Saturday, March 1, 2025

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.)

February was (like January) grey, chilly -- and snowy. The first week of February hadn't even ended, and dh & I were admitting to each other that we'd already had enough of winter!  Mother Nature, of course, always gets the last laugh.  We had about 60 cm of snow -- about 2 feet! -- in the space of one week, mid-month -- more than we had all of last winter, and the most we've had in several years!  It's taken forever to get everyone dug out -- and we've had more snow since then too!    

It was also a pretty dark month, in terms of current North American & world events.  :(  

Pandemic diary/update: February was month #59 (marking almost FIVE full years, going on SIX!) since the covid pandemic began in March 2020. :(   We (still!) remain covid-free (so far as we know... knocking wood, loudly...).  We still mask in stores, malls and (most) other such indoor public spaces hereabouts, especially if/when there are lots of people around. (Well, I do -- I know dh does not, when I'm not around to hand him a mask...!)  

Among other things we did this month, we: 
  • (I) Appeared on the Full Stop podcast (along with the lovely Sandra McNicol) to talk about pregnancy loss & childlessness!  (The episode was actually recorded in late January, but I didn't want to post about it here until it was "live" -- which was on Feb. 2nd.)  
  • Went to the nearby mall to do some walking and shopping (then returned home for lunch) on Feb. 4th, 11th, 18th & 25th. 
  • Made a trip to the bookstore (mostly to shop for Valentine stuff for the great-niblings, as well as some cards), with a stop at the drugstore en route home (Feb. 6th). 
  • Picked up SIL & drove up to see Older Nephew & family for the afternoon, including the baby (Feb. 9th). (BIL was in NYC with friends to watch the Super Bowl!)  
  • Stopped at Canadian Tire for a few things (it's more than just tires!) en route home from the mall, and then at the drugstore to pick up dh's prescriptions (Feb. 11th). 
  • Went out for brunch on Valentine's Day (Feb. 14th -- first meal in a restaurant with just the two of us in quite a while! -- see "Eating," below), followed by a stop at the bank, a browse at the bookstore, and a stop at the supermarket (which -- Friday, Valentine's Day, long weekend, etc. -- was an absolute NUTHOUSE!).   
  • Stopped at the supermarket to pick up a few groceries and some takeout soup for lunch, en route home from the mall (Feb. 18th & 25th). 
  • Went to BIL's on Saturday, Feb. 22nd:  Older Nephew & his wife were going out for an early dinner & asked his parents if they'd look after the kids -- and they called us to come over. Enjoyed spending time with both Little Great-Nephews! (I even got to hold LGN #2 for almost an hour!)  
  • Went to a nearby community centre to vote in the Ontario provincial election on Feb. 27th, and then to the supermarket to pick up some takeout soup for lunch.  

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Also right now:  

Reading: I finished 4 books in February (all reviewed on this blog, as well as Goodreads & StoryGraph, & tagged "2025 books"):  
This brings me to 7 books read in 2025 to date, 16% of my 2025 Goodreads Reading Challenge goal of 45 books. I am (for the moment, anyway...!) on track to meet my goal.  :) 

Current reads: 
  • "The Siege of Krishnapur" by J. G. Farrell -- the first new Footnotes and Tangents slow readalong for 2025, which started Jan. 13th, for 9 weeks, ending in March. Currently 75% completed. 
  • "Peter West" by D.E. Stevenson -- the one DES book my group has NOT read together, in its 25+ years of existence! I read this in advance of our group read, which began Jan. 13th and runs through late March. Currently 70% completed. I'll count this one as a re-read when we're done. (2-2.5 stars; my review.)  
  • "Anne of Windy Poplars" by L.M. Montgomery (called "Anne of Windy Willows" in the U.K., with some text variations). My L.M. Montgomery Readathon Facebook group started reading & discussing this book together today (Jan. 6th). This will be our last book with our wonderful administrator of the past five (!) years, Andrea, who is moving on to other projects. I just (re)read this one right at this time last year, so I chose not to read it through (again) on my own first (as I normally would), but I will count this one as a re-read when we're done. (My previous review here.) Currently 39% completed. 
  • "Living the Life Unexpected" by Jody Day.  I'm once again taking part in a chapter-by-chapter group read of this CNBC classic!  The most recent Zoom meeting covered Chapter 7.  This is the 5th (!) time I've read this book, or the earlier version of it ("Rocking the Life Unexpected").  (Most recent review, with links to earlier reviews, here.)  
  • "L.M. Montgomery and Gender," an essay collection edited by E. Holly Pike & Laura Robinson. Slowly working my way through, in between the other books...! 
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. ;)  
(Simon is a big fan of the late great Hilary Mantel, and the other books he's selected were all ones that she loved, so he figured they would probably be worth reading!) 

A few recently purchased titles (all in digital format, mostly discounted ($5-10 or less) or purchased with points):  


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Watching: 
  • Way too much CNN and CBC News Network!!  :p  (Trying to pare back, for the sake of my mental health...!) 
  • A new season of "Finding Your Roots" on PBS. 
  • Figure skating: Bits of the European and Four Continents championships. (Worlds coming up in March!)  
  • A Ken Burns two-part documentary about Thomas Jefferson on PBS, first shown in 1997 but recently digitally restored. 
  • The "Saturday Night Live" 50th anniversary special on Feb. 16th (all 3.5 hours of it!!), which I wrote about here.  (Also the SNL music documentary produced by Questlove,  which was shown on TV in late January.) 
  • The Oscar-nominated movie "Conclave," starring Ralph Fiennes & Stanley Tucci, on Amazon Prime, while at BIL's on Feb. 22nd (waiting for the kids to arrive!). Excellent performances all round -- and the setting!!  
Not watching: The Canada/US matchups at the Four Nations Cup (a new international all-stars tournament) -- and especially the final game on Feb. 20th, which went into overtime (!). Given the current political environment, this game had huge emotional significance for my country (even more so than a hockey championship game usually does -- which is always a lot! lol), with national pride on the line. 

I couldn't watch -- just too much tension and anxiety -- but when my phone started dinging with notifications, I knew the game was over. Canada won! and dh & I rushed over to the TV set to see who had scored the winning goal -- or, as I said to him, "Who was Paul Henderson this time??"  (Answer:  Connor McDavid!)  (And if you don't get the Paul Henderson reference, Google "Canada Russia Summit Series 1972" -- he's responsible for one of the greatest moments in Canadian sports history.)  

Listening: 

Playing:  
  • Heardle Decades: Stats as of Feb. 28th: 
    • Heardle 60s: 76.3% (650/852, 253 on first guess), down 0.4% from last month. Max. streak: 15.
    • Heardle 70s: 77.8% (459/590, 258 on first guess), up 0.2% from last month. Max. streak: 18. 
    • Heardle 80s: 38.7% (170/463, 67 on first guess), down 0.9% from last month. Max. streak: 4. 
    • Heardle 90s: 29.7% (168/566, 34 on first guess), up 0.4% from last month. Max. streak: 5. 
  • NYT Connections:  
    • By Jan. 31st, I'd completed 187 games and won 80% of them, including 107 "perfect puzzles" with zero errors. I increased my maximum winning streak from 15 to 21 (and counting!).  :)   
    • By Feb. 28th, I'd completed 215 games and won 81% of them, including 78 "perfect puzzles" with zero errors. I maintained my maximum winning streak of 15.  :) 
Following:  

Eating/Drinking:  
  • Late in January, we achieved our goal of lowering our cholesterol levels after less-than-stellar bloodwork last fall earned us both serious chats with our doctor. (We'll be doing more bloodwork later in the year to check again.)  Since then, we've continued our efforts to eat healthier -- reduce our portion sizes, cut back on fatty & processed foods (fewer casseroles, more chicken and beans/lentils), eat more fruits, vegetables and fibre, snack less (and make better snacking choices), and be at least a little more active. 
    • Since then, I've yo-yo'd a bit, but ended the month another 1.2 pounds lighter.  I'm down more than 9 pounds since our chat with the doctor last October, and 21.6 pounds from my heaviest-ever weight a few years ago. 
  • We went out for brunch on Valentine's Day -- less crowded and a whole lot cheaper than going out for dinner! We don't eat out too often these days, so this was a treat! (We both had omelettes -- a western for him, ham & cheese for me -- and the waitress brought us a complimentary mini-pancake shaped like a heart, warm off the griddle, dusted with icing sugar and a couple of cinnamon hearts).  
  • Some notable recent takeout meals: a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket (with baked potatos & veggies, made at home) -- lots of leftovers for another dinner plus sandwiches!; soup and pizza slices from the supermarket takeout counter.
Wearing:  Same as last month:  Long-sleeved tops (and sometimes a cardigan over that), yoga pants, socks AND slippers, inside the house.  

Buying (besides books, lol):  
  • More Canadian products (as are many of my fellow citizens), in light of the threats a certain U.S. politician (cough!) has been making against my country recently.  :(  
  • Valentine and Easter goodies (already collecting those!) for the great-niblings, as well as birthday presents for Little Great-Niece.  :)  
  • A couple of sweaters at AE, on sale.  
  • Some more masks from a supplier than Turia recommended to me during the pandemic, during a recent sale. (I particularly like these ones.) 
Enjoying:  Reading more books again this month (and some really good ones too)! 

Appreciating:  My country, now more than ever.  :)  

Trying: To reconcile myself to another 4-5 years of our provincial government, which won (another) majority in our recent election. (Sigh.)  

Noticing:  Although there was a provincial election campaign going on, there were barely any signs on people's lawns or street corners (maybe because there was so much snow??). I saw a few posts on social media from people who noticed the same. Some people were complaining they hadn't received their voting cards in the mail before election day (although you don't actually need them to vote;  you just bring ID to the polls), and others said they hadn't had anyone knock on their doors.  I'm not sure if it was the weather or the snap election/tight timeframe or...?? 

Turnout was, sadly, abysmal. :(   

Prioritizing: Buying Canadian, wherever & whenever possible. (See "Buying," above.) (Although the tariffs Trump seems determined to slap on us aren't slated to kick in until March 4th now.)  

Wondering:  If & when my to-do list is ever going to get shorter...! 

Wanting:  Someone to tell me it's all going to be okay. (Unfortunately, I know nobody can truthfully tell me that.)  

Loving:  Seeing the weekly photos that Older Nephew's wife has been posting of Little Great-Nephew #2 every Friday. (He just turned 10 weeks old yesterday!)  Always a day brightener!  :)  

Feeling: Like winter is never going to end...!  Apprehensive about the state of the world right now. :(  (Very!) Happy that we're going to see the nephews and their families this weekend for Little Great-Niece's birthday party.  :)  
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