Life: It Goes On - February 20

Happy Sunday! Guys, February is almost over. As in, we're almost two months into 2022 already. But also, we've almost survived winter! Although we've had a pretty easy winter - not once have I had to drive on dangerous roads to get to work; not once have I heard that crunchy packing peanuts sound as I drive over super cold pack snow; not once have I had to walk out to my car , afraid that I'm going to slip on the ice and wipe out. To be honest, I might actually have enjoyed winter more if it had snowed more, if I would have looked out my windows more often and seen all of the brown covered in fluffy white stuff. I do see some of you out there glorying in all things winter. 

Last Week I: 

 Listened To: Eight Hundred Grapes by Laura Dave. Next up is China Achebe's Things Fall Apart, which is on my list of modern classics to read. 

Watched: Psshh, you already know the answer to this. 

Read: Jamie Ford's The Many Daughters of Afong Moy. I'm about 30% into it and the jury's still out. Each chapter is about what I presume to be a descendant of Afong Moy but nothing is tying them all together now and it's hard to get into a new person's story after you've just become invested in a different person's story. 

Made: Shrimp and roasted tomato pasta, vegetable beef soup, pot roast, and a lot of salads. We're starting to get the hang of this new way of eating but we're still working on a good way to balance our calories throughout the day. Still, we're learning that we can eat whatever we want, drink some wine, and still manage to lose weight which is a pretty good incentive to keep going. 

Enjoyed: Time with family and friends. Miss H came in for the weekend, Big Guy's brother and his wife were in Lincoln this weekend, as was my sister's husband - we got a chance to see all of them yesterday.

This Week I’m:  

Planning: The world's longest hunt for a new sofa continues. People keep giving BG ideas about new places to look (I'll deal with all of you later!). It has consumed entirely too much of my time and I've fallen behind around the house. It's time to get a sofa ordered and to get this place back into shape so that's what's on the agenda this week. 

Edwidge Danticat in conversation at 
Creighton University

Thinking About: I forgot to tell you last week that I'd virtually joined a book discussion with author Edwidge Danticat. I've been thinking a lot about how she writes about hope, despite her books dealing with some very heavy themes. I've picked up a couple of her books from the library that I'm hoping to get to soon. 

Feeling: Old. I've been battling some sciatic pain for the past couple of weeks and I'm not a fan. 

Looking forward to: Book club this week. I need to decide today where we'll meet. With Covid numbers down around here, we may be ready to meet in person again. 

Question of the week: You know how much I love the Olympics but after I watched the conclusion of the women's figure skating the other night, and the devastation and emotional toll it took on those young ladies, I'm having problems resolving my feelings about the games. Did you watch that event? What did you think about the way the cameras stayed with those poor girls afterward and how it affected them?