Have a great start to this first full week of February. Punxsutawney Phil predicted an early Spring, so go enjoy these last gasps of winter!
Happy Tuesday! Sonja
#TuesdayVibes
Category: Favorite Things
February Bucket List
Here is a bucket list for this month:
Read at least two books
Find a new author that you love
Try a new genre
Draw a picture
Walk your dog as many days as possible
Remember all the birthdays this month
Find a new podcast
Improve your sleep by reducing screen time before bed
Cook or bake something using a new recipe
Hug your dog every day (No dog? Hug your neighbor’s dog!)
Enjoy this new month. Sonja
My Love of Candles
When I write, which is every day, I sit at the dining room table. That way I’m near my dogs, my movies, and my candles.
I have a candle in a frosted glass holder exactly like the one in the photo. I keep it lit while I’m sitting there and working. I also have a teapot warmer that keeps my tea hot. It was purchased in Germany and heats the tea using a tea light. I have tapers on the breakfast bar in a holder that used to be my grandmother’s and tea lights on the window sill.
Can you tell that I love candles?
I buy tea lights by the bushel and scour sales for larger candles. I’ve been lucky enough to buy large bags filled with candles from estate sales. Those have lasted for weeks!
What do you use to make your workspace warm and comforting? Sonja
Austen-phile
Photo by Paolo Chiabrando on Unsplash 
Photo by Elizabeth Jamieson on Unsplash
I must admit that I love Jane Austen. I read ‘Pride and Prejudice’ almost every year and love the 1995 movie adaptation of ‘Persuasion’ (I’m watching it right now). I also love reading her other novels, including ‘Mansfield Park’, ‘Emma’, and ‘Sense and Sensibility’.
I remember reading ‘Pride and Prejudice’ for the first time and not realizing it was a romantic comedy. My brain tried to find the serious tone in every scene. I enjoyed the book much more and was more relaxed, once I realized I could laugh during some scenes and enjoy the writing.
It’s a relief to read a well-written and funny book. I’ve been disappointed so many times by reviews and cover copy that promises “laugh out loud” writing and dialogue. It rarely delivers.
I think I am a tough audience for comedy even though I enjoy it so much. It takes a lot to get me to laugh aloud, but when I do it’s with my entire heart.
The last time I laughed at writing was when I attended ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’. It was a stage play and the slapstick was expected, yet still very funny. I laughed until my eyes teared. Wholly unexpected, yet very satisfying!
I hope you find something to make you smile today. Sonja
Bucket List!
About a year-and-a-half ago, I was able to mark a big item off my bucket list. I was able to hike the Inka Trail to Machu Picchu!
I have wanted to see this spectacular area since I learned about it in elementary school. My sister took me there as a gift (great sister, huh?)! The Inka Trail (yes, that’s the correct spelling) was an arduous hike on uneven and slippery rocks. See the photo. That’s what we hiked on for three of the four days. We slept in tents and our porters (best ever!) cooked for us and carried a large percentage of our load.
I couldn’t have made it all the way to Machu Picchu without their help!
When I look through my (thousands) of photos from the trail, I can remember how amazing and how difficult it was to hike on those rocks, with my loaded pack, at that altitude.
It was one of the most difficult, and rewarding, things I have ever done.
I hope you have a chance to challenge yourself and cross something off your bucket list! Sonja
A Little Something For You
I wanted to share a fabulous podcast with you.
@biggestlittlelibrary
Go to www.biggestlittlelibrary.net/episode1 to get started.
A librarian I’ve known since college is a contributor and I highly recommend you give it a listen.
If you like books, then this is for you! Sonja
Guinness Was A Gift
Guinness received a bunch of stuff with his picture on it!
I love the look on his face. It’s as if he is saying, “Really?!?!?”
Now his picture is all over the house, along with all the hair he sheds! It’s becoming a Guinness shrine!
I hope you have a furbaby to cuddle! Sonja
Did you get everything you wished for this holiday season?
It has been three days since Christmas, we’re still celebrating Hanukkah, and gift day for Kwanzaa is still four days away.
That’s a lot.
I hope you found everything you wished for under the Christmas tree and that you will find what you hope for as a Hanukkah gift or on January 1.
Today is also National Call A Friend Day and Card Playing Day.
What a great reminder to call those who are right next door or too far away. You could invite your neighbors over to play a nice game of whist or Hearts!
Poker?
Or you can play solitaire.
Let me ask you, what is the best part of the holidays?
Enjoy your day! Sonja
#Humbug Day
Not only is it Humbug Day, but also Look On The Bright Side Day. They seem diametrically opposed. But if you are familiar with Charles Dickens’ ‘A Chrismas Carol’, you know that Ebenezer Scrooge began as a humbug type of person and by the end embraced the Christmas spirit.
I hope that wasn’t a spoiler!
I recommend reading the book. If you can’t manage that, then watch one of the many movies. I love the older black-and-white version, someone else I know likes the Muppets’ Christmas Carol movie, while others like the Bill Murray-helmed ‘Scrooged’.
Every one of these stories tells a story of redemption. It’s never too late to make a change in your life. It doesn’t matter your age or your history. Embrace the good and reject the pressure and the bad of this season, no matter which holiday you celebrate.
It’s a time of remembrance and hope. Don’t get so caught up in your ‘to-do list’ that you forget the importance of slowing down and enjoying some time with your thoughts and family.
Slow down! Sonja
Have Yourself A Sweet Day
It’s ‘Bake Cookies Day’, so get out your butter, sugar, and flour and get in there! This is the best time of year to bake, and it doesn’t matter if you want to bake chocolate chip, oatmeal, sugar, or Snickerdoodles. I can’t think of anyone who doesn’t like at least one type of cookie.
Have a great holiday season and enjoy your baking, Sonja