March began with a decision the first weekend to read what I wanted and then continued with a decision the second weekend that what I wanted to read were my own books for a reading challenge. By the third weekend, I had One Foot in the Grave, but I was still reading, and by the fourth weekend, I had received bookmail from a fellow Sunday Saloner. I haven’t read that book yet, but I did read Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore by Matthew J. Sullivan and The Uninvited by Dorothy Macardle, for the reading challenge.
March also began with simple plans for Lent, the first of which included a vacation day for Ash Wednesday that I took and that I am bookending with a vacation day on Good Friday in mid-April. Another plan was to read Leaving Church: A Memoir of Faith by Barbara Brown Taylor, which I am reading during the Sundays of Lent.
Other things that happened during the month were:
- My wife and I ditched Facebook (no link, no blog post…yet).
- I changed my blog theme (visit my blog on a browser to see the new theme).
- I started a new pay week tradition (every two weeks) of going to a restaurant in a nearby town for breakfast on Saturdays or Fridays, depending on when I work on a Saturday.
- I attempted to start a new routine for mornings and evenings during the week to cut down on screentime and be able to read more on weeknights.
- My wife and I hung a few framed photographs, prints, and local artwork on the walls in our living room.
- My wife and I got tickets for a wine event on Seneca Lake, one of the Finger Lakes in New York, on the weekend of my birthday and booking a room at a bed and breakfast nearby for the Saturday night before my birthday.
- My wife and I watched Can You Ever Forgive Me?, which we both thought was a little slow to start, but picked up, especially toward the end.
April begins with big changes, starting with an oil change (get it?) this Tuesday and new hours for the weekend at the library where I work. We are adding Sunday hours and modifying Saturday hours to match the Sunday hours. That all begins this coming weekend. Also on Saturday, my wife turns 49 (she gave me permission to tell…“I don’t care…own your age…I always hated that ‘tee-hee, I’m turning 29’…Don’t be a little bitch about getting older.”). We are going out for brunch (yes, that restaurant in the nearby town) and getting together with neighbors to play 500 Rummy.
On the reading front, I am giving up on the aforementioned reading challenge (when am I going to learn that I suck at reading challenges and readalongs and the such?) because I really do like reading not only what I want but also when I want. That said, I was glad to read the two books I did for the challenge: the first, Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore, because I did eventually want to read it, and the second, The Uninivited, because I wanted to read it especially since my friend John highly recommended it to me. It was good and I think if you liked the movie Rebecca or the book (which I haven’t read) that you’d like it. A movie also was made of it, that I need to find. I also want to thank Anne of the blog My Head is Full of Books for having the challenge and I wish her and the other participants the best of success on the challenge.
As for the rest of the month, I have two back-to-back (week) Fridays off in April, that includes the aforementioned Good Friday off, so I plan to put those two Fridays to good use:
- The second Friday of the month, I will be putting out stuff for “cleanup week,” a bi-annual tradition in our town, spring and fall during which townsfolk put out stuff they don’t want or sell it in yard sales before it gets taken to the landfill. We are getting rid of a few chairs that we don’t use, including some kitchen table chairs that we plan to replace with a more comfortable chair in which I can sit when I read my Sunday Salon posts Sunday mornings.
- The third Friday of the month, I plan on going to church in the afternoon for Good Friday services.
I am working two Saturdays this month, but because of the aforementioned change in schedule for Saturdays, they won’t be as long of days as they used to be, so I’ll have time to blog more…
…speaking of blogs, if you ever wondered how they get started, here you go:
How was your month of March? Read any good books, seen any good movies and/or TV shows, listened to any good music? What was the highlight of your month? What are you looking forward to in April? Share in the comments.
Still an unfinished person... 
How are you doing on the ‘My Own Books’ Challenge? My Linky failed (probably because I didn’t pay for it) so I am trying to remember who all signed up. I am on my 4th to 5th book. The book I am struggling with is called Redeployment about soldiers coming home from the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is very tough stuff to read, though it has also been eye opening. Another book, Gilead, really spoke to my spirit as a woman of faith. Hope all is well with your health.
LikeLike
As I mentioned in the post, I gave up on the challenge, although I wish you and the other participants the best of luck. I’m just not very good at reading challenges. Readathons, though, work for me. Reading challenges? Not so much.
LikeLike
I like the new tradition of checking out a new breakfast place every couple of weeks. Breakfast is by far my favorite meal, especially when someone else cooks it.
As for read alongs and read a thons. I really like the idea of reading at the same time others are and if we are reading the same book, even better but the structure feels like work sometimes. I have been just joining in with others (very casually) if they happen to be starting a book that’s been on my shelf for awhile. This has been working out great because I have folks to chat with but there is no schedule and therefore, no obligation.
LikeLike
Only really two places around here, but they’re both good…yeah, I don’t like work with reading either.
LikeLike
How did you feel about Can You Ever Forgive Me? I thought I liked it, at first, but then after it was over, my brain just kept mulling it over and in the end I really came to dislike it. It was well done, but I just felt icky about the whole story and all the characters. I don’t think the thing with the cat helped.
I had another friend leave Facebook this month. I’ve considered doing it, but it’s one of the only places I interact with people, being a stay at home mom, so I keep on with it.
LikeLike
I liked it but not as much as my wife did. It was slow at the start. And they were icky. I think I just like Melissa McCarthy in dramatic roles. St. Vincent is another good dramatic one she’s in.
LikeLike
Although I host three reading challenges, I’m trying to get away from the. I much prefer reading what I want, when I want. Hope you have a great week!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Absolutely agree.
LikeLike
What a busy month you had in March and April sounds just as full. I turned 50 a few years ago and so far it’s been pretty good; I’m glad you and your wife are “owning” it! I am participating in Anne’s challenge and it’s been so good for me to see books leaving my shelves. Of course, I am reading the more recent additions so the long-lingering books are still there. Sigh.
LikeLike
Luckily I don’t have any long-lingering books. Marie Kondo helped with that.
LikeLike
Yay for birthday/wine tasting trips! Your pictures from those trips are always so gorgeous. I do want to get out that way again one day.
Happy birthday to Kim! I love her even more after her comments about owning your age. I wholeheartedly agree!
Enjoy your new routines and your time off this month AND reading what you want when you want. I hope your books are engaging and the month even better for you both!
LikeLike
Thanks, Michelle. I’ll pass along your well wishes too since she is no longer on Instagram. Looking forward to the trip, the time off this month, and reading what I want, especially the…wine! đŸ™‚
LikeLike
I like your new blog theme. It’s easy to read. It’s a nice use of space, I think.
I’m continuing with Anne’s reading challenge. I do well with challenges. That is because I’m excessively persistent by nature (I’ve lived in the same house for thirty-four years and I’ve been married for forty years) and because, if necessary, I modify the perameters of the challenge slightly to better fit what I want to accomplish. I want to read what I want. I want to read my own books. But I decided to move the book on pirates up to the front, and I’ve found audiobooks at the library for a couple of the books, so I can read a little and listen a little. I don’t know if I will finish all ten books, but I will finish some.
“Why waste this on us? When you can put it on the Internet and have the whole world ignore it?” Yes, snarkily true, of course, and yet I love writing at my blog and visiting other blogs, and I will continue to do so (I’m excessively persistent, remember?) until blogs are no more.
I hope you have a lovely week. Happy birthday to your wife!
LikeLike
I like fairly minimalist designs.
I understand what you’re saying about continuing with the challenge. I do modify challenges too. I’m persistent too, married 24 years this coming November and living in same house for 14 years. I’m just not persistent about challenges. đŸ™‚
I love writing at my blog too and visiting other blogs too…and I hope blogs will live on forever…at least on the Internet.
I’ll let Kim know that you sent your wishes.
LikeLike
Ooo would you mind telling us more about this:
“I attempted to start a new routine for mornings and evenings during the week to cut down on screentime and be able to read more on weeknights.”
What are the new routines? You say “attempted” so did the routines not work?
LikeLike
Well, the routine is fairly simple, not to turn on screens until a certain time and turning them off at a certain time. It’s just keeping to those times, that is hard, as I’m trying to see what works and what doesn’t for me. Also I am using devotions at the beginning and end of the day, and listening to music to start and end the day.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for elaborating!
LikeLike
I like the new theme! Also, yay for the mini-vacation on Seneca Lake! I usually go home for a weekend in the spring, but that’s not going to happen this year, sigh. Looks like I’m only going to be in NY once this year, for the week that I house-sit.
LikeLike
I thought you might comment…on Seneca Lake. đŸ™‚ Are you going to the Evergreen Conference later this month? A coworker (who got a scholarship) and our director are going since it’s in our state this year.
LikeLike
I am going to the Evergreen Conference! I’ve gone every year since we moved to the Spark ILS. I present every year, too. My director is on the PaILS board, so I will also have to help out at the conference this year. Should be a good time! I look forward to finding your coworkers and introducing myself!
LikeLike
Our director is on the PaILS board too! She’s the treasurer. I’m not going because my coworker is our cataloger so more important for him to be there, which I completely understand. It’d be good to see you otherwise.
LikeLike
Oh, that’s awesome! I’ll ask Jen about her so I know who to seek out! It’ll be cool to meet your cataloger, too—long story, but I’ve been our cataloger for the last few weeks (as well as doing my regular job), and that’s been interesting.
LikeLike
I think you mentioned a little of it, maybe in private conversations.
LikeLike