Some Guys Have All The Luck

It's been over 6 years since I've made it to Irish Bingo at the catholic church my sister goes to. Six years later, not much has changed. Yet again, everyone in our group came home empty-handed. We did not win a jackpot on regular bingo or on the special bingo rounds that cost an extra $5 per card. We did not win a door prize. We did not win anything in the Big 6 Wheel game. We did not win a darn thing.

We did have fun, and we all agreed that we'll be back next year. Perhaps our luck will change.

Cat Scratch Fever

Another cat fight just erupted on the couch. For whatever reason, my female diva cat has one goal in life. That goal is to make sure she gets whatever spot my older cat is sleeping upon. She's younger but claimed everything as hers the minute she arrived. It didn't matter that she was the new cat in the household or that my older cat had already claimed the kingdom as his own when he arrived four years before.

That Alice, she shows no fear.  Unless somebody comes through or knocks at the front door. In that case, she scurries upstairs and hides under the bed until she's sure the coast is clear.

Poor Edgar. The disgust he feels anytime she's around is marked by every hiss that emits from his mouth. 

After the scuffle, he pulls himself together and sits next to me on the arm of the sofa. He glares as Alice sleeps. I tell him it's okay to give it right back to her, but he'd rather sit with me and get some head and neck scratches.

Changes

Read more. Scroll less. Those are two goals on my list for 2026. So far this year, the reading is going better, but the scrolling...not so much.

Honestly, almost everyone I know is working to break up with their scrolling habit. However, those app designers make it difficult. And Instagram? It's like a big bowl of french fries! Certainly, my retired status doesn't help much either.

Yesterday, while scrolling through the gram (ironic, right?) I read about how it's best to avoid your phone and all those fun apps for the first thirty minutes of the day. Grabbing my phone is usually one of the first things I do- mostly to check the time, but then I might see the need to play a round of Words With Friends. Eventually, one app leads to another, and I'm all in reading something linked from somewhere.

This morning I got up and left my phone alone. I headed downstairs, brewed up my morning coffee, and settled in with my book. It was quite relaxing, in fact, it was so relaxing that I read for almost an hour. Throughout the day, I worked to read rather than scroll when given a few minutes of downtime.

I like this thirty-minute rule; not only does it cut down on phone time, it also allows for more reading.

Winning

After posting about the hole in my life caused by the discontinuation of Red Oval Farms Stoned Wheat Thins, I went down a bit of a rabbit hole. Even though I have thought about those crackers over the years, I never thought about why they left the shelves. Some digging came up with the possibility of supply shortages causing the powers to be to look for what cuts could be made. It could also be related to a class action lawsuit against Nabisco for false advertising. While all that was nice to know, it still didn't bring back my favorite cracker.

Luckily, an old post on Reddit did. I wasn't the only one missing my favorite crunchy cracker, so were many other Reddit users. Someone even took the time to identify other crackers most like ROFSWT. In no time at all, I was ordering Wellington Stoned Wheat Crackers from that big internet company.

Guys...they are awesome! It's easily been 6 years or more since I've enjoyed that salty crunch, but those days are gone! I can't wait to share my findings with others who miss ROFSWT just as much as I do.

The Climb

Anyone who was stuck working inside today in the DC area most likely wished they weren't. It was another stunner of the day with skies on full blue and the breeze button set to mild. My plan was to clean out a closet in the spare bedroom, but it didn't take much self-convincing to push that to another day and set out on my bike.

My bike got a major overhaul back in September, but because of wrist surgery, today was the first time I actually took it for a spin. As expected, there was nature showing off all over. I spied my first sightings of daffodils swaying in the breeze, and turtles sunning themselves on a log protruding from the shore of the Potomac. One thing I didn't expect to see was a Corgi with red sunglasses riding on the handlebars like some furry hood ornament. That was a nice distraction from the hill I was suffering through.

By the time I got back home, the feels-like temperature was 89- much warmer than I expected. It made that last hill a tough one, so tough in fact that I even walked my bike a little. At first, I was a little disappointed in myself, but in the end, I'll just use that disappointment as motivation for the next ride.

April Come She Will

During the winter months, I abstain from getting pedicures. Not only does it give my nails a break, but it gives my wallet one too. The exception was on February 16, when I decided my younger sister should celebrate her milestone birthday with a pedicure, drinks, and snacks.

Today I am glad I joined her in that celebration. The weather in Alexandria was stunning with blue skies and the temperature in the upper 70s. I rummaged through my closet in search of a pair of sandals. Without much effort, I was able to pull out and dust off a silver pair of Birkenstocks. 

Walking to the car to meet some friends for lunch, I took a quick stop to enjoy the tweeting of the birds, the blue skies, and the warm sun on my face. Looking down, I smiled when I saw my purple-pedicured toes out for all to see.

Yes, I know rain and cooler temps are on the horizon, but today it felt more like mid-April than mid-March. That was a good thing.

Sundown

The first evening of daylight saving time always messed me up in the past. Here it is 7:30 pm, and finally the sun is going down. That was always a problem, those first few weeks after the clocks shifted.

However, that was working Mary's problem. I was always fooled by the light. I was fooled into thinking I had plenty of time before I needed to think about making dinner. Before I knew it, my 6:00 pm dinnertime became my 7:00 pm dinnertime. And that dinner time messed with my 9:00 pm bedtime.

Retired Mary still goes to bed on the early side, but not at 9:00 pm. I'm not worried about a later dinner. In fact,  I sat down for dinner at 7:00 tonight without an ounce of anxiety about getting cleaned up, ready for work, and in bed by 9:0 pm.

That is just one more positive for retirement.