Showing posts with label first/last day of school. Show all posts
Showing posts with label first/last day of school. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 1, 2025

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 a busy month (when are we not busy these days??), with mostly good weather (yay!). Younger Nephew moved into a new house, LGNephew #1 started Grade 1 (!), his little brother (LGNephew #2) was baptized (and we weren't there to see it  :(  ),  we (finally!) got the balcony windows washed (just in time for winter...!), and we spent another lovely weekend with dh's cousins at their cottage. 

This month included: 

  • Dinner at BIL's (and some one-on-one time playing with Little Great-Niece), after dh spent the afternoon helping him and Younger Nephew move some stuff over to their new house. (Sept. 2nd) 
  • (Dh) Helping with the move and setting things up at the new house the next day (Sept. 3rd). He & BIL came to get me later in the afternoon and took me over (in rush hour traffic...!) to see the new house and have some dinner. Younger Nephew's MIL brought LGNiece over (she'd had her all day) along with some food, which we all enjoyed. (SIL now goes there to take care of LGNiece two days a week, so we haven't seen her since then. :(  )  
  • Brunch, gelato and then a browse at the bookstore (Sept. 4th), postponed from the first day of school (on the 2nd, when dh was helping Younger Nephew move). 
  • More plumbing work (Sept. 8th, after a previous/expensive round in late August).  :p  (Hopefully the last needed for a LONG time...!) 
  • Lunch and grocery shopping with dh at the supermarket (Sept. 8th, after the plumbers left!). 
    • More grocery shopping (and takeout soup/pizza slices for lunch)(Sept. 15th & 29th). 
  • Shopping/walking at the local mall for the first time since mid-August (avoiding back-to-school shoppers...!), Sept. 9th;  and again on Sept. 16th, 23rd & 30th.  
    • Picked up dh's prescription at the drugstore en route home on the 9th. 
  • Withdrew cash at the bank on Sept. 11th to put in a card for LGNephew #2's baptism gift (on Sept. 14th). 
    • Took it to BIL's house the next day for them to deliver (since we weren't invited. :(  )
  • Brunch (again) on the morning of Sunday, Sept. 14th (while LGNephew #2 was being baptized).
  • Washing the balcony windows!! (Sept. 17th) (They look SO good!!) 
  • Haircuts, lunch and a bit of shopping at the mall in our former community (Sept. 19th). 
  • Browsing briefly at the bookstore and buying a board game there to bring as a hostess gift for our cottage weekend. (Sept. 24th) 
  • Manicure & pedicure, then grocery shopping at the supermarket for supplies for our cottage weekend (Sept. 25th). 
  • Our 5th annual fall weekend at dh's cousin's cottage with BIL & SIL, the couple that own the cottage and another cousin (Sept. 26th, 27th & 28th). 

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Also right now:  

Reading: I finished 2 books in September (all reviewed on this blog, as well as Goodreads & StoryGraph, & tagged "2025 books"). 
This brings me to 27 books read in 2025 to date, 60% of my 2025 Goodreads Reading Challenge goal of 45 books. I am (for the moment, anyway...!) 6 books behind pace to meet my goal.  :) 

Current reads: 
  • "Things Fall Apart" by Chinua Achebe, the current "slow readalong" with Footnotes and Tangents. Started Sept. 29th, runs for 5 weeks. 4% completed to date. 
  • "The Two Mrs. Abbotts" by D.E. Stevenson. Chapter-by-chapter reading & discussion with my D.E. Stevenson group, which started Aug. 4th and runs through mid-October. (My original 2015 review here;  most recent review here).  79% completed to date. 
  • "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, 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. ;)  
(Simon is a big fan of the late great Hilary Mantel, and the books he selected for 2025 were all ones that were either written by her or ones that she loved -- so he figured they would probably be worth reading!  2026 selections to be announced soon...) 

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


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Watching: 
  • "The Marlow Murder Club" on PBS Masterpiece Mystery. The second season began on Aug. 24th and ran for six weeks, through Sept. 28th. I provided some thoughts on the first episode in my recent review of "Death Comes to Marlow" (which forms the basis of the first two episodes), here. 
    • Pronatalism alert:  Annoyingly, the TV show injects a lot of content about families and motherhood/mother-child relationships into the scripts that is not present in the books (and generally not at all relevant to the plot). (Judith, the main character, is childless.)  
  • Watched the first two episodes of "House of Guinness" on Netflix with SIL & dh's cousin's wife at the cottage last Saturday night. Pure (and often ridiculous/over the top, lol) soap opera, set in 1860s Dublin, based (very loosely, I am sure...!) on the real-life Guinness family of brewers. I enjoyed it enough that I will probably look for the other episodes to watch on my own!  
Playing:  
  • Heardle Decades: Stats as of Sept. 30th:  
    • Heardle 60s: 74.0% (779/1053, 309 on first guess), down 0.4% from last month. Max. streak: 15.
    • Heardle 70s: 76.8% (610/794, 348 on first guess), down 0.3% from last month. Max. streak: 18. 
    • Heardle 80s: 40.1% (264/659, 96 on first guess), unchanged from from last month. Max. streak: 5.
    • Heardle 90s: 32.1% (244/759, 63 on first guess), unchanged from last month. Max. streak: 5. 
  • NYT Connections: 
    •  By Aug. 31st, I'd completed 398 games and won 87% of them, including 205 "perfect puzzles" with zero errors, including 9 where I got the most difficult/purple category first.  Maximum winning streak: 45 (unchanged). 
    • As of Sept. 30th, I'd played 428 games and won 88% of them, including 220 "perfect puzzles" with zero errors, including 10 where I got the most difficult/purple category first.  Maximum winning streak:  45 (unchanged). Current streak: 30. 
Following:  

Eating/Drinking:  
  • As I've mentioned before, we achieved our goal of lowering our cholesterol levels in late January, after less-than-stellar bloodwork (in fall 2024) earned us both serious chats with our family doctor. We've been trying to maintain/improve on those numbers (and lose/keep off some extra pounds) since then, by eating healthier and moving at least a little more.    
    • This goal took a bit of a hit over the summer -- as weight loss efforts often do.  While you might be out and about more/a little more active, you're also likely socializing and eating out more! (a few examples of that below...!) 
    • I ended the month 0.4 pounds lighter than when it began. (I'll take it...!  lol)  Overall, I'm down about 12 pounds since our chat with the doctor last October (dh has lost more than 20), and a little over 24 pounds from my heaviest-ever weight a few years ago. 
    • We've slacked off a bit lately (eating out a bit more) -- but we'll be seeing our family dr again for checkups (and, I'm sure, more bloodwork!) in late October -- so we've been trying to get back on track..! 
  • We went out for brunch not just once but twice this month (and had omelettes both times -- ham & cheese for me, a Western for dh): 
    • We'd planned to go for brunch on Sept. 2nd (first day of school hereabouts) -- because we can!  but those plans were upended when dh had to help Younger Nephew move. So we did it on Sept. 4th instead, followed by gelato ;)  and a browse at the bookstore. 
    • We went again on the morning of Sunday, Sept. 14th, while LGNephew #2 was being baptized. 
  • We ate very well at dh's cousin's cottage this weekend! The menu included barbecued hamburgers and sweet potato fries for lunch on Friday; chicken and veggie skewers on the grill for Friday supper;  excellent steaks and potatoes for Saturday night dinner, pasta & beans with sausage for Sunday lunch. Indulged in some wine and coolers to drink, and made a stop at the local ice cream shop for some Kawartha Dairy ice cream on Sunday afternoon before we all headed home. (I had the salty caramel truffle -- it was excellent!).  
  • We also indulged in some of our usual takeout meals for lunch once or twice a week, plus Saturday night dinners, including soup and pizza slices from the supermarket, and veal & chicken cutlet sandwiches from California Sandwiches.
Wearing: (Still!) Enjoying my capris, sandals and short-sleeved T-shirts, while I still can...! 

Buying (besides books, lol):  This was an expensive month (and not for good reasons...!):   
  • Paid for (more) plumbing repairs (Sept. 8th) -- hopefully the last for a LONG time...! (The bill for this round was, at least, substantially less than what we'd paid for "stage one," a week or two earlier in August...!).  
  • Around the same time, we were notified of a "special assessment" on our condo unit, to help cover the cost of roof repairs (already done) as well as replacement of the rooftop "chiller" unit that provides air conditioning to all the units (and has broken down at least twice in the past two years during heat waves). 
    • We've already had a previous special assessment, not too long after we moved here, to help rebuild the reserve fund (after it was drained by the completely useless now-former property managers who ran the building when it first opened -- robbing Peter to pay Paul, so to speak...). 
    • Many owners in our building are up in arms, saying they won't pay (ummm, sorry, but that's what you signed up for when you bought the condo...!). There was an owners meeting/town hall last week with the board and property manager to discuss the matter. All owners were "strongly encouraged " to attend.
    • Dh & I did not. I'm very conflict-averse (or maybe I'm just a coward, lol).  
      • (I can't help but think of what happened in December 2022 at a condo building near the mall we frequently shop at -- a building we actually had on our list of potential places to look at (but never did), early in our search.  :(  I don't think I posted about this event at the time -- we were at my parents' house for Christmas then -- but you can read about it here, here and here.)  
    • Obviously, we're not HAPPY about coughing up several thousand dollars (in two installments), on top of the monthly fees we already pay (AND the plumbing repairs we just had done...!)  -- but if the work needs doing, the work needs doing -- and as owners, it's our shared responsibility to ensure it gets done and to pay for it. 
    • We do question, though, why both the roof and the chiller unit need replacing already, when the building is only about 10 years old??  (Did they use the absolute cheapest materials when they built this place??)  
      • We also think the board/property manager could have communicated better with us up front while the repairs were going on, and when a/c was breaking down, just what was going on, and that this might be a possibility... 
  • Gave LGNephew #2 cash in a card for his baptism on Sept. 14th (despite the fact we were not invited...!)(!). 
  • Couldn't resist a pretty new blouse for myself from Reitmans... 
  • ...or some new V-neck T-shirts from both Gap and Old Navy outlet stores.  :)  
  • Started gathering stuff for Halloween goodie bags for the LGNiblings. :)  So far, each bag includes both Halloween and Christmas-themed PJs, a T-shirt, a book, a plastic Halloween tumbler (from the dollar store), jack-o'lantern deelybobbers (ditto), and a chocolate lollipop from Purdy's Chocolates (get 'em started on the good stuff young, lol),  
  • Continued to purchase Canadian products (or from Canadian companies), as much as possible ;)  (albeit I will admit I'm not as much of a purist as some people seem to be...!).    
Prioritizing: My book club obligations, versus my own reading picks (tempting though some of them may be -- "The Impossible Fortune," I'm looking at you...!)// 

Noticing: Problems with my vision. Both eyes have been incredibly dry and irritated these past few weeks (no matter how many eyedrops I put in them), and recently, they've been itchy and gritty, and the eyelids red and irritated (allergies?). The left eye in particular has been irritated and the vision has frequently been blurry lately (but sometimes it clears and it's better??).  Either my vision is deteriorating (hopefully it's just aging, and the Saltzmann's nodules I had surgically removed three years ago from my right eye have not returned...??), my glasses need replacing (lots of scratches, etc., which certainly don't help matters), or (most probably) a bit of both. My glasses, after all, are 11 years old (!) -- they've served me well!  I liked them, and still do, but I think it's time for new ones. 

At my last visit to the optometrist (more than a year ago), he told me to come back when I turned 65 (i.e., January) -- presumably so he wouldn't have to charge me for the visit. (It's free for seniors 65+ in Ontario.) I may try to get in to see him earlier than that, though.  

Enjoying/Appreciating:  The nice fall weather (even if it's not exactly normal... and even though it's delayed the arrival of the fall colours a bit...!) 

Wondering: When our doctor's office will be running its fall vaccine clinics for covid & flu shots?  

Anticipating:  Getting to see the great-niblings on our upcoming (Canadian) Thanksgiving long weekend (if not before that...).  :)  We last saw LGNiece on Sept. 3rd (at her family's new house! -- almost a full month ago now...!), but haven't seen the two LGNephews since Aug. 16th ( = almost two full months).  :(  

Loving: Shopping for things for them. :)  Cute outfits for little girls still have the power to give me occasional pause, but I am glad that, for the most part, I can visit a children's wear store or department these days without feeling overwhelming sadness for what might have been... 
 
Trying:  To let things slide a little, re: my overflowing inbox & never-ending notifications. Trying to remember that I don't HAVE to look at/read everything...!  

Wanting/Hoping: (Still!!) To book a getaway of some sort, somewhere, before the end of the year...! (The days go by so quickly, and I often don't have the bandwidth to do the necessary research, let alone actually book something...)  
                              
Feeling: Disbelieving that we're into October, and the final few months of 2025, already!  Thankful that the weather has been so nice. But also: apprehensive, because it's not usual for this time of year....!  A little sad about the big changes that I know are coming for my family, as my aging parents (finally!) begin considering new housing options, after 40+ years in their current (split-level!) home. 
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Tuesday, September 2, 2025

Odds & ends

  • Today is the first day of school hereabouts! 
    • Little Great-Nephew (the older/original one) is starting Grade 1 today!!  (eeekkkk....)  The one back-to-school photo I really wanted to see, lol. ;)  
    • I heard a startling statistic on CNN on Labour Day morning:  I've always traditionally thought of  the day after Labour Day as the first day of school -- and I think that's fairly common in a lot of places across Canada (although in a few places we lived, we went back for at least a few days, the week before that). 
      • I know that's not always the case in the U.S. -- but apparently only 15% of schools in the U.S. start after Labour Day -- the other 85% start before (i.e., in August). Wow! 
      • (Of course, the school year ends in mid/late May for many U.S. schools too. Most of our schools go right to the end of June.) 
    • I had proposed to dh that he & I mark the day by going out for brunch (because, as an older/childless couple with no kids to send off to school today, we can!).  
    • However! Younger Nephew & his wife recently bought a house (and sold their two-bedroom townhouse near us). Moving day is actually tomorrow/Wednesday -- and dh is on call to help with that (although they have hired movers) --  but they take possession of their new home and get the keys today, so he's gone out with BIL (who has taken the entire week off work to help!) to move a few things over there today too. Sigh. 
      • He's promised me brunch later in the week. 
    • Recent related back-to-school rant here. 
  • We watched "The Thursday Murder Club" movie on Netflix the day it was released (last Thursday, Aug. 28th). I enjoyed it hugely. (Dh enjoyed it too.)  Obviously, there's a lot from the novel that it left out, but it captured the flavour nicely, and you can't beat that cast! (or that setting!)   
  • The school/church (church!! FFS...!!) shooting in Minneapolis last week (where I have a number of close relatives) brought back memories of other school shootings in the U.S.  Columbine, Parkland and Sandy Hook were mentioned frequently in the media and in social media posts I saw. 
    • For parents of other children killed in school shootings, each new shooting obviously stirs up painful memories. On Threads, Nelba Marquez-Greene, mother of Ana Grace Marquez-Greene, a first-grader who died at Sandy Hook, posted sadly, "Why does Ana always get erased in people’s Sandy Hook talking points?"
    • At the time Sandy Hook happened, Mel wrote about focusing on remembering just one of the young lives among the many snuffed out prematurely on that terrible day. As I wrote in a blog post at the time, I chose Ana.  As this article explains, Ana spent spent about half of her far-too-brief life in the city of Winnipeg in my home province of Manitoba, and had only recently moved back to Connecticut when she died. Her father is a jazz musician who taught at the School of Music at my alma mater, University of Manitoba.  I still think about her whenever Sandy Hook comes up. 
    • Many in the comments assured her they had not forgotten Ana -- including me. "Dear Nelba," I posted, "when Sandy Hook happened, someone in one of my online communities pointed out that while it's sadly hard to remember the name of every child who died, perhaps each of us could pick one child to focus on & remember. I chose to remember Ana because I'm originally from Manitoba and learned of your ties to Winnipeg. I thought of her again yesterday. ❤️" 
    • My comment has received almost 800 (!!!) likes to date.  
  • Ali Hall at Life Without Children has assembled a great list of resources for childless and childfree people, including online communities, therapists, books, podcasts, movies, Substacks, social media accounts, notable dates and research/science. that she updates regularly  Many of the sites listed were familiar to me, but others were not, and they might be new to you too. I've added it to my own list of "Childless/free boards, sites & other resources" on the right-hand side of the pages here, near the bottom. Check it out! 
  • Sue Fagalde Lick has signed off from her "Childless by Marriage" blog with a farewell post after exactly  18 (!) years of writing there (since August 27, 2007).  Luckily for us, she'll still be writing and speaking about childlessness in other places online. Go thank her for everything she's done to draw attention to a less-understood part of our community.  

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Sunday, August 31, 2025

Is this a "thing" now??

It's Labour Day weekend, and I'm bracing myself for all the back-to-school photos next week (and over the next few weeks) -- although I've already been seeing them from the States, where some schools start in mid/late August.  

This is the weekend a lot of parents are moving their kids into university/college dorms and apartments, and I have a couple of friends who are sending kids off to university for the first time. For some, it's their last kid to leave home, and they're going to be empty nesters. Lots of angst. (Needless to say, I cannot relate.)  

One such friend took both of her sons to their respective schools over the weekend -- the older one starting third year at one school, and his younger brother starting first year at another = leaving home, and leaving her and her husband empty nesters. I knew there would be photos -- but I was dumbfounded when she posted photos of a a beautiful silver bracelet her younger son bought her as a "thank you Mom" gift. (It actually spells out "THANK YOU MOM" in silver letters.) She also posted a photo of the necklace her older son bought her when HE first went off to university three years ago. 

Is this a "thing" now??  (Or did she just raise very thoughtful boys?? lol)  I've never heard of buying your mom a "thank you Mom" gift when you go off to school or leave home. Of course I never heard of "push presents" until a few years ago either. 

Everything is a production and a photo op these days, it seems...!  (And a marketing/sales opportunity for businesses too, of course...!) 

(Here's another example:  Older Nephew's Wife has been a bridesmaid for several friends in recent years, and apparently you don't just give gifts to your wedding party at/just before the wedding anymore, you also hold a party where you ASK them to be in your wedding party, and give them gifts then too!! At least, that seems to be the practice hereabouts.)  

Have you ever heard of this? 

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On a related note -- this article from The Atlantic (gift link) points to another back-to-school trend I've noticed in recent years and been hearing more about lately:  elaborately (and sometimes even professionally)(?!!) decorated dorm rooms, mostly courtesy of the Bank of Mom & Dad.  

I mean, seriously?? 

Here's how much times have changed (and why I simply cannot relate to all the back-to-school stuff, beyond not having a kid myself):  

I arrived at university 46 years ago this weekend (Labour Day weekend, 1979). There were no pre-application/acceptance tours of campuses with parents in tow. (I can't think of anyone who would have been caught DEAD doing that with Mom & Dad in those days.)  My high school arranged group tours of the two universities and one community college in the nearby city (an hour away) for any students interested in checking them out, and I did go on all of those, even though I was pretty sure which one I was going to attend. 

Earlier that summer, one of my high school girlfriends and I took the bus into the city to register and sign up for our courses -- which, in those early days of computerization, involved filling in a form manually, then going around from one prof's office to another to get their signatures, and then standing in long lineups at the student union building with our chequebooks and forms to pay for it all). 

We may have taken a stroll past the all-female dorm we'd applied to live in (one of several on campus), but never set foot inside before moving in. We'd requested each other as roommates on our applications, which you could do -- but it was not guaranteed our request would be accepted. In fact, I don't think I knew until I actually arrived on campus that weekend who my roommate would be. And -- unbeknown to me -- she had expressed preference on her residence application for a single room -- should she not get one, she'd take a cheaper double room with me. Preference for singles was given to returning students. Nevertheless, she beat the odds and got a single room. I think I knew this before we moved in, but I don't remember for sure. 

My mother drove me into the city that day (I think it was on the long weekend Sunday, and I don't think my dad or my sister came). There was no specific set time (other than showing up on the weekend before classes began, during office hours); we just showed up. (I remember standing in a few lineups, but they weren't very long.) I think I had two suitcases with me containing mostly clothes and a few small items, maybe a few other things, and that was about it. I don't think I was too unusual in that respect (although of course my parents didn't live tht far away, so anything I'd forgotten or needed, I could get the next time I was home or they were in the city.) 

We paid my fees at the administration office desk, got my keys and meal plan punch card for the dining hall, had my photo taken for the residence directory, and headed up to see my room. The "proctor" (residence assistant for my floor) came over to introduce herself and invite me to go with her and a couple of the other girls who had already moved in to party/social event that night. I don't remember Mom helping me unpack or lingering, or any tearful goodbyes. I was, of course, only an hour away from home, and those were very different times. 

I knew my new roommate's name, but nothing else about her. When Mom & I arrived at the room on the third floor (it was a nine-storey building overlooking the river, built in the early 1960s), my roommate was not there, but her stuff was. I stared at the framed photos on the desk and other things, trying to guess from those clues what she might be like.  She didn't actually arrive until Labour Day Monday. I'd been out and when I returned, she was sitting there, painting her nails, a polished, petite blond girl. I was a little taken aback at first -- but very happily, after some initial awkwardness, we soon got to know each other better, became fast friends, and we're still in touch, all these years later,  

Like many dorms of the era, the rooms had cinderblock walls. There was one long shared built-in counter/desk, spanning the wall below the window, with a couple of drawers below on either side, and two bookshelves and two bulletin boards on either side of the window, two chairs, two beds and, on the walls opposite the desk/window, two small closets for our clothes, and a couple of drawers topped with a counter and mirror. The beds came with pillows, linens (changed weekly by maids;  we had to strip the beds if we wanted the sheets washed, and make the beds up with the new sheets ourselves) and thin bedspreads. Some girls brought their own pillows and bedspreads/quilts from home, which I did, eventually (nothing new, a castoff from my sister's room at home).  

There was a bathroom shared by the entire floor, with several (four, I think) toilet cubicles and sinks, which was often a gathering space at night as we washed our faces and brushed our teeth before going to bed. There was a shower room with several shower cubicles, and a couple of separate tub rooms each equipped with a bathtub and sink. A handful of  large rooms or suites were reserved for people like the residence council president, the head resident (an administrative role), and some of the residents who had lived there the longest, had larger rooms/suites with private bathrooms. I got one of those rooms in my fourth and final year by virtue of my seniority -- a double room converted to a large single with a private bathroom (including tub/shower unit) -- and I must say it was nice. :)  There were coin-operated washers and dryers in the basement where you could do laundry. 

Our rooms had no phones: there was a payphone downstairs. There were phone jacks in each room, though, and we could (and did) go to the phone company office at the local mall (a short bus ride away), and arrange to rent one. (Most of us got the basic black, dial model, which was the cheapest option.) My roommate and I split the rental cost and each paid for our own long-distance calls. Long distance, of course, was expensive in those days. The weekends that I didn't go home -- and I didn't actually go home that often, especially after the first while, and then my parents moved further away, which reduced my incentive to visit too often -- I would call home on Sunday night to chat (which was the cheapest). We also bought a small wipe-off message board with an attached water-soluble marker. Just about everyone had one; that was how we left messages for our friends and neighbours, in those pre-computer & pre-cellphone days.  

Over time, I brought more and more stuff from home. I think I already had an electric alarm clock-radio (with the numbers that flipped over -- pre-digital days!). I brought a desk lamp, and my portable typewriter, and a couple of favourite stuffed animals. We papered the walls with posters, bought at the campus bookstore and the nearby KMart (I particularly remember Peter Frampton and Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem from The Muppets over my bed, lol -- maybe because they're both visible in one of the few photos I took of my room that year -- see below). 

There was a full-sized refrigerator in the floor lounge (also a kettle and toaster), but my new roommate brought a small kettle/hot pot, and I contributed a small bar-size refrigerator (thanks, Dad!), and we assembled a small collection of mugs, glasses, plates and cutlery (many -- ahem! -- pilfered from the cafeteria). The parents also provided a small (12") black-and-white TV. Using the "rabbit ears" antenna, I could pull in a few (about 4) local stations. When I was in third year, my parents gave me a stereo for Christmas, which I'd been begging for for YEARS -- a turntable, tuner/radio/cassette . (I promptly burst into tears.)  I took it with me when I returned to school after the holidays, along with some of my LPs (and naturally I accumulated more over time). When I got a bigger room in third year, I made a low bookshelf out of a couple of boards and some bricks that a friend with a car helped me to buy at nearby lumber yard. 

There was storage space in the basement where you could keep boxes and trunks and larger items (like mini-fridges) in the summertime. We'd leave a note in the elevator for Tom, the good-natured caretaker, asking him to "please come take my boxes from Room 324 down to storage, thanks!" and then the reverse in the fall -- "Hi Tom, could you please bring up the boxes for Lori Lastname to Room 742" -- and they would magically appear in your room when you got back from class later that day. 

I lived in that dorm for all four years of undergrad, moving up to larger and larger single rooms -- and accumulating more and more stuff. ;)  (Textbooks alone took up a few boxes.) As I said, I arrived that first fall (1979) with little more than two suitcases. When I moved out in April 1983, my dad had to borrow a friend's half-ton pickup truck, and we completely filled the back. We borrowed a trolley from Tom, and made several trips up and down in the elevator and out to the truck, as my floormates sat in the lounge and watched in amusement. When we brought out the last few boxes, they broke out into applause. (Smarta**es, lol.)  

I cried as we drove away. It was the end of an era. That dorm was my home for four years-- especially once my parents moved away from the town where we'd lived for six years, and where I'd gone to high school. They were some of the best -- definitely the most fun -- years of my life, and I still think about it, and dream that I'm back there. 

I think I've posted this photo before? 
My side of my first-year dorm room, with standard dorm bedspreads and furniture.
Dr. Teeth & the Electric Mayhem & Peter Frampton above the bed. :) 
Fall 1979. 

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Monday, August 18, 2025

#MicroblogMondays: End of summer blues

Maybe it's because it's suddenly the end of summer -- and I feel like we didn't have much of a summer at all. (Like, WTF happened??) Between the heat & humidity, the smoke, and the two weeks at Mom & Dad's, the buildup to the wedding we attended and Katie's day, it's gone by in a blink. (And yes, I know it's technically still summer until mid-September, but you know what I mean...!)  

Maybe it's because August holds a few too many grief and loss reminders:  Katie's day, the recent wedding of her second cousin (the same age as she would have been), the "anniversary" of FIL's death in 2018 (which I wrote about here, here and here)...  

Maybe it's because there was a sudden flood of back-to-school and off-to-college photos from American friends on my social media feeds today, reminding me of the photos that were never taken... (They weren't the first back-to-school photos I've seen -- they started earlier this month -- and they won't be the last -- I expect to keep seeing them through mid-September -- but they were noticeable!) 

Maybe it's because I realized that there are just two weeks left before the kids head back to school here -- and we still haven't gone for gelato yet this summer. :(  Or washed the balcony door/windows. Or done any of a number of other things I've wanted & needed to get done this summer. 

Maybe it's because the hordes of back-to-school shoppers were out in full force when we were at the mall last week, making it far busier than usual -- and I'm debating whether it's worth braving the crowds to go there again this week? 

Maybe it's because I'm reading reports that covid is on the rise again (and we didn't get our boosters this past spring -- the one date they were offered at our family doctor's office didn't work for us, and it looked like I wouldn't have qualified for one anyway, since I'm under 65 (!) and they tightened up the eligibility guidelines... hoping things will be different for the fall...). 

Maybe it's because the on-again-off-again Air Canada flight attendants' strike is continuing (despite the fact that they were ordered back to work), meaning a significant trip this fall to mark our 40th wedding anniversary is becoming less and less likely. 

Maybe it's because Little Great-Nephew #2 is suddenly sprouting teeth (and perhaps consequently, was crankier than his usually smiley self when we saw him recently) -- and his big brother (LGNephew #1) is on the verge of losing his first (!), as he enters first grade at school (!), reminding me of how quickly they're growing, and of the little girl who never got to grow up at all. 

Maybe it's because dh's allergies were acting up in a major way this weekend -- and thus HE was crankier than usual too. 

Maybe it's because the overall state of the world is so dark and crappy right now. (I don't think I need to list all the reasons why I feel this way;  you all probably know.)  What kind of a world are we leaving those adorable little great-niblings? 

Maybe it's because I had a lousy sleep last night -- partly because the joint where my left big toe meets the rest of my foot was sore, giving me flashbacks to when I had gout, four years ago (also in August!). It's not red or hot or swollen, as it was then (yet?), but I've been taking some ibuprofen as a precaution. 

Maybe it's because I was up more than a pound from the previous week (WTAF?!) when I weighed myself last Friday -- and almost 3 pounds from my pre-vacation weight. I'm basically back to where I was in March. :(  Still better than I was when we got the cholesterol lecture from our family doctor last October, and certainly better than my all-time heaviest weight -- but still a setback from the progress I'd been making. 

Maybe it's because I've recently had to back out of a couple of things I had previously committed to, and have been feeling incredibly guilty about it. 

Maybe it's because I'm so far behind on my Goodreads goal, with books I need to read and want to read piling up around me. 

It's been more than 40 years since I had to return to a classroom, but (as you can probably tell by now...!) it feels like I've had a bad case of the end-of-summer blues these past few days. 

On the bright side (because I don't want to be a complete downer here): 

Our 5th annual cottage weekend with BIL & SIL, dh's cousin & his wife (and, this year, another cousin too), is on for late September. :)  Something to look forward to! 

I started looking at places within driving distance where we could take a getaway for a few days in September or October. 

I had a lovely Zoom call with some online friends this weekend. Always a day brightener!  :)  

The extreme heat, humidity and wildfire smoke/poor air quality of the past few weeks seems to have broken:  it's a glorious 21C/23C humidex this afternoon (69F & 73F, respectively) with a nice, slight breeze, and our balcony door has been wide open all day. FINALLY!! 

Dh saw that I was in a blue mood and took me for gelato this afternoon. Wouldn't you know it? Our favourite gelato shop is closed on Mondays. We went to Dairy Queen for Blizzards -- again, lol. We've decided we'll try again for gelato soon -- like, maybe the Tuesday after Labour Day, when all the kids HERE will be heading back to school. ;)  It will be a welcome distraction -- something to look forward to -- (and an excusable reason to drown my sorrows in gelato, lol). 

How are you feeling as the end of summer approaches? 

You can find more of this week's #MicroblogMondays posts here. 

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Friday, August 15, 2025

More odds & ends

  • In a recent Substack post, Jill Filipovic discussed adoption and the still-prevalent (and increasing) existence of maternity homes in the U.S. -- many of them affiliated with the evangelical Christian right -- with journalist T.J. Raphael. Raphael spent two years investigating this subject and has a new podcast called "Liberty Lost," about one such maternity home on the campus of Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University.
    • Many of Filipovic's posts are paywalled for subscribers, but this one seems to be public (so far!). 
  • Also on Substack, Ali Hall muses on "Why We Need To Abolish the Phrase ‘As a Mother…’" (and absolutely NAILS it!).  (Hear, hear!!) 
  • I'm ALREADY seeing back-to-school posts (from the U.S.) in my social media feeds!!  And here in the Toronto area, the CNE/Canadian National Exhibition -- think state fair -- started today and runs through Labout Day -- a sure sign that summer is almost over!  
  • Sue Fagalde Lick is winding down her Childless by Marriage blog. (It will still be around;  she's just not going to write anything new for it -- but you can still find her writing on Substack as well as her other blogs.)  You don't have to be "childless by marriage" to appreciate her penultimate post, "Your Childless by Marriage Survival Guide," in which she offers tips on navigating some of the most common scenarios facing childless women. 
  • At "The Auntie Bulletin," Lisa Sibbett chats with Ragon and Kelly of the Kindred Spirits Book Club podcast about the the role of aunties and alloparents and "found family" in Lucy Maud Montgomery's classic novel "Anne of Green Gables."  As you all know I am a huge, lifelong Montgomery fan, but this discussion still gave me a few new points to think about!  Well done!  

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Tuesday, August 12, 2025

Odds & ends

  • I spotted my first back-to-school post on social media yesterday, from someone in the U.S. It's only mid-August...!  I expect to be bracing myself against the onslaught for the next full month... sigh... 
  • Dh & I went to the mall this morning. The temperature around noon was 29C, humidex reading 39C (it's currently 33C & 42C) -- the mall was busy (some of them back to school shoppers, I assume) -- it was very clammy/humid inside there too (despite the a/c) -- and I saw a rack of WINTER COATS on display in one of the women's wear stores!! I mean, seriously?? 
  • Carrie Hauskens of Blooming With Care was a guest on NBC's high-profile Today morning show with Jenna Bush Hager (the former president's daughter) and Tyra Banks on Aug. 1st -- International Childfree Day.  She & her husband resolved to live without children after infertility and the stillbirth of their daughter Clementine. What a platform!!  I especially appreciated Tyra Banks's thoughtful comments -- she actually "got it" -- you can almost see the light bulb going off over her head. ;)  You can watch her segment -- a full 9 minutes! -- here. 
  • Jody Day of Gateway Women was interviewed in an article for the Associated Press that was published in a number of major U.S. newspapers, including the Washington Post and Seattle Times, as well as online news sites -- about  "Why the search for meaning can cause ‘purpose anxiety,’ and what to do about it."  (I'm not sure I've heard the term "purpose anxiety" before, but I certainly believe it exists!) 
    • Says Jody:  "Even after 14 years of my work being widely discussed across the world, this is the first time I've been in the mainstream US press!"  IT'S ABOUT TIME!! -- Congratulations!   
  • On a similar note, Katie Couric Media recently shared a personal essay:  "This Isn’t the Midlife I Imagined — Here’s How I Pivoted at 55."  The author pursued parenthood until she was 54 (!) -- and realized, after spending time with a friend's teenager, that it was time to pursue new dreams. Still, she struggled with the question of "what now?"  She concludes: 
This version of midlife is different from the one I expected; it’s more trial and error, more exploration and unknowns, but I’m learning to live it fully — and I’m uncovering interests and dreams I never knew existed as I go. I’m excited to see what awaits. I’m no longer chasing the life I thought I was supposed to have; I’m focusing on the one I have right now.
  • This was an interesting article in the New York Times recently, about a co-housing community of aging women living in "tiny houses" in Texas.  **NOTE:  Not everyone in the community is childless.**  Nevertheless, it's interesting to read about how one group has structured such a community and is making it work!  (Gift link attached.) 
  • The love of my life -- when I was 15 years old, lol -- Stuart "Woody" Wood of the 1970s band Bay City Rollers (whose memoir I recently read and reviewed), and the current band lineup (he's the sole remaining member of the classic 1970s lineup) -- played a concert at the Highland Games in Fergus, Ontario, about 1.5 hours from here/Toronto, on Saturday night (while I was otherwise engaged, attending a family wedding -- not that dh would have been keen to take me to a BCR concert anyway!  lol).  
    • On Sunday afternoon, they posted photos & videos on their social media of Woody and the other band members out & about in downtown Toronto -- including Nathan Phillips Square, scene of a hysterical mob of some 55,000 screaming teenaged girls, on a hot summer day in June 1976. (A photo from that day appears on the inside cover of their "Dedication" album -- unfortunately, while I could find photos of the album cover, the inside cover photo remains elusive! but there are other photos from the day available on Google.)  
    • Needless to say, almost 50 (!) years later, it was quite a different scene -- the square was almost completely empty -- and I posted a comment to that effect on the video. And Woody actually responded to my post!!  Teenaged me was THRILLED!!  (lol)  (Okay, 60-something me was pretty tickled too!  lol)  See the screenshot below (with a few redactions). 

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Monday, September 2, 2024

Here we go again...

Is it just me, or did it seem like every other mom friend in my social media feeds was sending a kid off to college/university this weekend -- many for the first time -- and posting about it?  Including three of  dh's cousins. 

(We saw several of them at an extended family get-together yesterday, including two cousins whose sons are in first year at the same university this fall and got dropped off on Saturday (not together), and one cousin and his wife who drove straight to the party after spending a couple of days getting their son settled in at college in Sault Ste. Marie -- about a 6-8 hour drive northwest of here.)  

The back to school chatter was/is relentless. The flood of dorm room photos was relentless. (Although it was amusing to see how very little dorms have changed in the past 45 (!) years...!)(Cinder block walls, anyone??  lol) 

Yes, I know, I could just ignore social media for a few days until it all blows over. Yes, I'm a glutton for self-punishment, apparently.  I do enjoy seeing the photos -- to a point. It's just that after a while it gets to be just a LITTLE much...! 

At almost 26, Katie would likely have long since graduated university (unless she was going to medical school or for a PhD or something like that -- which her father assures me she most certainly would have -- but on an accelerated schedule, so she definitely would have graduated by now. Sure, dear, whatever you say...!)  

Still, this time of year, and the endless moans of "where has my baby gone?" etc. etc. has a unique ability to get under my skin. My apologies to the parents reading this (especially those sending kids off to college right now), but....  

I get it, it's tough to let go and watch them spread their wings.  (Especially when you fought so hard to get them here in the first place, as I know many of you have, if you're reading this blog...!)  

But still. You had them, lived with them, got to enjoy them (and tear your hair out over them) for 18 years -- and you'll still have them (and be tearing your hair out over them...!), in some respect, for the rest of your life, if you're as lucky as you have been to date.  

Not all of us get to experience that. Any of that. At all.  And this time of year is always a harsh and unwelcome reminder of that reality.   

I know. I'm not a parent. I don't understand.  I'm just jealous. 

Maybe so.

But. You're not childless-not-by-choice. I'm not in your shoes -- but you're not in mine either.

Let's just leave it at that.  

Sorry.  Vent over.  

Weather permitting, you will find me on my balcony tomorrow afternoon with a book and a cup of tea (or maybe a glass of iced tea). It's become my "first day of school" ritual these past few years, and a reminder that there ARE some perks that come with this childless life.  ;)    

Previous first/last day of school-related posts here. 

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Sunday, September 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.)

August flew by way too quickly.  It was good to be back home, after spending two weeks with my family out west, but suddenly it was the end of the month, with back-to-school and all things fall on the very near horizon.  

Pandemic diary/update: August was month #53 since the covid pandemic began in March 2020 -- now in Year FIVE. :(   And we continued to hear about people we know coming down with covid -- many of then for the first time, and often after travelling.    

We (still!) remain covid-free (knocking wood, loudly...), and we continue to mask in stores, malls and (most) other indoor public spaces hereabouts, especially where there are a lot of people around. (Well, I do -- I know dh has been slacking off again, whenever I'm not around to hand him a mask...!)  This article from the New York Times (gift link) solidified my resolve to keep masking!  (Albeit we have been eating out more again recently -- see "Eating," below.)  

Among other outings this month, we: 
  • Celebrated Younger Nephew's 32nd birthday at their nearby townhouse on Aug. 4th.  
  • Drove up to visit Older Nephew & Little Great-Nephew with BIL & SIL on Aug. 5th. (It was a civic holiday here, but ON's wife/LGN's mom had to work.) 
  • Marked 26 (!) years since the loss of our Katie on Aug. 7th: picked up some flowers (also stopped off to pick up a prescription for dh and fill up the gas tank on the car) and headed to the cemetery near our old community. Afterwards, we had lunch at a local cafe, browsed in the local mega-bookstore outlet, enjoyed some ice cream from Dairy Queen ;)  (see "Eating," below) and then picked up a few groceries before heading home. 
  • Headed to the Eaton Centre mall in downtown Toronto on Aug. 15th via subway, for the first time since pre-pandemic... to meet up with Mel & her family!! Patio dinner, followed by a browse at the Indigo bookstore there. 
  • Returned to our old community on Friday, Aug. 16th for haircuts at the mall. Lunch at Tim Hortons in the food court, a bit of shopping, and a visit with Katie at the cemetery before heading home again. 
  • Spent a rainy but pleasant Saturday afternoon (Aug. 17th) at BIL & SIL's. Older Nephew & his wife were off to a wedding downtown, and they dropped off Little Great-Nephew with his grandparents, en route. Younger Nephew & his wife brought Little Great-Niece over for a visit too. We wound up watching BIL's old home movies/videos of the nephews from the early 1990s, when they were almost exactly the ages their kids are now. LGNephew wasn't overly interested (I don't think he could really fathom that that little boy on the screen was his dad), but the rest of us had some good laughs (and I'll admit I got kind of misty-eyed too). They were SO damned cute!  :)  (And I was SO damned SKINNY!!  lol)(And no doubt thought I was fat at the time!)  SIL made homemade pizza, LGNephew assembled Legos with his uncle, and LGNiece amused herself with various kitchen utensils. A good time was had by all.  :)  
  • Went to the local mall to walk, shop and have lunch (pizza)(Aug. 20th).  
  • Went for a pre-long weekend pedicure and then a browse at the local mega-bookstore (Aug. 29th). 
  • Drove with BIL & SIL up to Older Nephew's on Friday night (Aug. 30th) for dinner with him & Little Great-Nephew (their wife/mom was off on a bachelorette weekend for one of her girlfriends). We wound up driving in two cars to a nearby large town and eating at a restaurant there.   

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Also right now:  

Reading: I finished 2 books in August (reviewed on this blog, as well as Goodreads & StoryGraph, & tagged "2024 books").  
This brings me to 24 books read so far in 2024, 53% of my 2024 Goodreads Reading Challenge goal of 45 books.  I am currently 5 (!) books 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! 
  • Other books on my priority list: 
    • "Moonflower Murders" by Anthony Horowitz. The TV version is starting on PBS on Sept. 15th, and I want to have the book read by then. (I PVRd the adaptation of the first book in the series, "Magpie Murders," because I hadn't read the book yet -- and then lost all my PVRd stuff when we got a new modem last fall!  I did eventually read the book, reviewed here -- and got to see the TV version in reruns on PBS -- see "Watching," below.)    
    • "The Marlow Murder Club" by Robert Thorogood.  TV version begins airing on PBS on Oct. 27th.   
A few recently purchased titles (mostly in digital format, mostly discounted ($5-10 or less) or purchased with points): 

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Watching:  
  • The Olympics from Paris. I especially love watching the swimming events... and the diving... and the rowing (although it was mostly on in the middle of the night, my time!)... and track and field...! And especially the men's 4x100 relay, where our Canadian men's team -- none of whom had made it to the finals in their individual events -- won an unexpected gold!! A huge moment of national pride for all Canadians!  :) 
  • "Paving the Way," a 2013 documentary shown on PBS (the Buffalo channel, anyway), on Aug. 16th, about Geraldine Ferraro, the first woman to be nominated to run for Vice-President of the United States, in the 1984 election (with Walter Mondale).  I was 23 at the time -- yes, a Canadian -- but I remember just how much that milestone and her example meant to me, and I frequently found myself tearing up repeatedly as I watched. I remember when Kamala Harris WAS actually elected VP four years ago, feeling similarly teary, and thinking "I so wish Geraldine Ferraro had lived to see this day."  (She died in 2011.) 
  • "Magpie Murders" on PBS -- based on the Anthony Horowitz book, which I read and reviewed here. I loved the way the some of the actors played multiple roles, and how Susan (the wonderful Lesley Manville), the main character, interacts with the fictional detective Atticus Pund!  :)  (As mentioned above, "Moonflower Murders," an adaptation of the sequel by the same name, will begin on Sept. 15th.) 
  • The Democratic National Convention in the U.S. from Chicago, Aug. 19-22. Way too many late nights!!  but some great speakers!  Too many highlights to mention, but the women -- Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama and the nominee herself really knocked it out of the park. I also loved Doug Emhoff's speech -- and I LOVED seeing Elizabeth Warren get a long, loud, well-deserved standing ovation that left her tearing up and wiping her eyes. (The clip in the link is edited;  I believe the ovation went on for almost two full minutes.)  
Listening:  To Heardle Decades: Stats as of  Aug. 31st: 
  • Heardle 60s: 76.6% (529/691, 209 on first guess), up 0.3% from last month. Max. streak: 15.
  • Heardle 70s: 80.0% (345/431, 193 on first guess), down 0.3% from last month. Max. streak: 18. 
  • Heardle 80s: 41.8% (127/304, 48 on first guess), down 1.5% from last month. Max. streak: 4. 
  • Heardle 90s: 26.25% (107/408, 21 on first guess), up 0.7% from last month. Max. streak: 4. 
Following:  

Eating/Drinking:  I feel like I've been eating out in restaurants more in the past two months than I have in the past four pandemic years!  lol  
  • Coffee Culture (cafe), in our old community (Aug. 7th/Katie's day):  We had chicken caesar wraps, a favourite from when we lived in the area and used to go there. (Followed by ice cream -- Skor Blizzard for me -- from the Dairy Queen drive-through later, lol). 
  • Mercatto Eaton Centre in downtown Toronto with Mel and her family (Aug, 15th). We sat on the patio and the weather was lovely, albeit things were a bit noisy for the first while we were there...!  I had the pasta carbonara -- cooked perfectly al dente, albeit a little too much pepper for my tastebuds...!
  • Tim Hortons (mall food court in our old community, Aug. 16th):  We had breakfast sandwiches (egg & sausage on a biscuit) with wedge fries.  Tim's is certainly not gourmet fare, but it's cheap and dependable.  ;)  
  • Blaze Pizza at the mall (Aug. 20th): Thin crust, fast-fired. You can build your own, which is great for me with my tomato allergy -- I usually get bacon & chicken with a cream sauce base -- and while I can never eat the whole thing, that means a box of leftovers for lunch the next day!  :)  The air circulation seems good and we generally go before 11:30, when it's not too busy yet, and sit in a booth near the entrance to the mall.  
  • Lone Star Texas Grill, with dh, BIL, SIL, Older Nephew and Little Great-Nephew (Aug. 30th):  I had a burger & fries. We got there just before 8 (!) -- and being the Friday night of a long weekend, it was busy, they were out of tortillas for wraps and fajitas (!), and service was slow -- it took a while for our food to come-- but our young waitress was friendly and helpful, and the food, once it arrived, was good!  
  • Takeout:  The usual soup & pizza slices from the supermarket, generally once or twice a week; takeout teriyaki rice bowls (also from the supermarket), Chinese food from Mandarin, and Swiss Chalet takeout rotisserie chicken with a baked potato (I can never eat the whole thing, but the leftovers made good sandwiches the next day!).
Buying (besides books, lol):  
  • A couple of new nightgowns (like oversized T-shirts,my favourite style)  at La Vie en Rose. Alas, I didn't try them on and should have bought a larger size (I like my nightgowns roomy!), and wound up returning them. 
  • Natural pain relief cream for joints and arthritis from Saje, which I've been using as needed on my wonky left knee -- not bad!   
  • A couple of T-shirts at Carters/Oshkosh for Little Great-Nephew, and a dachshund-themed sleeper/hat set for his baby brother, due just before Christmas!  (Did I mention we now know it's a boy?)  I'm still wary of buying too much for babies in advance, but I absolutely could not resist this one!  ;)  
Wearing:  Lots of shorts and tank tops (and enjoying them while the good weather lasts...!).   

Enjoying/Loving:  Spending time with the nephews and their kids. :)  I may not have kids, and we don't get to see them as often as we'd like, but they are a gift.  :) 

Appreciating:  Being included. BIL & SIL are so good about inviting us to come over when the kids are there, or when they're going to see them. Not every time (and we wouldn't expect that), but often enough.  I know many childless people are not as fortunate. 

Noticing:  Just a tinge of red/yellow/brown on a few of the trees locally lately...! 

Trying:  To be good (or at least better??), health & diet-wise, over the next few weeks: annual bloodwork and physicals coming up soon. My gradually rising cholesterol levels were a point of discussion last year -- erk... 

Prioritizing: Staying away from the mall and other public places this past week or two, to avoid the hordes of back-to-school shoppers & families frantically trying to cram in last-minute summer activities before classes resume...!  (We did this pre-pandemic, too! -- if you don't HAVE to be out there when things are so completely nuts, why subject yourself, right??)  There will be plenty of time to enjoy these places once the kids are back in school and things are quieter! 

Wondering:  Whether it's going to rain today (as we head to a cousins' gathering this afternoon). Our hosts have a big house, but it's nicer (and safer!) to stay outdoors, if possible!  

Wanting: Life to slow down, just a bit...!  Even though I'm retired, I always feel like I'm juggling all these balls and never getting anything accomplished...! 

Hoping:  To get out on the balcony with a cup of tea and a good book on Tuesday afternoon -- back to school day hereabouts. ;)  I haven't spent much time out there this summer, especially when it's been so hot & humid -- but I've started doing this on this particular day over the past few years, weather permitting. It's a way of calming myself amid all the hoopla, a reminder to relax and BREATHE, and a good reminder to myself that while there are certainly some things I'm missing out on as a non-parents, there ARE some advantages too. ;)  

Also:  Hoping to do better on my reading this month than I have over the summer.  (Although -- a couple of my book group reads will wrap up this month, so a better monthly total is probably guaranteed...!)  

Anticipating:  A busy few weeks ahead:  a get-together with the relatives on one side of dh's family today (it's a long weekend here -- Labour Day on Monday);  all the back-to-school hoopla & social media posts hereabouts; cottage weekend soon with dh's cousin & his wife (a little earlier this year than our previous visits); a meetup lunch with some local and visiting childless friends from online; and World Childless Week, including my webinar/chat with Michael Hughes of the Full Stop podcast about family history and childlessness on Sept. 16th.  :)  October will be here before we know it...! (Yikes!!)  

Feeling: Thankful that the summer has been less eventful/stressful than the last few. A little sad that it's already (almost!) over (!), but looking forward to cooler temperatures and the lovely fall colours. 
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