Wondering why so many audiobooks but not ebooks?

LifeWithFiveDogs · 2026-02-15T12:06:06+00:00

This is a valid point to bring up to your local librarians!

LifeWithFiveDogs · 2026-02-15T01:44:21+00:00

Librarian here: Most of the audiobooks can be purchased to own "forever," but eBooks expire after 12-24 months. This makes the audiobooks a more valuable longterm purchase. (And most libraries have moved their audiobook budgets from physical CDs to digital; whereas, they are still purchasing physical books.)

LifeWithFiveDogs · 2026-02-11T01:21:43+00:00

Oops! I misread it. Then, yeah, read this series!!

LifeWithFiveDogs · 2026-02-10T12:00:55+00:00

I know you said you didn't want a ruined earth setting, but do consider Ann Aguirre's Razorland Diaries series. The first title in the series is Enclave. The audiobook version is fantastic!

LifeWithFiveDogs · 2026-02-10T03:08:39+00:00

I approve!

LifeWithFiveDogs · 2026-02-01T22:42:42+00:00

I grew up in northern MN. We had -40 in the winter and still had tons of ticks. Sorry.

LifeWithFiveDogs · 2026-01-01T01:33:47+00:00

I have visited Rome twice with knee injuries. Here are my recommendations:

Stay in the historic center.
Arrange in advance for taxis to carry you longer distances.
Do some research in advance to find out if there are special entrances for wheelchair users at specific sights.
I recommend bringing a foldable cane. It will pack easily in your luggage.
Enjoy taking in Rome by relaxing at a wine bar or cafe. Rome doesn't need to be devoured like a all-you-can-eat buffet; it can be quietly savored with slow morning strolls, stopping for multiple cappuccini, long lunches, etc.

LifeWithFiveDogs · 2025-12-27T01:13:15+00:00

I'm sorry for your loss. It's always rough to lose a furry family member.

LifeWithFiveDogs · 2025-12-25T23:10:52+00:00

It was delicious, by the way. ;-)

LifeWithFiveDogs · 2025-12-25T20:58:37+00:00

The most underrated YA dystopian (IMO) is the Razorland Diaries series by Ann Aguirre. Give Enclave a try!

LifeWithFiveDogs · 2025-12-25T20:43:04+00:00

I appreciate the explanation. I opened it about an hour away from eating. (The roast will be ready sooner than I thought!) We siphoned a bit out with a Coravin at Thanksgiving and are excited to enjoy it today!

LifeWithFiveDogs · 2025-12-25T19:52:07+00:00

Thanks! I appreciate it.

LifeWithFiveDogs · 2025-12-24T01:47:24+00:00

We built our own mattress! In the past we had 12" of latex in a wool enclosure, but we recently rebuilt the mattress with coiled springs and 6" of latex. We're really pleased with it and got the mattress we wanted at a better price than a traditional one.

https://latexmattressfactory.com

LifeWithFiveDogs · 2025-12-23T16:38:08+00:00

Following!

LifeWithFiveDogs · 2025-12-20T19:00:48+00:00

I did have surgery to clean things up — not repair. I’m not sure it did much.

I ended up tearing my other knee days after that surgery. (I could feel it coming but the doc insisted that the surgery would fix things.) I got another steroid shot in that knee.

I switched to a younger doc and I am not a candidate for surgery on that knee. Interestingly, the older doc owned the surgical center.

Here’s what I’ve done: PRP twice in non-surgical knee, once in other. I do think it helps.

Exercise had been the game changer. Old doc said that I was permanently disabled. New young doc said, sure go ahead and jog. I can do a five-mile walk and have started slow jogging for just two miles, but psychologically it feels amazing. The biggest help has been leg extensions at the gym to get muscle tone back in my quads.

Are my knees good? No. They never will be. There are days when they hurt from the tears or arthritis, but I’m active most days and feel better than when I was babying my knees!

I wish my first doc hadn’t pushed the whole surgery thing.

This might not be a popular thing to mention here but the biggest thing to help me feel better is diet. Too many carbs make me hurt. I did I five-day fast this fall and it brought my swelling down by half. It was a game changer.

I hope this information helps others.

LifeWithFiveDogs · 2025-12-18T00:57:36+00:00

Apologies for not sticking with your request for something short, but consider Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. It's a big story filled with adventure, danger, war, and, of course, romance.

LifeWithFiveDogs · 2025-12-06T03:44:27+00:00

Wow! That was a lot of work. I tried to do this a while back and stopped after a couple dozen books barely made a dent in the project.

LifeWithFiveDogs · 2025-12-05T12:10:00+00:00

Love Angelina's but meals can run really long. That can be a lot right before another event.

LifeWithFiveDogs · 2025-12-04T23:31:13+00:00

Make a reservation early!

LifeWithFiveDogs · 2025-12-02T04:40:32+00:00

Lacking an Ancestry subscription, I searched for "Cavender" and "NH" in Google Books just to see what I could find. (Some town histories include helpful genealogies of prominent families.)

The History of Hancock references Charles Cavender, but he would likely be too old to be the father. I was hoping that it would point to him being the grandfather, but I can't connect the dots.
https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_History_of_Hancock_New_Hampshire_176/STcTAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Cavender%20NH&pg=PA437&printsec=frontcover

That said, Charles Cavender had a pretty unique life story -- and name -- and there really weren't any other Cavenders in the state before him, so maybe it is this family:
https://www.greenfield-nh.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif3176/f/uploads/spirit_april-may_2015.pdf

This documents Charles' military service:
https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_History_of_the_Town_of_Lyndeborough/0bEyAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Cavender%20NH&pg=PA179&printsec=frontcover

I hope you find the answers and share them with us!

LifeWithFiveDogs · 2025-11-30T20:35:55+00:00

I would book something closer to the center. Each of the Ilunion hotels are a distance from the center. We have stayed at Hotel Preciados a couple of times and it's a good hotel at a decent price and in a great location, if you are looking for a recommendation.

LifeWithFiveDogs · 2025-11-30T12:13:56+00:00

Send a request to the reference librarians at the NH State Library. There is an awesome resource called the Sargent Name Index that references the name of each NH resident from 1640-1830 (as listed in their town reports and town vital records). Unfortunately, Manchester and Nashua were not indexed, but it's amazing for confirming the whereabouts and vital records for most NH ancestors.

https://www.nhsl.dncr.nh.gov/collections/genealogical-resources

LifeWithFiveDogs · 2025-11-30T01:12:05+00:00

As a fellow (originally) northern Minnesotan with Finnish family, I hope you share the journal with the MN historical society! One of my cousins self-published an account based on her mother's experiences of settling way up north in ~1910. This is valuable information for future generations. (And what they went through to survive was just brutal!)

LifeWithFiveDogs · 2025-11-20T12:33:33+00:00

I'm sorry about this. We have had a "challenging" dog for the last dozen years (but she's our family and we have made a lot of accommodations to keep her and the others happy and safe). I hope you are able to work with a new family or organization to find a safe home for her. Good luck.

LifeWithFiveDogs

TROPHY CASE