Monday Moments - Year of the Horse and Post Olympic chat

I'm late wishing you all a Happy Lunar New Year.    2026 is the Chinese Year of the Horse

Cool  looking symbol. 

So, it  began last Tuesday and I'm  still waiting for some momentum.  Ha!

Actually, I've been very busy sitting on my butt and watching Winter Olympics. Thank goodness that is now  over and our television is off.  The  Olympics are addictive and I'm rooting for everyone.  Plus the winter sports are so  exotic - like nothing I can do or will ever try.  At any time, it's as if someone could die - fall off a mountain, leap and spin a zillion times, sharp  blades on ones feet, pointy  poles flailing about.  And how about  that cross country ski run that a dog joined - except that dog looked like a wolf and probably had folks going a bit faster, as in fleeing for your life. 

Whew!  Milan Cortina looked wonderful - gorgeous mountain scenery, crisp white snow, Stanley Tucci slurping pasta, Snoop Dogg with his unique observations. Hooray for the Italian athletes - they enjoyed  home field advantage and had a good medal haul.  Congrats to  all of  the athletes - win or lose, they are Olympians with mad skills, youthful exuberance, and incredible spirit.  Ciao!

Hope everyone has a little bit of Fire Horse in  them - Cheers. 
 

Finally Friday - Who Me?

 You know you needed a  Myles  moment.    Who  me?  What am I going to do?   Am I in trouble? 

Do I manage to make  the landing?   I'm on the move!!

Look at this stinker.  

My Nana Crowther would get such a kick out of this cutie.  Her saying was 'Snicklefritz"   Is that a word?   It was in our family. 

10 months old and filled with joy.  I love this little guy from afar.  He just exudes joy

let's make his future worthwhile....okay???

Have a super good weekend and find joy

Whatever Wednesday - Polar Plunge

Saturday February 7th was the YMCA Polar Plunge.  Yes, I paid the YMCA to jump into the outdoor pool. It was for a good cause and I got a very nice long sleeve shirt. 

Some water aerobics friends came too.  Those with pants did not plunge

Debbie, Claudia, me, Angie, and Ealane

Yes, I chose a minion cap for the fashion statement.  It was a balmy 55 or so  outside, but sunny and no wind. 

One of the lifeguards, Christine, had on her Frosty hat

 Proof I got in the pool  I did not jump. I walked in there and then over to the other steps.  

Then I went down the  water slide twice with an inner tube

Crazy,  huh?   It was invigorating and fun. 

Now back to INDOOR water aerobics

Monday Moments - President's Day

Today we celebrate venerated Presidents.  Those that promoted democracy, looked for the best in the American people. Truly believed in hope, dreams, and with liberty and justice for all

Somehow LOVE has to win out.  Throw in some RESPECT too

and Cheers to mattress sales!
 

Finally Friday - Valentine's Weekend

Happy Valentine's Weekend.  I hope everyone enjoys a nice one with family or friends. Or just treat yourself, or a pet.  Cherish a moment - whether on a walk, in a library, brushing your teeth. 

Comment to a blog friend - a nifty way to be in touch around the world. Hey, everybody - Big Hug

Mmmm, chocolate!

Ray's my Valentine.  Cheers,  love!

 

Whatever Wednesday - A Guardian and a Thief

 It's near future Kolkata - flooding and famine. Ma, her two year old daughter, and her elderly father and prepare to leave for Ann Arbor, Michigan.  Her husband is there and she is ready to  start a new life. She has the all important visas in her purse. She is ready for a fresh future. 

They go to sleep, but awaken to find her purse is gone. Dreams evaporated. 

A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Majumdar covers one week and two intertwined stories. The guardian, Ma, frantically searches for the thief. The  thief, a desperate young man commits escalating crimes to care for his family. Food shortages and heat combine to enhance the battle. 

How far will the guardian and thief go to save their families? The author paints a kaleidoscopic portrait of two families, each operating from a place of ferocious love and undefeated hope. It's tough to stave off encroaching catastrophe.  (cover blurb)

This is a stunning book, beautifully written. There is a lot of tension. The author is empathetic to both sides of the tale and draws you in as the reader to an understanding of sorts. 

p. 69  Perhaps it was her mind mixing up a variety of fear, an intruder who  had molested the peace of her house, a crook who had taken what she  most prized. 

p. 177  The husband in Michigan thinking: The pride of having immigrated was also, in  truth, the wound. Didn't they understand that? Didn't they understand that he wanted every opportunity to examine the wound? 

Monday Moments - The Academy

 The Academy by Elin Hilderbrand and her daughter Shelby Cunningham is a fun romp through the halls of  a private New England high school/ college prep boarding school. Money. Secrets. Rumors. Liaisons. 

Tiffin Academy is a small glitzy school and it just leaped in rankings to number two. How can that be?

Gorgeous campus. Fabulous food. Parties. Lovely students...seriously, physically attractive - all of them.

As they bask in their newfound glory, a new  app Zip Zap posts scandalous items - nobody is safe. Who's cheating on whom? Is there more  to hide than  the liquor bottles?

This is just a fun, no brainer page turner with amusing characters, outrageous situations, entitled youth, and teacher  power struggles. You do not need your thinking cap for this read. Just enjoy.