for my own library. I dream of someday being able to write young adult fiction that's a fraction as well-done as this book. (Thanks to Steph for this recommendation, by the way, which came out of an M&L inquiry for book recommendations!)

Next up: either Salvage the Bones (my book club's choice for next month, which is waiting for me on my Kindle) or The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir by Kao Kalia Yang.

3. My fledgling garden projects have been enjoying the recent downpours. I keep meaning to do a comparison photo to see how much my herbs have grown since I transplanted them to new pots. One day last week, I noticed a new little bud about to bloom on my impatiens plants in the window box. I said out loud, "You really are alive!"

4. This season's temperatures mean I finish a run craving cold drinks instead of coffee and oatmeal.  It's smoothie season! By fall every year, I forget how satisfying smoothies are after a hot run, so it feels like a fun new discovery every time warm weather rolls around again. Today's concoction: milk, vanilla protein powder, and strawberries. I like to add frozen fruit instead of ice, but today I had fresh strawberries, so the consistency meant no spoon was needed.  Really, there's no wrong way to go about making a smoothie.  That's downright marvelous.

5. There's a lot to look forward to in the next couple of weeks, including (but not limited to) my dear grandma's birthday, time with my extended family and a visit from Josh's family!

Here's to you, Reader, and to the loved ones in your heart Memorial Day and every day.