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.)

June finally started feeling like summer!  We had a few hot/humid spells, especially earlier in the month, and at the very end, and a few days with some strong winds, but for the most part, it's been just pleasantly warm.  

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

• Grocery shopping expeditions to the supermarket (June 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd & 29th). 
• Rode the subway downtown (something we don't do too often these days!) to the Art Gallery of Ontario to see the Paul McCartney photography exhibit ("Eyes of the Storm"), which was closing on June 7th. Well worth the trip! I think I had a smile on my face the entire time we were there.  :)  
• Spent a few hours with SIL & LGNephew #2 (June 3rd, 10th & 24th) -- as we did in the past with LGNephew #1 and LGNiece. His mom's mat leave ended and she returned to work on June 1st.  
• He was joined by his big brother (LGNephew #1) when we went there on June 29th. (LGNephew #1 will be there for the rest of the summer, now that school is out until September!) and we enjoyed seeing them both and taking them to the nearby park for a little while. :)  
• (LGNiece recently started attending a daycare/preschool program, where she's thriving, but she may join them occasionally!) 
• Spent the morning at the mall, walking and shopping (June 9th -- first time back in a while! -- June 16th. 23rd & 30th). 
• Bookstore browse (June 12th & 19th), followed by the first gelatos of the season! (June 12th), and a quick stop at the supermarket (June 19th). 
• Had the plumber in (again!) to unclog the kitchen sink & bathroom sink drains (again!), and (finally!) fix the master bathroom shower so that it runs warmer than just mildly lukewarm. (Last referenced in this post -- the boiler issues, diagnosed in January, while we were still in Manitoba, took more than two months to fix!!) (June 18th) 
• Stopped by the drugstore to pick up a prescription, buy some stamps and mail a few cards/letters at the post office counter there, and then went to the supermarket to pick up some takeout rice bowls for dinner. (June 18th) 

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Also right now:  

Reading: I finished 4 books in June (all reviewed on this blog, as well as Goodreads & StoryGraph, & tagged "2026 books").  Year to date, I've read 14 books,  reached 35% of my Goodreads Challenge goal, and am currently 5 books behind schedule to achieve it by year end.  

Midyear reading challenge checkup coming shortly....!  

• "Evvie Drake Starts Over" by Linda Holmes. (3 stars;  my review.) 
• "The Hacienda" by Isabel Canas (the July book for my Childless Collective Nomo Book Club). (3 stars;  my review.) 
• "The Mitford Affair" by Marie Benedict. (4 stars;  my review.) 
• "In Memoriam" by Alice Winn (the August book for my Childless Collective Nomo Book Club).  (I previously read and reviewed this one, here;  4-5-5 stars. My most recent review retains those ratings.)  

Current reads: 

• "London Falling" by Patrick Radden Keefe. Finished this morning;  review to come!  
• "Still Glides the Stream" by D.E. Stevenson, with my DES group. We started reading & discussing this book on June 22nd at the suggestion of a group member (who also offered to organize the discussion), and will finish in mid-August It's a book we last covered in 2021 (my reviews here & here). Currently 18% completed. 
• I usually read the book all the way through myself first, and then follow along with our chapter-by-chapter discussion ( = two full reads) -- but since I still remembered this one fairly well, and had other books to read, I decided I'd just follow along with the group this time around. 
• There are still a few other DES books I have not yet read, or read since I was a teenager, and I would have preferred to read one of those for the group instead of a re-read (and a fairly recent one at that) -- but I don't have the time or bandwidth right now to suggest and organize one of those myself, so...!  
• "The Forsyte Saga" by John Galsworthy. After mulling it over (see this post!), I accepted a commenter's suggestion to do a readalong together!  Currently 60% completed. 
• "Childless: A Woman and a Girl in a Man's World" by Fabiana Formica.  This one is beautifully written, but slow going, and I was reading it (or trying to...!) at Mom & Dad's last summer (2025), where there were a lot of distractions. I've put it aside for the moment to focus on other reading priorities, but I've completed 33% to date.
• "L.M. Montgomery and Gender," an essay collection edited by E. Holly Pike & Laura Robinson. Slowly working my way through, in between the other books...! 

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

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

• "Treacle Walker" by Alan Garner.  (Starts this Friday, July 3rd;  running for three weeks through July 24th. Not sure I'm doing this one...) 
• "The Children’s Book" by A.S. Byatt (September–December) (Planning to take part in this one, as I've never read Byatt and this one sounds interesting.)    

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

• "A Flower Travelled in My Blood" by Haley Cohen Gilliland 
• "The Infamous Gilberts" by Angela Tomaski 
• "Murder Bimbo" by Rebecca Novack
• "Ringo: A Fab Life" by Tom Doyle 
• "Joyful, Anyway" by Kate Bowler 
• "My Friends" by Fredrik Backman 
• "What She Said" by Elizabeth Renzetti 
• "Dispatches From Grief" by Danielle Crittenden 
• "Brassy Bit of Aging Crumpet" by Mary Walsh 
• "The Uncool" by Cameron Crowe 
• "Kids, Wait Till You Hear This!" by Liza Minnelli

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Watching: 

• World Cup games. We're not as into it as some people are (and dh is more interested than I am) -- and the fact that Italy is not in the tournament is a huge disappointment locally (it would have been bonkers in this particular suburb if they had...!)  -- but it's still been fun watching some of the games and the local coverage -- particularly since Toronto is one of the host cities!  AND Canada has been doing so well so far...!  
• Last Saturday morning, I tuned into a Zoom session from the LM. Montgomery Institute's biennial (every two years) conference in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island -- the keynote address, given by Megan Follows, familiar to many as THE definitive "Anne of Green Gables" n the 1980s mini-series. She and her daughter are doing a documentary about the character of Anne and why she remains so beloved to so many around the world, more than a century after her creation.  Hearing Megan talk about her experiences was a delight, and I will look forward to seeing the documentary someday!  
• I've forgotten to mention this one before, but we've gotten hooked lately on "The Great British Bake-Off," which CBC has been showing (in reruns) from 5 to 6 PM on weekday afternoons. (All the seasons are available to stream on CBC Gem.) We recently saw (I think?) season 15 (from 2024?), and a really fun Christmastime episode featuring British soap opera stars from "Emmerdale," East Enders" and (my Mom's longtime favourite when I was growing up) "Coronation Street." (I  just checked, and it is still on CBC every night (!), as well as on CBC Gem!)  
• None of the GBBO  hosts/judges were familiar to me -- and the accents can occasionally be a little indecipherable ;)  -- but we've been enjoying it hugely.  :)  
• (My guess was that Noel Fielding is an aging rock star from the 1970s -- he certainly looks the part, lol.  Close -- he's an actor!)  
• They also show the Canadian version from time to time in the same time slot, and sometimes one of Jamie Oliver's cooking shows as well.  

Playing:  

• Heardle Decades: (as of June 30th):  
• Heardle 60s: 74.2% (950/1281, 385 on first guess), up 0.1%. since May 31st. Max streak: 21. 
• Heardle 70s: 75.0% (770/1027, 433 on first guess), up 0.3% from May 31st. Max streak: 18. 
• Heardle 80s:  41.3% (363/878, 141 on first guess), down 0.1% from May 31st. Max. streak: 6 (up from 5 in May).
• Heardle 90s: 32.9% (322/979, 83 on first guess), down 0.2% from May 31st. Max. streak: 9. 
• NYT Connections: 
• By May 31st, I had completed 654 games, won 89% of them (unchanged since Dec. 31st), including 352 "perfect puzzles" with zero errors, and 20 where I got the most difficult/purple category first (an increase of 2 since Dec. 31st). Maximum winning streak:  45 (unchanged since June 30th, 2025).  Current streak:4.  
• As of June 30th, I'd played 684 games and won 90% of them (a gain of 1%! since Dec. 31st), including 370 "perfect puzzles" with zero errors, and 20 where I got the most difficult/purple category first (unchanged since May 31st). Maximum winning streak: 45 (unchanged since June 30th, 2025). Current streak: 9.. 

Listening:  

Following:  . 

Eating/Drinking:  

• Over the past 18-24 months, we've been trying to eat healthier and lower our cholesterol -- and avoid having to take (more) medication -- since some less-than-stellar bloodwork results for both of us in fall 2024 and then again (for me) last November (2025, as mentioned in November's Right Now post). 
• I ended June 1.8 pounds less than when the month started.  Overall, I'm down almost 16 pounds since late October 2024 -- close to my lowest weight in more than a decade -- and almost 28 pounds from my heaviest-ever weight  (in August 2021). 
• (Dh is down almost 18 pounds overall since fall 2024.)
• Takeout meals included the usual pizza slices, soup and teriyaki rice bowls from the supermarket, thin-crust wood oven pizza and rotisserie chicken. (It's gotten a little boring lately, to be honest -- but it's not easy finding takeout meals that are (a) cheap-ish (b) not too horrible in terms of cholesterol and (c) something dh & I can agree on...!)  

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

Buying (besides books, lol):   Plane tickets to visit my dad (again) in mid/late July. The house sale will have closed by then. We'll celebrate his 87th birthday while we're there. 

Irresistible summer clothes for the great-niblings and Little Princess #3.  :)  Lots of bargains right now!  

A cute red & white summery sundress, on sale at Suzy (AKA Suzy Shier, which has been around since I was in university, maybe even high school??). I hadn't been in a Suzy store in years, but spotted it on a rack as I was walking by at the mall, went in and tried it on). $20 plus tax (Canadian)!  (Score!!) 

Noticing/Appreciating:  The longer days and increased daylight... although, of course, we're now past summer solstice and the days are gradually starting to get shorter again...

Hoping:  That the a/c holds out in the heat wave we're having right now!  :p  (Temperatures in the 30sC;  humidex readings well into the 40sC. For reference, 30C = 86F, 35C = 95C, 40C = 104F and 45C = 113F.  Yuck!)  

Prioritizing:  Staying cool...!

Loving:  The days this month when the weather has been nice enough that I could sit outside on the balcony with a drink and a book for an hour or two. 

Trying:  To put down the phone/laptop more often and read more books this summer.  

Wondering:  Whether I'll get through my mental to-do list before we leave for Dad's again. (I suspect not...! -- certainly not all the items...) 

Wanting: To get back to the local art gallery where I have a membership soon... they have some new exhibits as well as a few that are closing soon that I'd like to see. 

                        

Feeling: Relieved to have the shower issue (and other plumbing issues) fixed. Happy to be spending time with Little Great-Nephew #2 (and looking forward to spending more time with his older brother too, now that school is out!). 

Coming up in July/Anticipating: Canada Day (which is actually today!) & Fourth of July 250 (U.S.) hoopla... Mom & Dad's house sale closing (also today, July 1st)...  our 41st wedding anniversary... spending some time with both the LGNephews at SIL's this summer... SIL & BIL's birthdays (which we'll miss out on celebrating with the family, because -- see next item!);  another trip to Manitoba to see my dad and celebrate his 87th (!) birthday. 

"Evvie Drake Starts Over" by Linda Holmes

I'd had a couple of childless friends recommend "Flying Solo" by Linda Holmes to me as a good CNBC-friendly read.  But I couldn't remember which Holmes book they'd told me about, offhand, and picked up her debut novel, "Evvie Drake Starts Over" (which was a "Read With Jenna" book club selection). Oh well!    

Evvie Drake has been holed up in her big house in a small town in Maine, ever since her husband died in a car accident.  Everyone assumes she's grieving. (It's complicated...)  

Then her best friend Andy asks if she'd consider renting the small apartment attached to her house to an old friend of his who's also laying low: Dean Tenney, a Major League baseball pitcher (New York Yankees!)  who's got a bad case of "the yips," has lost his mojo and is being hounded by the press about it.  

Would you be surprised to learn these two gradually move from a landlord-tenant relationship to friendship to something more??  (Me either...)   

Author Roxane Gay called this a "Hallmark movie" in her Goodreads review. She's not wrong. It definitely falls into the "rom-com" category -- and it's utterly predictable.  (There's even a cute puppy, near the end.)  The romance is the slow burn variety -- maybe almost a little too slow. On balance, it's a pleasant read, and it says some wise things about grief, near the end.  I will admit I developed a bit of a crush on Dean.  ;)  And  I would love to see/own Evvie's cottage by the water! 

I will likely look at "Flying Solo" as a future read.

3 stars on Goodreads & StoryGraph.   

ALI/CNBC notes (mild spoiler alerts):  Evvie does not have children, but she does dote on Andy's two young daughters. 

I got a shock of recognition in Chapter 31:  Dean says some things about his career that, while not about fertility treatments, definitely gave me a feeling of deja vu. (If/when you read the book, you'll see what I mean...!)  Points to the author for that!  

This was Book #14 read to date in 2026 (and Book #4 finished in June), bringing me to 35% of  my 2026 Goodreads Reading Challenge goal of 40 books. I am (for the moment, anyway...!) 5 books behind pace to meet my goal.  :(  You can find reviews of all my books read to date in 2026 tagged as "2026 books." 

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.)

March had a few spring-like moments -- we had the balcony door wide open on THREE glorious days -- one mid-month and two this week, when the temperature reached a whopping 18-21C (64-70F). There was also one day when it was so foggy that I couldn't see past our balcony (it was the day of Little Great-Niece's birthday party, which made driving there -- down a couple of winding country roads! -- ummm, INTERESTING...!).  

But for the most part, the weather stayed pretty wintry/blustery -- a few snowstorms, freezing rain, and chilly temperatures, including one morning when the windchill was -22C/-8F (brrrr...).  And SO grey and gloomy!!  

Needless to say, I am SO DONE with this long, cold, snowy, grey winter!! 

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

• Bought groceries and takeout pizza slices or soup for lunch at the supermarket (March 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd & 30th).  
• Walked and shopped at the nearby local mall (March 3rd, 10th & 24th). 
• Drove with BIL & SIL through thick fog (as mentioned above) to Little Great-Niece's birthday party (March 7th). A good time was had by all.  :) 
  
• Drove to midtown Toronto for dental cleanings and checkups (March 12th -- all was well!). 
• Went to BIL & SIL's on Sunday afternoon (March 15th) for coffee/tea and to spend some time with our two little great-nephews, who were there while their parents went out. :)  
• Had an abdominal ultrasound (new screening program for aortic aneurysms offered by Ontario Health to seniors) and mammogram (March 16th).(Stopped off at the supermarket en route home for groceries.) Both came back fine.  
• Did not go to the mall during spring break week (lol) but braved the crowds and went to the bookstore instead for a for a browse (March 17th). 
• Stopped at the drugstore en route home to pick up a couple of prescriptions and a few other things too. 
• Went for bloodwork at a nearby lab to check my cholesterol levels (March 20th). (Gulp.) (The lab is usually packed, but there were just two people in the waiting area when I arrived??  It was spring break, so I'm thinking everyone who might usually be there was in Mexico or Costa Rica, lol.) 
• Since I'd had to fast for 12 hours and hadn't had anything to eat, we went out for brunch immediately afterwards, (See "Eating," below.)  It was spring break, and by the time we left, the restaurant was PACKED!  
• Then we went to a nearby Canadian Tire and picked up a couple of air filters, for both the HVAC unit and the Dyson air purifier/humidifier. (We originally planned to go to a few more stores, but it was cold, windy, grey & dreary, and there was freezing rain -- so we just headed home, where it was warm and cozy!)  

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Also right now:  

Reading: March was not a great reading month for me (too many distractions...!):  I finished 1 book (reviewed on this blog, as well as Goodreads & StoryGraph, & tagged "2026 books"  Year to date, I've read 6 books,  reached 15% of my Goodreads Challenge goal, and am currently 3 books behind schedule to achieve it by year end.  

• "Gimme a Crisis" by Howard Green.  (4-4.5 stars;  my review.) 

Current reads: 

• "The Forsyte Saga" by John Galsworthy. After mulling it over (see this post!), I accepted a commenter's suggestion to do a readalong together!  Currently 18% completed. 
• "The Four Graces" by D.E. Stevenson -- re-read/readalong/discussion with my D.E. Stevenson group, which began Feb. 23 and will conclude in late April/early May. Original 2015 review here;  most recent review here. (Currently 56% completed.)  
• "Childless: A Woman and a Girl in a Man's World" by Fabiana Formica.  This one is beautifully written, but slow going, and I was reading it (or trying to...!) at Mom & Dad's last summer, where there were a lot of distractions. I've put it aside for the moment to focus on other reading priorities, but I've completed 33% to date.
• "L.M. Montgomery and Gender," an essay collection edited by E. Holly Pike & Laura Robinson. Slowly working my way through, in between the other books...! 

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

• For my Childless Collective Nomo Book Club:  
• "The Bandit Queens" by Parini Shroff (May)
• "The Ministry of Time" by Kaliane Bradley (June). (I previously read and reviewed this one, here;  rated 4.5-5 stars.) 
• "The Hacienda" by Isabel Canas (July)
• "In Memoriam" by Alice Winn (August).  (I previously read and reviewed this one, here;  4-5-5 stars.)  
• "Young Woman and the Sea" by Glenn Stout (September)
• "The Wedding People" by Alison Espach (October). (I previously read and reviewed this one, here;  rated 4-4.5 stars.)
• "The Women" by Kristin Hannah (November)
• For my D.E. Stevenson group: Next books to be determined... 

• Footnotes and Tangents slow readalongs for 2026 include:
• "Regeneration" by Pat Barker (April 3rd – May 14th)
• "The Inheritors" by William Golding (June)
• "Treacle Walker" by Alan Garner (July)
• "The Children’s Book" by A.S. Byatt (September–December)

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

• "Having It All" by Corinne Low 
• "The Phoenix Pencil Company" by Allison King 
• "Let's Just Say it Wasn't Pretty" by Diane Keaton 
• "Say Everything" by Ione Skye 
• "A Cold Day for Murder" by Dana Stabenow
• "Best Offer Wins" by Marisa Kashino 
• "The CIA Book Club" by Charlie English 

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Watching: Actually watched a lot of stuff this month! 

• "Finding Your Roots" (season 12) on PBS, Tuesday nights, which began in January. Lots of reruns on lately, though -- I'm not sure if the season is over yet, or whether they're saving the last few episodes for ratings sweeps month, or...? 
• The Oscars!  (mentioned in this past post). 
• "The Forsytes" on PBS.  This started on March 22nd, and I've seen two episodes (of six) so far.  I am glad I started reading the book by John Galsworthy, because (even though I'm far from finished), it's helped me grasp who's who and how they're all related a lot faster, I think. But, as I speculated in this previous post, this series is not a strict adaptation of the novel:  I would actually call it more of a prequel (I saw a post on social media that called it "fan fiction," and that would work too!). Most of the characters and storylines echo those in the book (or are heading in the book's direction). 
• There are lots of modern touches (rebellious women in very un-Victorian makeup, and colour-blind casting in some supporting roles, for example). There are also a couple of lesser characters who appear to have been invented just for the show (e.g., the Carterets, Jo's office friend Isaac)   
• On its own merits, it's... entertaining.  If you enjoy a glossy soap opera featuring family rivalries, forbidden romances, handsome actors and pretty actresses, and sumptuous sets and costumes, tune in...!  
• "The Count of Monte Cristo" airs on PBS immediately following "The Forsytes" on Sunday nights. (It also started on March 22nd = two episodes of eight aired to date). I have not read the 1844 novel it's based on, but the storyline is pretty well known today: just before his marriage to the lovely Mercedes, young French sailor Edmund Dantes (Sam Claflin) is falsely accused of treason and spends 15+ years in a grim prison fortress on an island off the coast of Marseilles. While there, he connects with the old prisoner in the neighbouring cell, the Abbe Faria (wonderfully played by Jeremy Irons), who tells him about a fabulous treasure buried on the island of Monte Cristo. Together they plot their escape, and Edmund vows to find the treasure and take revenge on those responsible for his imprisonment. I'm enjoying it so far! 
• "Mr. Dressup: The Magic of Make-Believe:"  I wrote a recent post about this.  
• Curling!  The Brier (Canadian men's curling championships, in St. John's, Newfoundland), followed later in the month by the women's world championships in Calgary, and then the men's in Ogden, Utah (which began this past weekend and continue through this week). Dh & I wound up watching a lot of games, especially the ones involving Manitoba/Canadian teams. (It also gave me something to talk about with my dad when I called him, since I knew he would be watching too!)   
• World figure skating championships, from Prague last week. Network TV coverage was pretty scanty (a two-hour summary on NBC on Saturday night, and one hour on CBC on Sunday afternoon, none of it live -- grrrr....) -- but happily, I was able to access live feeds of all the events (totalling about 8 hours a day, for four days straight!, plus the gala exhibition on Sunday morning) via CBC's Gem streaming service on my laptop. (You can view Gem on some smart TVs -- but apparently our 11-year-old Samsung is not smart enough!  lol).
• "Henry David Thoreau," a 4-part documentary by Ken Burns, airing over the past two nights on PBS. Really interesting, and the footage of Walden Pond, etc., was so pretty -- but I'll admit I was struggling to stay awake the last half hour! (till 11 PM). 

Playing:  

• Heardle Decades: (as of March 31st): 
• Heardle 60s: 74.2% (899/1212, 361 on first guess), up 0.3% from Feb. 28th. Max streak: 21. (up 1 from 20 -- I went for 22, but got tripped up on "Hole in My Shoe" by Traffic...!) 
• Heardle 70s: 75.3% (720/956, 401 on first guess), up 0.1% from Feb. 28th. Max streak: 18. 
• Heardle 80s:  41.8% (338/809, 124 on first guess), up 0.2% from Feb. 28th. Max. streak: 5.
• Heardle 90s: 33.4% (304/911, 80 on first guess), down 0.1% from Feb. 28th. Max. streak: 9. 
• NYT Connections: 
• As of Feb. 28th  I'd played 563 games and won 89% of them, including 300 "perfect puzzles" with zero errors, including 18 where I got the most difficult/purple category first. Maximum winning streak: 45 (unchanged). Current streak: 12. 
• By March 31st, I had 594 completed games, won 89% of them (unchanged since Dec. 31st), including 317 "perfect puzzles," including 18 where I got the most difficult/purple category first (unchanged from Dec. 31st). Maximum winning streak:  45 (unchanged since June 30th).  Current streak: 3.  

Listening:  

• To the Stingray 80s music channel. They've been playing the B-52s "Love Shack" a lot lately, and I am here for it, lol.  That song always makes me want to get up and dance. :)  "Rock Lobster" and "Planet Claire" were staples at university dorm parties in the late 1970s/early 1980s.

Following:  

Eating/Drinking:  

• Over the past 18 months, we've been trying to eat healthier and lower our cholesterol -- and avoid having to take (more) medication -- since some less-than-stellar bloodwork results for both of us in fall 2024 and then again (for me) last November (2025, as mentioned in November's Right Now post). 
• I repeated my bloodwork in mid-March and the results showed improvement -- just one cholesterol measure out of normal range (and even that one was better than it had been). Our family doctor's staff relayed the message to keep up the low-fat/high-fibre diet and exercise, and we'll check again in another six months. Reprieve!!    
• I'm in a bit of a plateau lately:  I ended March 0.2 pounds less than when the month started.  Overall, I'm down a little more than 14 pounds since late October 2024 -- close to my lowest weight in quite some time -- and a little more than 26 pounds from my heaviest-ever weight  (in August 2021). 
• (Dh is down about 20 pounds overall since fall 2024.)
• At Little Great-Niece's birthday party (March 7th -- postponed a week because she was sick!), we feasted on pasta in alfredo sauce, sliders, sausage with peppers and potatos, rice balls (arancini) and salad. And cake, of course.  :)  (It was a huge cake, and we all went home with a big chunk!) (Not quite low-cal or low-fat...!  But delicious!) 
• After bloodwork on the morning of Friday, March 20th to check my cholesterol levels (and fasting for 12 hours prior), we went out for brunch, at the same place we went to in early February (thanks to a birthday/condolence gift card from a friend). Dh had an omelette, while I had scrambled eggs -- with bacon!  lol  (Yeah, I know... but they make great bacon! and I figure it will be a while before we're back, and before I need to have my bloodwork checked again!) 
• I'd kind of forgotten it was still spring break here... there were still a lot of empty tables when we arrived around 9:30 AM, but by the time we left, nearly an hour later, the place was PACKED!  
• We indulged in takeout pizza slices or soup from the supermarket, once or twice a week, for lunch and/or dinner. Saturday night takeout dinners this month included teriyaki rice bowls from the supermarket, and rotisserie chicken (baked potato on the side for me;  fries for dh) from Swiss Chalet.   

Wearing: I was occasionally able to switch to a lighter-weight spring/fall jacket this month (vs my usual down-filled winter jacket), and go without slippers over my socks inside the house occasionally. Progress? 

Buying (besides books, lol):  

• Stuff for the great-niblings' Easter baskets. 
• A new water-resistant spring jacket from Reitmans (black, waist length -- and on sale!). 

Trying: To call my dad, if not every day, then every other day. We usually don't have a lot to talk about, but that's not why I do it...! 

Appreciating:  What my sister & her partner are doing for my dad. They've been there almost every weekend since Mom died, keeping him company, going through closets and taking stuff to the dump and/or the local thrift shop, taking him to see potential apartments, etc. (Also feeling a bit guilty because I live so far away and can't be there more often.  I do chip in financially as needed. )  

Planning:  Our next visit there, likely for sometime in May. 

Wanting:  This winter to be OVER, already...!! 

Hoping: For better weather and sunshine, soon! 

                        

Feeling: Glad that it's (finally!) spring (even if it doesn't quite feel like it yet...!). A little dazed at how quickly the days, weeks, and this year generally so far are passing by. Missing my mom. :(   

(Couldn't think of what to write for a few of the usual categories, so I just deleted them, rather than delay posting!)  

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.)

For a short month, February was a LONG month! (It has long been my least-favourite month!)  It included 23 consecutive days of sub-zero temperatures (which began in January) and lots of snow, (more than we've had in quite a few recent winters) -- although it did warm up briefly, mid-month (with temperatures hovering just above zero -- which triggered snow mixed with rain, sometimes freezing rain...!).  

On the personal front, I am still struggling somewhat to get back to "normal," after my mother's death on New Year's Day and an unexpected full month away from home.  (Perhaps related to or adding to this feeling of abnormality/being out of routine, I binged on the Olympics for two solid weeks. ;)  )

And the month ended in disappointment when Little Great-Niece's birthday party was cancelled at the last minute, because she was running a slight fever the day before. :(  (To be rescheduled, possibly for next weekend.) Better safe than sorry, I guess (remembering Little Great-Nephew #1's birthday party in November, which became a super-spreader event...!).  But we've hardly seen anyone all month long, and we were SO looking forward to it (dh especially).  :(   (At this rate, the great-niblings will get their Valentine's Day goodies for Easter...!)

Spring can't come soon enough...! 

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

• Bought groceries and takeout pizza slices or soup for lunch at the supermarket (Feb. 2nd, 9th, 16th & 23rd).  
• Walked and shopped at the local mall (Feb. 3rd, 10th, 17th & 24th).
• Went for brunch at a new restaurant, using a gift card a friend sent me for my birthday (Friday, Feb. 6th). (See "Eating," below.) 
• Browsed and picked up cards & other things for the great-niblings at the bookstore (Feb. 6th, 11th & 25th). 
• Had lunch at BIL & SIL's with Younger Nephew, his wife and Little Great-Niece (Feb. 7th). Between sickness and the holidays, we hadn't seen Younger Nephew & family since Little Great-Nephew #1's birthday party in mid-November (i.e., almost three months!). That's the last time to date that we've seen anyone from the family, including BIL & SIL. :(  
• Stopped at the drugstore to pick up prescriptions, en route home from doing other shopping (Feb. 11th, 23rd & 25th). 
• Went to the bank (Feb. 25th).   

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Also right now:  

Reading: I finished 4 books in February (all reviewed on this blog, as well as Goodreads & StoryGraph, & tagged "2026 books"  Year to date, I've read 5 books,  reached 13% of my Goodreads Challenge goal, and am currently 1 book behind schedule to achieve it by year end.  

• Crooked Adam by D.E. Stevenson, together with my DES fan group. (3 stars;  my review.) 
• "You Are Here" by David Nicholls (the April selection for my Childless Collective Nomo Book Club;  previously read in 2024 and reviewed here). (4.5-5 stars;  my review) 
• "The Four Graces" by D.E. Stevenson, prior to the upcoming readalong/discussion with my D.E. Stevenson group (original 2015 review here). (4 stars; my review.) 
• "The Queen Who Came in From the Cold" by S.J. Bennett (Book #5 in the "Her Majesty the Queen Investigates" series). (4-4.5 stars;  my review.) 
  

Current reads: 

• "Gimme a Crisis" by Howard Green.  Currently 13% completed.
• "The Four Graces" by D.E. Stevenson -- re-read/readalong/discussion with my D.E. Stevenson group, which began Feb. 23 and will conclude in late April/early May. Original 2015 review here;  most recent review here. (Currently 12% completed.)  
• "Childless: A Woman and a Girl in a Man's World" by Fabiana Formica.  This one is beautifully written, but slow going, and I was reading it (or trying to...!) at Mom & Dad's last summer, where there were a lot of distractions. I've put it aside for the moment to focus on other reading priorities, but I've completed 33% to date.
• "L.M. Montgomery and Gender," an essay collection edited by E. Holly Pike & Laura Robinson. Slowly working my way through, in between the other books...! 

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

• For my Childless Collective Nomo Book Club:  
• "The Safekeep" by Yael Van der Wouden (March). (I read this one fairly recently, last fall, and will likely not revisit it, particularly since I'm not leading the discussion.)  
• (Books for May & onwards to be determined...) 
• For my D.E. Stevenson group:  
• (Next books still to be determined...) 

• Footnotes and Tangents slow readalongs for 2026 include:
• "Midnight’s Children" by Salman Rushdie (January–March). (I'm not taking part in this one.) 
• "Regeneration" by Pat Barker (April–May)
• "The Inheritors" by William Golding (June)
• "Treacle Walker" by Alan Garner (July)
• "The Children’s Book" by A.S. Byatt (September–December)

A few recently purchased titles (all in digital format, mostly discounted ($5-10 or less) or purchased with points):  (Not adding links this time around...!) 

•  "The Bishop's Pawn" by Steve Berry
• "Barren" by Byddi Lee 
• "Murderland" by Caroline Fraser 
• "The Other Side of Now" by Paige Harbison 

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Watching: 

• "Finding Your Roots" (season 12) on PBS, Tuesday nights, which began in January. 
• The Winter Olympics! (Constantly!  lol -- for two full weeks!! -- figure skating in particular, although I found myself watching all kinds of sports.)  

Playing:  

• Heardle Decades: (as of Feb. 28th)  
• Heardle 60s: 73.9% (874/1182, 350 on first guess), down 0.1% from Jan. 31st. Max streak: 20. 
• Heardle 70s: 75.2% (696/925, 388 on first guess), down 0.7% from Jan. 31st. Max streak: 18. 
• Heardle 80s:  41.6% (325/782, 114 on first guess), unchanged from Jan. 31st. Max. streak: 5.
• Heardle 90s: 33.5% (296/883, 78 on first guess), down 0.5% from Jan. 31st. Max. streak: 9. 
• NYT Connections: 
• As of Jan. 31st, I had 535 completed games, won 89% of them, including 283 "perfect puzzles," including 16 where I got the most difficult/purple category first (unchanged from Dec. 31st). Maximum winning streak:  45 (unchanged).  Current streak:  12.  
• By Feb. 28th  I'd played 563 games and won 89% of them, including 300 "perfect puzzles" with zero errors, including 18 where I got the most difficult/purple category first (an increase of 2 since Dec. 31st). Maximum winning streak: 45 (unchanged). Current streak: 12. 

Listening:  The Stingray 80s channel played "Shelter" by Lone Justice the other day -- and now I'm down the Lone Justice rabbit hole on YouTube & Spotify. I had and loved their first two albums on cassette, which went to Older Nephew along with my vinyl collection, and both seem to be out of print, albeit there are used copies floating around. 

Following:  

Eating/Drinking:  

• We've been trying to eat healthier and lower our cholesterol -- and avoid having to take (more) medication -- since some less-than-stellar bloodwork results for both of us in fall 2024 and then again (for me) last November (2025, as mentioned in November's Right Now post). I'm supposed to repeat my bloodwork in the spring.  
• I ended February 0.2 pounds heavier than when I started -- could be worse!  Overall, I'm down 14 pounds since late October 2024 -- close to my lowest weight in quite some time -- and down 26 pounds from my heaviest-ever weight  (in August 2021). (Dh has gained a few pounds since Christmas, and is currently down not quite 18 pounds overall since fall 2024.)
• We went for brunch at a new restaurant (Feb. 6th), thanks to an old friend who sent me a gift card for my recent 65th birthday and as a pick-me-up after my mom's death. Dh had an omelette and I had scrambled eggs with bacon (served crisp, as I like it!).  The ambience was lovely, the service was friendly and relatively prompt, and the food was hot and tasty, with generous portions. (The potatos, in particular, were excellent!)  We will be back!  
• We also indulged in takeout pizza slices or soup from the supermarket, once or twice a week, for lunch and/or dinner. Saturday night takeout dinners included teriyaki rice bowls from the supermarket, rotisserie chicken (baked potato on the side for me;  fries for dh) from Swiss Chalet, and California Sandwiches (which are NOT exactly healthy, but delicious! lol).  

Wearing: Cropped henley sweatshirts from American Eagle (as mentioned in this post). :)  I loved the first one I bought (in light blue) so much, I've since bought a couple more in different colours (on sale).  So soft & cozy!  

Buying (besides books, lol): (and besides sweatshirts! lol -- see above):  Things for the great-niblings' Valentine's Day goodie bags, as well as LGNiece's 3rd birthday.   

Noticing: It's staying lighter, longer, outside these days. Progress?  

Trying: To call my dad more often, since we got back home. 

Wondering: When we should plan to head back west. I'm pretty sure we'll be back in mid-July (as usual), which will be Dad's 87th birthday (and would have been my parents' 66th wedding anniversary), but we should probably go before then to see Dad and help my sister with the house cleanout. (I'll chat with her about it soon...) 

                           

Feeling: Grumpy, isolated, a bit bored (and I'm not bored very often) and out of sorts -- still not back to some semblance of normalcy -- and very much done with winter!  :p  Hoping things start looking up soon...! 

(A few regular categories dropped this time around, because I couldn't think of anything to write for them, and I wanted to get this posted!)