Earlier this week, I finally joined Bluesky and left Instagram because of Zuck/Meta’s terrible decision making on fact checks and hate speech. So, what better excuse to actually update this blog more often?

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🍴: We were to supposed to have not one but TWO weekend dinners out, but Winter Storm Cora had other plans. Luckily, we were prepared. Like I always say, the key to cooking is just a well-stocked pantry.

Mon – French Country sausage with creamed kale and roasted potatoes

Tues – squid ink pasta with buttery lobster and breadcrumbs, fennel/apple/manchego salad. [Special thanks to Hampton’s family for the pasta for Christmas!]

Wed – porkchops with a pan sauce, roasted potatoes, and melting cabbage

Thur – creamy roasted red pepper chicken sub thighs and fennel, add capers, with farro and roasted Brussels sprouts

Fri – brothy cabbage, potatoes, and sausage

Sat – lemon garlic scallops with polenta and a shaved Brussels sprout salad

Sun – turkey, carrot, mushroom dumplings with white rice and wax beans

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🐶: I had to scape a path across the deck and down to some grass for the lady dogs after the wee bit of snow we got. They might not have loved the wet stuff on the ground, but Libby was soon frolicking about after George. And they were big fans of the snow day.

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📚: Happy pub week to three books I had the chance to advance read —

• ALL THE WATER IN THE WORLD, Eiren Caffell

I loved this book. It’s not a rollicking action adventure apocalyptic tale but one that dives deeper into human nature — and with plenty of action along the way.

Nonie is a unique narrator, and her way of speech is moving and poetic. At one point during a storm, she says “the world inhaled”, and I felt that and physically braced myself for the destruction that I anticipated with the exhale.

This phrase will also stick with me for awhile: “But greed like that didn’t start out bad. What alters wanting is what’s behind it. Greed and hope aren’t opposites. Greed and hope are twins grabbing for the same thing, one in fear and one in faith.”

This is the sort of book that makes me wish I were a writer.

• THE SECRET YEAR, Jennifer R. Hubbard

I thought this was a sweet story. There aren’t a lot of love stories told with a male teen protagonist, and I think Colt shared what he could. I think it’s fine there wasn’t more drama because Colt isn’t a dramatic guy who wears his heart on his sleeve. He is a regular guy who had an odd year and then has to figure out how to deal with what comes next. To me, he was very relatable and I enjoyed watching him find his way.

• DARK SIDE OF THE CATALOGUE, Amelia Spencer

Oh, man, I am so glad to find out this series isn’t just a trilogy — even if now I have to wait again to see what happens next! I am in love with Spencer’s world(s) and so wish I could be there… but maybe with fewer people trying to kill me. At any rate, this is another rollicking tale that continues to make me care about these characters. Much fun.

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🎭: Adult ballet restarted for the term, and after wimping out to the beginner class last year, taking the fall off for rehearsals, except for a “bridging the gap” class in late fall, and peer pressure from fellow students and teachers alike, I re-upped to the Saturday morning intermediate class…. and then we got actual snow Friday night. One more week to mentally prepare 🤗