July 28, 2022

Thank goodness for building in contingencies for vacation and lapsed days! We’re visiting my mother-in-law in New Hampshire, and routines are mostly shot. Days here are spent bobbing with a pool noodle in the lake, rowing to the far side of the lake to visit the sunken toilet preserved among the lily pads and turtle logs, and napping on the screened-in porch. 

I’m not throwing the whole program away while I’m here, but I’m not docking myself for days missed if the dishwasher doesn’t get run (or, more likely, gets run by my mother-in-law). I do give myself credit when I help with the dishes, which is typical. I’m still keeping up with the blog, as evidenced by my entry today, and I’ve started my third habit – chosen especially with vacation in mind.

This week, I’ve added reading to my list of habits. This is meant to be a daily habit, and so far I’ve overfilled my quota. While there’s no particular minimum amount of reading (I suppose less than a page would seem like cheating though), I’ve been devouring quick mysteries like they’re potato chips or maybe butterscotch. In the six days we’ve been here, I’ve read three and a half books!

I tend to go through phases with my reading, sometimes going months without cracking the spine of anything, and other times reading greedily through the nights. This stint, however, is probably a record for me. I have never read so much for leisure in such a short time. 

I started a book club this year as part of an effort to read more regularly, and also to become engaged more with friends. Once a month, we get together at someone’s house, eat dinner, drink a lot of wine, and discuss the book of the month. We’ve had two meetings so far, which have been a lot of fun. I’m hoping that others are enjoying it as much as I am, so that the book club will  continue.