Springing Forward

For once, the calendar and the weather matched up--it feels like spring! At least what spring feels like in Chicago. Coolish with a tease of a warm day here and there, gusty winds, mud, and rain. But the birds are singing and dive bombing, the squirrels are squirreling, and the deer are out.

The portapotties are not yet out. Sadly.

My favorite part of this time of year is shedding all the layers when I run outside. That also means less laundry! IYKYK. Springtime here can be frustrating--it takes so long to finally come, and then when it does, it's summer... not that I'm complaining...

Mini Book Reviews--February 2026

 Disclaimer: I received ARCs of Family Drama, Little One, Kin, Saoirse, and A Good Animal from NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for my honest reviews. This post contains affiliate links.

February is a short month; it was also a busy month for me, and finding time to read was a challenge. I like to read before I go to bed, but I often drift off so quickly that I don't always remember what I've read. That meant that I had to re-read those passages the next day. I'm not complaining; it just made it a little tougher to get all my NetGalley books read for February. But I did, and 4 out of the 5 of those were just great. The other one was a rare DNF, a mess of a book.

I also had 2 library holds to read, one which was a disappointment and the other, a fun trip back to the 60s and 70s. 

Coming up for March? I have a boatload of NetGalley reads--it will be tough to get them done, but I also have a trip to California to see my sister, so I will have lots of downtime. Hopefully, they are all engaging, and I can fly through them! I do love to read...

Bye February!!

I am so happy to see February go. It was a busy and overwhelming month for me. Between several projects at work and managing my parents' health, the month flew by. I accomplished a lot this month, but my biggest accomplishment? Completing the 1000 push-up challenge, though! When I first signed up for it, I truly didn't think I'd get it done. Even though I didn't always want to do my 36 daily push-ups, I didn't want to skip a day, because that meant double the push-ups the next day. Interestingly, as the days went by and I did my pushups, I felt myself becoming stronger, and the pushups felt less difficult. I was also able to increase the weight on my bench presses every week, which was really exciting.

Will I continue to do the push-ups? Yes, but not the volume we did this month. I have to admit that the DOMS never went away. My plan is to do 25 pushups 3x/week after I run. Hopefully, that will be enough to maintain the strength I built this month. We'll see!

Better days

After a week of absolutely spectacular weather, Mother Nature pulled the rug out from under us and sent us back to winter. I really can't complain, because after the bitter cold of the past month, this taste of spring helped lift my mood. 

It's false spring and I couldn't be happier!

Finally, this week we warmed up!! Heck, I was happy to be above 20F! We also had abundant sunshine, and it was everything. My favorite workout this week had to be Wednesday's run at the preserve, with warmer temperatures and lots of deer sightings, including a buck. Seeing them is always a treat. Let's hope this false spring sticks around for a while!

Weekly Rundown

Sunday: Trail Sisters run 6.3 miles, 36 pushups

Monday: auxiliary strength/36 pushups

Tuesday: Fluid running/36 pushups

Wednesday: trail run 6.3 miles/36 pushups

Thursday: auxiliary strength/36 pushups

Friday: speedwork/treadmill/4.5 miles/36 pushups

Saturday: 36 pushups

Life Happens

This week, I finally felt like myself again. Not just physically, but also mentally. I have had a huge to-do list looming over me, and as much as I wanted to avoid it, instead I started to tackle things one item at a time. I took care of some medical issues, both my own and my mom's. My dad is also on that list, but his issues are a lower priority right now. In addition, I need to renew my PALS/CPR before the end of the month, and I started working on that on Saturday. I'm training a nurse practitioner student in clinic. I am doing a presentation at Grand Rounds in March--eeek!-- and started working on that as well. 

Selfishly, I have a lot of pre-releases to read this month and in March, and I will read them, but maybe not before the publication date. Life happens, right? 

No matter what is on my to-do list, I always put my runs and my workouts first. Because if I can push through a hard run or a workout, I can do anything! You feel me on this?

Mini Book Reviews: January 2026

Disclaimer: I received ARCs of Strangers, Scavengers, Women of a Promiscuous Nature, and How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder from NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for my honest reviews. This post contains affiliate links.

I sure didn't expect another 10 book month, but when you're stuck inside due to bad weather, Covid, oral surgery...you get me? While it wasn't the best of circumstances, I'm not complaining about all the time I had to knock off some good books on my TBR! 

I also read some backlist books as well as a few spontaneous selections I'd been eyeing. My favorite book of the month? Raising Hare. I never thought a book about a hare--it's not the same as a rabbit--would be so engrossing and endearing. Another favorite of mine was Women of a Promiscuous Nature--an interesting historical fiction novel that is a reminder of how far we have come and a good reminder of that in light of current events.

As always, I read a variety of books and there should be something here for every reader!