Right now...*
*(an occasional (mostly monthly) meme, alternating from time to time with "The Current"). (Explanation of how this started & my inspirations in my first "Right now" post, here. Also my first "The Current" post, here.)
April was not as cold as it's been some years (no blizzards!)... but not as warm as it's been other years either (no capris yet!). Lots of dull, grey, rainy days. But the temperatures are trending milder, the trees are budding out, and cheerful yellow dandelions are popping up everywhere. I started doing some spring cleaning, we had an eclipse, and dh celebrated his birthday!
- Went to the bookstore three times, the bank twice (to use the ABMs), the drugstore to pick up prescriptions & sundries twice, Reitmans (women's clothing store) and the LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario = liquor store), once each. (Beer and wine have been allowed to be sold in some Ontario supermarkets for about 10 years now, but spirits must be purchased through the LCBO).
- Had to call in an HVAC technician after our heat conked out on April 3rd... AGAIN. (The same thing happened on March 22nd.) (Question: Why does the heat always, ALWAYS conk out around 5:30 a.m.??) This time, he brought the replacement part we needed and fixed the issue (fingers crossed...!) -- to the tune of almost $600 (gulp!) -- but hey, it had to be done...
- Also had a visit from the plumber on April 29th to clear the drain in our master bathroom sink, which refused to budge despite repeated doses of baking soda & vinegar. (Half hour visit = $250 plus HST!!)
- We also had him look at the faucet in the tub/shower in the other bathroom, which seems to have been stripped and is difficult to turn completely off. He didn't have the necessary part, but says he'll come fix it the next time he's in the area.
- Went to the supermarket with dh on April 6th to pick up some stuff for dinner.
- Spent a few hours on the morning of April 8th with Little Great-Nephew & BIL at BIL's house (playing umpteen games of hide-and-seek with LGN! -- he had the day off school because of the eclipse), and then home in the afternoon to watch the effects of the eclipse.
- Also had lunch at BIL & SIL's with Older Nephew & Little Great-Nephew (the wife/mom was at work) on one weekend, and with Younger Nephew, his wife & Little Great-Niece on another!
- Spent the morning of April 11th (dh's birthday) at the mall, walking around, shopping and having an early lunch in the food court. (HIS idea! lol)
- Returned to the mall for more walking, shopping and lunch on April 23rd.
- Drove out to our old community on Sunday, April 14th, for our spring covid boosters. En route home, I got a text from SIL, and we wound up going directly there for coffee & pastries to celebrate dh's birthday.
- "The Improbability of Love" by Hannah Rothschild (the April book for my Childless Collective Nomo Book Club). (My review.)
- "Wolf Hall" by Hilary Mantel, part of a "slow readalong" hosted by Simon at Footnotes and Tangents. (My review.)
- "Widowland," by C.J. Carey (re-read; originally read in November 2021 and reviewed then here). (My re-review.)
- "Bel Lamington" by D.E. Stevenson -- a re-read with my DES group. (My review; original review here.)
- "Queen High/Queen Wallis" by C.J. Carey (a re-read and the May book for my Childless Collective Nomo Book Club -- my earlier review here). Sequel to "Widowland," which the group read in November 2021 (reviewed here and here). (My re-review.)
- Fletcher’s End by D.E. Stevenson, for my DES group -- a sequel to "Bel Lamington" (see above). Group read starting soon!
- "Bring Up the Bodies" by Hilary Mantel (book #2 in the Thomas Cromwell Trilogy) -- part of a year-long "slow readalong" hosted by Simon at Footnotes and Tangents. We started April 29th. We will read #3 in the trilogy, "The Mirror and the Light," later in the year (starting July 22nd, I think?).
- "Anne's House of Dreams" by L.M. Montgomery, a re-read with my LMM Readathon Facebook group, which began Jan. 15th and will run through late May. (My original review here.)
- "War and Peace" by Leo Tolstoy (!). As I wrote here, I need another book club/readalong obligation like a hole in the head ;) but nevertheless, I'm taking part in a year-long readalong of this book, hosted by Simon at Footnotes and Tangents -- a chapter a day for a full year, which began Jan. 1, 2024. Currently at about 39% read.
- "L.M. Montgomery and Gender," an essay collection edited by E. Holly Pike & Laura Robinson. Slowly working my way through, in between the other books...!
- For my Childless Collective Nomo Book Club:
- "All In" by Billie Jean King (June)
- For my D.E. Stevenson group: This list of upcoming books should keep us busy through 2024, and well into 2025! (A couple of the books are ones we covered when I first joined the group back in 2014 -- you know you've been around for a while when....!)
- For the Notes from Three Pines (Louise Penny mysteries) Readalong: The last discussion was for book #3, "The Cruellest Month," posted in June 2023 (no further posts/books since then). I've continued dipping into the series on my own, between other book club obligations. Book #6, "Bury Your Dead," is the next one on my to-read list!
- "Being Henry: The Fonz... and Beyond" by Henry Winkler
- "Rocks: My Life in and out of Aerosmith" by Joe Perry
- "Bergdorf Blondes" by Plum Sykes
- "Remembering America: A Voice from the Sixties" by Richard N. Goodwin
- "Me, the Mob and the Music" by Tommy James
- "Dancing on the Edge" by Russ Tamblyn
- "Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism" by Rachel Maddow
- "Mennonite in a Little Black Dress" by Rhoda Janzen
- "Stupid and Contagious" by Caprice Crane
- "Camera Girl" by Carl Sferrazza Anthony
- "The Postcard" by Anne Berest (paperback)
- The last few (new) episodes of Season 10 of "Finding Your Roots" on PBS. Now in reruns.
- "Mr. Bates vs the Post Office" on PBS (4 consecutive Sunday nights in April) -- based on a true story from the U.K. Heartbreaking, infuriating -- and captivating! (Also: the central couple in the story are childless!)
- Also on PBS: "American Experience" on April 22nd: "Poisoned Ground: The Tragedy at Love Canal," which I remember from the news during my late teens/early 20s. (These days, I live about a 2 hour drive from Love Canal.) Love Canal was an entire subdivision in Niagara Falls, New York, that was built on top of a toxic waste site -- with consequences that are no surprise to us these days (precisely because of what happened at Love Canal and other such places) -- but back then, no one knew why their backyards and basements were oozing a mysterious black sludge, or why so many babies were being miscarried or stillborn, or why their children were getting sick.
- I winced a bit over the "moms save the world" narrative -- but back then, it really was a notable thing that this group of ordinary housewives were demanding answers & action from the (mostly) men in power -- and getting it! The changes they prompted are still benefiting all of us today, in America & elsewhere, more than 40 years later. Amazing.
- My uncle's Celebration of Life from Minneapolis last Friday (April 26th). The connection wasn't great, but it's better on the replay, and I was grateful to be able to be there virtually, if not in person.
- Heardle 60s: 76.4% (438/573, 181 on first guess), up from last month. Max. streak: 15.
- Heardle 70s: 80.9% (314/254, 135 on first guess), down from last month. Max. streak: 18.
- Heardle 80s: 43.9% (82/187, 32 on first guess), up from last month. Max. streak: 4.
- Heardle 90s: 27.6% (82/297, 16 on first guess), down from last month. Max. streak: 4.
- New vertical blinds for our three floor-to-ceiling/wall-to-wall windows, from Blinds To Go. Paid the balance due and scheduled installation for May 1st! (They're up, and they're beautiful!)
- Flowers for my late uncle's Celebration of Life in Minneapolis on April 26th, on behalf of my parents, sister & her partner, and me & dh.
- New everyday shoes (Clarks, extra-wide), since my old ones are wearing down at the heels.