Happy (belated again) New Year 2025!

Another belated Happy New Year! Once again, I was on travel over the holidays, this time for a lovely Mississippi River cruise starting and ending in New Orleans. Fortunately I was not in the Big Easy for the tragic event at the turn of the year. I have no words there....
I should, however, have words about my annual goals, and so off we go!

Progress bar goals
• Read 20,000 pages - Between books and audiobooks, I read nearly 39,000 pages last year. That was 72 books. Well, more than that considering some of them were omnibus editions like Sabaa Tahir's Ember quartet and Susan Cooper's _Dark is Rising_ series. Books ranged from Emily Wilson's translations of the _Iliad_ and _Odyssey_ to Dennis E. Taylor's Bobiverse series. In any case, I'd call it a resounding success
• Lose 25 pounds - Let's just call it for what it is, an Abject failure

Other goals
• Finish one large needlework project - I finished three! Liz Almond's _Save the Stitches_, and two Chatelaines: _Poison Garden_ and _Universe Mandala_, so success.
• Finish one medium or small needlework project - I finished Just Nan's _Christmas Jewel_ in January, for a small success.
• Inventory my crafting supplies - Some attempts at organization, but no inventory yet.
• Complete one yarncrafting project - I completed two: Scheepjes "Book Lovers Wrap" (knit) and Mark Roseboom's "Code of the Rainbow" (crochet). Certainly a success.

Habits
• Drink at least 1.5 litre of water a day - I've been hit or miss with this.
• Continue Duolingo and Lumosity daily exercises - My Duolingo streak has stayed active, but I've missed the occasional day on Lumosity. I need to get that streak going again.
• Do some form of exercise daily - As of this typing, my daily exercise streak is now at 829.
• Make sure the dishes are done daily - i've been doing pretty well with this also.
  

So...obviously there are areas I'm doing well on, and some not so much.
Also not sure why my javascript on the sidebar has stopped working, possibly something on the backend.

Anyway, on to 2025 goals...

Progress bar goals
• Read 25,000 pages - Since I blew away last year's goal now that I'm counting audiobooks as well, I'll increase this from 20,000 to 25,000. I'd like to listen to or read all of Agatha Christie's works this year, which should account for a lot of this.
• Lose 25 pounds - With each year, this gets more important, so I really need to buckle down this year.

Other goals
• Finish two needlework projects, at least one medium or larger - I don't know that I have any active project that I would consider "large", but I do have several medium ones.
• Inventory my crafting supplies - I need to inventory what I have, and possibly cull a bit, and didn't do that this past year. Or the year before...
• Complete one yarncrafting project - Either crochet or knit. This is a good recurring goal, in much the way the reading goal is, and I just started a brioche knit scarf.

Habits
• Drink at least 1.5 litre of water a day - Maybe I should start a streak for this too.
• Continue Duolingo and Lumosity daily exercises
• Do some form of exercise daily
• Make sure the dishes are done daily
  

Here's to a successful 2025!

Happy (belated) New Year 2023!

Happy 2023, somewhat belatedly. As has been the case recently, this past year has been a mixed bag.

The best thing that happened in 2022 was that DH and I took a long-delayed anniversary cruise (originally slated for 2020 and then 2021, but we all know what happened there). We've recently returned, hence the delay in the goal posting. It was a very enjoyable trip.

The worst thing that happened in 2022 was an unexpected major medical event that threw our lives into a tailspin in late summer. Fortunately we're recovering and life is mostly back to normal with some adaptations.

But onward to goals!

Progress bar goals
• Read 10,000 pages - I came in at 11,560 pages, so this was a success.
• Lose 25 pounds - Surprisingly, I've gotten closer than I have in a while, losing 20 (at least, before vacation...). Not *quite* a success, but certainly on the road to victory.

Other goals
• Finish Ink Circles "Blackstone Fantasy Garden" - Success! I finished this in early February.
• Finish reading Neal Stephenson's _Baroque Cycle_ - Success! I finished this in early October.
• Inventory my crafting supplies - Sadly, I didn't get to this.
• Complete one yarncrafting project - Success! Actually, I finished two - one knit and one crochet..

Habits
• Drink at least 1.5 litre of water a day - I've been doing pretty well with this.
• Continue Duolingo and Lumosity daily exercises - Sadly, had some inconsistencies during late summer's difficulties, but I'm back on track.
• Do some form of exercise daily - As above, I got off track during late summer, but have been pursuing this with renewed vigor. Our old treadmill died earlier in the year, but we've gotten a new one.
• Make sure the dishes are done daily - I'm doing pretty well with keeping this up.
  

Overall, I think I actually did relatively well, all things considered. So let's look at 2023...

Progress bar goals
• Read 12,000 pages - Since I've been coming in over 11,000 the past couple years, I'm going to increase this.
• Lose 25 pounds - I made a good start this year, so I want to keep this up.

Other goals
• Finish one large needlework project - I have four large projects in progress, working on one each season. Ink Circles "Castle Walls", my autumn project, is likely to be the one I finish, but we'll see.
• Finish one medium or small needlework project - I have one medium project in the works, but there are a few small ones I'd like to do. I'm leaving the particulars up in the air.
• Inventory my crafting supplies - I need to inventory what I have, and possibly cull a bit, and didn't do that this past year.
• Complete one yarncrafting project - Either crochet or knit. This is a good recurring goal, in much the way the reading goal is.

Habits
• Drink at least 1.5 litre of water a day
• Continue Duolingo and Lumosity daily exercises
• Do some form of exercise daily
• Make sure the dishes are done daily
  

Happy New Year 2022!

At least, I hope it's happy but to be honest I'm almost afraid to say anything. I think we're all looking back at 2021 and wondering "what the (redacted) was that??"

But anyone reading this has survived whatever that was, and so it's time for a retrospective. For the most part, my year was much the same as 2020 - I was able to work from home most of the time, though alas that is ending and I'll be going into the office when I go back after the holidays. I also had an unexpected need for shoulder surgery mid-year, which ultimately went well but did impact my ability to stitch for a while. Some much-anticipated travel plans fell through...again...which is one more reason to give 2021 the stink-eye.

But, I'm still standing. So without further ado, I need to hold myself accountable for last year, and so let's look at my plans, shall we?

Progress bar goals
• Read 10,000 pages - I came in just under 11,800 pages, so this was a success.
• Lose 25 pounds - Sadly, I didn't lose anything. I could blame the pandemic, but I know I need to do better about my health.

Other goals
• Finish Chatelaine's "Walled English Garden" - Success! I finished this in late January.
• Finish Ink Circles "Castle Walls" - I finished the center and one of the quadrants, so I made good progress but nowhere close to finishing.
• Finish the center square on Chatelaine's "Poison Garden" - I made good progress on this after my surgery, but not enough to finish the center square before moving on to other projects.
• Clean up and organize my crafting lair - I didn't finish by Easter as I'd hoped, but I did get it cleaned up and organized. Inventorying what I have is a whole 'nother task.
• Complete one yarncrafting project - Success! I finished a C2C crochet scarf in February, and started a knit wrap.

New Habits
• Drink at least 1.5 litre of water a day - I did well with this most days.
• Continue Duolingo and Lumosity daily exercises My Duolingo streak is technically still active. My Lumosity streak, sadly, is not - I've broken this multiple times this year, so I'm not sure what's going on.
• Do some form of exercise daily - Started off the year strong, but I've been less diligent the latter part of the year. I need to do better.
• Make sure the dishes are done daily - This is working well for me still.
  

Very much a mixed bag of results, but I'm sure many folks can say the same as this pandemic just draaaaags on.

What about this year? I think I'm going to refrain from making too many specific crafting goals and try to enjoy the journey rather than stress about it.

Progress bar goals
• Read 10,000 pages - I made this last year, and I've identified several things I want to read this year, so this should be achievable. If I can make goal for 3 years running, I'll consider increasing this.
• Lose 25 pounds - If I want to stay off any sort of maintenance med, I really need to get a handle on this...

Other goals
• Finish Ink Circles "Blackstone Fantasy Garden" - This was my birthday start last year, and I'd estimate it at about 70% complete. I want to finish this soon-ish so I can start Liz Almond's "Save the Stitches" blackwork sampler as my next birthday start.
• Finish reading Neal Stephenson's _Baroque Cycle_ - This has been on my TBR pile for a while, and I started this last month. It also clocks in at about 4000 pages, so that should help my reading goal.
• Inventory my crafting supplies - Now that my lair is pretty well organized, I need to inventory what I have, and possibly cull a bit.
• Complete one yarncrafting project - Either crochet or knit. This is a good recurring goal, in much the way the reading goal is.

Habits
• Drink at least 1.5 litre of water a day
• Continue Duolingo and Lumosity daily exercises
• Do some form of exercise daily
• Make sure the dishes are done daily - Keeping this up!
  

I guess this year's goals look a lot like last year's goals, and that's ok. Consistency is half the battle.

Happy New Year - 2019

Happy New Year!

A new year is widely considered a time to turn over a new leaf, to set goals or resolutions, and to put the past year behind us. My 2018 wasn't bad, and did have some very fun moments such as the Rhine river cruise, but I think many people are just glad to have 2018 behind us.

I do need to look to the past to see how I did on my goals from last year, though, so here they are:

• Read 10,000 pages - I fell short of this again, only reading 6545 pages, but I did read more than last year.
• Isengard to Minas Tirith - I made it to Minas Tirith with Gandalf and Pippin, and am now halfway to Mount Doom with the Ring.
• Lose 25 pounds - Well....not even close, and actually went negative on this goal.

Another lackluster showing, I'm afraid. It's a new year, though, so here are this year's goals.

• Read 10,000 pages - Even though I've failed to meet this goal the past two years, I don't believe it's unreasonable, and so I'm retaining it as is.
• Walk Rauros to Mt. Doom - Halfway there, so this should be an easy completion. I'll follow it by walking with Aragorn from Minas Tirith to the Morannon and back.
• Lose 25 pounds - Another failure that I really need to keep as a goal, and devote more effort to completion.

I do have some goals that aren't well-suited to progress bars, so I have a separate list. More goals may get added as the year goes by.

• Finish Teresa Wentzler's "Fantasy Triptych" - I'm aiming for the end of the month.
• Finish Chatelaine's "Violet Mandala" - I hope to finish this by the end of May.
• Clean up and organize my crafting lair - I hope to finish this by Easter (21 April)
• Complete one yarncrafting project - I don't know whether it will be crochet or knit, but I do have a number of things kitted and I need to start doing more than just hoarding yarn.

In terms of habits I want to establish, maintain, or break:

• Drink at least 1 litre of water a day
• Do Duolingo and Lumosity exercises every day
• Stop following stupid clickbait listicles that erode my faith in humanity

I've discovered an app called Habitica that I'm hoping will keep me on track with my goals and habits.

This year will probably also be heavy on introspection in general, since I'll hit a milestone birthday early next year. In the meantime, it's time for me to buckle up and enjoy this ride!

Monday miscellany - 12Nov2018

Forgive me, reader - it's been 5 weeks since my last update.

Life has been busy, although mostly in good ways. Since my last update, DH and I have been on a lovely two-week vacation to Europe. One week of that was a Rhine river cruise on Uniworld (highly recommended), followed by a few days knocking about the Netherlands and Belgium. I may write more about it later, but right now I'm still fighting an unplanned and unwanted souvenir in the form of a head cold. Fortunately I was able to get some good medicine overseas and other than keeping DH awake with my congested snoring, it didn't slow me down much. Now that we're back home, it's taken more of a toll on me but I hope that I'm on the mend.

Anyway, on to the update!

What I've been reading.... Travel is usually good for a reading binge, and this time was no exception. I finished _Straight Outta Tombstone_, and have also read Shirley Jackson's classic _The Haunting of Hill House_, Brandon Sanderson's _Legion: The Many Lives of Stephen Leeds_, and a short story collection edited by Ellen Datlow called _Haunted Nights_.
My current read is Evangeline Walton's _Mabinogion Tetralogy_, and I'm about 40% through. I've had it for years and somehow it had never bubbled its way to the top of my TBR pile despite my love of mythology. I'm familiar with many of the stories, but Walton's treatment really does bring them to life.

What I've been stitching... I've made some progress on Fantasy Triptych over the past 5 weeks, but nothing significant. I don't usually travel with larger stitching projects, so it's been several weeks since I've picked up a needle. I did finish a small crocheted throw for DD, but that's about it.

Fumbling toward fitness There have been some good weeks and some stumbles. I did clock about 42 miles of walking while we were in Europe, for an average of 3 miles a day, so that's a positive development. Hopefully I can keep up the increased activity level, once I've recuperated from this cold.
On the mental fitness front, my Duolingo streak is still going strong, but losing track of time one night cost me a 285-day Lumosity streak, and I haven't yet managed to get back on track with that.

One Little Victory We had gotten a call the week before our trip that there was a chance the ship might not be able to sail the entire path due to the Rhine being at record lows. We went anyway, and saw enough rain on the trip to be able to make the entire voyage. And it was spectacular.

Monday miscellany - 1Oct2018

The months fly past at an increasing rate, it seems, and October is already upon us.

I’ve been doing some thinking over the past week about my recent lack of success with exercise goals, and have come to the conclusion that I need to restructure some things. Rather than committing to treadmilling every day and Curves every weekday that they’re open, I’m going to start by setting a somewhat ‘modest’ goal of 200 minutes a week between those two things (or any other exercise). Once I’ve had 3 consecutive weeks of meeting that goal, I’ll increase it to maybe 210 or 225, and just keep progressing upward from there. This gives me a bit more flexibility to adapt to busy days, illness, travel, or all those other little bits of life that play havoc with best-laid plans.

Speaking of best-laid plans, off to the updates!

What I’ve been reading…. I read Brian McClellan’s novella “War Cry”, and have started _Straight Outta Tombstone_, a collection of short-stories set in the Wild West with a sci-fi or fantasy twist to them. I’ve been enjoying it so far.

What I’ve been crafting… I finished the central square on Chatelaine’s “Violet Mandala”, and have set that aside for a while. I’m about to pick up Teresa Wentzler’s “Fantasy Triptych” again – I only have the castle panel remaining, and will continue work on that until I’ve finished. After all of the over-1 violets I stitched last month, this should go a bit more quickly.

Fumbling toward fitness… After the decision to revisit my exercise goals, I did succeed the first week of it, with 201 minutes total. I went by Curves 4 times and made up the balance on the treadmill. Short story collections do seem to help my treadmilling!
My Lumosity and Duolingo streaks are still going strong, but I've not had much of an issue with that.

One Little Victory I achieved my 800th workout at Curves! Also, UCF is now 4-0 and has a 17-game win streak. Go Knights!

Monday miscellany - 27Aug2018

Ugh. Nothing like coming home after a long workday and a workout to find out that it's 84 degrees in the house because the A/C wasn't running. Fortunately rebooting it seems to have it working again, and it's finally starting to cool down.

What I've been reading... I don't think I read much, if any, this week, so I'm still very early in _Kill the Farm Boy_.

What I've been crafting... I used some leftover yarn to crochet a small blanket for DD's dog, to ride along with the framed piece I made last week. I've started working on the bottom band of the round-robin I mentioned last week, and hope to finish it this week before moving on to Violet Mandala.

Fumbling toward fitness... I did well at Curves last week, making it all 5 weekdays, and my Duolingo and Lumosity streaks continue to tick ever upwards. Treadmilling, well, that's another matter. I only did 3 days due to various excuses, and that's also reflected in my lack of reading this past week. I'm going to try to better on that this week, starting with tonight....once the inside temperature is down to something reasonable!

One Little Victory The tropics have been blissfully quiet for us so far this season, and nothing is coming up in the next few days. (Now, I hope I haven't jinxed us by saying that!)

Monday miscellany - 20Aug2018

Another fairly quiet week here, but quiet is good.

What I've been reading... I started _Kill the Farm Boy_ by Delilah Dawson and Kevin Hearne, that purports to be a satire of common fantasy tropes. I'm only a chapter or two in, but it's promising so far.

What I've been stitching... I finished Needle Delights "Rainbow 2" and already have it framed and ready for its intended recipient. It was a very quick stitch, even on black canvas. Next up is to put the final band on my round-robin that I got back early this year, then I'll move back to Chatelaine "Violet Mandala", although that may not be this week....

Fumbling toward fitness... Probably closer to a faceplant than a fumble. I did make it by Curves on four weekdays, but also only treadmilled 4 days. I need to do better this week.

One Little Victory I got a chance to try Dogfish Head's Fruit-full Fort, a tasty berry-loaded beer that reminded me of a quad, a port, and a barleywine at various points while I was drinking it. It's also a bit of a heavy-hitter, coming in at 18%, so it's definitely one for sipping and savoring.

Monday miscellany - 13Aug2018

It's summer in Florida, with much heat and rain but blissfully no tropical activity, so I'll head straight into the update...

What I've been reading... I finished Brian McClellan's _Wrath of Empire_ late yesterday evening, so I need to decide what to read next. McClellan hasn't written the sequel to Wrath yet, so I'll probably hit one of the short story collections on my Kindle.

What I've been stitching... I finished Ink Circles "Dark Shards" on Saturday, and started Needle Delights "Rainbow 2", a small canvaswork piece that is proving a quick stitch.

Fumbling toward fitness... I'm still fumbling along. I made it by Curves 4 times last week, and treadmilled 6 out of 7 days. Not perfect, but neither complete slacking. At least my Duolingo and Lumosity streaks are intact!

One Little Victory We found a great new takeaway seafood place near us, and I foresee future visits. I especially enjoyed their shrimp and grits!

Monday miscellany - 6Aug2018

My DD came for a short visit over the weekend - it was good to see her and her little dog again. It was a good start to a new month.

What I've been reading... I'm up to 90% on _Wrath of Empire_, partly because it was easier to read than stitch with a dachshund in my lap! I should finish this week, and I'll need to decide what to read next.

What I've been stitching... I didn't quite finish Dark Shards, but I estimate I've only 3 hours to go, so that should definitely happen this week. Next up is a small canvaswork piece, Needle Delights "Rainbow 2".

Fumbling toward fitness... I made it by Curves all 5 weekdays, and treadmilled 6 out of 7 days. I've been doing well with continuing to track my meals in MyFitnessPal, which is continually proving an educational experience. Duolingo and Lumosity streaks are going strong.

One Little Victory Having a nice visit with DD and doggo was the highlight of the week, and it's a victory to see her leveling up in adulting.

Monday miscellany - 30July2018

Another rainy Monday, typical for a Florida summer.

What I've been reading... I'm at 71% in _Wrath of Empire_, and continuing to enjoy it when I have taken time to read.

What I've been stitching... Dark Shards is coming along, and I estimate I'm at about 90%. I'm hoping to finish this week.

Fumbling toward fitness... I made it by Curves 4 times again last week, and actually managed to treadmill every day. I'm hoping to better my mileage next week. Duolingo and Lumosity streaks are still going strong, and I am becoming more diligent about tracking in MyFitnessPal. Although admittedly I don't always stay under my calorie goal, but I'm working on that...

One Little Victory I was feeling drained after work and didn't really feel like going for a workout, but I did anyway. Small victory of the will!

Monday miscellany - 23July2018

I'm not sure how Monday has arrived again so quickly!

What I've been reading... I've made some progress on _Wrath of Empire_, and am now at 64%.

What I've been stitching... Dark Shards is continuing to come along well. I estimate I'm probably around 80% complete.

Fumbling toward fitness... Well, despite my predictions of doing better than last week...I stayed the same. I made it by Curves 4 times and treadmilled 5, and Duolingo and Lumosity streaks are still going strong. I have been consistent at logging my food and exercise in MyFitnessPal, and I think my eating choices are improving. So there's that.

One Little Victory The black coffee experiment seems to be going pretty well. I think my consumption has slowed a little, but not significantly.

Monday miscellany - 16July2018

Things are relatively quiet here, and I'm starting to get back into my routine.

What I've been reading... I've made some progress in McClellan's _Wrath of Empire_, and am now 59% through by my Kindle's reckoning.

What I've been stitching... Not too much stitching this week, but I have made some progress on Dark Shards.

Fumbling toward fitness... A marked improvement over last week - I made it by Curves 4 times and treadmilled 5 days. That's not fully up to routine, but I'm working on it. I have kept up with Duolingo and Lumosity, so those streaks are going strong.
I've been doing MyFitnessPal for over a week and have started to make small changes - the most notable being trying to drink my morning coffee black. It's a bit of a change for someone who 'likes a little coffee in her cream', but I figure that either I'll learn to like black coffee, or I'll drink less coffee and more tea. Either outcome would be an improvement over the ridiculous amount of calories I've been adding lately.

One Little Victory We found a very small craft brewery just a few blocks from home, and visited their taproom yesterday. We'll definitely be back.

Monday miscellany - 9July2018

The one downside of vacationing away is that in a sense you need a vacation to recover, especially when you have laundry and other tasks to catch up on. We're pretty much caught up now, though.

What I've been reading... I don't think I've read at all for leisure the past week, so I'm still about 45% through _Wrath of Empire_.

What I've been stitching... Now stitching, I did do, and am continuing to make good progress on Dark Shards. I'm hoping to finish this month, which seems an achievable goal.

Fumbling toward fitness... Much fumbling, little fitness. I didn't make it by Curves or on the treadmill last week. I've already made it by Curves today, though, so I'm already ahead for this coming week. I'm still keeping up my Duolingo and Lumosity streaks, though. I've also started using the MyFitnessPal app again as of today, so hopefully that will be as helpful as the last time I used it regularly.

One Little Victory For the Fourth, we watched the Boston Pops on the Bloomberg channel. Their coverage was almost as good as A&E's used to be back in the day, and far better than when the major networks were covering it. Also, Rhiannon Giddens has an amazing voice, and I had never heard of her before last week.

Monday miscellany - 2July2018

It's a bit hard to believe that the year is half over already.

There was no update last week because DH and I were on vacation. I had a long weekend in Phoenix visiting with stitching friends, then we spent a wonderful week in Austin visiting his sister and her family. We enjoyed the visit and having downtime, as well as plentiful samplings of Austin's best food and craft brews.

Back to the grind today, however, and back to my normal routine.

What I've been reading... Flying almost always provides me ample time to read, and I read Brian McClellan's short story "The Siege of Tilpur", Brian Staveley's _Skullsworn_, and Jim Butcher's _Brief Cases_. I'm now about 45% through Brian McClellan's _Wrath of Empire_, the second book in his second Powder Mage trilogy.

What I've been stitching... Visiting stitching friends meant a fair bit of stitching time, and I'm now about 2/3 through Ink Circles "Dark Shards".

Fumbling toward fitness Being on vacation meant there wasn't much fitness happening, although I probably did manage to drink a litre of water every day. My Duolingo and Lumosity streaks are still going strong, so there's that.

One Little Victory Austin has some really neat craft breweries, ciderworks, and meaderies. Our favorite brewery visit this trip was to 4th Tap Brewing - all of their beers were great, and we really loved the vibe.

Monday miscellany - 18June2018

Another drive-by blogging this week. It's been pretty hot here and we've had a couple of power hits the past week, which is a bit annoying but typical for summer in Florida.

What I've been reading... I did indeed start and finish Brian McClellan's novella "The Mad Lancers", which was another entertaining foray into the Powder Mage universe. I also read Brandon Sanderson's novella "Snapshot", a futuristic detective story. Up next is another Powder Mage short story, "The Siege of Tilpur", then I'll start Brian Staveley's _Skullsworn_.

What I've been stitching... I'm continuing to make steady progress on Ink Circles "Dark Shards", and am enjoying working on it.

Fumbling toward fitness... I made it by Curves all 5 weekdays last week and did treadmill for at least 20 minutes every day, coming in about a mile short of last update's mark but still fairly steady. Duolingo and Lumosity streaks still going strong, at 166 and 163 days respectively.

One Little Victory I've added drinking at least 1 litre of water every day to my routine, and so far I've kept it up for a week straight. I probably should start tracking that under my fitness goal....

Monday miscellany - 11June2018

All quiet on the eastern front (or at least the eastern coast), so straight into status this week!

What I've been reading... Late last night I finished my visit with Father Brown. It was an enjoyable read. Next up is Brian McClellan's novella _The Mad Lancers_, which I should start, and finish, this week.

What I've been stitching...Dark Shards is stitching up quickly, especially when I'm making a dent in the DVR backlog.

Fumbling toward fitness... Much better this week - I made it by Curves every weekday, *and* treadmilled at least 20 minutes every day for a total of 9.5 miles. My Duolingo and Lumosity streaks are also still going strong. I'm going to try to achieve a similar result this week, because this is the pace I really want/need to be keeping.

One Little Victory I discovered Friday that BBC America would air a number of older X-Files episodes over the weekend, so I set up my DVR to catch them. Since X-Files is an older show, there's no need to record it in HD, so I set them to record in SD and watched down some of the HD recordings of other shows.

Monday miscellany - 4June2018

Not sure how it got to be June, and the start of hurricane season, already. Time certainly flies.

What I've been reading... I spent some time with Father Brown over the week, and am now on page 637 of 761.

What I've been stitching... I've spent some time on Ink Circles "Dark Shards", mostly while watching playoff hockey or catching up on Timeless. It's a fun stitch, and after all the dark fabric of Nativity, much easier on my eyes.

Fumbling toward fitness... I made it by Curves 4 times last week, Monday being the exception because it was closed for Memorial Day. I even managed to treadmill 4 times, which is better than the past few weeks, but not exactly great. My Duolingo and Lumosity streaks are still intact, so at least one muscle is getting exercised....

One Little Victory This past weekend was the 1-year anniversary of my daughter adopting her beloved mini-dachshund, and he's gone from a scrawny and skittish little guy to such a loving, mischievous, spoiled bratwurst who we all adore. Rescue dogs are the best dogs.

Monday miscellany - 28May2018

After working on it off and on for over 6 years, I have finally finished the MarBek Nativity! I finished the camel Saturday night. I stopped tracking hours on my large projects once I came to the realization that the tracking was impacting my stitching, so I don't have a good estimate, but 750 hours is probably a reasonable guess. Anyway, I'm glad to have finally completed and I'm very happy with the final result. Pics are up on my Facebook page, but better ones may come later here.

What I've been reading... I haven't read much, but I did have a short visit with Father Brown, reaching page 570 of 761.

What I've been stitching... Now that Nativity is finished, I've started Ink Circles "Dark Shards", which is working up fairly quickly.

Fumbling toward fitness... The fumbling continues. My Lumosity and Duolingo streaks continue on, and I did make it by Curves 4 times last week, but I'm still very spotty with the treadmill. I have already done so today, at least, so hopefully I can keep it up the rest of the week.

One Little Victory Besides the obvious rejoicing at completing Nativity, we saw our daughter for lunch Saturday. It was good to visit with her and her boyfriend, and we're happy that she's doing well in her summer term so far.

Monday miscellany - 21May2018

We're just coming off a wonderful long weekend spent down in Key West. DH and I went down this past Thursday night for a concert - Styx and Blue Öyster Cult as a double bill, which was every bit as awesome as one might expect. When the concert was first announced, we decided to just make a long weekend of it, since I'd never been to the Keys before despite living in Florida the past 27 years, and DH had only ever been on business.

As long as we were there, we visited the Hemingway House, Ripley's, the Little White House, Fort Taylor, and a number of very good food and drink establishments both in Key West and along our route. We ended our time in Key West with Mass at St Mary Star of the Sea. Local legend holds that as long as its grotto, built in 1922, still stands, Key West will be spared the worst of hurricane damage. That legend has held up so far, including Irma last year - Key West got off very lightly considering Irma made landfall only 20 miles east, so perhaps there is something to the legend. All in all, we had a wonderful time in the Keys, and will likely go back someday.

What I've been reading... I did bring my Kindle with me, and so Father Brown did accompany us, although I didn't spend much time in his company - I'm on page 539 of 761.

What I've been stitching... I didn't stitch at all over the past week, and so didn't quite reach my goal of finishing the camel by Pentecost, but I am within a couple hours of doing so, and with a long weekend coming up, I expect to have completed it by next update.

Fumbling toward fitness... I did continue my Duolingo and Lumosity streaks, but I neither went to Curves nor treadmilled last week. According to Google Maps, though, we walked about 8 miles over our trip, not counting time on our feet inside museums. Hemingway's polydactyl cats may not care about the "Do not sit on the furniture" signs, but we obeyed them.

One Little Victory Despite the heavy rains besieging much of Florida, we had wonderful weather while we were out and about in Key West - we only saw rain on the way there and as we were departing.