Childless Collective Summit -- in person! (Are you going?)

When was the last time you were in a room with 100+ (or even 6 -- 10 -- 20??) other childless women -- for a few hours, let alone an entire weekend?? 

I'm guessing the answer would be "never."  (Whereas groups of mothers... but hey, I digress...)  

If you've ever thought about how cool that would be -- here is your opportunity!     

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you might remember me raving about three online/virtual summits that Katy at Childless Collective has organized for our childless not by choice community over the past few years, which brought together more than 8,500 attendees and 100 + speakers in total.

Now, Katy (whose previous job included event planning) has put together another summit for childless women (and men!) -- in person! It's coming up soon -- the weekend of Friday, April 12th through Sunday, April 14th -- in the coastal city of Charleston, South Carolina  (consistently voted best city in the U.S. by readers of Condé Nast Traveler and Travel + Leisure).

Earlybird pricing (savings of USD$50) ends March 15th (Friday!).  Your ticket includes: 

• April 12th & 13th, Camden Room, downtown Charleston:  interactive sessions, opportunities to connect with other attendees, and an exciting lineup of speakers, including keynote speaker Jody Day, Alisha Saavedra, Tanya Hubbard, Angela L. Harris, Stacey Brown, Carrie Hauskens, Katy Seppi and Melissa Jones. Read the bios of all the speakers here.  The summit sessions are designed to support you in:
• Building friendships with others who are childless.
• Learning to identify and amplify your greatest strengths.
• Recognizing your value and worth.
• Identifying new avenues to meaning and joy.
• Feeling seen and validated in your childless experience.
• Finding inspiring examples of rich and full lives without kids.
• Sunday April 14th:  Beach day!  Katy has rented a private pavilion that overlooks the beautiful Atlantic Ocean shoreline known as “the Edge of America”. There's no agenda:  just a chance to enjoy the scenery, eat (Katy's hired a food truck!) and spend time together with new friends. 
• Access to a private online community (hosted on Mighty Networks) from now until the end of April. Here you can meet other attendees before the event, stay up to date with event details, and access a travel guide with recommendations for making the most of your trip.
• The Earlybird price of USD$550 closes on Friday March 15th; after that tickets will be USD$600. Price includes all 3 days of the Summit (including the Sunday beach party, for which transportation is provided!) and lunch each day, including a food truck at the beach. Payment plans are available to spread the cost.

(Tickets do NOT include flights/transportation to & from Charleston, or accommodation.) 

Learn more and get your ticket here! 

Even if you can't attend, you can gift the cost of a ticket so that someone else can go (who otherwise wouldn't be able to)!  Details here. 

And a Summit Replay Pass will be made available and can be purchased separately, even if you can't  attend the conference in person. (Details on that to come.)  You won't have the fun of hanging out on a beach with some other awesome childless women, but you will be able to listen in to all the main presentations.  

This is a great (rare!) opportunity -- and one that may not be repeated for quite a while, if ever.  As you might imagine, organizing an event like this a LOT of work and VERY expensive -- and Katy is doing ALL the work and has assumed ALL the expenses herself. (There aren't a whole lot of corporations eager to jump in and sponsor an event for childless women -- even though many of us have a lot more disposable income than parents do!) She's hoping to sell enough tickets to cover her costs.  

(Personal note:  Unfortunately, I won't be attending, for a variety of reasons. :(  But I'm looking forward to purchasing one of the replay passes, and I can't wait to see the stories & photos from those of you who do go!)  

#MicroblogMondays: It's spring break week...

...and who needs kids to be busy??  (Hence, this post is coming to you on Tuesday instead of Monday...!)  

After a long and mostly boring/inactive winter, things started ramping up around here, mid/late last week. Here's what happened then, and how the rest of this week is unfolding:    

• (Last) Wednesday (March 6th):  I was in the bedroom around 8 a.m. -- dh had been up but was snoozing again on the couch -- when I heard a loud tapping/dripping noise coming from the bathroom. I checked out all the taps and pipes, but I could not see any water. It sounded like it was coming from inside the wall, behind the shower or toilet. It only lasted a few minutes, gradually slowing down/tapering off and stopping. I was going to mention it to dh but forgot about it, until...
• Thursday:  7 a.m., and we were both sound asleep -- when a loud tapping/dripping noise woke us both up. Dh sat bolt upright in bed and said, "Where's that coming from?"  We went into the bathroom. Same thing as yesterday. I grabbed my phone, turned it on and started filming. Nothing to see, of course, but my thought was to record the sound and send it to our property manager.
• Of course the file was too big to send and I had no clue how to edit it down to a more manageable size, but I did message her anyway, describing what we'd both heard. She said she'd come check it out -- but the earliest she was available was Monday (!) and we were going to be out -- so we wound up agreeing on Wednesday (!).  Meanwhile, she told us to keep an eye out for leaks. She can't call the plumbing contractors unless there's water visible. (Lovely...) 
• (Wouldn't you know, we haven't heard the noise since then??)(Knocking wood...!)  
• Thursday is our usual laundry day, so we got up and got a load started.  Later in the morning, we were folding clothes in the bedroom, when dh pointed out to me that the curtain rod was hanging at a peculiar angle:  the left-side bracket that holds the rod up was starting to pull out of the wall. 
• Unfortunately, the right-side bracket had done the same thing a few years ago...!  We got out a stool and screwdriver and attempted to tighten things up (on both sides), but things had loosened up too much. I didn't want to take it down totally, because there are streetlights below shining into our room;  plus I'd feel like I was on display to the townhouses behind us. So there it hangs, like the proverbial Sword of Damocles, less than three feet away from the bed (MY side of the bed, I might add...!). 
• We'd actually bought these curtains (relatively cheaply) and put up them up, in the second bedroom/office as well as our bedroom, as a temporary measure when we first moved in... almost (cough!) EIGHT YEARS AGO. And we'd talked about upgrading and other options -- but then the pandemic came along and... well, you know...!  Well, no time like the present, right??  
• I went online and looked up Blinds To Go, which has a local outlet. They offer a "shop at home" service with a consultant as well as the option of professional installation. And I was able to book an appointment with a consultant for the following afternoon!  
• Friday:  We set the alarm clock, got up at 7 a.m. and had breakfast and coffee/tea, and got to work doing the usual weekly housecleaning, several hours earlier than normal. Showered, had lunch and were ready for the consultant's visit at 1 p.m. 
• She arrived with a suitcase full of samples and swatches for us to look at, and was very nice and helpful. We decided on fabric vertical blinds for all three windows. They HAD to be white or off-white, as per the bylaws of our condo association, so we picked something that was textured and off-white (with flecks of a taupe-y brown running through it). She took measurements, gave us an estimate (which, while expensive enough, was a lot less than we'd expected, even before the 25% sale price was factored in), took a 50% deposit from us, and set up an appointment with a installer to come in and do exact measurements. We have a pretty busy week ahead, but luckily, she was able to book us something for the following day. 
• Saturday:  Our appointment time frame was 9-12 noon, so once again we set our alarm clock for 7 a.m. The guy finalizing the measurements arrived at 11:15 a.m. and was in and out in about 5 minutes. (We're still waiting for the final estimate, after which we can give the go-ahead to have the blinds made. Normally, it would take about a week, but the fabric we chose for our blinds is on back order, so delivery and then installation will likely be around March 20th -- which is still pretty good!)  
• I sat in on a Zoom chat with some other childless women, some of whom were facing Mothering Sunday/Mother's Day in the U.K. 
• Sunday: We were pretty tired, and (no) thanks to the time change, we didn't get up until 9:30 a.m. (!)(erk!).  I had breakfast, showered, dh made brunch (scrambled eggs and toast), and then I spent a two-hour shift co-hosting a Mothering Sunday/UK Mother's Day text chat in the Childless Collective private community where I'm a member.  That ended around 3 p.m. I made my usual weekly Sunday phone call to my parents and also talked to my sister, who was there for the weekend. Helped dh get dinner in the oven, and then started getting ready for... 
• The Oscars!! -- which, this year, started an hour earlier than it usually does, at 7 p.m. 
• In between dinner and 7, I hunted up and printed off a ballot online to mark up as the show progressed -- something I've done since I was a kid -- albeit back then, I used one clipped from the newspaper!
• I thought it was one of the better shows in recent memory and, amazingly enough, it ENDED ON TIME (a few minutes early, even!).  That was a good thing, because the earlier start time meant the show also ended an hour earlier than is usually does -- i.e., 10:30 p.m. instead of 11:30 p.m. or midnight.  (Past Oscars-related posts here.) 
• When I was working, I used to sometimes take the Monday after the Oscars off, so that I could sleep in (vs getting up before 5 a.m. to get to work for 8 a.m.). I've been retired for almost 10 years, but believe it or not, I had to set the alarm for 5 a.m. the next day (which was, of course, 4 a.m. before the time changed...!)  because... 
• Yesterday/Monday: ...we had to be at BIL's house by 7 a.m. to spend the day with Little Great-Nephew, who is (of course) on spring break.   Older Nephew dropped the little guy off at around 7:15 a.m., and returned to pick him up around 4:15.  He is really good and no real trouble at all -- but he's 4, and very active! so we were (and still are!  lol)  both EXHAUSTED!  
• We were looking after him because BIL & SIL were wrapping up a well-deserved week on a sunny beach in the Caribbean with one of dh & BIL's cousins and her husband. (But we went to their house, since LGN is comfortable there and has lots of toys there, etc. -- more space too!)  Later that evening, we headed to the airport to pick them up. (We were among the very few people waiting in the arrivals area and returning from trips who were wearing masks.)  They'll be looking after LGN tomorrow, Wednesday & Thursday. (His mom has Fridays off.)  
• Today/Tuesday: We slept in until 9:30 a.m. (again!!). (If we hadn't gotten up when we did, we would have had a pretty rude awakening about an hour later -- monthly test of the building's fire alarm system!  lol)  Dh went to get some groceries and some takeout soups for lunch, and then we headed over to BIL's to see LGN (again) and find out more about how their trip went. We were all pretty tired, though, so we didn't stay long (much to LGN's displeasure). We probably won't see him again until Eastertime, because.... 
• Wednesday/Tomorrow:  We're setting the alarm clock again:  our property manager will be coming by sometime in the morning (before noon) to check out the noises from the bathroom (a full WEEK after we first heard them!). We told her we could do the morning, but not the afternoon, because...
• ...we will be heading into the city for our annual checkups with our longtime optometrist. We normally ask for a mid-morning appointment to avoid rush-hour traffic, but his assistant was able to schedule us on an earlier date because someone cancelled. Here's hoping traffic will be lighter than usual (because everyone is spending break week in Mexico or Florida, etc., lol...) -- and that my eyes continue to be healthy (after my surgery two summers ago).  
• Thursday: Our usual laundry day -- but we'll have to finish up by lunchtime or later in the afternoon/evening, because in the early afternoon we will be heading.... 
• ...back to our old community:  I have an appointment with our family doctor -- a follow up visit re: a red patch (rosacea? eczema?) on my left cheek (mentioned here). It's much better than it was when I saw another doctor at the same clinic on Feb. 22nd -- much less red/rough/inflamed and no longer itchy -- but it's still there, still somewhat noticeable, and taking its sweet time to disappear.  :p  (Very annoying.) 
• On our way there or back, we'll stop off at the cemetery with some Easter decorations for Katie's niche. 
• And on our way back, we'll probably stop off at the drugstore:  I'm in need of a few items. 
• Friday:  Dh will be setting the alarm:  we need new tires for our car (8 years old, almost 70,000 km on it), and BIL has arranged a good deal for him with a guy he knows. He & dh will be going there around 8 a.m.  Meanwhile, it's our regular housecleaning day, so I'll get started on that and do as much as I can myself until he gets back.

How is YOUR week shaping up? 

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

It's International WOMEN's Day

-- i.e., it's not International Mother's Day. Too often, unfortunately, marketing, media, social media posts and special events for this day tend to centre on mothers and motherhood-related topics, versus issues that affect ALL women. (And they're often the same issues!)  

This may be truer than ever this year, if you live in the U.K.:  it's also Mothering Sunday/Mother's Day there this weekend.  Yikes, what a double whammy...!   

I've found a couple of great pieces this week focused on childless women and IWD.  Don't miss Jody Day's post on the World Childless Week website,  "It’s Called International Women’s Day, Not International Mother’s Day!" Sample excerpt: 

The last few years, it’s felt more and more like ‘International Mothers Day’, and whilst I celebrate women who are mothers, and appreciate that our society is still far from comprehensive in its support for the tasks of motherhood, I often feel that because women without children don’t need that kind of support, it’s presumed that we don’t need any kind of support at all. Having been writing and advocating on this issue for thirteen years, it still feels like childless people live in an imaginative blackspot for mainstream ‘hard-working families.’ (Please note the ironic use of quotation marks!) 

...On International Women’s Day, let’s celebrate mothers, but let’s recognise that they are more than their reproductive identity, they are women first. And we are more than our childlessness too. 

I'd also love to draw your attention to a couple of pieces from Medium on this subject. Unfortunately, most Medium pieces are paywalled  :p  but if you can find a workaround, they're worth reading!  

• Berenice Smith of the Full Stop Podcast has two pieces this week on the IWD/Mother's Day theme: 
• "International Women’s Day, not Mother’s Day" (hmmm, I sense a theme here!  lol). 
•  "We’re not inspiring inclusion this IWD, we’re accelerating progress." 
• And I absolutely loved this one from Ali Smith, who is childfree by choice. IWD is only mentioned at the end, but it's very much in the spirit of what we're talking about here: "Why Can’t a Woman Just Be a Woman?" (Subhead: "A woman’s worth should never be dictated by her relationship and reproductive status.")  Excerpt:  

You are more than your relationship and reproductive status

I know many people do this, so I mean no offence. But when I see women fill their bios with “wife” and/or “mum,” I feel a little sad.

Because the Patriarchy has peddled the message that the value of a woman is inextricably linked to who she is to others.

And yes, men may complete their bios with “husband” and/or “father”, but it’s not as prevalent. Take a look for yourself.

We’ve subconsciously lapped this up.

All around me, women jump at the opportunity to fill their bio in with their relationship status and then their reproductive status. An exclamation to the world: “Look, I’m loveable. I’m relevant to someone. I’m chosen. I’m doing what is expected of me. I’m not flawed.”

We claim our “wife” and “mum” titles as accolades, life flexes, and badges of honour. And by this very notion, we silently suggest that being single and not having children is associated with inadequacy and a lack of love and, by comparison, is less than.

Sure, be proud of being a wife and mum, but I encourage you to ask what message you are trying to convey by including it in your bio. Does it define you? 

 

...On International Women’s Day, my wish for all women is that you know your worth.

Whether you are single or in a relationship — no matter what that looks like to you — I hope you are happy.

Stand tall as a woman. That is enough. You don’t need to prove yourself by leaning on what nouns you can claim.

Yes, we are all daughters. Some of us may be sisters, nieces, aunts, wives and mothers. But the familial link between you and others doesn’t dictate your worth as an individual.

First and foremost, you are a woman. And that is enough in itself.

(Past IWD-related posts here.) 

"My Effin' Life" by Geddy Lee

I was never an especially huge fan of the band Rush. I never saw them in concert, never owned one of their albums. My musical tastes ran/run more to straight-up rock & roll and the New Wave sounds of my youth than prog-rock.  

But I didn't DISlike them either. Growing up Canadian in the 1970s and 80s, it was impossible to ignore them. Their music was all over the airwaves, and lead singer Geddy Lee's distinctive nasal, high-pitched yelp of a voice was immediately identifiable. ("How did the band decide that HE should be the lead singer?? Did he have the best voice??"  dh has often laughed.)  

So many of their songs are instantly recognizable to me (even if I don't always know the exact title!). I remember one of their early hits, "In the Mood,"  being played at my junior high sock hops, and I did like that song, as well as "Closer to the Heart."  "Tom Sawyer" is, of course, a drumming tour de force by the late, great Neil Peart (who tragically lost both his young adult daughter in a car accident in 1997, and then his wife/her mother to cancer, less than a year later, right around the same time I was dealing with the loss of my own daughter).

One of my very favourite Rush songs is "Lakeside Park," which Peart wrote about a lakeside park in his hometown of St. Catharines. I especially love the song's wistful second half (which kicks in around the 2:25 mark) -- the lyrics always remind me of trips to the beach (in my case, Delta Beach, Lake Manitoba) with my high school friends:  

Everyone would gather on the 24th of May*

Sitting in the sand to watch the fireworks display

Dancing fires on the beach, singing songs together

Though it's just a memory, some memories last forever

*"24th of May" = the traditional date for our Victoria Day holiday, which apparently is only celebrated in Canada. These days, it's celebrated on the third Monday of May, to give us all a long weekend.  

As I said, I never owned a Rush album -- but I DID have the album containing Geddy Lee's highest-charting song ever (with or without Rush) -- "Take Off" from the iconic 1981 Canadian comedy album "Great White North" by Bob & Doug McKenzie (aka  Rick Moranis -- Lee's elementary school classmate! -- and Dave Thomas, from SCTV. ("Ten bucks is ten bucks," lol.)(You had to be there...!)

(Lee also went to junior high school with future NHL hockey player Steve Shutt who, he says, "saved my kosher bacon" from bullies  -- and introduced him to a guy named Aleksandar Živojinović -- better known these days as Alex Lifeson. Another friend from high school:  Oscar Peterson Jr., son of the famous pianist, who served as best man at Lee's wedding.)

So -- long story short -- I've developed a certain affection for these guys over the years -- and when I heard that Lee was writing a memoir, I was interested in reading it. Titled "My Effin' Life" (lol), it was written with the help of Daniel Richler (journalist and stepson of famous Canadian novelist Mordecai Richler) and released last fall. 

Lee, now a 70-year-old grandfather (!), was born Gershon Eliezer Weinrib, named for HIS grandfather, who died in the Holocaust. His Anglicized name was Gary, but his mother's Yiddish accent made it sound like "Geddy" -- a friend overheard her, and the nickname stuck.  

Both of Lee's parents were Polish Jews and Holocaust survivors, who met in Auschwitz (!), reunited after the war, married (in what had been the officers' mess hall at Bergen-Belsen) and came to Canada in 1948.  There's a long chapter detailing their harrowing wartime experiences, as well as the trip that Lee, his mother Mary (Manya) and his siblings took, years later, to Auschwitz and other places in Poland connected to their family. He calls himself a proud cultural Jew, although an atheist in terms of religious beliefs.  

The sudden death of his father Morris (Moishe) in 1965, when Lee was just 12, was a turning point in his life. His mother went to work to keep the family business afloat (a variety store in Newmarket, north of Toronto), leaving Lee at loose ends as he entered his teen years. Music became his refuge. He grew his hair long, dropped out of high school, started Rush with a couple of school friends, including Alex Lifeson, and hooked up with a non-Jewish girlfriend, Nancy Young (whose brother Lindy was in an early incarnation of the band, and who later became a fashion designer and Yorkville boutique owner).  They've been married since 1976 (albeit the relationship has not been without its ups and downs, which Lee details in the book).   

I expected to like this book. I wound up absolutely loving it.  I'm not sure how much of the writing is actually Lee and how much Richler, but oh, the stories!!  And they're accompanied by a generous selection of priceless photos (both candid and professional) and images. Lee has a wonderfully wry voice and self-deprecating (very Canadian!) sense of humour, and I literally found myself laughing out loud -- frequently. I read much of the book with a smile on my face. 

Which is not to say it was all laughs. The Holocaust chapter, the multiple tragedies that befell Neil Peart, the deaths of one dear friend/family member after another, especially in later years -- and, finally, the end of the band itself -- were difficult to read about. There's a sense of grief and loss that pervades those last few chapters -- but also the reflection, perspective and gratitude that comes with time.

I have a couple of small quibbles/caveats. First, the footnotes in my Kobo e-copy were marked by asterisks -- you clicked on the asterisk (touched it on the e-reader screen) and the footnote would pop up. But you had to hit the asterisk with your finger EXACTLY right. (And there were a LOT of asterisks -- 137!! -- and they were all worth reading, once you could get them to open up...!) 

Second, Rush apparently has developed a personal language of expressions, terminology and nicknames, used by Lee throughout the book. For example, Lee, Lifeson and Peart call each other Dirk, Lerxst and Pratt (??!). There are other nicknames for others in their circle, and it was hard to remember sometimes who was who (and what their real names were!).

And while I loved all the photos that were included, I wish the images had been larger.

Also -- I'm not sure what American readers will make of all the Canadian/Toronto references (musicians and band names such as Murray McLauchlan, Downchild Blues Band and Max Webster, as well as geographic and cultural references -- e.g., CanCon rules, or Rochdale College, anyone??). Personally (even though I never set foot in Toronto until 1983), I lapped them up.  As a Canadian, it's (still!) not often we get to see ourselves reflected in a popular culture that's so heavily dominated by the U.S.! 

But as I said, small quibbles.  Overall, this is an effin' great read.  :)  

4.5 stars, enthusiastically rounded up to 5. (Current average rating of 4.64 stars on Goodreads, based on 560 reviews to date.)  

This was Book #7 read to date in 2024 (and Book #1 finished in March), bringing me to 16% of my 2024 Goodreads Reading Challenge goal of 45 books. I am (for the moment, anyway...!) 1 book behind schedule to meet my goal. :)  You can find reviews of all my books read to date in 2024 tagged as "2024 books." 

#MicroblogMondays: The song that's stuck in my head right now :)

I instantly recognized today's 90s Heardle, got it on the first guess from a two-second snippet of the opening. :)  And I haven't been able to get it out of my brain since then...!  (I HAD to look up the whole song on YouTube, lol.)  

I do get "earworms" quite frequently -- lately, they've been Rush songs, as I'm reading Geddy Lee's memoir, lol -- but I think this song is one of the all-time greats/most infectious. :)  

Here's a fun live version (from the Live 8 concert in Edinburgh in 2005) with a whole stadium full of people singing along.  :)  

(You're welcome!  lol)

Do you remember what 1990s movie this song was featured in? 

And what's your most recent (or most frequent) earworm? 

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

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.)

(This month is a slightly abbreviated version, as I honestly couldn't think of something to write about for several of my usual categories...!) 

February was, as usual, not my favourite month. :(  There wasn't anything really bad about it, but for a short month -- even with an extra day tacked on for leap year -- it sure felt long.  :(  

Pandemic diary/update: February was month #47 (soon to be FOUR YEARS...!) since the COVID-19 pandemic began -- and people around us still getting sick, many of them for the first time. :(  We remain covid-free (knocking wood, loudly...), and continue to mask in stores and most other public places, especially where there are a lot of people. 

Among other things this month, we: 

• Saw Little Great-Nephew at his grandparents' house on Feb. 5th, 7th and 20th. (On all three occasions, he wasn't feeling well and was running a slight temperature (not covid), so his parents kept him out of school and with his grandparents while they were working.) 
• Shopped at Reitmans & Laura (women's clothing) as well as Carters/Oskosh (children's clothing) and Shoppers Drug Mart, on Feb. 6th;  and Canadian Tire, Chapters (bookstore), Reitmans and Carters (again) on Feb. 21st. 
• Spent the morning of Feb. 15th at the mall, including lunch in the food court (unmasked, obviously), and then a few hours in the afternoon at Younger Nephew's nearby townhouse (along with BIL & SIL), being royally entertained by Little Great-Niece. :)  
• Made the trip to our family doctor's office in our old community on Feb. 22nd -- he was booked solid, but I was able to see another doctor in the practice about the large red, somewhat itchy patch (eczema?) on my left cheek, and get a prescription (stopped off at the drugstore to have it filled, en route home). (See also: "Buying," below.).
• Returned to our old community on Saturday, Feb. 24th, for haircuts. The salon we go to has merged operations with another salon across the street and moved over there. Normally, we try to get the first available appointment with our regular stylist on Friday morning, and I was aiming for March 1st, six weeks after our last haircuts -- but she was booked solid then -- and Little Great-Niece's first birthday party is on Saturday, March 2nd.  I didn't think I could last until the week after that -- so we wound up going on Saturday afternoon, Feb. 24th. It was very busy in there, and a smaller space than the previous location. 
• Normally I would have worn a mask in this case -- but I've found that masks really irritate the itchy red patch on my left cheek. Ten minutes in & out of  a store, okay, but an hour in a salon? I decided to take the risk and went maskless.  (Knocking wood...!) 

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

Also right now:  

Reading: I finished 2 books in February (reviewed on this blog, as well as Goodreads & StoryGraph, & tagged "2024 books").  (I've been reading a lot of PAGES, but not necessarily finishing many books...! See my "Current reads" list, directly below...!)  

• "Best of Friends" by Kamila Shamsie (the February pick for my Childless Collective Nomo Book Club). (My review.) 
• "A Death in Diamonds" by S.J. Bennett (Her Majesty the Queen Investigates #4). (My review -- check out the comment I got from the author!!) 

This brings me to 6 books read so far in 2024, 13% of my 2024 Goodreads Reading Challenge goal of 45 books.  I am currently 1 book behind my goal.  :( 

Current read(s): 

• "My Effin' Life" by Geddy Lee (of Rush! :)  ) 
• "Bel Lamington" by D.E. Stevenson -- (re)reading and discussing, chapter-by-chapter, with my DES group, as of Jan. 18th. I'll count this as a re-read when we finish in April. (My original review here.) 
• "Anne's House of Dreams" by L.M. Montgomery, a re-read with my LMM Readathon Facebook group, which began Jan. 15th and will run over the next several months. (My original review here.) 
• "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. Currently at about 23% read.  
• "Wolf Hall" by Hilary Mantel.  Simon at Footnotes and Tangents is also hosting a full-year readalong of Hilary Mantel's Thomas Cromwell Trilogy, which also began on Jan. 1st with "Wolf Hall" and a weekly schedule.  (Yes, I'm nuts...)  Currently at about 51% read. We're due to finish this one (and then begin "Bring Up the Bodies") in late April. 
• "L.M. Montgomery and Gender," an essay collection edited by E. Holly Pike & Laura Robinson. Slowly working my way through...! 

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 Improbability of Love" by Hannah Rothschild (April)
• "Queen High/Queen Wallis" by C.J. Carey (May -- my earlier review here). Sequel to "Widowland," which the group read in November 2021 (reviewed here).  Not sure if I'm going to do a re-read (of one or both?) before our discussion begins? 
• "All In" by Billie Jean King (June)
• For my D.E. Stevenson group:  This list of upcoming books should keep us busy through 2024, and well into 2025!  (A couple of the books are ones we covered when I first joined the group back in 2014 -- you know you've been around for a while when....!)  
• Fletcher’s End (sequel to "Bel Lamington," beginning in May) 
• Miss Buncle’s Book
• Peter West 
• Miss Buncle Married
• The Two Mrs Abbotts
• Crooked Adam 
• The Four Graces

• For the Notes from Three Pines (Louise Penny mysteries) Readalong: The last discussion was for book #3, "The Cruellest Month," posted June 7th -- 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 list! 

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

• "The Survivors" by Adam Frankel 
• "The Future" by Naomi Alderman 
• "How to Stand Up to a Dictator" by Maria Ressa 
• "Be My Baby" by Ronnie Spector 
• "What About Men?" by Caitlin Moran
• "Bachelor Girl" by Betsy Israel 
• "Astor" by Anderson Cooper & Katherine Howe 
• "Home Fires" by Donald Katz 
• "Collison of Power" by Martin Baron 
• "This American Ex-Wife" by Lyz Lenz 
• "When Pride Still Mattered" by David Maraniss 
• "Your Movie Sucks" by Roger Ebert 
• "Bring Up the Bodies" by Hilary Mantel 

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

Watching: 

• Season 10 of "Finding Your Roots" on PBS. 
• Two movies and part of a third, back to back to back, from the Jason Bourne series, with Matt Damon, one Saturday afternoon. :)  

Listening: To Heardle Decades: Stats as of  Feb. 29th:   

• Heardle 60s:  76.6% (393/513, 169 on first guess), down just slightly from last month. Max. streak: 15.
• Heardle 70s:  82.5% (212/257, 118 on the first guess), same as last month. Max. streak: 18. 
• Heardle 80s: 43.4% (56/129,  24 on the first guess), down from last month. Max. streak: 4. 
• Heardle 90s: 29.2% (71/243, 14 on the first guess), down from last month. Max. streak: 4. 

Eating/Drinking:  Takeout dinners included McDonalds, chicken souvlaki on a pita, teriyaki chicken rice bowls from the supermarket takeout, and cutlet sandwiches from California Sandwiches (veal with tomato sauce for dh, chicken for me). 

I dusted off my Mom's meatloaf recipe, which I hadn't used in quite a while, and made mini-meatloaves in muffin tins, topped with a tangy Dijon mustard/brown sugar glaze, and served with garlic mashed potatoes and veggies. There were leftovers to put in the freezer for a couple of future dinners, too. Yum!  

We tried a quinoa broccoli salad recipe (gift link) that I found in the New York Times Cooking section -- similar to another quinoa salad we tried before Christmas, that we first had at dh's cousin's house -- and we both really enjoyed it, for one dinner and a couple of lunches too. :)  We used a pouch of President's Choice microwavable quinoa (instead of cooking from scratch), pre-shredded cheddar from a bag, Craisins, and we didn't toast the pecans.  Next time, I would probably chop the broccoli and apple into smaller pieces (dh did the chopping this time around), and I might make & add a little more of the dressing -- loved the tangy-ness! 

Buying (besides books, lol):  

• Presents for Little Great-Niece & Little Great-Nephew, for Valentine's Day, Easter, and Little Great-Niece's 1st birthday (which was Feb. 27th -- party coming up this weekend!). 
• A small jar of Clinique Redness Solutions cream to try (ordered online), to help combat the rosacea and eczema on my face that I've been experiencing lately (likely the result of the very dry air in our condo). :(   It has seemed to help a little. 
• A new filter for our Dyson air purifier/humidifier. We bought this unit in October 2022 and the filter hasn't been replaced yet;  it's now down to 13% capacity, so I figured it was time to get a replacement to have on hand...!  

Wearing: It's been chilly inside as well as outside these past few days (and on & off during the month) -- so long sleeved shirts under a cardigan, socks and slippers have been a must!  

Enjoying:  Being cozy at home when it's chilly and/or snowy or rainy outside. (Albeit sometimes I do go a little stir-crazy...!) 

Noticing:  Lately, it's been staying SLIGHTLY lighter, longer/later. Progress??  

Trying:  Metamucil gummies (!). (Am I old or what??)  At my checkup last fall, my family doctor noted that my cholesterol levels have been gradually rising for the past couple of years. (Uh oh.) It's not at the point where I need medication, yet, but he recommended exercise (sigh...), and increasing my fibre intake. "Try Metamucil," he suggested.  I probably made a face when he said that. My mother has used Metamucil powder in a glass of water for years, for more, ahem, traditional reasons. ;)  I always thought it looked completely disgusting. 

But then I saw an ad for Metamucil gummies, and thought I might be able to handle those. So I've been giving them a try -- and they actually taste pretty good (they're orange flavoured).  ;)  The maximum suggested dosage is up to three gummies, three times a day, with plenty of fluids. I started out with just one and have been gradually increasing the dosage. They advise taking them at least two hours before or two hours after any other medication. I take a blood pressure pill in the morning, and a thyroid pill in the late afternoon/early evening, which makes for some tricky logistics...! I probably won't ever get to the maximum dosage -- and I had to stop taking them temporarily this past week, when my doctor put me on a course of antibiotics to combat the inflammation/eczema on my cheek -- but until that point, I'd worked myself up to two before lunch and one in the evening. It remains to be seen whether they're helping my cholesterol levels...!  

Appreciating:  The sun, when it does shine!  

Wanting: Oddly, I've been wishing there was more snow!  We've had hardly any so far this winter -- and I know, it's not over yet...!  Some people are perfectly happy with the milder winter -- and yes, it's easier for me to wish for snow when I (or dh!) don't have to shovel it!  But this is Canada, it's winter, and this is NOT NORMAL.  :(   (The lack of moisture is also not good for the crops, as any farmer will tell you.)  As I mentioned in this recent post, I've seen several articles recently on this theme -- like this one, and this one -- and there is a real sense of grief and loss developing -- mourning for a vanishing way of life that the children of the future won't get to experience. :(   

Prioritizing:  Hard to know what to prioritize sometimes, with so many things on my to-do list (and more coming at me...!).   

Feeling: Glad that February is over -- but quite aware that winter isn't, yet...! Looking forward to Little Great-Niece's FIRST birthday party this weekend!  :)  NOT looking forward to March break (it's the week of March 11th here) and the inevitable crowds of kids and parents everywhere -- a good week to hunker down at home...!  Exception:  the Monday of break week (March 11th), when we'll be looking after Little Great-Nephew for the day while his parents are at work and his grandparents are en route home from a holiday. :)  (They'll look after him for the rest of the week.) 

#MicroblogMondays: You never know who's reading your blog...!

Check out the comments on my last post, a review of the latest "Her Majesty the Queen Investigates" novel, "A Death in Diamonds."  ;)  

It's not the first time I've had an author drop into my comments (at least, the author of a book not related to childlessness, loss or infertility! lol) -- check out my reviews of "Columbine" (also here),  "Parkland," and "Mastering the Art of Quitting."  

But this is one of my favourite series at the moment, and hearing from the author was an unexpected delight -- particularly when she was so nice in responding to my criticism! (Thanks again, Sophia!)    

On a somewhat related note:  Does anyone remember, years ago, how Elizabeth Edwards, the (late) wife of the Senator and 2008 presidential candidate John Edwards, left a comment on someone's blog? (I can't remember whose, offhand.)  The Edwards lost their teenaged son Wade in a car accident, and apparently she was quite active in some online bereaved parents/grief forums (she also wrote a book about grief). I was reminded of that last night while watching a CNN program on modern political scandals in (pre-Trump era) Washington (!), focused on John Edwards. (Elizabeth died from breast cancer in 2010 at age 61.)        

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