Life: It Goes On - February 14

Happy Valentine's Day - a day to celebrate love of all kinds, I think, not just a day to celebrate having a significant other. After 36 years of being together, we don't do much to celebrate any more; we'll grab a bite to eat at one of our favorite Chinese places but it's not at all a fancy place and exchange more practical gifts than we did long ago. Will you be doing something special today?

As I was working on my calendar into March yesterday, I realized that we are just one month away from Daylight Savings Time. I know a lot of you don't like it but this girl lives for it. It's been so cloudy and grey here all winter in the mornings that we haven't even benefited from early light. I can't wait!

This Week I'm:

Listening To: Music-wise, a lot of Post Modern Jukebox; as for podcasts, I'm almost caught up with this season's Serial; and Thursday I started listening to Winifred Watson's Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day which I am thoroughly enjoying.

Watching: Well, the Super Bowl, of course. I was in a room full of Denver Broncos fans so there was a lot of cheering. I was happy for a good game and a room full of "my" kids. This weekend, The Big Guy and I have watched "The Martian" and "Bridge of Spies." We really enjoyed both of them a lot. Both Matt Damon (The Martian) and Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies) gave terrific performances.

Reading: I finished Janice Y. K. Lee's The Expatriates on Friday and am working to finish up the two Sherlock Holmes novellas we're reading for book club this week: A Study In Scarlet and The Hound of the Baskervilles. After that, I'll start My Name is Lucy Barton. I've got several Netgalley downloads that will publish in March so I'll probably be working on them for the next couple of weeks.

Making: BG made a couple of pizzas this week, including one using leftover Buffalo Chicken Dip; crab linguine, and some hot ham and cheese sandwiches. We've had sandwiches like these from a local restaurant and decided to try making them at home. If I had remembered to half the butter topping they wouldn't be overwhelmed by poppy seeds but otherwise they were a big hit with the whole family.


Planning: With the start of Lent also came the start of the annual 40 Bags In 40 Days event. I, of course, completely spaced starting on Wednesday. Sundays are supposed to be days off but I'll be using today to get caught up and put together a plan of attack for the rest of the time. With four of us in the house again this year, I don't think I'll have any problem getting rid of 40 bags of stuff. Which is a little horrifying considering I work year round to try to keep clutter down.

Grateful for: Being an old dog who is able to learn new tricks. We've been making some changes at work lately and there are a lot of my co-workers who are digging in their heels. I'm not a big fan of change but it is inevitable and the way you've been doing something for 20 years isn't necessarily the best way any more.

Enjoying: The antics of our cats. Had to really keep our eyes on our big guy last Sunday; he kept trying to grab food off the table. At one point I caught him trying to hide under the table cloth, ready to launch a sneak attack! Next party: 1) remember to move the chairs away from the table and 2) keep the meat and salty foods away from the edges. This crazy cat loves crackers and chips!

Horses out on the town - dashboard cam

Feeling: A little bit shook by quite a few violent events relatively close to what we've always considered a "safe" part of town. I know violence can strike any where but when rapid gunfire wakes you up at 1:30 in the morning, it's too close to home. Oddly, that same night, four horses got loose from a nearby acreage and went wandering through neighborhoods and down major streets...followed by cruisers. Talk about a slow speed chase!

Looking forward to: Book club this week. I'm putting together some things for this month's meeting to try to keep us on topic for a better part of the get-together. If you're part of our group reading this, get ready for a quiz about Sherlock Holmes!

Question of the week: Are you a saver or someone who would join the 40 Bags In 40 Days challenge?  I don't say "hoarder" because I don't necessarily think that people who like to save things are necessarily hoarders. I'd say you've crossed the line into hoarding when you've started having to create paths through your stuff or you've lost a cat in your house. I hope none of your fall into that category!