Annoying things & small pleasures

Annoying things: 

• The opthalmologist I saw last Thursday encouraged me to start using lid wipes again to keep the bacteria that contributes to rosacea at bay. I'd stopped using them (on the advice of my optometrist) when my eyes were giving me so much trouble last fall. They contain tea tree oil, and the optometrist thought they were exacerbating the issues I was experiencing.  We eventually got the problem under control, and all has been well since then. 
• So I used the wipes again on Friday morning (the day after I saw the opthalmologist), and there was some mild irritation. I chalked it up to the dilating drops I'd received the previous day, which left my eyes feeling somewhat raw and strained.  But within hours of using the wipes again on Saturday, my eyes promptly became very irritated, and the lids red and puffy. Not quite as bad as they'd been last fall, but not great either. 
• So I stopped using the wipes, AGAIN (probably for good this time...!). I'll be seeing the optometrist for a follow-up in about two weeks' time, but until then, I increased my use of the topical ointment she'd prescribed for me last fall (from once to twice a day, which is what I started out with when I was having issues last fall). 
• They're not quite 100% yet, but my eyes ARE looking and feeing somewhat better again. Thank goodness!  
• Realizing the new TV adaptation of Margaret Atwood's "The Testaments" (a sequel to "The Handmaid's Tale") is only available on a streaming network (Disney Plus, which we do not have).. (I watched "The Handmaid's Tale" on the Bravo channel, which we get on cable. It was/is also available on the Crave streaming network). 

Small pleasures: 

• Getting a surprisingly (relatively) good deal on airfares for our next trip to see Dad. 
• Checking out new potential ancestors for dh via Ancestry DNA's ThruLines and common ancestors features. (An easy way to lose a few hours!  lol)  
• Sunshine!! Two days this week!! It's been horribly grey for so long ( = annoying thing). Clear, sunny weather in the winter/early spring can often mean it's cold outside -- and it has been that! -- windchill was -15C when we woke up Tuesday morning! -- but it's somewhat sunny and milder today -- we have the balcony door partly open -- and it's supposed to start warming up over the weekend and into next week. (It's ABOUT TIME!!) 
• Artemis II.  :)   I got choked up when Jeremy Hansen announced the crew wanted to name a newly mapped crater after Commander Reid Wiseman's late wife Carroll. (I think everyone did!)  That group hug after the announcement...  :)  
• Also Artemis-related:  I had a good giggle when I read that the crew broke out some maple cream cookies during the time they were incommunicado on the far side of the moon.  :)  
• Small annoying Artemis-related thing:  I was sadly disappointed by the lack of Pink Floyd references I saw on social media regarding Artemis's trek to the dark side of the moon  ;) --  (although when I posted a complaint about this on Facebook, a cousin promptly responded to by posting this meme to my feed...!  Thanks, F.!)  

#MicroblogMondays: Odds & ends

• 
  (Once again, odds & ends for #MM -- but hey, it's what I've got right now...!  In no particular order:) 
• It's our Thanksgiving long weekend here, and we enjoyed a nice dinner at BIL & SIL's on Saturday with the nephews & their families. 
• The Halloween goodie bags I assembled for the great-niblings were a hit!  LGNephew #1 exclaimed over the Robert Munsch book I'd chosen for him ("Boo!")  and gave me a big hug (awww...), and he and LGNiece donned their Halloween deelybobbers -- LGNephew #2 was less enchanted, lol. LGNephew #1 changed into his new glow-in-the-dark Halloween PJs to wear in the car before they left, and LGNephew #2 was sporting one of the new onesies I'd bought for him in photos posted by Older Nephew's wife the next day.  Success!!  (On to shopping for birthdays and Christmas...!  lol)  
• Still not a lot of autumn colours to be seen hereabouts! -- especially when I look at photos taken at this time of year in years past. I think it's because we had such a warm September -- no frosts to date (although we came close a couple of mornings last week!).   
• I was sad to hear the actress Diane Keaton had died at age 79 (what??!).  
• I know Woody Allen is considered completely politically incorrect/taboo these days -- but I came of age watching his movies, many of them co-starring Diane Keaton, and I still love many of them:  "Annie Hall," "Love and Death," "Play it Again Sam," :Manhattan" (yeah, it's creepy seeing him with a very young Mariel Hemingway -- but that Gershwin score! that gorgeous black-and-white cinematography!!). 
• "Annie Hall" came out just as I was heading into my last year of high school -- and the "Annie Hall" look was HUGE that year. With the money I'd earned that summer working part-time at the local drive-in movie theatre and an antique shop, I bought a new Annie-esque outfit (mostly at Fairweathers at the long-gone Unicity Mall) that I wore to my first day of school that fall:  a plaid knife-pleated skirt that fell below the knees; black thigh-high, high-heeled boots;  a white shirt, black men's tie, salmon-pink sweater vest, and grey flannel blazer. (I think I still have the tie!)
• I loved so many more of her movies too: "The Godfather" movies with Al Pacino (one of her (other) famous lovers);  "Reds," with Warren Beatty (ditto)(which I saw on my 21st birthday at a grand old movie palace in downtown Winnipeg -- en route out, I begged the theatre manager for one of the posters, which hung in my dorm room for the rest of my university career);  "Baby Boom" with the incredibly sexy Sam Shepard (although I imagine I would find the plot pretty wince-inducing these days...!);  "Something's Gotta Give" with Jack Nicholson and Keanu Reeves;  "The First Wives Club" with Goldie Hawn and Bette Midler....   
• Keaton never married, but she adopted two children, a daughter and a son, when she was in her early 50s. (!) They would be in their 20s now, I think. 
• About 20-25 years ago, she was making a movie that was partly filmed in the small Manitoba town where my parents live. My mother told me that Keaton went in to the local Co-op grocery store with curlers in her hair (!), and the young checkout girl, not knowing who she was, asked her for her Co-op number (lolol).  I hope Keaton was as tickled by that story as we were. Hollywood pretentious she was not.  :)  
• Jennifer Aniston, poster girl/heroine for those of us who tried and didn't succeed at having the children we wanted, talks about that time in her life (among other things) in Harpers Bazaar UK's November issue. 
• Aniston previously spoke out on these matters in Allure's December 2022 issue.  I wrote about it (and the reaction to it in the CNBC community), here and here. So grateful for her honesty! 
• Nicole Chung -- who was adopted -- writes in The Atlantic about "When Adoption Promises are Broken." What happens when open adoption arrangements are not honoured? 
• As someone who knows a major cleanout of her parents' home of 40+ years (after 65+ years of marriage) is coming sooner vs later, I appreciated this Substack post from Catriona Innes of "Crocuses in the snow":  "When possessions hold memories, how do we choose what to throw away?"
• Simon Haisell at Footnotes & Tangents has announced 5 new slow readalongs for 2026, plus the return of both "War and Peace" and "Wolf Crawl "(Hilary Mantel's Cromwell Trilogy). (I took part in both W&P and Wolf Crawl in 2024, and highly recommend the experience!) I'll likely be reading along with at least some if not all of these! 
• Back in late August, drowning in back-to-school/off to college/empty nest social media posts from my mom friends, I read an article from The Atlantic about "How Parents Hijacked the College Dorm" -- and, in response, wrote a lengthy post reminiscing about my own college dorm rooms (vintage 1979 photo included!).   
• This past week, Anne Helen Petersen at "Culture Study" did a deep dive into the subject with Meagan Francis (who wrote The Atlantic article):  "What's Really Going on With Those Elaborate (Parent-Decorated) College Dorm Rooms?" The conversation was fascinating (photos included!), and so are the comments!  I believe it's not (currently?) paywalled. 
• As an avid genealogist, I absolutely loved this story when I first stumbled onto it in the New York Times three years ago (already?!):  "‘Downton Shabby': A Commoner Takes on an English Castle."  (Gift linked article.  And there's a book by the same name!)   Here's the lede: 

People who search genealogy websites often find birth and marriage records, newspaper clippings, faded photographs or maybe a long-lost relative.

Hopwood DePree found a 60-room English manor.

• It's not QUITE a "castle" -- but it's a 50,000 square-foot mansion (!), with some sections dating back to the 1400s (!). Hopwood Hall had been abandoned and derelict for decades -- but when he flew from his home in California to England to see it, Hopwood DePree recognized its value and its potential -- and he's rallied the community to save and restore the property.  
• This past week, I found a series of related video shorts from Ancestry.com on YouTube, featuring Hopwood DePree and Hopwood Hall.  Here's a link to the first episode.  They're also reposted on his Facebook & Instagram accounts, which I'm now following! 
• (I haven't looked at everything yet, but apparently, the estate is currently embroiled in some sort of dispute over the land surrounding the house that's delayed further progress on the restoration. Hopefully it will be resolved soon!) 

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

#MicroblogMondays: Odds & ends

• 
  Lana Manikowski at "Infertile and Childless. So Now What?" nails it in "The Grief That Comes Without a Funeral." (Italics & boldface from the original text.) 

Here’s what few people understand: infertility grief isn’t just about a failed IVF cycle or a miscarriage. It’s about the futures we already built in our imagination. The baby names we whispered. The vacations we dreamed of as a family. The family photos we pictured on holiday cards. Every negative test isn’t just a single “no.” It’s another lifetime quietly slipping away, one no one else even knew existed. That’s why it feels so heavy, because you’re mourning futures no one else will ever acknowledge. There are no condolences. No casseroles. Just silence.

• "On the Outside," Y.L. Wolfe tells it like is: "Childless Women Do Not Need Your Unsolicited Advice."  Subheading:  "Yes, we've considered all the options, and no, we don't want to talk about it with strangers."  PREACH!! 

Small excerpt: 

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. The truth is, childless women make people uncomfortable. We’re living proof that life doesn’t always go the way you want it to. Our very presence inspires people’s worst fears and thus, I suspect, they feel unconsciously desperate to comfort themselves by acting like this is a problem that could easily be fixed.

• Y.L. Wolfe's writing is always great, but (as an amateur genealogist) I especially loved this article she wrote for Medium (which may or may not be paywalled?):  "The Unexpected Branching of a Childless Woman’s Family Tree." (Subhead: "Expanding the meaning of legacy for women who didn’t get the chance to have children.")  Excerpt: 

I don’t believe for a moment that our line ends here. That our existence won’t still reach as far into the future as it does into the past.

Branches will grow out from us, whether we have children or not.

and 

It’s important to remember that legacy isn’t just about biology...  you’re passing on parts of yourself to everyone you come across, whether you are related to them or not... there are countless ways to pass down your family values, your ideals, your wisdom, mostly in a manner that cannot be quantified or measured.

In fact, you’ll likely never know the impact you have made on the people in your life and the ripple effect that will have long after you are gone, on people you’ll never meet.

Legacy is a much bigger concept than we’ve been led to believe.

• Ali Hall at "Life Without Children" ponders "Why We Need To Change the Language Used for People Without Children" (subhead: "And all the ways 'childfree' and 'childless' are used against us"). (Not sure I like her proposed alternative... the quest continues...!)  
• This wasn't the first post I read musing about language choices for those of us living without children, and I'm certain it won't be the last...!  In fact -- the third post I ever wrote for this blog -- back in November 2007! -- explored a similar question:  "Am I childLESS or childFREE?" 

• Well worth a listen:  Jody Day chats with Zoe Noble of  'We Are Childfree" (which is both a Substack and a podcast, available on many podcast platforms, such as Spotify). 

• Not ALI-related, but another thoughtful & interesting piece from Charlie Angus at "The Resistance," about the most famous political assassination in Canadian history (not that there have been a lot of them -- and thank goodness for that!). I thought some of you might find it interesting! 
• As I mentioned in this post from 2017 (about a trip to Ottawa), as a high school senior taking part in the Rotary Club's Adventure in Citizenship program, I was being driven to Parliament Hill on the first morning, and the man driving me pointed to a street corner in passing and said, "Over there is the spot where where they shot D'Arcy McGee."  I had only a hazy idea of who D'Arcy McGee was at that point, but his remark stuck with me, and I looked him up when I got home, (We passed by the plaque marking the spot on that 2017 trip -- the same one pictured in the Substack post -- and I took a photo of it. We also had dinner at D'Arcy McGee's pub, also mentioned and pictured in the post.)  
• I vividly remember the other assassination mentioned, which took place 100+ years later, in October 1970 -- the "October Crisis," in which separatist terrorists kidnapped Quebec cabinet minister Pierre Laporte and British diplomat James Cross in Montreal, and murdered Laporte. (Cross was released.) I was 9 years old at the time, and one of my school friends told us Laporte had been beheaded (!). Her father was an RCMP officer, so we figured she would know. (He wasn't; the poor man was strangled.)  

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

All in the family

Other childless people I've met tend (mostly) to fall into two camps when it comes to genealogy.  One: (like me) they tend to be the keepers of the family history (in part, perhaps, because they/we often wind up being the default caretakers of the elders in the family, spend more time with them and hear all the stories, etc.).  

Or:  they shy away from the subject. The reminders that their particular branch of the family ends here can be very painful. They don't feel like this stuff applies to them.  

Understandable!  

Not only are we reminded of our childlessness by the mere existence of a family tree, I have actually heard from some childless women that (sadly) some misguided family tree keepers make things worse by ONLY documenting the family lines that continue -- i.e., only people who have children get included. (!)  Imagine being told (as a few women have told me) that you've been left off the family tree -- your OWN FAMILY TREE!! -- because you don't have children.  OUCH, OUCH, OUCH.  As a childless  genealogist, I was horrified.  

So I've been gratified to sit in on a few genealogy webinars recently, where the speakers have advocated for a very different approach. 

Traditional genealogy has focused on finding your direct ancestors -- i.e., parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and so on, as far back as you can go. Obviously this is important -- but it's a pretty narrow focus that misses out on a lot of people, a lot of great stories, and a lot of information. 

More and more often, I'm hearing about the importance of identifying and documenting ALL the descendants you can (whether they're married with children or not). There are a number of reasons why. To name a few:  

• The more descendants you can identify and document, the more proof you will have that you're researching the right family (especially when you have a common surname).  
• You can cross-check the documented information for each child/sibling in a family to confirm and verify (and increase the likelihood of finding a critical missing piece of information, or perhaps something you hadn't known about before). 
• Finding all the documentation you can for ALL the people in your family that you can increases the likelihood of finding some great information -- not just the dry facts, but photos, letters, stories -- things that will add colour to your family story and make your ancestors come alive for you. 
• And finally (and this is my own personal point) -- it's just the right thing to do. We all need to feel included. Especially when it comes to our families.   

As I think I mentioned in the genealogy-related webinar I co-hosted last year with Michael Hughes during World Childless Week, some of the childless women in my family tree led/lead pretty interesting lives. One of my favourite blog posts that I've written, from 2014, was about a childless great-great-great aunt who saved letters and scrapbooks that have been invaluable to our family history research.  The kicker being that she was adopted into the family and was not a genetic relative at all!  

Other genealogy-related posts here. 

"Wonderful Adventures of Mrs. Seacole in Many Lands' by Mary Seacole

"Wonderful Adventures of Mrs. Seacole in Many Lands" by Mary Seacole -- the September book for my Childless Collective Nomo Book Club -- was first published in 1857. It was out of print for decades, but was rediscovered and republished in 1984. My Penguin Books edition was published in 2005, edited with an introduction by Sara Salih -- who, I was amused to read, is/was an assistant professor at the University of Toronto! My copy also contained a lot of helpful explanatory footnotes, and an appendix of contemporary news articles about Mrs. Seacole. 

Mrs. Seacole was born Mary Jane Grant in 1805 in Kingston, Jamaica, to a Scottish father and Creole mother. Her marriage was a short one, ending in her husband's death. She later went into business with one of his relatives (a certain "Mr. Day," about whom she doesn't have much to say -- and I would have loved to know more about the exact nature of their relationship...!). 

At a time when women lived rather restricted, sheltered lives, she had a zest for travel and adventure, and was trotting around the globe -- often unescorted -- back and forth from Jamaica to Panama, England and the Crimea (during the Crimean War!), running hotels/dining rooms, stores and other businesses, providing food and drinks and nursing the sick and wounded (on and off the battlefield), and even prospecting for gold. I found the Crimean War chapters particularly interesting -- I don't know a lot about that particular conflict (perhaps British readers would know more than those of us in North America?) -- but I learned, a few years back, that my great-great-grandmother's older brother served there and died in a hospital in Scutari -- perhaps the one run by the famous Florence Nightingale, described here. 

Not all of Mrs. Seacole's adventures were "wonderful," although she tends to put a positive spin on her experiences, and glosses over or omits certain parts of her story altogether.  There is illness and injury, and distressing descriptions of violence and death, including the deaths of children. Some of the conditions she lived in were pretty primitive -- the passage where she describes eating exotic animals during her time in Panama gave me pause...!  And while her business flourished as the war raged on, it collapsed into bankruptcy after the armistice was signed and the soldiers began returning home to Britain. The book appears to have been part of an effort to raise money to support her in her "old age," including a fund set up and donated to by some of the officers she had served. 

The somewhat florid and self-effacing Victorian prose may be a little challenging for some modern readers, although it's not an overly difficult read. The attitudes and language of the day -- racist, colonialist, nationalist, sexist -- are reflected both casually and overtly in Mrs. Seacole's words, attitudes, experiences and memories (particularly in the first part of the book). Be forewarned: the infamous "N word" makes a few appearances. There is some pronatalism too: although she had no children herself, she regarded the soldiers she nursed as her "sons," and many of them referred to her as "Aunty" and "Mother Seacole." Her dislike of the Americans she encounters in Panama is abundantly clear, and she dubs her Jewish Greek guide "Jew Johnny" (!) (although she also calls him "the best and faithfullest servant I had in the Crimea").  

Nevertheless, I enjoyed Mrs. Seacole's obvious zest for life and adventure, and her apparent ability to roll with the punches and deal with whatever challenges life presented her. She was quite an amazing lady, and she's regarded as a national heroine in Jamaica today. It's fascinating to learn more about these unsung/forgotten figures from the past, and I am glad this book was rediscovered for us to learn from and enjoy. 

3.5 stars on StoryGraph. I struggled with the question of whether to round that up or down on Goodreads;  I initially gave it 4 stars there but changed the rating to 3 stars after sleeping on it. ;)  An interesting and entertaining read overall, although not without its flaws. 

This was Book #24 read to date in 2025 (and Book #3 finished in August), bringing me to 53% of  my 2025 Goodreads Reading Challenge goal of 45 books. I am (for the moment, anyway...!) 4 books behind  schedule to meet my goal.  :)  You can find reviews of all my books read to date in 2025 tagged as "2025 books." 

Annoying things & small pleasures

 Annoying things:  

• Not so much "annoying," but sad: smoke from the wildfires in Saskatchewan and my home province of Manitoba (1000+ miles away) has reached us. :(   it's not as bad (so far...!) as the smoke from fires in Alberta & British Columbia was, a few years ago, but it's noticeable.  The forecast has been for sun, but the sky turned grey & slightly hazy on Monday night and has stayed that way. 
• So far, the air quality index is not too bad (the weather sites rate the risk today as "moderate). I know it's a lot worse in northern Ontario, as well as Minnesota & Iowa, etc.-- not to mention outside the fire zones in those two provinces.  Mom & Dad are nowhere near the fires but they've had to keep the windows closed (the levels there are in the "dangerous" zone).  We're keeping ours closed too, and I've got the air purifier running, although the current inside reading is not too bad either. 
• Related annoying thing:  pollen.  Dh has been sneezing like crazy, and I've had to take a couple of antihistamines in the past few days too. Eyes have been feeling gritty and irritated for both of us. 
• No water! (for just an hour this morning, but still...)  The city has been working on the sewers outside our building, and we had our water turned off for a hour this morning while they did some "backflow testing" (we were notified well in advance). We set the alarm clock and got up early to take our showers and get the laundry going before then (Wednesday has been laundry day lately). They were out there all day, and it was noisy (and smelly! -- sewer gas) -- but it was only an hour of real inconvenience, so... 
• (Speaking of noise...) The cacophony from lawnmowers, weed whackers, and (especially!) leaf blowers!! (One downside of summer weather!)  
• Shoe shopping:  I am looking for a pair of dressy sandals (preferably silver, but navy would also do) to wear with the new dress(es) I bought for a family wedding later this summer. Easy peasy, right?  Well, no. 
• The biggest hurdle and main issue:  I have very wide/thick feet that are VERY hard to fit. (It's a common feature on my dad's side of the family, and it is f***ing annoying.)  I can't even slide (cram?) my foot into many shoes that are specifically designated "wide width."  
• I want something that's flat or low-heeled (not kitten heels or stilettos).  I actually HAVE a couple of pairs of dressy silver sandals that I bought and wore the nephews' weddings (gulp -- 7 and 9 years ago now!) -- but they both have heels that are slightly higher than I am comfortable with these days. Given the tumbles I've taken recently (in low/flat heeled shoes!), I do NOT want to tempt fate and embarrass myself in front of a couple hundred wedding guests! 
• Also, they are not especially comfortable -- but it seems that finding dressy silver or navy sandals with low heels that actually fit my feet AND are decently comfortable would be the equivalent of winning the Powerball lottery...!  I will wear them if absolutely nothing else turns up (and jus be very careful...!).  The good thing is I still have two months to look!  
• I received an email notice on May 22nd that Pocket is "saying goodbye" -- i.e., shutting down. (I should have known when they were bought out by Mozilla in 2017 -- a buyout never seems to bode well..)  Mali recommended it to me years ago and I've been using it ever since then to save/bookmark articles I've been reading.  (It's also been very handy to get around some -- not all, but some -- paywalled material.)  
• Apparently we can export our saved items.  But to where?? (Any suggestions/recommendations?) 
• Not seeing Little Great Nephew #1 since Easter (and his brother only once briefly, almost a month ago now).  :(  
• The flood of "last day of school," prom and graduation photos began a few weeks ago and will continue through to the end of June. Sigh... (I do enjoy seeing them -- to a point! -- but after a while, it gets to be a little too much...)  
• The cost of flying within Canada. (I just booked our tickets to visit my family in July. OUCH.) 

 Small pleasures: 

• (On the flip side of the above point...!)  Having a trip "home" to look forward to...! 
• Finding matching "Cousin Crew" T-shirts in all the right sizes for all three LGNs!  ;)  
• A free month's trial of Ancestry DNA's ProTools. I've been particularly interested in (and taking advantage of) its "enhanced shared matches" feature, which lets you see how your shared matches are related to each other. Most of us are distant cousins to each other, of course, but I've been able to clarify a few relationships in some cases, which has been a big help.  :)  
• I actually missed the deadline to cancel before I was charged so I guess I'm paying for a month (erk! -- annoying thing).  I'm not sure I'll subscribe long term -- I already have a regular Ancestry subscription (which is not cheap), and this is an add-on to that -- but I can definitely see periodically subscribing, doing a spurt of research and then unsubbing, like some people do with streaming services. 
• The wit & wisdom of Kermit the Frog, needed now more than ever...!  (Lucky graduates!) 
• One of my classmates actually sang "The Rainbow Connection" at our high school graduation ceremony. (This was 1979, not long after the original Muppet Movie was released.)    

Odds & ends for the weekend

• I had kind of forgotten that Liza Minnelli is "one of us."  Then I got watching a documentary about her this week, from "American Masters" on PBS -- "Liza:  A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story" -- and they included a whole segment about how much she had wanted to have children, her multiple miscarriages, and how much she doted on her friends' children (and, later, grandchildren).There was a lot about her life that I'd forgotten (or never knew). She's a legend for a reason. Worth a watch, if you can find it! 
• Princess Beatrice of England recently wrote for Vogue UK about the premature birth of her daughter Athena in January. 
• In The Atlantic, Ashley Parker ponders "Miscarriage and Motherhood: What having a baby taught me about the illusion of control."  (Gift link.) 
• Like I needed one more book to add to my "to-read" list....!  Nevertheless, I was intrigued by this (mostly glowing) New York Times review of "Firstborn," a pregnancy loss memoir by Lauren Christensen. (NYT gift link.)  
• Lisa Kissane grapples with the eternal question of labels: "Am I Childless, Childfree or a Proxy-Parent? And why does it even matter?" 
• In her Substack "Mad Woman," Amanda Montei ponders the "is motherhood good or bad" debate -- and a recent iteration, featuring the singer Chappell Roan. 
• The whole piece is worth a read -- but I especially appreciate that it includes a reference to women without children -- and the acknowledgement that ours is a perspective that often goes unheard:

The latest Chappell Roan pile-on highlights one aspect of this conversation that is frequently unheard: discussions about maternal representation tend to dismiss, moralize, erase, even pathologize the experiences of women without kids, and even more the experiences of queer women without kids.

...women without children are also frequently blamed for other women’s attitudes toward and experiences of motherhood, and for everything from a failing economy, progressive politics, toxic internet culture, and sociopathy (which, to be clear, occurs at a rate of 3:1 men to women). Such claims are echoed, too, in neoliberal writings, usually by white women with certain economic privileges, who claim motherhood is inherently transformative and transcendent, and that images of liberated women without kids are somehow damaging the motherhood scene.

Care, to be clear, is transformative. And in our lonely, isolated cultural moment, we need more of it. But one need not be a mother to care for other people, or even for children.

• Also on the subject of the Chappell Roan kerfuffle:  Lane Anderson from "Matriarchy Report" asks her readers, "Can we talk about how to create solidarity among women, beyond the hot takes?" 
• What I love about this post is that Anderson actually realizes the motherhood debate is not a binary (i.e., it's the best thing/worst thing). (AND she invites readers without kids to share their perspective in the comments! -- which I did!):  

...But there’s also a third story at play here that’s worth considering:

Another story of American Motherhood/Non Motherhood is the single/child-free woman who is a Childless Cat Lady, is selfish, self-centered, doesn’t get it, and is wasting her life and potential. This is embodied in this case by Chappell Roan herself.

This might be an unpopular opinion, but I actually do think it’s worth listening to what young women who don’t have children have to say about their perceptions of American Motherhood and the discourse thereof. 

• The matter of "what should I do with/will happen to my stuff when I'm gone?" weights heavily on many childless people. For me, as a genealogist, the question of what to do with all the stuff I've accumulated over years related to my family history is a particular concern. Even if none of my cousins or their kids find this stuff interesting (right now, anyway...!), it's quite possible one of THEIR kids or grandkids might. And why reinvent the wheel, right?  So much of what I've been able to build today began with a few documents carefully preserved by my grandparents & their siblings, and the stories they told me.  
• So I was pleased to read in a recent update email from the Ontario Genealogical Society (I'm a longtime member) that they are planning a new "legacy service" which would allow members to donate or bequeath their genealogical research to be digitized (for a fee) in order to preserve it and to share it with others. 
• I was thinking that if no one in my family was interested, I would donate my collection to the museum in the Minnesota county where my mother grew up (if they're interested -- and assuming the border is still open by then... (!) ). They already do a lot of family history stuff, and already have some items related to my family. 
• But it's nice to have another option to consider too.  
• Lisa Sibbett at "The Auntie Bulletin" asks a common question in the childless/free community:  "Who Will Care for You in Your Old Age, If Not Your Kids?" Jody Day's "alterkin" project is highlighted!  
• Jill Filipovic highlights a new study from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine that shows the number of women dying after being denied life-saving and health-preserving abortions, post-Roe v Wade being overturned, is likely far higher than thought. Excerpt: 

Before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and allowed Republican legislators to ban abortion in most of the states they control, the public narrative around abortion bans was simple: Make abortion illegal, and you get dangerous illegal abortions. And that remains true. But what much of the public didn’t seem to understand is that if you make abortion illegal, you get more dangerous pregnancies. 

• From the Washington Post: "Is listening to a book cheating?" (Let the arguments begin!  lol)  
• My personal viewpoint:  I wouldn't call it "cheating" -- but I find it hard to think of it as actually reading. Nothing against people who enjoy audiobooks (anything that gets people reading/enjoying books is a good thing!). Personally, I feel like I need to actually read a book to really absorb it.  
• (It's the same with podcasts: I enjoy podcasts, but I find I really have to focus my attention on what's being said -- no or minimal multi-tasking -- or else my mind will wander and then half an hour's gone by and I have no idea what I just heard!) 
• On a related note -- my L.M. Montgomery Readathon Facebook group reads & discusses LMM's books, chapter by chapter -- and each chapter is read on video by a volunteer group member. (I've done several chapter readings myself.)  I do enjoy listening to these -- and reading along with them at the same time. 
• Also in The Atlantic:  Daniel Engber writes about "The Evermaskers" -- people who remain covid-cautious, five years after the pandemic began. (Gift link.) 
• (I would describe myself as covid cautious -- I am certainly far more cognizant of the risks and (still) take more precautions than almost everyone I know, although I am not QUITE as vigilant as some of the people in the article, and have been venturing into more places recently without a mask -- so long as there aren't too many other people around.)  

2024 Year in Review

Last year (2023), I tried a new "Year in Review" format. It was shorter and easier to write than what I had done in previous years, and felt fresher -- so I decided to keep it for 2024.  :)  The format/list of questions came from the long-gone scrapbooking magazine Creating Keepsakes, January/February 2013 issue (!). 

*** *** *** 

1) What was the coolest thing you did or that happened to you last year?

Getting to meet and have dinner with Mel and her family in August. :)  

Having a patio lunch with five other childless/free women from the Childless Collective on a lovely Saturday in mid-September. :)  

Appeared in a World Childless Week webinar with Michael Hughes, chatting about our mutual love of genealogy and why we as childless people might find their family trees interesting. (You can view it here!) 

Read  "War & Peace"!  :)  One chapter a day for an entire year! (Check out the link for details -- you can do it this year too!)  

Connecting with a new friend via Ancestry -- not a relative of mine, BUT we share a family connection and distant cousins through marriage. We were born in the same town, a few years apart, my parents knew her parents, she knows several of my aunts, uncles & cousins -- AND she now lives in the same town where my parents live!  We met for coffee a few days ago & had a lovely chat about genealogy and people we both knew. (The world is much smaller than we think sometimes...!) (Bonus:  she's childless too!)  

2)  What major milestone(s) did you or a loved one experience last year?

My dad celebrated his 85th birthday in July -- and we got to be there to help celebrate!  :)  (See #3, below.) 

My sister got a new job (one with a significant pay hike) -- just before her 62nd birthday!!  Go, Sis!! 

Little Great-Niece celebrated her first birthday with a big party last spring.  :) 

AND -- we got a brand-new great-nephew just before Christmas!  A little brother for Little Great-Nephew (hmm, I'm going to have to rethink those pseudonyms, lol -- LGN #1 & #2?  Older & Younger??).

3)  What was your favourite celebration last year?

My dad's 85th birthday party. We just had a few neighbours in my parents' back yard for cake & coffee, and it was horribly hot, but (after not being able to spend time there or be present for any of his birthdays for the previous five summers) I was just so happy to be there!  (Also: thankful to celebrate another year with him, when so many of my friends have already/recently lost their parents...) 

Also: 

• Little Great-Niece's first birthday party (in early March) was fun. :)  I got some cute photos, especially of her and Little Great-Nephew sitting on the sofa together! (One of them has been my cellphone wallpaper since then!)  
• We had a "sprinkle" on Nov. 9th to celebrate the impending arrival of Little Great-Nephew #2/Great-Nibling #3 (who was born just before Christmas -- see #1). Great food, good company, fun spending time with Little Great-Nephew #1 (his older brother) & LGNiece. :) 

4)  What was your most memorable holiday of last year, and what made it special?

Christmas with my family is always memorable. I am well aware that my time with my parents is not unlimited, and so I appreciate the opportunity to spend time with them while I can -- especially for holidays like Christmas!  (Even when they drive me nuts sometimes...! lol)  (We're still here, and they've been bickering a little less than they were this summer, which has been nice...!  lol) 

Easter and (Canadian) Thanksgiving with BIL, SIL, the nephews and their families, were very special too. It's always fun just to be together, eat good food and see the kids. 

5)  What family vacation or activity was the most memorable, and why?

Being back "home" to visit my parents (and help celebrate my dad's 85th birthday) in July was memorable, particularly because I hadn't been there in the summertime since 2019!  

Our annual cottage weekend in September with BIL, SIL and dh's cousin & his wife was fun (as usual), even if with weather didn't co-operate. 

Here's to (hopefully!) travelling further afield in 2025...!! 

6)  What big goal did you or a loved one achieve or work toward last year?

We had new vertical blinds installed on all of our windows this spring!  (I know -- not really a BIG goal, but something we've been talking about doing almost since we first moved into our condo -- and we finally got it done!)  

7)  What's something that changed in your life last year?  (something new, a loss, etc.)

Both dh & I were told in late October by our family doctor that our cholesterol levels had reached concerning levels. (I'd been warned last year that my numbers have been trending upward over the past few years --but dh's ratio was actually higher than mine!)  We've been trying to eat better and get a little more active since then (although our exercise efforts have been derailed lately by colds, etc.). We'll redo our bloodwork in January to see if there's been any movement in the right direction... fingers crossed and knocking wood! Neither of us wants to add yet another prescription to our daily meds. (I'm already taking prescriptions to address my sluggish thyroid and high blood pressure.) 

8)  What was your favourite movie, book, album or song from last year, and why?

Haven't been to the movies (in theatre) since before the pandemic  :(  and I don't follow music the way that I used to either. I will be posting my 2024 Reading Year in Review shortly, and as I say there, it's hard to pick one favourite book -- but I've listed a few! 

9)  What world, national or local event or news story affected you most?

World:  The U.S. election. (Yes, I'm Canadian. It still affects us, big time.)  'Nuff said.  :p  

National: There will be a federal election in 2025 -- which the Conservatives are heavily favoured to win. I'll admit the current Liberal government has been disappointing in many ways -- but I am not (at ALL!!) convinced the Conservatives (whose current slant is MAGA Lite and whose leader I absolutely loathe) will do any better.    

Local:  I'm (still) furious about our provincial government's decision to close (and eventually move)  the landmark Ontario Science Centre (where dh spent hours & hours as a kid), then raze the original building (!)(no doubt to build more condos on the prime real estate) -- and the related push to redevelop the prime parkland/public space of Ontario Place, including a new/downsized version of the Science Centre and add a luxury spa with a massive underground parking garage (!). Dozens (hundreds?) of trees, carefully chosen & planted by the original site developers more than 50 years ago, have already been cut down. In general, the indiscriminate destruction of designated greenbelt lands, heritage buildings and well-established neighbourhoods in the pursuit of growth (and development dollars) has been a disturbing feature of the past several years.   

10)  What life lesson did you or a family member learn and take to heart last year?

Same as I wrote last year:  Life is short, and tomorrow is not promised. I am more aware of this with each passing year...! 

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.)

October was a pretty good month overall (as I noted in a recent post!).  The weather was decent, more days than not (we actually had the balcony door wide open both yesterday & the day before!);  the fall colours took their time to pop out, but they were worth the wait;  we got to see the nephews & great-niblings a couple of times;  we had a nice Thanksgiving with family. Lots to enjoy!   

Pandemic diary/update:  October was month #55 since the covid pandemic began in March 2020, now in Year FIVE. :(   Anticipating an upswing in new cases (as well as flu and colds), the four downtown Toronto hospitals that comprise the University Health Network have reinstated masking requirements for all staff, patients and visitors, other than in food courts, lobbies and other common areas. 

We (still!) remain covid-free (knocking wood, loudly...), and we continue to mask in stores, malls and (most) other indoor public spaces hereabouts, especially if/when 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...!) 

We both got our latest covid boosters on Oct. 20th. (I think this was #9? -- to date, we've had every one we've been offered.)  Dh also got his annual flu shot the same day. I was told I'd have to wait until Nov. 3rd -- the first shots were reserved for those 65+ (! -- I guess there are some advantages to getting older??) -- but fortunately, our family doctor was able to give me one when we went to see him a few days later for our annual physicals, sparing us a third trip!  

Among other things we did this month, we: 

• (I) Spent four Thursday evenings taking part in a Zoom webinar series sponsored by the Ontario Genealogical Society (also known as Ontario Ancestors), exploring various aspects of writing about your family history.   
• Spent a morning at the mall (Oct. 1st), walking, shopping and having lunch. Bought a few things for the great-niblings :)  as well as for myself (see "Buying," below!).    
• Returned to the mall for more of the same, Oct. 22nd...  :) 
• ...and again on Oct. 30th, except this time, we had lunch later at home.  :)  
• Dh had a guys' dinner out at a nearby Italian restaurant with his brother and two of their cousins on Oct. 3rd -- and brought me home a large (and very boozy) takeout slice of tiramisu. :)  (I think I'll keep him. ;)  (It was a huge portion, and I shared it with him!) 
• Spent the afternoon/early evening of Saturday, Oct. 5th, at BIL's. Older Nephew & his wife were at her friend's wedding (she was a bridesmaid), and so Little Great-Nephew was staying with his grandparents for the day. We took him to the nearby park for a while (which I don't think we've had the chance to do so far this year!). Later in the afternoon, Younger Nephew, his wife and Little Great-Niece came, and we all stayed for dinner (BBQ hamburgers & hot dogs).   It was a perfect fall day -- clear, sunny, not too hot, not too cold, just a touch of autumn crispness in the air. A good time was had by all.  :)  
• Walked over to the nearby local lab on Oct. 9th, where we had blood drawn for bloodwork, in advance of our annual physicals.  
• Browsed at the recently renovated mega-bookstore and then shopped for Halloween treats for the great-niblings at the drugstore (Oct. 10th). 
• Returned to the bookstore for a browse on Oct. 24th. Still getting used to the new layout!  
• Celebrated (Canadian) Thanksgiving on Sunday, Oct. 13th, with BIL, SIL, the nephews and their families (including Older Nephew's dog). They ordered dinner from a caterer (it was good!) and stuffed ourselves and generally had a good time.  :)  
• Headed back to our old community for covid & flu shots at our family doctor's office on Sunday, Oct. 20th (see "Pandemic diary/update," above). 
• Back again on Wednesday, Oct. 23rd for our annual physicals. Discussed our bloodwork results -- which showed elevated levels of cholesterol for both me & dh (erk).  He doesn't want to put us on meds just yet -- so we're going to repeat the bloodwork in January and try to watch our diet, lose some weight, and get more active again in the meantime. (Sigh.) 
• Went with dh to a local supermarket on Oct. 24th to buy a grocery gift card for Older Nephew & his wife, to help them out while she's off work and on unemployment benefits, waiting for the baby to arrive. (We did the same thing when Older Nephew was off work for several months last year, after donating part of his liver to save his dad's life in a transplant operation.)  
• Delivered the gift card when we drove with BIL & SIL up to Older Nephew's on Oct. 27th.  He was home with Little Great-Nephew;  his wife/LGN's mom was at a shower. A nice visit. :)  
• Went grocery shopping with dh on Oct. 28th.
• Visited the nearby art gallery where I have a membership with dh... and a gazillion schoolkids, lol. We'd decided masks weren't necessary, based on the mostly empty parking lot -- so that was a surprise!  (I guess the school buses dropped the kids off and then left!  lol) It was a gloomy, rainy day, so we couldn't walk around the property and enjoy the dwindling fall colours, as we'd hoped.  Nevertheless, we enjoyed touring the galleries (as usual -- I think our last visit was in January for my birthday, so there were lots of new exhibits to look at!) and then lunch in the cafe.  
• Celebrated my 17th (!!) blogoversary!! (Oct. 31st) 

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

Also right now:  

Reading: I finished 4 books in October (reviewed on this blog, as well as Goodreads & StoryGraph, & tagged "2024 books").  

• "Eat Pray Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert (October book for my Childless Collective Nomo Book Club) (also a Barren Bitches Book Tour selection from October 2008, the early days of this blog! -- discussed here;  related post here). (My review.)
• Miss Buncle’s Book by D.E. Stevenson, in advance of my DES fan group's read, which began on Oct. 7th -- noted below under "Current reads." (We'll finish in mid-December, and I'll count this as a re-read then!)(Original 2015 review here;  most recent review here.) 
• "Persuasion" by Jane Austen (the November pick for my Childless Collective Nomo Book Club). (My review.) 
• "The Marlow Murder Club" by Robert Thorogood. (My review.)(See also "Watching," below!) 

This brings me to 31 books read so far in 2024, 69% of my 2024 Goodreads Reading Challenge goal of 45 books.  I am currently 6 (!) books behind schedule to meet my goal. :(   

Current reads: 

• "Miss Buncle’s Book" by D.E. Stevenson, for my DES fan group. We began reading this together on Oct. 7th, and will finish in mid-December. I'll count this as a re-read then. (Original 2015 review here;  most recent review here.) 
• "Living the Life Unexpected" by Jody Day.  I'm once again taking part in a chapter-by-chapter group read of this CNBC classic!  The most recent meeting covered Chapter 3.  This is the 5th (!) time I've read this book, or the earlier version of it ("Rocking the Life Unexpected").  (Most recent review, with links to earlier reviews, here.)  
• "The Mirror and the Light" by Hilary Mantel (book #3 in the Thomas Cromwell Trilogy) -- part of a year-long "slow readalong" hosted by Simon at Footnotes and Tangents.  We started during the week of July 21st.  I chose to focus on some of my other books over the past couple of weeks, and as a result, I'm currently about 9 weeks behind the reading schedule (! -- gulp...), at about 34% read -- hoping to catch up, eventually...! We will finish the group read at the end of December. 
• Simon will be repeating the Cromwell Trilogy slow readalong in 2025 for paying subscribers. I highly recommend the experience!  Details here!  
• FYI -- participants have dubbed this one "Wolf Crawl,"  lol.  :)   
• "War and Peace" by Leo Tolstoy (!). As I wrote here, I need another book club/readalong obligation like a hole in the head  ;)  but nevertheless, I'm taking part in a year-long readalong of this book, hosted by Simon at Footnotes and Tangents -- a chapter a day for a full year, which began Jan. 1, 2024. (And I'm really enjoying it!)  Currently at about 86% read.  
• If you've always thought about reading W&P, Simon will be repeating the readalong in 2025 for paying subscribers -- and I highly recommend the experience! Details here!  
• "L.M. Montgomery and Gender," an essay collection edited by E. Holly Pike & Laura Robinson. Slowly working my way through, in between the other books...! 

Coming up: Most of my book groups have their next reads plotted out for a few months in advance -- and listing them here helps me keep track of what I should be reading next. ;)  

• My L.M. Montgomery Readathon Facebook group will be reading assorted short stories by the author over the next few months, before beginning a new book in January (to be announced). (I love LMM, and her books are usually fast, easy reads -- but I have to admit, it's nice to have a bit of a break to catch up on other reading!) 
• For my Childless Collective Nomo Book Club: 
• "The Christmas Orphans Club" by Becca Freeman (read earlier this year and reviewed here). (December) 
• "The Windsor Knot" by S.J. Bennett (read in 2021 & reviewed here). (January).  
• "Yellowface" by R.F. Kuang (February). 
• For my D.E. Stevenson group:  This list of upcoming books should keep us busy through 2025 or even into early 2026!  (A couple of the books are ones we covered shortly after I first joined the group back in 2014 -- you know you've been around for a while when....!)  
• Peter West (likely start January 2025) 
• Miss Buncle Married (original 2015 review here).
• The Two Mrs. Abbotts (original 2015 review here).
• Crooked Adam 
• The Four Graces (original 2015 review here). 

• For the Notes from Three Pines (Louise Penny mysteries) Substack 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: 
• "We Solve Murders" by Richard Osman. (Because, obviously...) 
• "What Time the Sexton's Spade Doth Rust" by Alan Bradley (Flavia de Luce #11).  

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

• "Demon Copperhead" by Barbara Kingsolver. 
• "The Friday Afternoon Club" by Griffin Dunne 
• "Sandwich" by Catherine Newman 
• "Rift" by Cait West 
• "The Prince" by Stephen Maher 
• "Network of Lies" by Brian Stelter
• "Apprentice in Wonderland" by Ramin Setoodeh 
• "Connie" by Connie Chung 

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

Watching:  

• "Moonflower Murders" on PBS, the adaptation of the Anthony Horowitz novel, which I finished reading just as the series started.  I enjoyed both book & TV versions hugely.  :) 
• "The Marlow Murder Club" on PBS, adapted in four parts from the Robert Thorogood novel, which I started reading before the first episode, and finished just after it aired (see "Reading," above). 
• I thought "What a pretty little town, I wonder where it was filmed?"  Believe it or not, there is actually a town in England called Marlow, and the TV series was filmed there! 
• "Wolf Hall" on PBS, based on the books "Wolf Hall" and "Bring Up the Bodies" by Hilary Mantel, both of which I read earlier this year (click on links for my reviews). An adaptation of "The Mirror and the Light," the final book in the Cromwell Trilogy (which I'm reading right now -- see "Reading," above) will begin airing in March 2025. 
• Too much American/election news (CNN).  :p  :(    

Listening:  We listen a lot to the Stingray classic rock and 1970s channels (part of our TV package)... I've recently been listening to the 80s channel as well, for some variety. (Maybe it will help boost my scores for my Heardle 80s game, lol -- see below!).  

Playing:  

• Heardle Decades: Stats as of Sept. 30th: 
• Heardle 60s: 76.6% (573/748, 227 on first guess), up 0.1% from last month. Max. streak was 15.
• Heardle 70s: 79.1% (385/487, 214 on first guess), down 0.6% from last month. Max. streak: 18. 
• Heardle 80s: 40.9% (147/359, 56 on first guess), down 0.2% from last month. Max. streak: 4. 
• Heardle 90s: 26.6% (123/463, 25 on first guess), up 0.2% from last month. Max. streak: 4. 
• NYT Connections: 
• At the end of September, I'd completed 64 games and won 77% of them, including 33 "perfect puzzles" with zero errors (i.e., more than 50%!) and a maximum winning streak of 13 (and counting...!).  :)   
• By Oct. 31st, I'd completed 95 games and won 78% of them, including 46 "perfect puzzles" and a maximum winning streak of 15. :)   

Following:  

Eating/Drinking:  

• Takeout: The usual soup & pizza slices from the supermarket, once a week or so;  wood oven pizza, California Sandwiches (veal for dh, chicken for me) and Swiss Chalet rotisserie chicken (with a baked potato). 
• For (Canadian) Thanksgiving dinner:  BIL & SIL ordered from the catering department of a local supermarket, and it was very good!  The package (for up to 10 people) included two turnkey breast rolls, mashed potatos, mixed root veggies, a Caesar salad, buns, gravy, cranberry sauce and about two dozen? mini-cannolis.  :)  SIL added stuffing (from a mix), sauteed rapini and a green salad, and the nephews bought some pies (apple, pumpkin & pecan). We all took home leftovers. :) 
• Had lunch with dh at the cafe at the art gallery where I have a membership (which includes a 10% discount on food there), on Oct. 29th.  It's a very limited (and pricey) menu, and I opted for a Caesar salad, which I'd had when I was there for lunch with some former coworkers a couple of years ago (pre-pandemic).  (With my tomato allergy, a Caesar salad is a "safe" choice for me.)  
• It was all right -- but nothing spectacular, and certainly not worth the $18 (Canadian) it cost!!  and it was NOT the same salad I remembered either. Then I remembered that they changed food service providers recently. Oh well.  Next time, we'll probably just have coffee/tea & pastries...! 
• More beans and lentils, more fresh fruits & veggies, fewer cookies, since getting my cholesterol readings...!  I'm not cutting out sweets entirely, but definitely cutting down/back!  

Buying (besides books, lol):  

• New clothes for Little Great-Nephew & Little Great-Niece, including both Halloween and Christmas-themed PJs!  (Presents for Halloween, Christmas, LGNephew's upcoming birthday, and "just because.")
• A couple of Henley lightweight sweatshirts (or should that be heavy T-shirts??) from Old Navy for dh.  
• Some new long-sleeved ribbed Henley T-shirts from Gap Factory Outlet, for myself. 
• A couple of soft, cuddly, baggy Henley sweaters at American Eagle. (They call them "plush T-shirts"! -- why not call them what they are -- sweaters?!)  
• Candy cane flavoured lip balm by La Neige from Sephora. (I have tons of lip balm, but I like peppermint, and I couldn't resist scooping up a seasonal special...!) 
• Plane tickets to visit my family at Christmastime.  :)  (At almost double the price we paid to go there in the summertime...! :p  )(That WAS a good deal! -- still...!)  

Wearing:  Got a few more wears out of my capri jeans/yoga pants and bare feet (inside) or sandals (outside), early in the month -- but soon had to put on my long yoga pants/jeans, socks & shoes, longer-sleeved T-shirts, and a jacket (outside), as the weather got colder. (Sigh.)  

Enjoying:  The fall colours!  It felt like they were a little late this year, but once they started popping out, they were pretty spectacular!  

Appreciating:  Our family doctor -- (a) that we have one (when they are so hard to come by right now...!) and (b) he's really great!  :)  (Even when he's delivering a lecture about cholesterol, lol.)

Trying: To make better food choices and be a little more active = lose some weight and lower that cholesterol!  (I'm already taking prescriptions for high blood pressure and a sluggish thyroid -- I do NOT want to add another one!)  

Wondering:  Have I lost any weight yet? It's been a whole week-plus! (lol)  

(ETA:  I weighed myself this morning and I AM down slightly from the last time I stepped on the scale! Yay!)  

Noticing:  Christmas commercials on TV -- ALREADY!  A full week (or more) before Halloween!! Yikes!! 

Prioritizing: Catching up on "The Mirror and the Light" by Hilary Mantel (for my "Wolf Crawl" slow readalong), versus starting another book right now (tempting as that idea is...!). I am WAY behind (see "Reading," above) -- but, at the moment, I'm pretty much caught up on all my other book club obligations, or managing to keep pace with the other chapter-by-chapter reads, which gives me a little more flexibility in what I can read.   

Wanting: A magic wand to make all the items on my to-do list miraculously resolve themselves...! 

Hoping:  That Little Great-Nephew had fun trick-or-treating last night.  :)  (I'm sure he did! -- but I'm betting his parents had just as much fun as he did or more!  lol  They love Halloween!)  He went as Optimus Prime and had an awesome costume.  

(Little Great-Niece did not go out trick or treating this year -- she's still pretty little -- but her parents did dress up her up as a pumpkin and sent us photos!)

 

Missing:  Seeing all the little ghosts and goblins on my doorstep (one of the few things I miss about living in a house!). 

Anticipating:  That it's going to be Christmas before we know it...!  

 

Loving:  Spending time with the nephews and the great-niblings this month.  :)  

Feeling:  A little sad that October is over -- it's been a pretty good month (and November has never been a favourite of mine -- even in non-U.S. election years!  lol).  Increasingly nervous about upcoming events -- i.e., the U.S. election, and how things will play out, not only there but here in Canada and around the world.  I think I can safely predict that (a) it's going to be VERY close, and (b) either way, the next few weeks & months (at least!) are NOT going to be pretty.  :(