A Month in Summary - February 2025

Little Whale Cove

Depoe Bay, Oregon

February 2025

So how is everyone? Spring is just around the corner and while many dislike Daylight Savings Time, I am looking forward to longer days, if only to get outside for a second walk after dinner. We are beginning to have warmer temps, and hopefully the nasty wind and rain that we had last week (we lost power for a few hours) is now behind us.

In an effort to keep my sanity, yet remain informed, I'm cutting back on my social media feeds, only glancing at headlines and trying not to dive too deeply into Substack articles. I do still follow a couple of medical writers since I don't trust the media to keep us informed about any potential health issues, but other than that, Instagram and Facebook are not going to drain my mental health. More reading. More walking. More jigsaw puzzles. Maybe even more baking, which will make my husband and mother very happy. :)

I had a very good month of reading, although I didn't get much read in the way of audiobooks. My concentration was lacking, I listened to NPR too much, and the rainy weather kept me from walking outside. We'll see how it goes in March. But I read an outstanding novel for book club and can't wait to discuss it. It's one that I'd love to listen to on audio for a second reading. 

Books Read (click on the title for my review):

 

Iron Lake by William Kent Krueger (4/5)

The Sequel by Jean Hanff Korelitz (4/5)

The Stolen Child by Ann Hood (3/5)

All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker (5/5)

Abide with Me by Elizabeth Strout (3.5/5)

The Distance Between Us by Maggie O'Farrell (4/5)

Movies & TV Series:

Maigret - "This [2016] crime drama is based on Georges Simenon's world-renowned fictional French detective Jules Maigret. Rowan Atkinson plays the legendary detective who features in 75 books written by Simenon." We loved this series!

Moonflower Murders - "... an adaptation of the 2020 mystery novel of the same name by British author Anthony Horowitz and the second novel in the Susan Ryeland series." We enjoyed watching The Magpie Murders series, but this one fell short of our expectations.

Deadwind (Season 3) - Meh. Dark, depressing, and probably one we won't remember in another week or so. 

McDonald & Dodds (Season 3) - We enjoy this lighter mystery series and plan to watch the next season later in the month.

The Bear (Season 3) - Definitely not as good as the previous seasons, but I'll tune in for the fourth season. Gotta see what happens! 

Puzzlemania:

Getting back to the occasional puzzle to ease my anxious mind!

Family:

My beautiful Auntie Sue passed away after a tough fight with cancer on February 17th. She was my dad's younger sister, and after moving to Oregon, Rod and I were fortunate enough to travel down to Santa Rosa on numerous occasions to spend time with both Sue and her husband Rob. Sue was such a smart, funny, kind-hearted woman and we will miss her beyond measure.