Random Musings

Here are some random Sunday musings for you!

We are in a heat wave here in New England! It seems like just yesterday everyone (including me) was complaining about the cold and now....::bam!:: We've gone straight into full-blown summer. Mother Nature occasionally withholds spring from us New Englanders, which is a major bummer. [see meme below for proof 😀)

photo credit

When I can't have spring outside, I make it happen inside! 

I love seeing this candle in the master bath every time I go in there. Mind you, I could do without the scent, but the container is so springy and bright and makes me happy. And apparently my happiness can be bought for a whopping $5.97 (pre-clearance.)

Speaking of things that make me happy. These are AH-mazing:

Granted, I'm the only one in the house that things they're ah-mazing, but hey...more for me. 

Related, these are also ah-mazing (do you see a flavor pattern forming here?):

What else? We are in trip planning mode here, although it seems to have calmed down a bit. The flurry of list-making & research happened in mid/late April. Last year we went to Savannah for our anniversary and this year we talked about a California trip (LA/San Diego) or Vegas/Grand Canyon. 

You can see what won out. It took a bit of convincing myself that there were enough non-gambling activities in Vegas to make it worthwhile. Not that I don't enjoy slots, but I don't think I'd do well in debtor's prison. 😂

And yes, I am old school. I get Fodor's (or Frommer's) guides out of the library to do planning. It's just how my brain works (apparently I have a 90-year old brain in my 54-year old body.) We have our Vegas hotel booked (Mandalay Bay) and our Grand Canyon hotel booked (Maswik Lodge). Watching flight prices (hoping we can use credit card rewards to book) and still need to book our rental car for the Grand Canyon portion of the trip and a hotel at the airport the night before we leave. Oh and restaurants! We need to make our reservations, especially for our anniversary dinner. Since John is a sangria lover, considering Jaleo. Any and all recommendations appreciated!

It seems as though there are lots of exciting sports events happening....none of which I'm interested in...lol. 

• Congrats to the Knicks on their NBA championship!
• Stanley Cup Game 6 is tonight. Carolina is up 3-2 against Vegas. I have no horse in this race, but some minor connections- my dad enjoyed watching Carolina's Sebastian Aho play and former Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy was Vegas' coach until March when he was fired.
• World Cup soccer is happening in Massachusetts. I know Scotland beat Haiti and beyond that? 

2026 In Review ... 60 Days In

March 1st already, people! Can you believe it? Personally, I can't. Especially since there's still a ton of snow on the ground here (and it was flurrying earlier today. 🙄) Let's see what's been going on so far this year...

In the world of reading, I have stopped reading TWO books already. This is a lot for me. I *maybe* stop reading one book per year, if that. 

I'm sure these are great books, but just not for me and not now. I read maybe 50 pages of each and decided that was enough. They're both pretty heavy topics (Nazis and Columbine) and honestly, they're a bit too close to present day reality. I think I've come to the point in my life where I want to read books that make me laugh and smile, for the most part. (A perk of aging!?!)

The weather's been ridiculous. I feel like we're paying for the last few winters when we didn't get much snow at all. There's only one "person" in this house that enjoys the snow. Here's a hint: he has four legs.

Now if only we could teach him to use the snowblower vs. project managing his father.

I will say it looks beautiful on the trees, though.

What else? I'm loving Spindrift sparkling water. I've tried to wean myself off of soda (and I've been successful for the most part) but still need something flavored that isn't caffeinated (if I drink a Diet Coke or an iced tea at lunch I'm up until 2AM 👎). I tried seltzer but it's a bit "harsh" for me (for lack of a better term.) Then I found Spindrift sparkling water. No caffeine. No fake sugar and very little added sugar. I love the Berry Belli-no, the Island Punch, and the Cosnopolitan. Highly recommend!

We just finished watching THE most hilarious series- How to Get to Heaven from Belfast on Netflix. If you loved Derry Girls, you'll love this new series by the same creator/writer, Lisa McGee. Trust me. There are some familiar faces from Derry Girls in the series, but it's altogether a different type of story. The main thing that connects them is the humor. The religious humor is some of the best. Go watch it. Now!

Is it Spring yet? 😆

Can You Meet Your Doppelganger Sight Unseen?

I am here to tell you that YES- you can!

(Before I launch into this long overdue blog post, Happy New Year...and happy all of the holidays that I've missed since my last post!)

Let's get back to the topic at hand- meeting your doppelganger without seeing them.

My reading goal for 2025 was 72 books- and I met that goal! The last book I read to round out the year was Fifty Acres and a Poodle by Jeanne Marie Laskas. I'd not read anything by her previously and didn't know much about her other than she'd written a few other books and had written for prestigious magazines (New Yorker, Atlantic, Esquire). 

My friend Andrea (we seem to be on the same wavelength about a lot of books) said she'd read it a long time ago and enjoyed it, so I was looking forward to ending the year on a high note.

In a nutshell, the book is the tale of Ms. Laskas and her partner (who has a poodle- but it's a standard poodle, not "...one of those little yappy things..." as is frequently repeated throughout the book) and their quest to leave the city of Pittsburgh and live on a farm (fifty acres) and all that entails. 

After reading this paragraph on page two, I texted Andrea and told her I was convinced I'd picked the right book:

"In fact, I was a person who liked to go to the mall. I was a person who had no conflict about liking to go to the mall...I used Clinique products on my skin, mainly because I was a sucker for the free stuff you could get during Clinique Bonus Time. I had a formidable tower of Stouffer's Lean Cuisine in my freezer, and I harbored little or no fear of processed foods. I believed very deeply in the power of air conditioning, microwave ovens, and very many things you plug in."

I love the mall! When we bought our house, I told John I'd rather border a mall than a state forest! (This is somewhat of a misnomer...I haven't been to a mall in ages. It's more that I have an affinity for shopping. My mall loving days were in high school and college.)

I've used Clinique skin products since college.

I've eaten a LOT of frozen food in my time. I'm not a great cook, so while I was in college/lived on my own, I frequently ate hot pockets, Stouffer's, etc...

The next paragraph? She talks about the TV show Green Acres! I'm sold! She says how she has a "farm dream" not unlike Oliver and Lisa in the 60's TV comedy (hence the foundation of the book.) She finds herself singing the theme song...which admittedly, I often do.

The similarities continue...

Her partner Alex has two children from his previous marriage- a boy and a girl (samesies).

She and Alex get married on...September 13th! (This is when things got real for me and started to freak me out a bit- that's John's and my wedding date.)

As I was making my way through the book, I told John the similarities and how crazy it was. I even said, "They have two dogs, but neither is a Golden." 

Next chapter?

You guessed it- they get a third dog and it's half Golden Retriever!

So, while there are some definite "non-doppelganger" things, i.e., actually wanting a farm and going through with buying it being the biggest one, I'm still floored at the likenesses between us.

While I'm sure we look nothing alike (I honestly haven't looked up a photo of Laskas, as I think I'll be over the top freaked out if we DO look alike), we are fraternal and spiritual doppelgangers!