Jess Helpful Herdy Thing S.
banner
noodlesmum.bsky.social
Jess Helpful Herdy Thing S.
@noodlesmum.bsky.social
Dog groomer
Knitter
Crocheter
Amateur at sewing and baking
Reader of mostly adopted (second hand) books
I can generally be found hanging out with my herdy things and my cats!
Well then. I knew that book would go fast but I didn't think it would be 3 hours fast. 😅 #14, A Wolf Called Wander, was a charming, heartfelt little tale with lots of illustrations. Back to nonfiction for #15, Adventures in Cryptozoloogy.
#booksky #read #adoptedbook #beenhereforawhile #cryptids
February 12, 2026 at 3:53 AM
Book #13, Chaser, completed. Really neat look at the possibilities of canine cognition and language learning. Book #14 will be a bit lighter. A Wolf Called Wander is based on the true story of a wolf in the Pacific Northwest.
#read #booksky #adoptedbooks #usedbooks #middlereaders #caninefiction
February 12, 2026 at 1:18 AM
Who fed my little potato buddy Miracle Grow?! o_0
#flamepoint #bigboy #rescuecat
February 11, 2026 at 9:44 PM
I randomly remembered these books last night. I must have purchased them in '24? I was with my ex when I did so it was definitely more than a year ago! I knew one was "volume 2." Imagine my surprise when I discovered they are both from the same series! On the TBR they go!!
#yaycriptids #read
February 11, 2026 at 4:12 PM
Finished The Rule of Claw last night. Once again, I struggled with the characters' way of speaking. It makes sense for the story but it felt almost frantic. 3 stars. Just not for me.
On to some nonfiction about Chaser, the world's smartest dog (maysherestinpeace).
#read #adoptedbooks #booksky
February 9, 2026 at 2:28 PM
I finished Pax yesterday. Sweet story. It will be put in a #littlefreelibrary at some point. Book #12 is The Rule of Claw. Humans are an endangered species in a land ruled by reptiles. So far, interesting.

Also, Ohio is naked now. He played in the sink and got soaked! 😂
#read #flamepointcat
February 5, 2026 at 2:33 AM
Starting February with book #11, Pax by Sara Pennypacker, a middle reader novel about an orphaned fox and the boy who raised him.

If a certain pair of orphaned flamepoints actually let me sit down and read, it will likely be a quick one.
#booksky #adoptedbook #adoptedcats #chaos #readbooks
February 1, 2026 at 5:50 PM
Took the opportunity to go look for adaptable books today for February reading. Mostly, I found antique romance and YA titles. So there will be quite a few YA next month. Many of these will go to Little Free Libraries after I read them.
#adoptedbooks #usedbooks #stillfucknazis #read #donate
February 1, 2026 at 12:57 AM
I had a bad day. I didn't feel like giving my attention to my grown up book so I pulled one purchased for reasons of nostalgia off the shelf. Book #9 ended up being Catwings. Today, a few days later, I finished A Peculiar Combination so that was book #10!
#adoptedbooks #fucknazis #readbooks
February 1, 2026 at 12:49 AM
Me: Whatcha doin' there, Arizona?

AZ: I want to recommend a book. This book.

Me: Have you read it?

AZ: .... Read? I just like to sit on it!
And this has been another episode of "Arizona recommends!"
#Arizona #adoptedcat #catdistributionsystem #adoptedbook #booksky #fucknazis #historicalfiction
January 28, 2026 at 12:04 AM
The driveway is half shoveled. I can no longer breathe. So, I sat down to take a break, picked up my book, and boom. Cats.

On the left we have Spike, my grandcat who kinda hates me. Center is Wembley the Incredible Mango. And on the right, Madam Mokey Duchess of Tater Tots.
#cats #lapcats
January 27, 2026 at 6:53 PM
6+ inches of snow + a 5 cat pile up = book #8 finished in record time. I will absolutely pick up more from the series should I see them.

On to book #9! A Peculiar Combination by Ashley Weaver. Sounds like something I wouldn't usually read so let's go!
#booksky #adoptedbooks #snowday #readbooks
January 25, 2026 at 11:06 PM
Reading has been slow. The cats have been under the weather in waves. How many times can they possibly puke on my rug?! Don't answer that actually.

Book #6, It Devours!, was finished Tuesday the 20th. Book #7, Catch As Cat Can, was finished today. 5 and 3.5 stars respectively.

#booksky #read
January 24, 2026 at 8:07 PM
Finished book #5, The Second Husband, last night. It was okay. The story was decent but the style felt weird. It is mostly present tense which felt a bit clunky to me. Oh well.

On to book #6, It Devours!

#adoptedbooks #usedbooks #read #reduce #reuse #recycle #prelovedbooks
January 16, 2026 at 1:21 AM
Book #4, Gil's All Fright Diner, was finished last night. I had a little trouble with the disappearing reappearing country bum sort of speech given to the characters but all in all, a pretty fun read! Book #5 will be one I adopted yesterday, The Second Husband by Kate White.

#adoptedbooks #read
January 12, 2026 at 5:32 PM
I cannot be trusted. We all know that! The TBR pile has expanded thanks to a stop at Goodwill while running some errands. Deadpool is the only book I know I will enjoy. The other 4 are exploratory as I continue to figure out what I do and do not like.

#adoptedbooks #usedbooks #thrifting #readbooks
January 11, 2026 at 8:11 PM
Finished book #3 for the year already! I'm usually pretty good at seeing the surprise twist endings coming from a mile away. The House Across The Lake? That got me! Right out of left field! Dang!

Danté picked Gil's All Fright Diner for read #4. Hope he has good taste! 😅
January 11, 2026 at 1:48 AM
Book mail day! My Thriftbooks order came early. What should I read after Raising Steam?

Gil's All Fright Diner by A. Lee Martinez (2006)
The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager (2022)
or
It Devours! by Joseph Fink & Jeffrey Cranor (2017)

Big decisions! 😂
January 7, 2026 at 1:35 AM
So far, the feral tendencies are winning. There is yet another loaf of cheese bread (Pepperjack today!) in the oven. This morning I made whoopie pies! My New England heart is so happy they turned out well!! I've only managed to read 20 pages of Raising Steam in the mean time. 😅
January 4, 2026 at 10:00 PM
This year, I will be reading unapologetically. If it sounds interesting, no matter the genre, I will be reading it. I will also DNF and time out any books that don't hold my interest. If Arizona and Ohio let me that is! 😂
January 2, 2026 at 1:35 AM
I didn't get a picture of the project as it was a gift for my boss, but I successfully installed a zipper this week!

I then had a full blown vertigo attack for Christmas. Ohio watched over me.

And my son gave me a stand mixer! So today, I made a cookie! Looks like I need Baking 101 again. 😂😂
December 26, 2025 at 8:25 PM
What a difference 2 months makes! Ohio looks like a little cat now and not so much like an awkward potato. ❤️❤️
December 12, 2025 at 12:45 AM
I have switched gears from sewing to knitting. I have found a lot of old WIPs among the things I had in storage. Some, I remember what they were supposed to be so there is a queue to be finished. Others will be frogged. None of it is easy with Ohio and Arizona around!
December 8, 2025 at 6:51 PM
Took the morning for a nice walk and some Geocaching with my buddy, Danté. We logged a DNF (did not find) and he seems confused by our failure! 😂😂 Sorry, buddy!
December 7, 2025 at 5:57 PM
No, Mokey. I wasn't knitting or anything. Make yourself comfortable!
December 7, 2025 at 1:45 AM