Eats
Lol, none that I can think of to report. It's been so long since I've done anything noteworthy in the kitchen.
Workouts/Wellness
I finished the winter hiking challenge! 140 miles/29 hikes. Hubs, Doggo, SIL#3, and her dog joined me for the final hike over the weekend.
I know that when the challenge started I made all kinds of noise about doing it twice, but after the first pass I'm ready to call it good. This is the third year that I've done the challenge and I've settled into favorite and "not favorite" routes, with the not favorite ones including some pretty tough stream crossings. I think it's better to move on to other trails (lookin' at you, Mohican State Park!)
Speaking of hiking, I leave on my next trip tomorrow, and the first two days and possibly the last day will be spent hiking.
Sleep has been OK this week. One tip that I forgot to mention is that I've had some success with cognitive shuffling. That's the thing where you think of a random word and then think of other words that start with the same letter until you either fall asleep or run out of words, and then you move on to another letter. Er, actually now that I'm reading the article again, you're supposed to visualize the word after you think about it, which I have not been doing, so the next time I can't sleep I will add that into the mix.
Watching
On the TV side, I'm caught up on The Pitt and Outlander. The final episode of the current season of The Pitt is this week! I tried Scarpetta, which everyone loves, but I found myself getting bored and peaced out somewhere in the middle of the first episode. I read the books a very long time ago, and remember liking them.
My book club recently read This American Woman by Zarna Garg, which is how I learned that she has a couple of comedy specials out there. I started watching Practical People Win on my own because it didn't seem like something that the Hubs would be into, but after about 3 minutes I hit pause and suggested a couples watch. It was a hit.
Just because I have now seen every Alfred Hitchcock movie doesn't mean that the well is dry. I saw Hitchcock, which is a fictional telling of the making of Psycho, and enjoyed it very much.
Reading
When we last talked, I had started a book called How to Survive in the Woods by Kat Rosenfield, which was not landing well. The only reason why I finished it is because it was short, and the plot reminded me of an old suspense movie, and I wanted to see if I was right about that. The similarity wasn't strong enough to say one way or the other, but at times it sure felt like the author had seen a movie called Diabolique. Anyways, Woods turned out to be a non-thrilling thriller for me.
My next book has been much more successful! Elisabeth wrote about a nurse memoir called Always Pack a Candle and I am hooked. The author started her nursing career in a remote part of BC in the 60s, and the way that she tells the story makes me feel like I'm sitting next to her in her car as she travels around the province. Can I tell you how happy I am to be making road trips in the 2020s in good weather instead of the 1960s in the dead of winter? Speaking of car trips, it is criminal that there is no audio version of this book, since it would be a great road trip listen.
Hitting the Road!
I was pretty tired after my last trip and a couple of weeks at home to chill was exactly what the doctor ordered. Now I'm ready to get back on the road and I will see you on the other side!
There are times when I want to keep my location secret until after the fact, but this isn't one of those trips. I'm headed off to check out the Carolina capitals: Columbia SC and Raleigh NC. It just so happens that to get there I have to drive past New River Gorge NP in WV, so I'm taking some time to explore more of the area.
See you soon! Let me know if you have any Columbua/Raleigh/New River Gorge recommendations.
I'm envious of your ability to do road trip close to where you live that don't require obscene amounts of travel! The states around us are just so dang huge! That's one thing I really liked about living in Charlotte - I could do so much within a 4 hour drive - Asheville, Knoxville, Charleston, Savannah, Research Triangle Area, and the list goes on. These big states are not great for road trip travelers unless you have the desire to drive like 10+ hours (I don't have that desire...).
ReplyDeleteI did not spend any time in Columbia when I lived in CLT but I have heard good things. I went to Raleigh for a week, but that was so very long ago (2013). I hope some people pipe up with recs for you! I bet your drives in WV will be gorgeous!
I do have a lot of good stuff close by! New River Gorge is such a great stopping point to break up the drive to NC/SC.
DeleteOoooh thank you for the reminder about Always Pack A Candle. I had meant to put that on hold when Elisabeth mentioned it but totally forgot! Fixed now :)
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your road trip, I have never been to that part of the world but I have heard it's beautiful. Our friend Gigi (wait, do you know Gigi) lives in North Carolina. I don't know where exactly (and I don't want to doxx her!) but I have heard it's very lovely.
I've got your back by remembering the good books that you have forgotten - and you've done that for me as well. You will not be disappointed by Candle.
DeleteYay for another road trip! Yay for time at home to relax in between!
ReplyDeleteI woke up at 1:30 this morning, after perhaps a month of excellent sleep. What was different? Well, I decided I didn’t need to take any melatonin. I guess that means I’ve gotten used to taking melatonin, which is probably not the worst thing in the world, but also not great to be dependent upon anything for a good night of sleep. I’m going to take it tonight, then wean myself off.
I can’t believe we’re at the end of The Pitt this week! NOT COOL, HBO! WE NEED MORE.
I can't figure out if I'm supposed to take melatonin every night or not. I try not to take it unless I can't fall asleep to start with. My doc said that it can cause depression when used long term, but so does not sleeping.
DeleteI'm joining you in the call for more Pitt, plus let's get the next season of The Gilded Age out there!
Well done on finishing the hiking challenge, Birchie! Will you be starting on your biking challenge later on?
ReplyDeleteCognitive shuffling sounds oddly entertaining! I like the idea of giving the brain just enough to do so it stops running off into stress mode. Also funny that although you did the "light" version, it still worked.
By the way, the link isn't working for me - I'd love to read the whole article if you're able to find a link that works.
Oops! I fixed the link, and here it is again to save on scrolling:
Deletehttps://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/20/well/mind/sleep-cognitive-shuffling.html?unlocked_article_code=1.alA.hKfX.r_hPoV7D2vj7&smid=url-share
There is no bike challenge - I just got it in my head to take on a biking trail from one end to the other last year. But there are other biking trails in the area so I'm sure that Bikie and I will be out there checking them out at some point.
Thanks Birchie!
DeleteI read Lisa's comment above- yes, you're lucky you have all these states you can get to pretty quickly. I have to drive practically all day just to get out of Florida. Anyway I can't wait to hear all about the next adventure. Maybe you'll convince me to add WV back to my list of potential places to live!
ReplyDeleteThey just talked about Zarna Garg's book on the Currently Reading podcast- it sounds really good. She's definitely had a fascinating life.
Congrats on finishing the hiking challenge! Sounds like you had some fun companions for the final hike.
I dunno if WV is a good place to live or not, but it's certainly gorgeous and worth a visit.
DeleteThat drive from Ft Lauderdale to St Pete still stands out as one of the LONGEST drives that I have ever done. It's not even close of course, but it sure felt long.
Another trip! Good for you. That area in WV is lovely.
ReplyDeleteI've done the cognitive shuffling, along with choosing a category and naming one item for each letter of the alphabet that belongs. I have also mentally taken tours of my grandparents' house, the school I taught at, and some other places.
I was recently advised by my doctor to take melatonin for my current sleep troubles. Not sure I want to do that, but it's better than no sleep or a prescription med in my view. I'm grabbing some tomorrow; do you have a recommendation?
Do it! I was reluctant to start taking melatonin, and I don't take it every night. Sometimes it works very well, and sometimes it doesn't, but overall it's been good. Hubs has taken it for a long time, so I just dipped into his bottle. It's just a generic that he got from CVS, nothing fancy. I don't have the bottle with me right now, otherwise I'd tell you exactly what it is. It is most definitely better than no sleep!
DeleteNance, I can’t log in but this is J (Julie). There are different doses, I have taken 2.5 mg, 5 mg, and when desperate, 10 mg. Mostly I like 2.5 or 5. 10 was too much the time I took it. It’s not a heavy duty drug or anything, and it doesn’t knock you out. Just helps.
DeleteThanks, friends. My doctor recommended 5-10 mg and to give it 2 weeks or so to see if it is helping. I really appreciate you both chiming in here.
DeleteWoot woot! Road trip! I have never been to any of the places on your itinerary, so I am very eager to read all about them. (But also no pressure to write anything about any of the cities if you don't feel like it.)
ReplyDeleteAlso, I love that you finished your hiking challenge. Go, you!
I read about cognitive shuffling awhile back, and then forgot all about it! Good thing I read your post last night before I put my kid to bed; I was able to tell her about cognitive shuffling and she seemed to be interested enough in it to give it a try. (And fell right to sleep.)
YESSSSS!!!! Being able to nod off to sleep instantly is gold.
DeleteI will try cognitive shufflling next time I wake up in the middle of the night. (So, tonight! 🤣) I generally can fall asleep just fine, but I wake up after 4 hours, and it makes me so mad! Congrats on finishing the winter hiking challenge! And good decision not to do it again and deal with the scary stream crossings. I hope you have a wonderful trip!
ReplyDeleteMy sleep problems are (1) not being able to fall asleep, (2) waking up and nto being able to get back to sleep (aka "the three o'clock hole"), or (1) AND (2) in the same night which is the worst of the worst. Enjoy the shuffling!
DeleteOK, I tried cognitive shuffling last night when I woke up, and it helped! I’m going to keep that one in my war chest.
ReplyDeleteYESSSSSSS!!!!!
DeleteI love it when my blogging puts people to sleep!
I agree with Lisa! I can drive for 8 hours and barely get into Oregon! However, I actually enjoy driving and like being able to stop along the way, so when I have time, I prefer to drive. I am sure you are having a blast on your trip and I am looking forward to your recap! You know, SC is one of the states I have not been to yet, but I was lucky to visit Lisa when she lived in NC, so I have seen parts of that state! Actually WV is another one of my non-visited states, so you are checking off two of my boxes!
ReplyDeleteSpoiler: it's going to be very easy to check off the Eastern states, since they're relatively close to home and many of them are smaller. The further west I go the more things will slow down.
DeleteThanks for the cognitive shuffling idea! I did that last night (when I was too excited to sleep because I start my SOLO READING RETREAT today!) and it was really helpful.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on finishing the hiking challenge! Proud of you!
I'm excited to see what you get up to on your next adventures. I haven't been to any of these areas, but used to have a blog friend who lived in Columbia and it looked so cute!
I'm so glad that this post has put everyone to sleep! You're the third person!
DeleteCan confirm that Columbia is cute!
Sorry I’m here so late. Ive been locked-in focused on a photo book that has lingered on my to do list for a few YEARS. Almost done. Anyway, I love a good memoir and I look forward to reading the nurse one.
ReplyDeleteI was just in Colombia SC. Curly and I flew there in order to get to her college visit in Aiken. We did nothing more than walk thru the airport, so I have no suggestions. But Aiken is an hour north. Really cute town.
Also since I’m embarrassingly behind on responding to comments- I totally agree, Rear Window seemed like the ideal role for Christopher Reeves. It’s too bad the rest of the movie was so cringy.
There is no such thing as being late in the blogging world. We do want do when we can! But I think you will like Always Pack a Candle. I found out that there is a sequel and I will be diving in soon.
DeleteColumbia turned out to be an unexpectedly delightful town. Your turn next, Raleigh!
I am looking forward to staying put for a few weeks before I road-trip again, but the hiking sounds really fun. My husband and I are totally stoked about our son's new job but a tiny bit sad that he was only in Charlotte NC for a year, it was a really nice place to visit.
ReplyDeleteI started Hitchcock but couldn't get through it, not sure why. I thought the acting was great. I also don't know why we don't watch more comedy specials because when we do we always love them.
I've been putting off watching The Pitt until all the episodes were out, appreciate the heads up!
The story in Hitchcock isn't much: he decides to make Psycho even though everyone says not to, it's a hit, the end. I probably got a boost from just having seen all of the movies.
DeleteThis trip is about the capitals, but I do want to spend some time in Charlotte and Savannah GA someday.
I'm so glad you liked Always Pack a Candle. I was really hooked and, thanks to you, I now know she wrote another book! Which I have officially put on hold!!
ReplyDeleteCandle is such a gem. I can't wait to read more of her books. Of course I'll start with the sequel, but she wrote a bunch of mystery books as well.
Delete