Photo a Day - January 2023

New Year's Day Bluey crafting with Lucy - I did Lucky with the football and she did Bingo with laser-red eyes. (The other ones were done before I came over.)

Baldwin’s Book Barn

A home so lit up with decorations that you can see it from the Space Station.

One of my grandmother's old chairs.

View of the Swamp from "my" upstairs bedroom.

Grounds for Sculpture - Night Forms: Infinite Forms

Peeking inside Lucy's new Farmer's Market

Nana Irma's lamp, up close

Late night smoke in the garage - one of my last Nat Sherman Black & Gold's in Dad's old ashtray.

Dropping off a card for Lauryn.

Art at Kings

The last little stocking by the fire.

Belated Christmas card by and from Helen

Smiley face at Naked Lunch

Valentining while watching Desperate Housewives.

The Whale at Bryn Mawr Film Institute

Night-night pals

Seen in the library peepod. Sad lonely bracelet/hair-tie.

My maternal grandfather's old cellar shoes, bronzed, on display in my mother's foyer.

View of the sunset sky from "my" upstairs bedroom.

At Xavier's

Completed! (Artwork by Joy Laforme)

Lucky, all finished

Running out of things to photograph since I really am not going anywhere. So here's the Beast who is cute as can be. Since I was an hour late to snap something, here's two photos to make up for it.

The rainbow stickers on my old pink bike! (Dave is hoping to fix her up for Lucy in a year or so!)

Picking up a bag full of goodies at my fave somewhat-local market!

Look what I bought to share with my Bluey BFF Lucy:

Jackson stills likes to play with our old Fisher Price Village when he visits Nana Rose!

My messy side-desk at Mum's.

The old garage

Books read and to-be read

(I thought that the idea of snapping a photo each day this year would be an interesting way to document my day-to-day life but if January taught me anything it is that I have a truly pathetically dull existence.)

January 2023 Books

♥ A Heart That Works ¹ by Rob Delaney - I knew of Rob Delaney from Catastrophe and his appearances on some Brit panel shows, like Big Fat Quiz of the Year. Oh and his hilarious stand up show Jackie. I read his previous memoir in July 2021 and YouTubed him soon after to see some interviews. I came across one he did with Russell Howard where he spoke (beautifully) about his ongoing (never-ending) grief from the loss of his son, Henry. (I've seen pix of this kid on Delaney's IG page and oh my goodness - if ever there was a puddle of ooey-gooey cuteness and sunbeams, it was wee Master Henry.) I don't have kids, even though I'd say 45% of my friends are under the age of 11, so it's a strange memoir for me to pick up, but I love real life stories good and bad and at the end of the day, this is an important book that needed to be written. What I did get out of it is a deeper appreciation for Delaney. I always feel that men really don't care about their kids. Yeah, they love them and provide for them and do the stuff they need to because it's their job, but my perspective on men and fathers has really changed at seeing just how truly devastated he was when his son passed away. I bought the audiobook when it was released but I plan on picking up a physical copy since all profits of the book are donated to children's charities Rainbow Trust and Noah's Ark. 

Heart of Darkness ¹ by Joseph Conrad - Branagh's narration is sensational but the story was not my cuppa.

* Murder at the Breakers ¹ by Alyssa Maxwell - I bought a copy of this at a second hand shop when Bella and I were in Newport and added it to the list of books I needed to read this year. So I started 2023 off with a cheat - I listened to the audiobook version. It was really good! I'm looking to check out others in the Gilded Newport Mystery series since the lead girl appears in others. Just a nice light read, which is exactly what I needed during a rough month.

* The Bungalow Mystery by Carolyn Keene - In keeping with light reading I cracked open the third Nancy Drew book. So far all of the ones I've read that were penned by Mildred Wirt Benson are fantastic. This one was another page-turner!

*The Mystery at Lilac Inn by Carolynn Keene - Another great Nancy Drew Mystery! The best part about these books is that whenever Nancy gets herself in a real pickle, I know that she will get out of it safe and sound. Loads of drama but always with a happy ending. Just what I need.

¹ - audiobook

² - abridged version
* - liked
♥ - loved
Any unmarked titles were, in my opinion, so-so.

December 2022 Books

♥ A Christmas Carol ¹ by Charles Dickens - Tim Curry's narration is stupendous and I have to listen to this every December. 

* A Christmas Story ¹ by Jean Shepherd - This book and Dick Cavett's reading of it was so good. I will def add this to my December must-listen list!

Chrystallia ¹ by P. M. Glaser - I so wanted to love this tale of a brother and sister at Christmas who find themselves flung into the world of Chrystallia but oh my gosh, there were way too many characters and I kept getting everything jumbled. Paul Michael Glaser's narration was fantastic but I think I need to read the physical book to get everything straight and then listen to this again. 

* Skipping Christmas ¹ by John Grisham - This has been one of my mother's fave holiday books and this month I finally gave it a listen. It was good, I loved the idea of a family just saying NO to the holidays and all the nonsense that goes with it. But the ending was unexpected (for me) and I loved it.

* Christmas with Anne ¹ by L.M. Montgomery - I really liked the Christmas with Anne story but the others were just so-so in my opinion.

* The Christmas Train ¹ By David Baldacci - Mum and I watched this movie during Christmas in July on Hallmark. It was good and when I saw that Tim Matheson read the audiobook I decided to give it a shot. Great end to my month of Christmas-y tales!

¹ - audiobook

² - abridged version
* - liked
♥ - loved
Any unmarked titles were, in my opinion, so-so.

January 2023 Donations

Life for the past 7 months has been extremely difficult. More so than usual. I forgot about Low Budget Philanthropy and when I did remember, I wasn't feeling up to creating a post for this blog. I was depressed and lazy. But it's a new year and I want to stay on track with at least one thing! Here are the two organisations that I threw money at:

Campaign Zero

When I read this in July of 2020 I knew it was a cause that I would donate to again and again: We can live in a world where the police don't kill people by limiting police interventions, improving community interactions, and ensuring accountability.

It will take deliberate action by policymakers at every level of government to end police violence.

Over 1,000 people are killed by police every year in America. We are calling on local, state, and federal lawmakers to take immediate action to adopt data-driven policy solutions to end this violence and hold police accountable.

Shift existing resources from police to instead hire civilian first responders, conflict de-escalators, and violence interrupters from underrepresented communities.

DeRay Mckesson

Campaign Zero

Planned Parenthood

At Planned Parenthood our mission is to ensure all people have access to the care and resources they need to make informed decisions about their bodies, their lives, and their futures. Founded in 1916, Planned Parenthood is a trusted health care provider, educator, and passionate advocate here in the U.S. as well as a strong partner to health and rights organizations around the world. Each year, Planned Parenthood delivers vital sexual and reproductive health care, sex education, and information to millions of people. 

A Key Role in Public Health 

Community is the heart of Planned Parenthood and we strive to be good neighbors in partnership with on-the-ground health and rights organizations. Our expert health care professionals are dedicated to providing high-quality, compassionate, and affordable care. No matter what. As a leader in sexual and reproductive services, Planned Parenthood is proud to serve the diverse needs of local communities through a national network of more than 600 health centers operated by our affiliates.

Planned Parenthood health centers provide a wide range of services — namely preventive care,  including birth control, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, and screenings for cervical and other cancers. Our dedicated doctors, nurses, and support staff take time to not only talk with patients, but to see them for who they are as individuals and support the life they envision for themselves.

Science-backed Education and Resources

As a respected leader in sex education, Planned Parenthood delivers programs, resources, and tools in classrooms, communities, and online that help people make informed choices about their sexuality and relationships, so they can lead full and healthy lives. We are committed to advancing the health of young people in this country by providing comprehensive sex education that is medically accurate, culturally responsive, equitable and accessible — as well as inclusive of varying gender identities, expressions and sexual orientations. Planned Parenthood provides education and outreach to 1.1 million people every year, and millions more through digital sex education tools.

A Leader in the Fight for Reproductive Health, Access, and Rights

Planned Parenthood has 17 million supporters nationwide — activists and donors committed to helping us promote policies that protect and advance access to a full range of sexual and reproductive care and education. The Planned Parenthood Action Network engages activists in all 50 states to stay on top of the issues and get involved with campaigns that advance and protect access to reproductive rights and health.

The Planned Parenthood Action Fund — an advocacy and political arm of Planned Parenthood Federation of America — is an independent, nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization; it  champions policies that expand people's access to medically accurate care and education as well as the freedom to make their own decisions about sexual and reproductive care. The Action Fund engages in educational and electoral activity, including public education campaigns, grassroots organizing, and legislative advocacy.

Please join me in the Low Budget Philanthropy movement and help out your community and beyond in the simplest way - donating any amount to whatever charity or organisation that you care about!

Needle In A Timestack

I saw a preview for this sometime last year and thought it looked interesting. I added it to my Prime queue and moved on, forgetting all about it and getting sidetracked with other shows. When making lists for things to do and see and experience in 2023 I went through all of my streaming apps and library wishlists looking for movies to finally watch. So far it has been a list of serious let-downs. Loads of duds, until I saw Needle In A Timestack. I was intrigued by the plot-line of a world in the not-so-distant future where time travel is possible but it can causes glitches in the present due to changes that were made. Memories can be lost due to these glitches and lives completely altered. The focus of the film is on one couple desperate to never be parted. I thought it was fascinating with a stellar cast of new-to-me faces. A stand-out film, for sure.

(photo kidnapped from imdb)

If you fill your mind...

I love this postcard from Carrot Top Paper Shop on Etsy. It's a quote from the author of The Secret Garden. I plan on framing it and hanging it in my home where I can see it every day. It's my new mantra for 2023.

The Best of Draw Something

In Fall of last year I re-downloaded Draw Something and began playing it again with Mum and Marina. Then in mid-December they shut down the app for good and all the coins and colours I saved over the years were kaput. But here are some screenshots of my fave drawings by me!