Onto 2026!

The holidays are officially over. Jeff and I had the quiet Christmas I didn't know I needed. Quiet times continued through the week between, what Jezebel once called slug week. We celebrated New Year's Eve with our friends Annette and George with Annette's old fashions, sushi, cake, and champagne.

As far as I'm concerned, 2026 really starts tomorrow. 

In the morning I'm headed to the our new primary care doctor. Jeff's already seen him, and we both liked him. I've got other medical referrals that I have to prioritize this month. Jeff will probably start outpatient physical therapy this week. 

I want to get back to furniture shopping. Then I can unpack and put away more things. I need to organize the closets and change a few things in the kitchen. 

Hold on: one step at a time. First, I need to pack up the Christmas decorations. I started by washing the holiday napkins and towels and gathering Jace's Christmas toys. 

I'm going to give myself daily to-do lists--three things should do it. A list will keep me less easily distracted. At least I hope so. 

One thing I want to put on the list--hmm, maybe there should be four items--is exercise. A few weeks ago I did a few stretches and I was really stiff. I realized that I haven't been to a gym since August. It's been so cold lately that I'm not walking as long as usual with Jace. 

I started daily exercise: yoga, stretches, balancing exercises. I work with my body ball and small weights (we only have two and five pounds.) I already feel that it's making a difference. I want to get back to a gym routine, but want to avoid the January rush. That reminds me: we saw several gym commercials on TV on New Year's Eve, but no diet commercials. It must be because everyone's on Ozempic.

2025: Real Estate Edition

As I've been thinking about the past year, our biggest accomplishment was our move to Essex. I hadn't listed it as as a written goal, but Jeff and I agreed that we wanted to move by October. Moving day was October 3rd. 

Of course, I can't say that we've finished moving. Most of our clothes are still in boxes in our closet (thank God for a walk-in bedroom closet.) Boxes took over our dining room/library on day one and show few signs of retreating. We'll get there someday Our next focus is bureaus/drawers in the bedroom.

I've been thinking a lot about the whole moving process, our options, and the choice we made. First, I'm glad we didn't select Delaware. We would have been settling. The first place we really liked wasn't dog friendly and didn't have a good neighborhood to walk in. We didn't like the ownership/condominium status in the Milford condos we visited. We also looked into having a single family home built for us, but the builder was the defendant in a class action lawsuit. The allegations were disturbing.

We decided to look in Maryland. We seriously considered a unit we saw in Perryville, Maryland. It had three bedrooms, two baths, two balconies, a wonderful soaking tub, a walk-in shower, covered parking, indoor mailboxes, and a view of the Susquehanna River.

It was the town itself that was the problem. It was a little too isolated--about a half hour from medical facilities. After Jeff had been hospitalized in October, he said "Imagine if we were in Perryville." I would never have been able to rely on Annette and George. 

Then we headed down to the Baltimore area. We liked a a unit in this complex--Hopewell Pointe. We took a return trip to see it and the Perryville unit. We saw another four or five condos in the Baltimore area. 

This place was by far the best for us. I liked Essex from the first time we saw it September 2024. I like our location. Our street consists of two condominium complexes. The buildings are 20-25 years old--a far cry from Sheffield Ridge. 

We are half a mile from Old Eastern Road, near the pool, the boat slips, and the trails. Jace and I have been on all the trails and walked around the neighborhood as well. When it gets warmer, we'll walk down Old Eastern to a nearby park. We'll also get a chance to enjoy the pool; it closed in mid-September. It will be nicer to explore, in general. 

Here's to 2026.

Christmas Movies 2025

We mixed things up a bit with our holiday films this year. 

First, I only caught parts of It's a Wonderful Like and The Man Who Came to Dinner. I may watch them over the weekend--it's still Christmas week. We did see all of Christmas in Connecticut.

We watched The Bishop's Wife for the first time. I wasn't impressed, though I can't explain exactly why. Something was just missing for me. 

We rewatched Die Hard and Home Alone. Both hold up well. It's been years since I've seen Home Alone--I forgot the initial set-up with Joe Pesci as a crooked cop.

Maybe I'll get around to White Christmas and Holiday Inn some day.

Revisiting 2025: Reading Edition

I'm currently in the middle of The Mirror & the Light by Hilary Mantel--it will be Book 17 if I finish it in the next five days.

I've read the following: 

Five Points The 19th-Century New York City Neighborhood That Invented Tap Dance, Stole Elections, and Became the World's Most Notorious Slum by Tyler Anbinder

Anne Boleyn A King's Obsession by Alison Weir

Henry VIII and His Court by Neville Williams

Road of Bones A Billy Boyle World War II Mystery by James R. Benn

The Angel of Darkness by Caleb Carr

The Autobiography of Henry VIII With Notes by His Fool Will Sommers by Margaret George

Bleeding Kansas by Sara Paretsky

Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: A Savannah Story by John Berendt

Parable of the Talents by Octavia E. Butler

Green Darkness by Anya Seton

Catharine of Aragon by Garrett Mattingly 

Anne Neville Queen to Richard III by Michael Hicks

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

Mothers of Invention Women of the Slaveholding South in the American Civil War by Drew Gilpin Faust.

I've re-read these books:

The Mystery of the Tolling Bell by Carolyne Keene

The Concubine by Norah Lofts

Neptune Noir Edited by Rob Thomas

The Last Hollywood Romance by Beverly Bloomberg

Of the 16 books, five were histories, four were historical fiction, two science fiction, and five other fiction.  Tudor England was well represented in five books completed, one in the progress and one a re-read.

My favorite books of the year were Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents by Octavia E. Butler.

My reading total of 16 books was my lowest since 2017 when I started tracking number of books read. There were two main reasons for my low total. First is the move: I spent so much time decluttering, packing, and organizing that I didn't have much leisure time. Some nights, I just passed out as soon as I hit the pillow. I'm also spending too much time reading things online. Yes, I like to keep up with the news, but there's so much frivolous, if not actual garbage content that it's not the best use of my reading time.

I need to check out the Essex Public Library soon. 

Our First Christmas in Essex

Another quiet Christmas at home, but it's our new home. After Christmas breakfast, fruit, and champagne, we opened gifts in the living room in front of the fireplace--not the greatest picture, but I'm too lazy to take another. 

Now, we're watching Christmas in Connecticut--a favorite screwball Christmas comedy. I'm happy to be home; glad that I don't have to go anywhere. 

Happy Festivus to All!

I wonder if the Seinfeld cast and crew had any idea how many people would embrace Festivus and make it a part of their lives. 

Even if it is just us crazy people.

To Spike

It was ten years ago today that we said goodbye to Spike. He was a wonderful dog, and we think of him often.

Spike was just over a year old when we brought him home; he spent 13 years with us.

Spike was fun--he loved to chase and be chased by other dogs. He loved running and swimming after his balls. He was a good traveler too. 

Here's to Spike.