Cindy T 📚

Book editor in Wisconsin.

Voracious reader, art lover, film nerd, music head, world traveler, and gardener.

From Southwest Wisconsin. Lived in New York City, London, and Antwerp.

I am full of patience, but I will not tolerate any sass.

Header image alt text: A detail of L'étoile nous éclaire (The star lights our way) by Aloïse Corbaz. It is a colorful pencil drawing of three women standing together.

Location: Driftless Region, Wisconsin

Last Notes

2025-07-31 00:29:29 UTC

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My brother came over, forced the door open, and then shaved & sanded the door. His work seems to have resolved the matter. Running a dehumidifier has helped too.
It was troublesome being stuck inside only because I am hobbled by my knee surgery. If there were an emergency, there's another exit out of the house, but it would be very challenging for me. I'm currently using a walker to get around.

2025-07-29 15:30:12 UTC

It's so hot and humid where I live that my house door swelled and I couldn't open it. I had to run a dehumidifier next to it for 5 hours before I could pull it open.
Nothing like being trapped in your own home!

2025-07-23 01:35:12 UTC

I was sad to learn about Ozzy Osbourne's passing. I appreciated his music and enjoyed watching his amusing reality show on MTV.
I met Ozzy at his book signing in NYC in January 2010. He was really affable. He smiled and talked with everyone.
I only ever got to see him perform two songs live: "Iron Man" and "Paranoid." It was extremely cool because he performed them with Metallica at the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame concert at Madison Square Garden.
https://youtu.be/x6LXp9uWQUk
#OzzyOsbourne
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2025-07-16 11:40:35 UTC

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You live in a magical cat world.

2025-07-09 16:44:14 UTC

I have a lot of artwork to hang, and I'm wondering if there's a digital tool that could help--like something where you take a pic of the wall and then upload pics of the artwork and play with the layout on the computer before hanging. Does such a tool exist? I've seen designers on TV making cutouts of the art sizes and taping them on the wall to determine layout, but that doesn't let you see the full visual.
#hangingart #art

2025-07-09 16:18:16 UTC

Even though I have no plans to move back to #NYC, I look at apartment listings every week via Listings Project. I'm not sure why I continue to review them. I guess it's part wanting to keep up with the city and part wanting to check out the design of apartments to compare them to what I had. In my two decades of living in NYC, I had 9 different apartments: 3 in Manhattan (East Village, Lower Manhattan, Harlem) and 6 in Brooklyn (Fort Greene, PLG, Prospect Heights, South Slope, Park Slope [x2]).

2025-04-28 13:58:30 UTC

Yesterday, I made a rhubarb pie from rhubarb that I picked from my grandmother's patch. That patch has been giving for more than 60 years!
The great thing about making a rhubarb pie yesterday is I get to have rhubarb pie for breakfast today. 🥧 😈
When I lived in NYC, I could never find rhubarb. I only got it once from my CSA that was based in Upstate NY.
Now that I've got access to tons of rhubarb, I need to find some rhubarb recipes. I welcome recommendations.
#rhubarb #pie

2025-04-21 15:06:02 UTC

I am so ready for it to be spring or summer. I feel like it's perpetual winter in Wisconsin. We're in for another week of poor weather: cold rain, wind, and gloomy skies. Last week, we had tennis ball–sized hail. Bleh.
I look at pics of NYC now and see the cherry blossom trees blooming and people picnicking in the parks, and I wish I were there. I keep telling myself, "Hang in there. Things will get better here soon."

2025-03-28 15:41:50 UTC

One thing I love about being in a house, after decades of living in small NYC apartments, is having the space to own kitchen doodads.
My father's neighbor offered to sell him a standing mixer for $40. The neighbor's wife had purchased one and used it twice before she passed away. The mixer, which retails for $375, was just sitting at the neighbor's house in pristine condition. My dad bought it for me as an early birthday gift, and I LOVE it! The first thing I made with it was cinnamon rolls.
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2025-02-19 17:24:46 UTC

One of the big obstacles of moving into the house on the farm was setting up internet service. Rural internet offerings are limited; no fiber is available.
Because I work from home, it is essential that I have good internet. I ended up choosing cellular internet because I would rather go without internet than give $1 to that Nazi a-hole for satellite service. Luckily, a cell tower is only half a mile from the house in my neighbor's cornfield so my service thus far has been pretty good.

2025-02-19 15:15:57 UTC

After eight months of fixing up the house at the farm, I officially moved in two weeks ago. The house is still a huge work-in-progress and most of my things from Brooklyn are still in boxes, but I am here.
The house is set far back from the main road, and my nearest neighbor cannot be seen or heard. It is gloriously quiet and pitch black at night. It is such a change from the hustle and bustle of life in New York City. It is serene and peaceful, which is what I need.

2025-01-31 14:11:22 UTC

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The Sunset Park Materials Recovery Facility is really interesting. I toured it as part of Open House New York one year. The recycling technology is mind-blowing. There are machines there that scan and sort things by their chemistry. I recommend touring it in October with OHNY. It's a free tour. Bonus beautiful views of the East River and Manhattan there.

2024-11-27 17:24:43 UTC

Challenge on! The turkey has been thawing for 4 days and is still half frozen. Doh! I will be thawing it in cold water for the next 5 hours.
I was hoping to cook the turkey today because it's too much to do on Thanksgiving Day. From what I've read, the turkey needs to be completely thawed or it will cook unevenly.
Dang, I hope I can pull this off.
#Thanksgiving #food
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2024-10-28 16:22:56 UTC

I've been off social media for the past few weeks because my best friend passed away recently. She had been fighting cancer for two and a half years. I thought that she was going to make it. She fought it bravely.
Over the past three years, I have lost the three most important people in my life. It has been devastating. After a lot of emotional torment, I decided that I need to seek peace through nature, creative activities, and interactions with positive people.
#grief