Right now

Right now...* 

*(A (mostly) monthly series/meme.  Explanation of how this started & my inspirations in my first "Right now" post, here. Also my first (similar) "The Current" post, here.)

September was pretty quiet, with nothing much special going on.  (How is it already October?)  The weather was very hot, early on (with a really wild storm one afternoon that had me taking cover in the walk-in closet, as hail pounded against our windows!), but it's cooled off nicely (happily, not TOO much yet!).    

Some of the things I/we did this month include: 

• Shopped and walked at the mall (Sept. 1st). Returned there on Sept. 23rd, after avoiding the place for several weeks around the start of the school year! lol  (Also, we were busy!)  And returned again on Sept. 29th. 
• Stopped en route home at the drugstore to pick up prescriptions. (Sept. 1st & 29th) 
• Spent a few hours with both Little Great-Nephews & their grandma (SIL) (Sept. 2nd).   
• Continued weekly visits with Younger LGNephew & SIL since Older LGNephew went back to school. (Sept. 9th & 15th)
• Stopped en route home at the supermarket to pick up some soup or pizza slices for lunch. (Sept. 9th)   
• Browsed at the bookstore with a tea latte in hand (hadn't had one of those in a while...!). :) (Sept. 4th & 11th)
• Stopped at the supermarket for a few things on the way home. (Sept. 4th) 
• Went grocery shopping, and picked up some soup or pizza slices for lunch. (Sept. 7th, 14th, 21st & 28th). 
• Went out for brunch on the first day of school hereabouts (Sept. 8th -- see "Eating/Drinking," below). 
• After brunch, went shopping for a new dishwasher (!) (and found one!).  I'm happy to report we are very pleased with it, too! :) 
• Drove into the city (midtown) for dentist appointments (Sept. 16th). (Dh had to return a few days later for a filling -- I stayed at home then.)   
• Stopped at the supermarket en route home to pick up some pizza slices for lunch. 
• Went over to BIL & SIL's (Sept. 22nd morning):  BIL needed to take his car to the dealership for some repairs, and asked dh to follow him in his car and then bring him back to the house (after which BIL headed off to work in his work-supplied truck).. The LGNephews were both sick, so their mom kept them home (and took them to the doctor later)  :(  but SIL made cappuccinos for the two of us while they were gone, and we had a nice chat over those and some delicious lemon biscotti she'd found at Costco.  :)  
• Picked up a few things at Staples and Dollarama later that afternoon.  

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Also right now:  

Reading:  I finished 4 books in September (all reviewed on this blog, as well as Goodreads & StoryGraph, & tagged "2026 books").  Year to date, I've read 29 books,  reached 73% of my Goodreads Challenge goal, and am currently on track to achieve it by year end!  

Read this month: 

• "The Wedding People" by Alison Espach (the October choice for my Childless Collective Nomo Book Club).. (I previously read and reviewed this one, here;  rated 4-4.5 stars. This time around: 5 stars. My review.)
• "The Forsyte Saga" by John Galsworthy. After mulling it over (see this post!), I accepted a commenter's suggestion to do a readalong together, as the new TV series was beginning on PBS.  (4 stars;  my review.)  
• "Trespasses" by Louise Kennedy. (The TV version begins on PBS on Sept. 20th.) (4.5-5 stars;  my review.)  
• "Happiness Included:  Jan Brady and Beyond" by Eve Plumb. (3.5-4 stars;  my review.) 

Current reads: 

• "We Chase Shadows" by Richard Osman. #2 in the "We Solve Murders" series. 47% completed. 
• "Anna and Her Daughters" by D.E. Stevenson, with my DES group. We started Sept. 7th and will finish in early/mid-November;.  (Last read 2x in 2022;  my reviews here and here.)  42% completed.  
• "The Children’s Book" by A.S. Byatt -- a "slow readalong" with Footnotes & Tangents, which started Sept. 4th and will end Dec. 18th.  27% completed. 
• "Childless: A Woman and a Girl in a Man's World" by Fabiana Formica.  This one is beautifully written, but slow going, and I was reading it (or trying to...!) at Mom & Dad's last summer (2025), where there were a lot of distractions. I've put it aside for the moment to focus on other reading priorities, but I've completed 33% to date.
• "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. ;)  

• For my Childless Collective Nomo Book Club:  
• "The Women" by Kristin Hannah (November)
• "Days at the Morisaki Bookshop" by Satoshi Yagisawa (December) 
• "The Mitford Affair" by Marie Benedict (January). (Previously read & reviewed here; 4 stars). 
• "The Other Bennet Sister" by Janice Hadlow (February) 
• "Big Swiss" by Jen Beagin (March) 
• For my D.E. Stevenson group: Future reads TBD...
• Footnotes & Tangents slow readalongs for 2027 TBA (on Friday!). 

A few recently purchased titles (all in digital format, mostly discounted ($5-10 or less) or purchased with points): (No links this time, sorry!) 

• "1929" by Andrew Ross Sorkin
• "Enshittification" by Cory Doctorow
• "The Everest Mystery" by Julie Summers & Jacob Hemmleb
• "Wreck" by Catherine Newman 
• "The Shampoo Effect" by Jenny Jackson 
• "American Struggle" by Jon Meacham
• "She Wanted More" by Poorna Bell 
• "A Fine Line Between Stupid and Clever" by Rob Reiner 
• "You With the Sad Eyes" by Christina Applegate 
• "The Astral Library" by Kate Quinn 
• "The Typewriter and the Guillotine" by Mark Braude 

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Watching: 

• "The Marlow Murder Club" (season 3) on PBS (began Sept. 6th & will end on Oct. 11th;  four of six episodes featuring two of three storylines aired to date), based (in part) on the third book in the series by Robert Thorogood, "The Queen of Poisons" (reviewed here). 
• The first two episodes/first storyline once again played up the "mom" angle for Becks and Tanika (which is non-existent in the books). However! In episode 2, Becks asks DC Alice Hackett why she joined the police force.  Alice tells her that her aunt was a police officer, and she looked up to her when she was growing up. Judith chimes in that her great-aunt was so important to her too -- and they clink glasses and make a toast: "To aunts and great-aunts!"  (Hear, hear!!)  
• "Marble Hall Murders" on PBS (began Sept. 6th; will end on Oct. 11th -- four of six episodes aired to date), based on the book by Anthony Horowitz (reviewed here). I love these books, and I love the very clever adaptations -- particularly Lesley Manville as the heroine, book editor Susan Ryeland. 
• "Trespasses" on PBS (began Sept. 20th and will end Oct. 11th -- two of four episodes aired to date), based on the book by Louise Kennedy (reviewed here). The scenery (outside the city of Belfast) is gorgeous, the atmosphere is suitably drab and oppressive, the period details are spot-on (including a great 1970s soundtrack!) and there's some amazing casting, including Gillian Anderson (Agent Scully!!) as Cushla's alcoholic mother Gina, and Tom Cullen (Lady Mary's lover Tony Gillingham in Downton Abbey!) as Michael. The actress playing Davy's mother Betty McGeown is a dead ringer for Canadian actress Megan Follows, best known as THE best-ever Anne of Green Gables!
• I'm very glad I read the book first.. I'm generally not bad at deciphering accents -- most British TV shows are no problem for me -- but these Irish accents are pretty thick!  I really had to listen carefully, and it was hard to understand the dialogue, especially early on.

Playing:  

• Heardle Decades: (as of Sept. 30th):  
• Heardle 60s: 74.6% (1006/1349, 408 on first guess), up 0.2%. since Aug. 31st. Max streak: 21.  
• Heardle Super 60s: 55.6% 25/46, 6 on first guess), up 11.9% since Aug. 31st. Max streak: 5.  
• Heardle 70s: 74.6% (813/1090, 454 on first guess), down 0.1% from Aug. 31st.. Max streak: 18. 
• Heardle Super 70s: 55.3 61.1% (26/47, 14 on first guess), down 5.8% since Aug. 31st. Max streak:  3. 
• Heardle 80s:  42.2% (399/945, 161 on first guess), up 0.8% from Aug. 31st. Max. streak: 6.
• Heardle Super 80s: 38.9% (23/47, 9 on first guess), down 1.1% since Aug. 31st. Max streak: 6 (up from 4).. 
• Heardle 90s: 32.7% (342/1045, 88 on first guess), down 0.3% from Aug. 31st. Max. streak: 9. 
• NYT Connections: 
• As of Aug. 31st, I'd played 746 games and won 90% of them (unchanged since Aug. 2nd), including 400 "perfect puzzles" with zero errors, and 22 where I got the most difficult/purple category first (an increase of 2 since Dec.  31st). Maximum (and current!) winning streak: 47! (an increase of 2 since June 30th, 2025). . 
• By Sept. 30th, I'd completed 776 games, won 90% of them (unchanged since Aug. 2nd), including 417 "perfect puzzles" with zero errors, and 22 where I got the most difficult/purple category first (unchanged since Aug. 31st). Maximum winning streak:  52 (an increase of 5! since Aug. 30th).  (I will admit to using hints at times...!)  

Eating/Drinking:  

• Over the past two years (since some less-than-stellar bloodwork results for both of us in October 2024), we've been trying to eat healthier and lower our cholesterol levels -- and avoid having to take on another prescription. 
• Results have been mixed -- initially good, less so more recently. It's been a busy, stressful year (starting on Jan. 1st, when my mom basically dropped dead while I was there visiting), and as a result, my diet has not always been the best (often more about what's available/convenient than what's healthiest). 
• I'm heading back to the blood lab on Monday (Oct. 5th) to get my levels checked (6 months-ish after my last bloodwork) -- wish me luck...!! (I'm not overly confident...!) 
• I'm down 0.6 pounds this month. Overall, I'm down more than 15 pounds since late October 2024 -- close to my lowest weight in more than a decade -- and more than 27 pounds from my heaviest-ever weight  (in August 2021). 
• (Dh  has gained a little weight back this summer, but is currently down more than 20 pounds since fall 2024.)
• Takeout meals this month included the usual pizza slices, soup and teriyaki rice bowls from the supermarket, Swiss Chalet rotisserie chicken, and our favourite wood oven thin-crust pizza. (It's gotten a little boring lately, to be honest -- but it's not easy finding takeout meals that are (a) cheap-ish -- especially lately! (b) not too horrible in terms of cholesterol and (c) something that appeals to both dh & I!)  
• Went out for brunch at a local brunch place on Sept. 8th --  first day of school hereabouts! -- because we're retired, and don't have any kids or grandkids to see off -- and also because this is a great place for brunch -- nice atmosphere and good food. I had the scrambled eggs with bacon (crisp, the way I like it), potatos and sourdough toast;  dh had a western omelette, also with potatos and toast. 

Wearing:  I WAS wearing lots of shorts, tank tops and T-shirts at the beginning of the month... but the weather has turned cooler recently, so I've shifting back towards short and then long sleeves vs tank tops.  I even had to bring out a sweatshirt on one recent evening! and I've been wearing slippers around the house too (vs bare feet). I traded in my shorts for capri yoga pants around the house, and I suspect longer pants are just around the corner...!   

Buying (besides books, lol):  Stuff for the great-niblings' Halloween goodie bags. We'll bring them when we see them for (Canadian) Thanksgiving (the weekend after this one coming up). 

A new KitchenAid dishwasher! (This post explains why!) We went shopping and bought it on Tuesday, Sept. 8th (after brunch);  it was delivered and installed and the old one removed and hauled away on Sept. 14th. The installers were polite, cheerful and efficient.  Appreciating that the new machine is ultra-QUIET (yay!)!  It also seems to have a little more room in the tub (including a shallow third rack near the top) and it cleans and dries very well!  So far we are very happy with its performance!  

Prioritizing/Trying: To read more books (to spend at least a few minutes a day reading a chapter -- or more), and do less scrolling/fewer news stories & opinion pieces.  

 

Wondering:  How to time our next few haircuts between now & Christmas?  (I normally like to get a trim every six weeks, and we're just about due...)  

Wanting: A little more sunshine. It's been grey & overcast (again) these past few days.  :(  

Noticing: Lots of noise coming from the hallway/neighbouring units again lately... a wailing toddler kittycorner from us, who is particularly noticeable every weekday morning around 8 AM (presumably when Mommy heads off to work), and several barking/yelping/whining dogs. I like dogs, but this drives me crazy after a while -- I suspect some of them are being left alone for long periods of time while their owners are out -- one reason why I never wanted to get a dog, especially when we were working!  Poor things! Sigh... 

Not noticing:  A lot of fall colours (yet!). 

Loving: The glimpses of yellow and orange and red that I am starting to see on the treetops, just these past few days... 

Missing:  Being at dh's cousin's cottage this fall, and the pretty fall colours there! We've been there the past several years for a weekend in September, and so I've been seeing photos in my Facebook and Google Photo memories.  They've been busy, so we didn't get an invitation this year. They DID have ALL of dh's cousins on that side of the family there in May (the ones in Canada, anyway), but it's gorgeous there in the fall!   

Enduring: Seasonal allergies (ugh!) -- for almost the entire month!! -- sneezing, irritated eyes, post-nasal drainage, leading to a scratchy/ticklish throat, resulting in coughing (through the night) = fatigue... I had a look at my datebook notes from the same time last year and realized I was dealing with exactly the same thing then too...! -- although I think it's worse this year...!  :p  (I've taken note for September 2027...!)  

Feeling: A little sad that winter is fast approaching (much as I enjoy fall). A little bored. (I am rarely bored, but I feel like we've been stuck in our routines a little too much lately...!). I feel like we haven't done much that is different or fun lately, and I'm getting an itch to go somewhere, even for just a weekend. 

Coming up in October: (Canadian) Thanksgiving (Oct. 12th -- likely to be spent at BIL's). Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Day (Oct 15th/Month). The annual meeting of owners for our condo corporation (we recently changed property managers -- this should be interesting...!). The start of the figure skating season, with the first two of six Grand Prix circuit events. Bloodwork to check my cholesterol (wish me luck...!), and optometrist check-ups. My 19th (!) blogoversary (!!).  And (of course), Halloween.  :)  We don't get any trick or treaters in our building, but I'm looking forward to seeing photos of the great-niblings!  :)  

Right now

Right now...* 

*(A (mostly) monthly series/meme.  Explanation of how this started & my inspirations in my first "Right now" post, here. Also my first (similar) "The Current" post, here.)

August (and the entire summer, really) went by too fast.  We spent the first 9 days of the month with my dad (three weeks total, beginning in July), and I still feel like I'm trying to get back into the swing of things here...!  Now it's September, school is returning next week, and we are rapidly barrelling into fall... 

Some of the things I/we did this month include: 

• Visited my 87-year-old dad in Manitoba (and wound up staying an extra week for a total of three, July 18th - Aug. 9th):  
• Visited Dad several times daily in the hospital, until he was able to come home, a few days after we got there.  
• Took Dad to several medical and other appointments. 
• Helped him with some banking and other admin tasks related to my mom's estate and the sale of the house (which closed on July 1st). 
• Fetched things and made meals for Dad (who has mobility issues and uses a walker). 
• Made umpteen trips to the local Co-op grocery store, and two to the weekly local farmer's market (fresh local garden vegetables, yummmmm!).  
• Made two side trips during those outings to the local drive-in restaurant  (a local institution for 60+ years!) for ice cream, including one on Aug. 7th in tribute to our Katie (since we couldn't be home to visit the cemetery and carry out some of our usual traditions there).  
• Played Saturday night TV bingo with Dad on three consecutive Saturday nights (a family tradition dating back about 50 years!) -- and card games just about every night we were there too!    
• Welcomed a number of visitors, including Parents' Neighbours' Daughter, the Little Princess and her two older (not-so-little anymore) sisters, and PND's parents;  (other) former neighbours from the house, and one of my cousins on my dad's side, whom I hadn't seen in about 25 years.  :)  
• Helped Dad to choose and purchase a niche at the local cemetery and organized the interment of Mom's ashes there, with a few close friends present (Aug. 8th).  Arranged for lunch back at Dad's apartment afterward. 
• Sat on hold with the airline for 2+ hours to change our tickets and extend our stay an extra week (was not able to do it online, for some weird reason??).  
• Flew back home on Sunday, Aug. 9th, one week later than originally scheduled. 
• Back home:  
• Went grocery shopping and picked up some soup and/or pizza slices for dinner/lunch (Aug. 9th, 10th, 11th, 17th, 24th & 31st).  
• Spent a few hours with the Little Great-Nephews, and stayed with them while SIL went for an appointment (Aug. 11th). Returned for visits on Aug. 19th & 26th. 
• Visited the Little Great-Nephews AND the dog (yay!) at their grandparents' house while their parents were at a wedding, and stayed for dinner. (Aug, 29th) 
• Shopped and walked at the mall (amid hordes of tourists and back-to-school shoppers...!). (Aug. 12th, 18th & 25th). 
• Activated a new bank card at the ABM/ATM, browsed at the bookstore and picked up a birthday card, picked up a few more groceries at the supermarket, and picked up a prescription at the drugstore. (Aug. 14th) 
• Got some cash at the ABM/ATM, bought a new CO2 detector at Canadian Tire (and installed it when we got home) and browsed at the bookstore (Aug. 21st).
• Drove to the mall in our old community for haircuts with our longtime stylist, walking & shopping (Aug. 28th). Also stopped at the cemetery and changed Katie's niche decorations to a fall theme.  :)  

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Also right now:  

Reading: August was a highly productive reading month for me, for whatever reasons?? (Not complaining!)  I finished 7 (!) books in August -- the most I've read in a single month in a very long time, I rhink!  (all reviewed on this blog, as well as Goodreads & StoryGraph, & tagged "2026 books").  Year to date, I've read 25 books,  reached 63% of my Goodreads Challenge goal, and am currently 1 book behind schedule to achieve it by year end.  

• "Young Woman and the Sea" by Glenn Stout (the September choice for my Childless Collective Nomo Book Club.)  (4 stars;  my review) 
• "Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris" by Paul Gallico. (4 stars;  my review) 
• "Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day" by Winifred Watson. (3-3.5 stars;  my review) 
• "Flying Solo" by Linda Holmes. (3.5-4 stars;  my review)
• "Yesteryear" by Caro Claire Burke. (4 stars;  my review)
• "Still Glides the Stream" by D.E. Stevenson, a summer re-read with my DES group.  Last read in 2021 (my reviews here & here;  most recent review here -- 3.5-4 stars). 
• "Dear Monica Lewinsky" by Julia Langbein. (3.5-4 stars;  my review.)  

Current reads: 

• "The Forsyte Saga" by John Galsworthy. After mulling it over (see this post!), I accepted a commenter's suggestion to do a readalong together!  Currently 69% completed. 
• "Childless: A Woman and a Girl in a Man's World" by Fabiana Formica.  This one is beautifully written, but slow going, and I was reading it (or trying to...!) at Mom & Dad's last summer (2025), where there were a lot of distractions. I've put it aside for the moment to focus on other reading priorities, but I've completed 33% to date.
• "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. ;)  

• For my Childless Collective Nomo Book Club:  
• "The Wedding People" by Alison Espach (October). (I previously read and reviewed this one, here;  rated 4-4.5 stars.)
• "The Women" by Kristin Hannah (November)
• For my D.E. Stevenson group:  
• "Anna and Her Daughters" (Sept. 7th through mid-November;  last read 2x in 2022;  my reviews here and here).   
• Footnotes & Tangents slow readalongs for 2026 include: 
• "The Children’s Book" by A.S. Byatt (September–December) (Planning to take part in this one, as I've never read Byatt and this one sounds interesting.)    

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

• "Ace, Marvel, Spy" by Jenni L. Walsh 
• "Villa Coco" by Andrew Sean Greer
• "Land" by Maggie O'Farrell 
• "All the Gold Stars" by Rainesford Stauffer 
• "American Fantasy" by Emma Straub
• "Permanence" by Sophie Mackintosh 
• "The Calamity Club" by Kathryn Stockett 

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** 

Listening:  

Following: A couple of new people on Substack (how many Substack/newsletter subscriptions is too many??).  

Watching: 

• Too much Game TV (game show network), Cash Cab and Judge Judy (good Lord, she's obnoxious...!), while visiting my Dad...!  (Thanks but no thanks...!)  
• CFL football and Toronto Blue Jays baseball games (also Dad's viewing choices, but far preferable to the Game Show Network!  lol)  We've continued to watch some Jays games since returning home (they've been doing well again, after a bad start to the season..! -- hoping to make the playoffs...!). 

Playing:  

• Heardle Decades: I didn't have much time for the daily Heardles while we were in Manitoba, but since we got back, I've also added Super 60s, 70s & 80s Heardles to the list, which include more obscure/album cuts! Here the stats (as of Aug. 31st):  
• Heardle 60s: 74.4% (982/1320, 398 on first guess), up 0.1%. since July 31st. Max streak: 21. (Current streak: 9) 
• Heardle Super 60s: 43.8% (7/16, 1 on first guess). Max streak: 5. 
• Heardle 70s: 74.7% (793/1062, 445 on first guess), down 0.3% from July 31st.. Max streak: 18. 
• Heardle Super 70s: 61.1% (11/18, 7 on first guess). Max streak:  3. 
• Heardle 80s:  41.4% (380/917, 154 on first guess), up 0.1% from July 31st. Max. streak: 6.
• Heardle Super 80s: 50.0% (9/18, 3 on first guess). Max streak: 4. 
• Heardle 90s: 33.0% (335/1016, 86 on first guess), up 0.1% from July 31st. Max. streak: 9. 
• NYT Connections: 
• During July (up to Aug. 2nd), I completed 717 games, won 90% of them (unchanged since June 30th), including 385 "perfect puzzles" with zero errors, and 20 where I got the most difficult/purple category first (unchanged since Dec. 31st). Maximum winning streak:  45 (unchanged since June 30th, 2025).  Current streak to that point: 18..  
• As of Aug. 31st, I'd played 746 games and won 90% of them (unchanged since Aug. 2nd), including 400 "perfect puzzles" with zero errors, and 22 where I got the most difficult/purple category first (an increase of 2 since Dec.  31st). Maximum (and current!) winning streak: 47! (an increase of 2 since June 30th, 2025). 

Eating/Drinking:  My eating habits took a nosedive while we were away... I may have some explaining to do to my doctor when I have to redo my bloodwork this fall, particularly re: my cholesterol levels (gulp)...! 

• Over the past almost-two years (since some less-than-stellar bloodwork results for both of us in fall 2024), we've been trying to eat healthier and lower our cholesterol levels -- and avoid having to take (more) medication. Results have been mixed (initially good, less so more recently...), and it's been a struggle to maintain momentum. 
• I'm up 0.6 pounds this month, since we returned home. Overall, I'm down 15 pounds since late October 2024 -- close to my lowest weight in more than a decade -- and 27 pounds from my heaviest-ever weight  (in August 2021). 
• (Dh  has gained a little weight back this summer, and is currently down about 14 pounds overall since fall 2024.)
• Takeout meals included the usual pizza slices, soup and teriyaki rice bowls from the supermarket, and rotisserie chicken from Swiss Chalet. (It's gotten a little boring lately, to be honest -- but it's not easy finding takeout meals that are (a) cheap-ish -- especially lately! (b) not too horrible in terms of cholesterol and (c) something dh & I can agree on...!)  
• My dad gets meals delivered directly to his building from a subsidized community meals program for seniors -- and since dh & I are also seniors, we can get them too, when we're there!  They're available every week day -- the menu is published a month in advance -- and dad gets them several times a week (as do many seniors in his building). It's not exactly gourmet fare, but it's tasty, balanced, and filling, always including a protein, starch, veggies or salad, dessert and a bun (often homemade) -- all for the grand price of $7.50 (Canadian) -- plus a few dollars extra delivery fee.  Not bad!  

Not eating:  Lettuce from the U.S. ( = fewer salads lately, since so much of our produce comes from there...!), since the cyclospora parasite outbreak there...!  Happily, the supermarket where we shop recently stocked some local/Ontario organic lettuce! -- I'm enjoying it while it's still in season!

Wearing:  I WAS wearing lots of shorts, tank tops and T-shirts... but I'm shifting back towards short sleeves vs tank tops again, and I even dug out my capri yoga pants earlier this week (vs shorts), as the weather has been slightly cooler recently.  

My sister loaned me a really cute (and very comfortable) black sleeveless dress with a tiered skirt and a zipper down the front to wear to our Mom's committal service at the cemetery. (I'd brought a pair of black capris and a top with me, just in case, but this was nicer!) 

Appreciating:  The cooler temperatures and lower humidity! (if not the recent lack of sunshine...) 

Buying (besides books, lol):  Cute fall clothes for the great-niblings (from Old Navy and Carters/Oshkosh).  I also bought a few tops for myself at Old Navy, as well as a burgundy & navy-striped soccer shirt with a white collar at the Gap outlet (why are so many women's shirts these days cropped??), and a cute burgundy "rugby" sweatshirt at American Eagle.    

Noticing: The days/hours of light are already getting shorter...  :( 

Wondering:  Whether we're getting an invitation to dh's cousin's cottage this fall??  We've been there with BIL & SIL every fall for the past five years, and they've usually asked us well before now.  However, they DID have ALL the cousins there in May (16 of us!! -- which was really very generous of them!!), and I know they've had a very busy summer. I wouldn't blame them if they wanted some cottage time to themselves! 

Loving:  Getting more books read this month! 

Feeling: (Still) Tired.  A little "blah."  Glad to be back home and to spend some time with the LGNephews.  (Missing:  Little Great-Niece -- we haven't seen her since Easter!!)  A little sad that summer is drawing to a close (already! -- I guess it's because we were away for three weeks, but it seems to have been really short this year...!).  But... 

Anticipating/Looking forward to: Fall, which is generally a lovely time of year here (if not what follows later...!).  Also looking forward to: kids returning to school (if not all the hype and last-minute-rush to enjoy the last of summer), and having fewer people crowding the stores and malls during the week!  lol  We're planning to go out for brunch on or around the first day of school to celebrate!  ;)  

Coming up in September: Older Great-Nephew heads back to school (to Grade 2!!). And World Childless Week. 

Right now

Right now...* 

*(A (mostly) monthly series/meme.  Explanation of how this started & my inspirations in my first "Right now" post, here. Also my first (similar) "The Current" post, here.)

July was mostly hot, humid, smoky (wildfires in northwestern Ontario) and very busy! -- both at home and at my Dad's in Manitoba (which is where we are right now -- and which is why this post is both later and shorter than usual...!).    

Some of the things I/we did this month include: 

• Tried to stay cool (mostly at home with the air conditioning...!) during a major heatwave in early July! (At one point on July 1st, the temperature was 36C and humidex 48C!!).  
• Went out for an early anniversary dinner at a nearby Italian restaurant (yum!). (July 4th) 
• Drove up to Leaskdale, Ontario (about an hour away) on Sunday, July 5th, for afternoon tea and a performance of "The Blue Castle" (musical), based on the L.M. Montgomery novel (a favourite of mine!).  Details in this post! 
• Shopped for groceries at the supermarket (July 6th & 13th). 
• Had another (!) dinner out on our actual anniversary (July 6th) at another local (Italian) restaurant.  
• Spent the morning at the mall, walking and shopping. (July 7th & 14th) 
• Visited SIL & the Little Great-Nephews for a few hours (July 8th & 15rh). 
• Drove out to our former community for haircuts with our longtime stylist at the mall. Also did some walking and shopping and had lunch while we were there, and stopped by the cemetery en route to spend a few minutes with Katie.  (July 10th) 
• Stopped at the bank for some cash from the ABM, and shopped for birthday gifts for BIL & SIL at Chapters. (July 13th) 
• Stayed indoors as much as possible, and ran the air purifier to counter the thick wildfire smoke and poor air quality outside. (We could smell it in our unit when we woke up in the morning.) (July 15th & 16th) 
• Got myself a pedicure! (July 16th) 
• Headed west (flew) to spend two weeks with my dad (July 18th) -- which have turned into three. (A post on that to come...!)  Since getting here, we have:  
• Taken dad to several medical and other appointments, done some banking and other admin tasks related to my mom's estate and the sale of the house (which closed on July 1st). 
• Made umpteen trips to the local Co-op grocery store. 
• Made a side trip during one of those outings to the local drive-in restaurant  (a local institution for 60+ years!) for ice cream. 
• Played Saturday night TV bingo with Dad (a family tradition dating back about 50 years!).  
• Welcomed a number of visitors, including Parents' Neighbours' Daughter, the Little Princess and her two older (not-so-little anymore) sisters, and PND's parents;  (other) former neighbours from the house, and one of my cousins on my dad's side, whom I hadn't seen in about 25 years.  :)  
• Fetched things and made meals for Dad (who has mobility issues and uses a walker). 

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Also right now:  

Reading: I finished 4 books in July (all reviewed on this blog, as well as Goodreads & StoryGraph, & tagged "2026 books").  Year to date, I've read 18 books,  reached 45% of my Goodreads Challenge goal, and am currently 5 books behind schedule to achieve it by year end.  

• "London Falling" by Patrick Radden Keefe. (5 stars;  my review)   
• "Treacle Walker" by Alan Garner.  (Three-week slow readalong with Footnotes & Tangents.  2.5-3 stars;  my review). 
• "Marble Hall Murders" by Anthony Horowitz -- the third book in his series featuring book editor Susan Ryeland and fictional detective Atticus Pund. I read this one in advance of the PBS Masterpiece Mystery TV series, coming Sept. 6th!  (4.5-5 stars;  my review.) 
• "The Queen of Poisons" by Robert Thorogood (The Marlow Murder Club #3). Season 3 of the PBS Masterpiece Mystery TV series, based in part on this book, also starts Sept. 6th! (3 stars;  my review.) 

Current reads: 

• "Young Woman and the Sea" by Glenn Stout (the September choice for my Childless Collective Nomo Book Club.)  Currently 62% completed. 
• "Still Glides the Stream" by D.E. Stevenson, with my DES group. We started reading & discussing this book on June 22nd and will finish in mid-August. Last read in 2021 (my reviews here & here). Currently 71% completed. 
• "The Forsyte Saga" by John Galsworthy. After mulling it over (see this post!), I accepted a commenter's suggestion to do a readalong together!  Currently 65% completed. 
• "Childless: A Woman and a Girl in a Man's World" by Fabiana Formica.  This one is beautifully written, but slow going, and I was reading it (or trying to...!) at Mom & Dad's last summer (2025), where there were a lot of distractions. I've put it aside for the moment to focus on other reading priorities, but I've completed 33% to date.
• "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. ;)  

• For my Childless Collective Nomo Book Club:  
• "The Wedding People" by Alison Espach (October). (I previously read and reviewed this one, here;  rated 4-4.5 stars.)
• "The Women" by Kristin Hannah (November)
• For my D.E. Stevenson group:  Future reads to be determined.  
• Footnotes & Tangents slow readalongs for 2026 include:

• "The Children’s Book" by A.S. Byatt (September–December) (Planning to take part in this one, as I've never read Byatt and this one sounds interesting.)    

A few recently purchased titles (all in digital format, mostly discounted ($5-10 or less) or purchased with points): (Titles not linked this time.)  

• "Famesick" by Lena Dunham 
• "The Astral Library" by Kate Quinn 
• "John of John" by Douglas Stuart
• "Polished" by Melissa Osborne
• "Strong Ground" by Brene Brown 
• "Straight Man" by Richard Russo 
• "The Mysterious Affair of Judith Potts" by Robert Thorogood 
• "The Outsourced Self" by Arlie Russell Hochschild 

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Watching: 

• World Cup games. We weren't as into it as some people were (and dh was more interested than I am) -- and the fact that Italy is not in the tournament was a huge disappointment locally (it would have been bonkers in our particular suburb if they had...!)  -- but it was still fun watching some of the games and the local coverage -- particularly since Toronto is one of the host cities!  AND Canada did so well!   
• Too much Game Show Network, Cash Cab and Judge Judy (good Lord, she's obnoxious...!)...!  (Thanks but no thanks, Dad...!)  
• CFL football and Toronto Blue Jays baseball games (also Dad's viewing choices, but far preferable to the Game Show Network!  lol) 

Playing:  

• Heardle Decades: I haven't listened to the daily Heardles since we got to Manitoba, but here the stats (as of July 30th):  
• Heardle 60s: 74.3% (965/1298, 390 on first guess), up 0.1%. since June 30th. Max streak: 21. 
• Heardle 70s: 75.0% (781/1042, 438 on first guess), unchanged from June 30th.. Max streak: 18. 
• Heardle 80s:  41.3% (370/895, 148 on first guess), unchagned from June 30th. Max. streak: 6.
• Heardle 90s: 32.9% (328/996, 85 on first guess), unchanged from June 30th. Max. streak: 9. 
• NYT Connections: 
• As of June 30th, I'd played 684 games and won 90% of them (a gain of 1%! since Dec. 31st), including 370 "perfect puzzles" with zero errors, and 20 where I got the most difficult/purple category first (unchanged since Dec.  31st). Maximum winning streak: 45 (unchanged since June 30th, 2025). Current streak: 9.
• I have been playing every day we've been in Manitoba -- but I forgot to note the stats for July 31st!  So these include up to Aug. 2nd: I completed 717 games, won 90% of them (unchanged since June 30th), including 385 "perfect puzzles" with zero errors, and 20 where I got the most difficult/purple category first (unchanged since Dec. 31st). Maximum winning streak:  45 (unchanged since June 30th, 2025).  Current streak: 18..  

Eating/Drinking:  Not as healthily as we do at home...!  The results on the scale when we get back will be interesting...!  (although I have been more active while we've been here, to counterbalance the less-healthy stuff we've been eating...!).  I may have some explaining to do to my doctor when I have to redo my bloodwork in the fall, though, particularly my cholesterol levels (eeekkkk)...!  

• Over the past almost-two years, we've been trying to eat healthier and lower our cholesterol -- and avoid having to take (more) medication -- since some less-than-stellar bloodwork results for both of us in fall 2024 and again more recently... (not as bad as fall 2024, but not as good as early 2025 either).  
• Before we left home in mid-July, I was 0.4 pounds less than when the month started.  Overall, I'm down more than 15 pounds since late October 2024 -- close to my lowest weight in more than a decade -- and more than 27 pounds from my heaviest-ever weight  (in August 2021). 
• (Dh is down about 16 pounds overall since fall 2024.)
• Takeout meals included the usual pizza slices, soup and teriyaki rice bowls from the supermarket. (It's gotten a little boring lately, to be honest -- but it's not easy finding takeout meals that are (a) cheap-ish (b) not too horrible in terms of cholesterol and (c) something dh & I can agree on...!)  
• My dad gets meals delivered directly to his building from a community meals program for seniors -- and since dh & I are also seniors, we can get them too!  They're available every week day -- the menu is published a month in advance -- and dad gets them several times a week (as do many seniors in his building). It's not exactly gourmet fare, but it's tasty, balanced, and filling, always including a protein, starch, veggies or salad, dessert and a bun (often homemade) -- all for the grand price of $7.50 (Canadian) -- plus a few dollars extra delivery fee.  Not bad!  

Wearing:  With the advent of consistently warmer/(very) hot, sometimes (very) humid weather, shorts and tank tops have been added to the wardrobe roster, along with short sleeves, capris & sandals. :) 

Buying (besides books, lol):  Not much!  Mostly groceries since we got here.    

Not attending: Dh's cousin's daughter's wedding, which was July 24th at a rural barn that's been converted into an "event space." We sent our regrets and a gift with BIL & SIL (cash, which is the norm hereabouts and in dh's family's culture -- albeit not as much as would have brought if we'd been attending the wedding ourselves).

Prioritizing:  Taking care of my dad, doing things for him and making his life a little easier, while we're here.  

Trying: To be patient and stay busy, although it's hard in a small shared space that's not my own... 

Wondering/Enduring:  Which is more annoying to have blaring in the background -- "The Price is Right," "Family Feud," "Cash Cab" or "Judge Judy"?? (All staples of my dad's daily TV viewing, unfortunately...!)  

Wanting: At least one more trip to the local drive-in restaurant for ice cream before we leave. :)  

Loving:  Manitoba's big skies.  :)  

                        

Feeling: Tired. A bit stressed. Worried about my dad (albeit less so since he got out of the hospital).  Tired of heat & humidity!! (It IS cooler and less humid today, thankfully...!)  

Anticipating: Spending a little more time with the great-nephews, once we're back home, before Older Great-Nephew has to head back to school in September.   

Coming up in August: Heading home (eventually...!). Remembering our Katie on her day from afar, 28 (!!) years later.