In the last post I hopefully pointed to signs of spring -- melted snow, being the biggie. Well, I knew it would be back, and it was. Not a lot, so I'm not really complaining. I've seen what those in the East are going through. At least the sun has been out (sometimes!) so that's a plus. (And let's be honest -- since I started this post, it has pretty much melted again -- at this moment, it is 54, light snow predicted for today! February and March are always so erratic!)
It's been quite a couple of weeks. To be honest, I'm getting a little tired of it all! But the best part was Valentine's Day! Rick pulled out all the stops -- a terrific gift and a dinner to die for with wonderful wine!
The main course? My all-time favorite, shrimp and grits! He knows me well!
My great grandfather (my mother's maternal grandfather), William S. Wood, was born at sea in 1850 and raised in Buffalo, NY. By the 1880s he had cut out a career for himself in the booming confectionery business in the city.
Because of Buffalo's location and the advent of the Erie Canal, the city was known for its confectioneries, with more than 126 retailers and 13 wholesalers by 1888. William S. Wood started at the bottom in the 1870s and worked his way into a factory management position at Sibley and Holmwood.
It's still mid February and while I don't want to wish time away, boy -- it seems like a long month! At least we've had some fun -- and fun things to look forward to!
Rick was so desperate for good skiing that he headed north to spend some time with Greg, then kept going up to Sault Ste. Marie Canada, (aka The Soo). He found a spot he thought was heaven on earth.
It's time for another Cork Poppers post! This time we met at my house and our theme was "Where in the World Would You Like to Be Right Now." That opened up a lot of options for wines from about every country you could imagine and we had a few -- New Zealand, Spain and Italy!
I had high hopes for January reading and ended up with four books, three mysteries and one novel. I did clock in a lot of pages -- most were pretty big. But more important, they were good, too.
Today is Nicole's Friday Face-Off portrait challenge, in which we share portraits we have done of another. Now, if I was really doing this right, it would be something more recent than these. But, as they say, "it's been a month" (or two). So a couple of oldies. I'll kick it off with Rick. (All of these were done in watercolor on paper.)
Greetings from the Polar Vortex. Chances are if you live most places in the US, you are in it, too.
We are in the midst of a deep freeze here -- definitely not my favorite kind of weather but when you live in Michigan, you have to experience this now and then. But this is pretty extreme! When I was a kid, I don't remember them ever closing school because it was too cold. Even snow days were rare and it seemed we had more then than now.
The past week has been mostly a "friend" week with several lunches and dinners out. I've been short of companionship during the past couple of months -- self-imposed, to be sure. But now feeling good enough to enjoy the company of others. And, on top of that, my weight-lifting and arm-raising instructions have been lifted so can get back to doing things around the house I'd neglected.
I was so surprised and delighted when, on my "liberation day," Rick showed up with a dozen beautiful peachy roses. They've held up so well and I love them!
Well, I've been here before. A slow month. I could write about a lot of health things or political topics but I don't want to and you probably don't want to read them. So, it's back to revisiting the travel photo archive!
Finally -- an overview of the books I read in 2025. This was a far better reading year than I expected, with a grand total of 73 books read in 2025. Those books represented 20,573 pages. (The total books was a record since I started recording books in 2002, pages a bit short of 2022's 21,994.)
Last year's totals were 47 books and 4947 pages, so it was a great improvement!
I've listed my Top Ten (or so) below, all books by category/genre following. Please note that because something didn't get in the top ten, didn't mean it wasn't good. It might have just meant that it was part of a series and the series should be considered as a whole.
Links under the titles of each book are to my book review posts from last year with more detail about each one. I didn't include many of the mystery series I love so much here because it felt a bit redundant, but many of those would be in my favorites!The calendar has turned over and I'm doing my best to turn over with it! Some recent doc appointments have brought about some medication changes and I'm feeling much improved! What a relief! And nothing like a pretty fruit arrangement to really make your day!
I've been spending a lot of time at the computer lately, looking at old photos. No, not for blogging. Not even to delete the bad ones (of which there are plenty.) It is to add my own photos to the Aura photo frame that Kevin and Molly gave me for Christmas which is high on my "best gift ever" list. (Left: Covid days/egg hunt; Right: Good times in England)
Recently, the New York Times had an article about seven reflection questions to ask yourself that might help you have a happier new year in 2026. I enjoyed these -- they were good food for thought.
Being at the lake always makes me feel more joyful and carefree. There is usually no schedule and you can't beat the environment!
I guess I read a bit more than anticipated in December, wrapping up the year with mostly mysteries, which are my "comfort food," along with one dearly loved re-read. (OK, I read that book one chapter a month but I finished this month!) Five books -- I'll take it. And they were all worth the time.
