Toning It Down (+ Book Review)

To spare G a heart attack, I toned down the smurfyness in the front yard.  Here's the latest rendition, which I think will do it.

Still blue.  But not as blue.

And speaking of the yard, we had a major hail storm this afternoon.  I was tutoring in another area and when I got home, I noticed that (1) the yard had been mowed, yay, and I'm sure our neighbors are so proud of us, and (2) what is all that white stuff?  They don't really have hail where I grew up (or, I should say, it's very rare), so it takes me a while to put two and two together.  I'm glad I wasn't driving in this!

My deductive powers at work:  Well, the white stuff isn't snow.  And it isn't rat poison.  It looks like moth balls, but it can't be that.  I mean, can it??

My poor flowers took a beating.  I'm going to be pissed if they die and it's not even my fault.  Usually, it totally is.

And speaking of dying (how's that for a segue!) I finished another book.

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

Remember when I was on a Truman Capote kick around Christmas?  I had heard about this book and was curious, but then...well, grad school.

In Cold Blood is the true story of a brutal murder that took place on an isolated Kansas farm in 1959.  I think the book is so highly-regarded because it was one of the first attempts to re-create a true crime drama.  We don't even notice this type of thing anymore, but in the early '60s it was an original concept, and Capote is such a good writer that it became popular.  Also, the story is intriguing:  An upstanding family of four is brutally murdered on a cold November night.  There is no motive, there are no suspects, and there is barely any evidence.  Before the age of computer literacy, the internet, heck, even fax machines, the police managed to track down the (very random) killers within only a few months.

The story reads chronologically and includes all kinds of perspectives and points of view.  It wasn't a quick read, but it was a good one, considering the content.  And hey, it was on my list.  I would recommend this one when you're in the mood for something serious, thought-provoking, and perhaps for a glance into another era.

If anyone needs me, I'll be watching cartoons for the next week.