Saturday, June 1, 2024

Right now

Right now...* 

*(an occasional (mostly monthly) meme, alternating from time to time with "The Current"). (Explanation of how this started & my inspirations in my first "Right now" post, here. Also my first "The Current" post, here.)

May was a fast month! (How is this year almost halfway over, already??) The weather turned warmer and sunnier, albeit it still had a few too many overcast/rainy/chilly days to suit me...!  We turned on the air conditioning, mid-month, but it's only kicked in a few times so far. I cleaned off the balcony/patio furniture, but haven't had a chance to sit out there and enjoy it. (Yet!)  

Pandemic diary/update: May was month #50 (!) since the advent of covid in March 2020. Nobody seems to be talking much about covid these days... but we know it's still out there. (Here's a relevant, if U.S.-centric, gift-linked Washington Post article:  "Covid will still be here this summer. Will anyone care?")  After 4+ years, we (still!) remain covid-free (knocking wood, loudly...), and continue to mask in stores and most other public places, especially where there are a lot of people (although dh is starting to slack off again whenever I'm not around to hand him a mask...!). We've done a little more eating out in mall food courts and cafes/restaurants in recent months (mostly for lunch), albeit we usually try to go early, when it won't be as crowded, and sit somewhere near the door, where the air is circulating better (if not outside on a patio, if one is available). We're still not back to regular Saturday dinners out, and I'm not sure we ever will be. (Even without my concerns about covid, the cost of eating out has gotten ridiculous lately! -- even just for takeout!)  

Among other things this month, we: 
  • Attended a 90th birthday party for dh's uncle (his dad's sister's husband) on May 4th at an Italian restaurant, along with 40-50 other family members and friends. (Maskless.) It was very noisy and crowded, and we were EXHAUSTED the next day (boy, are we getting old...!), but the food was good (see "Eating," below) and it was so nice to see so many of dh's aunts, uncles & cousins.  
  • Went to the mall for a few hours of walking, shopping and lunch (at a great fast-fired pizza cafe -- see "Eating," below) on May 7th and 22nd.  
  • Had a browse at the bookstore, May 14th, and went grocery shopping with dh (May 27th). 
  • Drove to our old community on May 17th (the Friday before the Victoria Day long weekend!). Stopped at the cemetery briefly to visit Katie's niche, then headed to the mall for haircuts, lunch in the food court (Tim Hortons) and some shopping and walking. 
  • Had lunch at BIL & SIL's house on May 19th (Sunday of the Victoria Day long weekend), along with the nephews and their families. The weather was gorgeous, the food was great and the company was unbeatable :) (including entertainment from Little Great-Nephew & Little Great-Niece!).  
 
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Also right now:  

Reading: I finished 3 books in May (reviewed on this blog, as well as Goodreads & StoryGraph, & tagged "2024 books").  
This brings me to 17 books read so far in 2024, 38% of my 2024 Goodreads Reading Challenge goal of 45 books.  I am currently one (1) book behind schedule to meet my goal. :)   

Current read(s): 
Coming up: Most of my book groups have their next reads plotted out for a few months in advance -- and listing them here helps me keep track of what I should be reading next. ;)  
  • For the Notes from Three Pines (Louise Penny mysteries) Readalong: The last discussion was for book #3, "The Cruellest Month," posted in June 2023 (no further posts/books since then).  I've continued dipping into the series on my own, between other book club obligations. Book #6, "Bury Your Dead," is the next one on my to-read list! 
A few recently purchased titles (mostly in digital format, mostly discounted ($5-10 or less) or purchased with points):  

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Watching:  Nothing too notable.  (Too much news!  :p  ) 

Listening:  Nicer weather (but not too hot -- yet!! -- and not quite enough sunshine...!) is FINALLY here, we have the balcony door open for most of the day -- which means a constant soundtrack consisting of either (a) lawnmowers, weed whackers and leaf blowers (especially as many people around us are doing yard cleanup from the winter and putting in their gardens), and/or (b) the revved up motors of sportscars and motorcycles, and/or (c) music from neighbouring back yards and patios, as people start spending more time outdoors. The Victoria Day long weekend was especially noisy. We had a group of partygoers SINGING somewhere nearby, plus the loud explosions of fireworks every night.  Heaven grant me patience...!  

We had new neighbours move into the unit kitty-corner from us, early in the new year. We have never seen them -- but we HEAR them -- specifically, we've heard at least one child (and often more -- not sure if they're siblings or just friends?) coming & going -- often running (stampeding??) full speed down the hall between 3 and 3:30 p.m. (school's out?), NOT whispering!  Lots of giggles. ;)  Under 10 years old, we think. Thankfully, the noise is usually short-lived as they go into their unit, or head down the hall to the elevators! 

Further down the hall, the neighbours, the dog or both must be new to the building, because we've never heard it before... but starting Victoria Day Monday and for several days afterward, the poor thing barked and howled up a storm for hours on end, every day.  :(   Damn near broke my heart.  :(  I'm assuming the people who live in that unit -- several doors down, and I'm sure you could hear it all over the floor -- got a new dog/puppy and just left it alone during the day while they went to work, without arranging for doggie day care of some sort. People always used to ask me why we didn't have a dog:  THIS is why. :(   I just don't think it's fair to the animal to be left alone for 8, 10, 12 hours a day, even if/when they don't make any noise.  I was on the verge of either taping a note to their door, or sending a complaint to the property manager when, thankfully, the noise subsided after a couple of day. (Not sure why -- and not sure I want to find out...?) 

To Heardle Decades: Stats as of  May 31st:  
  • Heardle 60s: 76.3% (461/604, 191 on first guess), down just slightly from last month. Max. streak: 15.
  • Heardle 70s: 81.6% (279/342, 150 on first guess), up from last month. Max. streak: 18. 
  • Heardle 80s: 42.3% (91/215,  38 on first guess), down from last month. Max. streak: 4. 
  • Heardle 90s: 26.2% (85/325, 17 on first guess), down from last month. Max. streak: 4. 
Eating/Drinking:  Way too much at the 90th birthday party for dh's uncle on May 4th at an Italian restaurant: appetizer after appetizer; salad;  pasta (penne with alfredo sauce for me;  penne alla vodka for everyone else);  a great sirloin steak with roasted potatos & veggies (including fresh asparagus);  and tiramisu for dessert (as well as Italian pastries baked by dh's aunts).  

Also way too much at lunch (barbecued) at BIL's on May 19th with the family:  a small steak with a baked potato, also a hamburger, and salad. There were also hotdogs, corn on the cob and a quinoa salad (which I couldn't eat because it had tomato in it), and apple pie and birthday cake for dessert.  (Our nephews' wives both had birthdays earlier this month -- they were born same day, same year! and wound up marrying brothers!  Isn't that wild?)

Thin-crust, fast-fired pizza from an outlet at the mall an outlet at the mall, both times we were there this month. (Apparently an American chain?)  Rather like the delicious pizzas we enjoyed in Ottawa's Byward Market a few years back. You can build your own or order from their suggested menu, which includes two tomato-free options for me. (I don't remember the name of the one I usually order, but it has a cream/alfredo sauce base with cheese, garlic and bacon, and arugula sprinkled on top at the very end when it comes out of the oven.)  Couldn't finish the entire thing in one sitting, both times, so took home the remaining slices and had them for lunch the next day. Delicious!  

Takeout lunches & dinners this month included soup, pizza slices and teriyaki rice bowls (chicken for me, beef for dh) from the supermarket takeout counters; California Sandwiches, chicken fingers and fries (Jack Astor's), and breakfast sandwiches (for lunch) from Tim Hortons. 

And on the drinking front ;) -- we don't normally keep a lot of alcohol in the house -- but we bought dh's uncle a bottle of champagne for his 90th birthday party (what do you get for a 90-year-old man, right??), and I picked up a small bottle of Bailey's Irish Cream for myself at the same time.  I enjoyed a nice big glass of it, cold, on Mother's Day, while taking part in a text chat with some other childless women. Perfect!  ;)  

Buying (besides books, lol):  
  • Some new kitchen towels and handtowels for the bathroom, a couple of T-shirts for myself, and a couple of things for Little Great-Niece & Little Great-Nephew (including matching T-shirts that say "Cousin Crew," lol) at the mall.  
  • A black handbag/purse (style name Leila, pebbled leather) at the Kate Spade outlet store, on our most recent trip to the mall. Similar to the Vince Camuto bag I am using right now (the salesperson even commented on that). I didn't NEED a new handbag, but I tend to be very picky about my purses, and the ones I like are hard to find at the moment. I like them big (but not TOO big! -- or else I overstuff them), with a substantial strap(s), at least two compartments (preferably three, which this one had) and the more pockets, the better.   Most Kate Spade bags are a little too small and dainty for my tastes, but this one was perfect. 
    • Regular price on the tag: $479 (Canadian)(!) -- store price much less than that (I don't remember exactly how much, but under $200), and there were a couple more discounts. Including taxes, I paid just over $150.  :)   
    • Great deal?  Well yes. EXCEPT -- when I got it home and removed all the paper stuffing inside, I realized it REEKED. It smelled like cigarette smoke. :(  I put it in the closet, and the next morning, the whole closet smelled. 
    • So I moved the bag into the other bedroom/office (lol) and did some Googling. I put a couple of small (snack-sized) open Ziploc baggies full of baking soda inside each compartment, closed them up, then put the purse inside a plastic bag with the rest of the box of baking soda. 
    • That was 2 days ago. I opened up the bag and the purse yesterday morning. I could still smell something, albeit not quite so strongly. So I pulled out the lining and set it out on a chair on the balcony in the shade for a couple of hours. Once the sun started moving onto the balcony, I brought the bag indoors. It still smelled a bit, but less so. I wrapped it up again with the baking soda in the bag overnight. I may set it outside again for a while today. 
    • Any other suggestions for me??  (Dh has suggested I could take it back, but I'm not sure I want to do that. It was the only black purse they had left in stock.) (Maybe that's why??)  I'm in no hurry to use it;  the purse I have is just fine right now. I just like to have one in reserve. ;)  
Wearing: Capris, sandals and short sleeves, finally!! (by mid-month)!  Yay!!  :)  (Albeit I still need to put on slippers and/or a cardigan, now & then!) 

Noticing:  My rosacea, which subsided after being on a prescription cream for a month (one month only -- albeit it did not vanish completely), is flaring up again. :(   Probably time to go back to the doctor. He said he might refer me to a dermatologist. I had FLAWLESS skin when I was a teenager (go figure...), so I'm having a hard time with what I see in the mirror these days...!  :(   Sigh.... (Would this be menopause related??) 

Missing:  Little Great-Niece and Little Great-Nephew. It's been two weeks since we last saw them, and it feels like ages.  :(  

Trying:  To be a little more active than I have been lately...!  (The nicer weather is motivation!) 

Prioritizing: Keeping up with reading my various book club selections. I'm enjoying them all, but I do hope to be able to get to read a few of my own choices soon...!  (So many great books, so little time...!) 

Wanting: To pay a visit to the nearby art gallery where I have a membership again soon. I think the last time we went was on my birthday in January -- the grounds are lovely, and the weather is MUCH more conducive to a walk around there than it was then!. 

Hoping:  For a good report from the dentist next week, when we go for cleanings & checkups...!  

Enjoying: Playing Connections in the New York Times every day lately. I never got into Wordle, but we recently played a themed version on a Zoom call for one of the online groups I'm in, and I was hooked!  (One more thing for my daily to-do list...!) 

Loving & Appreciating:  Being able to have the balcony door open and letting the fresh air in for most of the day, almost every day lately, during the last half of the month!  

Wondering:  How long that's going to last before the heat & humidity kick in??    

Feeling:  Happy that warm(er, but not TOO warm... yet!!) weather is finally here! 
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1 comment:

  1. MaliTuesday, June 04, 2024 10:12:00 PM

    "How is this year almost halfway over, already??" I was going to use those exact words to start my miscellany post. (But I got distracted! lol) Your weather sounds pretty perfect right now. Hope it's not hot and humid too soon.

    LOVE the Kate Spade bag. It looks very similar to the one I've been using for a year now (oddly, it's a Samsonite, but I saw it in the window of a store in Sth Africa last yet, and loved the light lining and multiple sections, etc). I guess the smoky smell is why it was cheap? But if you can rid it of the smell, then you've got a bargain.

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