Tag: reader’s gonna read

Balancing Act

~ GrayMareWrites ~ Leave a comment

Anyone else having issues balancing their financial life in relation to their advancing age?

Making decisions lately has taken on a very different type of calculation, one that includes the question, should we save or should we spend.  If we spend money now, are we taking away from money we’ll need in 5, 10, 15 years or, Lord willing, beyond?  And if we don’t spend it now, will we regret not spending it later?

For instance, after making the decision that, barring a stunning lottery win, we’d be aging in place in our current home, we’ve been having a little work done.  But do we fix only the immediate needs and let the small stuff slide?  Balancing today against tomorrow, what if we need the money spent on a luxury today for necessities tomorrow?

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Things I Like Thursday – The Mom’s National Park Passport Book

~ GrayMareWrites ~ 2 Comments

As I was cleaning out The Mom’s apartment after she passed, I found lots of things that warmed my heart, made me laugh and made me cry.  But one of the most special things I came across was her National Parks passport book.  She loved the National Parks and visited as many as she could, usually with organized tours. 

Flipping through the pages, seeing all the stamps that represented trips and locations that she got to see, it just made me so damn happy.  I brought it back across country in my purse and now it lives in a box of precious items to be grabbed in case of evacuation (living in Cali, you need a designated box or two in case of earthquake, fire, flood).

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Lessons in Grief, Part 1

~ GrayMareWrites ~ 4 Comments

It’s been a while since I’ve written. 

My mother passed away March 6. 

Grief keeps its own schedule:

Not showing up when expected, like when I ordered the date to be carved into the headstone she shares with my grandparents.

Visiting at odd times, like when I tried to deal with a check written in her name.

But always at one o’clock on Saturdays, the time I used to call her every week.

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Things I Like Thursday – 2 Word Game Apps

~ GrayMareWrites ~ 2 Comments

I’m not a competitive person.  When I play a game, it’s usually for my own enjoyment and personal best.  I don’t pay much attention to metrics like scores or the time it takes to finish or solve.  I have Spider Solitaire and Mahjong  on my phone and they’re my go to’s when I’m watching tv – they don’t take much attention and I can keep track of the plot as I listen.

I have two word games I play, though, that need undivided attention.  One is new and one I’ve been playing for a while.

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Things I Like Thursday – Royal Valentine by Jenn McKinlay

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Thank goodness you don’t need a working knowledge of Jane Austen to enjoy this fun novella.  I’m not big on Austen or the Brontes but I do love Jenn McKinlay, author of some of my fave cozy mystery series (Cupcake Bakery and Library Lovers), plus Paris is Always a Good Idea, first of a romance duology. 

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Things I Like Thursday – Miranda vs Call Me Kat

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I’ve been enjoying Mayim Bialik’s show, Call Me Kat, an American series based on a British series.  I got curious enough to find the British show, called Miranda, on Britbox.  Miranda Hart, the star, writer and producer of Miranda also has a producing credit on Call Me Kat, along with Mayim Bialik and her old fictional boyfriend from Big Bang Theory, Jim Parsons.  Entertainment seems to be a very small world in this case.

Spoiler: I like them both!

Mayim Bialik (left) and Miranda Hart (right)
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Things I Like Thursdays – My Top 5 Magazines

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So, it comes as no surprise that I love to read.  From Seventeen to AARP, this girl has always had piles of magazines almost as high as her towers of To Be Read books.  I’ve been trying to curb my magazine buying because 1.) who has time to read them all and 2.) they’re getting ridiculously expensive.  I’ve finally weened myself off the most expensive craft and British women’s magazines, often $15USD a pop!

So, here are the magazines I’ve deemed worthy of my hard earned dollars, in no particular order:

Magnolia

I never really got into the whole Gaines empire but I do love the magazine.  Every quarter, there’s a different theme, like Delight or Mindfulness, with corresponding articles and photos.  Flipping through Magnolia is like taking myself to a spa—it’s soothing and positive and relaxing.  Sometimes I just need a break from social media, news…  ya know, real life…  Magnolia gives me a restful place to go.  Usually with a cat on my lap…

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